Your Pain is My Pain
JacobxBella
Rated M
Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the franchise, as it belongs to Steph Meyers
Your Pain is My Pain
Chapter 21
Bella felt her blood run cold at what Charlie had said. Victoire? As in Victoria? Had her father made a date with Victoria?! She had honestly forgotten about her since Laurent had informed her that she was still in the area, having put him up to try and kill her for having James killed. She had to have known that Laurent failed and was now trying a different tactic. Feeling her stomach drop, she swallowed before choking out, "Victoire? Her name is Victoire? As in Victoria?"
Charlie shook his head saying, "No, her name is Victoire, not Victoria."
"Dad, Victoire is French for Victoria." She shook her head to clear it for a moment before asking, "Are you sure she's French and blonde? She wasn't…I don't know…seemingly wearing a wig?"
The man gave his daughter a strange look before answering, "I'm pretty sure, kiddo. I'm not sure why you don't seem so sure, but I can assure you she's pretty great, even though I only just met her. And you'll like her Bells, I know you will. When you two meet, I mean, if it gets to that point, of course."
The brunette gave her father a small smile before looking back down at her plate, her smile fading. She wasn't so sure she's like her, because she was worried that this mystery woman was Victoria in disguise. And if she was, she was much too close to home. Not only that, but Charlie was in danger, too. She had to tell Jacob this as soon as possible, before something terrible happened in the future.
Since the night Charlie had informed her about meeting "Victoire", Bella had been trying to get in touch with Jacob. Unfortunately, she was having no luck in doing so. Two days had passed, it now being Saturday, and she still had no word from Jacob. She would have just driven to the Reservation to see him, but she couldn't before. Now however, she finally could. Therefore, as soon as she was up and moving, she got dressed, put her shoes on, grabbed her keys to her truck, and left the house to drive to La Push.
When she pulled in front of the Black home, she noticed there was an unfamiliar car parked next to Billy's truck. Bella briefly wondered who was visiting before cutting off her truck and getting out of it. Walking up the porch to the front door, Bella knocked and waited for a moment, only entering when she heard Billy's voice call out, "It's open!"
Stepping inside, Bella stopped at seeing the two guests sitting in the living room with Billy. They were Sue Clearwater, and her daughter Leah. Though she had never met them, Jacob had described Leah to her once before, and she looked exactly like she thought she would. And with her resemblance to the older woman, she knew that it was her mother Sue. Blinking, Bella regained her composure and greeted, "Hi."
Billy chuckled and replied, "Hello Bella. Bella, this is Sue Clearwater, Harry's wife, and this is their daughter, Leah. Sue, Leah, this is Bella, Charlie's daughter."
Sue nodded at her politely in greeting, Leah doing the same with a small smile. Bella nodded to them as well before turning her attention to the wheelchair bound man. "Is Jacob around?"
"Yes, he is. He's in the garage with Seth." Seeing her confused look on the new name, he added, "He's Sue's son. Go on, Jake won't mind."
Thanking him, Bella turned and left the house, walking down the porch to head to Jacob's garage. However, she didn't expect to be followed by Leah. The other girl caught up with her and said, "Hey, wait a minute, Bella."
Bella looked at Leah and asked, "What is it?"
The two of them began walking to the garage, Bella wondering what Leah wanted. Leah seemed to be in thought for a moment before finally saying, "I heard about how you stood up for me. You know, concerning Sam and Emily. I just wanted to thank you for doing that."
"Oh, it's no big deal."
"No, it is. At least, it is to me anyway. When it happened, it gave me the worst whiplash I could have ever experienced, and no one seemed to bat an eyelash at the turn of events or even question it. And what made it worse was that my father, the man that's supposed to be my protector and hero, didn't even defend me or my feelings. He didn't even ask me if I was okay, at the least. He just…didn't. No one seemed to care how I was feeling, and I thought no one did. That was, until you stood up for me, so thank you, Bella. I'm glad that I at least have you in my corner."
Bella was surprised by Leah thanking her, but found herself smiling nonetheless, happy that the other girl felt better. Nodding at her, she told her, "It's no problem. And I'd do it again if I have to."
By that point, the two females reached the garage, stepping inside its open doors. They found Jacob working on an old car's engine, obviously doing some repairs, with Seth helping him out. Bella observed Seth for a moment, finding the younger boy rather adorable. He obviously resembled his older sister, but she figured her took after Harry mostly, just like how Leah took after Sue. Seth looked up at the newcomers as soon as Bella was done with her observation, grinning at the sight of his sister. His eyes then shifted to Bella, a warm blush covering his face before he greeted shyly, "Hi…I'm Seth. You…you're Bella, right?"
Not being able to help it, at his cute reaction to her, Bella smiled and greeted, "Hi Seth."
Jacob looked up and grinned brightly, happy to see the brunette. Setting down his tools, he wiped his hands off on a towel saying, "Hey Bells!"
"Hey Jake." Bella walked over to him and let him wrap her in a warm hug, hugging him in return. She was happy here in his arms, having felt the most at ease in days.
Releasing her, Jacob said, "I know you've been trying to get in touch with me, and I'm sorry about not getting back with you. I've been…busy."
