I tried so hard not to be biased against Jacob in this story after reading all the sh*t he did to Bella in Eclipse, but then he turned up at Bella's party and... I'm really sorry if you're a fan of Jacob, but... I can't include everything with Bella and Edward and exclude everything Jacob did.
Chapter 21
Carys was getting hungry, but food meant returning downstairs. Returning downstairs meant risking aggravating her mild headache under the red and purple strobing lights, and, worse still, braving a party full of people she didn't know.
Teenagers.
Ones who likely wouldn't think she belonged there in the first place because it was a graduation party. And she has an adult. And a step-mother. And, most importantly, again, an adult.
She herself didn't think she belonged there for all the same reasons. And because there were too many people in the house.
By last count, not only was every Forks High Senior present, the Juniors were in attendance as well.
It was precisely why Carys didn't invite random people to her house. She was trapped. Anxious and trapped. By people she didn't know.
Hours before, when the party had begun, the family had gathered to, apparently, greet the first of their guests. In reality, most of them had simply watched as Bella had greeted each visitor, acting the hostess immediately.
Joined by Alice and Edward, she'd made her rounds, chatting to this person and that, smiling, laughing, apparently having more fun than perhaps she'd expected to.
Alice was in her element. She'd pulled it off. The party to end all parties. For those who couldn't drink alcohol.
Emmett had enjoyed unsettling people by half hiding in the dark, grinning at them under the lights. The colours flashed over the Cullens' skin, marking them out as just a little different.
Rosalie had floated about, drawing admiring and jealous stares in equal measure until she'd taken her leave after an hour or so.
Only Jasper had managed to escape the party almost entirely. He'd made an Irish exit after the first truck-load of Bella's friends had arrived, flashing Carys and Carlisle a smug smile on his way up the stairs.
He had no shame, and thus no fear of appearing rude.
He also had the added advantage of being married to Alice. He had earned his freedom by spending the day helping her to decorate various trees lining the hidden drive with twinkling lights, transforming the open plan living area into what appeared to be an homage to Cafe de Paris in London, if Carys' memory served, and driving to Port Angeles and back to pick up the catering.
Lucky bastard.
Carys, Carlisle and Esme, on the other hand, had propped up the wall for precisely thirty minutes - to the second - before Carlisle had declared they'd made enough of an appearance for people to know the party was chaperoned, and they could therefore escape upstairs.
Carys wondered if she had ever loved him more.
While she was in their bedroom, trying to block out the worst of the pounding music - which she likely would have enjoyed in any other circumstances - he was in his study, knee deep in an article about neurosurgery, loving life.
Now, no matter how much she wanted to ask him to brave the crowds for her, she didn't want to end his happiness.
The doorbell rang for the first time in a long while, just as Carys slipped on her heels and entered the hall. It was loud enough to be heard over the music.
Alice, dressed for the occasion in a pair of red leather trousers and a sequinned camisole, passed Carys as she reached the mezzanine. Her forehead was creased, her lips set. She wasn't exactly fearful, but she was worried. It was enough to alert Carys to the cause.
"Alice?" she asked, catching her before she was out of sight of the party below. "What have you seen?"
"I need to speak to Carlisle," Alice said by way of explanation while she sped up. "It's about the battle."
The doorbell rang again, too long this time. Someone was holding down the button. Carys watched Alice disappear into Carlisle's study and close the door. An instant later, Jasper followed. Before the door closed, Edward's voice could be heard.
The bell continued to ring, drawing Carys' attention once again. Who on earth was abusing a doorbell of all things?
It cut off.
Good, she thought. It wasn't as if the door was locked in the first place. And half the house was made of glass for heaven's sake - someone should have seen and opened it.
Deciding to check on the matter anyway, she looked over the balcony and caught sight of Jacob, Embry and Quil, standing by the door.
While Embry and Quil stood nervously looking about the room, appearing on the verge of hightailing it back out, Jacob strode in, undaunted. His nose was rudely wrinkled in disgust, but he wore a grin as he shouted across the room.
