AN ~ I LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVE!

Honestly, I do not know what happened to my holidays! I'm already back at school, busy as anything, with exams coming up and everything! Nevertheless, I found myself with some spare time (strangely...maybe I've forgotten something) and so I decided I'd better update something. It sort of had to be Stars because I already have a framework to go on – although, this chap is kind of a patchwork chapter. The plot doesn't really flow but it's too important to leave out and it would be either too short or too rambly to do it separately or try and fill in the gaps in between.

Disclaimer: I don't own BD (although, by the time I get around to posting the next chapter, we'll probably have seen the trailer...if not the movie! LOL)

I'm sorry it's been too long and this isn't the greatest of chapters to make up for it but it's necessary. I'd say I'd try to post again soon but 'soon' won't be for at least another 2-3 weeks coz I'm SO busy :(

My next updates will be on other ffics, and hopefully better than this one.

Anyway, I'd better let you get on with it.

Chapter Fifty Four: The Renegades

Carlisle:

Perhaps it was the eeriness of the moment, but Esme and I jumped when heavy footsteps thudded onto the porch steps.

"Jacob," Edward muttered. Rosalie hissed, flying down the stairs and into the living room.

"Who invited the dog? Tell him to go away. Bella's sleeping," she snapped in a hushed tone. Edward ignored his sister and instead, leaned over Bella and gently kissed her cheek. She mumbled something indiscernible and slowly opened her heavy eyelids.

"Jacob?" she groaned, trying to see past Edward to the door. He took my seat as I got up to answer it. It was amazing how far things had come in the past few months: the wolves and the Cullens had gone from being mutually tolerant enemies to allies, in some cases bordering on friends, to arch-nemeses of the most bitter kind. Jacob, our key to peace at last with the wolves, at least on the subject of Bella's change without an ensuing war, was now perhaps the most likely to tear the eight of us apart one by one.

I pulled the door open, regretting this last realisation, and met the cold black eyes of the wolf pack's true Alpha male.

"Hello Jacob," I greeted. "How are you?"

Pathetic.

His eyes narrowed, but softened; he almost looked sorry for me, as if he wished he didn't want to kill me. There was no doubt Jacob was not supposed to be here; he must have broken at least one of the wolves' laws to come...unless they were waiting. I took a deep breath; of the wolves, I could only smell Jacob fresh and strong. The others were old or far away; no threat to us. Why was Jacob here alone?

"I heard Bella made it back alive," he growled, in answer to my thoughts. He was asking to check on her, I guessed; to make sure she was still human. I sighed. If he saw her now, what had happened to her...None of us were in the state to fight him back.

"Er, Jacob, it's not really the best time," I told him, trying not to look as uncomfortable as I felt. "Could we do this later?"

Jacob was dumbfounded, but again I noticed the slightest hint of pity in those pitch-black eyes of his.

"Carlisle won't let him in, don't worry," Rosalie crooned to Bella, behind us. Jacob twitched, apparently able to hear her.

"Why not?" Bella wheezed. "Are we keeping secrets from Jacob too? What's the point?"

Jacob and I were both frozen, listening to Bella's hoarse words.

"Come in please, Jacob," she croaked a little louder.

I had good mind to refuse - couldn't she feel the tension fraying all our edges? The last thing we needed was a werewolf in the house.

"Excuse me." Jacob stepped around me to get inside. I tried not to make any sudden movements - I knew it went against all his instincts to turn his back to a vampire – as he side-stepped into the house, alert and watching for any oncoming attack. The rest of the family was gathered in a group by the lounge, and Bella's weakly smiling face looked up at Jake from the couch.

The entire family watched, hovering on our toes, ready to attack, as Jacob took a few steps forward. He ignored Rosalie when she moved in the way. He ignored our eyes, tracking him, as he walked around the back of the couch and held Bella's fragile hand.

"Bella, what's wrong? Are you all right?" Jacob asked.

"I'm glad you came to see me today, Jacob." Bella smiled weakly. She knew she might not have enough time left to see him again. Edward gave an agonised moan, and Bella gently stroked his cheek with pale fingers.

"What is it, Bella?" Jacob pressed, squeezing her hand.

Bella's eyes scanned the room, then rested on Rose.

"Help me up, Rose?" she asked. Rosalie realised what Bella wanted, and raised her lips in a snarl.

