Chapter 13

Jacob POV

"So my question now to all of you… who will volunteer?"

All of my brothers, including myself, raised our hands into the air.

"Well, this is going to make it difficult. You can't all go!" Old Quil said. Slowly, one by one, the hands started to drop, until only mine remained.

"I think Jacob should do it" Sam said.

"Yeah, Jacob is the man for the job" Quil added.

Old Quil turned to me and asked "Jacob, will you surrender your soul to the spirit world to find your brother, Paul?"

I didn't even hesitate to answer, this was a job that I had to do. I knew the pain Paul was going through right now. I knew what it was like to lose your mother. I knew what it was like to wish she were still here.

"Yes" I said. The decision was made.

"Very well. It is too unsafe to bring Paul back to the reservation in his condition, so we will have to go to him. Call the Cullen's. Tell them the Pack are on their way for a ceremony that hasn't been performed for over 500 years. Tell them to prepare" Old Quil said, and he left the room. I took a few deep breaths, preparing myself for what I knew was something I had never attempted before.

"You can do it Jacob" Sam said, clapping me on the shoulder.

"Yeah" I whispered. I would be lying if I said I wasn't terrified. What waited for me on the other side? Would I even be able to find Paul? Was it going to hurt?

"I'll call the Cullen's. Tell them we're on our way" Sam said, tousling my hair and leaving to make the call.

"Well… let's go team!" Quil said brightly, earning himself a hard punch on the arm from Embry.

Bella POV

I sent Sue to sit with Grandma Inola for a while. They both needed the rest, and I was only too happy to sit with Paul for a while. He was looking so much better! His temperature had reached a healthy 108 and Carlisle thought he was fit enough to breath without oxygen. So far, he was managing to breath by himself and the relief that I felt was unbelievable. Grandma Inola was so much more relaxed now she could see Paul had made some improvements. Most unbelievable of all, this was only Paul's second day at the Cullen's. In 2 days, his health and appearance had drastically changed. He was starting to look like the old Paul, the Paul before he went into a coma. Carlisle had explained to me what challenges Paul would face if he were to wake up. He would definitely require a wheelchair for a few days at least, his muscles had been through the wringer and back. Carlisle also said that Paul would only be able to manage small amounts of food, despite being able to shovel down a whole buffet in one sitting. His stomach had shrunk in those 2 months and too much food at once was bound to make him vomit it back up.

But we were all ready and prepared to take them on. I'd take on anything if he woke up, because it didn't matter what challenges he would have to face, at least he'd be back with his Grandma, with his brothers and with me.

"Can I get you anything Bella?" Esme's voice came from the door.

I turned to smile at her "I'm okay thank you. How is Grandma Inola?"

"She's trouble that's for sure, but she's a wonderful woman. A pleasure to have met" Esme chuckled, and walked into the room to look out of the window.

"I'm sorry if bringing Paul here disrupted anything. I just didn't know what else to do" I began to say, but Esme waved off my apology.

"Don't be silly Bella. We have an eternity on our hands, and we are more than happy to be of service. He's definitely made some improvement, hasn't he?"

I put my hand on Paul's forehead, relishing in the heat coming off of it "Yes he has. I guess the next step is getting him to wake up now, but I don't even know how we're supposed to do that" I sighed.

"The only thing to think about Bella, is that he will eventually wake up, and when he does, what would you like to say to him?" she asked.

I thought about that for a moment. What was I most desperate to say to Paul? He may not have been around for the 2 months, but I had been, and in those 2 months, my feelings towards Paul had changed.

"I'd tell him that I've fallen in love with him" I said, feeling the smile that spread across my face as the words left my mouth.

"That's so beautiful Bella" she said, rubbing her hand on my shoulder. It had only been two days since I stayed with the Cullen's, but I was yet to get used to their cold skin. Comparing it to the warmth of my wolf, it was just plain uncomfortable. I was going back to my Dad's house tonight. I knew Paul was well looked after here and I really needed to spend some time with Charlie. He had been great these past 2 months and I wanted to give him some attention. He deserved it.

