Yes, readers, it seems you'll be reading this as I finish writing it. SM owns all. More to come.
Bella sobbed silently as they carried him inside the little red house, depositing him in the twin's old room. The other pack members began to arrive, phasing and dressing before coming out of the treeline. Leah stalked straight for Bella, embracing her while the rest stared in surprise.
"Why did he have to jump in? I could've taken that tick!" Leah sobbed.
"Give it a rest, Leah," Jared grumbled. She glared at him.
"Leah, this isn't your fault," Bella said, hugging her and shooting Jared a reprimanding look.
"Yeah, but Bella -"
"No, Lee. This is not your fault. It's not," Bella insisted firmly. She and Leah went inside and sat squished together on the couch, both silently crying a seemingly unending stream of tears. Finally, Carlisle and Edward arrived, escorted by Sam. Sue arrived, rushing inside with her nursing supplies to start an IV for Jacob. She assisted Carlisle and Edward as they began to reset Jacob's broken bones. After what seemed like hours, Jacob's screams finally stopped. Billy had openly cried the entire time, his hand sitting on top of Sams on Billy's shoulder. Paul had teared up angrily and taken off at some point. Carlisle stepped out to speak to Billy, Edwards' tortured but tearless face echoing the haunted expression of the rest of the room. He went outside quickly and began pacing in the yard.
"The worst part is over," Carlisle said solemnly. "I gave him morphine, which Sue is readministering now. His body temperature is burning it off quickly, and he'll need a drip set up. I have those supplies, but not with me. If Sam will accompany me, I can return with those shortly."
Sam silently nodded in agreement, pointing at Leah to indicate that for the moment, she was considered to be in charge. She gaped at him in surprise.
"You did good today, Leah. This wasn't your fault," Sam said and stepped outside. The rest of the pack stared at each other, grinning sheepishly. Bella couldn't help but smile as Leah finally started to calm down. She sat up straighter as she gradually composed herself. Bella's caught a brief glimpse of the love Leah still had for Sam. His opinion still meant a great deal to her and at that moment, Leah had forgiven him a little.
Billy reached out to shake Carlisle's hand, asking that he thank Edward as well.
"He can hear you," Carlisle said, unable to hold back an affectionate smile as he glanced in his son's direction. "Edward has practiced medicine at my side off and on for decades. His help today was invaluable." Billy glanced up at Sue who nodded tearfully in agreement from the kitchen doorway. Despite what they were, Sue had a great deal of respect for Carlisle. She'd worked under him as a nurse for over a year at the hospital in forks.
"Bella," Carlisle said, "Jacob's asking for you." Bella jumped up from the sofa and winced, her shoulder throbbing.
"She's hurt," Seth called out. "She hurt her shoulder. Mike threw her down." His face scrunched up in a scowl, a rare display of emotion from Seth. Carlisle inspected Bella's shoulder, checking her range of motion. He pulled a sling from his bag, helping her put it on quickly, and made the necessary adjustments.
"Try not to move it around for a couple of days. I'll bring you something for the pain as well," he told her. She hugged him quickly, thanking him. Unable to stay away from Jacob any longer, she broke away and headed into the bedroom. She gasped when she saw him, his ribs wrapped tightly with bandages. His shoulder and arm were similarly wrapped. He was wearing a sling very like hers to help keep it in place.
"Come here," Jacob croaked out to her.
Sue gently touched Jacob's good shoulder, "That might not be for the best just yet," she said.
"Not having her near me right now is worse than the rebreaking," he said sadly. "My wolf is going nuts."
Bella slowly sat on the edge of his bed and assessed his injuries silently. As gently as she could, she laid beside him on her uninjured side, facing him. He pulled her as close as he could, yelling to the ceiling in the process. Bella sobbed, heartbroken at his pain. His body heat was intense, fighting to heal his injuries. Bella laid her head carefully on his good shoulder. The more relaxed Bella became at his side, the more at ease he became.
"I love you," he said and closed his eyes.
"I love you," she said in return. She laid next to him for a long time, staying through Carlisle setting up the morphine drip. He gave her some meds for her shoulder before leaving. She thanked him for all he and his family had done, sending them her love and promising to come by the house soon.
Over the next few days, Bella managed to slip in and out of the house for things she needed while Charlie was at work. Despite her sore shoulder, she was taking care of Jacob and Billy as best as she could. Due to the healing power of the wolf, Jacob was mending quickly. He had rested quietly for the most part, though he was often surly anytime someone checked on him. He cycled between snapping at Bella and not wanting her to leave his side. She pushed her frustrations aside as best as she could manage, escaping downstairs to sit with Billy from time to time. Sue had been over frequently to give Billy a hand with the things that Jacob would normally do.
