Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, or it's characters. This is merely a work of fanfiction.
A/N: This is a Bella x Jared One-Shot. I may write a part two, because there are a ton of little things we could expand on, but I wanted to get this part out, because my heart just isn't in writing the rest right now. I hope you enjoy.
"What do you mean?" Jared asked, crossing his arms across his chest.
Leah, Rachel, and Rebecca were standing in front of him asking for help finding Bella Swan, who had apparently gone missing.
"Well, we were just teasing her, and she ran off into the woods crying! It's not our fault she's so sensitive."
Jared rolled his eyes, and put down his bag of chips. Leah and her friends were always getting into trouble, and it was usually up to him and Sam to clean it up. But Sam was at a football camp for the week, so it was up to him.
"You really shouldn't be so mean, Lee Lee."
Leah stuck out her tongue at him with her hands on her hips. Jared stuck his tongue out in return and brushed past her to head for the woods. He was the fastest runner, and had the best chance at finding her before sundown. He was an excellent finder.
"I'll find her," he hollered as he reached the tree line.
She couldn't have gone too far. Bella was only ten, compared to his mature twelve. She was small, and clumsy, but kind. Charlie brought her down to the rez to play, during the long summer days, while he worked.
"Bella!" Jared yelled, as he passed the first big outcropping of rocks.
Jared wasn't sure little girls like Bella should be out in these woods alone. He was practically a man, and men weren't afraid to go out in the woods, but she was still little. Not only that, but she didn't live here, she didn't know the woods like he did.
Jared passed a tree with a name carved into the wood, and rounded a large boulder. There huddled into a little ball was Bella Swan. She was shaking and crying, and Jared's heart ached with the sight of it.
"Bella," he said softly, kneeling down beside her. She looked up at him and Jared sighed heavily. She had scratches on her face and was bleeding from them. He pulled the bandana off his head and wiped at the cuts. She hissed in displeasure, but let him work.
"What happened?"
"I fell, and landed face first on a downed branch."
Jared shook his head, and looked at the pale little girl next to him. She had always been clumsy.
"Do you think you can walk?"
Bella shook her head, and stretched out her leg for him to see. Her ankle looked swollen and blue. He was shocked she wasn't crying harder. That made him sad. He saw Paul act the same way when he got hurt. He wondered if Bella's mom was as mean as Paul's too.
"Ok, I'll carry you. Let's go. The sun will start to set soon, and we don't want to be caught in the woods when they do."
Jared scooped her up, and Bella snuffled against his shirt. She was much smaller than a normal ten year old, and that made Jared wonder too. Maybe he should say something to his mom. She would know what to do.
"I'm sorry about this," Bella said through her tears, "it's all my fault. If I hadn't run off you wouldn't have to do this."
Jared squinted down at her before returning his eyes to his path. He knew the woods pretty well, but he still needed to pay attention.
"You're allowed to be upset. Lee Lee can be mean, especially when she hangs out with the twins."
Bella chuckled then, "Is that what you call Leah? Lee Lee?"
Jared smiled down at her as he passed the tree with the carving in the wood.
"Yeah, you didn't know? Sam's been calling her that since we were toddlers. Don't tell her it was me that told you, though. She only likes when Sam calls her that."
"I won't," Bella assured, with a mischievous smile as they passed the large formation on rocks by the treeline.
"Good," Jared responded.
They approached the Clearwater home and Sue came running out the front door with a worried looking Leah at her back. Rachel and Rebecca must have been sent home by Sue. Jared carried her through to the sofa and sat her down.
Sue started to check Bella's ankle and dress it as Leah went to sit by her head.
"I'm so sorry Bella! I didn't think you would run off into the woods and get hurt."
"Oh, that's okay, Lee Lee," Bella cooed.
She had the most innocent look on her face Jared had ever seen, and he had to hold a hand over his mouth to stifle the laugh that burst forth. Leah turned and sent a glare at Jared over her shoulder. He merely winked and ran out the door. He had a delicious supper waiting on him at home.
"What, again?"Jared asked into his phone.
"What do you mean again?" Sam asked.
