Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing to do with Twilight.
Chapter Two: Bella's Back
It had been a few weeks since Bella and Edward got married, and life had returned to normal for Mandy. She knew in her heart that her sister was no longer a human and that it would be a while before she would get to see her again. She and her sister had talked about how they wouldn't be able to see each other for about a year, until Bella was past the more dangerous part of her new existence and was better able to control herself around humans. It was hard to think about Bella no longer being human, but there was nothing anyone could do about it now.
Mandy and Sam were enjoying their own married life. Since Bella's wedding date was so close to hers and she'd been needed to help with the planning, Mandy hadn't had much time to get used to being married herself. But now Mandy was finding how much she really enjoyed her new marital status. With the imprint, it seemed so natural that she would spend the rest of her life with the man she loved. In fact, she didn't know why they had waited so long to get married in the first place! She was finally starting to build her future with Sam, and she didn't see anything getting in the way of that.
Unfortunately, Mandy's new-found peace in her new marriage didn't last. It all started with a knock on her front door.
"Hey, Dad," Mandy greeted as she opened the door for her father, "What's going on? I thought you were gonna be spending the day with Sue and Billy."
Charlie walked in and gave his daughter a hug.
"I am," he replied, "I just wanted to stop by and let you know that I heard from your sister. She called to let me know that they're staying on their honeymoon a little longer. Apparently, she picked up some kind of bug from the local food of whichever country they're in and they've decided to wait to come home until she feels well enough to travel. She wanted me to let you and Renee know so you guys don't worry."
And so the lying begins, Mandy thought. Bella didn't pick up any bug from some bad food; she's been turned into a vampire and has to come up with a good excuse to give to her father as to why she isn't coming home yet.
"Oh, no!" Mandy exclaimed, playing along with the lie Bella had fed Charlie, "What a way to spend your honeymoon! That has to kill the romance for her and Edward."
Charlie made a face, "Thanks for that mental image, that's exactly what I wanted to think about. Anyway, I was just stopping by to let you know on my way over to Billy's."
"Thanks, Dad," Mandy said, grinning at his discomfort over her previous comment, "Say hi to Billy and Sue for me."
A few hours later, Sam came home. As soon as he walked through the door, Mandy knew that something was seriously wrong. She could feel the anger radiating off of her husband as he came storming into the house.
"Sam," Mandy started warily, "What's wrong? You seem really upset."
"Bella's back," Sam said angrily, shaking slightly, "She's at the Cullens' house; Jake just went up and saw her."
"She's back already?" Mandy asked, shocked, "I mean, my dad came by earlier and told me that he'd heard from her. She told him that she'd picked up some kind of bug from some bad food on their honeymoon and were gonna wait a while before coming home. I thought they would be staying out of town for a while, until it was safer for her to come home and be around so many humans. Isn't it too dangerous for the Cullens to bring a newborn vampire here?"
Sam shook his head and laughed bitterly, "Her little 'bug' isn't due to bad food or recently becoming a vampire, Mandy! In fact, your sister is still as human as she was when she left on her honeymoon!"
Mandy felt herself go cold at her husband's words. Bella was still human? But hadn't the plan been for Edward to change her as soon as they started their honeymoon? Surly there was some kind of mistake; why would Bella have lied to Charlie if she hadn't been turned into a vampire yet?
"What the hell's going on, Sam?" she asked quietly, shocked, "Wasn't Edward supposed to have turned her already? What are they waiting for, they've been gone for weeks! They've had plenty of time to do it! And why wouldn't she have told us that she was back?"
"Maybe because she's pregnant!" Sam exploded, "Apparently, her bloodsucker got her pregnant before he had the chance to change her!"
"What?" Mandy whispered, going pale, "Pregnant? You're sure? How is that even possible? I thought that kind of thing never happened!"
"Of course I'm sure," Sam replied, shaking even harder, "Jake saw her earlier today. He went up to the Cullens' after your dad told him the same thing that he told you. He phased and showed the rest of us what he saw. That thing isn't human, Mandy! I mean, if it were normal, Bella wouldn't be as big as she is! She looked like she's about to give birth instead of newly pregnant!"
