Fly Like an Eagle

by Twilight gypsy

In this story, we follow the events of New Moon until Bella's birthday party, where it veers to an alternate conclusion. The characters begin to face mystifying conundrums and problems. They don't know that, in order to protect the tribe, the Quileute Chief has accessed the ancient magic, and it has overflowed, causing problems for humans and supernatural creatures alike.

39. Chapter 39 I've Got a Feeling

Fly Like an EaglebyTwilight GypsyChapter 39 I've Got a Feeling

s/13842745/39/Fly-Like-an-Eagle

Jacob is getting ready to go out when he hears brakes screech in front of the house. Expecting one of his Wolf friends, he smiles and pulls the front door open wide, revealing a slightly built girl who couldn't tip the scales at a hundred pounds. Who glares at him with such intensity that he pales before her.

Bella narrows her eyes at Jacob and then widens them as she gestures lamely to him, then to the doorframe he's crouching in. She takes in his size, from his feet all the way to his head. He mistakes her astonishment for leniency. Once she's inside, she turns and looks up at him towering over her, and says, "Just what the hell is going on here?"

Bella takes one look at Jake and sees that something isn't right.

Chapter 39 Chapter Notes

Jacob's inner sense of justice is ruffled when he finds out that the Council lied to the Cullens. He takes the vampires' side, although he doesn't know exactly why. Jacob is a black and white kind of guy; he doesn't really deal in the gray areas in between. Something is either right or it's wrong and he doesn't justify his own actions or anybody's else's with reasons, excuses, or apologies.

Bella finally meets him face to face, for the first time since his transformation. And boy, does the girl have a lot of questions.

The Chapter title belongs to The Beatles

Chapter 39 I've Got a Feeling Wednesday October 18th

It's a school day, but Jacob doesn't go. He gets up early, has coffee with Billy, makes breakfast, and fields an awkward call from Bella. She's been worried about him, but he can't be friends with her anymore. Sam told him that nobody but those in the Pack and their families are to know about the Wolf Protectors. So.

It breaks his heart but he acts like a jerk. He tells her he has to go and hangs up before she can ask any more questions.

He and Billy discussed his schooling, and Jake knows he'll finish and graduate, but phasing with the Pack this time, this first time, simply takes precedence.

After he finishes the dishes, he hears a horn beep. He runs out the door, remembering to duck, and hops in the back of Sam's truck with the other boys. They don't speak as the truck rumbles down the road. They pass construction on roads and sidewalks, to buildings and homes. Jacob wonders what's going on, but doesn't mention it.

When the truck stops and they all jump out, Jacob realizes this is the place where Sam brought him to phase for the first time. Well, the only time. He's looking forward to doing it again, to hear their thoughts as they run in the wild.

The boys start pulling off clothes. Soon, eleven naked Quileute stand before Sam, who is also sans apparel. Sam says, "Remember, when you're in Wolf form, it doesn't matter how many miles separate you from the Pack, we can hear your thoughts." He gives them all a fierce look. "So, we don't comment on whatever we hear. Not to each other, certainly not to anyone else. It's information that wasn't meant to be heard, so have respect for each other if you want it in return."

Sam also imparts a warning about injudicious hunting. "You'll be stronger and faster than the life forms that live here, so don't go wild and take down herd after herd of elk or deer. You can eat at home." They all frown and mutter, until Sam finally says, "Well, maybe just a couple of deer."

This brings on smiles all around, and, one by one, they run up the path. In seconds the hill is alive with huge Wolves, jumping, running and howling. Jacob is astonished. He stands tall, breathing deep, feeling the wind on his skin. He's the last one besides Sam, who urges him on with a gesture. Jacob grins and begins his run, and in a few seconds, the Wolf bursts forth.

Sam is right behind him and they run to catch up, howling once they get high in the mountains. They jump streams, dash around trees and bow to each other in a playful stance. It's simply the most exhilarating thing that Jacob could have ever imagined. He doesn't think sex could be this good, and hears a couple of the Wolves nearby barking out their laughter.

They don't find any deer, and after running around for a couple of hours, all trot back down the path to get their clothes on and go home. Nobody says anything about what they heard, but they chatter animatedly about their experience.

On the way home, Jacob worries about his conversation with Bella. He hadn't been nice to her. Sam drops off all the other boys, and when he pulls up in front of Jacob's house, cuts the engine and comes inside with him.

