Trials of the Truth

Edward & Jacob's Cabin

They entered the cabin and saw the home entertainment system in the modest living room. They went to the kitchen where there were a small circular table and a stocked kitchen and a pantry full of beef jerky. Jacob happily took some with him into the hallway. It was worth noting that Jacob had not gotten off Edward's back the entire time, not that Edward would let him otherwise.

"Alright, Ed. I'm ready for bed." The sun had set two hours ago. Jacob got into his pajama bottoms and into bed. He closed his eyes, but he couldn't sleep even with Edward stoking his hair (he would never admit out loud that he loved when his husband did that).

"I'm afraid of losing you," his vampire spoke softly. "If it comes between you and the baby, I'm choosing you."

Jacob turned and buried his face in his husband's chest. His breath shuddered, and Edward felt tears dripping on himself. Edward held his wolf tighter. "I want Junior, and I don't want to raise him alone. I think about Edie and how she lost her dad before she was born and then her mom died too. I don't want that to happen to our baby. I don't want to fight because if we do, I'm scared that we'll lose. I'm just a kid! I don't want to die."

"I feel like I cursed you, but I don't want to let you go. I think letting you go would kill me worse than seeing you die."

Jacob giggled softly. His laughter grew louder until it filled the entire bedroom. "You are so dramatic. You didn't 'curse' me. You…well, fuck. You're making me say corny shit. Ed, you complete me. You've never taken anything away from me." He took one of Edward's hands and put it on top of Junior. "You've given me more than I could've dreamed of. You're the best man I could ever imagine."

Edward felt movement under his hand. "I can feel the baby moving!"

"Looks like Junior agrees with me." Letting out their inner grievances lifted a weight off them enough for Jacob to sleep through the night.

The next morning, the couple explored their new home. They discovered a two-car garage with new tools. Jacob figured Rosalie had a hand in picking them out. They left one room unchecked until after lunch. Both Edward and Jacob expected for the room to be stocked with baby supplies. Instead, they found a note taped to the window on the opposite side of the empty room.

Our gift to you is minimal to no interference with this room. –It read.

Before either man could say anything, Edward's phone rang. Seth Clearwater was calling.

"Hello, Seth," Edward answered.

"Edward is Jake there?"

Edward passed the phone. "Seth, what is it, man?"

"Something big is happening. I heard my mom talking to some of the elders about going over to the Cullen house."

"Why didn't they call me?"

"I don't know man, but the whole pack is heading over there, too."

"Do the imprints know?"

"Is that even a question," Seth replied smartly. "Whatever they're going for, I'm pretty sure it's about you."

Cullen Residence

Edward and Jacob found themselves dumbfounded when they saw the entire Quileute council of elders at the Cullen property.

"Dad? Why is the council here?"

"Great question. Why are we here John?" Billy referred to Elder Littlesea.

"We're here to discuss the execution of the dangerous creature that Alpha Black and his leech are currently coveting," Littlesea sneered.

"Edward is my imprint, Elder Littlesea. More accurately, my husband. You will address him as such."

Ignoring Jacob, "If Alpha Black refuses to exterminate the abomination, then we will do it for him and he will be stripped of his title and exiled."

"Wait, what abomination?"

"I'm referring to that thing living in your abdomen."

"That is enough," Carlisle raised his voice. "You will not come here and violate the rights of my children. Leave our home."

"It is our right to be here. You should've aborted it when you found it. You're risking our alpha. Or maybe that was your plan all along."

"How dare you," Edward interposed. "First, this hasn't been Quileute land for generations. Second, my father has dedicated his life to healing."

"You just contradicted yourself, vampire. How can one be dedicated to something that he does not have?"

"Enough," Jacob's voice boomed. "Who told you about my baby?"

"I did."

"Why, Sam?"

"I'm your beta, Jake. I need to protect that pack and the tribe even from you. Especially now. You're compromised."

"I am not."

"You just wanna be alpha again, Sam."

"Shut up, Seth."

"Don't tell him to shut up. He's an equal member of this pack."

Seth continued without pause. "He called us over last night, Jake. He wanted us to convince you to get rid of your baby. They think you've gone crazy."

"That's not true, Jake."

"Then tell me, Embry. Because it sounds like mutiny. When have I ever given you guys a reason to doubt me?"

"We don't doubt you. We still want you as our alpha, but we think that keeping the baby will kill you. You're my best friend."

"You think I don't know how dangerous this is? This little thing made my body its home and even with my head screaming at me that this might kill me, I love him."

"Junior hasn't hurt Jake at all," Edward added. "He's innocent in all this." He stood protectively between Jacob and the other Quileutes.

"You act like the fetus is capable of emotions, of love. It's not. It's a parasite that will endanger our people, not to mention, the rest of the world."

