By His Side
Chapter Fifty Two
Chief Jacob Black fell to his knees on the sands of First Beach looking out over the gentle swells of the deep blue-green Pacific.
The flutter in his heart was accompanied by a warm rush of emotional pride. He held out his long arms and reached toward the
water. A huge smile broke across his features as his sons waded out of the waves and flung themselves into his strong embrace.
Jacob stood with a twin on each hip as the boys played footsie with each other while trying to wrap their legs around their father's
waist. He turned and strode away from the water toward a large blanket spread out on the beach. On it was a cooler, a huge picnic
basket, a small stereo playing classic rock turned low, and his lovely wife sipping wine from a blue Solo cup, her lips smiling around
the rim as her eyes roamed up and down over her gorgeous husband's sculpted, muscular body. The other occupant of the space on
the blanket was a sweet, caramel-skinned little girl with a headful of fluffy, dark brown hair. She sat next to her mother as she knelt
at the edge of the blanket scooping up sand with a tiny red shovel and depositing most of it into a yellow bucket in front of her. Bella
had one arm wrapped around her daughter's waist preventing her from falling over into the sand as she reached further with her little
shovel for the choicest bits of beach to collect.
Sarah Charlotte Black was one year old today. She had a balloon-filled party on the beach, a brand new shovel and bucket, some
birthday cake frosting stuck in her hair and smeared on her tiny bikini, and her father wrapped firmly around her little finger. Even
though he was currently ferrying her big brothers from the surf to the blanket, his eyes had caressed her mother's slightly rounded
tummy and then riveted to Sarah's rosy cheeks. When he reached the rest of his family, he placed the boys on their feet and squatted
beside them to grab a towel to dry himself and the boys off. He scruffed up their long black hair, squeezing the strands in the towel to
soak up the water, then rubbed down each of their bodies, tickling them along the way causing gales of giggling. He threw a corner of
the towel over his own head and scrubbed his hair, dragging the towel across his chest before tossing it to the sand, running his fingers
through his hair to slick it back out of his eyes and flopping down on the blanket. He stretched out on his side, propping himself up on
one elbow, leaned up to kiss Bella soundly and then dropped his head down next to his little cherub. He snuggled his face into her belly
and stole several sweet, baby-scented kisses.
"Is my little angel gonna dig her way to China?"
The tiny child dropped her shovel, grabbed her daddy's cheeks with both hands and planted a sloppy kiss on his nose. Jacob placed his
lips on Sarah's nose, making loud smacking noises and then laid his head beside her on the blanket. This was his daughter's favorite
position for him. She put her own head on the blanket and touched her nose to his and lay there staring into his eyes. Father and
daughter had spent many hours gazing into each other's eyes like this over the past year. Her mother had wondered if she should
be jealous of his divided attention, until he had wrapped her in his arms, placed his lips to her ear and whispered his request for
making another little Black.
That child was the son who now swelled Bella's stomach. She had only barely begun to show, but Jacob could hardly contain his
excitement and pride. His shoulders were thrown back just a little farther and his chest pressed out just a bit more. His sons were
3½, his daughter was one today and before she was two, they would have another son in their family Pack. He often reminded Bella
that Will had told him in the dream before the march that they would eventually have seven children. She assured him that she was
fine with seven as long as they weren't too close together, or too far apart.
"I want them to be able to grow and play together, Jacob, but I don't want to destroy my body trying. Give me time to exercise and
get back into shape a little before another go, okay?"
They hadn't planned on another baby quite so close behind Sarah, but their lives had come together so well over the last couple of
years, they couldn't deny their excitement at the prospect. Bella had finished her Pre-Law coursework just three months ago. She
would be putting off her Law School studies for a year or two to concentrate on relaxing as a mother and the wife of the Chief of the
Quileute Tribe. Billy Black had passed the torch of leadership to his son a few weeks earlier announcing his plans to set new records
for number of fish caught and total pounds caught. Charlie Swan had stepped in and picked up the gauntlet thrown down by his best
friend. Their fishing challenge would not likely garner any headlines, but it would be a constant topic of conversation at future bonfires.
Jacob had two more years of engineering classes to complete his degree. His position as Pack Alpha and his duties as husband, father
and business owner made it necessary to move a little more slowly with his studies. Black Pack Air had become the premier transportation
service in the Pacific Northwest. Clive Pitt was still piloting the first plane they acquired and running roughshod rule over the three other
pilots that now worked for them. They had a total of six aircraft in their arsenal, four pilots and two mechanics working full time. They
had contracts with several regional resorts for transporting tourists and supplies throughout the area. They even flew supply runs up to
Alaska to the village where they had met Sqilatow, the polar bear shifter in the tribe that suffered the flu epidemic all those years ago.
