This chapter serves to get Jacob from point A to B so it's a bit long and has way too much dialogue but eh, I didn't feel like cutting anything when I browsed today so I hope you enjoy.

NINETEEN

DONE

JACOB

I can barely contain my excitement to see Leah. Last night I had this strange feeling that something was wrong, but when I called she assured me she was fine. I guess it's just my impatience to see her. It sucks that it will take so long to get to Hawaii but I know that once I sleep on the flight, the time will pass quicker. My bags are packed, I'm dressed and ready to go but I'm waiting to see Bella before I go to the airport. Nessie's gone to school to meet with her advisor, so we said goodbye after breakfast this morning.

The door suddenly opens and I turn to greet her. "Hi Jake," she waves sheepishly, pushing the hooded cloak off of her head.

"Bell," I nod, refusing to show any emotion whatsoever.

"So…you're leaving."

"Yeap."

"Renesmee said you're going to see Leah."

"Yeap."

Bella comes over to me, reaching for my arm but I pull away before she can get her stench on my clothes. "Don't," I warn. Then I'd have to get fresh clothes from my bag.

"Jake," Bella whines. "Please don't be like this with me."

"Like what?"

"So cold."

"Bella, I know it's hard for you to understand, but I'm done. I meant what I said the last time we spoke in Forks. I meant what I said in Spain. I need to live my life. You're the one who was willing to walk away and leave us all behind when you got married. It's only because of Nessie that we're still in contact. This is just the way shit needs to be from now on."

"But the imprint - "

"The imprint has nothing to do with me and you, Bella. I'll always be there if Nessie needs me, but you and I, it's over. Unless the Volturi comes around, there's no need for you to be in my life anymore." Since I left Spain she still calls and emails, still tries to act like we should share everything outside of Ness, and I refuse to encourage her anymore.

The look on her face tells me that she'd be crying if she could. "I never wanted to hurt you, not ever. I'm sorry I couldn't love you like you needed me to, but I've tried Jake. You know I love you."

I hold up my hand and shake my head. "Don't. I don't need you to do that. The only thing I asked you to do for my sake was stay human. So just stop it."

"Jacob, please don't go, please stay, stay with Nessie, be with her, be with me. We need you."

I scoff, refusing to believe that she's really trying to do this. "You got no right Bell. None. This was over the day you died on that table."

She gasps and her small hand rises to her throat. "How can you say that? We'll always be best friends!"

"No, we won't. We haven't been real friends in years." Sometimes I wonder if we ever were, cause I only seem to be whatever she needs me to be. It was never a two-way street.

"But you know I love you."

"BELLA!" I shout, my body trembling with rage. "Just listen!"

Bella scrambles backward, and for the first time she seems genuinely afraid of me, and that thought sobers me a little. I'd never physically hurt her, not like I'd hurt her husband.

"I've moved on! And I'm tired living a life of regrets over everything I've done because I can never say no to you. You and Edward are the cause of everything bad that has happened to me and I'm done fooling myself into thinking that you're worth it. I should have listened to my father when he said to stay away from you all those years ago, then none of this would have happened."

"But I never meant to hurt you. I needed you, it was because of you that Nessie and I survived. You're the one who kept me warm, you knew we needed blood, you were the one who helped Edward deliver the baby, you protected her from the Volturi-"

"Bella stop it! Just stop it! Don't give me credit for things I didn't do. It was Carlisle and Alice who saved Nessie from the Volturi. And Edward read my mind and took a snarky comment I made as a solution. I would NEVER have suggested you drink blood. And he didn't need me to deliver Ness. All I did was stand there and watch you die! I tried to make your heart start and it just didn't! And I don't ever want to think about that moment again."

My voice breaks as the pain suddenly surges from memory. It took me a long time to forgive myself for blaming Nessie for Bella's death, for hating her while she was in the womb. I try to block out that darkest time in my life.

"Don't make it seem like some great romantic gesture. A part of me will never forget what that did to you. I watched the light go out of your eyes. I watched you choose death over life multiple times, every time that bloodsucker put you in harm's way you chose him. So just let me be. Just let me finally live my life without vampires and treaties and all the bullshit in between. I don't want to see or hear you anymore. Don't call me, don't write to me."

Bella stands there, visibly shaking, staring at me as if waiting for me to laugh and tell her that it was all a joke. "Jacob…kiss me."

My eyes widen and I snort in disbelief. I almost want to clean out my ears because I can't believe that she could be so bold and so incredibly STUPID. There's no way in hell that'll work this time. "Don't talk, before I do something that I'll regret, Bella," I command, putting my palm up.

