A/N: So sorry for the long wait everyone! This was a difficult chapter to write, sorry if some of it seems a little rushed, I'm wanting to get to the exciting chapters coming up. Thank you for everyone who reviewed, they really help my brain to spin out the next chapter so the more I get the more my muse is inspired to write.
Just to clarify, there will be no Seth/Bella romance. A little hard to tell in this chapter but it will make sense later in the story.
I will warn you, a box or two of tissues will be needed for this chapter. Don't hate me...
This chapter is based off of Civil Wars Poison & Wine. Here's a link for those of you that like to listen to get in the mood for the chapter. watch?v=WfzRlcnq_c0
Disclaimer: Twilight isn't mine, if it was Jacob would have gotten the girl like it was supposed to be, hence this story. ;) Nor do I own the wonderful songs that my muse claims.
Poison & Wine
Bella stared as the rain dripped down her window, eyes bloodshot and glazed over from the tears she had run out of hours ago. It had been three days since the newborn battle, three days since she'd died and come back to life, three days since she'd been told Jacob never wanted to see her again. She flinched at the pain in her chest at the thought, her eyes blinking in anticipation of tears but they didn't come. From the corner she heard the squeak of the rocking chair as the figure stood and came to crouch in front of her bed.
"Bella? C'mon you need to get up." Seth's puppy dog eyes peered at her and she blinked slowly but didn't move. He sighed and moved out of her line of sight and she went back to staring out the window. She was suddenly hauled off the bed into a pair of strong arms and cradled against a warm chest and she briefly wondered where he was taking her. She closed her eyes, wishing Seth would go home and leave her alone, feeling herself start to drift off to sleep when she was suddenly jerked awake as ice cold water drenched her from head to toe.
"What the hell?!" She sputtered and blinked, seeing Seth standing in her bathroom with his arms crossed, frowning at her. She reached behind her and turned the shower off, wrapping her arms around her body to combat the chills as she glared at the werewolf across from her. "Are you crazy?"
He smirked at her, reminding her for a moment of Jacob, then nodded his head towards her. "Go ahead and take a hot shower now, I'll make breakfast while you get dressed."
He slid out the door and shut it softly behind him, leaving her to stare after him with her mouth open. She glared at the door and started to struggle out of her wet pants as she muttered, "Sweet and innocent my ass..."
"Love you too Bella!" His normal, cheerful voice sounded from outside and she mentally cursed werewolf hearing as she threw her wet sweats at the door. He laughed and she heard him walk downstairs as she stripped off the rest of her clothes and turned on the shower, careful to avoid the spray until the water was warm enough. As she stood under the scalding hot water her mind drifted back to three days earlier in the clearing.
Edward had been shocked by her outburst, watching as she scrambled away from him, weeping hysterically. All she had wanted was Jacob, his warmth and comforting presence to sooth her confused mind. When Edward had reached for her she screamed at him again, then found herself swept up into a pair of strong, warm arms. She immediately knew it wasn't Jake but she still sagged into the comforting heat, her hand gripping Seth's shoulder as he cradled her exhausted body.
"That's enough. Obviously she doesn't want you touching her." She heard Edward give a low growl at his statement and Seth turned his body slightly to shield her.
"Edward, don't. You'll only upset Bella more. She needs time to recover from all of this." Alice tried to reason with him. Bella peered around the edge of Seth's arm and saw Edward standing a few feet away, a broken look on his face while Alice kept her hand on his shoulder as if to restrain him.
With a sigh Bella pushed on Seth's chest and murmured "Let me down, please."
He gave her a concerned look but did as she asked, keeping a hand on her arm to steady her. She took a deep breath and raised her eyes to Edward's, feeling slightly guilty at the look he was giving her. She slowly stepped forward towards him, Seth keeping close behind her, until she stood in front of the two vampires. Lifting her head she met Edward's honey toned gaze and swallowed as she slowly lifted her hand. "Edward, I'm sorry but…I can't marry you."
He stared at her as she opened her hand to reveal the ring in her palm as she offered it to him. He made no move to take it and she glanced at Alice to see a sad smile as she stepped forward and carefully took the ring. Bella hesitated a moment before turning away to follow Seth when a cold hand grasped her arm. She flinched away from the pain that shot through her and Seth growled as he batted the hand away and whisked her behind him. She sucked in a breath as she craned her neck around his shaking arm and saw Alice gripping Edward's arm firmly with a frown. "Edward, that's enough."
