Hello! Sorry for not updating last week (I think I didn't). I had a very rough week, health-wise. I'm much better now. And I'm back.
I'm thinking of uploading the next chapter between later today, or tomorrow (hopefully today).
Thank you a million times for your reviews, alerts and to the silent readers as well! You make it worth it with your kind words.
Stay safe and enjoy!
KISS PROTOCOL
CHAPTER 3: THE PICTURES.
Bella put all the things she had been previously holding aside and moved to keep looking in the hole on her floor. She turned on the flashlight option on her phone and pointed it inside, but there was nothing else to find. She sat there dumbfounded. What did this mean? She massaged her temples, feeling the beginning of a headache.
She wasn't going to let it become one. She went to the bathroom and retrieved two headache pills, returning quickly to her room. She gasped surprised when she spotted Jake in the middle of her room.
He rushed to her side, scanning her for any possible injuries. "What's wrong? Are you ok? What couldn't you say over the phone?" He fired question after question without giving her time to answer.
She smiled. "Jake, it's ok. Calm down. I'm physically ok."
He sighed relieved. "Physically?"
She took his hand and guided him to the bed. She then bent down to pick up the pictures and her phone.
"When Edward left, I searched everywhere for a proof that he had existed. You know I stopped doing a lot of things. I destroyed the console on my truck, I stopped listening to music. But as I was cleaning my room, I felt the floor squeak. It turns out he had hidden some of our pictures and other things in there. "
Jake tensed. She had found proof (other than his pixie sister) that he had existed. Wasn't that what she wanted from the start?
Where did that leave them?
"Ok." He said carefully. Unsure where she was going.
She passed him her phone with the picture of them. He smiled immediately. It was a good picture. "You have to send me that."
She nodded. "I'll do, but that's not what I'm showing you. Look at my face, my body language."
He did as she asked. She looked happy, relaxed, rested. Carefree, as well. "You look beautiful." He concluded out loud.
He was so damn cute. She wanted to kiss him and get away with the consequences. But she stilled herself. Although she indulged with a peck on the lips.
Then, she took the phone and put the pictures of her and Edward on his hands. He looked at them but didn't actually look at them. It bothered him the past she had had with Edward. He still felt insecure about the situation. Despite what she had said yesterday, of wanting to be with him, of taking a chance to be happy.
She noticed he was not paying attention. She sat next to him, putting a hand on top of the pictures, effectively catching his attention. He raised his head. "Talk to me." She pleaded softly.
"Logically I know that you could have had a relationship with anyone, but it bothers me. I don't know why. I guess I feel insecure. I mean, you went through a rough patch when he left, and you only recently started acting… I don't know, different."
She gathered her thoughts for a few seconds, reminding herself that they both were on new territory with each other. "Jake, I told you I wanted to be happy. You make me happy. I like being with you. Whatever we're doing. It might take me some time to be where you're at, but I'm headed there. I promise." She kissed his shoulder.
"I know. It's weird, I guess." It didn't make too much sense, but for her it kinda did. "Don't worry about it. I'll get over it." He promised, giving her a small smile.
"Look at the picture." She pressed again.
He did, but he still didn't understand what was he supposed to be looking at. "It's a picture of you and your ex-boyfriend." He pointed out.
She breathed in patiently. "Look deeper, dumbass. Look at me. Do the same you did with our picture."
He did. And he finally saw her point. She was stiff in most of the pictures. From what she told him; they were taken at different points of their relationship. She seemed really happy in one or two, but the rest, she looked contrite, uncomfortable. It was a big difference from the picture he had taken of both of them this morning.
"What does it mean, Jake?" She whispered scared.
He looked at her in the eyes. She was so scared. He passed an arm around her shoulders and brought her closer to him. He continued analyzing the picture. It was so weird because the leech looked happy in most of the pictures. Different smiles, different ways of leaning towards her. Was it possible that she wasn't as comfortable with the relationship as she thought she was? Or was there something else that they overlooked?
Whatever it was, they needed to find out. "Do you mind if I take this to old Quil and dad?"
"Do you think they could help figure this out?" She was hopeful.
He kissed her left temple. "One way to find out."
"Do you mind if I go with you? I don't want to be alone."
She didn't want to be alone with her thoughts and the theories running in there rent free.
He kissed her forehead and told her to lead the way to her truck.
…
…
…
The elders analyzed the pictures that Bella showed them. She then proceeded to explain as briefly as she could how she felt during her relationship with Edward. The accidents she had, even if they were not directly caused by him. She thought she loved him. She thought she wanted to be with him forever. But now she knew for certain she did not want that. Even if she was still working out what she felt for Jake, she knew she was no longer in love with Edward. Which still led to the question of how she was realizing now that she was so…different then than she was now.
Was he manipulating her somehow? He said he couldn't read her mind. Had Jasper been manipulating how she felt when they were around? But that didn't make any sense. He always kept his distance, because according to Edward that's what he asked for. But Jasper seemed to be warming up to her. She knew Rosalie despised her, or at the very least just hated her. Surely, she wouldn't do anything that ensured she sticking around. Emmett was too scattered and noble do anything like that. The only options left were Alice and Edward, because somehow, she could not see Esme doing something so vile, even if was to make Edward happy. And Carlisle was a doctor…didn't doctors were supposed to protect people on principle?
Her theories were that she had been manipulated somehow into believing she was safe and in love with Edward. To the point where it nearly killed her when he left. She had stopped eating, talking, sleeping. Her dreams were plagued with nightmares. She gasped to herself. What if the nightmares were her brain assimilating everything? What if the nightmares were a way of warning her that she had been manipulated? And that she was safe now. She had been nightmare free for exactly one night. The same amount of time she had stopped being on denial about her feelings for Jake.
She waited to hear the elders' opinion in the matter before saying anything. She thought it might be a good idea to not contaminate them with anything.
"I don't think you were precisely manipulated from what you tell us." Billy said. She frowned. There goes her theory. "But I think you knew there was something wrong." Billy was not exactly sure what the situation entailed. But he knew one thing, the Cullens were honorable people. He trusted Carlisle, at least. And that he wouldn't risk the treaty over a human. Truth be told.
"But how could I know? I thought I was in love with him." She insisted. Jake had been too quiet, which also innerved her.
Old Quil took a second look at the pictures. "There's information missing here." Bella widened her eyes surprised that he caught up to that. Jake hung his head, staring at the floor. "Give us all the information, or we can't help you." He asked severely but at the same time softly. He had a tone that was a mix between authority and warmth. She could see why the people of the reservation looked up to him so much.
Bella took out her phone and showed them the pictures that started all her revelations. Billy tried to hide his smirk. He was acting as an elder and not as a dad or godfather. He had to put aside the joy he felt at the fact that his son was with the girl he had been in love for so long. If anyone was supposed to bring Bella out of her numbing state was him.
Old Quil hummed when he saw the picture. The father and grandfather in him were conflicted. He was hesitant with all these mystical things. But as Billy, he had to put his personal beliefs aside, an act as his official capacity demanded of him.
The three elders looked at both versions of Bella. They decided to further research into their history and see what they could come up with. They didn't promise anything though. At the very best they could offer her another theory. But it was most likely to be just something their history didn't cover. They hadn't been too keen on keeping track of the humans that voluntarily mingled with vampires. It didn't concern the wolves back then. Unless it directly affected the wolves or the reservation, they didn't intervene. It was uncommon for a human to mingle with vampires, so they stayed out the Cullen's business back then. As they were doing this time around, until Bella decided she was in love with one of them.
Of course, it had to be her that threw an entire culture out of a loop. What a surprise.