"She got lost in the woods when we were kids. I must have been about twelve then. It was the summer you went to that football camp."
"Yeah, well she's missing again. Get out in the woods, Paul and I will be looking too."
"Got ya boss," Jared confirmed as he hung up his phone.
He stripped off his clothes as he headed out into the woods. He spent a lot of time out in these woods now, but it seemed odd tonight. To know that Bella Swan was out here lost, it was like history was repeating itself.
It felt significant.
His paws pounded the dirt as he enjoyed the feel of the cool fall air in his fur. She had to be frozen half to death now that the sun had gone down. He had searched for an hour without a sign of her, when he suddenly had an idea.
'Sam, I'm heading South, I've got an idea.' Jared told him in the packmind.
'The Clearwater house? Why would the leech lover head that way?' Paul snarled.
Jared knew it was insane, but that was where he had found her when she went missing last time, and something told him to look in the same area now.
'She wasn't always a leech lover,' Jared returned, reliving the memory in his head.
Paul paused at seeing the girl so small and sad, at seeing how similar they had been, and that Jared had immediately noticed it.
'Was she?' Paul asked timidly.
'Don't know,' Jared gruffed, 'I told my mom. She told Charlie. She only moved here last year, but now she's missing, so...probably.'
Paul redoubled his efforts to find the tiny pale face. He was an asshole, but he wasn't cruel. Not really. Jared spotted the tree with the carved names. The sound of whimpering assaulted his ears, and he sped up. He could just make out the Clearwater home with his improved eyesight. She must have walked for hours before she collapsed here, so close to safety. He phased just before he got to the same large rock she had hid behind so many years before, and pulled on the shorts tied to his ankle.
"Bella?" he asked as he turned around the rock.
She was huddled there, just like so many years before. She sniffled and mumbled, but the words were nearly incoherent. She had just a thin hoodie on, not enough to keep her warm in the cold falls they had here, certainly not on the frigid forest floor.
"Bella!" Jared exclaimed as he knelt beside her and pulled her into his arms.
He unzipped her hoodie and laced his arms around her. He stuck his hands under the back of her shirt and rubbed her back to warm her up faster. He didn't want to make her uncomfortable, but she had to get warm quickly. She was still a tiny thing, and shaking like crazy.
He picked her up, and though she hung limply in his arms, he arranged her so her legs were wrapped around him. He placed her arms around his shoulders and started walking. He was close to the Clearwater home. Once he got her inside he could warm her up.
Sam and the others would tell the Chief he had found her. No doubt they would all be descending upon the Clearwater home en masse any minute. Jared walked through the door, and yelled for Sue. There was no need to explain himself to her, both she and Harry knew all about the wolfpack.
Jared sat on the couch and grabbed a blanket to toss over Bella's back. She was still draped across him, though at some point her hands had locked behind his neck, and now she refused to move. Sue came into the room, looking between them with confusion.
"I found her in the woods, but she won't respond to me. I don't know what's wrong with her, besides being half frozen to death."
"Keep her warm, I'm going to go get my bag from downstairs."
Sue ran off in the direction of the basement, and Jared worked on getting Bella to answer him.
"Bella, it's me, Jared Cameron. Remember? I'm the guy that found you in the woods when we were kids. We used to play together."
He felt Bella's eyelids flutter against his chest. She was finally opening her eyes. They had stayed shut as he carried her here. Bella lifted her head as if it was a great burden and looked at her rescuer. Pools of molten chocolate pulled him in and turned his world on its head.
Bella's hands unlocked and drifted down to his chest without her bidding. Her tiny hands were cold, but the touch sent a rush through his body. His imprint had just touched him for the first time. Bella was staring back into his eyes as if she had just woken from a very long dream.
"Jared," she whispered. Jared had never heard something sound sweeter in his entire life.
"Bella," he responded huskily.
Bella leaned towards him slowly with awe filled eyes, as if she was seeing him for the first time. She pressed her lips to his gently, and Jared fought the urge to crush her to him with his arms.
Sue re-entered the room then, and Bella jolted and buried her face back into his chest. The sound of approaching cars could be heard from the street, they would have to continue this later.