Chapter 52 - Confrontation
The three of us left through the back gate – I snapped the large padlock that held it shut from human intruders. The gateway led to an overgrown field ribboned with small paths used by both humans and animals to access the wood behind.
I had explained to Nessie that as she had already had breakfast there would be no need for her to hunt. Jasper and I could be more subtle about it than she could. I also feared that Jasper might follow a human scent and I didn't want Nessie doing the same. I carefully explained to Jasper that this couldn't be a normal hunt because I needed to shield him. We couldn't let our predator instincts take over completely, we just needed to stick together and grab what animals we could.
I also considered letting my shield slip off one or the other of them while we were out hunting. I didn't know if they would notice when they were distracted, and if Nessie would say anything if she did notice. If Jasper thought that my shield was weak he would move us on again. I decided that getting Jasper to stay here as long as possible would make it more likely that the others would find us. I didn't know if my voice would really be able to pull Edward and the others to our rescue.
I let Jasper carry Nessie on his shoulders again. This was exactly my dream, and this was exactly what Alice has seen: Nessie on this man's shoulders here in this wood. And I knew we had to get away from him, he was dangerous. My negative though patterns pushed my worry for Nessie to the front of my mind. How much did Jasper want her along for this ride? Would he be happier if she didn't make it and he had me all to himself? What would he do to her? I knew he was fond of her, but would that be enough to keep her alive now he'd taken this evil path? I had to get her away from him whatever it took, however much it hurt me.
The hunting proved difficult, there were few animals in this part of the wood. I persuaded Jasper that we had to travel at human speed just in case we were detected, which meant that getting away from the city to where the animals were took longer. We walked for an hour before we'd found an area free of human scent and full of the sound and smells of animals.
The woods here were different to the woods near Forks. There was less green somehow. Fewer of the trees were evergreen, allowing more of the gray morning light onto the floor.
I tried to keep the mood light, chatting quietly with Nessie and holding her hand as we walked. Jasper smiled and happiness leaked out of him, and despite the situation I could not help but feel happy too. It was confusing being so happy yet having my mind filled with escape plans. I decided I couldn't get Nessie and me away from him without help – it would be too dangerous to even try. I decide that I would wait to see if the promised help arrived.
Some of my thought patterns were still running over the scenarios that could have happened in the clearing and the possible reactions to our disappearance. The problem was that I just didn't know. Were they out looking for us before the voice tried to alert them? Would they consider chasing the voice? Surely Demetri would, but would anyone go with him? Would Demetri and I be enough to fight Jasper? And what about Alice – how was she going to take this? And Jasper, what would they do to Jasper if a large rescue party came? What would they do to me? Would they see it as my fault? Is it me that would be punished for making them all to love me?
I forced myself to stop thinking. I was heading towards a panic attack and needed to concentrate on something else. I forced myself to think of the prey we needed right then.
The deer herd we encountered split in every direction as soon as they caught our scent. We gave chase to the oldest female, she was well past her prime. Jasper took the final dive to take her down. I let him drink her all and refused when he offered me some. I needed him to be fed well enough to stay in a good mood.
After another fifteen minutes we found remnants of the herd and I was able to take a young buck. I needed my strength, I may have to fight Jasper at any time.
Just as I sat on the floor finishing the creature I smelled them. All morning there had been a slight northerly breeze rippling the trees in the forest and at that moment it brought with it the slightest scent of wolf. I watched Jasper in my peripheral vision, I wasn't sure if he'd smelled it. I didn't dare move my head to look and I tried to keep my emotions in check, but I knew that he would have felt the jolt of panic and hope that had gone through me. I just didn't know what the wolves would try to do. Had they come to rescue Nessie and me at all?
After ten seconds it was obvious that Jasper knew they were coming. He picked Nessie up and pulled me with him to the most defensible part of the wood he could see. It wasn't much of a base point, a slight rise in the ground gave us an elevated position and there were a few rocks to cover our backs. The rocks at least would be some shelter for Nessie.
"How did they know?" Jasper spat. "Haven't you got us covered? Don't you realize what this could mean?"
His tone was beyond anger and I felt it coming from him, he didn't try to hide it. If we both lived through the wolves I'm not sure what he would do to me in his fury.
We could hear them now, the paws of two wolves, but along with them the footfalls of vampires coming from more than one direction. There was nowhere for Jasper to take us. We were trapped. I felt panic, dread. I didn't know if it were mine or Jasper's. I didn't know what was going to happen, who was here to fight for who against who.
First we saw the wolves come from the left, Jacob and Leah. Jacob I could understand, no doubt he had come for Nessie. If I could get her to him she would be safe and that would be good enough for me. It was what I wanted most. Anything beyond that was a bonus.
But Nessie was tucked into the rocks, with Jasper in front of both of us. The wolves came to a halt about twenty yards away, standing side by side. Jacob growled threateningly at Jasper. Then Edward appeared to my right and I heard the unmistakably noisier approach of Fred who stopped some fifty yards behind. I dropped my shield – I needed Edward to know what was in Jasper's mind.
"Jasper let them go!" Edward growled, moving into an attack stance. "Give me my wife and daughter."
At last, a rescue party, they had come to free us. My relief was enormous.
"No! She is mine, she wants to be with me." He too slipped into a fighting crouch.
Then they were at it. Their bodies crashing sounded like a huge boulders falling off a cliff and smashing on the rocks below. The speed of the movement was breathtaking even to a vampire. I was transfixed in horror, the battle raging just yards in front of Nessie and me.
Jacob barked, bringing me to my senses. I had to get Nessie past them and to him. But there wasn't room to go round this ball of flailing limbs, and I needed to keep away from Fred. I had to go up.
