Chapter Eleven: Underworld
"Any luck on your end, Bill?"
Charlie stared helplessly at the cell phone in his hand, never hating a device more in his life. It was useless. He'd been up all night, making call after call, pleading with people, screaming at people, bringing up old favors, but none of it had gotten him anywhere. Bella and Jake were still stuck in the next town over, and he was still unable to help them.
"Not since the last time you asked," Billy grunted, his home phone pressed firmly to his ear. Charlie knew he was being pushy, but he also knew that Billy understood. No matter what Jake could do or how strong he was, that was Billy's kid out there. He was just as worried as Charlie.
"Christ in a handbasket," Charlie muttered. He didn't think he'd ever been this strung up, except perhaps the night he'd lost Bella. But he couldn't think about that now- he had messages to return, check ins to do, emails to open. He couldn't let himself get distracted.
Being a member of law enforcement in Forks was easy. The crime was petty, simple. No one ever got hurt, not really, and even less filed actual complaints. The residents of Forks were a 'shut up and deal with it' kind of crowd, so Charlie's days were mostly spent monitoring traffic violations and the occasional neighbor dispute. Despite all that, he'd never say his job was stress-free.
While Charlie didn't get in his car every morning wondering if that day would be his last, a different kind of danger plagued his hours on the clock: Politics. Town politics were important in a place as small as Forks; doubly so when crime rates were low. Charlie had to find the balance between town management and civilians, doing his job correctly while maintaining a friendly relationship with everyone. It was usually a fairly easy task, but when the new mayor was elected last year, things got a bit more difficult.
The old mayor- good old Tom McAvoy- was born and raised in Forks. His family was respected, revered even, and he had an excellent rapport with the residents. Tom was the best mayor Forks had ever seen, and it was a painful loss when he contracted pneumonia last Spring and it took the sixty-eight-year-old out of politics for good. Then came Frederick.
Frederick Nolan was an outsider as far as the people of Forks were concerned. He was born in New York, far away from Washington, and moved there at the insistence of his wife. Her family were Forks natives, but that didn't rub off on Frederick. He was a city man through and through; it was a miracle he was elected at all what with his poor reputation around town. But come election day, to everyone's surprise and dismay, Frederick beat the odds through a combination of clever campaigning and strategic donations and claimed the chair for himself.
Charlie only paid attention to politics when he had to- namely, when it affected his job. Frederick didn't like him, that much he knew, but he couldn't fire him. Frederick needed all the support he could get, and Charlie was the most beloved member of the local police by a huge margin. If Charlie were ever fired, it would have to be for a concrete, indisputable reason in order to prevent a public revolt. Charlie didn't plan to give Frederick that reason.
This also meant making friends with other members of town management, which resulted in quite a few people Charlie could call for help with getting his daughter and her friends safely home. He just hoped that one of them wasn't Frederick.
If Fred got word of something unsavory going on, even if it were in the next town over, he'd raise hell and ride it into the next town election. Every person from here to Kentucky would know about those Forks kids trapped in a big abduction case, and Charlie just wasn't prepared to deal with that right now. Crowd control was time consuming; he didn't have the energy to keep the public at bay and work around these roadblocks. It just wasn't possible.
Beep.
Charlie's old Windows computer dinged from across the room, catching his attention. It sounded like an email had just come in.
As soon as Charlie learned of Bella's situation, he and Billy set up camp in the garage. Charlie brought over his work laptop, his home computer, and his cell phone, prepared to use whatever he could to help them. He sincerely hoped this most recent email was bearing the fruits of their labor.
He scanned the message; sent from a work email he didn't immediately recognize. As he read, his expression lifted.
"Hey Bill?" Charlie called over his shoulder. "Roll over here for a second. I think I got something."
.
When Jake and I emerged from the guest bedroom, quiet and a little flustered, a noticeable snicker rippled throughout the room. Apparently, Jake hadn't been exaggerating when he implied Embry already spilled about us.
I thought we were going to get away with it- not avoiding everyone finding out of course, I knew that would happen eventually- but I thought we'd have a short grace period. I thought our friends would have the decency to let us announce it on our own terms.
