Chapter 9 – Compromise
EPOV
My feet moved quickly, going back and forth across the field. Emmett and Jasper found me in my disturbed state. They stood away from me, with their arms crossed. Their eyes just followed me. Jasper was concerned and Emmett was annoyed. "What happened?" Jasper asked, finally breaking the silence. His mind showed an image of me and Bella lying on the grass beneath the heavenly light. My head shook, trying to ignore the picture. "For a human, she is so stubborn!" And you're not?, Emmett thought harshly, You two are a match made in heaven. Neither of you listen.
I looked over at my unusually calm brother. Jasper thought about the conversation we had our first might here. "You were right. I know we discussed this, but I couldn't help it. I need to keep her safe." "Ah, hell, Edward," Emmett said exasperated, "The treaty's broken. If you want to keep her safe, you should just changed her. Victoria would be off her back and this would be over." My muscles bunched at the thought of doing that to Bella. I wanted to take his head off.
My body was leaning and he gestured for me to attack, Try it. My lips curled back over my teeth, "You think changing her is going to stop me from trying to protect her." He couldn't be that obtuse, "Rose's been a vampire longer than you have, but you would stop at nothing to keep her safe." Emmett pose matched mine, Fair enough.
A calmness came over us, making us straighten up. That's true. I'm surprised she didn't bring it up, Jasper mused. Seeing me briefly distracted, Emmett quickly moved and pinned me to the ground, "Edward, you have got to relax when it comes to Bella." My hands pushed against his chest, "Stay out of it, Emmett!"
My arms locked around his neck but he easily threw me off. Emmett pinned my arm behind my back, "No, this is my sister you're talking about." Moving around him, Emmett's body was thrown away from me, "I'm your brother. And you were against us in the beginning."
Emmett snarled and charged me, "In case you forgot," Emmett's arms caught me around the waist, "So were you!" The two of us fought, kicking up snow and earth around us. Jasper stood off to the side, leaning against one of the few trees. My mind was still distracted from my argument with Bella, then with Emmett, that some of his moves did catch me by surprise.
In the end, I yielded to Emmett, "Fine!" During the fight, Emmett and I argued. It was his way of beating something into my head, literally. Jasper sighed, reminding us that he was still there, "You two done yet?"
The three of us stayed in the field for the majority of the night, talking about what how we've upset Bella, Rosalie and Alice in the past, what compromises were reached, and what compromise could be made for mine and Bella's recent argument. There really wasn't much of one in sight.
Our talk calmed me and was informative. Emmett sat up, "So are you ready to go back?" He hoped I was still upset, because he was up for another match. My head shook at his enthusiasm, "Let's go." When the house was in sight, the lights from Bella's bedroom were still on. Emmett and Jasper went for the front door, but I scaled the house, through her balcony doors.
My mind briefly compared this to Romeo & Juliet, at the infamous balcony scene. From now on, I would never criticize Romeo again. Thinking about the chill in the air and the late hour, I hoped she was in bed or fully dressed, so the cold wouldn't bother her when the door opened. My body was being to tense up, in anticipation to see her face. The door opened and her sweet scent hit me.
The room was still and there was no one in the bed. I quickly checked the minds of everyone in the house, to see if Bella was with them. I didn't see her; maybe she was in my room. The walls blurred pass as I ran downstairs to my room. I didn't need the lights to see in it, she wasn't there. Pushing away my panic, my ears listened to everything in the house. There was no heartbeat, just various breathing.
I ran back to her room, when I caught their scent, Alice and Rosalie were in here. I checked everyone's minds again, my sisters weren't here either. Were they with Bella? I stood in her room, wondering where they were; mainly where Bella was. Following her trail, it was strongest on the bed. My eyes fell on small note against her roses with my name.
I took the letter and read it. As I read her words, my body was flooded with different emotions; anger, frustration, concern, betrayal and above all; worry. I quickly opened the drawers, to see that all of her clothes were gone. I went down to the driveway to find Rosalie's car was gone. What was she thinking? I quickly went inside to get my car keys. I had to go after her.
Downstairs, Esme was holding my keys. Everyone was in the living room, apparently waiting for me. "Don't even think about it. We promised Bella we would keep you here. Just like how you wanted us to keep her safe for you, we are keeping you safe for her." Esme said, twirling my keys on her finger. Carlisle sat next to her, "Edward, Bella will be fine. Alice is staying with her. Bella said she would talk to the pack and inform them that Alice will be with her, keeping her safe. She's there to help. We're all worried about them."