"I'm sorry, I – I don't know why I even said that! I just don't want to lose you," she stutters, wringing her hands nervously.

"You lost me a long time ago Bella. You just need to admit it to yourself, because that was what you wanted." I almost remind her of the day she told me that she would always choose Edward over me, but what would be the point? Why remind her of all the times the pack put themselves in danger on her behalf?

"But Jake - "

"I already told you when I left Spain that I couldn't do this anymore Bella. When are you gonna start believing me? You've got to LET ME GO and stop thinking that you have some power over me. You don't. You can't use the imprint to keep me at your beck and call! Nessie's not a toy!"

Back when we were in Spain, I'd begun to truly see Bella in a new light. Just like when she was pregnant, she only felt happy when I was hanging around with her and Edward. She knew how awkward it made both me and her husband feel, but she wouldn't stop. We'd all assumed it was the illness and the imprint when she was pregnant, but in Spain I had come to realize that it wasn't, it was her. It just wasn't right that she needed both me and Edward in her life to be happy. He was the moon and I was the sun, that's what she'd always say. She thought of the four of us as one big happy family.

Even though she constantly claims she wants me to be with Nessie, a part of me believes she's jealous of her own kid, or that somehow, by me being with Nessie, I am hers too. I can't help but think that the imprint happened because of the sick hold Bella had on me.

"But we belong together, you, me and Edward and Renesmee. You know we do."

Every time she opens her mouth she only proves me right. I wave at her to shut up. "No! No more! The only thing I have to say is be good to your daughter. Stop trying to control her life too. Let her make her own decisions, her own mistakes. She should never forgive you after what you did to that poor guy. She really wanted to be with him, and you ruined her first experience at being fearless, Bell. Do you have any idea how your actions affect her? Do you care at all about what she wants and needs from you?"

"I was only thinking of you and her Jacob, you told me what the imprint is like. You're bound to her, she's your gravity. I did it for YOU. That boy was in the way, just like Leah was in the way."

"It's not the same with us, Bella. Those feelings were Sam's and the others' take on imprinting, not mine. And I'm warning you, leave Leah alone, don't even think about interfering in our relationship. " I point my finger in her face.

Bella has the nerve to roll her eyes at me. "I don't care about her! I only care about my daughter! You shouldn't reject her because she's half vampire. I know that's why you're resisting, but if you just take some time and put that aside. You haven't been here that long to know her as a woman."

"This isn't about me and her, this is about YOU and her, Bella! Give Ness a break, leave Paris and stop interfering. She's fine on her own. She wants to be on her own."

Nessie and I had talked more about her parents last night, and she admitted that she felt smothered. Though she understands that she's not really human and more belongs to the supernatural world, she hates feeling like she has to live in a bubble because they're scared of the Volturi. She hates having to curb her lifestyle to suit theirs. She doesn't need to stay out of the sun, she doesn't need to hide her weird eyes or cold skin, or force herself to act human. She's brave and smart and wants to live without fear of being discovered or captured. And I admire her for it. I can only hope that the Volturi will continue their sick admiration from afar.

"I hear you Jacob Black, but don't think for one second that you can tell me how to raise my daughter," Bella snaps, as her whole demeanor changes to cold and threatening – to vampire. The vampire nature that will not allow her to show compassion to me or her daughter. Times like this make it clear that Bella Swan truly died the day Renesmee Cullen was born.

"She's already grown, Bella. Isn't that what you keep telling me?" Bella hisses at me and I shake my head. "Part of you wanting me to stay is because you think that Nessie will come back to you and Edward. But like I told Blondie, if Nessie was with me, we'd live on the Res, away from you. And you could never see her unless she wanted to leave my lands."

"Like hell! We have a house in Forks in case you forgot!"

"So what? Carlisle promised that the coven would never return to Forks, Bella. The pack reached a total of seventeen young children! He agreed that he wouldn't do that to anymore boys!"

"Well I never made any such vow," she retorts with a sniff that reminds me too much of Blondie.

"I'm only saying this one last time and you better listen good, Leech," I threaten, simply so that Bella gets how serious I am (I have NEVER called her that before, but the title certainly befits her personality). Her eyes widen and she bares her teeth at me. "Nessie is an adult now and she can make her own decisions for her life – where she lives and who she loves. She chooses a human life. She doesn't want what you want. Just because you wanted to die and become a vampire, doesn't give you the right to take that away from her. We are over, you are with Edward and I'm going to be with Leah."

