Rekindling What's Meant to Be

JacobxBella

Rated T

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the franchise, as it belongs to Steph Meyers

Rekindling What's Meant to Be

Chapter 8

A month had gone by since Bella agreed to stay and live in La Push and she had to admit to herself that she was the happiest she had been in thirteen years. Not to say she wasn't happy when Sarah had been born—because she had been very happy—but she hadn't felt such peace in a long time. Sarah was also happy in the environment she was in and loved going out exploring the wooded area of the Reservation and hiking along the trails with either Seth or Jacob.

Bella had debated whether or not to get a job in Forks, Port Angeles, or find work in La Push. She figured that it really didn't matter considering that either way, Alice could look into her future and see her anyway, if she wasn't already doing it. Even so, she applied for a position as a waitress in both Port Angeles and in Forks at the diner her father would frequent again with her no longer being in Forks, though now he was eating more at home with her back. She soon got a job at said diner in Forks and was surprised to how easily she took to the job and enjoyed it. Interacting with the kind customers and her coworkers was some of the best, if not only social interaction she ever had in years. Everyone was friendly and she found herself smiling more than she ever had.

Another thing that had happened in the month of her return was running into various members of the Pack that she hadn't seen yet, and there were many mixed reactions to them seeing her again. Seth and Embry had welcomed her back warmly, but Quil not so much. He in fact wasn't happy to see her and didn't understand why Jacob would welcome her back in his life or even take in her child, even doubting Sarah was Jacob's despite the fact that it was obvious she was. Jared had returned from his honeymoon with Kim and had initially been cold to her, not wanting her around at all for what she had put them through in the past and what could happen in the future because of her. However it was Kim's kindness towards and welcoming of Bella that soon thawed his coldness to her and now they were amicable. Collin and Brady weren't sure how to react to seeing Bella back and around Jacob, but they decided to follow Seth's example and be nice to her, making her feel welcome. Paul however…that hadn't been a meeting she had been prepared for, no matter how much she told herself she had been.

Upon returning from his vacation with Rachel, Paul had completely blown up and cursed viciously at her, calling her all manners of insults with some of them being in the Quileute language. He had demanded that she leave right then and there, only to be punched in the mouth by Jacob. And just like the first time she had seen it, they had both phased and began fighting in the yard. They had only stopped when Rachel had yelled at them and made them both stop. She hadn't said much to Bella or demanded she leave, but she did state that with Billy and Jacob allowing not only her but her daughter to live in their house and in La Push, it was only right that they respect that decision, whether he liked it or not. Bella had been afraid Sarah might have witnessed her father and Paul turning into giant wolves, but the girl had been taking a nap during the time and had missed the whole altercation.

However in the whole month they had been there, Bella had yet to see either Sam or Leah. She had asked Jacob if he would take her to see Emily for a visit, only to be told Emily had gone back to the Makah Reservation six years ago. Bella had been completely shocked to hear news and asked if Sam had gone with her, to which Jacob had shaken his head.

"When Emily left, Sam didn't stop her. He wasn't even at the house when she left to see her off," Jacob had told her. "Sam is still here and hasn't contacted Emily since she left."

That sounded so strange and wrong to Bella. Emily was Sam's Imprint and they seemed to be in love despite everything that had happened between them and around them. So what could possibly make Emily leave and Sam not try to stop her from leaving? What could have possibly held him back from going after his Imprint? Even with those questions in her mind, the answer was clear to her: Leah.

Bella looked up from the pot of Alfredo sauce she was making to go with the chicken Alfredo pasta she was making to briefly look into the living room. She smiled seeing Sarah putting together a one-hundred piece puzzle with Seth that Billy had gotten her. Looking at Seth she thought about his sister and why she had yet to see her. Wanting to ask him she cleared her throat and said, "Sarah honey, come take over the cooking for me for a little while. I want to talk to Seth for a moment."

Sarah looked up and frowned saying, "But he's helping me with this puzzle."

"You'll have him back all to yourself soon. I just need to speak with him for a minute."

