/ * \ / * \ / * \ / * \ / * \ / * \ / * \
Jasper felt Jessica's fear and frustration before Bella had a chance to turn onto her street.
"Jess is waiting for you and it's important," he whispered, and slipped out of the truck before the shifter could answer him.
Bella's headlights revealed that Jessica was parked on the street outside of Bella's house, clearly waiting for her friend to come home.
The blonde girl exited her car as Bella parked and met her on the driveway.
"Hey, Jess! What's going on?" Bella asked, with confusion.
"Upstairs?" she asked, sounding extremely upset.
"Of course," Bella answered her friend quickly.
The two walked inside and Bella worked on taking her jacket off before calling out to her father. "Hey, dad, Jess stopped by for a little bit. You need anything?"
Charlie's eyes flicked up to the mirror on the wall to verify it was indeed Jessica Stanley standing next to his daughter.
"No, I'm doing okay, Bells," he answered from a reclined position in his chair. "Just going to finish watching this game, then head to bed."
Bella ushered her friend to the stairs and the pair headed into her room. Jessica dithered near the doorway, unsure where to sit or what to do.
"Sit?" Bella suggested, gesturing to both her bed and computer desk chair.
Jessica opted for the desk chair, rested her elbows on her knees, and pressed her face into her hands before sliding them up into her hair. Her legs began shaking in a rhythmic way that Bella identified as stimming.
"Want to tell me what's up?" Bella asked, concern coloring her tone.
"It's–," the girl started then stopped. "I'm–, words are–." She stood and paced frustratedly, rubbing her face vigorously with her hands and pulling at her hair.
Bella pieced together the issue quickly. "You're having trouble speaking?"
Jessica nodded in response. "Overwhelmed. It's important."
"Would paper and a pen help?"
Jessica didn't answer and continued pacing, but Bella reached for them anyways.
"Take your time, Jess."
The girl nodded and turned to face Bella's desk, thinking about how to express whatever was bothering her.
After several minutes in which the girl had stood frozen aside from wringing her hands, Jessica finally scrawled a few words out, then stared at the paper. She raised and lowered the pen repeatedly before deciding to add nothing to it, then handed it off to Bella.
It feels like change, the message read.
Bella sat on the edge of her bed near Jessica and looked up at her friend who was staring at the floor.
"Is that why you're distressed?"
Jessica said nothing and gave no indication she had heard Bella at all and crossed her arms to grip her upper shoulders.
Self-soothing.
"Is it part of why you're distressed?"
This time, Jessica nodded.
"Has anything definitive changed already?"
Jessica looked torn, her mouth opening and closing many times, unable to find the words to answer Bella's question.
It's more than a yes or no.
"Little things?"
Jessica nodded once more and began rocking again.
"A lot of little things that feel like something more?"
The girl nodded more emphatically than before.
Bella sat in silence with her friend, not sure what areas of Jessica's life this pertained to, and how much of it crossed over into the supernatural world.
Jessica extended her hand for the piece of paper, a determined look on her face.
Bella handed it back and waited as Jessica wrote much more quickly than before.
Something is coming.
Bella gulped at the cryptic message, realizing just how sensitive Jessica was to the world around her, despite how detached she came off at times.
Jessica looked up at her friend, making sure she had been taken seriously.
"Change is scary," Bella whispered quietly, instantly reminding her of the words Rosalie had spoken just days before. "I have to think that, maybe this change will prepare us for whatever it is that's coming."
Jessica said nothing and began to walk toward the bedroom door, satisfied that she had done what she needed to do. Bella followed the girl down the stairs and to the entry where Jessica paused.
"Hug?" Bella asked quietly.
Jessica nodded and grasped the shifter tightly. Bella squeezed her back, taking care not to harm her.
"Tighter, please," Jessica whispered. "It's stimmy."
The shifter complied to help her friend meet what was very clearly a sensory need.
"I'm not crazy," Jessica breathed so quietly, that without shifter hearing, Bella would have missed it.
"I know you're not," Bella spoke as lowly as her friend had.
"Thank you. Tell me some day?"
It's the right move, Bella realized quickly. She's part of this.
"I will, Jess. I promise."
/ * \ / * \ / * \ / * \ / * \ / * \ / * \
Jasper was waiting in her bedroom when Bella had finished her nightly bed routine.
"Charlie is out," he informed her without preamble.
Major mode.
"I heard and felt all of that, but it made very little sense."
Bella took the piece of paper Jessica had written on and handed it to her mate.
"And now it makes sense, but also it absolutely doesn't. She's exceptionally perceptive," he concluded.