Bella shrieks in rage. "Jacob, you can't. You just can't! That night you got hurt after the newborn fight, you promised that even after I stopped breathing, that you'd still wait for me, you'd still be there waiting!"

I snort, disheartened that the kind, clumsy, sad girl I once called my best friend, was killed by this cold heartless creature. "I don't even know who you are right now, but Bella Cullen is a real selfish bitch."

Her hard exterior crumples just a little bit. "You're my last connection to my human life, can't you see that?"

"No, I can't. Because I'm not. Goodbye Bella."

Bella's eyes darken. Before I can say another word, she turns and stomps out of the apartment. I sigh with relief that she's finally gone. Needing a respite, I step onto the balcony for fresh air. As I look down onto the street, I watch as she walks over to Edward and buries her face in his chest. As if sensing my gaze, he looks up at me and his mouth twists into a snarl beneath his cloak.

"Yeah, fuck you too, leech," I mumble then turn and head back inside. He's no better than his wife. Sometimes I still can't believe that he wanted me to agree to give Bella a child, once he could convince her to abort Nessie. He's just as insane as she is, so let him deal with her manipulation for all of eternity. I no longer care. They deserve one another. All they know how to do is ruin people's lives, calling it love, when it's more like a virus.

When the car arrives moments later, I sigh in relief. I can't deny that I'm relieved to be leaving Paris. I hate leaving Nessie behind to deal with them on her own, but Ness knows now that she has no reason not to call me anytime she needs to talk. We've grown closer because of this trip, and I'm confident that I can be the imprinter she needs me to be without the Cullens or fear of our bond turning to something romantic.

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When I finally touch down in Hawaii, I welcome the warmth of the sun and the perfume of the flowers that seem to be everywhere. My entire body is buzzing with anticipation, knowing that any moment now, Leah Clearwater will be in my arms. But it's Rebecca that's standing outside with a big smile on her face, and though I'm happy to see her, I'm also a little disappointed.

"Hey little bro! Though you're not so little anymore! My goodness, Jake, I barely recognized you!" she gushes, looking me over with surprise as she steps away from our embrace.

"Yeah, I've grown," I smirk, noticing that she herself has changed too over the years. But she's still beautiful, just like Mom. My heart clenches a little as I take in the similarities. Rachel resembles Dad and me a little more.

Rebecca rolls her eyes and shakes her head. "I could as well tell you that the wolf's out of the bag," she teases, and I almost fall out.

"What?"

"Leah told me, don't worry, my lips are sealed."

I can't believe that Leah would be so reckless, she knows the law.

"She had to, okay? But I'll let her explain why."

"Why didn't she come?"

"She's still at work, but time we get back to Haleiwa, she'll be finished for the day."

"Okay," I grumble, then pull out my phone to turn it on. I decide to send her a text.

I'm with Becca. Can't wait to see you.

It doesn't take long for her to respond.

Sorry I couldn't be there, see you in a few hours xoxo

I smile at the hugs and kisses she tacks on to the end, and my mind immediately goes to a lustful place. We'll be exchanging more than hugs and kisses tonight. I hope she's ready for this D.

Rebecca chuckles beside me as we walk to the carpark side by side. "You're so whipped."

I scratch the back of my head and laugh off the awkwardness I feel at her observation. "Yeah, I guess I am."

"It's okay, so is she. I never thought you two would be into each other, given the age difference and all, but I think it's kinda sweet."

I roll my eyes. "Yeah well…it wasn't planned."

"She told me that there's some other girl Dad wants you to be with."

"Uh yeah. But…that's all sorted. Nessie and I are just friends. That's all we'll ever be." It's weird having my older sister talk about stuff like this, especially since she and I don't really have a relationship. But she and Leah were close when we were kids, so I guess I don't really mind that she knows so much of our business. And she is a Black, so our secret will be safe with her if she has any sense of family honor left after all this time.

Rebecca looks over at me and nods. "That's good to hear, I know Leah's been really upset over it. She worries about Dad and people back home making things difficult for you."

"I know. But I don't care about them. I just want her."

"I'm glad you're willing to fight for her."

I follow my sister to a cool little Jeep and give her my approval.

"I hope you like it enough to give it a tune up while you're around. Save a sister some dollars."

"I know how to earn my keep," I reply, and readily agree as I slide in and adjust the passenger seat. I can't really fit even with the seat pushed back, but I try my best to make it work.

"So the legends are real, huh?" Rebecca sighs, giving me this look of bewilderment.

"Uh yeah."