"Is your Dad coming to pick you up soon?" Esme asked.

"Yeah, he should be here soon. Thanks for letting me stay here, I'm really thankful"

"You are welcome anytime Bella. It's been an absolute pleasure to meet you. Edward seems happier than normal, is that something to do with you too?" she asked, raising her eyebrow.

"Well, I promised him we could hang out as friends some time. Carlisle told me that he doesn't really have friends and Edward said that he liked to stay away from any sort of human relationship-"

"-with the exception of Carlisle, Edward has the most self-control when it comes to his thirst. But we always try and steer clear of humans when we can, the safer, the better"

"Well, hopefully once this is all over, maybe the vampires and the wolves can be friends" I said, though not very convincingly. I knew it was a long shot, but it would make things a whole lot easier if there was some sort of alliance between the Cullen's and the wolves.

"It'll be a happy day if that happens Bella" she said, though her face grew a frown.

Could there ever be an alliance between the Cullen's and the wolves?

My cell phone rang, and I saw it was Charlie.

"Hey Dad, are you outside?"

"Yeah I am, but would it be alright if I came and saw Paul before we go?"

I looked at Esme, who nodded her head enthusiastically.

"Yeah, come on up! Go up the stairs on your left, down the hall, second door on the left" I said and hung up. It was so much easier now that Charlie knew about the wolves and the vampires. He was terrified at first, but he knew Carlisle from the hospital and has been friends with him for years. So I guess that helped him accept it.

As we waited for Charlie, my cell rang again. It was Sam this time.

"Hey Sam, what's up?" I asked, trying to sound like I wasn't guilty of anything. I knew Sam didn't agree with Paul being at the Cullen's and as far as I knew, he didn't know he was here.

"I'm gonna cut to the chase Bella, I know Paul is with the Cullen's" Oh dear.

"Well I hope you don't have a problem with it, because you haven't seen how-"

"- I don't have a problem with it, Bella. Jacob's already told us everything and he made us see that Paul is in the best place right now. Listen, the pack are on their way to the Cullen's. There's, uh, something we need to do-"

"-what kind of thing?"

"We're not planning to wipe out the Cullen's if that's what you're worried about. But we need to be with Paul for this. We'll explain everything when we get there. Gotta go" he said hurriedly, before hanging up.

"Well that was weird" I mumbled to myself. I left my phone on the dresser top just as Charlie walked in.

"Hey Dad"

"Hey kiddo, how's he doing?" he asked, walking over to Paul's bed.

"He's doing a lot better. His temperature is back up to 108, he's not dehydrated anymore and there have been no more heart attacks, so things are looking up" I said, trying to convince myself that it was true. Everything was going so smoothly, so why did I feel like something was going to ruin all of his progress?

"Well that's some great news for sure! Why don't we treat ourselves to a diner dinner tonight? How does that sound?" Charlie asked, giving me his best smile. I laughed. He didn't need to try so hard with me tonight, I was all for a diner dinner.

"Yes, that sounds perfect. Okay, well we'd better get going" I said to Esme. She walked over and pulled me into a brief hug. I could feel herself trying not to touch me so much. I suspected she had the same concerns as Edward when it came to being careful with humans.

"We'll let you know if anything happens, but I'm expecting another quiet night from him" she said, smiling. I nodded my head and walked over to Paul, leaning down so I could whisper into his ear.

"Behave yourself Lahote. Don't do anything bad whilst I'm gone, otherwise I'll have to ditch my Garden Burger and then you'll be in real trouble" I said, before pressing my lips to his forehead.

We drove straight to the diner. I had already planned my night in my head. Dinner, bath, homework, bed. I had a mountain of homework waiting for me back at home and I was pretty lucky the deadlines weren't for another week. I was usually so good with my homework, but Paul was much more important than something measly like school and if I managed to scrape a few A's in my homework, then my grades would start to get back up.

We entered the diner and I immediately started looking for Melinda. The diner wasn't the diner without her, and I don't think I can remember a diner experience without her.

"How's it going Charlie? Table for two?" said a very large man with hardly any neck and a deep, thick voice.