Mandy sat down on the couch, feeling as though she was about to pass out. Bella was somehow able to get pregnant by her vampire husband and now it seemed as though there were some serious problems with this pregnancy. How was this even possible?
"So what's gonna happen now?" she asked quietly, afraid of what his answer would be.
"Isn't it obvious?" Sam asked bitterly, "We have to do something to protect the humans in the area. There's no telling what could happen if she manages to give birth to that monster that's inside of her. There's no precedent to this, we don't know what could happen. The deal we made with the Cullens was that they change Bella, that's it. We never agreed that they could create any other new vampires. Whatever that thing is inside of Bella, they created a new kind of monster. We have to kill it as soon as possible!"
Mandy suddenly felt her lungs constrict; she couldn't breathe. Kill the thing that's inside of Bella? But it's still inside of her, killing her child/unborn monster would mean killing her as well! Before she could even begin to form an argument in her mind, however, Sam was already speaking.
"I need you to get some things together and go to Paul and Emily's for a while," he said with no room for argument, "All of the imprints are going to be there for a while until this whole thing dies down. I don't know how long this is going to take, but it'll turn ugly. The Cullens won't like what we're going to do and we have to prepare for some sort of retaliation. I have to go, but Quil will be over in a little while to give you a ride. He's picking up Claire right now."
"Sam, please," Mandy cried, "Please think this through. I don't want anyone to get hurt from this."
Sam shook his head, "I can't promise that no one will get hurt. In fact, it's almost a guarantee. Especially now that Jake has left the pack."
"What!" Mandy exclaimed, "Jake left the pack! Why would he do that?"
"Because he didn't agree with what I told him to do," he replied, "He finally stepped into the role of Alpha and went off on his own. I'm guessing that he's made it back to the Cullens' house by now. I need to go; get your stuff together and wait for Quil. Please Mandy, I know this is hard for you because it's your sister, but I need to know that you're safe."
Mandy nodded, and Sam walked out of the house. As soon as he left, Mandy hurried to get her stuff together just as Sam had asked. She had no intention, however, of waiting for Quil to pick her up to take her to Paul and Emily's. No, she intended to make this one decision for herself. Just before she left, Mandy knew that she had to leave some kind of explanation for her husband. She quickly found a piece of paper and wrote out a note for Sam.
The note read, "Sam, I know what I'm about to do is wrong. I should have told you to your face what I had planned; I should have let you hear it coming straight from my mouth instead of in a note. But I know that you would try to stop me, and this is something that I need to do. While leaving without really saying goodbye is wrong of me, what you're planning to do is so much worse. Killing my sister's unborn child/monster/whatever it is will also kill my sister. I can't let her die without saying goodbye. I love you, and I'm so sorry for not staying. Mandy."
Half an hour later, Mandy was pulling up in front of the Cullens' house. The entire trip over from her own home in La Push, Mandy had been shaking. She couldn't believe what she was doing; she was actually going to the home of those that her husband now viewed as the enemy. Before she lost her will and turned the car back around, Mandy killed the engine and got out of the car. She reached into the back seat to get her bag and as she straightened up, she saw Jake, Leah, and Seth walking towards her quickly.
"Seth, Leah, what are you doing here?" Mandy asked, confused, "Sam didn't say anything about you two leaving the pack as well."
"That's because we left while he was talking with you," Leah replied, frowning, "He didn't know at the time. What the hell are you doing here?"
"I came to see my sister," Mandy said, "Sam said she was here. She's still here, right?"
"She is," Jake nodded, "But you're crazy if you think for a second that we're gonna let you into that house. It's full of vampires who haven't hunted for a while. You'd be the only human in there who isn't pregnant with something that's repellant to them, you wouldn't last a second in there."