Billy is waiting at the front door. He and Sam exchange a meaningful glance and Jacob thinks this has been planned. After they're seated, Sam gets right to the point. "Jacob, you are not allowed to tell Bella Swan about this. She hung out with the Cullens. She's the enemy."

Jake jumps up. "The enemy? What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Sam is on his feet as well. The only one seated is Billy, but not by choice. His usually soft voice is raised in a shout as he bellows, "Sit down. Both of you!"

They sit, cowed by a stronger and braver man than both of them. "I will tell this story." He glares at Sam, who has enough wits to know when to shut up. "Jacob, this is difficult for you to hear, but it is the will of the Council." He nods his head at the boy, who nods in return. Jacob is ready to listen.

"Bella knew about the existence of the cold ones, because you told her, but she and Edward dated for months. She met his family. Clearly, he filled her in. She knows everything about their way of life."

"I know this." Jacob looks peeved.

"Here's what you don't know. The Cullens thought that Jasper had broken the treaty by coming onto our land and taking Emery, but one of your Wolf brothers had already broken it by trespassing on the Cullen's property. If he hadn't done that, the entire incident might have been averted."

Jacob's mouth falls open. Sam seethes, his expression mutinous. He starts to speak and Billy holds up a hand. "Putting all of that aside, Bella is still an outsider. She cannot be made aware of the shapeshifting abilities of the tribe.

"And why not? Emily knows." Emily is Sam's girlfriend.

"Emily is Quileute. The Cullens were banished from the area because we told them they had broken the treaty that we had already broken."

Jacob thinks about that for a moment. Billy eyes his son with an expression of deep sadness. "There's something else, Jacob." He pauses and swallows, then relates what the Council told the Cullens about the deadly consequences for both parties if they were to attack/consume the other. And about Bella's parentage.

Jacob stares at Billy for a full minute. He disregards the knowledge that the Quileute are toxic to the vampires if fed upon and that Quileute who are exposed to the venom suffer a life-threatening allergic reaction. Instead, he focuses on the fact that he and Bella share a bloodline, and therefore cannot share anything else.

"I'm related to Bella?" It's more of a statement than a question, and the dejected way in which he says it is a clear indication that he understands the implications.

"Her Grandma Swan was born to Ephraim's second cousin and a man from Seattle, so her bloodline is quite dilute, but yes, you are related. No two who are descendants of Ephraim Black may reproduce. We have done studies on this, have even sent blood samples away. We're convinced that it would be catastrophic if the blood were crossed in this way."

Jacob spares a moment to pity Bella, who thinks Edward left her because he didn't want her anymore, not knowing that he and his family had been banished.

"So, let me get this straight. The vampires can't bite the Quileute because it makes them sick. The venom in turn makes the Quileute sick. Bella's great-grandpa had it off with an Indian, so we're related and now can't be together because our blood will mix in some weird way if we have kids." He pauses and shakes his head at the absurdity of it. "Oh, and of course, Bella doesn't know any of this."

Billy and Sam look at each other. Sam furrows his brow. "I told you not to tell him."

Before Billy can respond, Jake jumps up again and throws his hands in the air. "What right did the Council have to banish the Cullens to begin with? You said that we had broken the treaty by trespassing on their property. Then you tell Edward he can't take Bella because she has like a zillionth of a molecule of Quileute blood? Do you know, do you have any idea of what you've done to the girl?

"Did any of you really think that she would have the allergic reaction to the venom? Or was that just a convenient excuse to get rid of the 'cold ones', the ones who hadn't harmed anyone since they'd gotten here?" Jacob has no idea why he's defending the Cullens, but his innate sense of morality has been activated.

He notes that Billy and Sam at least have the decency to look abashed, but he isn't finished yet. He looks at his father in disgust. "The Council is made up of a bunch of impotent old men who have forgotten what the Quileute stand for. You lied to the Cullens and forced a good man to leave the woman he loved!" Jacob's voice has reached a crescendo. In a fit of rage, he picks up a cheap glass vase and hurls it at the wall, where it shatters into a thousand tiny shards.

Billy stares out the window to the muddy street beyond. "We had to alert the Cullens to the facts as we know them. Bella has the blood of Eprhaim Black running through her veins. We wanted to avoid a catastrophe. What would the Cullens do if we had withheld that information from them, Edward had tried to change her, and she died? What would the Cullens think about the Quileute then? Would a treaty be enough to protect us from their wrath? What would you have done?"