Just then, Rosalie came in the house. There was a faint scent of Bella on her. Her mind showed Bella upset after our fight and the determined look she had as they left. My body held the scent in, refusing to exhale. Rosalie glared at me and walked upstairs. Rosalie, please, don't let Edward come after me, was the last thing Bella asked before se left with Alice.
Rosalie promised Bella that she would keep me in Denali. I promised her, Edward. I don't want to have to rip you apart…then again. Rosalie's thoughts hit me and she thought about the two of us fighting. There was no point arguing. I will stay here and wait for her to come back to me.
At least Alice was staying with Bella, which helped me a bit. I would have felt a lot better if I were with her. I needed to know if she was safe and what she was doing to keep herself safe. Shaking my head and needing to be alone, I sat in Bella's room. My fingers ran over her writing. My body laid back on the bed, inhaling the scent of her hair. Her scent was still strong the material on the pillows. I remained there for hours, breathing in her scent. Hours passed by like minutes, waiting to hear from her. My phone vibrated on the nightstand. This was the call I was waiting for. It was Bella.
e`
BPOV
I sat on the couch, looking at the window. The phone was to my ear and I tried to keep my hand from trembling. There were two rings and a chill went down my spine at the sound of his voice. My body was responding to how he might sound, "Bella?" He didn't sound angry, he was worried. "Hi." There was a brief silence, "Are you alright?" "Yes, I am. We made it home right before Charlie left for work." There was another silence, "Where is Alice?" I looked at her, "Right here. She's going to with me." He sighed deeply over the phone, "I know. Carlisle told me. Did you speak to the mutts yet?" "No. I was waiting for a little later to call Jacob." His voice was surprisingly calm, considering what I did.
"Bella, I read your letter and you know I'm not happy about this," a lump grew in my throat. This was what I was dreading. "But you were right." My eyes widened. Was I hearing things? Did he say I was right? "You do have a life you need to get back to and Alice is with you. At least you have one of us with you." I nodded, "She told Charlie that we were talking early classes at the University of Alaska. We'll be coming back after graduation. She told him that we would be staying with your family."
I could hear the relief in his voice, "All right. I know that's what you wanted to do and again with Alice there, so that could work. I will stay away from Washington, but you have to make sure to keep yourself safe. Don't do anything reckless, stick with Alice and come back as soon as you can." I smiled, "I will. I'll keep my phone with me all the time. And I have my credit card." Edward breathed, "Ok. And don't worry about its limit. Trust me; you won't be able to reach it. If you wanted to, you could fly out here for the weekends."
I laughed at his encouragement, "Yea, I don't know about that idea. I know if I came there a weekend, you'll try to keep me there." He laughed unashamed, "You know me too well." Alice held out her hand for my phone. "Edward, Alice wants to talk to you." I handed her the phone and she flew into her conversation.
While they talked, I went into the kitchen. The lump in my throat was still there. Maybe something to drink would help with that. I stood in the kitchen and looked out the window, thinking about what I have to do now. How am I going to keep my head straight while being separated from Edward? I knew what I had to do, but it won't be easy. My eyes shut, trying to keep the tears from falling.
My chest ached as I thought about how far apart Edward and I were. This was similar to this past spring. He was far away, worrying about me and Alice and I were together, trying to make things right.
"Bella?" I turned around and Alice was there, holding the phone out to me. I placed it to my ear, "Hello?" "Bella," Edward's voice was anxious, "Victoria knows you're back." A lump built in my throat, "That's a good and bad thing," I choked out, "Bad than she knows, but still good. This will be over soon. I'll let Jake know and maybe they can finally get rid of her." Edward sighed, "Yes. That's another reason why I wanted you to stay here. Victoria would have crossed our path eventually and I could have done away with her myself. But as long as this ends, that's all that matters."
I realized I had stopped breathing. I didn't like the idea of Edward fighting Victoria. She was feral and agile. She easily evaded the wolves and, from what Jacob told me, ferocious when she was angry. "Ok. I'm going to call Jake." I didn't want to think about the look on Edward's face when I mentioned Jacob's name. I knew he hated that part very much.
