SM owns Twilight. We just want to live in her world a bit longer.

Chapter 14 - Home

After collecting all their belongings and shoving them in the backpack, they wiped down all the surfaces they had touched.

Bella stripped the bed and left the sheets by the front door. They would take them away from the cabin and leave them somewhere in the woods. They didn't want to take the chances of getting caught by the police.

The last thing Bella did, before leaving, was to write a note on a spare sheet of paper she found. She apologized for using their cabin without permission and for breaking the glass. Under the letter, she left a stash of cash.

"Geez, Bells, feeling a little guilty?" Jake asked.

She ignored his question. Of course, she felt guilty. "Do you think $5,000 should be okay?"

Jake laughed, "did you leave your phone number? I think they will be begging you to break in again the next time you're coming through."

Bella rolled her eyes. "So, are we ready?"

"Just waiting on you."

They locked up the cabin and returned the key. Bella looked back as they walked away. She really loved it here. She had some very fond memories.

The boys disappeared into the tree one and returned as wolves. Jacob walked straight up to Bells and nuzzled into her, sniffing. She giggled as his fur tickled her neck. He took a step back and was clearly happy with himself.

Seth tried to approach her also, but Jake growled at him.

"Hey, Red," Bella frowned at Jacob, using a new nickname for him. "Don't be rude," she chastised him.

She walked slowly up to Seth and petted him behind the ears. "And you can be, Sandy," she said with a smile. Seth was also enjoying the attention.

Jacob gentle pushed his nose into her back and whimpered.

Bella hadn't known Jake to be this possessive before. It must be the new imprint. She hoped he would settle down soon.

"Okay, okay," she said as she turned around and cupped Jake's big head. She leaned in and kissed him on the nose. "I love you, you big mutt. Seth is like a brother to me, and I owe him for everything he's done for us."

Jacob huffed in response. Bella took this as "fine."

Bella packed their pants in her bag and put them on her back. Red lay on his stomach, and she climbed back up into position. She winced as she sat down, a bit sorer than yesterday.

Both the wolves looked up at her; she blushed and tried to hide her face. Jake chuckled as he took off into the forest.

They had discussed this morning that they would try and run straight home, with no stops. The boys estimated it would take them four hours and hoped to be home for lunch.

None of them had had much food in the past few days. But, with the news of the suspected bear attack with their accompanying sketches, they didn't have the option of stopping anywhere for food.

After Jake and Bella, extracurricular activities this morning, they had a chance to discuss the events of the night before. They discovered that they both had similar experiences after the imprint, including the radiating power or 'electrical shocks' as Jake described it and the accompanying vision.

Later, when they were dressed again and had apologized to Seth, Jake asked him if he had heard anything like it before in the legends. He hadn't. They decided they would ask the elders of the council when they returned home.

Seth also voiced his suspicions that they had partially imprinted before. Maybe with the kiss before the newborn war - the shorter vision they both saw during the kiss, the intense pain of their separation, as well as Jacob using the 'pull' to find them the day before.

After a couple of hours of running, Bella noticed them slow their pace. Finally, Red lay down, and she slid off his back, stumbling, of course. "What's up?" she asked.

They ambled to a stream, and the boys started drinking. "Is it okay for me?" The boys couldn't get sick, thanks to their high temperatures, but Bella still could.

Red nodded. She cupped the clear water in her hands and drank.

When she was finished, Red nudged her bag. She finished out his pants and threw them to him. She held out Seth's, but he shook his head.

Jake reemerged and pulled her into a bear hug, breathing in her hair. "I missed you," he said.

"I've been with you the whole time," she replied.

"Yeah, but I just wanted to hold you in my arms."

She reached up on her tiptoes with her arms around his neck and kissed him. He had this amazing way of making her feel the kisses all the way down to her toes.

Jacob pulled away before they got carried away. He chuckled when he saw her pouting. Then, he gave her a peck on the nose.

"My wolf like your new nickname for him," he mentioned.

She smiled, "Good. Sometimes, it seems like you are two separate entities. So I thought it might be a good idea to differentiate between you."

Jake smiled and kissed her again.

"So, are we going straight to your house when we get home?" he asked her.

"Yeah, I should talk to Charlie," she didn't look terribly excited by this.

"Sure, sure."