Jacob paces the room and then falls into a chair, his huge hands hanging between his legs. "That sidesteps the issue and you know it. The Council could just as easily have called the Cullens for the meeting and told the truth about the treaty, and also about Bella's parentage. Then they could have made the choice. But you didn't do that. You lied and uprooted the entire family, and nearly killed an innocent girl in the process."

Billy looks at his son with fierce pride and admiration. Jacob doesn't look like a boy; he doesn't act like a boy. He's still only sixteen, but he has the bearing of a leader. He thinks Sam's tenure as Alpha may be coming to an abrupt end.

Sam won't meet Jacob's eye, but the true Alpha stands up, all six feet, seven inches of him. "Go home, Sam." Sam widens his eyes but gets to his feet. He nods to Billy and leaves without another word. Jacob, so disgusted with his father and Sam and the whole lot of them that he can hardly stand it, goes into his room and slams the door.

Bella calls that afternoon, and Billy says Jacob is out. Jacob stands beside his father, seething as he tells the lie. It makes Jacob's stomach hurt. He knows Bella—she won't let it go. And he's right. She calls again the same day, and every day after for almost a week. Billy says he's out. He's sleeping. He's at a friend's house.

On Sunday, Jacob is doing homework at the kitchen table when there's a short rap at the door. Billy answers and Bella immediately tries to push her way into the house. Jacob dives under the table as Billy blocks her. He repeats what he's been saying for days: Jacob is unavailable. She complains for five minutes while Billy calmly but stoically stays put. She finally leaves and Jacob crawls out from under the table.

"I hate lying to Bella," he says, as he takes his place at the table once again. "You don't know her like I do. Once she gets hold of something, she never lets it go."

Sunday, October 22rd

Bella stomps back to her truck and drives home. Still disgruntled, she slams her door and trudges into the house where she hears a game playing loudly on the TV. Before she can holler a greeting, she spies Charlie sitting on the sofa with Maya, who is yelling at the TV.

"You son of a bitch! Do I need to come down there and show you what 'pass interference' is? Damn referees! He had his hands all over the guy!" Maya turns to Charlie. "What do you think Chief? Pass interference? Should be a fifteen-yard penalty right there, or half the distance to the goal line. Wait. Where are they spotting it?"

Bella grins at her father and when Maya sees her, blushes as pink as her fingernails.

"Oh, Bella, I am so sorry to use language like that in front of you!" Maya turns her rosy face to Charlie, who is trying not to laugh. She is clearly mortified, and her angst causes Bella's anger and frustration at Jacob's odd behavior to melt away.

Bella might be able to diffuse the situation with a clever quip, but she has no idea what 'pass interference' or 'half the distance to the goal line' actually mean. She can only say, with confidence that it is the truth, "Enjoy the game, guys. I'm sure the other team deserved whatever it was you were talking about."

Friday, October 27th

Jacob is getting ready to go out when he hears brakes screech in front of the house. Expecting one of his Wolf friends, he smiles and pulls the front door open wide, revealing a slightly built girl who couldn't tip the scales at a hundred pounds. Who glares at him with such intensity that he pales before her.

Bella narrows her eyes at Jacob and then widens them as she gestures lamely to him, then to the doorframe he's crouching in. She takes in his size, from his feet all the way to his head. He mistakes her astonishment for leniency. Once she's inside, she turns and looks up at him towering over her, and says, "Just what the hell is going on here?" Jake laughs, irritating her further.

He sobers as he recalls Sam's last conversation with him, after his tirade in the living room. Later, at the grocery store where Sam works, Jacob said that he stood by what he'd said. Sam in turn said that if Jacob didn't want to follow directions, he could leave the Pack. "You have to listen," he'd said. "You have to end your friendship with Bella Swan right away. You aren't to take her calls. Keep her away from the reservation."

Jacob had discussed this with Billy, who hadn't been any help at all. "You are the man with the most direct line to Ephraim Black. By tribal law, you are the Alpha. Take your position of authority over the Pack and make your own rules. Otherwise, you have to shut up and follow Sam."

At sixteen years of age, Jacob couldn't be the Alpha. For one, he's younger than most of them. He doesn't have any choice but to follow Sam's orders and he accepts it until Bella appears at his door, and then he caves. Spectacularly.

