Previously:

"... don't you fucking blame me for everyone else's shit. Jake's got to take responsibility for his own actions."

Bella breathed heavily as her adrenaline began to wane, but Sam just looked at her enigmatically. Realizing he wasn't going to say anything, Bella rolled her eyes and held the door open with a huff. "Come on. Emily's getting dinner ready."


Chapter 8: Sleepover

After dinner, Bella called her dad to let him know she was staying overnight at Emily's. She hinted that she might even stay a couple more days and to her surprise Charlie was totally ok with it. He was very supportive of her hanging out with her "other" friends—meaning anyone who wasn't a Cullen.

Emily poked her head out the front door and saw her on the porch. "Oh good! You're off the phone. I just wanted to ask if you'd like tea or coffee. I'm getting them started now."

"Decaf?" Bella asked hopefully.

"No only regular, sorry. I have herbal tea if you want?" Emily offered.

"Yeah tea would be great, thanks. I have one more call to make and then I'll be in."

At Emily's curious look, Bella specified, "Edward."

"Ah," Emily replied in understanding. "Good luck with that."

Bella gave her a flat look. "Thanks."

Emily smirked and headed back inside.

Bella stared at her phone and willed the battery to die or give her any other excuse to avoid this conversation. She didn't hold out hope that Edward would be fine with her staying in La Push overnight, much less several days. She was determined to stay with Brady until he was fully recuperated and nothing Edward could say would change her mind.

With that resolve, Bella took the plunge and called Edward.

"Hello, my love," Edward answered. "Are you coming home soon?"

"Hi Edward. There's been a bit of an incident here. I'm fine," she hastened to reassure him, "but Brady was in a fight. He's injured and bed-ridden. He's going to be ok, but I'm going to stay here tonight to look after him."

"Absolutely not! Stay overnight on the dogs' territory? No, Bella. Come home," Edward demanded. "Surely someone else can take care of him."

Bella was annoyed but not surprised by Edward's lack of understanding. She tried to explain. "I'm his imprint. It's my responsibility and anyway I want to be here. I need to make sure he's ok."

Edward switched tactics and his voice was suddenly honey-sweet. "It's admirable of you to want to discourage your duties but you take too much upon yourself. Doesn't the boy have a family? If not, then Sam as his alpha would be the most proper choice to monitor his recuperation."

Bella tightened her fists on the porch swing and told herself to stay calm. "Edward, you can't keep ignoring the imprint. Remember we talked about making room for Brady in our lives? This is part of it. Right now I need to be with him. It'll probably be just a few nights."

"A. Few. Nights." Edward growled angrily. "That's unacceptable! I don't want you with those dogs for even one night and now you say you're staying multiple?" Edward sounded nearly hysterical.

There was some rustling on the other end, a few doors closed, and then the call sounded loud and windy. "Get to the treaty line. I'm coming to pick you up."

"What!" Bella yelled loudly. She shot out of the swing and started pacing angrily. "You might as well turn back now because I'm not going to be there."

"Fine," Edward said defiantly. "In that case, I suppose I'll be forced to come and get you."

Bella gasped. Was he out of his mind? "No! The treaty, Edward! The wolves won't let you on their land and I don't want anyone to get hurt."

A large warm hand cupped Bella's shoulder and turned her around. Sam was staring at the phone in her hand menacingly. "Let me talk to him."

Bella willingly gave up the phone and hoped Sam would have success where she didn't.

"This is Sam Uley," he said calmly.

He listened to Edward and then shot a look at Bella. "Apparently your fiancé doesn't want to see you right now, and since you're not allowed on our land, I guess you're out of luck."

Sam rolled his eyes as Edward spoke again. "If Bella wants to stay here with Brady, that's her choice. As an imprint, she's welcome in my house whenever she wants."

Bella was surprised. She knew Emily was happy to have her around, but that was more of an invitation than she'd ever received from Sam directly.

Whatever Edward said next really pissed Sam off because his face got hard and his voice was deadly. "Know this. I already sent wolves to the border. The second you step one toe over the line, they'll be ready to defend our land. Once you break the treaty, there's no going back."

Bella shivered at the menace in Sam's tone. Sometimes she was so wrapped up in being Switzerland that she forgot how much he truly hated vampires, the Cullens included. It wasn't a pleasant thought.

Sam's voice snapped her out of her dark musings. "Good. Don't let it happened again."

Bella looked at him for some hint of what happened, but Sam was as stoic as ever. He handed her the phone and she realized that the line was still open.