I grabbed Nessie and sprang into the trees, clutching on to whatever came to hand. The branch gave way under our weight but momentarily gave me enough support to swing our bodies so we landed near Jacob.
I shot to his side and put her on his back. "Keep her safe! Home!" was all I said before he turned and was gone with my daughter. I felt the loss of her even though I was glad she was away.
Jasper and Edward were still fighting. Neither seemed to be gaining the advantage and the pace had not slowed. There was an occasional sound of real injury, accompanied by almost continuous growling. Sometimes the flurry of activity would stop when one had a good hold on the other, only for it to be broken and the battle recommence at flashing speed.
Fred slowly walked towards me. He looked towards Jasper and Edward and they started vomiting on the floor. The fight was over for now, their incapacity total.
Fred covered the distance to me in five easy strides and to my surprise offered me his hand. "Shall we go?"
"Go where Fred?"
"Away from here, away from all this. We are meant for each other, how could we not be?"
"No! I am married to Edward! What don't you understand! I love him and only him!"
"Bella be reasonable," he started.
I put my shield back over Jasper and Edward and they were off the floor and towards the two of us. I was pushed out of the way by one, I didn't know which one, in their determination that Fred should be eradicated.
They both started on him and I heard his arm being pulled off again before seeing Edward holding him for Jasper to decapitate. I was desperate for this to stop, I needed them to sort this out without fighting, it wasn't going to sort anything.
I pulled my shield away from them again and they were back on the floor. Fred's yelling subsided and he looked around for his arm.
"You want to be part of this?" he asked between painful draws of breath. "Come away with me. If you leave me unshielded they can't get to us."
"Fred, No. But I don't want you dead. Just go somewhere else and leave me alone."
"I can't do that love."
He took two steps towards me, limping in one leg. Although he smiled at me I was scared of him. He wouldn't listen to me, he wouldn't take no for an answer, what would he try to do to me now? I unshielded Jasper and Edward again. This time they were on their feet in a flash and Edward was after Fred but Jasper was after Edward.
Again the limbs were moving so fast I couldn't see what was happening in the brawl.
"Stop!" I shouted, I had to stop this.
And they stopped.
They stopped in the exact positions they were in when I said the word, as if they were frozen at that very moment. I thought maybe this was an elaborate game they were playing on me. Fred was on the forest floor. Edward's teeth were about an inch from Fred's neck poised to bite his head off. Jasper was at Edward's back, clearly focused on removing Edward's arm.
I watched for a few seconds. They didn't move, not to blink, not to breathe.
"Edward?" I asked tentatively. There was no reply, no acknowledgment that I existed.
I walked slowly over to them but still no reaction. I put my hand on Edward's face, expecting him to smile and announce that all this was some super big practical joke. But nothing.
I tried tickling him but he was a statue. I may as well have been tickling Michelangelo's David.
I tried to comfort myself. At least no one was being hurt like this.
More footsteps, a large party this time this time. It seemed to take an age for them to arrive, but that was probably because I was focused on the three frozen bodies in front of me.
Carlisle, Emmett, Demetri and Alice arrived. I didn't know what to think. I couldn't tell if my emotions were positive or if my face showed any sign of recognition towards them.
They moved slowly towards the fighters.
Further out in the forest I thought I spotted Nahuel for a second before he was gone into the trees.
"Bells, what have you done to them now?" Emmett's voice uncharacteristically hoarse. He looked scared. He was staring at me and keeping a healthy distance.
Alice was next to Jasper trying to look into his eyes. She had to hold herself in a strange position to see his face.
Demetri and Carlisle were just surveying the scene and eying me with caution.
"Bella are you hurt?" Carlisle's voice sounded at a loss as to where to begin to try to put this straight.
"No Carlisle."
"Nessie, where is she?"
"Jacob has her, he has taken her home, just a minute ago."
Demetri nodded. He must be able to feel them running in the direction of La Plush as we spoke. I knew that is where Jacob would take her, his home where she could be guarded by sixteen wolves. She would be safe.
"Can you explain what has happened?"
"No."
"Why are they like this?" He indicated with his hand and took a few steps forward to examine them more carefully.
"I don't know!" I almost yelled.
"It's OK Bella, better like this than killing each other. Just tell us what happened when the others found you and Jasper." Carlisle was, as ever, trying to find a rational explanation.
"Well we were hunting, I thought it would give more time for someone to find us without Jasper getting suspicious. And then we smelled the wolves and Jasper wanted us to go on the rise by the rocks so he could defend us. I can't fight Jasper alone, I wouldn't win, I had to wait for help. I had to get Nessie away from him. Then the wolves arrived and Jacob growled and then Edward and Fred arrived and Edward started to fight with Jasper. I got Nessie to Jacob and told him to take her home. And Fred made them sick and wanted me to go away with him and so I shielded Jasper and Edward and they nearly killed him so I had to unshield them and then shield them again and it was all getting too much so I just shouted stop – and they did."
The four newcomers were all staring at me nearly as still as the fighters.
"You just said stop?" Demetri asked.
"I don't know, I don't understand," I wailed. "Why is this happening?"
Carlisle went over to the fighters and checked them for vital signs, not that there is much to check for in a vampire.
"They don't appear hurt except for the missing arm and a few minor injuries," he concluded as he continued to examine them. "I have never seen anything like it before. Demetri, have you seen this before?"
"Never. Not with my own eyes. There are old tales, but they were just tales from millennia ago, they may have no truth in them. Ah, but we may have an answer now. She comes."
"She?"
I could hear a rustling in the leaves and turned to see a woman running towards us, her feet seeming not to touch the ground as she ran.
"Mom? What the ..."
