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 18

Edward walked into the home that he hadn't been in for the past thirteen years, looking around at the settled dust in the bare house. Stepping into the foyer and looking around, his mind passed through memories, many of which were good with a mix of bad. The last good memory he had in this house was marrying the love of his life, Bella. They had both been so happy on that day, and though a damper was put on it in the form of Jacob Black and his ridiculous outburst, it had been pleasant. But after that, everything went downhill.

Bella found out she was pregnant, meaning he found out about her infidelity with Black. He tried to convince her that Jacob had taken advantage of her and her frought emotions, but she had been adamant that it wasn't Jacob that had initiated them having sex, but rather her. And though he couldn't bear it, he could see that she was telling the truth, that it had been her to make the first move which led to her pregnancy. He had been very irritated that the wolf had a part of his wife that he hadn't had, and still had yet to have. Even after the birth of Sarah, Bella still would not let him touch her, considering she had so wanted to before their wedding. Not only that, Sarah was afraid of and wanted nothing to do with him, even from when she was an infant. She should love him, he was the only father figure she had present. And yet she had been attached to someone she only knew through stories of her mother and then had the gall to go meet him herself with the help of Rosalie. This blatant action—obviously a trait from her no-good father—prompted Bella to run after her. And though he had made it plain to her that she was to retrieve Sarah and return, Bella had not done that. It was obvious she had stayed and in his opinion, overstayed her welcome. It was time for his wife to come home, and that was why he was back in this wretched, little town of Forks, Washington.

Making his way up the stairs to his old bedroom, Edward looked around before looking at the bed that he had bought for Bella. Placing the unneeded suitcase he had brought down on the floor, he looked upon the dust covered sheets before snatching them off and cracking them in the air, getting the dust off of it. After placing it back on the bed he nodded before looking around his old room again.

"I need to get this place ready," Edward murmured before leaving the room and heading back down the stairs. An almost sinister smile spread on his pale lips as he continued talking to himself. "Bella will be most surprised and will have no choice but to return to Colorado with me."

He paused for a moment, remembering what day it was. It was Sarah's thirteenth birthday. "Ah, yes, Sarah…she will have a most wonderful present as well. After all, if she wanted Jacob Black as her father, then so be it. But Bella is and will always be mine. And I will no longer share her with that little brat."

With his preparations in mind, Edward headed out of the house to the rental car he had rented and got inside of it, quickly heading to Port Angeles while he still had some time. And as he drove, he couldn't help but chuckle to himself at the thought of his beautiful wife's face at seeing him again after all these months.

A few hours later at around six-thirty, Sarah was being lead blindly by her parents to her surprise birthday party. Of course, she didn't know that was where she was headed, but she did like surprises, something completely different from her mother who hated them. Eyes closed behind her blindfold she asked, "Are we there yet?"

Bella giggled and answered, "No, not yet, Sarah. But we're almost there."

"Is that why we had to drive?"

"Yes."

Jacob smiled down at Sarah as he held her hand before saying, "This will be the best birthday you've ever had, kid. And we're just going to let you let loose."

Bella looked at her lover and said, "Well, not completely. Just enough to let her have fun."

"I'm sure to have fun anyway, mommy," Sarah said, a bright grin on her face.

Jacob and Bella laughed at their daughter before finally stopping having reached their destination.

Looking at each other Jacob and Bella both nodded before saying together, "Okay, one…two…three!"

Jacob yanked the blindfold off his daughter's eyes, and Sarah jumped in surprise as a loud chorus of 'Surprise!' was shouted. Chocolate brown eyes were wide as she took in everyone that was present around a large bonfire, as well as large amounts of food and drink that was there as well. She could see both of her grandfathers, her aunt and Paul, Angela and Embry, Sam and Leah, Seth, and many others. She smiled at everyone and grinned brighter when they all exclaimed, "Happy Birthday, Sarah!"

Bella bent down to be eyelevel with Sarah and said, "I know it's different from what you usually get, but we thought you'd be happy."

"I love it!" Sarah exclaimed happily. She then turned and hugged her mother tightly saying, "Thank you, mom!" The dark-haired girl let go of Bella and gave her father the same love.

Jacob smiled and looked down at Sarah who was looking up at him with shining eyes. He then noticed that her eyes were shining with tears. A little concerned at the tears standing in Sarah's eyes, Jacob bent down to her and asked, "What's the matter, Sarah?"

Sarah blinked and wiped away the tears that had sprung up in her eyes before grinning at her father and answering, "I'm just so happy, that's all. I…I never thought that I'd be able to spend a birthday with you and the rest of the family that I didn't know. But so much has changed in the few months we've been here and I get to have my first birthday with you and a place where that actually feels like home. I'm just so happy." More tears sprung up in Sarah's eyes and she hugged Jacob again, burying her face in his warm neck. "I love you, daddy. I always have."

