So maybe I surprised myself because I told my Twitter fam it would be six months before I updated. LOL! My mind is not great right now, dear readers. Please have patience. I truly want to tell this story.

Chapter 8

Jacob had the weight of the world on his shoulders, but when he opened the veil covering the opening that was once a front door, all he saw was Bella was missing.

"Where is she?"

His father didn't get the word out before Jacob spotted Sue trying to enter the bathroom. He heard something about a crash and Bella alone in there. He didn't hesitate to break the doorknob off. If they didn't leave soon, his father's house wouldn't have a single functioning door. She was this close to plunging a primitive shiv into her jugular.

No. No. No. He should have specified Bells can't be left alone not even for a minute. He hardly had a chance to give instructions. Sam had to be neutralized. Jacob and Bella had words inside the tiny bathroom, powerful words that meant something to him. He hoped they meant as much to her but that was hard to tell. Before, she was always so easy to read. He was best at it even better than her bloodsucker. Now she was a blank slate void of honest emotions.

Sam Uley wasn't exactly neutralized and that was only because Jacob held onto his humanity. He did it for Bells because she believed he was still more human than animal. For a minute, in the heat of battle, he wasn't so sure. He blocked out his brothers' cries for mercy when he clamped down hard on the black wolf's throat. Sam wouldn't give him the satisfaction of begging, but somewhere deep down he heard Bella say, "I won't let you forget." He let go.

Rachel interrupted them in the bathroom. "Oh my God! You are pure self-destruction. At this point, Jacob should let you walk out and be on you own."

"Shut up, Rach."

"Where's my fiancé?"

"The idiot is with his master. They're all double checking the treaty line and giving me enough time to get the fuck out."

"Is he okay?"

Jacob growled. "Of course he is. Get out of the way. I need Sue to take a look at this." Jacob pulled Bella by the arm gently; it was then he noticed she was without the bulky casts. That was one good thing, but her hand gushing blood was another issue.

Bella swayed like she was about to pass out, so Jacob lifted her up and carried her to the living room. Sue immediately said she needed stitches.

Bella argued. "It'll probably heal up like my arms."

"Maybe, but remember what I told you?"

Jacob didn't know what they meant, but with all the trouble she had with her blood count, losing a bunch of blood was the last thing she needed. "Just stitch it to be on the safe side."

"I can, but I don't have anything to numb it."

"Then Bells can bite on something or scream from the pain she inflicted on herself. That's what the guys do."

She didn't worry about the pain when she was cutting herself open, so she should be able to handle closing it back up. Bella gave him what he thought was a dirty look. Jacob smirked without thinking. Good. Get mad. It's something.

Sue dug through her bag and asked questions. Obviously, she knew something had been going on. "Where is Seth and Leah?"

Shit. He still had to deal with the kid. "They're fine." Seth walked in at that precise moment, and Jacob was forced to deal with his newest problem with an audience. "Seth, what did I tell you? Go back with the others."

"No way, man. I told you I'm with you, Jake. Sam's still not thinking clearly. He thinks Bella should die."

He heard a noise from Bella, so he put up a finger to shush her. "Don't say a word. Sue. Stitch. Rachel, Dad, do something. Seth, outside."

Seth stood firm. "Is that an order?"

"No, it's not a damn order. I'm on my own. That's what was decided. Now go back to your pack."

"I can't. I pledged allegiance to you. Sam told me to get lost."

"Oh my goodness, son. Where's your sister?"

Bella whimpered. Sue was concerned for her children, but she was still doing her professional duty, piercing Bella's skin, and pulling sutures in and out. She had a steady rhythm despite the chaos.

That damn kid and his idol worship wasn't doing them any good. Jacob let Sam go. He could have made him submit, but it would have been a lot more bloodshed and a hell of a lot more pain. He was almost ready to give up, but Jacob saw a better way. He wasn't fit to be their alpha. That was always Sam's job, but he wouldn't obey him another second. He would protect Bells and that would be his only duty. That's why Jacob insisted he was a lone wolf until the kid broke away and followed him.

"Knock, knock. I guess we have to speak our arrival since there isn't a door."

Shit. Leah. That was the last thing he needed. Maybe she was here to knock sense into her little brother.

"Well, Black. You have made an absolute mess of our lives. I hope she's worth it."

Bella dropped the pillow she covered her face with while Sue continued to stitch her hand. "I'm not."

"My thoughts exactly, loca, but here we are. I'm not going back to Sam, so I guess we three are a new pack. Or is it four?"