Jacob is shaking. He doesn't know whether it's out of anger or some sadness. Jasper was helping him control it. He looked at his brother-in-law gratefully. "How many of you agree with Sam?"

The ones that stood beside Sam were Leah, Embry, Jared, and Brady plus Emily and Kim. The rest of the pack, including Rachel, and the Cullen family stood beside him and Edward. For good measure, Sam had Littlesea and Lahote, who had always been a silent voter. Billy and Old Quil stood beside Jacob. Sue was the only one who didn't choose a side.

"Sue," Billy urged her.

"Someone has to stay neutral, Billy and since my kids are on both sides of the argument, then it has to be me."

"It's okay, Sue." Jacob turned to his beta. "Junior isn't even born yet. He can't hurt anyone."

"Not now," Leah answered. "But what happens when it's born? It won't be able to control its thirst."

"We'll teach him," Rosalie spoke adamantly. "It's not like it can't be done. Edie's the same type of hybrid. She will help."

"Except that Edie was an adult when she was turned," Jared counterpointed. "I don't think I need to remind you that vampires stop maturing in all ways when they're turned."

"And you're forgetting that vampires don't have heartbeats. Jacob's baby…Junior does," Paul argued. "We all heard it."

"You hated vampires more than any of us. Why are you defending their spawn?"

"Because he's a baby! We all heard his heartbeat. He's alive."

"It could be hurting Jake. Not even Carlisle can get a clear picture," Embry debated. "For all we know, it could be feeding on him right now."

"That's ridiculous," Quil disputed. "Jake's been getting stronger every day. If anything, I think Junior is helping Jake."

"What about that weird plant that made him sick?"

"Aconite is poisonous to everyone, idiot!"

"Brady," Collin looked at his friend. "You like Edie. This baby will be kind of like her. Why do you want to kill it?"

"That baby isn't her. Edie was human. That baby never will be."

"You can hardly call that abomination a baby."

"Grandpa! He has a heartbeat."

"Don't you raise your voice at me. It's a parasite just like its father and a freak like its mother." It was dead silent except for a growl. The growl didn't come from any supernatural creature.

Before Billy could launch himself at Littlesea, a warm stone hand stopped him. "That maggot isn't worth your strength, Billy," Edie's velvet voice broke through. "So, who forgot to call me? There's a pack meeting, right? Riley and Bree called me. Why didn't any of you? Am I not part of the pack anymore? Or this family? Let me guess, this is about the baby."

"We were ambushed by this meeting, too," Edward insisted.

"I believe you. So, Sam. Do you agree with the maggot? Do you think that your alpha is a freak?"

"No. Jake is my friend."

"If you really think that, then stop this."

"I can't. Someone has to stop him from going through with this mistake."

"You can't protect him from everything. Some events are just meant to be."

"Well, you know all about that don't you?" Edie was exasperated with this line of questioning. Everything always went back to her future knowledge. She scoffed and was about to say something, but Sam continued talking instead. "What if you're wrong?"

"I am not wrong about the Volturi."

"You told us that we all die from this battle. What if we die anyway? What if that child kills us instead and we're wasting time with training? We could stop it before it matures and does us in."

"Junior won't do that," Jacob insisted. "You have to trust me that I'll raise him or her to be good."

"It can't be taught, Jake! It'll come out half-vampire and half-wolf; it'll be an unstoppable killing machine with a strength that can't be measured."

"But so is Edie," Seth argued. "Edie can help them raise Junior and teach him to control himself."

Edward smooth voice interrupted them, "Is that what this whole thing is about? Because our child and Edie are so similar, you're afraid of having another person like her in this world?"

Sam's silence was their answer. Jacob dragged his hand over his face. "What more can she do, Sam?"

"Neither of you have been able to see it because when it comes to her, you lose all reason. It's been over a year and we don't even know her real name. I agreed to bring her into the pack because it's better to keep an enemy close. It wasn't until you joined the pack that she went from mildly unnoticed to calling the shots. You're the alpha, Jacob. You need to call the shots instead of letting an interloper do it."

Jacob hardened all parts of his bodily expression. "Are you saying that you make a better alpha than me? The way you're talking, you don't even deserve to be a beta."

"Stop it, both of you," Edie obstructed their dialogue. "You went too far, Jacob." The sharpness of her emerald eyes stopped his rebuttal. She turned to Sam. "I'm going to tell you facts and you can take them to be true or false. You are a good man. You were a good alpha and you are a good beta. It's your job to make the alpha see things from another perspective. It helps keep the pack in harmony. However, the way you're doing it feels like you're trying to tell Jacob how to do his job. Sam, you will be an alpha again and when that happens, you will be a better one than you were before because you'll have experienced your position from an outside perspective. In the meantime, you cannot undermine Jacob."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Just look at the situation. There are pack members on opposite sides. Your needless argument is splitting the pack and I can't let you do that."