Clearly, I'd forgotten who our friends were.
All it took was for Jake to stealthily slip his hand into mine, and the laughter began in earnest.
"Jesus Christ, it took you long enough!" Quil hollered, to a resounding chorus of agreement. "I was starting to think Embry would find someone first!"
A pillow collided firmly with Quil's skull, conveniently thrown from Embry's side of the room.
"So, what do we call you now?" Jess rolled her eyes, acting disinterested, but I could tell she was a little happy too. Jess was similar to Paul in that way; you had to peer through the attitude to see the kindness. "Jakella? Bellake? Something less nauseating?"
"If you ever call us either of those, I'll purposely break up with him," I gagged, suppressing a shudder. Couple names were… not my thing. Judging from the pained look on Jake's face, they weren't his either.
"Ouch," Embry chuckled, "less than a day with you and she's already planning a breakup? Feels bad, Jakey."
Jake snorted, crossing his arms over his chest and smirking at Embry.
"That's rich," he mused, "coming from the guy that had to ask me what a blowjob was after his mom made a joke about it."
Embry's ears noticeably pinked as the laughter became uproarious.
"We were like thirteen, jackass." Embry grumbled, accepting his defeat.
The only person who didn't make any joke or comment was of course Leah. She caught my eye when we first re-entered the living room, raising a brow in question, silently asking if everything was okay, if I was comfortable with this decision. I gave her an imperceptible nod, and only then did she smile with the rest of us.
Paul was quiet too, but I suspected his reasons were a lot more complicated.
"Speaking of moms," Eric cleared his throat, drawing the attention away from Embry at last, "has anyone been talking to their parents? Mine are asking how the trip is going and I really don't know what I should say."
"I've been trying to keep my mom calm all day," Angie sighed, holding her phone aloft. Even as she said it, the device beeped. "She wants me to text her every hour unless I'm asleep."
"I didn't even tell my parents," Mike admitted, "too much of a pain."
"The less people getting on Charlie's ass, the better," Paul sniffed. "At least then he can do his job and get us out of here."
It sounded like he was about to say, 'get you out of here', but he caught himself. Paul was impatient and hotheaded, but he wasn't stupid. Implying that any of us weren't keen on escaping the situation would just invite unwanted questions.
"We should try to get some sleep," Jake insisted, and I was suddenly hyperaware of his arm around me. And how late it'd gotten. Was time somehow moving faster here? Soon it wouldn't matter what anyone told their parents- we were due back in a couple of days. If we didn't show, people were bound to notice. "Exhausting ourselves worrying isn't going to get us anywhere. We'll check in with Charlie again tomorrow."
There were murmurs of agreement, followed by a scramble to figure out who was sleeping where. The mattresses were strewn about the floor in a tight maze, some side by side in the middle of the room, some lined along the walls. No matter where anyone slept, there wasn't much privacy to be had. The closest was the only Queen-sized mattress in the house, belonging to Angie's parents, which had to be placed between the leftmost couch and the half-wall dividing the kitchen and living room. Since it was the largest, Leah and I were taking that one.
"I'll take a couch," Embry volunteered, already sprawling on the biggest couch in the center of the room. "I can sleep anywhere."
"I'll take one too!" Eric's hand shot enthusiastically in the air, waving back and forth. "I love sleeping on couches. Besides, I'm the shortest guy here. Just makes sense for me to take a shorter bed."
"Jake volunteers too," Embry cut in again, a bit too quickly. Seth looked like he'd been about to volunteer himself, but a sharp glance from Embry silenced him. "And you're taking that couch right there, where I can see you."
"What the hell, Call?" Jake bristled, his attention darting between the couch Embry pointed to and Embry himself.
"You and Miss Swan are a couple now," Embry reminded him, mischief in his eyes. "I want to make sure I know where you are at all times. No one need to wake up to a secret midnight rendezvous in the bathroom."
Jake opened his mouth to argue, but the laughter was already rippling through the room. He gave in with a smirk, pulling me tightly against his side.
"Why Em," he drawled, "I didn't know you were the jealous type. If you enjoyed sleeping with me so much, you could've just said something."