Jacob often tagged along on those flights to visit his shifter friend. They were still attempting to teach each other their native languages
and once Sqilatow and his mate had flown back to La Push with Clive to visit Jacob and Bella. They claimed the area was nice, but too
green. Bella assured them she understood exactly how they felt, remembering the dreams she once had when she was newly arrived
in Forks.
One development that delighted Jacob most of all about his Air Freight business with Clive was the fact that the other three pilots that
worked for them were members of the Pack. Brady, Collin and Seth had all obtained pilot's licenses and had immediately begun their
on-the-job training with Clive. Jacob was especially pleased at Seth's success with his flying lessons. Seth had already begun lessons
in a glider he had purchased declaring that someday he would be able to soar among the clouds with his lady. Marguerite was excited
for him to complete that training. She already routinely flew alongside him each time he went up in a Black Pack plane. Seth had vowed
to her that he would be ready to glide with her on their honeymoon. That was only two months away, but he was certain he would make it.
The rest of Jacob's time was taken up at the garage, which now included a body shop, that he owned with Quil and Embry. He was still
widely known as the best mechanic for miles around and his talents were demanded by customers on a regular basis. He didn't want to
completely retire from working on cars, as that had been his first real talent and first means of earning a living. Tinkering with a classic
automobile was one of his favorite ways of unwinding and resetting his mind if it was in turmoil about some problem. He was currently
in the middle of two classic car restorations that made his heart race when he reached a new milestone in the process. One was a 1929
Duesenberg he was working on for a client. The other was a 1970 Dodge Charger. That one was all for himself. It was a classic Charger
and would be deep turquoise with a white vinyl roof, a 440, a 4-barrel and an automatic with a slapstick. He'd promised Bella that when
it was finished, he'd take her cruising and then parking up on the cliff's edge where she'd once jumped into the ocean. That had been
another lifetime and now they wanted to christen the spot with a completely different type of plunge. Maybe one day they'd go up there
to conceive another addition to their brood.
The success of the march was not broadcast outside the borders of La Push, but inside, well, that was another matter. Not long after the
march, when pieces of vampires began showing up around their borders, the secret of the Pack was blown out of the water, deliberately.
A festival was held within the boundary of the Reservation, the entire Tribe was invited. Billy Black and the rest of the Council of Elders
were all seated on a dais, the entrance to the Rez had had been restricted to Tribe only, with the exception of the inclusion of Chief
Charlie Swan, and an announcement of grand proportions was to be made. Virtually every member of the Tribe was present. A picnic
of epic proportions had been staged, entertainment had been presented and then Billy had moved over to a microphone and called for
everyone's attention.
"Normally, our Tribe's legends would be related around a bonfire before a smaller group of individuals. Today, they are for all of our people.
Today, we will all know the truth. I trust all of you are aware that we are of one family. Know this, your family leaders have not lied to you.
We have withheld some truths from some of you because our ancestors dictated it. They were mistaken and we were misled. The knowledge
we will impart to you today is for all of the Quileute people. It will from this day forward be an integral part of our Tribe and how we live and
conduct ourselves. It must not travel outside of our Tribe, but those within will no longer be kept in the dark."
Billy, with the help of Sue Clearwater, Old Quil and Jacob, then proceeded to tell all of the history of their people's origins and their ancestors.
They told of Taha Aki, the third wife, the Cold Ones, the wolves, the early Packs, the Cullens, Bella, the newborns, the Volturi. New stories
had been added to record the events of the last few years. The legends were all recited out loud. The audience did not grow restless. Instead,
they were entranced, hanging on every word because so many of their number had never heard some of the stories. Finally, Billy finished the
last story about the Volturi and the Cullens. He let his gaze roam over the crowd assembled in front of him. He drew in a deep breath and let
it out slowly. Here was the moment.
"My people, my family, you have heard all but one of the legends. Now is the time I ask that each of you hear my voice and take my words
into your hearts. All of these legends...are true."
There were several moments when the only sound was a fire crackling and some seagulls calling to one another. A lone wolf howled low in
the distance. Many heads turned toward the sound before moving back to stare expectantly at their Chief. There was a rumble of voices
beginning within the crowd that grew rapidly. Disbelief, shock, anger began to voice itself among the Tribe's stunned population. Billy and
the others simply waited them out. Finally, there was a crescendo of shouts and cooler minds prevailed, calming down the noise into an
anticipatory hum. Billy lifted the microphone back to his lips.