Carys leaned over to search the crowd below, to see where Bella was. She was a little disappointed if she was honest with herself. Leah wasn't with them, and she'd not expected Bella to invite Jacob after their recent spats.
Only... Watching the two of them, it didn't seem as if Bella wanted him there after all. She did little more than wave before pushing through the crowd in the opposite direction.
Carys headed for the stairs, her hand trailing down the banister as she descended. Keeping an eye on Bella, on the other side of the floor, she watched as Jacob grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her towards the dark shadows by the kitchen.
Carys sped up, taking the stairs as quickly as she could in her heels.
Bella extricated herself from his grip and plunged back into the crowd, only to be yanked back out a bare moment later. Jacob had her by the wrist, dragging her with him.
The bassline thumped through Carys' chest as she reached the floor and passed the speakers.
Despite the advantage of height, she lost sight of Bella. Jacob was easy enough to spot. It was a relief they hadn't left the main area.
She squeezed and turned, side-stepping dancers, touching backs and arms to encourage people to allow her past, smiling to cover her speed and concern.
The crowd shifted.
Jacob and Bella were still together. Bella's forehead creased. She appeared worried all of a sudden while Jacob pouted, upset about something. Then Bella smiled - a fake, appeasing expression.
The crowd shifted again and Carys lost sight of them.
She let slip a violent curse.
A teenager turned to glare at her, then realised who had spoken and blanched instead. Carys didn't stop. Jacob suddenly glowered. The next second, his expression was hidden as he backed Bella into the corner.
Carys stopped, swaying as her brain squeezed painfully. She slapped her palm to her forehead and groaned, grimacing as the edges of her vision dimmed.
She didn't have time for this.
As soon as the worst was over, she made a beeline for the corner as she blinked away the rest.
By the time she reached them, Quil and Embry flanked Jacob. The werewolves had their arms crossed, hard faced as they stared down at Bella, trapped against the wall, looking far smaller when faced by them all.
Jacob must have been at least six feet six, Carys reckoned, more than a foot taller than the teenage woman. Quil and Embry topped six feet by at least a couple of inches themselves.
What the hell did they think they were doing!?
Bella searched about in appeal. When she caught sight of Carys, she called her name and nearly sagged with relief. Carys finally reached her and swept an arm around her, sparing the trio a brief glare.
"Er, Jake, I'll see you later...," Bella offered charitably. Her discomfort was abundantly clear.
Jacob threw an arm out, bracing his hand against the wall by Carys' shoulder. The move blocked their exit. "Hey," he growled, "not so fast. Tell us what's going on." His demand was just as threatening as his physical response.
Carys straightened her spine, her chin raising to a stubborn angle as she glared up at him and stepped forward, pushing Bella into the space she created behind her. If he had been cornering her alone, she would likely have been terrified, but protecting someone was different to trying to get out of a situation by herself.
It was easier. Far easier.
"I know you're not trying to bring whatever this is to my home," she ground out past clenched teeth. "If you want to bully someone tonight, I suggest you pick on someone your own size."
Jacob didn't move. He only looked her up and down. In her heels, she came close to matching Quil's height. He smirked.
"I said, your own size, Jacob Black," Carys snapped, stepping closer so that they were almost chest to chest. He radiated heat. It should have been comforting - the warmth - but it felt cloying and uncomfortable instead. "You're not even in my league," she sneered, just loudly enough to be heard by the three boys over the thumping music.
Jacob's eyes widened infinitesimally as he stared down at her, finally taking note of the fire burning behind her eyes. "The psychic saw something about the battle," he growled, "we want to know what it was."
"I don't know what she saw," Bella complained as she peeked out from behind Carys' back. "I told you. That's why I was trying to find her in the first place."
Carys accepted Bella's interjection with a glance and a nod.
She crossed her arms. The move forced Jacob back a little. Narrowing her eyes, she glowered the last few inches up at him.