Her eyes widened as she saw the desperate, slightly crazed look on her ex-fiancé's face as he stared at her. She unconsciously leaned into Seth's warmth and noticed how much he was shaking and started rubbing a hand over his arm to calm him. Edward's eyes narrowed and he let out a snarl. "Isabella get over here and away from that mutt before he phases and kills you."
She stared at him in shock, never had she heard him speak to anyone that way, least of all her, and she felt a sudden rush of fury. Stepping around Seth she held up a hand at his protest as she marched over to Alice and Edward and glared at him. "How dare you Edward Masen Cullen!"
Silence descended over the clearing as Edward, Alice and Seth stared at her in shock. She ignored them, half wondering where she had gotten this sudden burst of confidence, but shoved it aside as she placed her hands on her hips and met Edward's eyes determinedly. "Seth may be a young werewolf but he would never hurt me. He's protected me several times today, even from you, and I trust him with my life. I am a grown woman, not a child, and you are not my father. I am capable of making decisions for myself, whether they agree with what you think or not, and if I feel in danger I can move away. And in case you missed it I just broke off our engagement. You have no right to tell me what I can and cannot do now, you had no business telling me it before or keeping me from my friends."
She paused for a breath before turning to Alice. "Would you please ask Carlisle and everyone else to respect my space for now?"
Alice nodded her head, knowing that she really meant 'Will you please keep Edward away?' and she turned back to Edward with a frown. "I know I'm wasting my breath but I am asking you to give me space Edward. Maybe we can keep our friendship but not now. Please don't come to my room at night."
She took a step back and felt Seth's hand on her arm, sinking back against him as he let out a low growl. "I'll be there making sure she's left in peace."
Edward let out a snarl and Alice wrapped her arm around him as she glanced behind her. Bella saw Jasper approaching and Edward seemed to sag slightly as a wave of calm washed over her. She nodded slightly at Jasper in thanks before turning away as exhaustion swept over her body and she swayed slightly. She was suddenly scooped up in Seth's arms as he walked away, and she rested her head against his chest as she blinked back tears. Seth glanced down and tightened his arms around her as sobs rocked her body, and she murmured Jake's name over and over…
A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts and Seth's voice called out softly. "Bella? You okay in there?"
She realized she was trembling as tears mingled with the water on her cheeks and she swallowed before shakily answering, "Yeah I'm…I'm fine."
Seth was silent for a moment and she knew he could tell she was anything but fine, but he merely said, "Okay, just checking and wanted to tell you that breakfast is nearly ready."
She glanced down, surprised that she had already washed her hair and body while lost in her thoughts and reached behind her to shut off the water. "Okay, I'll be down in a minute."
Seth padded away from the door as she reached out and pulled her towel off the rack, drying her body before she stepped out of the shower and began to slowly wring the water from her hair before she ran her brush through it. She threw it into a braid to keep it out of her face and decided that after three days she was sure to have a case of morning breath.
Squeezing some toothpaste onto her toothbrush she set to work and looked around, smiling slightly when she saw Seth was thoughtful enough to leave her a change of sweats and a t-shirt folded neatly on the counter. She swiftly tugged them on, rinsing her mouth before hanging her soaked sweats over the bathtub to dry.
She tugged open the door and carefully made her way downstairs, following the smell of pancakes, bacon and eggs. Coming to a stop in the entryway she swept her eyes over the scene of Seth standing at the stove as he piled a skillet full of scrambled eggs onto a platter. She stood awkwardly in the doorway, unused to seeing someone else cooking in her kitchen and found herself at a loss. Seth turned to set the eggs on the table and flashed a small smile at her. "Feel better?"
She bit her lip as she shrugged one shoulder and slowly made her way over to the table. Seth frowned slightly but turned back to the stove without saying anything, flipping pancakes from the griddle to a plate smoothly. Bella watched him for a moment before turning her head to watch the rain outside the back door. She shivered, wrapping her arms around her middle as she pulled her feet up onto the chair. She had been constantly cold the last few days, minus her hot shower; she seemed unable to warm herself.
