Previously...
I wouldn't change a thing, because I would do it all over for you. You never loved me as much as I did you."
He fell to his knees in front of me, hands covering his face as if he were crying.
"You killed me. You took forever with you. Being a vampire isn't easy, but if it means getting to roam this earth for eternity with everyone you love, never having to fear losing them, it's worth bearing. When you left, you got to keep your family; they followed you. I was left with nothing, all because you were so self-absorbed and self-important that you made a decision by yourself as if I wasn't human and didn't deserve the respect of what I wanted being taken into consideration."
Chapter 25
"I'm sorry, I swear it wasn't true," he cried.
"I love you desperately- I can't imagine losing you, that's why I left! After a century of suffering, it seemed to have an end, and it was this bright possibility of happiness in darkness. I couldn't imagine dragging you into it, making you suffer the same."
"That's my decision, not yours to make."
"I understand. Though I was desperate to prevent all that, I understand I made a mistake." He said, cradling my face. "And I'm very sorry for putting you through all that. You mean so much to me," His forehead pressed against mine.
"I never wanted to be the reason why you cry,"
As strange and pathetic as it sounds, I felt like life was breathed back into me. It couldn't be wrong to be in love. The only wrong with it was that it had many nuances and fear roped into it. But it can't be nit-picked.
"I can't go back in time, erase the pain, but I can be there now. I can protect you. I will. Just please, let me. I will wait as long as it takes for you to let me back in. I will earn that. I will never leave. Never again, I promise you..."
If someone betrays you, is it ok to allow them back into your life out of love? I couldn't help but think that as I returned his embrace. His words, voice, and warmth made it hard to resist...
"Okay," I say, breathing in his scent. I can't turn away 'home'.
He was stupid. Made a stupid mistake. But can't I let it be undone, and let the pain wane?
I was painfully aware that everyone had heard our conversation, having been just in the next room, as we entered with our hands intertwined. Everyone looked up with awkward expressions from playing with Renesmee, while she bounded toward us with a grin on her face.
"Mommy!" she cried, jumping for me to catch her.
"Having fun?" I ask. She nods enthusiastically.
"It's really cool! Everyone is so old!" All of us laugh at her honesty. She looks at Edward, then at me.
"Are you going to be friends now?" I side-glanced at Edward, shook my head 'yes' at her with a reassuring smile, and sat her down. What else could I tell her when it was what she hoped?
"I'm gonna go to the car and get that journal for Carlisle, okay?"
I head out to the car and fish out that journal from my bag. Just as I was closing the door, Jacob was emerging from the tree line in front of the house.
"Jacob, I thought you couldn't come here?"
"I can travel freely; I just have to leave the 'Cullens' alone. But- What happened to your hand?"
"I fell in the backyard," He quickly jogged over, and I tried to keep him at bay, holding the book in front of me. But he sniffed me. A growl emanated from his chest.
"I can smell him all over you. Who did this?" He said, looking over my head.
"Jacob, it's good to finally meet you," I turned at Carlisle's voice and saw everyone standing atop the stairs. Jacob's trembling was getting worse by the second and slowed just as fast. Thank goodness for Jasper.
"Calm," I said. "No one hurt me. Besides, you're outnumbered." Jacob only needed to look at my face to see I was telling the truth. He sighed heavily and rocked on his feet.
"Dr. Carlisle. And family," He would never use the term bloodsuckers if Renesmee was nearby. From their legs, she ran out to greet him.
"Hey, Nessie!" He said, lifting her up. I managed to catch Edward's grimace.
"I came because the situation has changed," Jake said.
"Do come inside," Carlisle says, holding out his towards the door. Whilst everyone started going back in, he reluctantly stepped closer, holding Renesmee tightly.
"Don't use my daughter as a meat shield," I admonished, taking her back.
"Be nice to me Bells..." He groaned.
We followed the others inside, Edward being the last.
"He looks like he wants to kill me," Jacob whispered to me.
"I might," Edward said softly, his head turned slightly towards us.
"It's rude to eavesdrop, you know."
Everyone took a seat wherever they could in the living room, there not being enough places. Jacob sat with strained breaths.
"You ok?" I asked, adjusting 'nesmee on my lap.
"Yeah, just...breathing acid. No offense," he said.
"Don't worry, you smell too. Do you have to flaunt your abs?" Edward grumbled. I totally didn't notice he was shirtless. I've gotten used to it.
"Jealous?"
"Not in the slightest." he scoffed. Carlisle interrupts by clearing his throat.
"What news do you bring us? Bella has already told us Victoria was here?" he says.
"I've come to begrudgingly ask for help. Not just for Bella and Renesmee's sake, but the town." Jacob turns to look at me. I sighed.
"'nesmee," I say looking at her. "Do you remember Victoria?"
She nods.
"She... she's a bad vampire, come to hurt the people here. So, the wolves have been trying to find her, but the forest is really big, and... the wolves and Cullens aren't allowed on either's land." I explain. She touches my cheek and shows me she knew Victoria was mostly interested in us, not really the town. She was far too perceptive.
"That's not all." Jacob continued. "Harry Clearwater said that Charlie called him to help him hunt the supposed massive bears that've been killing humans. Only, it's not bears. People have caught sight of us and we're not the ones killing people. We just finished chasing the redhead and a few of her goonies to the water." Jacob said.