"No, we are not! You and Seth are still in Sam's pack and Bella's always going to be human."

"Fuck that. My kid brother will never go back so neither will I. It's kinda of a relief. I left and the voices stopped. No more, 'Emily, Emily, Emily.' Hey, what's with the hand? You trip and fall or something?"

"No, Lee. Bells broke the bathroom mirror for her first suicide attempt."

Billy held his hands up to the ceiling like he was begging the spirits. "Oh no. Please no, Bella. That's what happened? Charlie will never recover. None of us will."

Bella didn't look up. She was now watching Sue finish up her hand. She must have gotten over her sensitivities to blood and gore.

"Notice I said first attempt. I'm smart enough to know there's more to come. That's why I'm staying with you, but not here. Leah, Seth, I guess you can make yourself useful for a minute before we leave. Watch her. I need to pack some clothes."

Jacob went to his room. His father trailed behind him. "Stay here. Don't go."

"Have to Dad. I can't trust Sam and his second-in-command lives here now, apparently. It will never work out. Also, Rach is hostile as hell toward Bells. That's not helping either."

"Charlie would take you both in without hesitation."

"Too soon. She'll only break his heart further in this condition."

"Where son? I have a little money in a rainy day jar, but you haven't worked in weeks. I didn't want to say anything, but Paul and Rachel have started to help with the bills. Rachel got hired at the hospital. She's working in the billing office with the rehab department. She wants to go back to school and they'll help after she works there six months."

"Good for her. I'm sorry Dad. I'll contribute again when I can, but I need to focus on Bells."

"How? You can't leave her and you have no money coming in. Does she have access to her own money since the marriage?"

"There is no marriage and no, Bella won't be accepting a dime from those monsters. We'll figure something out."

"Hey, I have a temporary solution."

"Leah, I told you to watch Bells."

"You don't think my little brother can handle her for ten seconds? He stood up to two vampires solo for that twit. She isn't going anywhere. Look, it kinda sucks because I was almost free, but you can have my place for the time being."

"What place? You live at home with Sue."

"Shit, you really have been in your own world for months now, haven't you? I took over Dad's hunting cabin. It's at the very edge of the reservation, far away from Sam and it has all the necessities. I hate to admit this, but the asshole is good with a hammer and such. Paul has been remodeling the cabin for me. It's not exactly where I want it, but the fridge has food, and I just had the bed delivered. It's small. It was supposed to be my sanctuary, but I'll give it to you for a short time. Once she proves she isn't transforming into a blood sucking demon, the hysteria will die down. That's if she doesn't off herself in the meantime. You might want to make some safety precautions, but I can help with that stuff tomorrow."

"Thanks, Leah. I don't know what to say."

"Thanks is good enough and one more thing is all I ask in return."

"What is that?"

"Admit Seth and I are in your pack. He is sweet on Bella in teen crush sort of way. I don't like her, but that doesn't mean she should die. You can't do this alone and we're offering our services. You need us. We're family. You stuck your neck out for me once and paid a hefty price. That's what family does, we protect our own."

Jacob grabbed his bag and paused next to Leah at the door to watch the activity in the house. Seth paced back and forth at the door keeping watch. Bells struggled to stay awake. Her head fell to the side, and Sue was stroking her hair after successfully mending her cut hand. He also turned to his father who only nodded his head which spoke volumes. Billy approved of this rogue mission and he believed in his son. Jacob needed some vote of confidence since he'd practically lost all faith in himself.

"Okay, you're in." Jacob squeezed Leah's shoulder. "You too, Seth, but I need both of you to keep some ties with the others. I have to know what's going on with the Cullens until I can take care of that situation myself."

"For now, they're home. Carlisle promised Sam, but he's worried about Bella, said we don't know how to treat her delicate condition properly. That's all I heard."

"Yeah, well, she's not their concern anymore. He has more important things to worry about." Jacob would never let his revenge go. Carlisle knew full well the sins he and his son committed, and apparently the doctor was some sort of religious man. The wages of sin is death. Jacob heard that before, so what was to come shouldn't be a surprise.

Leah drove with Sue in the passenger seat. Jacob was squished in the back of Sue's small sedan with Bella. She protested only slightly when he picked her up and carried her outside. She pouted like a small child pressed against the door as far as she could get away from Jacob in the backseat.