Tears began to well up in Jacob's eyes as well and he hugged Sarah tightly to him, replying with his voice full of emotion, "I love you too, Sarah. Even when I didn't know you, I did."

Everyone was silent during this moment, watching the exchange with soft smiles on their faces and tears in their eyes, at least for Charlie and Billy. Bella too was silently crying as she watched her lover and daughter have this moment. Wiping her tears she bent down and hugged the two most important people in her life, wondering how she could have been so foolish to not have had this from the beginning. It didn't matter now; everything was perfect.

Knowing it was time to get the birthday party underway, Bella gave both Sarah and Jacob kisses on their cheeks before standing back upright. Getting her bearings and wiping her face clean of her tears, she cleared her throat and looked at their guests before saying, "Alright, everyone. It's Sarah's thirteenth birthday, one of many special birthdays to come."

"So lets make this night a special one to remember!" Jacob shouted, laughing when his Pack erupted into howls, even Sam giving off one after so many years. Standing up he led Sarah into the crowd of their family and friends, everyone wishing Sarah a 'happy birthday' and giving her hugs; even Paul gave Sarah a little half hug.

Jacob turned back to Bella and saw her standing there with a happy smile on her face as she watched their daughter enjoy her birthday for the first time in a long time. Walking over to the love of his life, Jacob wrapped his arms around Bella and held her close, Bella instantly relaxing in his embrace. They didn't say anything, didn't have to. They both knew and felt that this night was a special one for Sarah. Unfortunately, this also caused them to forget about Rosalie's warning in her note about Edward.

Two hours later after much eating and dancing and talking, Billy announced that it was time to sit around the bonfire and for Sarah to receive her birthday gifts. He patted the empty chair next to him that was sat in between him and Seth, indicating for his granddaughter to sit there. As Sarah grinned and took a seat, Billy looked around the bonfire and said, "It's time to give Sarah her gifts. Who wants to do the honors of giving the first gift tonight?"

"Allow me to have that honor, Billy Black," a smooth, chilling voice suddenly spoke from the shadows.

A shiver ran down Bella's spine and she quickly turned around, gasping as Edward Cullen stepped out of the shadows surrounding the bonfire. Jacob quickly stood up and growled at the sight of the leech, the rest of the Pack doing so as well, including Sam and Leah. Seth moved in front of Sarah, growling at Edward as Sarah looked absolutely bewildered at the fact that not only her step-father was suddenly present, but that her father, Seth, Embry, and others were making rather animalistic growls, like that of a dog or wolf.

Edward looked over the crowd in front of him, his golden eyes glinting in the firelight in a way that didn't sit right with any of them. Charlie scowled at his—unfortunately—son-in-law and stood up asking, "What the hell are you doing here?" Charlie frowned further seeing that it seemed like the man hasn't aged a day since the last time he saw him.

Bella grabbed Jacob's hand and held it tightly as Edward chuckled in amusement, stepping out of the shadows and towards them as he said, "I'm here for my family, of course. More specifically, I'm here for my wife."

"Fuck no!" Jacob hissed. "You're not taking Bella, or Sarah!"

Edward stared at the man he has despised for the past thirteen years before looking past him towards Sarah. The little girl was looking at him in shock and fear, her hand reached up to grip Seth's shirt tightly while seeking comfort from him and his protective stance. He found it interesting how attached she was to the Shifter, considering she didn't even know what he was or that he had Imprinted on her. Turning his attention back to Jacob he gave him a patronizing smile before saying, "But as I recall, I've already taken Bella. She chose to marry me, after all. She is my wife and we haven't divorced."

"That's because you won't let her!"

"Is that what she's told you?"

"I told him," Sarah spoke up.

Edward's eye twitched at the young teen before saying, "Stay out of this, Sarah. You know nothing of the matter of adults."

Sarah glowered at him and retorted, "I know you won't let mom divorce you for some reason when its obvious she wants to leave."

"Sarah," Bella said, silently asking her daughter to reman quiet for now. Looking back towards Edward she asked, "What is it that you want, Edward?"

"I think you know what it is, Bella. After all, I only allowed you to come back to this godforsaken place to get Sarah and return to Colorado. And what do I find instead?" Edward turned to look at everyone once again with hatred and disdain. "I find that you not only have disobeyed me, but you have cut off all forms of contact for me to reach you, as well as decided to live here." His eyes bared pure hatred as they landed on Jacob. "As well as shack up with Jacob Black, proving yourself unfaithful to me once again."

Jacob moved as if to lunge at Edward, but Bella held him back by squeezing his hand and placing a hand on his chest. Forcing himself not to phase Jacob growled out, "Your marriage to Bella has been over for years. What are you so pathetically holding onto? She doesn't love you anymore and hasn't for years. What do you gain from this?"