"You got it Howard; you ever met my daughter Bella?"

"Ah, so this is the Chief's daughter. Well, nice to meet you Bella. I bet you were half expecting to see Melinda here"

"Yeah I was wondering why I haven't seen her face yet. Is she here?" Charlie asked, as we sat at the table by the door. The little curtains on the windows had been drawn and it gave the diner a cosy sort of look.

"No, she's at the hospital. Nasty accident-"

"-what!" I yelled in disbelief.

"-yeah poor thing. Closing up last night and was jumped by a couple of hooligans-"

"-why hasn't it been reported to the station?" Charlie asked. He had his professional voice on, which meant Chief Swan was here.

"Well, she was in no fit state to report anything, I went to see her this morning to ask her about it, but she wouldn't talk to me. The doctors said she's in shock. Well, I offered to keep the restaurant open for her so here I am"

"I'll go see her first thing in the morning, I think visiting hours for the hospital are over now. She got jumped on as she was closing up you said?" Charlie asked, and I knew he was making mental notes to take back to the station.

"Yeah, she didn't tell me, I saw there had been some sort of scuffle when I came here last night so I checked the CCTV when I got back here this morning and saw it happen-"

"-what time was this?" Charlie asked.

"It was about 11:34pm, just out on the front steps. Honestly, 3 of them on one woman! I'd never have thought you'd get any sort of crimes like that in Forks, but I guess I don't know my own town! Anyway, I'll go get your drinks and come back to take your orders" he said, leaving our table.

I don't know why I felt uneasy about this, but for some reason I thought there was more to Melinda's attack than what was seen on the CCTV. Forks had always been a safe place to live, and there had never been any of these sorts of reports coming to the station (I'd be the first one to hear about it from Charlie), so why suddenly has an innocent woman been attacked? Was it a random attack?

"What do you think about this Dad?" I asked.

He sighed loudly, rubbing his moustache which always meant he was deep in thought.

"I've lived in Forks all my life Bells and not once have we had anything like this happen. This can't be random. Maybe Melinda was targeted, I don't know. But I need to know more. You mind if I go down to the station after dinner? I'm gonna get that CCTV footage from Howard, look over it myself, see if I can find anything" he said, more to himself than me.

"Just be careful Dad"

He smiled and patted my hand "Always am Bells"

Howard brought our drinks over and took our orders. Right now, diner dinner wasn't as much fun as I thought it was going to be. Even Charlie looked downcast and he kept twitching in his seat. I knew he was desperate to go to the station. Melinda had been his friend for years.

"Dad, if you want to go to the station, go now. I can call Jacob to come and sit with me" I said. I knew there was nothing worse than waiting to go and help someone when you desperately wanted to do something. I knew that.

"I'm really sorry Bells. I just got a bad feeling about this. Melinda is my good friend and I-"

"-you don't need to explain Dad, I understand, you know I do. Go on, I'll call Jacob now"

"You are a good daughter Bells. A real good daughter" he said, shucking his coat back on and kissing my head.

"Howard! I need that CCTV footage!" Charlie called out as he walked around the back.

I took out my cell and called Jacob.

Hey, you've reached Jacob. I can't come to the phone right now, probably doing something stupid. Leave me a message!

What the hell? Jacob always answered his phone. I dialled again. Ugh, voicemail again. I tried Sam. Voicemail. Embry. Voicemail. Quil, phone off.

I hadn't called Jared since I had met him, but it was worth a shot.

Hey this is Jared… and Kim! Leave a message and we'll get back to you when we can! Byeee

Why have the wolves all got their phones off? One of them always answered. Something was going on. I couldn't very well sit her on my own, not when I told Charlie I'd have someone with me. I dialled again.

"Hey Bella, this is a late call, are you okay?"

"Hey Ange, listen, I know this is kind of last minute, but could you meet me at the diner? Charlie had to rush off to the station and I'm kind of on my own"

"No problem! I'll leave now"

I could always count on Angela; she was a really good friend. She arrived within 5 minutes of hanging up the phone, just as Howard brought out mine and Charlie's meals out. At least Angela would get a free Garden Burger out of this.