"So, let me get this straight," she said conversationally. "You thought you'd manhandle Bella to start, and then called your friends over to help you cow her into submission over something she knows little about? You think that makes you a big man, do you?" She tipped her head to the side, maintaining her deceptive tone. "I'll give you some free advice, you overgrown cockwomble - grow up. Immediately. And while you're at it, you can get the fuck out of my house."
Alice appeared out of nowhere. The three boys leaned away, grimacing their distaste and unease.
Carys had to force herself not to smile. Alice was close to two feet shorter than Jacob, and yet she was more than a match. And what's more, he knew it.
His arm finally, slowly, made its way back to his side. It might have had something to do with the proximity to Alice's razor sharp teeth.
"What's going on?" the vampire asked quickly.
Carys raised one hand and briefly pointed across the room, towards the front door. "Jacob was just about to leave... Well? I don't see you moving."
"We want to know what's been seen," he repeated.
"Now try that again, without the bloody cheek, and we'll see where it gets you."
Jacob glanced to either side of himself, on the verge of scoffing laughter, and was surprised to find his friends glancing towards the ground. A deep red burned Embry's cheeks. Quil placed a hand on Jacob's arm and spoke quickly, his voice too low for Carys to hear.
They weren't so big and tough when they were dealing with a grown adult, she noticed.
Jacob shrugged him off and looked back to Carys. "Whatever your problem is," he said in a far more casual manner than before, "as we're going to be the ones fighting this thing, I'm not leaving until we know."
"Oh, I'm well aware, Jacob. Did you forget Saturday already? Don't think just because you're doing something, you're allowed to treat people like shit. Not in my house," Carys snapped.
Quil and Embry shuffled their feet. Quil looked longingly towards the door. Carys didn't flatter herself to take credit for the entirety of their reaction. The vampire glaring beside her was likely the main cause.
"Now," she went on judgementally, "is this really what you'd call acceptable behaviour? I thought you were supposed to be protectors."
Jacob muttered something. It was drowned out by a peal of raucous laughter nearby and the screech of a guitar from the speakers.
Carys raised her eyebrows. "A little louder for the humans?"
"We're the good guys here," he said, lifting his voice above the thumping music. "How can we do anything if we're being kept in the dark?"
"We have very different definitions of what a good guy looks like," Carys said. He was right that he needed to know, but patience apparently escaped him. As did the ability to listen. She looked him up and down as she scoffed, "'Cuz I don't see one from where I'm standing."
Her words threw him, almost comically so. "You-you know what?" he attempted, forcing bravado into his voice. "I'm not here for you, I'm here for Bella." He pointed at her over Carys' shoulder. "It's her night. She invited me, and she can say if she wants me gone."
"Can she now?" Carys drawled. "Interesting. It was pretty clear from across the room how she felt. Didn't look like you were listening to a word."
Bella interrupted them. "Guys, guys," she said nervously, "come on. It's a party... we're all on the same side here... Why doesn't Alice just tell us what she's seen, and... Erm... we go from there...?"
Jacob smiled. "See?" he said confidently. "You're just blowing this all out of proportion."
"I don't think that's quite what I said, Jake," Bella countered with a touch of annoyance.
"It's what it sounded like from here," he announced happily.
Carys could see where the conversation would continue if she replied now. She stood her ground silently, glaring up at him. His face fell, he grew determined, and he then firmed into a glare of his own. She couldn't quite believe she was in yet another stand-off with a bloody idiot. It was ridiculous. Infuriating.
When she blew out her candles in four days, she decided to wish for a few people to get a wake up call. Or a sharp slap upside their heads.
Perhaps both.
The party raged on mere feet away. From the sounds of things, no one had noticed them arguing.
Jasper appeared suddenly, taking Alice's place beside her. Carys didn't need to look to know it was him, or that he was on the verge of snarling.
He nudged her a little, but she refused to budge. Unless he pushed her away, he wouldn't be able to move into the space directly in front of Jacob, and so he squeezed her arm and moved closer to the space between Jacob and Quil instead.
