Ricochet
Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to SM.
Chapter Eleven
Jacob was too riled up to keep his pent-up feelings inside. His brothers saw it all inside his mind-CJ and Bella mixed up with Rosalie and Charlie, they saw his fight with Paul, then with Billy, and finally, his confrontation with Edward Cullen-and for once, they had nothing to say.
Their shock was just a silent shout in his head. It took them a while to recover, and when they did, they started running to meet him. It was almost dark-the clouds covered the sunset completely. As it was so gloomy, Jacob risked darting across the freeway and made it without being seen.
The babble inside Jacob's head was driving him wild. Everyone shouting at once. About ten miles out of La Push, in a clearing left by the loggers, he encountered the pack. It was an out of the way place, wedged between two spurs of the mountain, where no one would see a huge gathering of supernatural wolves.
Sam's hackles were raised straight up, and he was growling in an unbroken stream as he paced back and forth. Paul and Jared moved like ghosts behind him, their ears flat against the sides of their head. The whole pack was agitated, snarling in low bursts. Life had been peaceful and simple ever since Bella had left with the Cullens. News of their return had shaken them all up.
Jacob was too messed up to care if any of their anger or agitation was directed at him. He saw Sam staring straight at him, his muzzle pulled back over his sharp teeth. And then the unfocused confusion of the others thoughts hit him like a freight train as they recovered enough to shout questions at him.
"How can this be?"
"Are you really a dad?"
"You slept with Bella?"
"How can this be? What does it mean?
"Not safe. Not right. Danger always follows Bella."
"You slept with Bella?"
The last question came from an incredulous Paul. In fact, he'd asked it twice.
The pack was pacing in synchronisation now, all but Jacob and one other. It was Embry. Jacob sat beside the grey wolf, too dazed to look at his friend, while the rest of the pack circled around them.
"We have to abide by the treaty."
"Jake's a dad!"
"This puts everyone in danger."
"You slept with Bella?"
The spiralling voices were giving Jacob a headache. He didn't know what they expected him to say. They reflected the images he had shown them of CJ back at him. The sight of his son calmed him down and he was able to focus better.
"I can't believe you slept with Bella Swan. You wait until I tell Rachel. She'll freak."
"Shut up, Paul."
"Don't tell me to shut up, Call."
"If Jake's a dad, does that mean that Bella Swan falls under our protection again?"
"What? We've got to protect the leech lover again?"
Jacob shook his head, rising slowly to his feet. He felt unsteady-the circling wolves making him feel dizzy. Embry got up, too, his shoulder pushed against Jacob's, propping him up.
"Be quiet everyone!" Sam's Alpha command immediately silenced everyone.
Jacob was grateful for the sudden quiet and Embry's steadfast support. He looked over at Sam. The big, black wolf had stopped pacing and was staring back at him intently.
"Bella is still human. She is the mother of Jacob's son. So, yes, she does fall under our protection."
"Thank you, Sam."
"This is not something any of us could have anticipated." Sam continued. "For now, the treaty stands. No one approaches the Cullen residence without clearance from me. Do I make myself clear?"
There were a few annoyed mutterings, but all the wolves conceded to Sam's will.
"I'm going to tell Rachel. I can't believe you slept with Bella." Paul's voice faded out as he disappeared into the trees. Soon the rest of the pack dispersed, leaving only Jacob, Embry and Sam behind in the clearing.
"I can tell you are still in shock, Jacob. But as soon as you learned that the Cullens were back in Forks, you should have warned us."
"Its not all of them. Its just the bloodsucker and Blondie."
"It won't take long before the others follow." Sam's voice was troubled. "We need to be on high alert. I could do without this now…. with Emily being so close to giving birth."
"I'm sorry, Sam." Jacob apologised guiltily. Emily was in a fragile state. She had been plagued with terrible morning sickness throughout the pregnancy. "You don't need to be burdened with this. I can take care of it."
"We're a pack, Jacob. What affects you, affects us all." Sam gave his wolf's head a quick shake. "I thought I was going to be the first, but you beat me to it. You're a father."
"I know. I still can't believe it."
"He looks a cute kid. He's certainly your mirror image." Sam pointed out the obvious. "I know its early days, Jacob, but you need to be cautious."
"Bella and I have a lot to talk about." Jacob conceded.
"Do it sooner rather than later. We need to be prepared for whatever's coming." Sam turned his gaze away and looked into the middle distance. "I need to consult with the elders. They need to be informed."
"The whole pack is with you, Jacob." Embry spoke for the first time. "And you can crash at my place for as long as you want."
"Thanks, Em."