Knowing he was talking about Pack business, she nodded and said, "It's okay, but I really need to talk to you."
Noticing her anxiousness and hearing the urgency that she kept hidden in her voice, Jacob nodded and excused them for a moment, leaving the Clearwater siblings in the garage. They walked away from the garage a few yards before Jacob turned to Bella, his face completely serious as he asked her what was wrong.
Taking a deep breath, Bella told him, "Jake, I don't know if I ever told you, but that vampire you and the others saved me from in the meadow, he has a companion. Her name is Victoria, a redhead, and I've met her before with the Cullens. She had a mate named James, but the Cullens killed him because he was after me. And because I was with Edward, she wants to kill me; a mate for a mate. But Laurent, that vampire you saved me from, he informed me that I'm possibly not and never was Edward's true mate, but Victoria doesn't know that. If she finds out that her mate was killed for someone who wasn't even a true mate, she is going to be extremely pissed off, and her vengeance will be worse. Anyway, I'm saying all this because Charlie told me he met a woman named Victoire. Jake, I'm afraid that Victoria is Victoire and is trying to get to me through Charlie. Charlie could be in danger and…and I'm scared. I'm scared for him, and I'm scared for myself."
Jacob took in what Bella had said, letting all the facts fall into place in his head before he nodded slowly. Taking her into his arms in another hug, this one comforting to her, he held her closely before saying, "Don't you worry, Bella. Me and the Pack will handle it."
"But Jake, she's a formidable opponent. She has the gift of evasion, it'll be hard to catch her."
"We've been tracking her for a while, Bella. We're sure we can catch her in time."
Eyes wide, Bella looked up at him in disbelief. "You never told me you knew about her!"
He looked sheepish for a moment. "I know, but you were already going through stuff with school and that gang and whatnot, I didn't want to worry you with anything else. I'm sorry, Bells."
"It's okay, I just wish you had told me you'd known of her sooner."
"Well, like I said, don't worry. I'll inform Sam and the others, and we'll handle her and keep tabs on Charlie as well. I promise, we'll catch her before she can hurt either of you."
Jacob sounded so sure, and Bella couldn't help but believe him. Nodding, she gave him a soft smile, thanking him before hugging him once more. And as he wrapped his arms around her again, she couldn't help but feel completely secure. Not only that, but her heart was beating faster than normal in her chest as Jacob held her. She was also positive there was a blush on her face, but she wouldn't let him know that, not when she herself wasn't sure why she had one.
Later that night, Bella sat in bed reading a book, the book being Stephen King's Carrie, fully immersed in its plot. Charlie was working late, so she was home alone, having already eaten and locked up the house. She had just finished a chapter and turned the page when she heard a noise downstairs, the noise sounding like a soft thump.
Bella frowned and listened closely, wondering if that thump had just been her imagination. She would have thought so if her lamp hadn't flickered out, but it did. Now feeling nervous, Bella set her book aside and grabbed her phone, as well as a small flashlight she kept in the drawer of her bedside table. Silently getting out of bed, she looked outside and noticed that the neighbors' home lights were still on. Her uneasiness growing, she flicked on her flashlight and stepped out of her room and into the hallway. Seeing that it was completely dark in the house, but knowing the neighbors still had power, she knew the power had been cut off.
Knowing she probably shouldn't say anything, she couldn't help but softly call out, "Hello?"
Getting no response, Bella began to slowly and quietly creep downstairs. However, she stopped upon hearing what sounded like shuffling. Knowing she wasn't going crazy, she opened her phone and dialed Charlie's number, holding the device to her ear, waiting impatiently for her father to pick up. As she waited, she quickly turned off the flashlight, cloaking the house in darkness once again. Soon, she heard the line pick up and her father's voice answer, "Hello?"
"Dad," Bella whispered in response.
"Bella? What's wrong? Why are you whispering?"
"Because there's an intruder in the house. The power has been cut off and I hear movement."
She could hear Charlie moving on the other line, him obviously gathering his things and on his way out of the police station. "I'm on my way, kiddo. You stay safe and stay hidden. I'll be there soon."
"Okay dad. Please hurry."
Bella turned to head back up the stairs, intent on waiting out and hiding in her room or even Charlie's, only to be suddenly struck in the head with a blunt object. She fell to the floor with a cry of pain, gripping her head as she fought falling unconscious. While she wasn't unconscious, she could feel blood trickling down her face, the iron smell making her feel nauseous. However, she knew she didn't have time to think about feeling sick, because the intruder was on top of her.
The intruder gave her a kick to her gut, making her cry out once again in pain and curl up, the intruder continuing to kick her and grunting in exertion. From the sounds of it, it was a male. Anticipating the next kick, Bella grabbed his leg and pulled hard on it, pulling him off his feet and onto his back. Bella scrambled to get on her feet and run back upstairs but was tripped and she fell back to the ground, hitting it hard.
Hearing the intruder move behind her, Bella tried moving again, kicking him in the face, her heel connecting with his nose. As he let out a shout of pain, her hand ended up hitting something in her haste to get it. The object ended up being the flashlight that she had dropped upon first getting hit. Quickly grabbing it, she turned around and turned it on, shining the bright light in his face. Her eyes widened as she came face to face with Darren.