Another shiver ran through her body and she couldn't help the faint teeth chatter that accompanied it, drawing Seth's attention. He set the pancakes and bacon on the table and then walked out of the kitchen, his footsteps trailing up the stairs. She stared at the table blindly, nearly jumping out of her skin when a pair of warm hands came to rest on her shoulders. "Easy Bella."
She sagged back as Seth quickly tucked a blanket around her, kneeling in front of her as he tugged a pair of thick fuzzy socks on her feet. He flashed her a smile which she tried to return but her face remained stiff, the muscles refusing to cooperate. Seth sighed and stood, turning to pile food onto their plates, leaving her to pull the blanket tighter as she leaned her head back against the chair.
"Bella, come on you need to eat something." Seth's voice jerked her awake from starting to drift off and she opened her eyes to see him seated next to her with a frown on his face. She looked at her plate which he had put a modest amount of food on and let go of the blanket long enough to grab a small piece of bacon. Seth seemed to accept her nibbling on the end of the meat and turned his attention to his own food that was piled high on several plates.
Bella watched him for a long moment, then switched her gaze to her plate as she asked softly, "Seth, why are you here?"
He raised an eyebrow at her, his mouth full of what she was sure was a whole pancake, and she set her bacon on her plate as she turned to look at him. "Why did you stay in the meadow? You know Leah is angry at you for it, she's your sister and I'm nothing but trouble to you. And you haven't left in three days, I'm sure Sam is mad, your mom is worried, my dad probably is suspicious... Why are you staying here when it's such a problem?"
He regarded her thoughtfully for a moment, finishing his chewing and taking a long swallow of milk before he came and knelt in front of her chair and took her hands in his. "Honestly Bella, I'm not sure why. There's some kind of pull I feel towards you."
Her breathing kicked up a notch and he hastily said "Not imprinting Bella, I swear I don't feel that way toward you at all. I just...I feel like I'm supposed to protect you, that it's my job. And you need someone right now. When Edward left you had Jake and now..."
He trailed off as he noticed her flinch at the use of Jacob's name and he gave her a sympathetic look. "Bella, everyone saw what you were like when Edward left you, before Jacob started helping you heal. Now you need someone to keep you from being zombiefied all over again. I don't know why Jake would say that, we've all been in his head enough to know how he feels about you, but you can't just fall apart again. Maybe you need to just get away from all this supernatural junk for a while, clear your head. But you can't just disappear into yourself and live life without living again."
She stared at him with her mouth open for a moment, then snapped it shut as she turned back to the table. She picked up the bacon again and frowned at it before putting a large bite in her mouth. She could see Seth watching her from the corner of her eye and she realized how hungry she was as she picked up her fork and took a bite of eggs. Seth grinned as he returned to his own breakfast and this time she was able to get the corners of her mouth to twitch upwards at him. As she devoured her breakfast she let his words tumble through her head. "You need to just get away for a while."
If she thought about it, she hadn't had time alone since she moved to Forks. Almost immediately she had been swept up into the Cullens, even when Edward left her she had been consumed by them and too lost in her own misery, and then she'd clung to Jake like a lifeline. Even the times she'd left Forks she'd always been surrounded. First Phoenix when she'd run from James with Jasper and Alice, then Italy to rescue Edward with Alice and down to Florida to visit Renee with Edward. She frowned as she chewed thoughtfully on her pancake, wondering when she'd lost herself and her sense of independence.
"That's easy." She mentally rolled her eyes. Her inner voice had decided to resurface. "Yup. And we both know the answer to your question."
Edward. Her inner voice seemed smug that she had figured it out first and she resisted the urge to bang her head on the kitchen table in an effort to silence her. "Pfft. Like that'd work. Just give you a headache."
"Shut up." Seth arched an eyebrow as she muttered under her breath and she shook her head as she mumbled, "Not you Seth."
His eyebrow went higher and she could see the look of concern in his eyes and she groaned as she stood and started clearing the table. Seth put his last bite of pancake in his mouth and jumped up to help her, taking position to rinse while she started the water to wash. He remained quiet, obviously sensing her need to stay lost in her thoughts and the only sound between them was the squeak of the dishes and running water. When they had finished she turned to Seth with a faint frown on her face as she dried her hands. "I have to go somewhere, will you come with me?"