The preteen huffed before nodding and getting up from the floor, walking into the kitchen to take over for her mother while Seth chuckled. Bella ruffled Sarah's dark hair as she walked past her before gesturing to Seth to follow her outside. Seth got up from the floor and followed the brunette out onto the porch, casting a glance back at Sarah for a moment before closing the door behind him. Once the door was closed he turned to Bella and asked, "What did you want to talk to me about?"

Bella bit her lip before taking a deep breath and asking, "Seth, is Leah around? I haven't seen her in the month I've been back, and I was just wondering…is she okay? And do you know about Sam? Jake told me a bit, but not much. Do you know anything?"

Seth looked genuinely surprised by the question before a sad expression came over his face. He looked down for a moment before nodding and answering, "Yeah, Leah is still around. Sam is too, but…they haven't been back to La Push in six years."

"Why? What happened?" Bella took notice of how Seth seemed to struggle to answer, his expression beginning to become distraught. Realizing that she was probably pushing him to tell her something he didn't want to think about, she realized how selfish she was being and backtracked. "I'm sorry, Seth. You don't have to tell me, I didn't mean to pressure you to tell me. I should have acknowledged that if Jake wouldn't tell me everything, it was because he was respecting your family's privacy. I'm really sorry."

Shaking his head Seth gave her a small smile and replied, "No, it's alright. You don't know and it's only natural that you'd want to know." Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and let it out. Nodding to himself he opened his eyes and sat down on the porch steps, patting the space next to him for Bella to sit. When she was settled he began to speak.

"After you left with the Cullens, things never really went back to the way they were. Relationships weren't what they used to be between the Pack and tensions rose there between those that didn't care for you and were happy that you were gone, and those that were sad to see you go despite the circumstances. That was mostly Jake and I, though; Embry pretty much stayed neutral the whole time but still supported Jake. When six years passed after your leaving, all of the pent-up emotions that Sam was holding in suddenly began to manifest themselves. I'm sure you know that despite what he put her through, Sam still misses and loves my sister, but he wouldn't hurt Emily. However, his feelings towards Emily began to wane and the Imprint between them began to slip. His still underlying feelings for Leah were coming to the surface and he started to pursue her again, trying to spend time with her and being where she was all the time. You see, Leah believed there was no more reason to keep phasing and being a part of the Pack once the Cullens uprooted and left Forks, so she stopped phasing altogether and left the Pack. We were all sad to see her go—especially Sam—but we weren't going to stop her. Sam tried, but she stood firm and left. I think part of it had to do with getting away from him and stop sharing a mind with him, repeatedly having to see the cause and happiness that was the catalyst to her own unhappiness. Even so, I think she was feeling some sort of relief, if only a little bit. Sam however, his guilt consumed him and his underlying love for Leah grew. He'd show up to our house wanting to see and talk with Leah, and each time she'd turn him away. But Sam persisted, so much so that Emily caught on to what he was doing. She started trying to enforce their Imprint bond but he was fighting it, something he had never tried before."

"I thought he had in the beginning," Bella cut in.

"That's what we all thought, but it turned out that when he Imprinted on our cousin, he broke things off with Leah to pursue Emily. But as you know, Emily's constant rejection and the pressure he was feeling from being the only Shifter at the time caused him to snap and hurt Emily. And then once Emily recovered they were suddenly together, that being a major blow to my sister to see her ex that she was still in love with go for the cousin that was like a sister to her. The betrayal cut deep and hardened her personality. Anyway, when Emily realized that enforcing the Imprint wasn't having the effect it should have had, that's when the problems between them started and they started fighting about Lee, mostly about Sam still being in love with her. I think what made it worse was that Sam didn't deny it. Leah tried to continue to distance herself from Sam and move on with her life, but Sam wouldn't let her go. Then one night Sam came to our house again, asking to see Leah. Mom tried to lie and say Lee wasn't there, but Sam knew she was. Leah knew that he knew she was there and came from her room to confront him, to which she tried to make him go back home to Emily, but he wouldn't leave. What made that night go from bad to worse was when Emily suddenly showed up, having driven over. I had never seen her so angry before and she started yelling at Leah, blaming her for taking Sam away from her."