He must have been interested in the outcome; he could easily have diffused the situation if he wanted to. If Jacob tried anything, she would be protected. The same went the other way, she was sure. None of them wanted the situation to escalate; they were waiting for one to crack.
Carys' heart thudded quickly and painfully against her ribs. She refused to back down. She wasn't going to let anyone disrespect people or downplay her position in her own house.
Not today.
Jacob blinked.
The atmosphere shifted just a little.
"You can tell Sam he'll be hearing from me in the morning," Carys said simply.
Jacob's mouth opened and closed. His nostrils flared. Quil, darting Jasper a fearful glance, whispered something in his ear, distracting him from forming a response.
Carys couldn't help but think that Edward may have had the right of it all along.
If he was willing to grab, corner, and then intimidate Bella in public, what would Jacob be willing to do in private? He'd already told Bella he'd rather she was dead than follow through on her choice. He must have apologised for it, but, as far as Carys knew, he hadn't yet learned the meaning of the word no.
It was a dangerous combination.
Behind her, Bella seemed to decide there was only one route out. She asked, "What did you see, Alice?"
Jacob looked past Carys and Jasper's shoulders, tracking down, down, until he reached Alice. Carys took a step back and clenched her right hand into a fist, her gold-tipped nails sinking into her palm as she, too, turned to look at Alice.
"The decision's been made," she was saying. "They're coming. Very soon."
The colour drained from Bella's face as Carys' heart stuttered and her ears began to buzz.
"You're sure?" Bella croaked.
"One carried your red shirt," Alice confirmed.
"When?" Carys asked. The buzzing intensified. She could have roared or whispered the words and they would have sounded the same - far away and distant - to her own ears. "When are they coming?"
Knowing it was going to happen, and knowing when it would happen were two entirely different things.
"They'll come over the mountains in five days' time," Alice announced.
The floor lurched beneath her feet and Carys stumbled.
Carlisle appeared in time to catch her, holding her upright, just as a hot hand wrapped around her elbow and another pressed against her spine. His cool breath washed urgently over her face. He must have been talking, but she couldn't hear a word. Her wide-eyed gaze swam and rolled over pale, anxious faces. Heat ran in waves over her whole body, even after the disembodied hands released her.
Sweet saliva pooled in her mouth.
She retched and was vaguely aware of being moved; it felt as if she was floating.
A combination of the solid darkness, the lack of strobing lights, and the sudden chill against her skin told her she was in the kitchen an instant before she collapsed over Carlisle's arms and threw up.
"Poor sink," she managed to whimper before she jolted and threw up again. "I only just cleaned-" and again.
More than an hour later, as the graduation party continued relentlessly downstairs, Carys lay in bed, lit by the light streaming from the partially opened bathroom door, and tried, again, to assure Carlisle she felt better.
Physically.
Emotionally and mentally were entirely different issues - ones she was trying to ignore as best she could.
Sitting on the side of bed, beside her waist, he responded by giving her a cursory once over, twitching the covers into place. Carys' attempt to tug the duvet down again was similarly spurned.
No matter how much she concentrated, her hands were too painfully weak to put up any sort of resistance. It was shameful. Shauna, a fourteen-month-old, would probably have got the best of her in her current state.
"Carlisle, I'm alright," she insisted. It would have sounded more convincing had her throat not still burned. She uncomfortably cleared her throat. "I'm alright. It's just my pride, is all."
"You're in shock," he countered brusquely. "Your heartbeat and pressure are still a tad too low for my liking."
"I'm not in shock," Carys protested, though she wasn't quite sure if she was right. Something told her he was trying to convince her to give in to his coddling by way of exaggeration. "I just had a bit of a shock."
"Come on; drink a little more." Carlisle slid a hand under her neck to lift her as he raised a cup to her lips.
Carys opened her mouth.
Warm, sweet, brandied tea trickled past her lips. She drank steadily, watching his face as she did so. Concern wreathed his features, tightening his marble skin.