He nodded and she excused herself to her bedroom, digging in her closet until she found a clean pair of jeans and a sweatshirt. Swapping them for her sweats she let her hair out of its braid, combing her fingers through the waves as she stared at herself in the mirror. "You need to do this. You can do this."
With a determined look on her face she headed downstairs where Seth was waiting, slipping her feet into her Converse and grabbed her truck keys as Seth followed her outside. She hauled herself into the driver's seat and waited for Seth to climb in the other side before cranking the key in the ignition. Her hands gripped the steering wheel tightly as she pulled the truck onto the road, taking a deep breath as she steered them towards a road she knew by heart. Seth placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, causing her to flash a weak smile of gratitude at him as she steeled herself for what was coming.
The drive seemed to take less time than she remembered, her nerves heightening as she pulled up the familiar driveway. Seth squeezed her arm as she slowly brought the truck to a stop in front of the house, putting it in park as she stared at the structure that had become like another home to her. She sucked in another breath and shakily pushed open the door, carefully stepping out before slamming it shut behind her. Seth came around and gave her an encouraging look as she walked forward and up the steps, bracing herself as she raised a hand and knocked.
Almost immediately the door opened and she gave a weak smile to the person who stood in front of her. "Alice. I need to talk to you."
Jacob stared up at his ceiling, silently counting the number of water drops off the eave by his window. Currently he was around 450 which meant soon someone would be in to check on him. He tried to shift into a sitting position and a hiss escaped him as pain exploded along his ribcage. He fell back on the bed as the door opened, revealing a frowning Embry. "Jacob..."
He glared at his friend and grit his teeth as he rolled his eyes. "I wasn't trying to leave Embry."
Turning his head he continued glaring at the wall as he heard Embry shut the door and came to sit by the bed. "Can hardly blame me for thinking it Jake, you've nearly killed yourself the last five days."
Jacob snorted and closed his eyes at the minor pain it caused and muttered, "If my so called friends actually cared and would help me then I wouldn't have to try and escape from my own damn bedroom!"
By the end of his sentence he was shouting, having turned his head to nail his friend with a scowl, happy to see Embry wince and shift uncomfortably in his seat. "We're only trying to protect you man, obviously she chose the leech. It's been five days and she hasn't come to see you or even bothered to call."
Jacob's face blanked and he returned his gaze to his ceiling, ignoring Embry's sigh as he stood and moved to the door. As he pulled it open he turned back and said softly, "I really am sorry Jake. I know you loved her."
The door closed softly behind him and Jacob closed his eyes as another wave of pain, this one more excruciating than trying to move his broken body, swept over him. He clenched his jaw from a mix of misery and anger, wanting nothing more than to phase and run as fast as he could to Forks.
"Bella..." Even his wolf mourned her, magnifying the confusion and fury that the man felt. Both of them wanted Bella here, with them, protected and wrapped in their arms in their bed. He let a small smirk cross his face as he imagined Bella's reaction if she was here, being that his modesty was preserved only by a thin white sheet. Based on her reaction in the tent before the newborn battle he knew she would be as red as a tomato. His wolf purred as he remembered the feeling of her hip in his hand as he had unconsciously rubbed against her, the smell of her arousal filling the tent and the faintest whisper of a moan that she had tried to hold back.
He let out a groan and rubbed his face with his good hand, trying to ignore the stirring in his groin that was causing a very painful problem. Unfortunately his wolf had locked onto more thoughts of Bella and he now had a very obvious bulge showing through the sheet. Another groan left his lips as he remembered the kiss on the mountain top, Bella's body arching into his, her lips willingly submitting to his probing tongue, her hands gripping his hair tightly...
"Get a hold of yourself Black, this isn't helping." He tried to think of anything that might rid himself of his raging erection but it was not to be ignored, especially with his wolf clawing at the surface. Slowly, his good hand slid beneath the sheets and started towards his waist as his wolf chanted "Bella Bella Bella Paul Bella Bel- Paul?"
He snapped his eyes open to see his Pack brother leaning against the door frame with a smirk on his face. "Don't stop on my account Black, by all means continue your little fantasy."
Jacob stared at him for a moment and before Paul could blink he snatched the lamp off his bedside table and whipped it at his head. "Get out Lahote!"
