Chapter 34

Sunday dawned bright and sunny and for the first time I woke up I my Fiancés arms as the sun began to shine into our room.

I half sat up to be able to see Jasper's face and he smiled down at me before I heard someone yell.

"She's awake!"

I blinked in sleepy confusion before realising that voice was familiar.

"Alice?" I asked Jasper. He grinned and nodded, and I went to jump out of bed.

Though my feet were tangled in the sheets and I would have fallen flat on my face if Jasper hadn't caught me.

"I honestly can't say if I'll miss this or not after your change." He chuckled as he helped me stand.

"I can honestly say I won't." I laughed in response.

"Maybe you'll be the first clumsy vampire?" He smirked.

I just glared at him in response, trying to master a glare that would even make a vampire scared.

"Ooh, I'm shakin' in my boots." He laughed, and gently tapped my nose making me melt a little.

I began looking around for some clean clothes so I could run out and see Alice without showing the whole family everything. From the sounds of laughter and distant chatting I could hear everyone was home.

Jasper handed me some joggers and a long-sleeved t-shirt as I hastily slipped my underwear on. I was incredibly thankful I had decided to shower the previous night before going to bed.

Finally decent, I flung the bedroom door open intent on running to see Alice. I had missed my friend, my sister for all intents and purposes in the last few months.

Instead, I flung the door open and promptly crashed into her tiny granite body.

"Bella!" She practically yelled as she wrapped her arms around me. "Congratulations! I saw and I knew I had to come and see you and celebrate and so we could start planning." She began.

"Alice!" I finally recovered enough from my shock of slamming into her. "Thank you, and yes to celebrating but no to planning, not yet." I laughed.

She play pouted in response before unwrapping me and looking intently at my left hand.

"Not traditional, but I like it." She answered.

We were then joined by Jasper in the door and Alice launched herself at him and offered her congratulations again.

"I might upgrade it one day, but we like the sentimental value of this one." Jasper said as he kissed the top of my head before quickly hugging Alice.

"I can't believe I didn't see it until right when it happened." She began blabbering again. "Jasper once again you have surprised me!" She laughed, letting go of him. "Now come on you two, everyone else wants to congratulate you."

And so, we were dragged down the stairs by the little pixie, and handed around to hugs and kisses and congratulations from everyone.

Edward was very proper but gave me a sweet kiss on the cheek and welcomed me to the family, Rosalie gave me a genuine smile and a very brief hug, Esme and Carlisle beamed as we hugged, and Emmett span me around while laughing like a maniac. Bree hung back, partly because we hadn't been close in a long time, and partly because I knew she was still hesitant with groups and physical touch. Scars from her time with Victoria, and I suspected scars from her human life too.

She did offer her sincere congratulations and a bright smile though. It was a beautiful thing to see such a bright smile on her once weary face. The first time I saw her it looked like she hadn't genuinely smiled in years, the sadness seemed to have seeped into her bones.

I was a little shocked to see just how golden her eyes were though. I had wrongly assumed they would still be quite red, but Alice had reported Bree took to the Cullen's lifestyle like a duck to water. Though there had been some near misses. She was still a newborn after all, and her success had depended entirely on the support she was able to receive.

Once everyone had calmed down, I was able to make myself some breakfast and was joined at the island bench by Alice.

I saw Jasper and Bree walk out the back doors, and I knew he would have picked up on the overwhelming feelings and would hopefully help her. While I hadn't been able to go and visit, Jasper had a couple of times and from what he told me I think he and Bree would be close one day. I could see him having a similar relationship to her as Emmett did to me. And as the newest vegetarian I knew he would have a lot of advice for her. And soon me too.

Alice and I were catching up, I asked her again not to start planning the wedding, I just wanted to enjoy being engaged for a while, and instead she began showing me photos of potential prom dresses. It was only two weeks away, next week being finals week, then that last kind of useless week of school where we were all just waiting for our results and getting ready for prom and graduation.

Once again, I was fifty-fifty on it. I really wanted to wear the shoes Alice had sent, and the thought of dancing in Jasper's arms wasn't too daunting, but the whole spectacle was a lot.

But seeing as I wasn't letting Alice plan my wedding just yet, I let her have this one.

I finished my breakfast and cleaned up as Alice continued planning.

"Wait!" She just about yelled. "Bella, I need to do your hair and we need to get photos."

"We really don't need to Alice." I tried to reason.

"Oh, we absolutely do, I want you to be able to remember this forever."

And so, I was off to be Bella Barbie.