No matter how ridiculously overbearing she thought he was being, she couldn't help but adore him. How could she deal with the possibility that he might not come back?
The very thought caused moisture to pool at the corners of her eyes. She blinked away her tears.
He'd not been pleased when she'd suggested she go back down to clean up her mess, informing her that it had been taken care of. He was equally unimpressed when Alice had come to see her and she'd insisted, out of embarrassment more than anything else, that the petite vampire didn't need to end the party on her account.
The situation was laughable, really.
It wasn't as if she'd actually fainted. And he'd somehow smuggled her upstairs, unseen, before she was sick again. No one but the wolves and Cullens knew of her mortification.
And yet, here he was, tucking her in, elevating her legs, and pressing cups of tea on her.
This was the first one to involve brandy, but the last had been just as sweet. Before tea, he'd had her sip water. He'd also encouraged her to nibble on crackers, and there was a slab of cake on the bedside table. It would come next, she expected.
He would probably say something along the lines of her needing to put something back into her stomach. Carys hoped she wasn't going to be expected to eat the whole thing. She still felt a little queasy - though she wasn't about to give him more ammunition.
Carlisle removed the now empty cup and placed it down beside the cake. "How does your head feel?" he asked softly, plumping the pillows beneath her head once he'd released her.
"Fine," she said with an affectionate smile. "It's not pounding or anything... You're so lovely. Needlessly, ridiculously, insufferably, lovely."
Carlisle eyed her warily. "And you, my dear, are incorrigible," he accused. "No amount of flattery is going to get you out of this bed before morning."
Carys gasped. It was an exaggerated, incredulous sort of teasing gasp. "If this is your bedside manner, Dr Cullen... Tell me you're not like this with all your patients."
His lips quirked but instead of replying he lifted the covers just a little and felt the bed, checking that the electric blanket - ever present between the mattress and sheets - had warmed since he'd turned it on. It had - as he must have known from sitting on the duvet beside her - and so he tucked her in again.
Tightly.
Her gaze softened further. "You're being silly," she informed him. "I'm not going anywhere. There's no need to bundle me up."
"You'll allow me this, won't you?" he asked. His gaze, when he looked up, was conflicted.
Carys relented. "I 'spose it's not the worst thing I've endured." In fact, it was almost quite nice. Bending her head, she stifled a yawn against the covers. Her arms were now trapped at her sides. "They're coming on Saturday," she abruptly worried aloud.
"You don't need to think about that right now, my love. You just concentrate on getting toasty and feeling better, you hear?"
"I'm about as snug as a bug in a rug," Carys murmured. She stretched and wriggled her feet - raised as they were by a mound of pillows and cushions - to prove her point, then wondered, "Do you think I've made too much trouble with the wolves? I couldn't help it. Jacob was being such an unbelievable arse."
"I doubt it. Perhaps with Jacob," he conceded with a sigh, "but not in a way which will effect the battle. A bruised ego, nothing more. And well deserved at that."
"Is there ever going to be a time when you think I've crossed a line?" Carys bit her lip. He couldn't always be on her side, could he?
"I promise, if I think you've gone too far, I'll tell you. Now. Did I hear correctly? You called him a cockwomble?"
"Yes, it seemed appropriate," Carys said. Carlisle bit his lips together. His golden eyes twinkled in the low light. "But they'll still be there?" she pressed urgently. "Regardless?"
"Jacob reiterated their intentions before they made a swift exit," he said seriously. "They were excited by the news once they had it. They will be at the next training session tonight, as promised."
"Swift exit, indeed. Who does he think he is? Treating Bella like that? Speaking to me like that? I know it's not all been sunshine and roses with Edward, but he's continuously getting better, and Bella-"
"Carys, shh, love. You need to rest." He punctuated his words by stroking her cheek.
"I'm not some eighteenth century debutante," Carys grumbled childishly, leaning into his touch.
