Charlie's Pov
"Where we going Mama?" I ask, Mama had put me into my buggy and she was pushing me.
Mama looks at me and smiles, "Remember I told you that we were going to see the doctor so he could find your Daddy?" I nod, "We're going there, they are going to do some tests on you but I don't know what sort of tests, I'm getting some done too so don't worry."
I wasn't worried. My Mama never let bad things happen to me, even when the nits were chasing us in the trees. Now the nits don't follow us, I don't know why not though but it makes me happy.
"I'll have a Daddy like all the other boys and girls?"
Mama looks at my half happy, half sad, "Hopefully, my beautiful boy."
We get to a big, grey building that has lots of people inside, mama goes to the desk and I hear her say she has an appointment with somebody. I don't hear the name. After that she pushes me to a room with seats and a corner full of toys. I start to wriggle in my straps, desperate to play. Mama lets me out and I race to see what's in the basket, there's teddy wolves, they look like my Mama's wolf. There is also puzzles and blocks and balls and lots of fun things! Finally at the bottom I find a book with lots of pictures, with wolves and men dressed like the old tribesmen did.
I take it over to Mama and ask if she can read it to me, she looks at it and flicks through the pages. She looks at me and has a puzzled face, "Char, where did you find this?"
"In there." I say and point to the toy basket, "Something wrong, Mama?"
She smiles to me, "No, nothing's wrong Char," Her eyes start to water, "It's just this used to be my book Hun. Come sit beside me and I'll read it to you."
A young man with bright blond hair comes to get us after a little while of waiting, Mama had read a story of a tribesman and a tribeswoman and how they fell deeply in love because of spirit magic. I like the stories of our tribe.
The blond haired man leads us to a room where a kind looking woman sits. The lady gets up and hugs Mama and tells her it's good to see her back. The lady then turns to me. She greets me, "Hello, Charlie! My name is Dr Clearwater, but you can call me Sue. I'm going to be doing you and your Mothers tests today. Can you and your mother hop up on the bed for me please?"
We do as she says while she gathers so doctor things, I see a sharp needle I her hand and snuggle into my Mama. Sue notices and smile at me, she puts a hand on my knee and explains, "Don't worry sweetheart, this one is only for your Mother." She then turns to Mama, "We decided it best that we take a sample of your blood so we have a more accurate result as there are multiple possibilities for your paternity, while a simple cheek swab will do for Charlie as there are only two possibilities and I happen to know that Jared and Jacob could not be more different."
She starts the tests off by sticking a little stick with stuff on the end in my mouth and scratching the sides. It tickles a bit and I scrunch my nose up when she's finished. It was weird.
Next she has to do Mama's test, she told me too look away while it happened, but I peek through my fingers; Mrs Sue had stuck my Mama with the needle and took her blood from her. I wrinkled my nose, I don't really like blood much.
"That's it Bella." Sue says as she stands to take the tests away. She smiles to me and pats my head, "It was a pleasure meeting you young man, and I hope I will see you again sometime soon."
Mama says her goodbyes and leads me out to the waiting room and straps me back into my buggy. She tells me that in a couple of days we will know who my Daddy is, I am so excited!
A 'beep, beep' sounds from Mama's phone. She stops pushing me for a minute to answer it.
"Charlie, that was Samuel. He wants to know if we would go round for a little while, is that okay?" She asks me, Mama had told me that Sam was the big guy that had come with Jared and Jacob. I nod my head. I liked Sam.
She turns us to go down a street that I've never seen and it leads us to a little house, we knock on the door and Sam opens it, he tells Mama just to leave my buggy at the door. We follow him into a cosy room with a telly and a lady sitting in it. The lady turns around and smiles at me, she has funny lines on her face that make her look really cool. Like a superhero.
Sam introduces the lady as his wife Emily; she seems nice so I decide to sit near her. She lets me chose what's on the telly and speaks to me about the cartoon I chose. I don't even notice when my Mama leaves the room with Sam.
Bella's PoV
"Sue says it should only take two or three days to get the results, would you like for me to get a copy sent to you?" I ask, sitting down at the kitchen table with my coffee.
Sam takes a seat next to me, "No, don't bother I trust you to tell me and also to tell the father. Can I ask you some personal questions, Bella?"