Despite his earlier words and underlying distrust of the hybrid, Sam knew she was right. He directed his gaze to the alpha. "I'm sorry for causing this, but it doesn't mean I'm wrong about your baby. I'm just trying to protect you."

"Thanks for saying that, Sam. I'm sorry, too." Jacob sincerely meant it. "But, I don't need protection from my baby."

'Children! I swear!' Edie exclaimed in her thoughts. 'Why can't you let this go?'

"It's our child," Edward emphasized. "We won't let it go any more than you can stop hindering us with your dreaded tales of the future."

Sam ignored Edward's outburst. "Jake, Edward. I know you two love your kid, but can you honestly say that it loves you back? It's not capable of emotions. All it knows how to do is take. It's taking space inside you, it's feeding on you, and soon, it will take your life if it hasn't started already. It doesn't care about you or any of us. I honestly think that if the Volturi doesn't kill us, then your baby will." SMACK!

It was Esme that slapped him across the face. "How dare you! Do you have any idea–?"

"Esme don't."

The livid matron looked at her granddaughter. "No. I have let you continue to do this your way, but not anymore. Why won't you say anything?"

"Because he's right!"

Jasper felt betrayal, mostly, from the side he stood on. Confusion was there too, mostly from the other side. He felt restraint from Riley and Bree. Sadness was apparent in mostly Carlisle, Billy, Sue, and obviously Esme, who wore her emotions on her sleeves. He didn't expect it from Emmett, though; confusion, yes, but not the sadness. Edward and Jacob were the worst of them. They saw Edie as their precious friend and a light in their lives and she had just agreed with the people who wanted to kill their baby. Jasper would faint if he could from how distraught they were (if he could), but there was someone else whose emotions were stronger than theirs.

Riley and Bree closed their eyes and tried to turn away; they wanted to say something, but they had promised their teacher they wouldn't. They waited for another word, something that could push them past this moment.

The room was too bright for Edie. Everyone was breathing too hard, but she couldn't get enough air in her lungs. The people in the room disappeared for her. The only thing was slightly recognizable to her was Sam's outline, but her body was fighting that too. She tried closing her eyes to lessen the pain. She didn't even realize that she was still talking. "I don't know why Leah and Embry are on your side. Don't they know you killed them? You killed them, Quil, Seth, and Jacob. You killed my mom!"

"What the hell," Sam breathed.

"You killed my mom and Swan killed my dad. Alice brought her into this life and because of her, my dad attempted suicide! If that wasn't enough, the Volturi decapitated him in front of my mom and grandma."

Esme was thrown across the room in her attempts to bring Edie back to reality. Luckily, she was caught by Carlisle.

"You're right. You're so right, Sam. That baby is evil. Everything it touches dies. It is the unholy spawn whose blood brought on the slavery of humanity. Don't you think it knows that? Don't you think it knows that its very existence means death to those around it?"

They wanted to stop her, but they were rooted, possibly petrified by her words.

"It knows the world would be better without it. It tried, believe me, it tried to save the world from its existence, but it can't be done! Aro couldn't kill it when he had Mengele push poison through its veins. Mengele kept missing the vein on purpose, so he poked it with needles over and over again for five years. Nonstop. He couldn't kill it by detaching its body parts and turning them to ash; they kept growing back. Even her head," she sneered.

The collective thought for those who didn't know the truth was: 'Her?'

Emmett pulled Rosalie closer to him he couldn't stomach what he was hearing, and he tried to imagine he was anywhere else. Billy, who took pride in his inner strength, couldn't stop his tears from streaming. Sue's eyes pooled tears too. Carlisle and Esme couldn't cry; their vampiric bodies didn't allow them to do it. They tried to draw strength from each other because they couldn't do anything else except watch their granddaughter unravel. Bree wanted to throw up. Riley stood there with his sad eyes and jaw dropped. Edie never told them about this, any of it.

Edward grabbed her from behind and tried to hold onto her. "Edie, please. Stop," Edward croaked. He wanted to believe his voice could reach her. "You're in Forks, Washington. You're not there anymore; you're not in Volterra, Sunshine. Please, stop. You're hurting yourself." She pushed him away, too.

The only sound in her ears was a constant ringing. "She's a demon. She is a demon. But not care about Jacob? Not care about him? Jacob was the first person she ever saw when she opened her eyes. Through him, she learned all your faces. She learned how he missed his dad and how you," she pointed in Sam's direction "exiled him and his pack. He has the most beautiful voice she's ever heard. He would sing all the time, but he was always so sad. She wanted to know why he was so sad."