"I know she is," Bella answered him with a sigh as she flopped down onto her bed. "I feel like–," but she didn't know how to continue.
Jasper watched her struggle for a moment before offering, "like she's in this?"
"Yes."
A minute passed in which some internal debate had been waged, and he admitted, "as do I."
She met Jasper's eyes, and a feeling of support washed over them both.
"Holy shit."
"My sentiments exactly," he agreed.
"What can it mean, though?"
"I have no idea, darlin'."
They rearranged themselves on Bella's bed so she could snuggle into the covers. She craved a restorative sleep and was out within seconds. Jasper turned off her bedside lamp and mulled over the implications of this new development.
Fucking Peter.
Just then he received a text.
Speak of the devil.
I can't help it.
Peter
Jasper rolled his eyes and resumed his watch, trying to untangle the jumbled mess that had fallen into their laps.
/ * \ / * \ / * \ / * \ / * \ / * \ / * \
Penelope dreamed of all those caught in her web, heart aching for their futures.
I'm doing the best I can, my darlings, but I can only plot the course.
One of her greatest pains was not being able to help the boy. While his change had been designed by the universe, and thus part of her tapestry, the twisting and darkening of his thread had been a product of his own actions. Though she was no stranger to loss, watching the decline of what was once such a vibrant strand had struck quite a blow.
Almost as bad as the mother.
From the very moment she started down this path, fate had been set into swift motion. Penelope couldn't stop it even if she wanted to, and she most certainly did not; punishment was long overdue.
They will regret taking my children.
/ * \ / * \ / * \ / * \ / * \ / * \ / * \
The school week brought with it an only slightly less distressed Jessica, and an avoidant Angela that had taken to skipping the lunch room entirely, stressing her need to study diligently for the ending of quarter finals. Bella's friends weren't the only ones acting strangely, though, the rest of the school's energy could easily be attributed to the upcoming dance.
Students nervously wandered the halls, trying to find the right time to ask their hopeful dates to go. Others worked to dodge any overly enthused individuals that didn't quite understand when they were being rejected.
Small town politics, Bella thought grimly. So much easier in Phoenix to just say no and move on.
Thankfully, no one had dared to approach her over the week, something that both relieved and offended her somewhat.
Her mood must have been evident as Rosalie began interrogated her sister the moment she sat down at the table. "What's getting to you?"
"Oh, I don't know. I'm under constant supervision, don't feel comfortable making out with my boyfriend due to said supervision, and I don't have a dress for a dance that I don't know for certain I'll be able to attend," Bella listed off. "Take your pick."
"It just seems a little more than that," Rosalie pried further.
Bella let out an exasperated sigh. "It's really stupid, Rose."
"As a perpetual teenage girl I'm pretty sure I can understand."
"Wait–," Bella changed the subject. "I knew you weren't aging, but do you mean you've not changed at all since–, well, changing?"
"Correct," Rosalie answered with a grimace. "I will forever only have the reasoning skills of an exceptionally well-read teenager, though, I am a product of my time, so that makes a difference."
Bella's eyes widened in shock. "That's insane!"
"To be fair, living so long we've learned how to deal with things, but in terms of impulsivity, we're the same as we were," Rosalie clarified.
Emmett sat down next to his mate. "Yeah, and that's why Doucheward is so immature."
Wow.
"That really makes a lot of sense, actually," Bella noted. "How old was he?"
Rosalie and Emmett exchanged a glance and a frown, reminding Bella of her aunt and uncle.
"He said he's seventeen," Rosalie began slowly.
"But you think he's lying?" Bella asked curiously.
"It's very likely he doesn't know, actually," Jasper answered the question as he sat down. "He doesn't read like he's lying, but Rosalie did some digging."
"Eddieboy is only fourteen, on the edge of fifteen," Emmett dished dramatically.
Bella was mildly horrified at the thought of a young teenaged vampire, never changing, never maturing.
So much makes sense, now.
"I found out when I was working on cataloging out pasts," Rosalie explained. "I came across birth and death certificates for his family, including him."
"Unfortunately, a lot of us lose our human memories in the change," Jasper reminded his mate.
"Like you," Bella frowned and reached for his hand to squeeze it in silent support.
The edge of his lip quirked up and he mouthed a silent, "thank you."
Jessica took her seat next to Rosalie and pushed the vacant chair to her left toward the empty table adjacent to them.
Noticing the looks the rest of their table gave her, Jessica frowned. "She isn't going to be back and it's weird having it empty."
Well that sounds awfully definitive.
Rosalie looked at Bella in shock, clearly surprised as well.
"What do you mean, Jess?" the vampire asked her softly.
