Esme POV
Edward snapped.
He grabbed Bella out of Jacob's arms and started running.
I had no idea where he was going, but I understood perfectly. The inherent instinct to protect his mate was overwhelming. I was proud of my son.
Jacob stumbled backwards, confused and a bit scared. Jasper and Alice exchanged a few whispered words, a kiss on the cheek, and then Alice sprinted off chasing after Edward.
My husband, always calm and collected, smiled at Jacob.
"Thank you for bringing Bella to us. You did the right thing."
Jasper and I glanced at each other, surprised that after hours of planning and plotting Bella's rescue, she had been brought to us instead. I sighed in relief.
"Is she becoming one of you?" Jacob asked.
Carlisle nodded. "Yes."
The disgust on Jacob's face was evident. "You'll take care of her?"
"We consider Bella to be our daughter," I answered. "We love her."
Jacob frowned, eyed us suspiciously, and got back into his car without saying another word. He sped down the driveway, muttering under his breath about how upset and angry the tribe would be with him. Although I didn't think his life was in danger, Jacob did a very brave thing. There would be consequences, but mainly for us, not him.
My husband took my hand in his. He looked at Jasper as we walked toward the house.
"Alice went with Edward?" he asked.
Jasper nodded. "He went feral when he saw Bella. Alice will call when they settle somewhere. I doubt he'll be able to communicate with anyone until Bella wakes."
Carlisle sighed. "I'm thankful it didn't happen sooner. We are beyond lucky that Jacob brought Bella to us."
"What are we going to do?" I asked.
"I believe it's best to leave Forks….the treaty may still be in tact, but it's fragile. I don't want to start a war with the Quieltues. I'll call the hospital and resign.
"We need to call Irina and Kate," I added, my spirit saddened for the loss of Tanya, despite her betrayal.
"I'll go to Denali and tell them personally," Jasper offered. "They may want revenge. If Bella wants to return to Forks someday, we need to maintain peace."
I smiled at my son, grateful for his intuition and willingness to use his gift for the benefit and protection of our family. "Thank you, Jasper."
As we always did when leaving town, the three of us packed up the most precious of our family's belongings, covering the furniture with dust cloths, and locking up sensitive, confidential items in the vault located in the basement. Within half an hour, the entire house was vacated. Jasper left, driving a trailer full of boxes of the things we always kept with us, paintings, favorite photos, books, music, journals, that he would put in a secure storage facility in Seattle, on his way to Denali. Once the family relocated, we could easily retrieve them.
Carlisle called the hospital, telling them of a job offer in Los Angeles that he could not turn down, while I called Rosalie and Emmett about what had happened. Emmett was irate about Tanya's betrayal and worried for Bella. They were deep in the Congo, but would be making arrangements to return to us as soon as possible.
Getting into the Mercedes, and leaving the empty house behind, we began driving, although we did not know where. We knew Edward would not take Bella south, even in his feral state he would have the sense to take her someplace more isolated. Alice would call us with details, so we drove north until we heard from her.
"We'll stay with Bella during her newborn year, won't we?" I asked.
My husband squeezed my hand.
"Of course," he assured me, then smiled wryly. "If Edward lets us, that is…."