Chapter 5: Mistake

Bella's POV

"I'm going to ask you one more time," I seethed angrily at the pitiful human girl who was struggling in Jacob's grasp. Jacob had her pinned to the wall and I had my fingers around her throat ready to crush her windpipe. It would be so easy. "What did you do to my daughter?! Where is she?!"

The girl was struggling to breathe. I didn't care. As soon as I found my daughter she would die.

"I don't know," she coughed in between words.

"Wrong answer," Jacob growled. He was shaking so badly that it was a wonder how he hadn't phased yet.

"I swear I don't know where she's at and-"

"That's it. Since you won't tell me where my daughter is then you're going to die right now,"

The human's eyes went wide in fear. Good.

"Bella stop," I heard my husband say. I released the pathetic human and looked back to see my husband, my daughter, and some other little boy around her age.

"Momma!" Nessie ran into my open arms and I hugged her as tightly as I could do safely. I'd never felt so relieved before.

"Bella it was all one huge misunderstanding. Lisa never kidnapped our daughter. She found Nessie and has been trying to help her this entire time,"

"But that poster said if you ever want to see her again-"

"Poor *cough* choice *cough* of words," The human struggled to get the words out of her mouth. "I'm sorry,"

"If she didn't kidnap you then where were you?" my arms were still trembling as I held her.

"As it turns out these two snuck out together to go hunting," Edward answered.

For the first time I really looked at the little boy. I noticed that his heart was beating much faster than a normal human's heart did. His scent, while not identical to Nessie's, was a fine balance between human and vampire. Neither one more potent than the other. He was a hybrid just like Nessie.

So Nessie wasn't one of a kind. There were others out there like her. Not very many but they did exist. I wondered if Lisa was his mother. If so how did she survive the birth?

I pushed all of my questions aside for now. "I'm so sorry Lisa. We shouldn't have attacked you like that without listening to you first. I'm really sorry,"

"and so am I," Jacob added. "We should've listened to you first,"

"In a weird way I kind of understand. If I thought someone had kidnapped my nephew I'd react the same way,"

"This is your nephew? I assumed you were his mother,"

I watched her take a deep breath. I could see the moisture in her eyes. She was trying not to cry. I watched as she bent down to pick up the little hybrid boy.

"No Lucas is my nephew. But I suppose if you did a DNA test it would say that I was his biological mother. But no. His mother's name was Sarah and she was my identical twin sister. She died giving birth to him. There wasn't anything I could do to save her," her voice trembled there at the end.

I realized then that she'd been dealing with this all on her own. Losing her sister and raising her nephew. I tried to imagine myself in her shoes. If I didn't have anyone to help me. I didn't know if I would be able to keep it together or not.

I took a step closer to her. Her heart sped up but she didn't move. I surprised her when I hugged her. "I'm really sorry for your loss...and also for threatening to kill you earlier,"

"Hey at least you didn't,"

"and I also wanted to thank you for taking care of my daughter,"

"It was my pleasure. She's a sweet little girl. I just can't figure out what happened to her in the first place. She doesn't seem to have any memory of what happened to her when she was taken from Forks,"

"None at all?" Jacob asked.

"No it's very weird," she said.

"Bella can I talk to you privately for a few minutes?" Edward asked me. I wondered what that was all about. Then I followed him.

"Okay what's going on?" I asked him once we were out of earshot.

"I was thinking that we should do something to help them since they took care of Nessie,"

"What were you thinking?"

"I was listening to her thoughts and she's been struggling a lot lately. She quit medical school to take care of her nephew and she was also fired from her job. Apparently her boss fired her just because she has a kid now,"

"What?"

"From what I gathered her boss did that to all the women there once they had a kid,"

"But that is so blatantly sexist and wrong and-"

"I know which is why I'm thinking we should help her sue the company that did that to her. Carlisle knows the best lawyers. We could also help her by looking after Lucas while she's working and going to school,"

I shook my head. Apparently Edward did not see the one big flaw in that plan. "Um did you forget that she lives in Texas and we live in Washington?"

"Well I was thinking about that also. They could come live with us in Forks. I'd have to run the idea by Carlisle and Esme but I don't think they would say no. I know Nessie would be very happy,"

I was surprised when he brought up our daughter.

"and Lisa and Lucas would'nt be alone anymore," he added.

"Where is the boy's father? Do you know?"

"Lisa never met him but she found out through her sister that his name is Joham. Apparently he called himself a scientist. Nobody knows what he was experimenting with though," he said. "But they need help. She doesn't know enough about our kind to fully understand his needs,"

I nodded in agreement. "and it would make Nessie happy to have him around,"

"What do you mean by that?"

"She really likes that little boy and he really likes her. Lisa has noticed how close the two of them have grown over the past few weeks. I could see their friendship growing into something more over the years,"

"Jacob would love that," I rolled my eyes.

"Shouldn't Jacob have a little competition? Just because he imprinted on Nessie it doesn't mean that she has to choose him. It's still her choice. If Nessie picked Lucas over Jacob well..."he didn't finish that thought. I wondered what would happen if Nessie did choose someone other than Jacob. The thought had never crossed anyone's mind before now.

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