"Sorry to steal him from you, Isabella," Embry countered, playing along, "he's just so damn cozy. Hope you don't mind the competition."
"Don't flatter yourself, Em." I grinned, fighting the blush threatening to creep up my neck. So far, I was successful. "You're not competition."
Embry reeled back, his hand clutching his chest dramatically, as a series of whoops and cheers filled the air. Jake doubled over, tears collecting in the corners of his eyes as he guffawed.
"Why do we choose to spend our time with boys?" Leah groaned, looping her arm through mine. "Come on, Bella. I'm dropping over here."
Leah pulled me over to our chosen mattress, and soon everyone started to settle down. There was a bit of a commotion as we all tried to figure out who needed more blankets and pillows, who still needed to get in the bathroom, who needed water, and where the outlets were for phone chargers. By the time we were quiet, nearly a full hour had passed.
Sometimes, rarely, it was easy to forget what was going on. Simple things- like new relationships or inside jokes- were ever-present. They injected themselves into our lives whether we wanted them to or not, reminding us that things were good once and they would be again. It was a strange, melancholic optimism, and I could feel us losing ourselves to it as the conversations petered out the longer the night drew on. I didn't fight it; I'd already learned to covet these moments of easy happiness, wherever and whenever I could.
And yet, I couldn't sleep. I didn't even try. It had nothing to do with Leah, the mattress, or anything else in the room, but my mind was just too occupied to settle. Maybe a walk would've helped, or a drink, or a snack, but I did none of those things. Nothing felt right, nothing was worth possibly waking anybody. For a while, I listened to the sounds of the others drifting off, trying to guess who was making which noises.
Jake wasn't asleep either; I could tell from the lack of familiar snores. I had a feeling he wasn't the only wolf in the room on high alert.
I didn't bother keeping track of the time. It was late, that's all I knew. My phone volume was turned all the way up, but I still checked it relentlessly for texts or calls, from Charlie or Emmett, it didn't matter which. Everything was decidedly silent, just like the rest of the house.
"Embry, you're up."
The whisper came from Jake's couch, and it startled me so badly that I almost jabbed Leah with my elbow. I thought Jake was making an abrupt comment about Embry's state of wakefulness, but then I remembered. In all the commotion, I'd nearly forgotten that the Pack was keeping watch around the house in shifts.
Embry didn't respond right away, and I kept quiet too. If Jake knew I was still awake, he might worry.
"Embry? Em-"
"I'm switching with him, Jake," Leah announced suddenly, startling me again. I thought she was asleep; much like Embry, Leah slept like she was dead. "He didn't get much rest last night. I'm more alert than he is."
I watched through barely cracked eyelids as Leah shifted until she was seated, revealing that she'd more than likely never been asleep in the first place. Her clothes and hair were still perfectly in place, and she looked more awake than I'm sure I did.
As if to prove her point, some monstrous snores erupted from Embry's couch.
"Thought you said he didn't snore," Leah joked, keeping her voice low so as not to disturb the others. I couldn't see Jake from my position behind the couch, but I felt the rumble of his silent laughter.
"I forgot to account for his allergies," Jake whispered back. "Wake me when you're done. I'll take next shift."
"What about Bella?"
I froze, focussing hard on my breathing. I didn't know if they knew I was awake, but if they didn't, I wasn't about to give myself away.
"What about Bella?" Jake repeated, shifting on the couch presumably to look at Leah.
"You're going to leave her alone for a few hours? That's not like you."
I could picture Jake's frown perfectly in my head- confused and a little irritated.
"I'm not leaving her alone," he argued. "You'll literally be in the bed next to her."
"I'm not talking about when I get back," Leah rolled her eyes. "I'm talking about right now. Are you coming over here, or aren't you?"
If Jake had a reaction, it wasn't a verbal one. There was a beat of silence, one that I struggled to read, and ultimately failed. I still couldn't see Jake, so I could only guess at the look on his face.
Leah didn't bother to wait for an answer, shuffling until she was poised to stand. As she moved, her head passed close to my ear and I could've sworn I heard her murmur 'you're welcome' before continuing towards the hall.