"Edward?"

"My love, I decided it was best to turn back home," Edward said and Bella sighed in relief. "I apologize if I worried you. Are you sure I can't persuade you to come home tonight?"

Bella shook her head. "No, I'm staying here. I'm sorry I've made you so upset, but this is important to me."

"I understand, my darling, but please at least agree to meet me tomorrow," Edward begged.

"I'll try, but I can't make any promises," Bella said. She felt some guilt denying him but not that much because she was upset, too. "Brady still hasn't woken up and I don't want to leave him for long. Speaking of which, I really need to get back. I'll call you tomorrow, ok?"

Edward reluctantly agreed and Bella said a quick goodbye.

Bella groaned to herself from the stress and headed inside. Emily was ready with a cup of tea and they decided to have their drinks in Brady's room.

Once they settled comfortably in their chairs by the bedside, Emily couldn't hold her curiosity any longer. "So? What happened? I saw Sam go out there with you but he didn't tell me anything."

Bella sighed and took a sip of her mint tea. It was no coffee but it wasn't bad either. "I suppose the wolves heard everything."

Emily gave her a sympathetic look. "You get used to it after a while. What I find more annoying is being out of the loop."

Bella laughed. "Yeah yeah alright." Then she took a deep breath and admitted, "Edward threatened to go over the treaty line to get me."

"No!" Emily gasped.

Bella held the warm mug between her hands and stared into the water as if it would give her answers.

"How did he think he'd get away with that?" Emily asked incredulously.

Bella shook her head. "It doesn't seem like he was thinking. All he was focused on was preventing me from staying here at all costs."

Emily stiffened and looked at Bella carefully. "Does he do that a lot—control where you can go?"

Bella shot Emily a confused look. "No. I mean, not really. He just worries about my safety a lot."

Emily looked away and nodded, but Bella didn't think she really understood. "I was harassed by these guys in Port Angeles once and Edward saved me. He also saved me from a car accident and nomad vampires." Bella tried to explain but it didn't seem like Emily agreed. "He calls me a danger magnet. That's how often he's had to save my life. It can be annoying that he's so overprotective but even I'll admit that he has a reason to be."

"Sure," Emily replied with a tight smile. Then she changed the subject. "Unfortunately, we don't have another guest room but I'll make up the couch for you."

Bella gladly let the subject of Edward drop. "I'd rather be in here in case Brady wakes up. Do you have a sleeping bag or something I can borrow? I'll be fine on the floor."

"Are you sure?" Emily asked skeptically. "It'll be so much more comfortable on the couch."

Bella assured her that's what she wanted to do.

"Ok then," Emily reluctantly agreed. "I have a kid's futon that we use for Claire when she and her parents come over. It's really small, but I'll pull it out. You can decide for yourself if you want to sleep on it."

Emily wasn't exaggerating. Bella's feet and calves dangled off the end, but if she scrunched up on her side, it wasn't so bad. In any case, it was better than laying on the floor, so Bella thankfully took it.

"I have to go clean up the kitchen now," Emily said after sorting out Bella's bedding. "If you get uncomfortable, don't hesitate to move to the couch."

Bella thanked Emily as she left and was glad to finally have a moment alone to process everything. Edward really scared her tonight. He or the wolves could have been seriously hurt if he hadn't turned around. She pushed down the guilt she felt from making him so upset. She knew without a doubt that staying with Brady was the right thing to do.

Emily's question lingered in her mind. Does Edward control where she goes? Bella had to admit that it felt like that more and more since the imprint. He was so insistent she stayed away from La Push. She'd always understood Edward's overprotectiveness in the past but this incident made her see how dangerous it could be.

Brady made a noise and Bella's gaze flew to his face. Disappointment flooded her when she saw he was still asleep. She curled up on the tiny futon feeling sad and lonely. The last thought she recalled before falling asleep was that everything would be better once Brady woke up.

The next morning, Emily poked her head in the room, waking Bella up. "Oh sorry!" she whispered. "There's coffee and breakfast ready if you're interested."

Bella groaned. Her shoulder and hip ached from the small futon. She squinted at Emily blearily and told her she'd be out soon.

Bella was rubbing the sleep out of her eyes when another voice spoke. "Bella?"

She gasped and scrambled up to stand by the bed. "Brady!" she whispered emotionally. She grabbed his hand and hugged it to her chest. "How are you feeling?"