After he collected Edward, Jacob stood closer to her. He recognized that she was not talking about his baby. That the person she really thought was dangerous was herself. It relieved him to know his friend didn't hate his baby, but it hurt him to hear how his friend talked about herself. As she went on with her monologue, he was amazed to find out just how much he means to Edie.

"Don't say she doesn't care about Jacob. She came all this way just to save his imprint!" Edie's knees touched the floor with her hands clawing her head and her mouth and eyes wide open. Her head was tilted back. She screamed. A light was breaking free from her forehead.

"What's happening to her?" Edward tried to get close to Edie again, but a barrier blocked him. He didn't expect an answer from anyone, except perhaps Carlisle.

"The same thing that happened at your wedding," Emmett answered instead.

"What do you mean," a confounded Rosalie asked her husband.

"Edie got so upset that day. Her powers manifested and started projecting her memories and feelings of Edward and Jake."

"What about the barrier?" Jacob questioned.

"I believe it's her subconscious effort to protect us from herself," Carlisle explained.

"All we can do is watch," Emmett confirmed.

On the ceiling, pictures were starting to appear. The first image that appeared was a young man with pale, but russet skin and dark circles around his eyes and hollow cheeks. His hair was longer than average, just over his ears.

"Oh, Jacob. She's beautiful."

"That's me?" No eyes were turned away from the projection.

"She looks just like Ed."

"Are you sure about her name, Jacob?" The person in the projection saying these words was, in fact, Esme.

"Of course, I'm sure. What? You don't like it?" Everyone noticed that they were watching the image from the point of view of someone looking up at the Jacob and Esme projections.

"I love it and I'm honored, but it's a bit long don't you think?"

"Isn't that what parents are supposed to do? Give their kids names that they have to live up to." The projection-Esme watched projection-Jacob with reverence. "I know she will, won't you, my little bunny." Jacob's finger looked like it was stroking something. "But I guess it is a mouthful. I know, we'll call you Edie for short. Do you like that?"

Jacob in real life felt everyone's eyes on him. Edward's hands and head were shaking. He remembered her words 'Edward, in my time, you're already dead…Everyone was gone…I've known about them for an entire year…My dad is supposed to be dead already…' Edward pictured her singing at the club with her hair up. She looked so much like his mother. 'Anthony…It was my dad's name.'

There was a giggle. "Look, Esme. She smiled. She has a bit of my mom in her." Projection-Jacob suddenly closed his eyes. Projection-Esme was now in full view.

"I'm sorry Jacob."

"No. Please, give her back. I can still hold her." The frustrated Jacob had tears rolling down his face. He hit the mattress forcefully. "I had her for fifteen minutes. That's longer than I ever had her. Please, Esme. Give her back. Please!"

Suddenly, a memory came to Jacob's mind. He and Edie were on the beach and she said, 'parents do the craziest things and sometimes you think that they're being outright stupid. My mom was always sick and even knowing she didn't stand a chance, she put herself in front of a vampire to save me and Grandma.'

The image went back into Edie's head. When the image went away, the barrier did too. As soon as it went down, Jasper was writhing on the floor.

"Jazz!" Alice went to her husband, but she couldn't stop his pain. "Oh, Jasper."

"Argh!" Jasper was in a fetal position. He had a hand stretched out to Jacob. "MAMA!"

This elicited a response from Edie. She got up and ran as fast as she could. Immediately, her students went after her, but even with all the speed training that Edie put them through, they couldn't keep up.

Billy quickly wiped his tears. "What are you waiting for, Cullen? Let's get our grandbaby!" Carlisle did just that.

"Esme, would you mind if I…?"

"Not at all, Sue." Esme picked up the native woman and left, trying to keep up with her husband.

Jasper had stopped screaming, but he was unresponsive. Edward, along with most of the room, was also unresponsive. 'It can't be true...'

Jacob squeezed his arm like he was trying to anchor himself back to reality. When it set in that Edie had left, Jacob woke up. "Ed, Ed! We need…she's…Our little…We have to find her!"

The telepath's eyes went from dull to colorful with concern. "Can you still sense her without shifting?"

"I don't know, but I'll try, and don't you dare leave me behind." He climbed on his husband. They zoomed out of there.

Seth was the next one to shift outside. He tried to sniff her out. Not to be outdone by a puppy, Emmett jumped into action with Rosalie following him. Quil left next, then Collin with Embry and Leah. Paul was about to leave, and Rachel insisted on going with him.

They left right after Rachel sucker-punched Littlesea. "If I ever see you near my family, you will feel the full wrath of the Black line." Jared and Kim went next with Brady. Alice stayed behind with Jasper. She hoped he would regain consciousness soon.