So much for feigning sleep.
"I'm going to slip out the window in the guest room," she told Jake, tiptoeing with grace through the maze of sleeping bodies. "I'll close it behind me, but leave it unlocked so I can get back in."
Jake must've nodded, because in the next moment Leah was stalking stealthily into the dark extremities of the house.
Silence.
I didn't dare move after Leah's departure, waiting with held breath for Jake to make a move. I didn't know if he would take Leah's advice, or if he'd opt to stay on the couch. I also didn't know which one I wanted him to choose.
The quiet dragged, and I thought perhaps he'd fallen asleep after all, until I heard him shift.
"Bells?"
"Hm?"
More shifting, a near-silent creak, and then Jake was dropping over the back of the couch to land beside me on the mattress.
"Is this okay?" he whispered, searching my face in the dark. I could only just make out his features from the pale light on the stovetop's display screen, but I was sure he could see me clearly. I nodded.
"Is everyone else asleep?" I asked uncertainly, rolling onto my side to face him. The last thing I wanted was for anyone to wake up and discover that, despite the joking and Embry's 'safety measures', we actually had ended up in the same bed for any length of time. Jake shimmied until he was lying on his side too, mirroring me.
"Yeah," he promised, allowing himself a small smile. "Leah might be the best wingman ever."
"She didn't work alone," I pointed out, grinning. "I'd bet money on Embry's involvement. He talks a lot of shit, but he'd be the first to pull something like this."
"Oh, it was definitely a collaborative effort," Jake agreed seriously, his hand appearing at my waist. My shirt had ridden up to my ribs, exposing my chilled skin to his scorching palm. I heard Jake swallow. "Would be a shame to let all that planning go to waste."
"I am not having sex with you in a room full of people, sleeping or otherwise." I scolded, doing my best to keep my eyes trained stubbornly away from his bare chest. I always hated that Jake slept shirtless, but even more so now that I could actually do something about it. Hypothetically. "And don't try to make me change my mind."
"Give me a little credit here, Bells," Jake pouted, his hand slipping to my lower back, his thumb tracing gentle circles. "I would never try to make you change your mind about that."
I opened my mouth to protest, but he moved before I could. Jake used the hand on my back to guide me underneath him, pinning me with his bulk. I gasped in surprise, his free hand covering my mouth to silence me as he supported most of his weight on his forearms.
"I'm just going to make you consider it."
The words came out low and deep, leaving his lips like warm honey against my ear. Immediately, a shiver ran down my spine.
"You're not playing fair," I complained, though I was too breathless to sound even remotely convincing. I felt his mouth against my neck, his teeth grazing the sensitive skin beneath my ear.
"If you keep talking, you'll wake the others," he teased, using his knee to push my legs apart. He settled his hips tantalizingly against mine, wrapping his large hand around my thigh and securing it around his torso. I wanted to berate him, but the feeling of his body covering mine was too deliciously distracting. I quickly forgot the panic that struck me when he first pinned me.
"You're the worst," I breathed, tangling my fingers in his hair and guiding his head up so I could kiss him. To Jake's credit, he didn't boast, just settled into the kiss as smoothly and quietly as possible.
His kisses started out simple and sweet, a direct contrast to what the rest of his body was doing. I let myself be lulled by him, eyes fluttering closed and tension leaving my shoulders as he kissed me again and again, each one melting into the next with barely any room to breathe.
The room around us remained still and quiet, which was both terrifying and a little exciting. No one could see us from their own bed, but they might be able to hear us if they woke up, and they could clearly see that Jake wasn't on the couch anymore. I tried not to dwell on that too much- the prospect of that kind of embarrassment alone was enough to make me squirm.
Luckily, Jake came up with an incredibly effective form of distraction.
His hand slid around the back of my neck, tilting my head to move with his. I felt his teeth against my lower lip, gently tugging until I relented, opening my mouth to him. Slowly and deliberately, his tongue pushed against mine, and I was lost in him.