"Too right, you're not. You had no smelling salts on hand," he teased. "Besides. They would never have cast up their accounts so publicly." He became serious again and withdrew his hand. "Please. Sleep now. We can speak about it in the morning."
"What about the plans?"
"In the morning."
"Please?" There was no way she would be able to sleep until her mind was a little settled.
Carlisle relented with a long, drawn out sigh. "Jacob's suggestion of hiding you both in the mountains remains our best course of action. We will make tracks on Friday, spreading Bella's and your scents, though, of course," he added as he thrust his hand through his hair, "yours will be more for Victoria than the others. One of the wolves will take you to the top of the mountain where you, Bella, Edward and Seth will make camp for the night. That's all for now."
"And you?" Carys prompted. "What about you? Will you have time to hunt and get your strength up?"
"Carys, would you-?" Carlisle's lips twisted. "We'll hunt on Thursday night; we can't risk any distractions on Friday. May we please discuss this in the morning?"
"Okay..." Carys settled her cheek to the pillow. "I'm going to hug you to death on Friday, you know?"
"I do," Carlisle murmured, pressing a kiss to her temple and stroking her hair. "I love you, darling. I'll come and go tonight, but I'll be back to check on you regularly."
Carys closed her eyes and smiled. "I love you too." Her eyes snapped open to stare at him, particularly at the slight bruising beneath his eyes. He groaned and very nearly dropped his head to the pillow. "You haven't napped today. You must be exhausted."
"We agreed my mental exhaustion and peaceful daydreams were not to be mistaken for human ideas of sleep, or the relief it brings," Carlisle said dryly. "And I am quite alright, darling. Now, please?"
Evening out her breathing, she did her best to calm her thoughts, but fear swirled through her for a long time before Carlisle shifted on the bed. It was so soon. Too soon. She wasn't prepared, not really, for the chance she might lose him. For the chance she might lose any of them.
Even Edward.
Or - she supposed she should be charitable under the circumstances, and after her defence of him in the past, and, as he was at risk as much as the other wolves and the Cullens - Jacob.
"I don't think I want to know why your lips have quirked, but I know you're still awake," Carlisle said. Lowering over her, he surrounded her and yet touched no part of her. "Drastic times call for drastic measures, I suppose. It was the best of times-"
"What? How do you-? Stop it," Carys protested. When she tried to hide from the low, slow recitation, he held the covers taut. "I want to worry myself sick tonight!"
"Worry when you're rested. It was the worst of times," he continued in the same mesmerising tenor.
Her mother had betrayed her. Her own mother. How else could he have known she'd never made it through the first page without growing too tired to continue? She'd never told him. It was embarrassing to admit she couldn't make it through such a classic.
"It was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief," he whispered against her ear, "it was the epoch of incredulity-"
His words flowed over her. She tried and failed to shift away, to cover her ears. Sleep was claiming her, and it was claiming her quickly. Her protests became sleepy mumbles, questioning whether he would use it against her in the future.
"-it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us-"
It was so uncompromisingly long of a sentence. A stream of words, all requesting her attention and considered understanding before she moved on. Even the cadence of each short section seemed constructed to lull her to sleep.
She supposed she could fight it better if she really wanted to, but...
She resolved to save her annoyance for the next day. After he'd told her everything she wanted to know - starting with which mountains the newborns were coming through, and which one she was supposed to be camping on.
And exactly how far apart they were.
A/N: did I want Carys to throw up on Jacob? Yes, I have to admit I did. But, unfortunately, they do need him for now. I know he's 16, but that's no excuse for his behaviour - he's more than old enough to know better.
I don't want to think about how annoying Carys might be to everyone else in the story.
For anyone wondering, cockwomble is British slang for a foolish or obnoxious person (exclusively of the male variety), inflated by their own ego. I've waited so long to use it.
Thank you to: Momochan77, jhaenox, BMBMDooDoo-Doo-Doo-Doo, Guest (thank you!), ReadLikeHermione, seconddragon, queen ares, pendora59, and BubblyYork for your reviews!
