Ben
Disclaimer; all characters and copyright belong to SM.
A/N-thank you for the kind reviews and for being so patient at my lack of updates.
Chapter Fourteen-The Unravelling of Carlisle and Esme
Bella stared in a heartbroken daze at the picture Alice had drawn of poor Luka. The sacrifice he had made to bring little Ben to a place of safety could never be repaid. Now he was out there, somewhere, all alone, and probably terrified.
"We would never have turned him away." She whispered forlornly.
Jacob put his arm around her shoulders and she snuggled into his side, drawing comfort from his steady presence. They had put Ben down for his afternoon nap. The excitement of all the new toys Esme had bought for him had worn him out.
"We've got to find him, Jake!" Bella looked at him desperately. "We can't leave him out on the streets. He won't survive long on his own."
Jacob appealed to the vamps for help. It was something he never thought he would ever do. He didn't exactly feel comfortable doing it, but Alice had proved her worth. She really seemed to care about Ben and her vision of Luka had affected her deeply.
"Do you think you'll be able to trace Luka?" He asked Alice and Esme.
Alice was huddled against Esme, seeking reassurance from her. She was still very shaken up. She was struggling to get used to this new part of her gift. It was overwhelming actually reliving past events, especially traumatic ones like Ben's. Normally her visions of the future were like watching a movie. She could follow the journey but she wasn't forced to share the characters emotions, only interpret what she was seeing.
"I want to help." Alice said shakily.
"We'll do all we can." Esme promised. She smoothed Alice's hair back from her furrowed brow. "But you have to be patient."
"I don't think we can afford to be patient, Esme." Bella cut in anxiously. "Luka could be in danger."
"Bells, I don't think we have a choice. I don't pretend to understand how the little pixie's gift works, but…." Jacob paused when he realised what he'd just called Alice. He smiled sheepishly as he felt Esme glare at him in annoyance. "Sorry…no offence."
"None taken." Alice intervened quickly before Esme could respond. "I've called you way worse."
"I bet." Jacob muttered as he returned his attention to Bella. "We have to let her do her thing and hopefully she'll be able to give us some idea where to start looking for Luka, 'cause right now, honey, I have no idea."
"I'm sorry, Alice." Bella sighed. "It just breaks my heart to think what he and Ben went through." She stopped speaking and drew in a sharp breath to compose herself. "I would ask Ben about Luka but I don't want to distress him."
"I doubt he would be able to tell us much more anyway." Esme reached out and took Bella's hand. The slight chill from her fingers made Bella shiver. It reminded her of Edward and she gazed at the Cullen matriarch anxiously. Esme seemed to sense what she was thinking. "Edward doesn't know about any of this, I can assure you of that. You don't need to worry about him."
Bella relaxed further. "Thank you, Esme. I hate putting you in the middle like this."
"Alice and I are perfectly fine." Esme let go of Bella's hand. "It's getting late. We should go."
"I'll call as soon as I see anything, Bella." Alice said as she rose gracefully to stand next to Esme. "I'll try my hardest to see Luka. I promise."
"I know." Bella pushed herself onto her feet and rushed to embrace Alice. The little psychic closed her eyes as she hugged Bella back.
Ben sat curled up on the Black's old couch next to Charlie, Wilbur was balanced on his lap as he stared at the small figures running back and forth on the screen. He had no idea what was going on. In an effort to bond with his son further, Charlie was trying to explain the finer points of the baseball game they were watching on the Black's small television. Billy rolled into the room, using one hand to steer his wheelchair toward them. He'd raided the fridge for some snacks. He tossed a bag of chips to Charlie, who caught it easily.
"Want some, kid?" He asked Ben.
Ben's eyes lit up at the thought of more food. He startled Charlie by lifting the whole bag out of his hand and popping it open like he'd seen Jacob do a number of times. He dived in straight away, cramming several chips in his mouth all at once.
"Your son is a bad influence on mine." Charlie said irritably in an aside to Billy.
Billy just laughed as he tossed another bag to Charlie. For the next few minutes the noise from the game was drowned out by the sound of loud munching. Ben was the first to finish his bag of chips. He pouted as he turned the bag upside down and shook it, hoping that some more would fall out. When nothing happened, he looked up at Charlie, his lower lip poked out and his brown eyes became big and round as he gave the older man the full force of his puppy dog eyes.
Charlie tried his best to resist the little boy's pleading gaze. Bella had warned him not to feed Ben too much junk food. Ben's eyes seemed to get wider and more sadder looking with each passing minute and Charlie soon caved in.
"You can have the rest of mine." He sighed. He would just have to deal with Bella's wrath later.
Ben's face broke out into a wide smile as he took the bag Charlie offered and crammed more chips into his mouth.