"Alright." There was something in his voice that I couldn't place. "I need you to be safe. Don't venture too far from Alice. I hope that those mutts are open for her staying with you. Nevertheless, if anything happens, I don't care about them, I'll come for you. I won't have you living in danger. You mean too much to me and I refuse to go through life, again, thinking I've lost you." My shoulders slumped, "I know. I feel the same way. I swear I'll keep myself safe and when this is over, I'll come back to you."
"I love you." I smiled at his gentle reminder, "I love you and I miss you already." He chuckled, "It can't compare to how much I miss you." I rolled my eyes, "If you say so. I'll talk to you later." "Bye." When the phone disconnected, my heart stopped. This was going to be tougher than I thought. Could I keep myself sane while I'm away from Edward?
This would be over soon and we'll be together again. I had to remind myself of that for a long time. Part of me wanted to just jump into the car and go back to Alaska. I didn't care that I had to finish school, keep up appearances for Charlie and that a life here. I just wanted to be with Edward. "Bella, if I'm going to be staying here, you should call your dog friends and let them know." I looked at Alice and nodded, "Ok."
I dialed Jacob's number and paced the kitchen until he answered. "Hello," the familiar voice answer. It was heavy with sleep, "Jake? Did I wake you?" He was suddenly alert, "Bella? Are you all right?" "Jake, I'm fine, but I need to talk to you about something really important." He suppressed a yawn, "What is it?" Alice came over and squeezed my hand in encouragement, "Jake, I'm home. I'm at Charlie's house right now." "I'll come and get you. I know those bloodsuckers will be coming back for you."
I bit my lip, "Jake, please. Let me finish. I'm back, but I need you to do something for me." "Anything. What do you need?" I looked towards Alice and she smiled. "Alice is staying with me until graduation. I need you… I'd like you to inform the other that she'll be here. Even though the treaty is broken, Alice will respect the rules. She'll stay off your land and will not harm any humans. She's here for me. I'm asking that your pack not hunt or attack her if they see her."
There was a silence that seemed to last forever, "Bella, do you think that's the best idea. Having one of them there with you?" "Yes, especially with Victoria hunting me. She knows I'm back. With what happened the last time you saw her, she'll be more intent on getting to me. It's better to have Alice here, at least. She can see Victoria and her decisions. When she sees something, I can tell you and all of you can try to get to her." The words poured out like a river.
I know telling him this was good. He could feel more coordinated with Alice's visions. Alice held out her hand for the phone, gesturing for me to hand it her, "Jake, she wants to talk to you. Please, be nice," I cautioned both of them.
He snorted, "All right, for you." Alice took the phone, "Jacob Black. As Bella said, I'm here to protect her. And I will respect your lands and stay away from them, as we always did. Bella told me that when we were gone, one of you circled her house at night. Could one of you do that again?"
Alice fell silent. I wanted so much to hear what Jacob was saying. "I know, Jacob. Your pack won't be happy that I'm here, but Bella and I are hoping you can convince them that I'm not a threat. I'll respect the boundary line that was created in the treaty." Jacob was speaking again. Alice was nodding. "Alright, Jacob. Speak with your leader. Bella and I will be in the house. Please call us."
Alice hung up the phone and looked to me, "Jacob will speak with Sam. Hopefully he will comply. I think they will, out of respect for you. I'm guessing, because I cannot see them." My teeth bit into my lower lip. I hope Sam can agree. Alice was being very fair, considering she was in danger herself. Maybe I would have to go to La Push to have a meeting with Sam and others. My main fear was Paul. He was always ready for a fight, he would love nothing more than killing a vampire.
"Ok. I'm going to unpack. And I should get my homework done. I really didn't focus on it while we were in Alaska." I needed something to occupy my mind and time. Edward wasn't here to distract me. Alice smiled and she went outside to get our bags. Before I got to the doorway, she was back with our suitcases. She flew up the stairs and was in my room.
She was sitting in the middle of my bed, with her legs crossed. I went to my bag and began putting away my new clothes. This work only kept my hands busy, my mind was still racing. There had to be something else. "Alice, I was thinking." Alice smiled, "I know and I would love to do that. You'll have new things for him to see you in." I smiled at her, feeling excited about a shopping trip. I've being spending too much time with Alice. Before her, I didn't really enjoy shopping. Pretty new clothes didn't have the same draw for me as it did for every other girl.