"Jake, come on," Mandy scoffed, "You and I both know that there's no way you're gonna keep me from going in that house. If you try and stop me, I'm gonna start screaming; Bella will hear me and she'll want me to come in there. You don't have it in you to say no to my sister, especially if she's in as bad of shape as Sam made it seem."
Jake looked conflicted; it was against his nature to put a human in direct danger from a group of hungry vampires, but he didn't want to stop two sisters from being able to see one another.
"I promise that I'll leave if it starts looking bad," Mandy reassured him, "At the first sign of danger, I'll leave. Whether if it's from the Cullens getting too hungry for me to be safe there, or if she actually delivers whatever is inside of her, I'll get in my car and drive away. I swear to God I'll do it, Jake, you have my word. Please, I just want to see my sister."
"Fine," Jake huffed, caving in, "But I'll drag you out of there myself the second things get bad."
"I wouldn't expect anything less," Mandy smiled slightly, relieved, "Thanks, Jake."
Mandy followed Jake, Leah, and Seth up to the front door. Before they entered, Jake paused.
"Stay behind us, just in case," he told Mandy, "Like I said, they haven't eaten in a while. Better to be safe than sorry. Just so you're prepared for what you're about to see, it's bad. Whatever you imagined your sister looking like, the real thing is worse."
Mandy paled at his words, but nodded. To be honest, she hadn't had much time to imagine what her sister looked like. It had only been about 45 minutes since she found out about Bella's pregnancy, during which she had been concentrating on simply getting to the Cullens'. Now that Jake had seen fit to warn her about the potential shock of what she was about to see, Mandy was beginning to get worried. What was this thing inside of her sister doing to her?
Jake opened the front door and the four walked in. Immediately, they were bombarded by some of the Cullens.
"What is she doing here?" Alice demanded, "Jacob, do you have any idea how dangerous it is for a human to be here right now?"
"Hey, back off," Jake snapped, "I didn't bring her here, she just showed up!"
"Well, why didn't you send her home?" Alice asked, "She's the wife of the man who's trying to kill Bella! Maybe he sent her here to find a way in, so he can get to her sister."
"Sam has no idea I'm here," Mandy informed her, "He thinks I'm waiting for a ride to a friend's house, he had no idea I was planning to come here."
At that moment, a noise from outside caught their attention. It was a howl of pain, the cry of a wolf that was hurting. As soon as she heard that noise, that incredibly heartbroken wail of a lonely creature, Mandy felt as though a thousand knives were being stabbed through her heart. The sheer pain of that moment took her breath away, almost making her keel over. She knew immediately her previous statement had just been proven false: Sam now knew that she wasn't where she was supposed to be. Quil must have found her note in the house and notified Sam that she was gone. Mandy felt sick, shaky; she had never experienced anything like this before. She knew it must be the imprint making her feel this way, and that Sam must be feeling the exact same away. Mandy sat down, holding her chest and gasping for air. Tears started falling from her eyes, blurring her vision.
"I think he knows now," Leah said softly, sitting down beside Mandy and putting her arm around her shoulders, "Are you sure this is what you want to do? You don't have to stay here, you should go back to Sam."
"Maybe that would be best," Esme agreed from across the room, "Like Alice said, it isn't safe for you here. Maybe Seth or Leah could drive you home, Mandy."
"No!" Mandy gasped in protest, "No, I need to see my sister! I need to see this for myself! All I know is that she's pregnant and that it doesn't look good. I need to do this! Sam can wait, my sister is more important right now!"
"Ok," Leah said, trying to calm her down, "We understand. Come on, calm down. Take a second to pull yourself together, then you can go see her."
Almost immediately, Mandy felt a sense of calm wash over her. It was an almost unnatural feeling, considering how upset she had just felt. She looked up to see Jasper looking at her, and she understood how he had helped her.
"Thank you," Mandy said softly, grateful for his supernatural ability to manipulate emotions.
Jasper nodded slightly before leaving the room. Mandy remembered Bella telling her that he had a harder time being around humans because he couldn't control his thirst for human blood as well as the rest of his family. If it was true that he hadn't hunted in a while, it must have been even harder for him to be in a human's presence.