They continued running towards home, slowing as they passed the "Welcome to Forks" sign.

Bella sighed, back to reality. She didn't know how she was going to cope tonight. Of course, Charlie would want her back in her own bed, but she didn't want to be separated from Jake after only just getting him back.

A few minutes later, the back of her white house came into view, between the trees. She peeped round the side and noticed the cruiser was not in the driveway. "Charlie's not home. Do you boys want to go home?"

She meant their home, but somehow La Push felt more like her home than Forks ever did.

Five minutes later, she spotted the familiar red house, still the same as always, never changing.

The boys got dressed, and Jacob took Bella's hand. They exited the forest and headed towards the back door. Jacob made a yipping sound to indicate he was home; he had a contagious smile plastered on his face.

The back door opened, and Billy rolled out in his chair. His smile matched Jacob's. Billy's eyes flickered to their entwined hands.

"Dad!" Jacob said happily and leaned in to give him a hug, letting go of Bella's hand.

"Jacob," Billy replied, patting him on the back. "It's good to have you home, son."

He turned to look at Bella and then Seth. "Thank you for bringing him home."

"No worries, Sir," Seth said respectfully.

Bella just smiled back; she was nervous and feeling a bit guilty. It was her fault that Jacob ran in the first place.

"Have you seen Mom?" Seth asked.

"Yeah, she should be at home with Charlie. I was over there a bit earlier but just came back home," he looked at Bella. "Apparently, he saw a police report that had your two mugs on it. Something about a bear attack."

"Oh, shit," Bella said.

"Sue is trying to calm him down. He doesn't understand why she isn't more concerned," he shook his head.

"We should head over," Bella mumbled.

"Actually, I think you had best get to Sam's first. Something is brewing with the Cullen's. They've asked for a meeting. Maybe you can help, Bella?"

Bella grimaced, "yeah, that's probably a good idea."

The boys turned to head back into the forest. "Wait, um, can we take the Rabbit? My legs are getting pretty tired."

Jake grinned at her and kissed her on the forehead. "Sure, sure. I'll just grab the keys."

"They are still on the counter," Billy called as Jake walked into the house.

An awkward silence fell as they waited for his return. Billy was watching Bella carefully. She was studying the ground to avoid his gaze.

Thankfully Jacob returned quickly and grabbed her hand. "You'll be home tonight?" Billy asked as they turned to walk towards the garage.

"Yeah, I'll be back."

Bella's stomach felt uneasy. Of course, both their parents would want them home.

As if sensing her discomfort Jake pulled her into his side and kissed her temple. "We'll sort it out. Don't stress."

"Thanks," she whispered.

Jake opened the passenger side door for her before running around to the other side. Seth hopped in the back. The car started first try, which was a relief to Jake.

They drove for five minutes to Sam's and pulled up in his driveway.

As they got out, Emily, Rachel and Kim walked onto the front porch.

"About time you three showed up," Emily said.

"What's going on, Emily?" Jacob asked.

"The pack's at the treaty line now with the Cullen's."

"Shit," Jacob muttered. "Bella, why don't you stay here, and we will go and see what's going on?"

"Um, no, I'm coming with you. This is my mess anyway."

"You're damn right it is," Rachel murmur. Bella ignored her.

Jacob wiped his hand down his face in frustration.

"Plus, apparently, I can take care of myself," she added.

Jake studied her carefully. "Fine, but stay behind me the whole time. I only just got you back; I won't let them take you again."

"They won't hurt me," Bella insisted.

"Maybe… come on."

When they arrived at the invisible treaty line, the wolves were on one side, the Cullen's on the other.

Carlisle was standing as mediator, and Edward was the translator for the wolves, who were all phased.

"Bella, Jacob, Seth, so good to see you again," Carlisle said with a pleasant smile.

Jacob and Seth were both in human form. They had learned that Edward couldn't read Seth's thoughts, but they were unsure if he could hear Jacob's.

"What's going on here?" Jacob asked with an authoritative tone.

"We are just discussing the plan for moving forward, now that things have changed."

Jacob frowned, "what's there to discuss?"

Edward stepped forward. "Did Bella ever tell you about the Volturi?" he asked in a condescending tone.

Jacob felt the jolt of fear radiate through Bella's body at the mention of this Volturi. He let go of Bella's hand and pulled her closer to his body, leaving his hand securely on her waist.