On Old Quil's orders, Lahote took Littlesea home. Sam was the last wolf inside the Cullen mansion. Emily gently held his hand. "She's their daughter," he said finally. "I tried to kill her. She came all this way to save Jake and I almost stopped that from happening. If she died then I would've killed him again, like the way I killed Jake before she came."

"You didn't know. None of us did. And you didn't kill Jake."

"The other Sam did. I almost destroyed the pack…again."

"Making decisions based on another's will shorten your own life," Old Quil wisely spoke. "I believe there is still time to redeem yourself if that is what you wish."

Sam went to the exit, already taking off his clothes. "Are you coming," he asked Emily.

"No. I'll be here waiting," she kissed him good-bye.

Hours later, Jasper had woken up, much to Alice's relief. "It felt like I was human again. It was many emotions, too many for an empath to experience all at once."

"I'm just glad you're not unconscious anymore," the psychic held her husband close and kissed his temples and forehead.

"Have they found her yet?"

"They're trying to, but I don't know if they will. I can't see her completely."

"It's quite a shock, isn't it?"

"It is, but doesn't it make more sense this way? I don't mean to be skeptical, but a complete stranger, someone as powerful as Edie, comes from the future for our help to save it? It's more far-fetched than our niece coming to save her mom."

"Our niece, Edie. Well, at least you have someone to go shopping with in the future."

"If we make it that far."

"We will." Jasper lifted Alice's chin and pressed his cold lips against hers. "Now will you stop pouting and bring back my Monster? I miss her optimism."

The pack and the rest of the coven came back in mostly twos. The youngest wolves came back first. The grandparents came next with Sue.

Seth was the second to last wolf to get back to the Cullen home. Rosalie and Emmett had only come in a few minutes before. Sam returned just a few seconds before them.

"Did Jake or Edward come back yet?"

"Not yet," Alice answered.

"Can you see her at all?"

"No."

Speaking of the parents-to-be, they made their way inside the living room where everyone was just a moment later.

"No one found her?" Edward addressed the room. Riley and Bree can through the door just then. "Did you find anything?"

"She was too fast for us. She kept changing direction," Riley explained. "She could be in Canada for all we know."

"Her scent didn't cross North," Sam assured them. "I checked, just in case."

"I called Charlie to help us," Bree spoke out.

"Why would you do that?"

"Because if there's one person who might know Edie better than us, it's him."

"She's right, Rose." Edward admitted, "Those two share a strong bond."

"I'm sorry I can't help you guys more," Alice sighed.

"Maybe you could if we opened your channels more." The room paused at Jacob's statement. "I mean, I should be able to use our connection to find her."

"Yes, but if you couldn't before," Edward paused. "No, what if you hurt yourself or Edie?"

"I won't. I've been shifting during the last few months. If I was pregnant the whole time, then that means that shifting doesn't hurt her. She said it herself, she's indestructible."

"Wait! I don't think you need to do that." Alice's face went blank. "There's a silent alarm going off. I see her. She's tied up."

"Where?"

"I can't…" Alice was looking all over her vision. The image wasn't as defined as what she would find in a vampire's decision. "Whoever has her is human. She's tied up on a table."

"Why isn't she breaking free?"

"I don't know. I see snow gear and sports equipment."

"She's at the Newton warehouse," Edward spoke suddenly, having seen the images from Alice's mind.

"How do you know?"

"I don't, but they're the only sporting goods store near us. I'm hoping that's where she is." Everyone made up their minds to go to the warehouse immediately.

Edward reached to carry Jacob, but he was met with dust as Jacob zoomed out of the mansion in his human form. He smelled different, more primal. He caught up to his wolf, their family and pack were behind them. He and Jacob were running side by side. With his hypervigilant eyes, Edward saw that Jacob's nails grew into claws. His teeth were sharpened, and his jaw was more pronounced like they were when he was a wolf. Though, what didn't surprise Edward, from all the transformations, were Jacob's glowing red eyes. They charged into a building a mile outside of the center of Forks.

Newton Warehouse

The townie found her when he was driving back from Port Angeles. She was staring blankly on the edge of a cliff. He's seen the Rez kids jump off it all the time. He expected her to do the same thing, but she just stood there at the edge. He drove the closest he could with his truck.

"Edie?" He hadn't seen her since the graduation party. He wanted to have her, but she was beautiful. All the pretty ones went to Cullen. "It's getting kind of late. The sun's already set." Still, she said nothing. "I can drive you where you need to go."

She went with him through the woods and to his car. She climbed inside the 2007 Ford Fusion. They sat there for a while. "Cullen lives around here, doesn't he? Should I take you there?" She shook her head furiously. "Alright, where do you want to go then?"

Softly, she spoke, "Home."