Charlie heard Billy trying to stifle a laugh. He shot his friend an annoyed glance. Billy just grinned in response, before asking Ben if he wanted something to drink. Ben nodded eagerly; his mouth full of chips.
"Drinks coming right up." Billy promised as he disappeared back into the kitchen. He was soon back with a tray balanced on his lap. Set on it were three tall glasses filled with orange juice and a straw.
Charlie rolled his eyes when Billy passed him one of the glasses. "A straw, really?" He complained.
Billy just winked at him in amusement. Soon the sound of munching was replaced by slurping as they sipped the juice through the straws while they watched the Mariners lose yet another game.
It took Bella ages to get Ben to settle for the night. He was practically bouncing off the walls he was so full of sugar. The chips had been followed by popcorn, then after that a huge slice of chocolate cake as the men grieved over the fact that their team had lost again.
"Well we couldn't drown our sorrows with a beer, so cake was the next big thing." Billy grouched when Jacob gave him a lecture about helping to fill Ben's stomach with junk food. "Anyway, Ben enjoyed himself."
"That's not the point." Jacob retorted. "You need to set a better example."
"Maybe you should do that yourself." Billy yawned. He was tired and eager to go to bed. "You're the one he idolises. He copies you. He's picked up your terrible table manners. So really its your fault."
Jacob did little to hide his impatience. He and Bella had decided not to tell either Charlie or Billy about Luka yet. They wanted to wait until they had more information to go on. They had spent the evening at Sam and Emily's place while Ben stayed with the two men. Jacob had confided in his Alpha about Alice's vision, hoping against hope that Sam would be able to advise him what to do next. Despite his best efforts and offers of support, Uley didn't really have much to offer. Even though he was as ambivalent as Jacob about relying on the vamps, he couldn't see any other way forward. It was a case of wait and see.
"Alice still hasn't called." Bella said worriedly as she checked her cell again for the hundredth time.
Jacob slid the coffee table out of the way and collapsed on the floor in front of the couch. Ben and Charlie were sleeping in the twin's old room for the night. Billy was now settled in his. Jacob and Bella were camping out in the front room-Bella on the couch and Jacob on the floor.
"Give her time, Bells." Jacob leaned his head back against the couch cushions so he could look at her upside down. "We'll find him, honey."
Bella reached out and toyed with his hair. It was getting really long now. "I don't know how I would have got through any of this without you." She whispered gratefully.
"I'll always be here for you, Bella." Jacob said softly.
Bella's eyes slid off his face, and she gazed into the flickering flames of the fire burning in the hearth. She was too wired to sleep. She continued to play with Jacob's hair. He leaned back into her touch and closed his eyes in contentment. It was peaceful being together like this.
"I've really missed this." He admitted huskily.
"Me, too." Bella agreed with a half-smile.
Jacob's eyes slowly opened, and he turned to look at her over his shoulder. The orange firelight played across his features, illuminating the tension on his face. He was so desperate to tell her how much he loved her, but knew now wasn't the right time. "I…" He stopped himself, sighing.
Bella's hand reached out and brushed his cheek in the darkness. He leaned into her touch as she traced the curve of his jaw, the lines that seemed permanently etched into his forehead, the bridge of his nose, the edge of his lips. His face in the firelight, the warmth of his skin inviting her hands to stay.
"Jake…" She breathed him in.
The sound of tiny feet pattering on the wooden flooring made Jacob turn away from her. Surprised, and a little hurt by his rejection, Bella pulled her hand back from his face.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…" She began to apologise.
"Its Ben." Jacob interrupted her. He was already pushing himself onto his feet.
Bella let out a sigh of relief. She watched as Jacob picked Ben up and carried him over to the couch. "Can't you sleep, sweetie?" Bella asked her little brother as she made room for him.
Ben shook his head. As soon as Jacob set him down next to Bella, he snuggled up to her, clutching Wilbur in his arms. Bella stroked the top of his head and kissed him. "You can stay here then." She whispered. "Goodnight, Ben."
Ben's eyes began to droop as he absorbed Bella's body heat. Her eyes met Jacob's and the atmosphere changed. She felt her heart pounding thunderously against her ribcage, her pulse echoing in her ears. "Jake, I…"
"I know." Jacob whispered; he was drowning in the liquid pools of her eyes.
Bella nodded, smiling slightly. "Goodnight, Jake." She murmured, settling down beside Ben on the couch.
"Night, Bells." Jacob said back to her as he lay down on the floor and closed his eyes.
Alice was a ball of frustration. She sat on her bed, her legs curled beneath her and tried to concentrate on Luka. She had been desperately trying for the last few hours to forge a connection with him. But nothing happened. She tried again, picturing his face in her head, reaching out with her mind.
"Where are you, Luka?" She said aloud.