Mandy followed the rest of the group into a room upstairs where Bella was resting. As soon as she lay eyes on her sister, Mandy felt dread fill her. Bella looked far too thin, bordering on emaciated. The skin on her face was pulled tight, any roundness to her facial features now gone. Her arms were so thin, they looked like they could be broken by the slightest touch. Her hair was thin, dull, and limp, pulled back into a careless ponytail. A thick blanket covered her torso and lower body, but Mandy knew they must be just as thin as Bella's upper body. Bella was a mere shadow of how she had been just weeks before; she was quite literally wasting away.
Bella saw her older sister enter, and a look of surprise covered her thin, tired face. She smiled slightly, happy to see someone new.
"Mandy," Bella exclaimed weakly, "I didn't know you were coming! Did Jake call you and tell you I was here?"
Mandy snapped back to control over herself and shook her head slightly.
"No," she said, "He told Sam after he left earlier, and Sam came home and told me. Why didn't you call me, Bella, I would have come over sooner if I knew you had come home."
Bella shrugged, "I didn't want to get you involved. I knew this would make things hard for you, especially with Sam. I know he doesn't like it when you come over here, he seemed to have a hard time when you came over to plan for the wedding."
"Yeah," Mandy agreed, pain stabbing her heart at the mention of Sam's protectiveness, "He never liked me being in a house full of vampires, it kind of goes against his nature."
"How'd you get him to be ok with you coming this time?" Bella asked, "I know he plans on attacking because of my baby. Why would he be alright with you being in a place he plans to attack."
"He didn't know I was coming here," Mandy admitted, "He thought I was going over to a friend's house. He figured it out just after I got here, though."
Bella nodded, then let the matter drop. Anyone who looked at Mandy could see that this wasn't something she wanted to discuss.
"Oh!" Bella gasped suddenly, a spasm of pain crossed her face before being replaced with a smile.
"What is it?" Mandy asked, curious and concerned.
"The baby moved!" Bella exclaimed, "Do you want to feel it?"
"Um, sure," Mandy said uncertainly, "Of course."
Bella pushed the blanket off of her stomach, revealing what had been hidden the whole time. While the rest of her body resembled a skeleton covered in skin and hair, Bella's stomach was enormous. It looked as though she were just weeks, if not days, away from delivering whatever was inside of her. As Bella took her hand and placed it over this large stomach, Mandy felt herself go numb with shock. She had to be dreaming, this couldn't be real.
"Do you feel it?" Bella asked hopefully.
"Yeah," Mandy whispered as she felt something knock against her palm strongly, "Yeah, I feel it."
"It's amazing, isn't it?" Bella asked with a smile, "Our own little miracle. Who knew something this wonderful could happen?"
"A miracle," Mandy shook her head slightly, "That's one way of looking at it."
Mandy withdrew her hand from her sister's stomach and stood up.
"I'm sorry," she said quietly, "I need some air, I'll be right back."
Mandy turned and quickly walked out of the room. She rushed down the stairs and out the front door, where the cool night air hit her like a ton of bricks. This sent her over the edge, and she ran over to the bushes as her stomach finally decided to empty itself. This whole situation was overwhelming for her: Her younger sister came home from her honeymoon with a child that was killing her, her husband was also threatening to kill her sister and this unborn creature, and she was feeling her imprint bond straining. Mandy's head was spinning, she didn't know how much more she could take.
"Are you alright?" a voice came from behind her.
Mandy spun around and saw Jasper standing there looking at her. She shrugged slightly.
"You tell me," she replied, "Can't you feel everything I'm feeling?"
Jasper nodded, "Yes, I can. I suppose a better question is whether you're alright with staying here or going home."
Mandy sighed and sat down on the ground. After a moment, Jasper sat down next to her.
"I don't know what I'm going to do, Jasper," Mandy admitted, "I really have no idea. Regardless of what I do, I think it's pretty obvious that my sister is gonna die."