…

After a day full of seeing everyone, being made up, and having what felt like thousands of photos taken, I was grateful to have Jasper drive me home in the evening for dinner with Charlie.

I tossed up whether I was going to tell Charlie yet, and ultimately Jasper left the decision up to me, and I decided to wait. While I was sure my dad would be happy for me, I also knew there would be a lot of 'you're so young, don't rush' and the like. So, I decided to keep this a little more private for a while longer.

In the meantime, I also decided to continue wearing the ring on my index finger rather than my ring finger. Just as I had been wearing it for the last few months. I felt naked without it, especially now, but it was more inconspicuous. And all I wanted for my last weeks at school was to be inconspicuous. I had experienced more than my fair share of rumours while at Forks High, and I would do anything to avoid going back there.

Jasper stayed for dinner with Charlie and I, though Dad had finally stopped asking Jasper if he wanted to eat, and then Jasper made a show of saying goodbye when I was about ready for bed. I knew he would just go and drop the car off before coming back, but it was important to respect Charlie's wishes with Jasper not staying. Especially not on a school night.

I was just about to head upstairs when Dad called out to me and asked me to come into the living room.

He started making some small talk, asking how Alice was and how Seattle was.

"Your hair looks lovely Bella, different to how you usually wear it." He spoke.

I pulled the end of the braid into my hands and played with it, a little embarrassed but Charlie's rare compliment. Alice had played around with what felt like a million tools and products, and the resulting braid could have come straight from a fashion set, but for once I enjoyed the result. And it looked beautiful in the photos I had seen as well.

"Thanks Dad, Alice wanted to play with my hair this morning while we visited." A half-truth.

"I hope she's doing better now, scary to think she just had a massive seizure and has ended up in hospital for months." He said, and I could hear the scepticism in his voice.

"Yeah, it was weird, I mean they knew she was having small seizures and she was on medication but then they had to look for new treatments after that and the medication isn't working." I began, repeating the story spread around town.

"Bella, you can't lie for shit, I know Alice isn't in hospital."

Well shit.

"And you can stop looking like a deer in the headlights, I'm not going to ask too many questions." He continued. "I like Alice, she's good people, so I just want to know that she is okay and there isn't any sort of danger?"

"How long have you known Dad?" I asked, worried about all the other lies he had caught me in.

"Pretty much since she left. Now please answer my questions."

"Okay, she's fine, she's more than fine actually and she's safe." I offered no more details.

Charlie let out a grunt of dissatisfaction from my answer.

"Well, that is what I asked I guess." He just about growled. "Now, please tell me you aren't about to just disappear on me like that?" He practically begged.

I knew I was making the deer in the headlights face again when Charlie reached out and grabbed one of my hands.

"I don't know what I would do Bella if you just disappeared, and I never saw you again." He took a deep breath. "I know there is something big going on, and I am trying my hardest to avoid asking the questions that seem to get brushed off by everyone." Another deep breath. "But I also know more than anyone else in town and after going through everything I have and seeing all of that mess with Harry, I don't think it's fair of you to disappear on me."

I felt my eyes begin to sting with the start of tears.

"There is so much I wish I could tell you Dad, but the answer is I don't know." I stopped to gather my thoughts.

"The things you have seen, with all of that mess at Billy's, you never should have seen. And neither should I. What I know has put me in danger, and that danger is the reason I'll have to leave Dad."

"Surely there is another way, I can protect you Bells." He was crying too.

I wiped the tears from my cheeks and sunk down onto the ground in front of where my dad was sitting.

"I love you, and I know you want to protect me, but you can't. Not from this, it's my turn to protect you." I was crying even harder. "And I promise I will do everything I can to work out exactly how I can stay somewhat in touch with you Dad, but things will be different, and it will be a while before you see me again, and you won't be able to tell anyone anything."

Charlie began running his fingers through the loose hair that had been artfully framing my face, and then wiped some of my tears from my cheek as the fell.

"All I ask Bella; is don't let me think you're dead. That would kill me."

I looked into his eyes, and for the first time in all of this, I knew I wasn't lying to my dad.

"I promise, I promise you'll know I'm alive. I'll be safe Dad and I'll keep you safe."

And like I was a little kid, I sat there with my head leaning into my dad's knees while he stroked my hair and I thought about my promise.

Disappearing would kill him. But Charlie knew things already.

Could he handle seeing me after my change?

And had I just damned my dad if the wrong people found out he knew.