"No," she said quietly.

"Why don't you explain them, Edward? Since you are so keen on them," Jacob demanded.

"We were just about to explain them to the rest of the pack here. They are a very powerful, very old vampire coven, equivalent to the government of the vampire world. Their main objective is to keep vampires a secret from humans.

"When Alice and Bella came to Italy to rescue me, they met Bella. They wanted to kill her because she knew our secret. Alice had had plenty of visions of Bella becoming like us and promised to change her herself if I wouldn't." Jacob couldn't help the growl that was rumbling in his chest.

"About 4 weeks ago, Alice had a vision that they were coming here to check that we had followed through with the deal. So, we sent them a copy of the Wedding invitation, which has delayed their journey.

"Now that Bella has decided to not get married and presumably not become a vampire, we need to decide what to do now."

"We have never been afraid of vampires," Jacob hissed.

"Don't be rash," Jasper spoke up. "These are not your average vampires. They have powerful, dangerous gifts that make ours look like a parlour trick. They would wipe you out in a matter of minutes. Don't underestimate them."

There was a rumble through the pack at this comment.

"So, what's your suggestion then?" Jacob sneered.

"We were going to discuss with Sam about telling the Volturi about your pack," Carlisle suggested. "Bella could be included under your secret and free to live out her life as a human."

In a hard, monotone voice, Edward spoke out like he had used before when translating for the pack, "will this create a target on our tribe and pack?"

"We are unsure how they will react to your secret. Unfortunately, Alice can't get a clear vision on them as you are blocking it."

"We will protect Bella with our lives. She is an imprint, and therefore, she is pack as well."

There was shock through the pack as they all turned to look at him.

Edward spoke up with fake sincerity, "I've been thinking about that. Don't you wolves imprint when you first see them after phasing?"

Sam nodded his head.

"How do we know that you actually imprinted on her?"

Jacob bristled at the insinuation. "I've seen imprints through my brother's minds; I know what an imprint is."

"I'm just concerned that you are lying to Bella to take her choices away from her."

"I. Am. Not. Lying. About. It. I would never lie to Bella." Jake said through gritted teeth.

"Seems rather convenient, doesn't it? Why didn't it happen earlier?"

"No, it is not more convenient!" he yelled. "It would have been more convenient if I had imprinted on her six months ago when I first phased. Then, we all could have been spared a lot of pain, and Bella would have never met the Volturi. I don't know why it's happened now. All I do know is that she is my world, and I won't let any vampire hurt her ever again!" Jacob was furious by the end of his rant.

Edward looked to Sam and said: "yes, I suggest you look into it."

"What did Sam say?" Jacob bristled.

"He said he would speak to the Elders about the supposed imprint, as well as the Volturi."

Jacob yelled, "she IS my imprint. There is nothing to discuss!"

Edward held his hands up in fake surrender.

Bella reached up and put her hand on Jake's chest to calm him down. He hadn't even noticed that his hands were starting to shake. He took a few deep breaths and leaned in to kiss her hair.

"Are we done here?" he growled.

"Yes, that should cover it for now," Carlisle said. "Let us know your decision."

"Bella?" Alice called out.

Bella looked at Alice with a sad smile. "I'm so sorry, Alice."

"Why didn't you say something earlier?"

"I tried to talk to Edward about postponing the wedding a few weeks ago, but he convinced me not to," Bella said quietly, avoiding eye contact with Edward.

"You did? I didn't see that?"

"Alice, I haven't been happy for a long time. I've lost weight. You know my dress kept having to be altered down in size. I wasn't sleeping; I had huge dark circles under my eyes. How could you have missed that? You didn't need visions to see that."

"I just thought you were losing weight for the wedding on purpose. Most brides lose weight to be slim down before their wedding," Alice said with a frown.

"I think you saw what you wanted to see," Bella said, holding back her tears.

"I'm sorry I didn't see it. I was just so excited to be getting a new sister," she said with a pout.

The tears leaked out of Bella's eyes; she quickly wiped them away. "I'm going to miss all of you. I'm sorry. I couldn't…."

"For what it's worth," Rosalie spoke up, "I think you made the right choice. Once we get this mess that Edward created, fixed up - go and live your life. Enjoy your family, make beautiful babies, and grow old together. You have a chance to do something that we will never get to do." Jacob leaned down and kissed her on the head.