"I mean she isn't coming back."
The table sat in stunned silence as Bella and Rosalie pieced it together before their mates.
"Is she dead?" Emmett asked with real hurt in his voice.
Bella rested her face in her hands for a moment.
Oh, dear God, Emmett.
"No, she's not dead!" Jessica snapped.
"Then I don't get it," Emmett began, and was nudged sharply by Rosalie in response.
Stop, Bella mouthed to her brother.
Jessica stared down at the table, a blank expression on her face. "We broke up."
Emmett was truly shocked at this statement, and Rosalie whispered, "I'm so sorry, Jess."
"Don't be sorry, Rose," Jessica answered with anger in her tone. "I'm better off." She stood up, stalked to the trash bins, dumped her meal, and stormed from the cafeteria.
"Wow," Emmett was the first to speak.
"Yeah," Rosalie added with disbelief. "What the hell happened?"
Jasper sat still for a few moments as two set of golden eyes flicked to his face.
"Well?" Emmett asked as thought it should have been obvious what they wanted.
"She was feeling hurt but there was also this undercurrent of–," Jasper paused, not sure he wanted to continue. "It's her business to share. It doesn't feel right spilling this one."
Bella nodded her head, and finally looked at her mate. "Thank you for giving her privacy."
Emmett frowned. "Sorry I asked, bro. I just love that kid."
Rosalie looked at her mate curiously.
"What? I do!" he defended his statement.
"She's kind of like family too?" Rosalie asked slowly.
Emmett didn't even have to think about it. "Like Bella."
Suspicions confirmed, Rosalie turned to face her brother, eyebrows quirked in question.
"Jasper and I realized it the other night," Bella admitted. "She's part of this, so it would be natural to feel defensive."
"What, and Angela isn't?" Rosalie asked skeptically.
"Kind of," Emmett answered. "She feels parallel to this, but still here."
"I agree," Jasper finally spoke up.
"What can we do?" Bella asked, nibbling gently on her lip.
No one offered any suggestions and the silence built, answering the question.
We wait and see.
/ * \ / * \ / * \ / * \ / * \ / * \ / * \
The trip to La Push couldn't have come at a better time; it turns out that keeping vampires on extremely strict schedules in which no two could break off at the same time without leaving vulnerabilities made for thirsty vampires.
Jasper gave his mate a once over, nodded his approval and approached her with an entirely different sort of hunger in his eyes. He ran his tongue up and along his mate's neck and kissed along her pulse point.
Bella felt her pulse quicken and the stirrings of arousal build within her.
"You are so absolutely stunning," he whispered into her ear.
"And you, Major Whitlock," Bella reached her arms around to grasp his ass to pull him closer, "are scenting the fuck out of me."
He began kissing and licking her more furiously, causing the girl to burst into a fit of giggles. Unfortunately, the sound triggered the father-reflexes of Charlie Swan who called out, "Everything okay up there, Bells?"
Bella dashed to her door and opened it. "Yeah, dad, just got a funny text from Rose!"
"Ah," Charlie said in response. "Well, we should leave here in about five minutes, so make sure you're all set, okay?"
"Will do!" Bella called back then closed her door.
"You!" the shifter admonished with a teasing grin. "Are an ass!"
"What can I say, darlin'," Jasper countered and flashed to her at vampire speed. He had her arms pinned against the bedroom door, hands above her head to lean in for her neck once more. "I simply can't resist you," he finished with a seductive growl.
Bella freed her arms with a smile and reached one hand between them to rub her mate through his jeans. "I can't wait until my guard is gone."
"Fuck," Jasper gasped with a shudder. It took him a moment to compose himself. "You and me both, darlin'."
Bella ceased teasing him and sauntered back to her bed to take a seat, crossing one leg over the other seductively.
"So, what's the game plan?"
"One of us will be watching your house," Jasper began. "One at our house, three of us will be along the border by the road on your way home, leaving two able to hunt at a time and redistribute as we return."
"I'm so glad it worked out that way," Bella added with a sad smile. "I know you've all been hungry."
"It has been manageable," Jasper reassured her. "We just need to be stay on top of it so we aren't caught unaware and less than tip-top."
The sound of Charlie putting his shoes on registered in their ears and Jasper shot a parting glance at his mate.
"I love you," he whispered before flitting to her window.
"I love you too," Bella answered as she moved to lock it closed behind him. "I'll text you when I leave La Push."
/ * \ / * \ / * \ / * \ / * \ / * \ / * \
Jacob had a bonfire going by the time Bella and Charlie arrived. They had been joined shortly after by a handful of the boys that had showed last time, all pack. It didn't take long for Charlie and Billy to head to Harry's and as of the last update from Seth, were totally engrossed by the game.