Paul easily ducked and Jacob winced inwardly as he heard the crash of the lamp hitting the wall in the hallway. Paul laughed as Jacob cursed under his breath, smirking as he stepped further into the room. "Well at least you don't seem to have a problem now."
Jacob glared at him and struggled into a sitting position, groaning as he muttered, "What do you want Lahote?"
Paul smirked as he plopped down into the chair, crossing his arms as he leaned back. "My turn to babysit the baby Alpha."
Jacob clenched his teeth in annoyance and pain and collapsed against the pillows with a muttered curse, hating his weakened body. "I don't need to be babysat."
Paul shrugged and jerked his head towards the door. "Sam's orders. Believe me Black, I'm not here by choice, I'm giving up a hot date to watch your pitiful ass."
Jacob debated if the pain would be worth leaping from his bed to throttle Paul but decided against it as he reined in his wolf's anger at Paul's disrespect to the true Alpha. Instead he grunted and closed his eyes, trying to ignore Paul as his thoughts returned to Bella. He refused to show it to any of his Pack mates but he was very hurt and angry that she hadn't come to see him as she'd promised, or even called. He wondered if the leech was keeping her away or if what Paul and Leah had told him was true. He winced at that particular memory from five days ago...
He lay on his bed, covered in sweat and gripping the sheet tightly with one fist as he panted through clenched teeth. The head Cullen, Carlisle had just left after rebreaking all of his bones so they would heal correctly, a process that took what seemed like hours of pure agony. His throat still felt raw from screaming in pain, but he didn't have the energy to try and reach for the water on the nightstand. He was fighting the exhaustion from the pain and the waning morphine, waiting to hear a soft voice...
"Jacob."
That wasn't it. He cracked open an eye and barely made out two shapes next to his bed. He unclenched his jaw enough to groan "Leah...where...where's Bella?"
She looked over her shoulder at Paul from her crouched position next to his bed and then turned back with an unreadable look on her face. "She's not coming Jake. She said she doesn't want to see you again, she's marrying the leech."
His heart seemed to stop as he sucked in a breath, ignoring the stabbing pain of protest from his broken ribs as he glared at her and then Paul. "She wouldn't say that..."
Leah shook her head in disgust as she stood, staring down at him with her hands on her hips. "Get over it Black! She strung you along, used you and dumped your ass the moment she could."
His temper rose as his wolf snarled in his mind and he roared, "You're lying!"
She stepped back, surprised at his outburst and he grit his teeth as he suddenly pushed himself into a sitting position, gasping as blazing agony ripped through his body and blinking back the darkness that clouded the edges of his vision. He could hear Paul and Leah's exclamations as they tried to force him back but he let out a wordless cry of rage and threw them off with his good arm as he struggled to his feet. His vision tunneled to a narrow point of light surrounded by inviting blackness that promised painless oblivion.
"Bella..." He heard Paul and Leah shouting after him as he limped from his room and into the hallway, losing his balance he stumbled into the wall and sent several picture frames crashing to the floor with the sound of shattering glass. He staggered forward, ignoring the sharp stings of pain as his feet crunched across the broken glass, leaving a trail of blood as he burst through the backdoor.
He was instantly soaked by the pouring rain, plastering his hair to his forehead and running down his naked body in rivulets. He managed to get down the three steps without falling but lost his balance when a flash of lightning surprised him and the right side of his body crashed into the railing. He couldn't help the cry of pain as agonizing fire burned through his body, his vision narrowing more and more until the pain blinded him.
He dropped to his knees as he gasped for air through the fiery pain, hearing more voices calling his name frantically through the rumbling thunder above. Hands suddenly appeared on his naked body and he tried to shrug them off and get to his feet but instead he started to fall forward, an arm shooting out to gently break his fall as he cried out again. "Bella!"
Jacob blinked slowly as he woke up, glancing around his bedroom. He was surprised to see it was now light out and Paul was gone, he must have slept through the night. Glancing down he realized that he wasn't in as much pain as the previous night and slowly sat up, wincing at the leftover tenderness in his ribs and arm. A look at the clock showed it was just after six a.m. and he listened carefully for any signs of life through the house. Very faintly he could hear the familiar sounds of Quil's snores and he grinned. Wolf senses or not, Quil could sleep through a train wreck and just roll over, something he and Embry had taken advantage of through years of sleepovers.
