Edward found her like that when he returned home from hunting. He was alarmed and worried when she didn't respond to his calls. The family rushed to help and called Carlisle home. Bella was breathing and showed no signs of pain or discomfort but she wouldn't wake up. She couldn't hear them with her physical ears or feel when they touched her.
Edward had taken her shoes off and changed her clothing to something more comfortable.
'Son, I cannot say with certainty what is going on. I would liken it to a coma. You'll need to let her come back when she is ready. It may have been caused by something that happened while she was out.' Carlisle informed after he checked on Bella.
Edward's immediate thought was that the wolves had done something to Bella. He growled viciously and leapt out the window of their room. He ran toward the border and searched for the mind of the patrolling wolf. It had no thoughts of Bella or the Cullens. He learned that a new wolf had turned in the place of the lost one. He was a young boy, Embry. The council had held a meeting where the disabled alpha was to choose a successor. Billy had refused to pass the chieftaincy to another bloodline.
After the council meeting he had shifted at home and bit his young son Jacob. The older wolves were watching over him, waiting to guide him through phasing. The wolf's thoughts were troubled as Billy further injured himself by phasing and was said to be in worse shape than before. He would never walk again and in a year would lose control over the pack. The boy Jacob was to be the new alpha and chief of the tribe.
Edward ran to Bella's house quickly hoping to find Charlie and get some insight on what had happened to her. From a distance, he heard Charlie's thoughts about Bella moving out and their brief conversation. Sue was humming to herself suppressing the mental pictures of Bella that clouded her thoughts. Edward focused on her and saw Bella at her most frightening yet. He couldn't get the words Sue was blocking but it was enough to know she had upset Bella somehow. He neared the chief's house and entered through the back door. Charlie was in the living room watching television. Sue stifled a scream when she caught sight of Edward standing by the door to the kitchen. She shook from fear.
"I'm not here to hurt you" Edward spoke too quiet for Charlie to hear. "Tell me what happened earlier" He asked.
The memories flashed through Sue's mind like he knew they would. When he had heard everything, he disappeared out the way he came. Sue was frightened and confused because she hadn't said anything. Soon as she could make her legs move, she called Billy and dragged Charlie to the reservation.
Bella's breathing had changed, as though she was awake but she still hadn't responded to Esme or Carlisle. Carlisle was upset thinking that Edward had toyed with Bella's life by keeping her human longer than what was necessary. He also suspected the wolves may have attacked the most vulnerable of their family somehow. Esme and Jasper suspected the Volturi may be responsible from one with an unknown gift.
Edward ignored their thoughts and informed the family what he had learnt. He pulled his mate's sleeping form into his arms.
"That woman upset her. Could that be the cause?" Esme asked in irritation. She didn't like Sue.
"She left her father. She must be hurting" Carlisle looked adoringly at his youngest daughter.
'Speak to her brother Edward, she'll hear only you' Alice advised from her room.
She showed him a vision of Bella waking in the same position he held her. He spoke gently to her, asking her to stay with him and open her eyes. Bella still did not respond. His parents moved to wait in attached study to give him some privacy.
Edward had grown desperate. He tried to break through to her silent mind with all the focus he could master. At first he hadn't realized his success since there was still silence and darkness.
'Bella love if you can hear me, please open your eyes. Come back to me,' He thought to her
'Edward?' A quiet voice startled him. The sound of it eased his worry immediately.
'Bella love, I can hear you but I can't see anything'
'It's dark here. There's nothing to see. It's empty.' She explained. He had a lot of questions but chose to focus on waking her.
'How can it be empty? We're here'
'Yes, but we are nothing here. It's peaceful.'
'I need you here love. You have not responded when we woke you or talked to you. Father thinks you are in a coma.'
'A coma? Why would he think that? I'm fine.'
'Then open your eyes love,' He encouraged. Bella didn't respond. He could sense her hesitation.
'Isabella' He called firmly with authority. Her eyes flew open and locked onto his.
"Thank you, I feared you may never wake." He held her tighter.
"I-I didn't know how." Her eyes were fearful
Edward comforted her although he too was confused. He called Carlisle to check Bella first and Esme brought her food to eat. He tried unsuccessfully to enter her mind again during that time. He brought her things from the Volvo and packed them in their closet while she freshened up. They talked about her afternoon drive to her old home. Bella explained why she needed to break away from her father alone and told him about her confrontation with Sue.
"I saw it from her mind." He told her. "You gave her quite a fright" He chuckled
"I didn't mean to"
"Love, you are taking on more of my traits with the venom in your body. I think your body cannot keep up." He shared his suspicions about what she had gone though
"Do you think that's why I couldn't hear you?"
"It could be although I doubt it is the reason." Edward was thoughtful. "I didn't learn all the details clearly from the Volturi. Only Marcus' mate had stayed human longer than the others and adopted much more of his traits." He admitted
Both stayed in silence while thinking over the events of the day. The last week of school passed quickly. Esme was happier with Bella officially staying with the family. Alice had frequent visions of the Volturi although none held new information.
"It is as though Jane Volturi is decided to come here with her company as are her parents but they don't know why they are coming." Edward explained to the family his interpretation of Alice's visions.
None outside the family knew how Alice's gift worked or the strength of it. She worked hard to hide it from outsiders as it threatened the safety of those she loved.
"What reasons would they have for being unsure?" Esme did not want the Volturi near her family, no matter what the reason for the intrusion was.
"They are not unsure about their reasons for coming. They are unsure about how they will be received." Carlisle spoke his thoughts. He concluded Alice could not see anything more because the Volturi were unsure themselves.
"She arrives soon." Alice confirmed with finality. The vision was clear and steady.
The family hunted closer to home in groups of three and four at a time. They spent much of the school holidays at home. The more time passed, it was certain that Jane would arrive soon and was obviously delayed with getting to Forks.
With her husband's death, Sue had separated herself from the people at the reservation and asked to be released from serving in the council. She wanted her children away from wolves and vampires though she knew Seth carried the gene. Her decision was made easier when Billy turned the elders against her for moving on too soon after Harry's passing and with a non-native. She had locked up her small home and moved into the Swan home with Seth. Leah had decided to stay behind with her cousin Emily and be sent to a boarding school in the fall. Seth had moved into Bella's old room and the house was full again. Charlie spared Bella a thought sometimes and she called as promised though their conversations were short. She assured him she was happy with the Cullens and supported this big step he took with Sue. She had told Charlie the family was travelling to Europe where Carlisle was offered a new job to prepare him.
Whenever they met, Carlisle assured him Bella was healthy and happy. He was first to tell Charlie about the possibility of leaving to Europe and asked they travel with Bella. After discussing it with Renee and Sue, Charlie had agreed and released his daughter to her vampire father. Sue had hoped for a chance to speak to Bella one last time to apologize but Bella never called the house or visited. She was pleased the vampires were leaving town in hopes that Seth would never have to phase.
Jacob, who had learnt what had really happened to his father and Harry Clearwater refused to be alpha of the pack. He hated what his father had turned him into. He hated that his sister left college because she was now a wolf imprint. He would have left the reservation if it was not for the responsibility of taking care of his wheelchair bound father.
Unlike his father, he didn't thirst for revenge and wasn't full of hate towards the vampires. He preferred to go along unnoticed in the pack, much to Billy's disappointment. He visited Sue and Seth at the Swan home as often as he could to get away from the reservation. His presence removed all traces of Bella and Edward's scents there. Charlie gave him the red Chevy truck he had bought for Bella when she moved to Forks a few months earlier.