"She didn't."

"She did, which in my opinion was a mistake to say, especially to my sister. Leah's anger was instant and she started yelling at Emily, pushing her off of our porch and telling her that it was in fact her that had taken Sam from her. She went on to say that the Imprint bond was to supposed to be anything that the Imprintee wanted; a friend, a brother, a lover, anything that they wanted or needed them to be. She asked Emily how she could take the man she loved on as her own lover when she could have easily requested him to be her friend or brother. She wanted to know that if she knew this, why would she hurt her like that. Emily however turned it around on Leah, telling her that it was her fault that Sam Imprinted on her, that if she hadn't been meant to be a part of the Pack and barren, then maybe the Imprint wouldn't have happened. Either way the way she saw it, she had Sam now and nothing was going to change that. Sam tried to reprimand Emily, but Leah slapped her instead, knocking her down to the ground. She then pushed Sam away from the house and kept pushing him further away, yelling at him to go away and leave her alone. And then…" A pained expression came over Seth's face. "…then Emily ran Leah over with her truck."

Bella gasped in horror, throwing her hands over her mouth as she stared at the younger man, his eyes welling with tears. Seth sniffed and wiped his tears before continuing.

"Emily had gotten up from the ground and had rushed to get to her truck, mom and I the only ones seeing her do it. We thought that maybe she was leaving to go back home, having had enough of the drama for the night, but we were so wrong. Instead of leaving she bore down on the gas and rammed right into Leah. She hit Sam too, but Leah took the brunt of it."

"B-But she was okay, right? With her being a Shifter, she would have been fine right?"

Seth shook his head and looked down in his lap. "Leah had stopped phasing, and as a result her body was starting to revert back to what it had once been. This meant that her body wouldn't be able to heal quickly on its own like before. Leah was completely battered by the impact and was knocked unconscious instantly. Sam recovered quicker, but once he saw the state Leah was in…I don't think I've ever seen him so distraught before. He was crying and cradling Leah, begging her to wake up. Mom had run over as well while telling me to get the car so we could get Leah to the hospital. Right before I went to get the car, Emily had leant out of the window of the truck and demanded Sam go back home with her. He wouldn't move though, and she quickly left. We got Leah to the hospital and they quickly took her to surgery. When she came out she and was moved to the ICU, the doctor told us that…that Leah was in a coma but was sure she would wake up soon. That was six years ago they said that."

Chocolate brown eyes widened in shock. "So you mean…?"

"Yeah, Leah is still in her coma. Sam left the Pack, got a job and moved to Forks to be closer to her and visits her every day, refusing to leave her side for long. He blames himself for her being in that position in the first place and has promised that the moment she woke up, he wouldn't leave her side again and would always be there for her no matter what. Two years ago the doctor believed that Leah wouldn't ever wake up again and asked us if we wanted to take her off of life support, but mom refused."

"And…and what about Emily?"

Seth shrugged and said, "I don't know. I'm sure Jake told you that she went back home to the Makah Res, but we don't know what happened to her after that." More tears welled up in his eyes.

Bella was silent for a moment before gently taking Seth's hand in her own and giving it a gently, supportive squeeze. Giving him a small smile, she said softly, "It'll be okay. Leah will wake up soon, I just know it. If I remembered anything about her, you were the most important thing to her and she won't leave you by yourself for long. Just keep hope, okay?"

Seth smiled at the brunette and gave her hand a squeeze in return before saying softly, "I always do."

The two of them sat together in silence, Seth's tears finally falling over onto his cheeks. He laid his head over on Bella's shoulder and cried silently, Bella laying her own head against his to comfort him. She didn't have any siblings, but she could only imagine the pain she'd be in if Sarah or Charlie or Renee was in the position Leah was in, all the while trying to remain optimistic and put on a façade of being fine. Just the thought of it brought tears to her eyes and she closed them to keep them at bay, though one slipped out.