Slowly he eased his sore body out of bed, grimacing as he stooped to snag a pair of cutoffs from the floor. He tugged them on before inching open his bedroom window and paused to make sure Quil's snores were still steady, then climbed up on the sill. He braced himself for the short fall but his breath was still knocked out of him as he staggered against the wall of the house. Holding himself up with one hand he took a deep breath before looking around to make sure the coast was clear, then made his way into the woods.
He stayed human, the pace was much slower but he would be less likely to be detected by his brothers before they could stop him. Despite what Paul and Leah had said, he couldn't believe that Bella had chosen the leech, not after their kiss on the mountain, not after he'd seen her through Seth's eyes when she'd told him that she was coming. He was convinced that the bloodsucker had prevented her from coming to see or call him, something that he had done before. He picked up his pace slightly as he neared the treaty line, knowing that if one more person tried to keep him from Bella he would tear them apart, even if it was one of his own brothers. His wolf snarled in agreement, they'd been kept away from her too long.
He found it odd that his wolf wanted Bella so much, it wasn't an imprint, he'd seen that through Sam, Jared and Quil's mind. It seemed deeper, as if his wolf had chosen her without the imprint, something stronger. He shook his head slightly as he looked around, surprised that he was nearing the woods by Charlie's house already. He must have sped up his pace while lost in his thoughts. Slowly he approached the edge of the woods, his senses on high alert in case the leech was around. Strangely he could smell Seth's scent quite strongly in the woods and yard, especially the backdoor and under Bella's window.
A low growl rose in his chest as he wondered why his Pack brother had been hanging around here so much and he realized that he hadn't seen Seth since before the newborn battle. He wondered if Seth had been with Bella the whole time and why. By now he was under Bella's window, not having to worry about Charlie since his cruiser wasn't parked in the driveway. He debated tossing a rock at the window but instead gingerly hoisted his body up the tree and climbed to the top, pausing as he sucked in a painful breath through his burning ribs. Peering into the closed window he frowned when he saw the room was dark.
He had seen her truck in the drive, maybe she was downstairs. Carefully he raised the sill wide enough so he could slip in, turning to shut it behind him. When he faced the room again he was struck with the fact that there seemed to be less stuff then he remembered. He frowned as he took a breath and he realized her scent, strawberries and vanilla mixed with pure Bella, was stale, as if she hadn't been in her room for several days.
His heart started to beat harder in his chest and he tried to force back the ripples of worry. Seth's scent was also present but had the same staleness to it; he hadn't been in here since Bella had. He ignored his wolf's fury that someone else had been there with their Bella, turning to leave her room and go downstairs. He glanced in the bathroom as he passed it and saw the shower was missing her shampoo and body wash. He clenched his fist and hurried down the stairs, a cold sweat breaking out over his skin as he saw all the lights were off. "Bella?"
His voice echoed through the empty house mockingly and he could feel panic welling in his chest as he scanned the kitchen and living room, his breath coming in short gasps. Ignoring the pain he wrenched open the front door and ran outside into the yard, jerking open the door of Bella's truck so hard that the hinges gave a loud squeak of protest. Her scent washed over him and he gulped it in gratefully, before realizing that it too held the stale smell of disuse.
Tremors ran over his body and he slammed the door as he stepped back, panic overwhelming him as his wolf clawed its way to the surface and he phased. It was nearly as painful as the first time, his bones not quite healed and he let out a faint whimper before turning towards the forest and taking off at a dead run. His wolf was snarling one thing over and over in his mind, wanting to fight and kill. "Cullen."
He would rip him to shreds for taking Bella, the leech may have already turned her or she could be dead and he would be too late. It didn't matter, if she was he would kill Edward and then allow the rest of the Cullens to kill him rather than live without her. A small part of his mind that was not focused on killing the leech was surprised that no one else was phased but he supposed Sam was letting them rest after the harsh patrols they'd been running for weeks. It made it all the better for him, there was no one to stop him on his suicide mission to the Cullen mansion.
He used the pain burning on his rib cage to push himself harder, a red haze descending over his vision. It took him barely five minutes to reach the trees surrounding the house and he paused as he fought to phase back to human, slowly reining in his wolf. It wanted nothing more than to charge through the living room windows and tear through marble flesh with its razor sharp teeth. He was so busy fighting his wolf that he wasn't paying attention to the house.