"Great, couldn't even lay low." Emmett muttered.
"That definitely complicates things," Jasper says.
"Jacob, if Victoria is in the forest when Charlie's there-" I started.
"I know. That's why I've come, on behalf of the Quileutes, to ask for your help in patrolling the forest up here."
"Work together?" Alice said, scrunching up her nose.
"He's right. We'd cover more ground and 'end this faster'." Edward said.
"Don't go poking around in my head," Jake grumbled. Edward responded with a silent look, glancing from 'nesmee to him.
"Enough." Carlisle started. "Jacob has a point. But we need to set some ground rules."
The Cullens agreed to help, of course, to keep watch over Forks. They would split themselves and their abilities in half to do that and hunt for Victoria. Meanwhile, the Wolves looked after La Push, all the way up to the treaty line. Apparently, it was a few miles before you reached Forks, coming from La Push.
There were indeed some killings, the whole town knew already, it just hadn't reached me in La Push yet. Alice confirmed that in her vision, the others she saw had bright red eyes.
"Newborns," Jasper murmured. He was the calmest I had ever seen him.
"What's that?" I asked.
"In their first year, after being turned, a vampire's eyes are bright red. During this, they're also the strongest because their own blood lingers in their tissues. Over time, that strength lessens to an average amount for a vampire. Around a year."
"You think she's building an army?" Edward asked. Jasper paced slightly, seemingly in place, with his elbow resting on his arm. For what? Just to kill me?
"She might be thinking she'll need numbers at her side to get to Bella. After she's seen the wolves, it's possible she feels she should add more 'fighters'."
"But they're just children?" Alice said.
"Fodder. They don't have to be good at fighting," Jasper said, almost coldly.
"A meat shield," Edward said.
"So many children robbed of their lives and without guidance," Carlisle hummed. Esme rubbed his back in an effort to comfort him.
"She has to be stopped."
"I have to keep Charlie from going in there. He's going to get killed!" I shouted. They looked at each other.
"I went to Bella's house; it wasn't Victoria's scent in her room," Alice said.
"Perhaps it was just to get a shirt of hers. She could have ordered him..." Edward stopped himself mid-sentence.
"That vampire didn't hurt Charlie," I said. "He could have."
"Hard to say why not." He said softly.
"Maybe in case your father ever got a lead to where you could be and she'd follow that," Jasper said.
"What if...I told him to not go, to hold off a while?" I said.
"It's his job to protect the town. He'd want to keep the 'bears' from reaching the tree line," Carlisle said.
I had hoped that my suddenly appearing and asking him might get him to listen and do what I said. But he wouldn't, and I didn't have a good reason why he shouldn't hunt for bears. "There's things killing people, but they're not bears. Just don't go. People are already taking care of it?" Charlie wouldn't accept that.
My heart ached. I felt guilty for attracting this danger to him. I couldn't imagine something happening and never being able to see him again.
I just wanted to see Charlie again, right? I wasn't pregnant anymore, but he would ground me, forbid me to leave again- he might even suspect the Cullens even more if I just suddenly appeared after they did. Maybe he won't ground me long, not that I could allow him to do that, but he'd do the former.
I wasn't ever going to see him again.
"I wouldn't be able to convince him," I admitted, and the conversation continued.
"Why is it just Victoria?" Alice asked.
"Maybe she and Laurent weren't that close. Even nomads fear-" Edward abruptly stopped.
"Fear what?" Jacob huffed. "He definitely would've wet his pants when we dealt with him. If vampires could still, you know." He added with a satisfied smirk.
"You killed him?" Jasper asked.
"That's right. We did." He answered.
"We should do some training in the field," Jasper continued.
"He's right. None of us have any experience fighting so many. Perhaps the wolves should join," Edward said. Jasper seemed somewhat interested in the idea.
"And he does?" Jacob asked pointedly.
"It's part of his past. You don't need to know." Alice said.
"Have any of you-" Jacob started.
"No. And we never would." Edward answered.
"Alright. I'll run it past the others. Not sure what good it'll do."
"If the elders allow it, and are comfortable with it, we could at least wrestle, so you're familiarized with fighting our kind," Carlisle said. Jake sat up straighter.
"Alright, should be good."
"Try not to be so happy about it," I said.
"Then we'll meet in three days' time," Jasper said, then proceeded to rattle off some coordinates.
"That should be it for now," Carlisle signaled.
"Great. Time to go home Bells. The Elders are waiting." Jake said somberly. I patted 'nesmee's back who nestled into me.
"Should you meet them alone?" Edward asked.
"I can handle them." I hoped I could, this time.
Dear Elizabeth, your comment was the greatest. I actually did have other stuff but at the time there was some weirdness with a commenter, something about being recruited by someone to recruit writers for distribution I think, and I took it down with the intention of editing them and making them better. But I just hadn't done that. Right now, the only things I'm proud of are this story and Requiem found in my My Number's Up story. I don't think I gave it its own spot yet. But thank you for asking, it was a great compliment.
Thank you everyone for reading, for giving me your time, and...be prepared for a slight hiatus. We're at CH.25 and I'm still writing 27.