That was how Jacob found them when he pulled up in his car a few minutes later. He got out of his car and walked over to them, a concerned expression on his face. Before he could ask anything, Bella opened her eyes and looked at him, her eyes holding so much sadness. His attention was taken from the brunette and his brother when the front door opened and Sarah stepped out onto the porch.

"Dinner is done and ready to be served," Sarah said with a smile, only for it to slowly go away at the scene before her. Frowning in concern at the man that had become her best friend, she took a step forward and asked, "Sethy, what's the matter?" She then looked at her mother. "Mom?"

Seth wiped his face free of his tears and stood up from the porch, walking over to Sarah and giving her a reassure smile. He ruffled her hair and said, "I'm okay Sarah, I promise."

Sarah stared up at him and looked into his eyes, immediately seeing that he was only telling a half truth. She wanted him to be honest with her, but she also felt it wasn't something that was her place, or rather something Seth didn't want to share with her just yet. If that was the case, then she could wait for him to tell her, but only if he wanted to. Wanting to give Seth some form of comfort she wrapped her arms around Seth's middle, hugging him close and placing her head just below his chest from where he towered over her. Seth smiled and returned her hug before allowing her to take his hand and lead him back inside, chuckling when she told him that he had better leave enough food for her parents, especially Jacob.

When they were back inside Jacob took Seth's place beside of Bella and said softly, "I take it Seth told you about what's really going on with Sam and Leah."

Nodding Bella whispered, "It's so sad. Imprinting ruined their lives and practically ended in tragedy."

Jacob said nothing in response, his own thought process believing the same thing. Imprinting did in fact ruin Sam, Leah, and Emily's lives, and he believed that it was part of the reason it ruined his thirteen years ago. Bella was afraid of Imprinting and what it entailed, and he knew that she had been scared he would Imprint one day and forget about her. However, he knew that he would never Imprint and still to this day hadn't done it. He was positive that Bella was meant for him, but as long as she continued to run away from him, he wouldn't ever be able to show her that it was true. Even with them having a daughter together she was still running away, but he hoped over time she would begin to open up to him and hopefully give him a chance. Until then, he would wait.

Bella wiped her tear and looked at Jacob before saying, "I want to go see Leah."

Jacob blinked in surprise before asking, "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

"What about Sarah? Do you want to bring her along?"

"No, not yet. I don't want to expose her to a situation like that. She's only twelve after all, and she's never seen someone in a coma before."

"Maybe, but she's getting old enough to know what really happens. I know you and the Cullens kept her pretty sheltered, but you can't tell me she didn't at least question the vamp doc a bit about what happens in a hospital setting."

As a matter of fact Sarah had asked Carlisle a few times, but he never told her anything completely concrete. His reasoning was that he wanted her to keep her innocence for as long as she could, and Bella was grateful for that. Thinking on it a bit Bella finally sighed and said, "Maybe the next time we go we'll take her to meet Leah. I think she'd like to meet Seth's sister, even if she can't speak back to her."

Jacob nodded and kissed Bella's temple before standing and heading inside, leaving Bella sitting wide-eyed staring after him. Her face was bright pink in a blush, her hear pounding in her chest like it hadn't in years, and her temple tingling from where Jacob's lips had pressed against it. His small kiss had been surprising, yet not unwelcome. Bella's mind suddenly supplied her with memories, memories she had shared with Jacob and how he had made her feel years ago. And furthermore, she was surprised that she seemed to still feel those same emotions now years later.

Shaking her head Bella slapped the sides of her face lightly before whispering, "No Bella, no. We're not going back down that road. We're not going to slip."

Standing up Bella took a deep breath before entering the house, going to join Sarah, Jacob, and Seth for dinner, making a mental note to set some aside for Billy when he returned. She also decided as she sat down with a plate of food that she would try and forget Jacob's kiss to her temple and how it made her feel, though she doubted the fast beating of her heart would go away whenever she thought about it.