Bella waited, happy to be able to speak so candidly about her shifts while the group waited for the rest of the pack. Leah was the last to arrive and assured the group that Seth would alert them when the parents dispersed to give them the time they needed to protect their secrets.
The pack caught up with Bella while she and Jacob waited, talking about wild things they had done as wolves, and if she thought she could shift into one of their kind. Even though she had explained she could become any animal, most of their time together was spent naming every animal they could think of to verify that Bella could become it. In some ways it felt nice, to be among people that kind of understood, but on the other hand, it still felt alienating to be the odd woman out, even here.
Jacob tapped Bella's shoulder and nodded off into the distance to indicate it was time to see Tala. They stood and took their leave, earning anxious glances from Leah.
Once they were well out of earshot, Bella decided to hazard asking, "So, does Leah not like me, or not trust me?"
Jacob was so shocked, he stopped walking and started laughing, hands pressed to his knees. "Oh, shoot, I forgot you don't know!"
"I'm glad it isn't too serious, apparently."
"I mean," the boy slowed his laughter as he stood and moved to keep walking. "It kind of is, but also it isn't."
"Well, I feel so much better now," Bella joked back sarcastically.
"Leah is my imprint."
Bella turned her face to look at him, extremely confused.
"Oh, uh, your kind must not, then." Jacob took a few moments to assemble a summary for her.
"So, because the wolf thing is genetic, we imprint on those that we would create the best offspring with. Broadening the gene pool sometimes," Jacob explained with a slight blush.
"I–, that sounds kinda," Bella trailed off, feeling mildly distressed for her friend and Leah.
"Oh, no, Bella. It isn't anything we don't want, trust me! And we aren't making babies now!"
"Phew!" Bella answered with a sigh, pretending to wipe sweat off her brow. "You're too young for that."
"Oh, for sure," Jacob answered with a laugh. "Leah, too."
"So, this imprinting thing; you two love each other?"
"Definitely!" Jacob answered her happily. "Leah is the best person I've ever known. I'd do anything for her, anything to make her happy; and she'd do the same."
Why does it sound like he's trying to sell me on it?
"Anyway, we're here," Jacob announced and gestured to the door of a small home, built more like a cabin than anything else.
Bella walked up the steps and gave a determined knock, preparing herself for anything.
/ * \ / * \ / * \ / * \ / * \ / * \ / * \
Tala was not what Bella had expected. When Jacob had described her an elder's widow, the shifter had imagined a crone of sorts, and certainly not the thirty-something year old that sat in front of her.
The woman had prepared some tea for the two of them, and asked polite questions about Charlie, and how Bella was adjusting to life in Forks. She grabbed a tray of cookies from her counter and set them on the coffee table in front of Bella and finally took a seat.
"I've been told you have questions," Tala began with a smile.
"I do," Bella whispered, though most of them had fled from her head with the excitement building for this moment.
"Well, I may have answers," the woman encouraged her.
"How did you know my mom?" Bella asked, figuring it would be a good jumping off point.
"Honest to goodness, she simply showed up one day," Tala answered with a laugh. "She said that legends had brought her out here, but that something pulled her along. I assume you know what she meant."
"I do," Bella answered solemnly, having no doubt that her mother had been led by the same feelings she herself had.
"Did she ever tell you how she met your father?" Tala was grinning.
Bella smirked back, remembering the story quite well. "She got a speeding ticket."
"That's right!" the woman answered with a devilish grin. "She was speeding on her way here, to meet me."
"Wow," Bella breathed, realizing how hard, between both Charlie and Tala, her mother must have been feeling the pull.
"When she got here, she knew she had fulfilled a large portion of her destiny. We got to talking, and I'm sorry to say, Bella, we quickly realized that we are not the same."
Bella felt gutted, and the hope of learning more than she knew already was dimmed.
"However," Tala amended, "I spent many shifts with your mother in my form."
"What is your form?" Bella asked curiously.
"In my people's language, 'Tala' means golden eagle," the woman answered simply.
"That's what Jake meant," Bella realized aloud. "You're not pack, but you're family."
"I was the only one of my kind among my tribe, and it was something that was considered a rarity, a unique gift," the woman explained. "I'm truly honored to be considered part of this family. My late husband was descended from the line and even though he didn't shift, we experienced the equivalent of imprinting."
"That's amazing," Bella answered honestly. "What were your shifts like, then?"
"Mostly lonely," Tala admitted sadly. "I was overjoyed to have found the love of my life, but at the same time, knew something was missing."