Bella nodded, "thanks, Rose."

"We will miss you too," Esme said with a sob.

Bella looked up at Jacob; the question was clear in her eyes. He reluctantly nodded and let her go.

Bella ran across the treaty line and hugged Esme tight.

"You are like a second mom to me," Bella whispered.

Esme pulled her back, wiped the tears from her cheeks and brushed her hair behind her ears. "You are like a daughter to me. Even when you grow older than me, you will always be my daughter." She leaned in and kissed her on the cheek.

"Thanks, Esme," Bella said.

Bella stepped back and looked at Carlisle. He opened his arms, and she moved in for a hug.

"We will sort out this out with the Volturi, don't worry," he said quietly.

"Thanks, Carlisle."

Alice flitted next to her, "can I get a hug too?"

"Of course, Alice."

Bella hugged her tight. Alice whispered in her ear, "if you need help planning the next wedding, I'm always available."

Bella chuckled, "will do."

Rose was up next; Bella still felt intimated next to her. "I'm very jealous of you," she said quietly. "Make sure you send me photos of your kids as they grow up."

"Of course," Bella replied.

Emmett pulled her into a big hug and swung her around. "I'm going to miss my little sister and her clumsy ways." Bella blushed, causing Emmett to laugh. "And the predictable blush." He gently put her back on the ground.

Bella looked to Jasper. "Thanks for everything, Jasper," Bella said.

"Well, you're welcome, darlin'," he said.

"Jazz, you can hug her; you won't hurt her," Alice chirped up.

"She doesn't smell very appetizing. She stinks pretty bad," Rosalie said, waving her hand in front of her wrinkled nose, smiling. This caused a few of the vampires and wolves to laugh.

"It's okay, Jasper; I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

Jasper nodded at her, and mouthed "thank you."

Edward was standing off the side, sulking, kicking the ground.

Bella started to walk back to Jacob.

"What? Don't I get a goodbye hug?" Edward sneered.

Bella continues to walk away from him. She knew when she had reached the treaty line because Jake's posture relaxed, and he quickly pulled her into his chest.

"No, Edward. You calling me a slut pretty much ended any sort of civility between us."

His family gasped, and Emmett growled at him.

"What the hell, Edward?" Rosalie hissed.

"She spread her legs the first chance she got," he said with disgust.

"Enough," Carlisle said. Edward looked down like a two-year-old who had been scolded by a parent. "I'm terribly sorry about my son's behavior. It is not acceptable. He will be dealt with."

Bella cocked her eyebrow. What was he going to do, ground him, like the teenager he is?

"Thanks," she said.

"We should be going. Let us know your decision. Sam, you have my phone number. Once the Volturi has been dealt with, we will move out of the area. Hopefully, no more kids on the reservation will have to phase because of us." Carlisle said sincerely.

"Thank you, Carlisle," Jacob said.

"Oh wait," Bella called out. "Edward, I assume it was you that called the cops on me and got Seth shot?" she paused as the wolves behind her growled. Leah walked over to her brother and rubbed her giant head against his neck.

"I'm fine," he said quietly to her, patting her on the shoulder.

Edward didn't reply.

Bella gritted her teeth before saying, "I would appreciate it if you could pay off whoever you need to to get the investigation dropped."

Edward still didn't respond. He really was like a child throwing a tantrum. She almost expected him to poke his tongue out at her.

Carlisle spoke up on his behalf, "of course, Bella. We will get it sorted for you. And, sorry again, for my son's actions."

"No worries, Carlisle. It isn't your fault."

Carlisle smiled back at her before grabbing Esme's hand and disappearing out of sight. Rosalie and Alice were next, leaving the boys. Edward was staring at Bella, not intending on moving away.

"Come on, Edward, it's time to let go," Emmett said, clearly annoyed. He grabbed one of Edward's arms, and Jasper held the other.

"Hey, boys!" Bella called out. "You should take him out and get him laid. It'll do wonders for his soul."

Emmett's booming laugh echoes off the trees around them, they pulled him backwards, and they were gone.

Jacob chuckled and pulled her in tighter.

Seth clapped him on the shoulder. "What have you done to the innocent Bella Swan?"

"I made her mine," he said with the biggest grin before pulling her up for a kiss.