"Please, Rose," Bella begged.

"No, don't get up," Jacob whispered, awed, staring at Bella's sickly form.

"I'm answering your question," Bella snapped, with some of the ferocity and spirit I recognised, as Rosalie moved to help her up. The blankets fell away, revealing her swollen belly. The rest of us waited in anxious silence for Jacob to react.

He stared for a long while – maybe trying to comprehend it, maybe trying out different battle scenarios in his head - but suddenly Edward jumped to his feet.

"Outside, Jacob," he snarled.

"Let's do this," Jacob agreed.

Emmett and Jasper moved forward to help Edward, but Jacob wasn't fazed. I glanced at Esme, and Alice glanced at me, all of us worried. If one of them killed Jacob, the pack would attack. If they didn't, he would kill them.

"No," Bella choked, with surprising authority, moving forward to clutch Edward's arm.

"I only need to talk to him, Bella," Edward told her gently. He touched her cheek carefully, and Jacob's evenly pounding heart sped up; his blood running faster in his fury.

"Don't strain yourself," Edward crooned to his love. "Please rest. We'll both be back in just a few minutes."

"Behave," she insisted, trying to follow Jacob's eyes as she fell back onto the couch. "And then come back."

.o.o.o.

Carlisle:

Jacob and Edward did end up returning alive and well, but the next morning, we had another scare. It was still dark. Esme and I had been out hunting, trying to enjoy a moment of peace. Jacob had taken the news astonishingly well, and it seemed the pack weren't planning on attacking. It wasn't saying much, but things were starting to look up.

That is, until my cell rung.

"Carlisle!" Emmett and Jasper called before I could get a word out. I heard slaps and cracks as they battled for the speaker. Jasper won, apparently.

"Carlisle, we have a problem…the pack is coming. It's real bad, they've found out about Bella."

Esme snatched the cell out of my hand before I could even think up a response.

"Jazz, be careful and for God's sake don't let Emmett go out to meet them!" she ordered. "We're coming. Twenty minutes, tops. Look after your brothers!"
She flipped the phone shut, shoved it into her pocket and disappeared into the trees. I was by her side, matching stride-for-stride, until suddenly we both screeched to a stop. The stench was everywhere, surrounding us, closing in.

Wolf.

Esme and I pressed against each other, back to back, ready for the attack, but it didn't come. Instead, a gangly fourteen-year-old Quileute boy walked out of the trees wearing only a pair of camouflage-brown caudaroy shorts. I jumped, and Esme immediately flipped around.

"Seth!" she gasped.

"Hey Esme, Carlisle," Seth greeted us both as if the three of us had happened to pass on a street corner. I looked around; there were no other signs of a large creature's approach. Now that my shock was over I found myself returning his nonchalant smile.

"You're not going to fight us?" I asked hesitantly; the pack was bent to the Alpha's will, which in this case was undoubtedly to attack.

"Nah," Seth shrugged. "Jake and I ditched. I mean Bella being knocked up is a little freaky and if you ask me, pretty gross, but that doesn't mean Sam has the right to gallivant over here and kill you all."

"Thanks Seth," I said, still a bit uncomfortable at the ease with which Seth spoke of Sam's decision; it was as if they hadn't even had to think about it.

"Gotta go," Seth excused himself at some unseen signal, before phasing back and trotting off into the trees. Remaining wary, in case our next lupus encounter was not so amiable, Esme and I continued home.

The others were in the living room, looking as though we were in a hurricane shelter instead. Far off in the distance, the wolves were moving. A loud yelp made us all stand to attention.

"Brace yourselves," Jasper murmured, slipping smoothly from his seat.

"It was a false alarm," Edward replied emotionlessly. "Seth was upset about something else, and he forgot we were listening for a signal. He's very young."

"Nice to have toddlers guarding the fort," Emmett grumbled, falling out of brace position. Rosalie was already back at Bella's side.

"They've done us a great service tonight, Emmett," I half-heartedly reprimanded him. "At great personal sacrifice."

"Yeah, I know," he sighed. "I'm just jealous. Wish I was out there."

"Seth doesn't think Sam will attack now," Edward continued. "Not with us forewarned, and lacking two members of the pack."

"What does Jacob think?" I asked him.

"He's...not as optimistic."