By the fourth day, Rachel arrived, surprising them all. She had come home fresh from a bad breakup and her mood was foul. She'd been surprised to find her brother in traction. Luckily Jacob could hear Billy's lies to Rachel as he explained. As far as Rachel knew, Jacob had taken a bad fall on a camping trip, breaking his arm and some ribs. Bella attempted to be friendly, though Rachel made it obvious quickly that she preferred to be left alone. Billy and Jacob were more on edge now that they once again had to be silent about the pack. Neither Rachel nor Rebecca had ever believed in the stories of the spirit warriors. Billy believed her stay would be brief and for the time being, it was best to leave her in the dark.
Charlie began nagging Bella about spending some time at home. She begrudgingly kissed Jacob goodbye and headed home to make dinner for herself and Charlie. They spent the evening watching a movie in comfortable silence while Bella caught up on laundry. She was surprised to find herself enjoying the quiet. Between Billy, Jacob, the pack, Sue, and Carlisle, Bella hadn't had more than a minute of quiet at a time in days.
As bedtime drew near, however, Bella found herself utterly alone and missing Jacob terribly. Now that the threat of Victoria was over, there was no need for her to be guarded. The woods behind the house felt eerily silent. Bella had stayed awake, quietly cleaning what she could with her limited range of motion. Somehow, she again began to wonder about her mother. She decided to send a quick text to Phil before she lost her nerve, tossed her laundry into the dryer, and showered before forcing herself to go to bed. The laundry situation left her little options for sleepwear outside of some of the rather racy choices Alice had provided. She finally located a plain white nightie and matching robe, leaving the robe draped across her footboard for the morning. Bella piled her curls on top of her head and stretched across her bed. She chuckled as she snuggled against the faux fur blanket. Missing Jacob's body heat beside her, she fell into a restless sleep.
A light tapping on her window woke her a few hours later. She smiled happily and blindly stumbled to the window. She unlocked it without looking as she yawned and attempted to rub the sleep from her eyes. Expecting Jacob's hulking form, she gasped as she focused on the figure that stepped into the room.
"Why are you here?" She asked. Just the sight of Edward made her heart race anxiously.
"I needed to see you," he said softly. His eyes trailed down her body, taking in the soft white silk against her skin. He sucked in a deep breath and looked away quickly. She sighed, blushing, and pointed to the rocking chair for him to sit. She pulled her robe on and tied it quickly.
"Alice supplied you with an entire department store, I see," he chuckled, looking toward the mound of clothing she'd been sorting through. "She's been buying and hoarding clothes for you all this time. I'm sure Jasper will be happy to not have to move them all again." Bella chuckled and chose to sit on her bed against the headboard. She was as far from him as she could get, leaving the window open wide. Edward had been sitting comfortably before she even got back to the bed, watching as she sleepily slid her legs back under the blanket.
"I'm sure she was glad I was finally forced to stop wearing Jake's old shirt," she grumbled. Edward grinned.
"I honestly can't say I'm sorry for that, either," he teased.
"Why did you need to see me?" She asked him.
"To say goodbye," he said.
"You're leaving again," she said. "What about your family?"
"They'll be staying a bit longer. They have some business to arrange first," he said, smirking. "I did what I came here to do. There is nothing here for me anymore."
"I see," Bella said. "Will you ever come back?" Stupid fucking heart.
"Do you want me to?" he asked, turning to stare her in the face.
"I…" Bella hesitated, unsure. "I don't know. Maybe? I mean, you can't just show up here in the middle of the night anymore, Edward. If the window had been unlocked, would you have snuck in while I slept?"
"Honestly?" Edward asked. "Probably so, though I would have woken you either way. To speak with you."
"To speak with me in the middle of the night when I'm half asleep?" She huffed.
"This is not your normal type of music," Edward said, nodding toward the radio.
"Don't change the subject, Edward," Bella said seriously. "For once, just be honest. You're already here and we might never get this chance again."
"Well, that would depend on if you want to see me again or not, wouldn't it?" Edward teased.
"You can't just show up in my room in the middle of the night anymore, Edward," Bella repeated. "I mean it. Even if we have a friendship fifty years from now, this is the last time."
"I felt as much," he said sadly. "It's part of why I came. Many of my favorite memories of you are in this room. Many on that very bed where you sit now."
"Me too," she admitted. "This room holds some of my most painful memories, too. I'm not sure it will be mine much longer."
"What does that mean?" Edward asked suspiciously.
"I think I want to find my own place soon," she admitted. "I won't be starting college this fall. I need to find a different job."
"Bella you should go to college," Edward pleaded. "I know Alice gave you a credit card to use…"
"I don't want to make a habit of relying on others, Edward," she argued.
"Allowing your family to help you out of a difficult situation is not something to feel shame about, Bella," he argued in return. "Especially a situation that you're only in because of me."