"How do you figure that?" Jasper asked.
"Oh, come on," she scoffed, "All you have to do is look at her and see that that thing is killing her. The more it grows, the closer she gets to death. Even if it doesn't kill her, my own husband will. Or he'll have one of the other pack members do it on his orders. Lord knows Paul will be more than willing, he likes nothing more than killing vampires. My sister is going to die very soon, it would be stupid to think otherwise."
Jasper was quiet for a moment before saying, "You seemed fine with her becoming a vampire not that long ago; what changed this time?"
"At least she'd still be around," Mandy exclaimed, "She was just becoming different, she wasn't really going to die! But now, she's gonna die regardless of what we do!"
"Edward and Jacob are both adamant about taking whatever it is out of her before it kills her," Jasper told her, "They believe they can cut it out of her and then change her. But she won't do it."
Mandy laughed bitterly.
"Of course she won't do it!" Mandy spat, "She thinks it's a miracle that that thing was even created! Why would she end its life just to save her own when she thinks it's the biggest blessing she's ever been given?"
Jasper nodded, understanding her point. They both sat quietly for a few moments.
"How long are you planning to stay?" he asked.
"As long as I can," Mandy admitted, "I promised Jake I would leave the second things become too dangerous; whether one of you guys gets too hungry or Bella goes into labor. Until then, I'm staying with my sister."
"Why?" Jasper asked curiously, "Why would you stay when you know your life's in danger?"
"Because I've never really been there for my little sister before," Mandy told him.
Jasper looked at her quizzically.
"I mean, we've never really been part of each other's lives on a consistent basis," she explained, "After our parents divorced when we were little, I stayed here with Dad while Bella moved away with Mom. For a while, they lived in California; then they moved to Arizona when Mom got remarried. We only really saw each other for a few weeks every summer. When Bella moved up here a couple of years ago, I was already out of the house and living with Sam. She was still a junior in high school, I was starting my adult life. It wasn't until she found out about the pack when you were gone that we really started spending time together. But then you guys came back, we didn't spend as much time together because she was back with Edward. The last time we spent any significant time together was this summer when we were planning our weddings. We thought we would have time to spend with each other when she wasn't a newborn anymore, but now this whole new mess is getting in the way. This is the last time we're going to be able to be together as sisters."
"There's a chance she could live," Jasper said quietly, "She could survive the birth. It's a long shot, but it could happen."
"Please tell me you're lying to try to make me feel better and you haven't really lost touch with reality," Mandy replied, "The chance of her surviving is essentially zero. I'm going to lose my sister before I could ever really get to know her as a sister. And what about our parents? This is absolutely going to destroy both of them. What about Edward? I remember what happened when he thought she had died cliff diving; he tried to get the creepy Italian guys to kill him."
Before Jasper could reply, he froze. His whole body tensed, and he quickly stood up.
"What is it?" Mandy asked, "What's wrong?"
"I'm going back in the house," he said tersely, "Before there can be some kind of misunderstanding."
Jasper was gone before Mandy could even register his words. She sighed and stood up. As she brushed off the back of her jeans, she heard a rustle in the bushes. Mandy felt her chest tighten; she knew who was there before she could see him.
"Sam," she called out, "Sam, I know you're there."
After a moment, Sam stepped out from the trees. He stood right at the tree line, looking at her with a pained expression.
"Why did you come here?" he asked, pain filling his voice, "Why didn't you just wait at home for Quil to come get you?"
Tears filled Mandy's eyes. Her chest hurt, she had never felt this brokenhearted before.
"Because my sister is dying, Sam!" she cried, tears falling down her face, "My sister is pregnant with something that's killing her! I'm losing my little sister and there's nothing anyone can do about it! And to make things worse, my own husband is threatening to kill her!"
"I'm doing this to protect you!" Sam yelled, "I am trying to get rid of that thing before it hurts you!"
"You're hurting me!" she yelled back.
At her words, Sam froze. He stared at her in shock, unable to believe what she was telling him.