Jacob couldn't remember if he'd been to the hunting cabin, but when they arrived, a few memories came to him. He remembered his father, Harry and Charlie on the front steps cleaning guns when he was maybe eight-years-old. Jacob always enjoyed the fishing trips, but he wasn't fond of hunting weekends. Billy took him once and that was enough. His father patted him on the head and said it was fine. He understood Jake had an empathetic soul. Jacob developed a sensitivity at young age concerning death because of his mother. Now it seemed death lingered around him at all times. He had to kill animals as wolf those weeks on the run so he understood survival, but this thing with Bells had him questioning everything about life. Deep down, he thought he was right, but it seemed an impossible task to convince someone to live that had completely given up.

Leah gave him a quick tour. Bella sat on the couch and pretended she wasn't listening. Jacob did a thorough inspection of the surroundings with his keen eyes. First thing on the agenda was to pull off the mirror in the bathroom. He also filled a bag with most of Leah's kitchen utensils. He was sure there would be more things he considered dangerous in the morning light, and the fact was she could hurt herself in countless ways if she was hellbent on death which all signs pointed to that. At least the obvious things could be out of reach. That was a start.

Leah said she was taking Sue home. Seth was going to patrol for him and they both promised to be around whenever Jacob got a little rest. It was damned near four in the morning. He hadn't slept that well in forever and tonight would be more of the same, but he had to shut his eyes even if it was only a few hours.

"Bedroom's yours. Don't close the door."

"I'm going to use the bathroom first. Can I close that door?"

"I should say no smartass because of what almost happened, but don't give me a hint you're up to something or I'll take all the fucking doors off inside the house and I'll nail boards over the windows. Do you understand me?"

"No, I don't because you're ruining your life for this and I don't want it. I never asked you to do any of this. You should have let me go with Sam and this would have all been over. You could be on your way to moving past it and healing. This is torture for both of us, so I don't understand you at all, Jake."

"Go to the bathroom, Bells. Make it quick or I'm coming inside. Then get in bed. Don't get up until I'm up. I'll hear."

She was less than two minutes in the bathroom. Leah sat out some basics for her on the counter. She promised to round up some clothes the next day. Bella walked past him without a glance, but she stopped at the bedroom door.

"You're making it seem like I've left one prison for another. Is that what you wanted?"

"No. I didn't want any of this, but I have no choice now. Do I?"

"We all have choices."

"Some more than others. And Bells, one other thing."

"What?"

"Don't ever compare me to him again. He hurt you. I'm helping you. There's a big difference."

Her voice cracked. "I didn't... it wasn't. Forget it. I'm poison. I shouldn't even speak."

"Good. Quiet is perfect, so I can sleep. Goodnight, Bells."

She didn't respond to his goodnight. He heard muffled cries for exactly thirty-seven minutes before her feet hit the floor. Did she honestly think he fell asleep that fast and wouldn't be all over her for getting up when he told her not to?

Jacob closed his eyes and listened to see what she was about to try. He imagined she would search Leah's room for tools of death or a way out the window. She wouldn't get three feet from the house without Seth's howl, but he wanted to know what she was up to, so he could stay one step ahead of her.

Her footsteps surprised him because they led Bella straight to the couch where he attempted to fit and find a comfortable sleeping position. He waited. She stood next to him but didn't speak. Several minutes passed before her feet shifted. Jacob reached for her and caught the hem of her shirt. "What?"

"I can't sleep."

"Stop crying into your pillow. I'm sure it'll come."

"I know you're mad about earlier, but we always slept pretty sound next to each other. You can say no. You should, but you're feet are hanging off the end. Maybe we could share the bed?"

He didn't answer, but he got up to follow her back to the bedroom. This was a better idea as far as her safety was concerned. It wasn't the greatest for his mental health. She had no idea what those occasions they fell asleep together had done to him. He considered it somewhere between heaven and hell on earth. Bella took the side nearest the window and he climbed in so he'd be close to the door. Leah picked out a nice mattress. It was way more comfortable than his crappy twin bed at home or that sofa in the living room. They also had more room than the hospital bed at the Cullens. Bella and Jacob didn't have to touch in this bed, but he felt her. Her presence clung to him without the physical touch.

"You're wrong about being mad. I'm not mad, Bells. I'm scared... so scared I can hardly breath, but I'm not giving up on you. I don't care how long it takes. Do you hear me?" She didn't answer him. Bella breathed heavier as if she was trying to convince him she fell asleep. He knew better. She was wide awake and heard every word he said.

~Thanks for reading.

I swear I come to the end of these chapters and **sigh** every time. How are you guys doing? Love to hear your thoughts.