"How does it feel, being a shifter?"

I shrug. "It's alright. I mean, it's weird at first, but you get used to it once you learn how to control the phase."

"Leah said it binds you to the Res, that it's basically impossible to leave and do anything else."

"True, but I've done it, and she's done it. It's not impossible, it's just against the rules. The Council controls the pack, and that can be pretty annoying. Be glad it didn't happen to you like it did to Leah. She's the first female ever to shift."

"Wow. She's pretty tough though, it suits her personality."

I smile at that. Indeed it does.

"So I guess I finally understand why Rachel gave up her dreams to pursue computer engineering to move back to the Res. It never made sense to me all these years why she'd give it up for Paul Lahote of all people."

I grunt. "Trust me, I wasn't too happy about them being together either. He and I don't exactly get along. But it's a wolf thing. He couldn't help it anymore than she could. She tried to go back to Seattle, but it didn't work out. They still hope to leave one day so that she can get back to her career, but who knows when. She's pretty happy being a mom for now."

"Yeah, I can see that…Leah said they're bonded through the wolf." I nod, wondering why Leah had to go into all of that. "Are you and Leah the same?"

I shake my head. "Our bond is different, she's my Beta. She's like, my deputy. But yeah, our wolves are bonded in their own special way." I don't really know how to explain it, but I know it's true.

We pull on to the highway and I lean my head out of the window, enjoying the fresh breeze and sunshine. It feels good to be someplace far away from the Cullens and the Res. It feels good to be closer to my Lee, away from all the disapproval and naysayers.

"I'm sorry about you and Dad."

I wave off her apology with a grimace. I really don't want to talk about our old man right now. Today is a happy day. "Well, it is what it is. The only thing I can do is live my life, Becca."

"I know, trust me, I do."

Yeah, she would, having made her choice to leave us behind and follow Solomon years ago. Her relationship with our father is strained at best.

"I'm sorry I left you like that. Looking back, I know it was wrong to think that you and Dad would be okay on your own. But I just needed to get out. I needed to find happiness again. After Mom died, it just felt so impossible. Dad especially made it so hard. He expected so much from me and Rachel, us taking care of the house and you and after so many years, it was just too much. We both just wanted to live for ourselves and be happy again."

"We were all broken, Becca. You and Rach were selfish to just go and never look back, but I'm over it now. We all need to be a little selfish sometimes, I don't blame you. I get it now, believe me." She still could have visited, but who am I to judge? I'm not sure where my father and I stand either. He kicked me, his only heir, off our fucking land.

She doesn't say anything in response, so I ask for her husband.

"He's fine. Busy with his surf shop."

"Cool. It'll be nice to hit some waves while I'm here."

"Oh, he'll love that. Surfing is life in my household," she jokes, but I detect a hint of sarcasm in her words. I store that little tidbit away for later.

After a while driving and catching up on the mundane, we pull up at a restaurant and Rebecca explains that she took Leah here when she first came down too.

"What was she like that day?" I ask.

"Sad, but excited, I think. She was happy to be someplace new for a change. She slept for the first three days, and it's only when she told me about you two that I realized she was depressed. But after she started to work and jog and swim, that helped. Her mood improved with her new routine. She still missed you, but she was resolved that she'd made the right decision."

I nod. It's hard to hear but maybe she had. I wouldn't have wanted her to get caught up in my father's or Sam's bullshit. What worries me is whether or not she'll ever want to go back. I'm not sure that I do, even if I could, especially not without her. But a part of me does need to return because of my brothers and this issue with my father. I feel unsettled leaving things as I did, not being on good terms with any of them. It doesn't sit right in my gut, abandoning everyone.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

When we finally arrive at Rebecca's house, I'm relieved for my travels to be done. Solomon and Leah aren't home yet, but she will be in half an hour, Rebecca estimates. I decide to take the time to have a shower and settle myself in her room. I can't help but look through her closet and smell her clothes. Her scent fills the room but it's different somehow and I figure it's because she's living in a new place and hasn't phased in weeks. Yet, it bothers me that it's not the same, like I've somehow begun to forget the essence of her.

Dressed only in a pair of sweats I lay across Leah's bed, waiting, but it doesn't take long before I find myself drifting off to sleep. The scent of her on the pillow is all it takes to finally pull me under.

Rebecca just couldn't help but jump all up in Jake's business huh? lol.

Thanks for your reviews on the last chapter, I do enjoy reading them! You all made some good points but I won't respond and spoil what happens! Up next you finally get Leah and Jake back together.