After my clothes were put away, my drawers were stuffed. Alice was suddenly next to me. "Do you really want to go?" I looked at her, "Yes, I'm going to college. When we're leaving, none of my old clothes are coming with me. New time in my life needs a new wardrobe." Alice jumped up and down with excitement, "You're finally learning."
Alice and I began to work on our homework. While we worked, she talked about our upcoming move. It was a few weeks away, but that was nothing to a vampire. Alice was practically bouncing with anticipation. "You'll love college. Although, I do wish we were going somewhere other than Alaska. But, then again, for you, it would be fitting to be away from a lot of people."
My graduation deadline was staring me in the face. In the light of all of this, I had almost completely forgotten about it. Carlisle promised me that he would change me when I was done with high school. The treaty was broken. Carlisle would have honored my promise even if it wasn't. This past week made me realize that I wasn't ready. All I thought about was my family and how worried they were about me.
I wasn't ready to begin my immortality, even if it was with Edward. Being human was all I knew. I would have to say goodbye to Renee, Charlie and all my friends. I was always a person who kept to herself, so that wasn't a problem. But my mom, she would lose her mind if something happened to me. First Arizona, my depression, running to Italy, or L.A, as they know it. She thought it was teenage rebel. "I think it is, Bella," Renee teased on the phone a few weeks ago.
"Yea, I ran away from home twice and riding motorcycles. I've gone wild." She laughed, "Yes. After all these years, I was waiting for you to act out. Thankfully you saved it for Charlie." We laughed. Only with my mom could we joke about teen rebellion, "Well, I couldn't let you have all the fun of raising a teenage daughter."
Edward rolled his eyes at me. "Teenage rebel? Is that the best she could come up with?" I nudged him, "Would it be better if she knew the truth?" He chuckled and placed his hands on my face. We leaned closer to each other to kiss. His kisses always made my blood race. Was our last kiss so long ago? It seems like days, instead of hours.
"They're calling." Alice looked at me at the same moment the phone rang. I answered it on the third ring. "Hello," I tried to keep my voice from trembling. This phone call was critical to this whole plan. "Hey, Bella. I spoke with Sam." My teeth were on edge, "What did he say?" Jacob sighed, "We're coming to your house to talk to you two. Quil and Embry are coming too, but they'll be outside, watching for the redhead." My speculations were right, I would have to meet with them, but I'm glad they're coming. My house was a mutual ground for Jacob and Alice.
"Ok. That sounds fair. See you soon." Jacob hung up and I turned back to Alice. She was rubbing her temples. "Are you alright?" She nodded, "I can't see how this meeting will turn out, but we will remain calm and hope for the best." Blood coursed through me as my heart began to race. "Everything will be fine. This will work out," I had to remind myself. Alice hugged me, then pulled me back to the kitchen table. Suddenly she looked up through the window, "They're here," she said sounding impressed. "They are fast."
Alice stayed at the kitchen table, while I went for the door. Jacob and Sam were on the doorstep before I could open the door. They towered over me, making me crane my neck up. The both of them had similar stances; their faces were hard, with their arms were crossed over their huge chests and their noses were wrinkled in disgust. "Hey." Neither of them moved. I shook my head and smiled, "Come on in. We're in the kitchen."
Sam came in first and Jacob followed. Once behind Sam, Jacob's hard face fell and he smiled at me. While Sam went into the kitchen, Jacob took me up into a huge hug. I hugged him back as best as I could. His arms were like binding snakes around me. My veins hurt from the rush of blood returning to them. My eyes I scanned the trees, looking for large wolves or flying wild red hair. My heart raced and I slammed the door.
Jacob walked with me into the kitchen. Sam stood on the opposite side of the kitchen. He and Alice were glaring at each other. Jacob and I stepped in between them, breaking their glares, but not the tension. They were natural enemies forced to coexist because of me. Jacob cleared his throat, breaking the silence, "Let's get this over with." Sam remained standing and I went to sit with Alice. Alice spoke first, "Alright, Sam. What do you want? How can we make this work?"
Sam cringed at the sound of his name coming from his enemy. I looked at him, "Sam. How are we going to set this up? Please, can't we reach a compromise?" Sam looked to me and dropped his arms, "Bella… Alice" his shoulders rolled backwards, "the treaty is broken. But when I spoke with Jacob and told me what you said, that is the reason why I wanted to meet. Bella, you still mean something to us, to Jacob. Because of you being back and the fact that Alice can see her, we can use that to our advantage."