"My financial problems are not your fault," Bella said angrily. "I appreciate the effort and help with feeding the mongrels, as Rose says…"
"Your current situation is my fault," Edward said. "My actions led all of us here. If I'd never left…"
"But you did, Edward," Bella interrupted. "You did leave. The choices I've made since then were mine."
"Your future is important, Bella," Edward said.
"I'm giving myself a break," Bella said firmly. "I need to take some time for myself and figure some things out, so..."
"That's, that, eh," Edward asked, grinning. Bella couldn't help but grin in return.
"Still so very stubborn," he teased.
"Still so bossy," Bella countered and laughed.
"You could still use the card for what you need until you find a job somewhere else. Maybe we could get you a more reliable vehicle."
"Don't hate the truck," she said.
"The wasting of finite resources is everyone's business," he reminded her.
"Same tired old lines, Cullen," Bella said smugly.
Edward let out a genuine laugh and shook his head at her. Both stared at the other silently for a moment, unsure of what to say.
"I hope all of this makes us both better people, somehow," she finally admitted softly. "It has too, right? We can't all have gone through so much pain for nothing."
"I need to ask you something," he said. "And I'm honestly afraid to do it."
"What is it?" Bella asked suspiciously.
"I heard Jacob imprinted on you," Edward said.
"Heard it, or heard it," Bella teased, tapping her temple. He was not amused. "He did," she finally admitted.
Edward sighed defeatedly. "Everything truly has changed. Your future, Bella, is on an entirely different path than the one I had once hoped for."
"You mean Alice's visions of my future?" Bella asked him.
"Or lack thereof," Edward said. "Though, now that she's taken a shine to Jacob, she's getting little sparks of images of the two of you together. As long as he isn't actually near her," he clarified and chuckled. "She used to see you as being one of us one day."
"What does she see for me now?" Bella asked him.
"Laughter, mostly," he said and smiled. "You seemed happy."
"What did she used to see?" Bella blurted out curiously.
Edward slouched forward in the chair, resting his elbows on his knees. "You were a vampire. Our wedding. A child," he said, finally.
"A child? How is that possible?" Bella scoffed.
"I never knew the answer to that. You, holding a child with your eyes and my hair color," Edward admitted. "I assumed we either adopted or would go through a donor somehow."
"Did you ever want children, Edward?"
"Not particularly," he said. "I've known it to be an impossibility since I was seventeen, of course. If it were easy for our kind to acquire and care for children, Rose would have twenty by now." He smirked at her. "What about you, Bella? You told me once that you didn't want children."
"Honestly, until that morning when you overheard Jacob and I talking before the battle, I didn't want children. Now that I've seen them… I want to hold them," Bella said with longing. "They seemed so real."
"The connection with the Imprint is incredible," Edward admitted. "I could see how Sam feels about Emily, but it's different with you and Jacob."
"Different how?" Bella asked him curiously.
"Sam looks at Emily with love, but he also harbors a lot of guilt over Leah. It made the transition with the imprint difficult for him. Jacob didn't have to fight that kind of battle. He already loved you." Edward explained.
"I know he did," Bella said softly. "He always has."
"I know how I feel about you," Edward said. "To see you through Jacob's eyes was both torture and unadulterated joy."
"Joy?" Bella asked.
"Yes, joy. That's what he feels when he sees you, Bella. You make him feel intense joy, just to be near you. You are his center." Edward admitted.
"He is mine," she whispered back happily. Edward grimaced. "I'm sorry that hurts you, truly. It's how I feel and it would be a lie to say otherwise."
"I know," he said, nodding. "Just as it would be a lie to say I don't still love you as much as I ever did. Leaving you wasn't something I ever really wanted to do, you know."
"Then why did you?" she asked boldly. "To keep me safe, as Rose said? There has to be more than that."
"Your safety was my main priority, Bella, yes," Edward nodded. "However, I can't say that I wasn't a little angry and hurt when I left."
"Seriously? You dumped me, remember?" Bella said.
"I know it doesn't make sense, Bella, but I was so hurt that you honestly believed I didn't love you," Edward said, frowning. "I had to lie, though. I thought you'd never let go unless you thought I wasn't in love with you. I stupidly hurt us both. I drove you right into Jacob's arms, didn't I?" He nodded to himself without waiting for her response. "Do you think he'd have imprinted if you weren't already so close to him when it happened?
Bella said. "Every choice I've made since you left has been mine. I didn't let myself love Jacob easily. The truth is, I fought it really hard. Part of me hoped you'd come back for me for months. I didn't even realize it, but I think I might've loved him before you and I ever met. I just didn't see it for what it was. The imprint just made is stronger."
Edward grimaced at her words and forced a smile. "Ouch."
"You know I'm not saying that to be cruel, right?" she asked him softly.