He pulls her into a hug and she squeaks, "Can't breathe!" Jacob releases her as he points to the kitchen. He follows her in and pulls out her chair. She sits and immediately starts with the questions. "What has been going on? Why haven't you answered your phone? I called and called, and Billy wouldn't let me speak to you." She frowns and adds, "And you've grown about a foot, by the way."

Jacob stands before her, a gargantuan. Suddenly, Bella realizes that Jake has a cap on his head, but she hadn't seen his characteristic ponytail, hanging down his back. "Oh, my god." She jumps up and pulls the cap off, revealing a nearly shaved head. "You're part of Sam's gang. That's why you wouldn't talk to me! You didn't want me to know!" She tries to push past him, but he stands before her, solid as a tree trunk.

"Let me by. I'm leaving!" Bella fumes up at Jacob, who has an anguished expression on his face.

"Let me explain, Bella," he pleads. She takes a deep breath and sits back down and Jacob pulls a chair over to face hers. He leans forward. "Don't be mad, but there's only so much I am allowed to say."

"Oh, I guess Sam makes the rules now, does he? Does Billy know about this? Are you on drugs? What in the world is going on?"

Jacob sits back in his chair, not at all surprised by Bella's anger. He decides to answer her questions one by one, to the extent he is allowed, putting aside what he knows about the treachery of the Council.

"First, Sam doesn't make the rules. The Council does. And of course Billy knows. He's an Elder." He gives her a hard look before he continues. "And for the third question, Bella, I have never even smoked a cigarette. I had part of one beer last year, so I've never even been drunk. As for what's going on, that is not information that I am allowed to tell."

"So you drop out for a few days with the 'flu' and when I see you again, you've grown so tall you have to duck to get in and out of doors, but you can't tell me anything." Bella crosses her arms over her chest, lending her angry posture some authority.

Jacob stands and flings his hands into the air. "It is not my secret to tell! You aren't…" Jacob swallows and takes a breath that he hopes will calm him, but doesn't. "You are not Quileute." Another lie! How many times will he have to lie to keep these secrets? And what would be the penalty if he did tell? They couldn't take the gift back. No one could. But they could ban him from the Pack, and that would be devastating.

"I guess I'll be going then. Let me by."

"Listen," he cuts in, "I can only be your friend if you accept what's going on and don't demand answers. All I can tell you is that we're not doing anything illegal. Can you do that?"

What is he saying? What if they fall in love with each other? What could possibly be done then? The Council would demand that the relationship end, and Bella would be back in the same spot that she'd been with Edward Cullen. Sad and alone.

He has an idea. It's another lie, but he's making this up as he goes. "I had something I wanted to tell you, anyway. I have a girlfriend. Her name is Lydia. She's a student, same age as me. I thought you'd be pleased."

Bella's gaze falters for a moment. She then rallies and says, not quite convincingly, "That's great."

"You still want to help me plan the bonfire tomorrow? You were going to come up early. So we can cook food and help get stuff ready?"

"Yeah, okay. I'll be here around nine." She walks out of the house without another word. Jacob watches her get into her truck and drive away, wondering how they can remain friends with Sam watching every move that he makes. He was allowed to ask her onto the reservation for the bonfire, which was already planned, but nothing after that is sanctioned.

Before his transformation, he'd imagined so much. Had fantasized about taking her face in his hands and kissing her. Had felt the tug in his middle as he imagined taking her to bed, what it would feel like when their bodies merged. Wondered what sounds she would make when he made love to her.

Now, in his post-manifest-phase, those thoughts seem childish. He doesn't imagine the feeble fumblings that his immature mind had conjured up, only days ago. He now sees it clearly in his mind, how he holds her face as he kisses her, how desire rises up inside her as she crawls onto his body. Undressing her, caressing her. Laying her back on his bed and gently taking her until she cries out.

Feeling that the Universe is patently unfair, Jacob kicks off his shoes and runs outside. Once he's behind the house, he strips and runs for a few steps until the Wolf takes over. He breathes deep and runs, runs, runs, until he's miles from his home. Once on the peak of the mountain, he howls, and it's a sound of desperation and longing. It's a sound of abject misery. It echoes for a moment and the Wolf trots back down the mountain. Howling about it won't help. She's not allowed to love you.

Move on, Jacob. Move on.