Chapter Two:

Chapter fourteen: Surprised

I woke up to the light of early dawn and when I turned around, in the place of my future husband, there was a long-stemmed red rose and a note in his beautiful writing.

Good morning my love,

I am counting the hours…minutes…seconds when you will finally be my wife and I may spend the rest of time with you in my arms.

-Edward

P.S. I would have loved to start the day with you, but Alice kicked me out, some nonsense of it being bad luck.

I had to chuckle to myself after reading the post script, only Alice would try to make this as human as she possibly could, with all the silly superstitions. When I was finished with my little laugh I headed to the bathroom to take a nice hot shower.

Once I got out of the shower I put on a white silk robe and matching slippers with the letter "B" embroidered on them, a gift from Rose. I was humming a little tune and brushing out my hair and when I was done dealing with my hair for a while I went to the mirror and wiped off the dew from the hot shower I had taken. I had been searching for my toothbrush and toothpaste when I looked up into the mirror and froze.

I could not believe what…who I was looking at. Was this a dream or my guilt causing this mirage? He was breathing heavily as if he had been running for days. Sweaty and filthy as if he had spent the day on a farm field. I turned to face this illusion and he was a perfect replica; tall, bronze skin, jet black hair, and those deep eyes that were so tense, but held warmth. I took a step towards him and he didn't move. I had to see if he was really here or if I was losing my mind.

Once I got close enough I lifted my hand to touch his face, but he turned away. The pain of reality proved that he was truly standing in front of me and he was still hurting. "Jacob, how did you get in here?" I asked after I pulled myself back together.

"Well… it was pretty simple, I asked if I could see you," he gave his answer calmly but there was irritation there.

"I didn't mean anything by it I just thought…"

"Yeah you just thought that maybe I pulled a mission impossible and got by unnoticed?" he interrupted, "like their intense sense of smell somehow was turned off today all because of the holy wedding. Well there is nothing really holy about it is there?" he bit off and turned into the room moving towards the window. I followed him and stood silent for a moment just looking at him bask in the sun and absorb the heat, closing his eyes and rolling his shoulders.

"Why did you come here Jake?" I asked and I hoped for an answer that I was probably not going to get.

"I came for the one reason, and that is to give you another chance," he said turning to me and when he faced me he looked like a giant from like one of those bedtime stories children are supposed to hear, but not frightening at all.

"Another chance?"

"Yes, Bella another chance for you to leave with me and have the life that you were meant to have. A life with me, to grow old and die together," he walked to me and brushed his fingers against my cheek. "Don't you see that this, us, is what your life intentionally wanted for you?" I couldn't believe that he was actually doing this to me. That he was really here on my wedding day fighting still.

"Jake why are you doing this?" I stepped away from him to put the distance we needed between us. I could not understand that he was actually there trying to convince me that I was not going to marry Edward today. "I mean are you really here to try and stop me from marrying Edward?"

"I am here to give you a choice," he was trying to stay calm, but he had control now I could see. "You can either leave with me now or live the life you were supposed to live or you marry him and leave Forks forever."

"An ultimatum? You are giving me an ULTIMATUM?!" I was furious and hurt I could not believe that he had actually thought of this.

"Bella, lower your voice," he hissed.

"No! Are you kidding?" now I felt fierce and like I could actually phase like I had seen Jacob do when he fought with Paul right in front of me. "I can't believe that you are actually here doing this to me. Here I thought, hoped, that you were here ready to accept what I decided and that you were at least going to pretend to be happy."

"How can I ever pretend to be happy to know that the girl I love is about to marry a….a…LEECH!?" he was furious now and was close.

"Don't think of me as the girl you love Jacob because that is not going to happen. I am your friend, best friend, at least I thought. I can't live without him and that is not going to change in the ten minutes you stand here in front of me."

"So you lied?" he was being smug and sarcastic.

"I have no reason to lie," I lowered my voice to a hush irritation.

"But you don't really love me," his face was angry but his eyes were sad. My eyes were beginning to swell and tear up.

"Do you believe that I don't really love you?" I whispered. "Do you really think that I could look at you with everything we have gone through and lie through my teeth to say that I loved you when I didn't?" He just stood there looking at me, surprised that I was standing up for myself. "Yeah I am a bit different. Defending my choice from my parents helped break my little cautious shell and I am going to tell you how I feel."

"Bella I…."

"NO! Now it's my turn," I was so mad that I could have hit something; I learned my lesson from the last time, but I did feel like I could cry. "I am not the kind of person to lie to you to make you feel better. If I tell you something it is because that is what I feel. I love you, but I can't live without Edward. You love a person that he helped build. Before I met him I would not even speak to you, or if I did it would have been out of courtesy." This seemed to really hit him emotionally and his anger faded into depression.

"So you are going to marry him then. Well," he was all choked up and you could see his eyes begin to swell.

"Of course I am going to marry him," I said in a hushed tone.

"I will get out of your way then. I am sure you need to get ready," he moved towards me.

"This is 'Good bye' then," I said with a strong voice, but I was breaking up inside. I never wanted to lose him completely. I just wanted him to accept my decision, if he really did love me he would try or at least pretend to try.

"Yeah, I guess it is," he tried to stay strong but he couldn't fool me. I held my hand for him to shake, so that we could at least end peacefully. "Is that some kind of joke?"

"No it isn't. I want us to at least pretend to be civil and end this calmly," I held out my hand further and higher so that he would take it, but that didn't seem like it was going to happen. "Fine, have it your way," I pulled back my hand and was about to turn towards the door when he twirled me around, dragged me close and pressed his lips fervently against mine. I fought against him; trying to push him away but he wouldn't move. Once he was far enough away I slapped him. "Get the hell out of here!" he said nothing more and left out the door. I heard the front door slam and I fell to my knees after a few seconds I heard a painful howl. I felt a throbbing feeling but it wasn't from my hand, it came from inside my chest. It throbbed and ached as the piece of my heart I saved for Jacob broke away.