"Hey Bella, whose burger is this?" she asked, as I pushed the plate towards her.

"Well, it was for Charlie but now it's yours" I said.

"Well thanks Charlie. I seem to get a lot of free food from him. I'll have to remember to thank him"

"He'd prefer it eaten rather than wasted, so would I for that matter" I laughed. I really wanted to tell Angela about the guys not answering their phones. I wasn't overreacting, something was weird about it. They couldn't all be on patrol at the same time. Maybe I'd mention it when she was partly in a food coma, then she might not think too much of it. I wish one of the guys would imprint on Angela! Then there would be no secrets between us, and I hated hiding secrets from Ange.

We started on our food in relative silence, but soon the questions started coming in.

"How is Paul doing Bella? Is he getting any better?" she asked. I took a sip of coke to delay my reply. Angela didn't exactly know Paul was at the Cullen's, and if I told her, she'd have even more questions and then I'd probably end up blurting something out, and I could not risk doing that.

"He's doing much better" I kept it short and sweet.

"That's great news Bella! Hopefully, this is a step forward to waking him up" she said with a smile, taking another bite of her burger. I sighed. I wish it were that simple, but without help from the pack, Paul wouldn't be able to come back.

Why weren't they answering their phones?

And then I mentally slapped myself. How could I have been so stupid to ignore him? Sam told me he had something to explain when they got to the Cullen's, and I completely forgot and left with Charlie. I had to get back there straight away.

"Hey, uh, Ange. If I gave you some cash, would you be able to drive me somewhere?"

"You don't need to pay me Bella, I'm your friend. Where is it you want to go?"

"Well, I need to go, to uh-" Where was the closest point to the Cullen's house without giving away what I was doing and without Angela thinking I just wanted a gentle night-time stroll through the woods? "-the station. You know, better check to see if Charlie is alright and I then I can catch a ride back with him. Did you hear what happened to Melinda?" I said, trying to steer her away from a few questions I could see were building in her head. I briefly told her what happened to Melinda and Angela was on board with taking me to the station to be with Charlie. She agreed with me about not being in the house by myself.

The station wasn't too far from the Cullen's, but it still required a walk through a dark woodland road, and I didn't much think that was a good idea. Ugh, why can't they just pick up their phones?

"Let's finish up here and then we can go" she smiled, just as the guilt started eating away at me. I was always asking Ange for rides here and there, and she always denied my offer of money for gas. I really needed to get my own set of wheels.

20 minutes later, and we were on our way to the station. Night had fallen properly now, and it was really creepy outside.

"Thanks for tonight Bella. Unexpected, but I enjoyed myself" Angela said as she pulled into the station parking lot.

"Sorry about the late notice, but I didn't know who else to call" I said. I opened the door and climbed out.

"You know you can call me whenever you need someone Bella. I'll see you at school next week" she said, and I waved her off.

Of course, I wasn't really going into the station. But like hell was I walking down that dirt road by myself in the dark. I pulled out my phone and looked through my contacts. Who could I call?

Aha. Why didn't I think of him in the first place?

"Hi Bella. This is a late call"

"Hi Edward. Listen, this is going to sound a bit strange, but can you meet me at the station?"

"The police station? Don't tell me you got yourself arrested" he laughed.

"No I did not get arrested. I'm just choosing not to walk down the creepy road to your house by myself"

"My house? Didn't you leave a few hours ago?"

"Yes, but Charlie had to go to the station and none of the guys are answering their phones and I forgot that Sam said he had something to explain to me but I had already left by the time he got there and I-"

"-relax Bella, I'll be there in 5 seconds"

"You mean- oh, hello" I said, hanging up my phone pointlessly. Edward was already here.

"Care to join me for a gentle night-time stroll m'lady?" he said mockingly, holding his arm out.

I rolled my eyes "Put that arm down, let's go" I said, leading the way. It wasn't so creepy walking down this road when I had a vampire for company.