He drove onto the main road and soon they were at a fork in the road where he could take her to completely different areas. "I just need to do something really quick. It'll only be a sec."

They arrived at a large, metal building with grooves on the walls. She got out with him. He opened the steel door without paying attention to the security measures. He doesn't turn on many lights, only enough so that he could see. She walked inside with no purpose, or focus, so much so that she didn't react when she felt her old classmate move behind her. Edie felt pain in the back of her head, and then it went dark.

She opened her eyes once again close to a half hour later. The was something long, hard, and flat pressed on her back. Her arms and legs were spread; her feet were tied down at the bottom and her hands were tied over her head. There wasn't much light. She saw someone come closer. Her heart was beating too hard for her to actually hear the words he spoke. She kept her face blank like she did before. Like she always did when she was on Josef's table in Volterra. 'Don't speak. Don't see. Don't feel. Don't speak. Don't see. Don't feel.'

"I thought we could have that date now." His fingers grazed her sides. He was trying to be gentle. "Maybe a kiss would put you in the mood." He pressed his chapped lip to her soft ones and thrust his tongue into her mouth. She didn't react at all. This made him angry. He pulled away from the table she was strapped on. "What? I'm not Cullen, so I'm not good enough?"

She kept her blank stare. "Answer me, bitch!" He extended his hand back to slap her but stopped when he heard a roar outside.

A beast, that's what he saw, a beast. It had glowing red eyes and sharp teeth and it was huge and hairy. It ripped off the heavy steel door like it was paper. It had claws, and it was coming at him with a speed he couldn't believe; like something out of a horror movie. The beast clawed his shirt and tossed him away. He swore he flew for a second. The thought he was going to fall hard, but something caught him…really, someone.

"Mike Newton," his savior growled. Mike was pinned to the concrete wall. "Tell me why I shouldn't rip your throat out. I dare you."

"C-Cullen? How did you get here?"

"Answer his question," a Rez kid that looked like a body-builder snapped. "What was this sicko gonna do, Edward?"

"Vile, putrid things that are not worth mentioning."

"What? No! I was just helping her. She was gonna jump off a cliff if I didn't pull her away."

"Shut up!" Cullen punched a hole through the wall behind Mike. His irises turned black and venom was dripping from his mouth.

Edward felt Seth's hand on his shoulder. "Are you seriously trying to stop me?"

"Hell, no. This fucker will get what's coming to him, but you also have a secret to maintain and more importantly, Edie needs you."

Edward reluctantly lets Mike fall two feet to the stone floor. Mike tried to escape but was blocked by more buff Rez kids and one of Cullen's brothers, the big one. Then the Rez kid who held off Cullen spoke, "You should say thank you."

"For what?"

"Well, Edward would have literally ripped you apart limb from limb and made sure your body would never be found."

"Now, us," Cullen's older brother started. "We're just going to kick the ever-loving shit out of you."

"You'll be in the hospital for a few days, maybe weeks," Seth shrugged then threw the first punch. "Maybe you'll be in a coma. I'll shut up now."

Pure instinct guided Jacob to Edie. He felt the claws come out and his vision was red for a second. It felt like he was shifted but on two legs instead of four. He ran as fast as Ed, maybe faster. He tore the door to get to his Sunshine. She was tied to a table. Like with the door, he removed the elastic rope that confined the hybrid.

Seeing her, he shifted back to his regular self. "Edie, we're here. You're okay, now." She didn't respond at all. She only stared through him at nothing. "Say something, please," his breath trembled. Tears pooled in his eyes.

Edward had come in time to see Jacob at her side. He made his space at her head. They were both too afraid to touch her. "Come on, Sunshine," he croaked.

"I'm not getting any reading from her. It's like she expelled all emotion," Jasper informed them.

"Can you read anything from her, Edward?" The doctor shined a light at Edie's eyes.

"'Don't speak. Don't see. Don't feel.' It's like a mantra." He and Jacob were the closest to her.

"She's impassive, otherwise," Carlisle confirmed.

"The cops are coming," Jared warned them. "The townie is responsive. Seth stopped when we heard the sirens."

"Police, freeze!" Charlie and two other cops burst into the scene. It didn't look good. A local looked beaten up by teenagers from the reservation. Edie was laying on a table…EDIE! Charlie ran straight to her and held the top half of her body. The other two officers took statements from the pack and a confession from Mike Newton.

Charlie brushed Edie's stray hairs from her face. Bree had texted him that Edie had run off. He was looking for her using police resources and then there was a call that an alarm got tripped at the Newton warehouse. He didn't know why, but he had a feeling that she would be there. It was only confirmed by Riley a few seconds later. Those two were out of sight from the other two cops, but none of that mattered to Charlie because his friend was catatonic.