"You're hurting me, Sammy," Mandy sobbed, "You're supposed to be trying to make this better, not worse! You're making me choose between my dying sister and the man I love! I know that you're worried about my safety, I get it. But you have to understand that by threatening to kill my sister, you're breaking my heart! I don't agree with what she's choosing to do, I really don't. If it were up to me, she would get that thing out of her right now and be done with it. But she's going through with it and I don't think anyone can change her mind. But what you're doing is so wrong, Sam! You should be helping me through the pain of watching my sister die, not trying to kill her sooner. I swear to God, if you go through with this plan of yours, we're done! I'll never be able to forgive you for killing my sister, whether you do it yourself or get one of the pack members to do it for you. As much as it would hurt to break our imprint, I'd do it!"
"You can't mean that," Sam said, pain and sorrow covering his face, "Why would you try to break our bond, destroy what we have? Bella's made her decision, why would you let it affect us?"
"Her decision has nothing to do with this," Mandy sniffed, tears still falling, "Your decision does. I mean it, Sam; if you go through with this, we're over."
Sam looked absolutely crushed at her words.
"Please," he begged, his tears finally falling, "Please, just come home. I just want you to come home."
"Will you leave my sister and that thing inside of her alone if I do?" Mandy questioned, "Will you promise to not kill her if I come home right now?"
Sam thought for a moment before sighing, "I can't promise you that. You know I can't. I have to protect everyone from that monster she's pregnant with."
"Then I'm staying," Mandy replied, "I'm staying here to say goodbye to my sister. When she dies, whether by your hand or her child's, I'll figure out what to do next."
Mandy turned and started walking towards the house. Each step she took closer to the house, therefore farther away from her husband, she felt heavier and heavier. She could hear Sam calling her name, begging her to come back to him. But she kept walking, her heart breaking more and more. When she entered the house, she saw Esme standing just inside, at the bottom of the stairs.
"Do you mind if I stay here?" Mandy asked quietly, "Just for a few days?"
"Of course, sweetheart," Esme said gently, "Come, we have a spare room right down the hall. You can put your things in there and lay down for a little while. After you've rested, I'll make something for you to eat."
"Thanks," Mandy mumbled.
Esme reminded Mandy of a soft, kind mother; someone who is always there and will always take care of anyone who needs her. Mandy realized that with her highly sensitive hearing, Esme probably heard the fight she'd just had with Sam. Hell, the whole house (sans Bella) probably heard it. But Mandy didn't care at the moment. All she wanted to do was lay down and forget the day.
Once Esme showed Mandy the room she'd be staying in, she tactfully left Mandy in peace. Mandy sat down on the bed, not sure what to do next. She decided to change and get some sleep. As she drifted off to sleep, she felt one more tear fall down her face.
Say something, I'm giving up on you
I'll be the one if you want me to
Anywhere I would've followed you
Say something, I'm giving up on you
And I... am feeling so small
It was over my head
I know nothing at all
And I... will stumble and fall
I'm still learning to love
Just starting to crawl
Say something, I'm giving up on you
I'm sorry that I couldn't get to you
Anywhere I would've followed you
Say something, I'm giving up on you
And I... will swallow my pride
You're the one that I love
And I'm saying goodbye
Say something, I'm giving up on you
And I'm sorry that I couldn't get to you
And anywhere I would've followed you
Say something, I'm giving up on you
Say something, I'm giving up on you
Say something...
AN: The song I put at the end of the chapter is called "Say Something" by A Great Big World. It belongs to them, not to me. I included it because I feel it was a good ending to the chapter. In this chapter, I felt so bad for both Mandy and Sam. I could see both of their points of view, but they were conflicting. Mandy wants to stay with her sister to properly say goodbye to her, as she feels she will never get the chance to do so again. All Sam wants to do is protect her, but thinks he has to kill her sister to do so. I included the conversation with Jasper because he was honestly one of the two Cullens I actually really liked (the other being Emmett). Please let me know what you think!