"Enter Renee," the girl questioned.
"Precisely. We spent many nights exploring the skies, watching the world from above. I considered her a dear friend and was pained when she had to go."
"Had to go?" Bella asked, latching on to that piece of the puzzle.
"Oh, yes, dear," Tala clarified. "Both you and Renee had to go, this I know for certain. Why do you think your father never put up a fight?"
Bella considered the information for a moment. "Because fate was pulling them apart."
"Correct. There was a reason, and it certainly wasn't a lack of love between them."
Bella's eyes filled with tears, the knowledge that her parents had been very much in love and separated seemed so cruel.
"How could that have been necessary?" the girl asked angrily.
"I've asked myself the same, many times over the years. I have a theory or two if you'd like to hear them."
The anger that had filled her was sucked away, as quickly as it came, and Bella nodded.
There had to have been a reason.
"Well, for starters, I have to wonder if it had anything to do with your mother's ability to teach you," Tala eased the girl into the idea. "Perhaps it was more easily done, far from the pressure she felt lying to your father."
Bella was struck mute by the idea, mind was racing to connect the dots, and reached a horrifying realization.
"It was me," Bella choked, pain in her voice. "I–, in the beginning of my shifts, I was–," she couldn't continue.
Dangerous. I could have easily killed Charlie.
"It isn't easy, being what we are, Bella," Tala tried to reassure the girl. "If fate intervened to remove you from Forks, you must trust that it was the right thing."
The woman gave Bella the time necessary to digest the information and only continued once the girl made eye contact with her once more.
"We exist in this tangled web of fate, but I have faith that it will create something beautiful when it's finished."
"How can you be so sure," Bella asked skeptically.
"I am over a thousand years old, Bella, and I haven't been disappointed by the directions I've been pulled yet. Why should I start now?"
"That's actually really comforting," Bella replied quietly. "I have to ask, though–."
"I don't know," Tala answered without being asked. "I don't know if there was a purpose for her passing, but I have to think so. I don't think anyone expects you to believe that, however."
Bella finally began crying, overwhelmed by the possibilities. She was joined on the couch by Tala who placed an arm around the girl, allowing her to get out what she needed.
Finally surfacing from the sadness that had engulfed her, Bella took a sip of her tea, which was still hot, thanks to the copper mugs Tala had used.
The eagle resumed her seat and gestured to the tray of cookies. "You need the sugar and protein, dear."
Bella took one and ate it, noting the nutty flavor. "You add protein?"
"Oh, always!" Tala answered readily. "It's actually really important for people like us."
The realization struck Bella, "that's why Renee got us into cooking! To teach me!"
"I would imagine so," Tala answered with a smile.
The rest of their time passed sharing happier memories of Bella's mother, and by the time she left, the girl understood why she had so desperately needed to speak to the woman.
To be closer to my mom.
Jacob was ambling back up the road just as Bella was saying goodbye to Tala, a to-go bag of cookies stowed safely in her oversized purse.
"Thank you. For everything," Bella told her sincerely. "I'm very grateful to have met you."
"As am I, young Bella. It was a pleasure to catch the glimpses of your mother that reside in you."
"So," Jacob asked as Bella walked down the stairs to join him on the way back. "Did you get the answers you were looking for?"
Bella considered how to answer his question for a few moments, allowing a comfortable silence to build between them.
"I got a lot of other answers, and it was a good thing," Bella admitted, a feeling of contentment washing over her.
"I'm glad to hear it," Jacob murmured in satisfaction. "It felt like the right thing."
"It did," Bella agreed quietly, thinking about the pulls and tugs of the web.
The two arrived to find a fire that had reduced to mostly glowing embers, tended to only by Leah.
"I think it's time you and I talk now," Jacob recommended.
"I don't mind if you stay, Leah," Bella directed to the girl, earning her a smile of appreciation.
"It's okay, Bella," the alpha's imprint said easily. "I trust that you aren't going to murder him."
Bella was unable to keep from laughing, the heightened emotions of the night catching up to her. "Jesus, never."
"Well, she trusts you, and then you laugh like a lunatic. Super reassuring, Bells," Jacob teased.
"Yeah, yeah," Bella muttered, feeling more like herself.
Leah walked away from the pair across the patio and into Jacob's house with a smirk on her face.
Bella and Jacob instinctively sat on logs perpendicular to the other, so they could more easily gauge the other's face.
"Before we get going," Jacob announced, "there's something important I need to tell you. I brought up imprints for a reason."
Uh-oh.
"One of the pack imprinted at the bonfire."
/ * \ / * \ / * \ / * \ / * \ / * \ / * \