"What did they do to you," he whispered. His voice was watery.

"Chief," one of his subordinates, Meyers, spoke. "We're taking the Newton kid to the station. We'll process him when we get there. We can take her statement later if you want to."

"Yeah," Charlie tried to make his voice hard and clear. Charlie barely registered their exit. "Oh Kiddo, what happened?"

"I think she's expressing a form of PTSD," Carlisle spoke softly.

"I know what she has. You think I don't know what she has," Charlie snapped. "Come on, Kiddo," he held her close. "You're not there. You're in Forks, Washington. You live with me. You and I, we're friends. We're friends because we both know how it feels when people you care about abandon you. We met at a bar and you took my sorry ass home. Remember?"

Nothing. There was no sign that she recognized his words. Jacob and Edward watched Charlie hold their Sunshine close to him and a pang of jealousy moved through them.

"Goddamn it, Edie! We made a promise. We promised that we wouldn't leave each other. I still need you." Edie was held more tightly. "I still…You told me how Quileutes have a way to find people that are most important to them. You're my imprint, Edie." Every supernatural person in the warehouse held their breath. "I will be anything you need me to be. I'll be your friend, your drinking buddy. I'll be…I'll be your father." Edward felt his still heart drop. "But you need to come back, please." Charlie kissed her forehead.

Miraculously, Edie heard those words. She hugged him back. "Charlie?"

His breath was wet with relief. 'Whoever's out there, thank you.'

"I need you, too. Take me home, please."

"Sure, thing." Charlie scooped her up and she buried her face in the crook of his neck.

'Is that what this is? Is this what it's like to have a father?' Hearing this broke something inside Edward. He couldn't bear to see anything further.

Jacob didn't go after him. He knew there wasn't a lot he could say to his vampire. He was barely coping as it was. With his voice eerily steady, he commanded, "Carlisle, when you find him, take him back to the house. I don't want to hear any arguments. Let's go." They went back to the human members of their group at the Cullen residence. Their heads were low and morale even lower.

Edward & Jacob's Cliff

"Never in my whole existence did I wish I could cry more than at this very moment. Why did you do this to me? Why did you choose me?" Edward asked his father when he heard him arrive. "Why do I feel so much pain?"

"You were always meant to be my child just like Edie is meant to be yours. You're her father."

"You didn't hear her. That was the very first time she felt like she had a father. I let her down. I wasn't there for her. I can't protect my child! I feel so useless." His words died off.

Carlisle held his son and let him dry-sob. "Every parent feels that way when their child is in pain. You want so much to help them heal, but there's only so much you can do. It's watching them that is the most unbearable."

"I'm so afraid, Carlisle. I'm afraid for her. She went through so much without us; all because I couldn't stay alive. My little girl was tortured because of me."

"Now, you stop that." Carlisle pushed Edward away at an arm's length. "Aro did those things, not you. Don't you see? You've been given a gift; to change her life so that she never has to go through that monstrosity."

"Will being a parent always feel this way?"

"Yes. You will feel her pain a hundred times worse, but in the same way, you'll also feel her joy. Your child's smile will be the source of your happiness and her tears will be your agony."

Cullen Residence

Father and son arrived in the living room. The air was tense. Jacob looked pensive. Everyone else was on edge. The alpha had not said more than two words since they left the warehouse. He appeared to be made of stone, much like his in-laws. He softened when he saw that Edward had come back.

'Do you feel even just a little bit better?'

'Only a tiny bit. My heart still hurts.'

'Mine, too.'

'What are we going to do?'

'Follow my lead.'

'Always.'

"Tomorrow morning we're going to train, just like Edie wanted us to."

"All of us. We don't care that you may not like each other at the moment. We will do what Edie wanted us to do in the first place."

"Report here at 7:00 AM. You're dismissed."

"Jake," Sam started. "I just…I wanted to protect us, but I was wrong with the way I did it."

"I don't want to hear it. Any of it. You didn't know Junior was her and that doesn't make it any better. I'm not just talking to Sam, I'm talking to you four, too. I know you guys just wanted me to be safe but forcing me to make a decision about my own body is crossing every line. You are my pack. You will always be my pack, but it'll take time before I can trust you anywhere near my baby."

Leah, Embry, Jared, Sam, and Brady felt the weight of their alpha's words. Jacob let out a deep breath he had been holding.

'I should go see if she's okay,' thought Seth. The pack and the imprints went home.

"Well said, son," Billy commended Jacob.

"Don't act like you have some sort of moral high ground here. You knew about her, didn't you? Looking back, I thought it was weird that suddenly you were nice to her."

Following Jacob's interrogation, Edward continued. "He wasn't the only one though. Was he, Carlisle, and Esme? Who else knew?"