But I couldn't sit there and lie to his face when he asked me questions like that. And I don't think I could live with the guilt if I had been responsible for breaking his heart by disappearing on him.

I don't know how long I laid there beside my dad before I finally dried my tears and said good night. He kissed the top of my head sweetly, like he always did when I was little, and I forced myself to make my way upstairs.

The only thing propelling me up the stairs was that ever present pull in my chest that reminded me where Jasper was. He held me in his arms and let some calmness envelope me.

"Did you hear any of that?" I whispered.

"Only the end, I heard your promise to Charlie." He answered, his hand rubbing my back soothingly.

"Did I do the wrong thing? Have I put him in danger?" I asked. My voice all quiet and childlike.

"No, and I promise you we will make sure Charlie is safe, for the rest of his life, and I promise he'll be able to know you still." He paused while I let that sink in. "We won't tell him anything he doesn't need to know, and it will be a while before you'll be able to see him again, but he won't be in any more danger than he was already in."

…..

Finals were over.

On a drizzly Friday afternoon my high school career had drawn to a close. Well, the first one anyway.

All the tests were done, assignments were turned in, and if my gut feeling was anything to go by, I was confident in it all.

And I had a little bird-like vampire telling me I had passed with flying colours. All I had left was prom, and then next week we graduated.

Finally, Alice had convinced me to attend prom on Saturday evening, and she had arranged a dress for me. I hadn't seen it yet but was content enough to leave it a surprise and let her work her magic and turn me into a suitably dressed prom attendee.

But before sitting down to be Bella barbie once again, she was making up for lost time, I was headed to visit Jacob.

Everyone else needed to hunt, especially Jasper and Edward, and Bree had stayed in Forks with Alice so could always do with a top up hunt, so I decided one more visit to see everyone up on the coast was a perfect way to spend half a day.

Charlie was more than happy to drive me as he was headed to Billy's, and Jacob had offered to take me halfway back so I could get ready in time. I was sick and tired of being without a car, but likely only a week or two away from never actually needing one again.

Charlie and I chatted as he drove, talking about school and college and the like. I had finally given in after the last weekend's break down and admitted I wasn't going to college. He wasn't happy but after reassurances that it wasn't a 'I'm never going' and more of a 'I'm not going yet' he had agreed to go along with pretending I was going to college.

I had the fake acceptance letters pending my final results. Renee was under the impression I was going to the University of Washington. A good school, but not so prestigious we were risking anyone looking too closely.

Somehow Charlie understood that Renee wouldn't be able to handle knowing what he did. And he promised me he would never tell her anything otherwise. Renee would only ever know the public storey.

Jacob and I left Billy's quickly, I only had half the day with the weather warming up, I wanted to head to the beach. And well Jacob never took much convincing to head to the beach.

"So, thinking of crashing my prom again tonight?" I joked as we made our way down the path from the parking lot.

Jake laughed in response.

"Nah, smells like leeches down in Forks, my nose would rather I didn't."

"Har-har, very funny Jake." I elbowed him in the ribs good naturedly.

"What? I'm sure they all say the same of me?" He snorted again. "But no, I will leave you to have your prom in peace, I'm out on patrol later."

We had made it onto the rocky beach now and were walking towards the northern end of the beach, where the trees grew down towards the water.

"You seem to be patrolling a lot lately, even after the situation has been gone for months." I sked, genuinely shocked by the amount Jacob was patrolling.

"Yeah, well to be honest it isn't just patrol," He paused. "Sam and I are spending a lot of time running and he's helping me to be a better leader, seeing as technically I'm supposed to be the Alpha."

"I thought Sam was Alpha because he phased first?" I questioned.

"Well, he took the position first, but by birthright it is supposed to be mine. And when I phased I was too immature for it, and even though it hasn't even been a year yet, I know I've grown up and Sam doesn't want to keep the title forever."

"That's really cool Jake. I'm proud of you for growing up and all that."

"Yeah, it's scary though." We continued walking and I could almost hear the cogs turning in Jacob's thoughts. "We're all growing up, I'm taking over the pack, you're finished up at school, what's next? In a year you'll call me and say you're getting married?" He laughed, "We really are getting old."

I couldn't help but giggle.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm never getting old, I'm staying eighteen forever." He laughed with me there. "But as for the getting married part…" I let my sentence trail off as I quickly slipped my ring off my index finger and onto my ring finger.

I had slowed down a little as I was concentrating on moving my ring without losing it, and Jacob had ended up a few feet in front of me.