Suddenly he froze, his wolf dropping the fight as well as the silence rang in his ears, not even a bird chirped nearby in the forest. His own ragged breathing sounded harsh in his ears, he hadn't even noticed that he'd phased back, and he yanked on his cutoffs as his wolf whimpered. There wasn't the sound of a heartbeat nearby, only his own stuttering one, even as he strained his ears for the faintest sound of the one he knew better than his own. Only silence greeted him and he limped across the yard to the back door, hesitating before he put his hand on the knob and slowly opened it.
The stench of leech hit him square in the face, making him want to gag, and he sucked in a lungful of air before ducking through the doorway. More silence greeted him, pressing on him from all sides like a thick blanket and he swallowed hard as he walked through the empty kitchen towards the living room. His wolf was torn between bristling anger and frantic worry that Bella did not seem to be in the house. As he walked through the living room he came to a stop and the suffocating silence was broken by the sound of air being sucked into his lungs as he stared numbly.
All of the furniture was covered in drop cloths, a very thin layer of dust evidence that it had been that way for several days. He turned and walked up the stairs blindly, staring into the bedrooms in a daze, the unmade beds and more drop cloths proving what he already knew. "Take it easy Jake…it doesn't mean anything…maybe they decided they'd lived here long enough…"
The stench suddenly seemed like too much and he lurched down the stairs and to the front door, yanking it open so he could stumble out on the porch and greedily sucked in a lungful of air to clear his head. As he did he froze, recognizing the scent that hung faintly by the doorway and he turned to it as his body suddenly sagged in despair as he placed a hand against the wall to hold himself up. "Bella…"
Her scent was faint, diluted by the rain but it couldn't have been more than two days old. Another breath told him that Seth had been here with her and his wolf howled in rage. Red suddenly dropped over his vision and he gripped the railing until it splintered beneath his fingers, bits of wood stabbing into his palm. He let out a wordless cry of rage that became a howl as his wolf took over and he phased, turning to the open doorway with a rumbling snarl. "Cullen…"
Billy sat anxiously in his wheelchair, watching Sam converse with Paul and Jared and occasionally shooting an angry glare at a guilty looking Quil. He glanced at the clock and saw it was nearing eleven at night; Jacob had been gone for at least twelve hours. He hadn't been in his room when Billy went to check on him and no one knew when he'd left or where he'd gone. Billy was sure he knew though, the one thing that had been on his son's mind since he'd been injured. Bella Swan.
Billy could never hate his best friend's daughter and the girl his son loved but he was angry and disappointed in her. She loved his son, he could see it whenever she looked at him, but the Cullen boy seemed to have her under a spell since she kept denying it at every chance she got. He had hoped that the battle with the newborns would have changed her mind about the vampire world but Paul and Leah had told everyone she had decided to marry Edward and be turned. He knew that Jacob would fight for her to the death and he prayed that his son hadn't done anything foolish, that somehow he had convinced Bella to stay with him and that was why he hadn't come home.
"Billy? We're going to go to Forks, see if he's there with Bella." Sam's voice interrupted his thoughts and he looked up at the younger man and nodded, opening his mouth to reply when the front door suddenly flew open. Everyone's head snapped around to see Jacob standing naked in the doorway, soaking wet from the heavy rain and slumped against the doorframe. Billy pushed his wheelchair forward as relief spread through him but stopped when Jacob raised his eyes and stared at him. Billy recognized that look, it was the same one he had worn when Sarah died, one of hopelessness and despair.
Jacob slowly limped forward, ignoring Embry and Quil's attempts to help him and stopped in front of Billy's wheelchair as he raised his head to look at his father. Billy put a hand on his arm and squeezed gently. "Son."
"She's gone dad. They're all gone." The whisper from his lips broke Billy's heart as Jacob collapsed to his knees and dropped his head into Billy's lap, ragged breaths shaking his body. Billy blinked back tears of sorrow and gripped Jacob's hand as he stroked his hair, feeling helpless to do anything but comfort his son.
That night, for the first time since his mother had died, Jacob Black wept.
A/N: Heh heh...don't hurt me. I promise things will get better...eventually...please review? :D