"I hope you will accept my words as truth. Proof can be provided for non-believers. We still have an active Wolfpack on our Reservation, my
son Jacob is their Alpha, and any or all of them will gladly demonstrate their shifting abilities to you. In the past, it was thought best to keep
the existence of the Pack concealed from all but a select inner circle. This has caused innumerable hardships on the Pack members and their
families. The Council, the Pack and all our families have decided, no more. It will become Tribal Law that no one outside the Tribe may know
unless approved by the Council of Elders. We realize that members of our people may find their mates outside of the Tribe. They will not be
kept in the dark and the Tribe members will never be forced to lie to their family, their loved ones."
After letting Billy's speech sink in a little longer, Jacob stepped forward to speak to his people. He reached down to hug his father while taking
the mic from his hand.
"I have one more story to share with all of you. This involves my wife, Bella, and my son Will. It also involves Seth Clearwater and his lovely
bride-to-be Marguerite Pitt-Fleming. If there are any questions about the events that led up to this last tale, they will be happy to answer them."
Jacob took a deep breath and scanned his audience. He then began his tale. He told of Seth's discovery of the journals in the hidden library in
the Council Hall. He told of Marguerite accompanying Seth to search for clues. He related how the Pack and their families joined together to
learn what was required to enact the ritual described in the journals. He then paused before telling of the dream he had the morning of the
march. He cast his eyes toward Bella who was sitting with Will in her lap. He smiled at his wife and son before continuing.
"In the early hours of the morning on the day of the march, I was asleep in my home with my wife by my side and our sons in their crib. I had
a wondrous dream. In this dream, my son William came to me as an adult. He told me that our efforts that day would be successful but he
warned me that we would face many obstacles and perils. He told me that the Spirits would test our resolve and our courage and that the
elements would be turned against us and we must prepare so we could protect our mates and children that marched with us. We faced winds
greater than any hurricane, rain that caused flooding, snow that threatened to blind us and a tornado that tried to carry away our supplies.
All of this happened on a warm and peaceful summer day and yet we pressed on. My wife marched with us in her Spirit Wolf form and she
was joined by the Spirit representation of Taha Aki. We were guided and assisted by our ancestor's wisdom and love and as predicted by my
son, we were successful. Since we completed the march, we have recorded more than 30 instances of supernatural evils attempting to cross
the boundaries we set forth. None have successfully entered into our lands and all of them have destroyed themselves trying. From that day
forward, we have faith that our homes will be safe from attacks from the supernatural realms. We need not fear any longer for the safety of
our families or our way of life."
When Jacob finished speaking, there was an extended bit of silence. As the gathering began to break up, people began to head for their homes
to discuss what they had been told. Many lingered behind for the promised 'proof' of which Billy had spoken. The people were warned that the
shifters had to disrobe before shifting. A modesty barrier made of a beach towel was hastily erected and the Tribe's people were treated to a
show of epic proportions. The wolves shifted two or three at a time until seven of them stood in the middle of the large group. The greatest
sensation came when Clive and Marguerite shifted also. It was as if the legends of the wolves had prepared them to see the Pack as truth, but
a black panther and a red-tailed hawk were something quite unexpected. There were many women who were supremely interested in Leah and
Maggie. The fact that females had played such a vital role in safeguarding the Tribe was special information. Many children especially were thrilled
to see Maggie take off and soar in circles around the treetops and over the edge of the beach. They were sorely disappointed to be denied a ride
on the huge bird as well as the panther and the wolves. It was explained that rides were reserved for immediate family members, but petting
was allowed and encouraged.
When Jacob and Bella returned home that evening with Will, Jay and Sarah, they were tired but happy and contented. Once the children were
bathed, loved, kissed and tucked in, the Alpha pair slipped under the covers of their bed and snuggled up close. Jacob held Bella's body snugly
to his as he placed warm kisses on her cheeks, her neck and her mouth.
"Bells honey, this has been a day and a half and I want to thank you for helping me get through it."
Bella stroked his cheek and pushed her fingers up through his hair, massaging his scalp.
"Jacob, you never needed any help getting through today. You were cut out for this leadership stuff and you do it like it's second nature. You're
that much like your father and all I do is stand to the side, let you shine and puff up with pride at my brilliant husband."
He planted another long, smoldering kiss on her lips before pulling back to look into her eyes.
"I'm awfully glad you think so, honey, but don't forget, I couldn't have ever made it through any of these last years without you. You are my love,
my heart, my soul Bells. My future is bright because of you."
"Jake, I will always be right here, by your side."
A/N: My lovelies, this is the last chapter to my story. There will be an Epilogue next week
and my tale will be history. I hope you will be with me until
then. Thank you to all my readers and reviewers. Thanks and love to my wonderful Beta, Murfy.
Later, babies.
mama