"I know. I always knew there would be a day that I'd have to fight him for you. You two have a connection that I'll never understand. I saw it, even then," Edward admitted. She believed his words. He'd always shown jealousy where Jacob had been concerned. "Believe it or not, I'm glad you have him. He truly loves you," Edward said. Both surprised and saddened by his words, Bella could only nod in return. "I wouldn't want him for my son-in-law or anything, but he is good for you," he grumbled and laughed.
"I'm going to Denali, Bella. To be with the rest of our family for a while. Everything that's happened… I need to make amends with many."
"Well, you've made them with me," she said, sincerely.
"Never," he argued. "I learned about Laurent."
Bella shuddered, drawing her knees up against her chest instinctively.
"You don't have to talk about it, Bella," Edward soothed before she could speak. "I've seen the memory of it from multiple points of view, now. I wish I'd been there to destroy him myself."
"You won't always be around to save me, Edward. Not everything is on your shoulders," Bella said. "He could have located me and left me alone. Hell, he could have chosen to stay out of things altogether. His choice to attack me was on him, not you."
"Be that as it may, I'm sorry it happened at all," he said, standing. "I'm eternally grateful that it didn't go any farther than it did."
"I need to ask you something," Bella said hesitantly.
"Anything, love," he forced a smile at her.
"Was Laurent mated to Irina?" Bella asked.
"How did you know that," he asked suspiciously.
"He told me. That day, in the meadow," Bella said. "I'd kind of like to know if I have to worry about her coming to kill me someday, too." Edward gaped at her, aghast.
"I dreamed it," Bella said. "I dream things that happen later. I haven't told anyone yet. I just don't want to go back to looking over my shoulder all the time."
"As far as Irina will know, I killed Laurent myself," Edward decided. "At least that is what the Volturi has been told."
"The Volturi," Bella asked, alarmed. "What do the Volturi have to do with anything?"
"Some of them were here, Bella," Edward said.
"They were here?" Bella asked, beginning to panic. "That means they'll know about the wolves, Edward. Jacob…" Bella began to stand shakily. Edward rushed to her side, bracing her shoulders lightly.
"Look at me, Bella," he said, silencing her. "Jacob will be fine. They left, everyone is safe. I promise."
"You can't promise that," she yelled. She covered her mouth quickly, pausing to listen for Charlie.
"I took responsibility for the situation, Bella," Edward whispered. "For all of it. The Guard believes the army was after me because of Victoria - not for you."
"H-how? What did you tell them?" she asked, slowly moving away from Edward's grip and sitting back on the bed.
"The Volturi were monitoring the activity in Seattle. Irina contacted them because of Laurent's disappearance as well, claiming she'd heard he'd been killed by werewolves. I'm assuming Victoria is the person who informed her of that. They followed the army here to find out what they were up to and if Laurent was in the area. I told them Laurent was caught killing recklessly, which, wasn't technically a lie. They considered him an accomplice to Victoria's power scheme, so it was good enough for them."
"What about the pack? Rose told me Caius hunts werewolves down," Bella said.
"They aren't werewolves, Bella," Edward said and chuckled.
"What do you mean they're not werewolves?" Bella asked and laughed. Get a grip, Bella, you sound hysterical.
"They're shape-shifters," Edward said, still smirking at her. "They change at will, not because of the full moon or a bite. It's the magic in their blood," he explained simply.
Bella stared at him for a moment, surprised. It made sense, of course. The pack needs to hear about this… Edward moved slowly backward toward the window, leaning against the frame.
"Thank you," she said. "For protecting him. Jacob, I mean."
"It wasn't for Jacob's sake," Edward admitted. "I will always do what will best protect you if I can, Bella. Jake's safety ensures yours."
There it is. The tiniest tear in her chest. The last of what remained of that emptiness he had created inside of her. Even now, he held pieces of her heart.
"When are you leaving town?" Bella asked.
"Now," Edward said. "As soon as I leave here." Bella stood and walked toward him tentatively. Edward closed the distance between them, wrapping her in a hug. She shuddered from the cold but didn't try to break away.
"Call me soon," she said. "Let me know how you are?" He smiled and placed a feather-light but lingering kiss on her forehead.
"I'll do that," he said, smirking. In a flash he was gone, leaving the air fluttering around her.
Unexpected tears fell after he left. Tears for every memory she shared with Edward, good and bad. Tears for what-ifs and most surprisingly of all, tears of gratitude. Bella was supposed to be with Jacob, she knew. It was how it was meant to be. Edward's scent lingered in the room and Bella swayed dizzily, knowing it would eventually pass. She glanced toward her desk drawer where she knew Alice's prepaid card remained tucked away. She walked over to pull it out of the drawer, contemplating seriously over Edward's words and encouragement to let them, her vampire family, support her for a little while. Finally, she sighed and shoved the card into her wallet before discarding her robe and crawling back into bed.
Please Review XO