Edward snarled at him before quickly moving in front of him, his action surprising those present as they all knew Sarah was not aware of Edward's true nature. Sarah herself blinked in surprise and confusion at seeing her stepfather move from the edge of the shadows to standing in front of her father in a second. Glaring up at Jacob Edward said, "I've had enough of you and your stalling. I'm taking Bella back with me tonight, and there's nothing you can do about it."

With that said Edward roughly pushed Jacob, causing him to fly back into the nearby wooded area and out of sight. At that action, the Pack no longer was holding back and all phased on the spot, seven mighty wolves standing before moving towards Edward. Sarah gasped in shock as she witnessed Embry, Quil, Jared, Paul, Collin, Brady, and Seth turn into giant wolves. She stared in disbelief as she realized that Seth had turned into the giant wolf she had befriended. Another growl met her ears and she turned to see the giant russet wolf she had met emerge from where her father had disappeared from, running and jumping at Edward who was quickly evading them.

Suddenly the stories Billy had told her ran through her head, the old Quileute legends about the Cold Ones and the wolf Shifters. Though she thought it was just legends and wasn't real, what she was witnessing made it clear to her that it wasn't. The wolf Shifters were real! They did exist! And the way her stepfather was moving around, it was obvious he was a Cold One, a vampire. He and his family were vampires! Her mother had married a vampire! Sarah looked at Billy anxiously before looking for her mother in all the chaos. Spotting her she saw her moving through the fray towards Charlie who was looking just as bewildered and made her way towards them.

Reaching them she yelled, "Mom!"

"Sarah!" Bella exclaimed and held her daughter to her. Looking up at her own father she said, "Dad, we have to go!"

Charlie looked down at Bella and asked, "What the hell is going on?" He then turned to his best friend and asked louder, "What the hell is going on?!"

Before Billy or Bella could answer, the sound of a wolf's whimper reached their ears. Turning they looked in horror at Edward kicking Seth in his ribs, causing the sandy wolf to fly back and roll several feet on the ground. Seeing the vampire hurt her best friend, Sarah cried out, "Sethy!"

Sarah took off running towards the fight between Edward and the Pack, ignoring Bella's cry of her name and for her to come back. All she could focus on was getting to where Seth was lying hurt. However before she could reach him, she was suddenly grabbed by her arm and held in an icy grip, a cold hand wrapped around her neck but not squeezing. Gasping she struggled but held still as Edward applied pressure to her neck. Sarah remembered the stories her grandfather had told her about the Cold Ones, and knew her stepfather could kill her instantly with a twist of his hand. She looked up at Edward into his amber eyes and found herself feeling more afraid than she ever had before.

Bella, who had ran after Sarah, stopped at seeing Edward grab her daughter and hold her by her arm and neck. Gasping in horror she yelled, "Edward, no! Not my baby!"

Jacob growled at Edward and moved to charge him, but stopped when Edward held Sarah's arm out and pressed his finger into her wrist, instantly snapping it. Sarah screamed in pain as she tried to jerk her arm away, her scream stopping Jacob and causing Bella to start crying. Looking at the vampire that she regretted to call her husband, Bella asked, "Why?"

Edward gave the brunette a strange look before saying simply, "It's time for you to come home, Bella. And when we leave this time, we won't be coming back. You won't ever be returning to Forks or La Push and will having nothing to do with the wretches that live here. Now, you will come with me and we leave for Colorado right now, or I will harm Sarah more."

"No Bella, he's bluffing!" Charlie exclaimed.

"Oh, I never bluff, Chief Swan." Edward chuckled darkly as he turned back to face Bella. "So what will it be, love?"

Bella didn't answer, her tears flowing over onto her cheeks and down her face. She looked from him to Sarah who was silently crying and trembling in his grip. Swallowing roughly she asked, "What about Sarah?"

"I don't want her, I never did. I just want you, Bella. But I will promise you this: I won't harm Sarah if you come with me. In fact, she can stay here with the family she so wants to be with. Of course, you will never see her again, but at least she will be alive. Though, I can't say she'll be safe with the volatile wolf she calls a father, but she will be alive. It's your choice Bella, make it."

Not knowing what to do, Bella looked from him to Sarah, then to Jacob who was shaking his wolfy head to everyone else present, waiting with baited breaths for Bella's decision. For Bella, she didn't see a way out of this. If she refused, Edward would kill Sarah and who knows else. But if she agreed, she would never see her daughter again; not only Sarah, but she wouldn't see Jacob, the man she was in love with and should've been with from the beginning, ever again. It was such a hard decision for her, but she already knew what she was going to do.

Closing her eyes, Bella bit her lip to keep the sob that was threatening to escape inside as she felt her heart breaking in her chest. Opening the chocolate brown eyes that were spilling tears, she looked into Edward's golden ones and finally said, "Okay…okay. I'll go."