Jacob had no words to express the level of gratitude he felt for his brothers support. Even though the pack had been anxious and agitated at first, they had quickly put aside their anger toward him once they learned about CJ's existence. To have the people closest to him prepared to rally around him was heart-warming
"I'm going to go now." Sam said, getting ready to leave. "I'll check in with you tomorrow. We'll talk more then."
"Thanks, Sam." Jacob watched the massive, black wolf wend his way through the tall trees until he disappeared out of sight.
Embry bumped his shoulder against Jacob's flank to get his attention. "Come on. I'll help you move your stuff over to my place." He offered. "I can tell you can't wait to get back to Forks and spend time with that kid of yours. I'd like to meet him sometime."
"I promise you'll be the first."
Charlie tried to be inconspicuous as he watched Bella and Rosalie entertain little CJ, with pleased but cautious eyes. It had been too long since the house had been full of life as it was now. The three of them were trying to complete a particularly complicated jigsaw. The pieces were spread across the floor, just like they were. Bella and Rosalie sat in relaxed poses with CJ in between them. The little boy's excited chatter dominated the room, with Rosalie's bell like tones and Bella's soft voice occasionally breaking through.
Charlie had to go to work, but he didn't want to leave.
It was inevitable. He was sad to break up the party, but he couldn't delay any longer. Pushing himself onto his feet, he cleared his throat to attract their attention. "I have to go now."
Rosalie glanced his way, her stunning smile almost making him change his mind about leaving. "You'll be missed."
The tips of Charlie's ears turned red at the compliment. CJ rescued him from having to answer when he broke away from the two women and skipped to his side. "Do you really have to go, Grandpa?"
"I'm afraid so, CJ. The perils of being an adult I'm afraid." Charlie said gruffly.
"Are you really police chief?" CJ asked, bouncing on the balls of his feet.
"Yes."
"Does that make you the big boss?"
Charlie laughed. "I suppose it does."
CJ grinned. "I wanna be big boss, too? Can I, Grandpa? Please?"
"Maybe one day." Charlie returned the little boy's wide grin with one of his own. "I'll take you for a ride in the cruiser soon. How about that?"
"Now?" CJ's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Not now, sweetheart." Bella cut in, laughing along with them.
"Oh." CJ pouted in disappointment.
"I'll take you for a spin tomorrow." Charlie promised as he leaned down and ruffled CJ's thick mop of hair. See ya later."
CJ brightened up at this news. "Thanks, Grandpa. Love you."
The casual way he said the endearment brought tears to Charlie's eyes. He caught Rosalie looking at him out of the corner of his eye and felt his face grow warm. "Well, goodbye all." He mumbled, quickly departing before the blush spread from his cheeks to the rest of his face.
"Why Grandpa's face so red?" CJ asked Bella innocently as she swept him up into her arms.
"Mmm…. I wonder." Bella gave Rosalie the side eye.
Rosalie just smiled at her disarmingly.
"Don't charm my father too much, Rose." Bella warned in a low voice so only the beautiful blonde could hear.
Rosalie feigned ignorance. "Do you need help bathing CJ?" She offered instead.
"Not this time." Bella held Rosalie's gaze for a long moment, her silence saying a thousand words.
An hour later, after putting CJ to bed, Bella decided to soak in the tub herself. Laying in that heated water, feeling it hug every inch of her skin so gently, breathing in the aroma of the bubble bath... it was like heaven... her mini-vacation... a place to breathe deeply and let her inner peace return.
After a while she was so completely relaxed, she felt drowsy. Her mind began to swim with a departing dream; she sighed in bliss, letting the warm water soothe her troubles away. Everything about her felt heavy, from her arms to her feet. She let her head loll, eyes slowly drifting closed.
"This brings back memories."
The unexpected sound of Jacob's voice jolted Bella awake. She saw him lounging in the doorway, his heated stare making every inch of her skin tingle.
"How long have you been there?"
"About a minute. Blondie let me in."
"Of course, she did." Bella said wryly.
They made eye contact. Jacob's eyes were so different in moments like these, softer than she knew eyes could be. If it were anyone else, she would have dropped her gaze, but with him she was drawn in closer, always wanting more. Then Jacob said the words she needed to hear. "We're ok, you and me. Okay?"
Bella just nodded, taking in the moment for her memory, knowing it was the medication she needed to survive the next few days. In all the world there wasn't another like him. "You don't know how much I've missed you, Jacob."
"Ditto." Jacob's answering smile was fleeting. "Get dressed, Bella. We need to talk." He backed out of the doorway. "I'll wait for you downstairs."
A/N-thanks for reading!