Edward stopped "You know it would be a lot faster if you let me-"

"-not gonna happen! I've already had a wolf ride; I definitely don't need a vampire ride too-"

"-I'm just saying, we'll be there a lot faster-"

"-not happening. And I may not have super hearing, but I can hear you mumbling under your breath and that'd better stop too" I said sternly.

He laughed "You've very observant for a human you know"

"That's because I have the supernatural in my life"

"Fair enough" he chuckled.

The darkness started to become lighter as the Cullen's home illuminated the forest opposite.

"I'd better call Charlie and tell him I'm back here. He's gonna start thinking I can't function without this place" I said, pulling my phone out. I decided to text him.

Back at the Cullen's, they had news on Paul.
Hope that's alright.
Bella x

It was a pretty lame message, but if I knew my father well enough, he'd stay at the station all night. Melinda was important to him. We went inside and climbed the stairs to find the Pack, Grandma Inola, plus Old Quil, all sitting on the couch with the Cullen's, bar Alice and Jasper who I was yet to meet, sitting opposite. Well, this wasn't what I had expected.

"Bella? What are you doing here? Again?" Jacob asked.

"Long story but Sam said he had something to explain. So, let's hear it" I said, sitting down next to Jacob. Sam looked slightly taken aback.

"Okay, uh, well we have a plan to get Paul back. We can all agree now that he is stuck in the spirit world and we need someone to go and get him. Jacob has agreed to send his soul there and convince Paul to come back to his body"

"Is there a reason why he is unable to return?" Carlisle asked. Sam swallowed thickly at being addressed by Carlisle.

"Well, after a meeting with Old Quil here, it seems a part of Paul's soul has latched onto the place where is mother is. It doesn't matter how bad he wants to come back to his body, if he can't let his Mom go, he won't be able to. We need his whole soul to want to come back. Not just part of it"

Esme spoke this time "How do you plan on sending Jacob's soul to the spirit world? And why here?" she asked, more out of curiosity than concern that the wolves were in her house.

"We will be attempting to perform a ritual that has not been performed for over 500 years. It will be dangerous, and I won't lie and say there aren't risks. Jacob knows of the risks and is willing to accept them, to bring his brother back. The ritual needs to be performed near the body of the lost soul, and we would need your assistance-" Old Quil addressed Carlisle "-in making sure Jacob's health is kept intact whilst his soul is gone. There are records of tribesman's bodies losing their health and strength the longer their souls stayed away. This is what is causing Paul's body to deteriorate. Can we count on your help in this?" Old Quil asked Carlisle. Carlisle unfolded his arms and walked over to Old Quil.

"Of course we will help. We will keep Jacob monitored and keep him strong for his return" he said, extending his hand to Old Quil. Old Quil looked at it for a second, before extending his own. The Pack and the vampires watched on as they shook hands, confirming a new born alliance.

"Very good. Now, let us start preparations. Jacob if you will go with Carlisle here, he will get you set up in a bed next to Paul. Uh, I forget your name, I apologise-" Old Quil said to Esme.

"Oh, I'm Esme" she said with a small smile.

"Esme. Would you permit me to light a small fire in the room with the boys? It will be contained and safe I assure you" he said.

"Not at all. I'll go clear a space. Do what you have to do" she said, and she sped off. Old Quil turned to Sam, Embry, Jared and Quil.

"Boys, I will need two of you to phase and patrol the area outside. Sometimes when this ritual is performed, it can be sensed-"

"-sensed by what?" Sam asked.

"-let's just say, it is not only humans that can carry their soul into the spirit world" Old Quil said, making Sam and Jared stand up immediately. They started to strip as they ran down the stairs.

"Grandson, I'll need your help. I would ask you Embry, but it needs to be someone of the same blood in case something happens to me. Quil will take over and continue-"

"-will something happen?" Quil asked in a terrified voice.

"Let's hope not, but it's always best to have someone on hand just in case. Embry, I will need you to phase and stay in the room with us. Position yourself in between both Jacob and Paul's bed, and keep your guard up. Remind your wolf; the Cullen's are not the enemy" he said. Embry nodded curtly and went to the room.

Then Old Quil turned to me "Bella. Your job-"

"-wait, I have a job in this?"