The scent of pine overwhelmed me again, mixed with the spiced taste of Jake's mouth. Everything about him was warm and woodsy, familiar and exciting all at the same time. My entire body thrummed with anticipation, even knowing that we couldn't go further than this.
Jake shifted, his hips barely pulsing against mine. I arched into the sensation, my fingers scraping down his back.
"Shit," Jake broke off, cursing under his breath. His hair was a mess, his eyes dark and unfocussed, and his muscles were taut with restraint. I blinked, trying to slow my rapid heart.
When he kissed me again, it was hard and rough, stealing all of my senses with the passion of his touch. With the little rationale I had left, I reminded myself to not make a sound.
Jake was right about one thing at least- he was making me consider it.
Perhaps mercifully and perhaps not, he broke away to let me catch my breath, his lips moving instead to the hollow of my throat. He kissed there too, gently suckling my flushed skin, slowly moving down to my collarbone, and lower still-
I decided with a gasp that it had most certainly not been merciful.
My hands shot to his cheeks, pushing him firmly away from me. Jake glanced up, a wolfish grin springing to his mouth. I scowled.
"You're going to get us in trouble," I whined, squirming beneath him until he rolled off of me. He wanted to laugh, I could see it in the way his stomach tensed, but he resisted. When he was under control again, he held his arms out to me. I eyed him skeptically.
"No trouble," he vowed, smirking anyway, "I promise."
Despite the mischief in his eyes, I believed him. There was a trick to Jake's honesty- it was subtle, and you could never quite put a finger on it, but you always knew when it was there. I let Jake envelope me in a hug, snuggling me into his chest and surrounding me in warmth. I smiled, feeling my muscles relax even with my heart racing and my lips swollen from his kiss.
"When we get out of here," Jake whispered in my ear, his words soft and wistful, "I'm taking you somewhere just the two of us. And no distractions."
My stomach flipped at the suggestion in his tone, and it made me wonder if I would ever get a good night's sleep again with Jake around. Even in situations where we couldn't do whatever we wanted, he was keeping me awake with simple anticipation. I wasn't surprised that he was good at that.
Slowly though, I did start to drift off. Jake's even breathing, the heat coming off of him, and his occasional snores were so familiar to me that I forgot we weren't in my room. Or his room. Or on one of our couches. For just a second, wrapped up in my best friend, I was home.
And that was enough to push me over the edge.
It was near dawn when I finally woke, groggy and disoriented.
The room was only slightly lighter than it had been when I fell asleep, and at first, I wasn't sure what woke me. No one was up and about, no one even lying in bed on their phones. I could still hear Mike and Jess, both snoring, and Eric's erratic breathing, so then why-
I realised with a jolt that I couldn't hear Jake; his snoring should've been the loudest, pressed directly against my ear.
"Jake-?"
His hand clamped down on my mouth, silencing me. Was one of the others starting to wake up? Angie was a quiet sleeper, so I couldn't tell if she was still sound or not. Was Leah coming back?
I tilted my head back to look up at him, his features clearer now in the early morning light. He was staring, transfixed, at the door. I followed his gaze but saw nothing.
"What is it?" I murmured against his hand, struggling to catch up. My mind was still hazy, having been roused unceremoniously from sleep by… something. Jake didn't answer me, his eyes unblinking.
"What the hell is that?" Paul growled suddenly, louder than he should've. A few people started in their sleep, but didn't wake. Jake whipped his head around, shushing him. "Leah?"
"It's not Leah," Embry insisted, sitting up. Jake finally allowed me to do the same, and I scrambled into an upright position as quickly and quietly as I could. The new angle didn't help much; everything looked exactly the same as it had when we went to sleep that night. They were hearing something then, or perhaps smelling something, something that I couldn't.
"Well if you jackasses won't do anything about it," Paul grumbled, pushing himself up. Jake jumped to his feet as well, pulling me with him. Until the danger had been assessed, he wanted me close.
"Don't," Jake warned, his arm securely around me as he talked. "We don't know what's out there. The humans are vulnerable-"
"Then wake them the fuck up and tell them to hide or some shit," Paul snapped, "I'm going outside!"