Brady's hair was adorably sticking up on one side from sleep. He looked a little disoriented but not like he was in too much pain.

"What's going on?" he asked, looking around the room distractedly. "Where am I?"

"We're in Emily's guest room," Bella informed him. "You got in a fight with Jake last night. Do you remember?"

Brady looked at their entwined hands and then at Bella's concerned face. "You were petting me—my wolf, I mean—and then we were in your car."

Bella smiled brightly. "Yes, exactly. Paul helped me get you to Emily's and Sue took a look at you.

"What's the damage?" Brady asked. He groaned as he tried to sit up and lay back down.

"Sue thinks you bruised your ribs, so you need to get plenty of rest. No phasing for three to five days. You also have some nasty bites and scratches."

"At least I'm off patrol," he grumbled.

Bella chuckled and smiled at him. "I guess that's a silver lining."

Brady met her gaze. He had an odd look in his eye that Bella couldn't decipher. "I can't believe you're here."

Bella squeezed the hand she held affectionately. "Of course. There's no place I rather be right now than with you."

Brady's cheeks darkened and she wondered if she'd embarrassed him. "I'm going to stay here for the next few days until you're feeling better. I'm not sure what we're going to tell your mom, but I'll talk to Emily and Sam and see what they say."

Bella got up to do just that when Brady stopped her. "Don't go!" With a panicked expression, he grabbed her hand tighter and prevented her from moving away from the bed. "Stay a little longer. Please?"

Bella's brow furrowed at his distress but quickly smoothed out in a reassuring smile. "Of course. Whatever you want."

"I just...feel better with you here," he confessed shyly.

A strong protective feeling washed over Bella. She couldn't tell if it came from the imprint bond or if it was a natural part of their friendship. She wasn't sure it mattered. In any case, she knew if her presence could make Brady's recover easier, she'd fight tooth and nail to stay.

"I'm not going anywhere," she promised him. Then she filled him in on the rest of the events he'd missed when he was passed out, excluding Edward's mishap with the treaty line. Bella didn't think he needed to worry about that.

Brady groaned and covered his face with the hand not holding Bella's. "I can't believe Paul had to save me." He dragged his hand down his face. "What was I thinking—taking on Jake? There's no way I could win."

Bella hesitated and then asked, "Why did you do it? Was it just about what he said?"

Brady instantly started shaking and Bella stood up in alarm. He was rattling the bed and making her arm quiver through their connection. Brady tried to let go but Bella wouldn't let him. He looked at her in panic.

"No." Bella was calm but firm as she sat back down. "You can control this. Just take a deep breath. I'm not going anywhere."

Brady stared into Bella's eyes as they breathed together. Eventually after a couple minutes, Brady was back to normal.

"Thanks." He smiled sheepishly. "Just thinking about it makes me so angry."

Bella thought carefully about what to say. "Do you remember our conversation about Paul?"

Brady furrowed his brow in confusion. "You said you don't care about what he says to you, but that's Paul. Jake's your best friend! Don't try to tell me the crap he said didn't bother you because I know it did. I couldn't stand by watching you be shocked and hurt and do nothing."

Bella's face cleared with realization. "You attacked Jake because he upset me."

Brady's defiant look dared her to argue that she hadn't been hurt.

Bella sighed. She couldn't have Brady fighting everyone who upset her. "I appreciate you standing up for me—I really do—but I need to stand up for myself. Honestly, I hide behind the pack and the Cullens too much. It was necessary when everyone was protecting me from Victoria but having an argument with Jake isn't something I need protection from. That's something I need to do on my own. Does that make sense?"

Brady nodded slowly and absorbed what she said. "Everyone's trying to control your life. You want more agency."

Bella was stunned at how well Brady understood. "Yes, that's exactly how I feel." She didn't want to sound ungrateful for what he did, so she added, "I know it comes from a good place though."

"Don't worry," Brady said with a yawn. "I know what I did was stupid. It had more to do with my wolf-sized anger issues than anything."

Bella frowned with concern. "You still look tired. Are you in any pain?"

"I'm fine," Brady insisted but another yawn said otherwise.

Bella urged Brady to get some more sleep and it only took a little convincing. She felt such a relief at seeing him and speaking to him. It was like a huge weight was lifted from her chest and she could finally breathe again.


AN: I updated Chapter 1 to better fit my current writing style. Feel free to take a look if you'd like, but it's not necessary since I didn't change any of the plot.

Hope you enjoyed!