He looked at Alice, "It's better that you're with Bella. Here with her when one of us can't be." Alice smiled, "Thank you, Sam." Jacob cleared his throat again, "Do you plan on looking for the redhead yourself?" Alice shook her head, "No. I promised Edward I wouldn't leave Bella." Jacob snorted, "A vampire nanny," he muttered under his breath, "Only Bella."
I glared at him, "It's because they want me to be safe and protected. Nothing so far from what you want too." Jacob rolled his eyes, "Fine, she will always be with Bella. How can you look for the bloodsucker that wants to kill Bella?" Alice looked at him, them smiled. It must be so long since the last time she had to explain how her visions worked, "I can see her because she's like me. A vampire, I can see those the easiest because that is what I am. I'll be watching for Victoria. Now I have a question?"
Sam and Jacob exchanged a brief glance and looked back at her. "You want me to use my visions to help you. I have no problem with that, but how can I contact you if I see something. It could happen at anytime." Sam deliberated for a moment, "You have a point." Jacob and Sam looked at each other. They seemed like they wanted to speak with just their minds, but they were in their human forms.
Alice smiled at me, "I have an idea. We gave one to Bella. Maybe you would like….." I stared at her with incredulous eyes. Is she offering Sam a cell phone? "What?" Jacob asked, taking in my shocked look. "A cell phone. I have a cell phone that you can use, for now. When any of you are in wolf form, simply give it to someone who can get to you and inform you of the new information. Again, that's just an idea." Disgust rolled through Alice having to sacrifice her phone. But it would be no problem for to get a new one.
Sam stared at Alice. His gaze was of anger, mixed with appreciation. He may have liked her plan. Sam looked to Jacob, "That's actually sounds like a decent idea. All right, we accept." Alice got up from the table and danced out of the room. All three of us watched after her. Before I could ask Jacob a question, Alice was back with a small silver phone in her hand. She held it in the palm of her hand and offered it to Sam. Sam's hand cringed back.
I shook my head and took the phone from Alice, handing it to Sam. This was silly, but they were natural enemies. Only I was able to see each of them as people. Sam took the phone and looked it over. I turned to Alice and she was gone, leaving a light breeze from her exit. She was back and handing me the cable for the phone. I gave it to Sam and he nodded to me
That was silly, being the buffer for Sam and Alice. As I sat, Alice was still in the doorway, with her arms crossed. Her eyes were fixed on her phone. She would have to use mine to call Jasper. Jacob and I exchanged a glance. I broke the silence, "That matter's handled. Now, what about the other's knowledge of Alice staying here? The treaty is broken, but will they respect her conditions?"
Sam looked back at me, "All right. It's fair. But once this is over, I cannot keep up that agreement. She's still our enemy." My shoulders slumped, "Who has respected the treaty for over 50 years. Does that mean nothing?" Sam's face became hard, "It was her family that broke it." My anger was starting to grow. There had to be something? "It was my fault he did it."
I was starting to stand, but Alice placed her hand on my shoulder, "It's ok, Bella. This has gone on long before you came to Forks. They can have their land. We have the rest of the world to live in." Her eyes turned back to Sam and Jacob. Jacob's fists were clinched tightly, that the tendons in his arms was visible from across the room.
"Let's focus on the task at hand, Jacob." Alice was staring at him, as his body began to tremble, "Keeping Bella safe, then we'll be out of your hair. After all, Bella and I are going to college soon." My shoulder nudged Alice's arm. I could see he was getting angrier by the minute, with every word she was saying. Sam's hand slammed down on Jacob's arm, "This is not the place."
I moved from behind Alice's body, as she moved in position to protect me. The authority was in Sam's voice and Jacob complied, as his trembling slowed. Remembering what Jacob told me, an alpha's order couldn't be ignored. Jacob crossed his arms and exhaled a shaky breath. Once Jacob was under control, Sam turned back to me and Alice, "Forks is the neutral territory. We will search for this Victoria." Sam, Alice, Jacob and I nodded. "That is our agreement," Alice stated, "Thank you Sam, Jacob. Thank you for working with us." This wasn't going to be an easy alliance.