"Edie told the four of us about herself the night before you fought the newborns," Sue acknowledged.

"None of you thought to tell us?"

"She told us on your wedding day."

"Why doesn't it surprise me that you know," Jacob snarked at Riley's confession.

"In my defense," Emmett interrupted. "I thought that only the three of us knew."

"You knew, too," Rosalie questioned her husband. "Was that why you disappeared for most of the wedding?"

"I saw her run off stage after her show. She did the same thing during the graduation party and I wasn't going to let her go again without knowing where she went, so I followed her. Riley and Bree were only a few seconds ahead of me. I was caught inside her shield and I overheard everything they said."

"Why didn't you tell me, at least? I'm your wife."

"Because, Angel, I never trusted her. I made her drink human blood for Pete's sake. We all know what happened when I did that. No one does anything without some motive and when I knew, I wanted to pay her back by keeping her secret. I was just lucky Edward and Jake were on their honeymoon, so he wasn't able to read my mind."

Edward scoffed. "That's not the point, Emmett. Riley and Bree are more loyal to Edie than to any of us. Jake and I expect them to keep information like this out of our ears. You are my brother."

"Our parents, our family," Jacob looked pointedly at his father.

"You were keeping her secrets, yes, but what about us?"

"This is some next level shit."

"Would you have believed them," Jasper interfered.

"Are you seriously making excuses for them? They should've told us whether we believed them or not."

"You're also blinded from fact that she was the one who was lying this whole time," said Alice. "She's the one who's been shielding herself from us. She's been giving us half-truths and lies by omission."

Rosalie confronted her sister, "She's a child! She's a little girl who has been shaped by the choices of those who were supposed to care for her. We all have our demons and she chose to overcome them by coming here and stopping them before they began. Her mistakes, her choices are what link her to her humanity."

"I'm not questioning her humanity, Rose! We all saw what happened today. I'm just stating facts."

"Then allow me to tell you, sister-dear that you're only angry because someone was able to hide from you. You just hate that, don't you, because you have to know and control everything."

"You're only defending her because you want a baby to dote on. It won't change–"

"Will both of you, shut up!" Jacob stood between the two sisters. "This isn't about you. This is about my little girl. Mine." He clutched his stomach. "My pack is about to implode because of what happened today and you two are about to lose your shit, too." He felt Edward hold him by the sides of his arms.

"If we're going to save her, then we need to be what we were before this all started: a family. Because there is no way in hell that I'll let my daughter suffer through that."

Edward & Jacob's Cabin

They left after Edward's final words. They didn't say anything. Like zombies, they were unaware of their actions and seemed to only be focused on one thing. Jacob squeezed his eyes shut. He felt his heart beating more forcefully. He pushed the white door, the one that leads to the empty room, open. It was a while before he said anything. "I think…I think that we should put stars on the ceiling. No dark colors, obviously, and no pink. Well, maybe some pink on like flowers or something, but no, like, big splotches of pink."

"There's something you need to know."

"If it's about you knowing about the pack being split, save your breath. I already know that you knew." Jacob took out the phone he reluctantly accepted from Edward months ago. He swiped his finger a few ways and then tossed it to Edward.

It was a photo of him and Edie hugging the day she blurted to him about the pack in her time. "You were there?"

"I was downwind, and I was hoping that Edie's scent would cover me. I don't care that you didn't tell me."

"Is that why you made up with Sam so easily?"

"Yeah, but I don't know if the same thing will happen this time." Jacob closed the nursery door behind him. "Did any of the pack know?"

"No. They were genuinely surprised. How are you doing with all this?"

"What do you want me to say? That I'm shocked?"

"I suppose it is redundant." He watched his wolf climb into bed and tuck himself to Edward.

"We're really stupid."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because I feel like she's been telling us who she is this whole time. But, I mean, were we supposed to see it or…I don't know."

"I feel the same way. She looks just like my mother."

"And my mom, when she smiles."

"She looks like you when she smiles. She has your same sense of humor and charm."

"She has your style. She controls the room, demanding attention, without doing anything."

"She has your kindness and your mischievous nature."

"Uh no, if anything, you're more 'mischievous' than I am. She gets it from you. She has your eyes."

"She has your strength."

"I don't feel very strong right now. How could we let those things happen to her, Ed? How could we let someone hurt our baby so much?"

"I feel disgusted with myself and ashamed. I feel jealous of Charlie Swan. He's able to comfort her in a way that I cannot."

"Yeah, man. It crushed me when I heard her think that. I can only imagine how you felt." It's possible that the typhoon of emotions inside both men allowed them to close their eyes and rest, or maybe it was the general exhaustion of the past two days. In any case, Edward and Jacob held each other with their eyes closed until dawn broke the next day.