I smile and nod, taking a sip, "I think you at least deserve some answers after the stress I must've put on your pack."
"First of, Charlie's name. Why is it Jared if you don't know the father?" He inquires, forehead creasing and making him look older than he is.
A deep laugh rumbles in my chest, "That actually has nothing to do with what happened, Jared and I had had a bet that whoever got the highest score on a test in, I think it was bio, had to name their first born after the other. Somehow, Jared bet me, and he never let me forget. Even after everything that had happened I felt like if I didn't keep my half of the bet then I'd be disrespecting our old friendship. Obviously now I know that it was my wolf being loyal to its imprint." I answer, completely honest, "Next question?"
"What are you going to do if Jake is the father?" Sam asks, extremely bluntly.
"If Jacob is okay with it, then I want him to raise Charlie alongside me. I guess Jared would still be his stepdad, if we work things out, and be in his life constantly, but he would be Jakes child and I hope would spend an equal amount of time with him as he would me." Just then a door slams from behind us, I turn around to meet the pain filled eyes of my once love.
"Sorry Bella, I forgot to mention that Jacob would be dropping in at some point." Sam says, but for some reason she feels like he had planned this all along.
I smile, "Don't worry about it, I'm sure me and Jacob could do with a chat anyway." I answer, nervously peaking at Jake in the corner of my eye. Air fills my lungs as I take a relieved breath when he nods.
Sam gets up and I follow, they obviously have something to discuss so I excuse myself and head back to where Charlie is snuggled up next to Emily. Rolling my eyes at my sons ability to make anyone love him, I take a seat on the other couch.
As I sit I hear their conversations, "…But I like them, they are the same as superheroes and love superheroes!"
I decide to make my presence known, and ask, "What are like a superhero?"
Charlie turns to me, noticing me at last, he smiles brightly, "Emmy's scratches, they're cool aren't they Mama!" He babbles excitedly.
"Charlie! What have I told you about thinking before you speak! I am sorry if he said anything to offend you Emily, I truly am." I blush bright red, my saying that could have also offended her.
Much to my surprise, Emily laughs, and tells me, "it's Bella, he is small and doesn't understand, it is good to know I look like a superhero though!"
I smile, glad that she understood.
Sam and Jake enter shortly after, I meet eyes with Jacob and he nods. I tell Charlie I will be back in a bit after checking with Sam and Emily if it is okay to leave him there for a while.
Following Jake out into the woods, we walk in silence for a long time. He leads me to an open clearing where a campsite was once set up, there are no tents but a burnt out fire sits in the middle with bench like logs set around it; we sit on a log and stare into the middle.
"You can fight it." He tries.
I look at him, "It would hurt Jacob, you and I both know it would just end in heartbreak."
"So, is that it? We just give up?" He finally looks at me, he looks at me properly, "I love you, Bell. And I know deep down you love me too, even after all of this. I know that what I am asking you to do is crazy but wouldn't it be worth it if we truly loved one another?"
Oh how I'd love for that to happen, but I have thought about it too much these past years to understand how it would not work. My eyes water, I'm about to break his heart all over again and I don't know how to do it lightly. I stand up and walk to the fire pit before kneeling and picking up a stick. I swirl the ashes with the stick,
"It wouldn't work Jake, Jared is my imprint, he's who I was destined for by the spirits." I close both my eyes "I would love to just give in and be with you Jake, but it just wouldn't work, we both know that. What would happen when you imprinted? What happens when my imprint with Jared gets too hard to bear? I love you Jacob, but I also love Jared." I admit, while standing back up and sitting on the log again.
We sit without talking for another while, letting what we've both said sink in. Finally he breaks it, "I heard what you said to Sam by the way. About Charlie."
"You did?"
He nods, "Yeah, and if he is mine then, you know, I'll always be there for him and if he's Jared's well then it's less complicated." Jake gets up to leave.
There is still so much that we need to talk about but I can't bring myself to mention it. I watch as he moves to the edge of the forest, just as he reaches the trees he turns back. With teary eyes he whispers, "I'm sorry for that night, truly."
And then he's gone.
A/N Hey, so I have recently got a lot of free time and decided to pick up my writing again. Huge thanks you anyone who reads/follows/reviews this, you are the people that keep it going. Comment where you want this story to go and I'll see you in the next update!