He stopped and turned back, and I did possibly the goriest thing I ever had and held up my left hand to show off the ring.

"Wait are you for real?" He asked, shocked and staring at me with a huge open grin.

All I could do was beam and nod in response.

He quickly stepped back to me and had me in one of his bear hugs, swinging me around in excitement just as Emmett had when he heard the news.

"I'm really happy for you Bella, I may not understand being attracted to a vampire, but I can see the love between you to." He finally put me down on my feet and we continued our path towards the trees.

"So, when's the wedding?" He asked.

"I have no idea and no intention on planning much of it yet." I laughed. "Though I do have one thing I wanted to ask you?" We kept walking and I waited for his grunt of approval to continue. "Want to be my best man?"

"Of course! But aren't you meant to have a maid of honour or something?" He laughed, draping his arm across my shoulders in a hug as we continued walking.

"Eh, I'm not really one to follow tradition, am I?"

"Certainly not." He responded.

We continued our walk and chatting, and slowly it began to drizzle slightly with rain. We weren't expecting any significant rain today, the weather report had certainly looked clear, so we moved a little faster to get under the trees and keep somewhat sheltered.

We made it under the trees just as the sky began to open just a little more than I really wanted to walk in, and instead I began to look for somewhere to sit. We just kept wandering along the well-trodden path we had walked through so many times before.

A buzz in the back of my jeans alerted me to a new text message, which when I checked was from Rosalie.

I left early, call me if you need a lift before anyone else is home.

I quickly sent my thanks, but still hoped Alice or Jasper or anyone else would be home soon. I didn't want to trouble Rosalie to come and get me, even if we had been on much better terms in the last few months. I was even sure one day I would call her a friend and sister.

I spied a large fallen log ahead of us under a particularly dense patch of canopy, a tree we ad sat on a hundred times before, and the perfect place to sit out the little rainstorm.

I patted the log thoroughly and once I was sure it was dry, I sat. Jacob on the other hand was sprawled out, propped up against a branch that extended straight up. Like an old king on his thrown. I had a little giggle at the thought.

We chatted, and reminisced, and I tried not to cry as I realised this was likely the last time we would hang out like this. Next week Jasper and I would probably disappear, we'd lay some sort of trail as to what happened and fake deaths, and I would forever say goodbye to my human life.

"It's happening real soon, isn't it?" Jacob asked.

"Yeah, within a month." I answered, not quite willing to tell him how soon, I knew there was a possibility it was still a sore spot.

"Are you scared?"

I nodded.

"But I'm more excited. I've done my mourning for my human life, and it was nearly a year ago that I finally committed to this. I'm ready."

"As long as you're sure Bells."

"I've never been surer of anything in my life." I said with a content smile.

I could hear the rain around us had stopped, and I looked up to see the blue sky beginning to peak through. I leaned back slightly with my hands behind me on the log, enjoying the brief glimpse of sunshine.

And then I felt a fire like burn on the back of my right hand.

I jumped up and swatted at my hand, only to see one of the biggest ants I had ever seen clinging to my hand.

I flicked it with my other hand and yelped, and it went sailing through the air, directly at Jacob who managed to dodge it.

"What the fuck was that?" He asked, standing, and moving beside me.

"A giant ant bit me!" I exclaimed. "It fucking hurt!"

Jacob leaned over the log to have a look and as he let out a noise of recognition, I felt another stabbing bite, this time on my wrist, just above the last one.

I swatted at it again, this time squashing the large bug and frantically began swatting and wiping down my arms, desperate to see if there were any others.

"There's a whole nest of them here." He said as he looked at me again. "They look like harvester ants." He added matter-of-factly.

"I don't care what kind of ants they are, it hurts, and I want to make sure there aren't more of them." I answered as I slipped by light jacket off and began to shake it out.

Jacob grabbed the jacket from me and gave it a couple of hard shakes and finally I was satisfied there were no more ants.

I let him hold it open for me and quickly zipped it back up again to protect myself from the cool breeze.

"You okay?" He asked, taking my right hand and looking at the bite sites.

"Yeah, I'll be fine." I said, then looked at my hand properly, which was looking a bit red and angry. Both bites had already swelled slightly into white lumps, and the burn from the bites was persisting.

"Actually, I think we should head back to the car, just in case." I said, suddenly remembering the talk Carlisle had given me about allergies all those months ago after I found out about the bees. "I left my bag with my epi-pen in the car."

"Say no more." Jacob said as he scooped me up and began running.

"Hey, put me down Shrek, I can still walk." I laughed.