"Paul!" Jake growled, moving to make a grab for him but stopping himself before he left my side, still unclear if there was danger or not. "I said do not open that door! Paul!"
Paul whirled, barely containing his rage enough to keep his voice quiet.
"I don't give a shit what you said," he hissed, "I'm tired of you acting like you actually have a say around here. You're not the Alpha, Jacob!"
Jake recoiled like he'd been slapped, pulling his lips into a thin line. A shimmer of irritation swept through the others, and Embry rose with his shoulders squared.
"Jake is more of an Alpha than you are," he threatened, carefully stepping around the mattresses. I knew it was only a matter of time until our activity woke the others; I just hoped we'd have an excuse by then. "Stop being such a prick, Paul. Listen to him."
"I listen to Sam," Paul insisted, his hand already on the doorknob.
"Well Sam isn't fucking here, you insufferable dipshit!"
Embry's volume was going steadily up. Jess rolled over in her sleep.
"It's fine, Em." Jake sighed, releasing the tension in his shoulders. I pressed my palm worriedly against his chest and got a small smile for my efforts. "Let him go."
"It's not fine," Quil jumped in, following Embry's careful path through the living room. "Paul-"
But it was too late. In all the bickering, Paul took the opportunity to open the door and was already halfway outside.
For one breathless moment, I thought we'd all been overreacting. Paul stepped through the entryway, looked to his left, and took another step. The air was still, the beach and forest slumbering as we should've been, not even the rustling of leaves penetrating the silence. And then Paul was gone.
I yelped, clapping my hand over my mouth just a second too late. Jess was up, quickly followed by Eric, both too groggy to figure out that anything was wrong right away. Embry and Quil crowded the front door, with Jake striding purposefully to join them, forgoing any attempt at being quiet.
"What's going on?" Eric rubbed sleepily at his eye, watching me in confusion as I scrambled to join the Pack.
"Guys?" Angie now, sitting up uncertainly. "Is everything-?"
I didn't get to hear the rest of her question. The heavy silence was suddenly shattered, a horrible, ground shaking roar echoing through the stillness.
"What the fuck-"
Everyone was awake and alert now, launching themselves to their feet and trying to rush to the door with us. Seth intercepted their path, holding his arms out.
"Wait!" He commanded, using an impressively firm tone that I didn't expect from him. "There's a bear outside! It- Paul's dealing with it!"
"A bear?"
The incredulous exclamation could've come from any one of them, and I wouldn't have been the wiser. My focus was on Jake and keeping up with him as he barrelled through the door, Embry and Quil hot on his heels.
"Bella, stay inside!" I heard him yell, but I ignored the command. Instead, I turned to Angie and the others, still being corralled by Seth.
"Stay here!" I told them, yanking the door open just enough to let me through. "We're going to help Paul! And stay away from the windows in case the bear sees you!"
It barely made sense, but I was too frantic to think of anything better. With a solid thump, I slammed the door shut behind me and left Seth to clean up the mess.
The first thing that struck me was the cold. It was freezing, even for Washington, despite the warm sun that was cresting on the horizon. The second thing I noticed was that the night was no longer quiet.
Vicious snarls and a deafening howl ripped through the sky, shattering my ear drums. I pressed my palms against the sides of my head, trying in vain to drown out the noise.
"What is that?" I gasped, knowing no one could hear me. Against the odds, Embry evidently did catch what I said, tapping my shoulder and pointing to the gravel driveway. I squinted into the darkness, blinking in shock as my brain tried to catch up with my eyes.
Paul was rolling around in the rocks, fully transformed, his jaws snapping violently at the air. At first, I couldn't see what he was fighting, his teeth and spittle seemingly targeted at the world. As I looked harder though, I caught a flash of white pinned underneath Paul's wriggling flank.
Two arms were around Paul's ribs in a tight bear hug- not tight enough to hurt, but enough to keep him in place. The man was on his back, bracing his shoulders against the ground, to make sure Paul's paws couldn't find purchase on anything. Shockingly, even though there was a giant werewolf crushing him, he had a huge, challenging smile on his face. Immediately, I felt relief wash through me.
Emmett.
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