"Who's Luka?" Jasper's voice startled Alice out of her introspection. Somehow, he had managed to sneak up on her unawares.
Alice felt the tension oozing out of her body. Her shoulders relaxed, her body feeling like it was floating on air. "Jasper!" She said sharply. "I thought I told you to stop doing that!"
Jasper didn't enjoy being spoken to like that. He was only trying to help. He hesitated, doing his best to read Alice's facial expressions. "I can feel how stressed you are. I only want to help. You've been locked in this room for hours since you and Esme came home. What's going on, Alice?"
"I can't tell you." Alice said miserably.
"Why not?" Jasper frowned. "Is it Edward?" He demanded impatiently.
"Not everything revolves around Edward!" Alice retorted. She shot off the bed and stormed past him.
"It usually does." Jasper called after her as he followed her out of the room and down the stairs.
Alice increased her speed as she raced to the bottom of the spiral staircase. She was intent on putting some space between them. She was still annoyed that he had used his powers on her when she had specifically made it clear that she wasn't comfortable with him doing so without asking. He had broken her concentration.
"Where are you going, Alice?" Jasper had caught up with her. He captured her arm and spun her around to face him. "Who's Luka?"
"I'm not in the mood to talk right now." Alice shrugged him off. "Leave me alone, Jas."
Jasper's mouth drew down into a thin line. "Fine." He muttered and abruptly disappeared.
Feeling dejected, Alice wandered over to sit down on the luxurious leather sofa. The soft cushions sank under her weight as she put her head in her hands. Luka's fate rested in her hands and she felt useless.
"Where are you, Luka?" She whispered sadly.
Light footsteps on the plush white carpet made her raise her head again. She was surprised to see Carlisle coming into the house, carrying his expensive luggage. "I thought you were staying in Seattle for a few more days." She said in confusion.
"Why would I do that?" Carlisle replied impatiently. "Where is Esme?"
"She's out hunting." Alice said cautiously.
"Good, it means I can talk to you alone." He put his suitcases on the floor and sat down in one of the leather armchairs opposite Alice. He crossed his legs at the ankles and leaned back against the cushions.
Alice felt the tension creeping up on her again. Carlisle was acting very shady. "You've seen Edward." She guessed.
"Yes." Carlisle admitted. "He wanted my advice about what to do with Ben. He feels that looking after the troubled little boy is putting an immense amount of pressure on Bella and he's deeply concerned for her welfare and his."
"She's not under pressure. She loves Ben. She just wants the best for him." Alice argued. "Like we all do."
"Please, don't raise your voice, Alice." Carlisle chided her gently. "I want the best for the boy, too. I listened to what you and Esme told me."
"And you said you didn't want to get involved." Alice reminded him.
"Yes, that was my initial reaction." Carlisle agreed. His posture changed as he sat forward in his chair, no longer bothering to feign nonchalance. "But after speaking to Edward I've changed my mind. After due consideration I have come to believe that Edward is right, we should do everything we can to help reunite Ben with his mother. We can help them financially. It will take a huge strain off of Bella knowing that her little brother will be well cared for and she can get- "
"What have you done?" Esme exploded. She seemed to come out of nowhere, surprising both Alice and Carlisle with her unexpected appearance.
"Esme, darling…" Carlisle rose out of his chair, his arms wide open, ready to embrace his wife. "You don't need to worry. Edward and I have taken care of everything."
Esme was quivering with anger. She avoided his embrace and glared at him. "Whatever you've done, you better undo it!" She yelled at him.
"Edward doesn't have the full story…" Alice cried as she joined Esme.
"Of course, he does. I told him everything you told me." Carlisle said impatiently. "He was going to find out anyway. It was better coming from me."
Carlisle didn't see the slap coming. His head rocked backward as Esme hit him hard around the face. His hand flew to his cheek in shock as he stared at his normally compliant wife. She was usually so submissive. He had never seen her react this way before. She was fuming with anger.
"And once again you prove that your loyalties lie with your spoiled son rather than your wife." Esme seethed. "Once again you've let Edward manipulate you like he did when he forced us all to move away after that disastrous party he threw for Bella's eighteenth."
"He didn't manipulate me into anything. You're being absurd, Esme. He came to me and asked for help just like you and Alice did. I'm the head of this coven and I made the final decision after listening to both sides of the argument." Carlisle responded testily.
"You've made your choice." Esme muttered.
"What are you talking about, darling? Please, sit down. You are getting overwrought." Carlisle said gently as he tried to placate her.
Esme didn't bother to respond. She turned her back on Carlisle and walked away with her head held high. Alice hesitated for a moment, before hurrying after her.
"Esme, where are you going?" Carlisle called after her.
His only answer was the sound of the front door slamming as Esme and Alice left the house without a backward glance.
A/N-thanks for reading!