"Nope, not taking any chances with you, those vamps would drain me in a heartbeat if they thought I was responsible for something happening to you." He answered, only half joking.

We were on the beach and travelling far faster than any human had a right to be, but Jacob didn't care. He was on a mission to get to my bag and make sure I was okay.

And as we travelled further, I began to feel the burning spread, and suddenly it felt like my arm was on fire.

And then the itching began.

I lifted my sleeve slightly to allow myself access to scratch at the sensation and saw my hand and most of my lower arm were breaking out in hives.

I felt the blood drain from my face.

Jacob must have heard the increase in my heart rate because he seemed to push himself even further passed human speed. For just a moment I let myself be shocked, I hadn't realised how fast he could move in this body. I began to feel dizzy, and I was sure it wasn't vertigo from the speed.

And then Jacob was placing me on the hood of the car and throwing the door open, the metal protesting at the strength in which he flung it.

He was in front of me again with my bag in his hands, and he handed it to be to grab my medication.

My hands were shaking as I flicked the top cap off, and I took a deep breath and held it before gathering the strength to stick myself with it.

My stomach was churning and suddenly I felt too weak to hold the pen properly.

"Jake," I whispered as I felt that hot rushing inside my head and I slumped forward as my stomach heaved and emptied itself in the parking lot.

"I've got you Bella, I'm here." He soothed me as he grabbed the pen from my weak hand and helped me to sit back up.

When I wasn't able to keep myself sitting up, he gently leaned me back, and I felt the pressure as he finally injected the medication into my upper thigh before he dropped it.

I felt my body shaking uncontrollably, and while the feeling of actively dying was leaving me, I knew I needed to get to a hospital fast.

Jacob scooped me up and placed me in the passenger seat, threw my bag in by my feet, and suddenly we were flying out of the parking lot.

I could hear a mix of the engine of Jacob's little car screaming in protest, the rushing in my ears like when you're about to faint, and my own heartbeat.

This was not good at all.

"Hang in there Bella, I'll get you to the hospital and you'll be fine." He said, almost in a prayer.

I tried to ignore the itch that was like nothing I had ever felt in my arm and reached into my back pocket for my phone.

I could barely string enough thoughts together to correctly get my phone unlocked.

I opened my messages to get Jasper's number up when I saw Rosalie's text.

I left early, call me if you need a lift before anyone else is home.

She was my closest help.

I pressed the call button.

It rang once, my heartbeat thudded as I waited. I could feel my face tingling as the swelling inevitably started.

It rang a second time, and I felt my stomach lurch as Jacob sped around a corner.

Just before the third ring, she answered.

"Hi Bella." Her beautiful voice was like that of an angel.

"Rose, help, I've been stung by an ant, Jake's driving to hospital." I gasped out. My breaths were coming shorter and sharper, the wheezing setting in.

"I'm on my way Bella, stay with me." She answered straight away, and I heard something hit the ground. "Put the phone on speaker please." She asked.

I took it away from my ear and pressed the speaker button, the phone nearly falling out of my hand.

Rosalie began barking questions at Jacob and he gave quick, succinct answers.

"Stay with us Bella," Rosalie practically begged. "I'm on my way, I have more meds." She said and I could hear the wind rushing past her as she ran.

Or maybe that was the ringing in my ears.

I heard Jacob tell Rosalie where we were, and ever so slowly I began to see black begin to take over my field of vision.

I closed my eyes. It was so hard to keep them open.

I heard Jacob yelling, and I tried so hard to answer. I think I grunted.

I felt a sharp, hard rubbing in the centre of my chest and my eyes fluttered open again.

"Good girl, stay awake." Jake said. One hand on the wheel, one hand rubbing at my sternum.

"I'm nearly there Bella." I heard Rose from wherever my phone lay abandoned.

The ringing in my ears worsened again, and I felt hot, prickly heat spread from my chest, around my back, and up my face.

I looked at my right hand laying in my lap and only say a swollen, red mess.

I forced my eyes open again and looked to Jacob, he looked panicked. Terrified. And so young.

My eyes closed again, and I worked so hard to keep them open.

Jacob's hand was again rubbing the centre of my chest but the pain of it only slightly seeped through the tingling I was feeling.

I forced my eyes open again as Jacob slammed on the breaks and we slid to a halt on the side of the road.

A blonde angel, more beautiful than anything one of the great art masters could have pained looked at me.

I forced my eyes to stay open again and tried to take enough of a breath to speak.

And then the darkness all won.