"-of course. You are Paul's imprint. It is important that you are there to call to him. I will need Lauren here too, for Jacob. If something were to happen and the boys lost their way back to their bodies, we will need you both to start calling for them, to lead them back. It can only be the imprints" he said.

"Edward!" I called out and he was by my side in a flash.

"I'm really sorry to ask you, but you're the fastest. Would you be able to collect Jacob's imprint from the Treaty line and bring her here immediately?" I asked.

"You don't even need to ask Bella. Call her and tell her to leave now" he said, and he zoomed off. I quickly called Lauren, who agreed to meet Edward at the Treaty line.

"Okay, Lauren is on her way" I said. I took off my coat and followed Old Quil to the hospital room. Jacob was being set up in a bed similar to Paul's by Carlisle. He was hooking Jacob up to an IV line and the heart monitor. I walked over to Jacob's side.

"Are you sure you're okay to do this Jacob?" I said, taking his hand.

"You worry too much Bells. Besides, it has to be me. I'm the only one who understands what it's like to lose your Mom. There might be a chance he'll actually listen to me" he said with a chuckle.

"Okay, just be careful" I said, squeezing his hand before letting go and going to Paul's bed.

"Okay Mister, here's the deal. Jacob is coming to get you and I won't hear another word against it. If you don't come back with him, there'll be trouble" I warned him, though the softness in my voice didn't make me sound very serious. Sue called my name, so I quickly kissed Paul's forehead and made my way over to her.

"I've got Grandma Inola in the guest room. I figured it was best to keep her out of the way, just in case this becomes dangerous" she said.

"Thank you Sue. I might go and see her before we start" I said. I made my way to the guest bedroom, where I saw Grandma Inola sitting in a chair with Rosalie sitting in a chair opposite, reading her a book. I knocked lightly on the door.

"Am I interrupting?"

"Bella dear! Of course not, come in!" Grandma Inola said brightly. I knelt down next to her and took her hands in mine.

"How are you feeling about all of this Grandma?" I asked her.

"Though I am worried about Jacob going into that place before his time, if he can rescue my grandson I'll be in his debt forever, as I am in yours dear" she said, reaching for Rosalie's hand, which he took gently.

"You have no debt with us, we were only too happy to help" she replied with a smile, letting go of her hand.

"Can I get you anything before I go in there?" I asked her.

She smiled "Rosalie here has already made me a cup of tea and I must say it is the finest tea I've drunk. Oh, I am getting spoilt" she said with a giggle. I looked at Rosalie who wore a smirk on her face. She got up and motioned for me to follow. I kissed Grandma on her cheek and went over to her.

"Is everything set up in there?" she asked.

"Yeah, just about ready to start. The fire is almost lit and Carlisle has Jacob ready to go"

"Don't be worried Bella, this will work. I can feel it"

"I hope it does, because if it doesn't-"

"-It's going to work, okay?"

"Yep. It's going to work" I repeated, albeit unenthusiastically. I was halfway out of the door before she whispered my name.

I turned around and whispered "What?"

"She's making me call her Grandma" she whispered, and I laughed.

"She makes everyone call her Grandma. Carlisle couldn't get past it either" I giggled.

"Well, I've never had one, so I'll take it. Even if I have to share with half a dozen wolves" she said, scrunching his nose in distaste. It had taken a few days, but Rosalie and I had sort of become friends. Well, not friends. But she liked me a little bit more than when I first got here. Progress!

Back in the hospital room, everything was ready to go. Lauren was now beside Jacob, looking extremely worried, but Old Quil was talking to her, telling her about what was going to happen and why it was happening. There was a small fire lit in the middle of the room, contained in a small metal bin that had a sand circle around it. Quil was reading from a very old book and Embry was phased and sitting between the two beds. Then Old Quil called for quiet.

"Let us begin-"

A/N: Sorry I had to end it there, but I wanted to make a new chapter for the ritual! The ritual itself will be completely from my imagination and is in no way intended to be offensive to the Quileute community.

Let me know how you're finding the story and if you have questions about any parts of the story, throw them at me! Much love to you all.