Chapter 8
As
we leave 'Murphy's',
I look up into Edward's eyes. I sigh. They're nearly black.
"You need to hunt…" He nods sadly.
A quiet voice behind us says. "We'll still be here for tonight… If you can be back by morning, so we can avoid a panic attack, I think we'll get through it." Valerie comes and puts an arm around me.
Edward leans close and whispers to me. "I will be there to watch your eyes open in the morning, Love. I swear it." He kisses me fiercely before he yells for Emmett to join him and takes off for the nearest forest access.
Alice comes close and says, "Bella, Bella, Bella... I have a few things to tell you… I left you some items you'll need for the next few days… or rather, nights."
"But…Alice, I thought you were blind…?" I ask. "Can you see again?"
She nods. "Yeah, apparently, it's the wolves' presence that is screwing me up. Once Jacob decided they would leave, I clearly saw the next few nights and what you will need… I put the items in your nightstand drawer when we were there earlier."
"Let's make it a girl's night!" Valerie says getting excited. "Alice, you and Rosalie come over and me and Leah will join you guys in Bella's room. It'll be like a sleep-over." So Alice, Rose, and Leah join us in my room. Alice gives us all a mani/pedi. She pulls out the 'items' she had left in my nightstand. They turn out to be sexy nighties. Leah gets a bit uncomfortable, so she goes to hang out with Seth. Valerie asks. "Uhmmm, Bella, about that letter you said you gave me…? You never gave me a letter…"
"Oops… I still need to write it." I whisper. I pull out my notebook and a sheet of carbon paper and my journal. I want a copy for myself. *Forgive me, Jake, for hurting you, for lying to you and for asking these things of you.* I begin to write a very heartfelt message to the man who has been my personal sun for the worst 9 years of my life…
Dear
Jake,
Before I ask anything
of you, I want to thank
you for always
protecting me,
and loving me, even though I was never
very rational about certain things.
I know
you'll be able to talk Charlie into accepting Edward. He
always
listens
to you. I have 2
other requests
to make of the wolf pack…the
Alpha
in
particular. I'm sorry that I can't seem to find the courage to
ask in person.
When you get married in a few months, I'd like to
bring Edward as my escort,
but I know he's not
allowed on the
rez, so I'd like you to give him a special
occasion
pass as a favor
to me.
Secondly, now
that I have him back,
I don't
want
to let him go…and I don't
want to grow old
while he stays
17 forever.
I
want to marry
him if he asks
and I want to become
a vampire. I
know about
the
terms of the
treaty and I know that only
you can give
them permission
to
break it without consequences.
I've told you numerous
times how I can't live
without him…He won't
want to live or exist without me
either. Please
talk to
the council about it for me, but also, know that if he
does
say yes to changing
me and you and the council say
no, I'll do
it anyway... You are a very
special
part
of my life and I
know you will
be slightly upset
by these requests. I don't
want to start out my
eternal life by
making an enemy
of my loved
ones.
These
will
likely be the last things I ever ask of you.
Please consider me,
Your
Friend Forever, Bella
I fold up the letter and place it in an envelope. Valerie looks nervously at it and then at me. "Do I get to read it?"
"I suppose, but you have to promise not to think about it when Edward's around." I say.
She nods and opens the letter. As she reads, her expression changes. "Oh, Bella… I don't know what he'll do about these things. The first is a fairly easy request, but the second… He'll be so conflicted. Should we show Alice and Rose?"
I look at them. "I know you guys can hide your thoughts well and I'll tell you about the first one, but I'd rather you find out about the second request only if the answer from Jake and the others involved is favorable. I don't want to get anyone's hopes up."
They agree… "So what was your first request?" Alice asks.
"I want to bring Edward to his and Val's wedding a few months from now." I smile.
Alice lets out a squeal. "I love weddings! What will you wear?"
Val speaks up. "My bridesmaids are wearing shades of blue." I giggle.
"Yes, very convenient. What style dress did you pick?" Alice asks excitedly. "And when's the big day?"
"Well, it'll be an afternoon ceremony so I chose cocktail length, and Bells, you can wear your hair any way you'd like." She looks so excited. Her face is lit up like a lamp. "It's going to be on LaPush Beach, August 27th. Rachel is my maid of honor, and Bella is my only bridesmaid. My sister and I are not close so she's not going to be there. But Jake is all I really need… So I'll be fine." She suddenly yawns. "I guess it's time for me to get to bed. G'night girls."
Alice and Rosalie look at me and then each other. "Tell her, Alice. She needs to know."
I stare at them. "What are you talking about, Rose? What do I need to know?"
Alice's smile melts off her pixie-like face. "Edward will succumb to your charms, Bella, and you're right. He won't hurt you, much… a bruise on your left hip that's all."
"Then why do you look so sad? I think that's a good thing." I say quietly.
She winces. "Well, I don't know when but Charlie's on his way here and he's going to barge in and see you indisposed… He'll be extremely upset and start yelling and screaming. He even brought his gun."
I grimace. "Well, what if I asked Jake and the others to stay a few more days? Would that change anything? Maybe they'd be able to head him off?
"I'm sorry, Bella, I can't tell. I can't see anything if they are involved." She purses her lips and says. "If you do ask them to stay a few more days… How would you do it? I mean you can't very well come right out and say, 'Hey Jake, I wanna have sex with the vampire love of my life. Can you stay and make sure we aren't bothered by any pesky fathers?' You'd have to be more devious then that… right?" She starts to giggle. Me and Rose join in.
I yawn and start to get ready for bed. "Human moment, guys, I'll be right back." I run into the bathroom to shower and change. Moments later, as I leave the bathroom, I bump into a large muscular wall. "Hey, Jake. What can I help you with?"
He looks down at me. "Valerie told me you might want to talk to me." He fidgets as I eye him. "Ok… I wheedled a clue as to what's in the letter from her. I just want you to know… Your leech can come to the wedding, but he'll have to be escorted by a member of the pack. I still don't know the other thing in there… I wish you'd just tell me already…" He turns away. "You know where to find me."
"Jake…I…wait." I wrap my robe closer around me and follow him outside. "If I tell you… ask you… I need you to promise me you'll try to stay calm. Can you do that for me?"
He tenses as he sadly meets my eyes. "What if I change into the wolf before you tell me? Then I can change back after I calm myself and feel like I can talk." He hugs me.
I nod. "That could work." I turn around and wait as my ex-husband undresses and morph into his wolf form. "You need to understand a few things before I tell you what's in the letter. Number 1: I have known about the treaty and specific terms of it since I first became involved with the family." Jacob nods his big russet colored head. "Number 2: Edward doesn't know I still want this; I have not told any of the Cullens about it. Number 3: this will require the approval of more than just yourself to go forward with it, so your opinion matters but isn't pivotal. Are you with me so far?" He whines and nods his furry head. "Also bear in mind that I made this decision years ago…I am standing by it and informing you of it now." I suck in a deep breath. *Here goes nothin'…* "Jake, I want a fully committed relationship with Edward… I want love… marriage… and everything that goes with it. I don't want to grow old if he's going to stay 17 for eternity. I want… No, I need to become a vampire like him…"
A tear rolls down my
cheek as the beautiful russet wolf in front of me lets out a mournful
howl. Alice and Rose are beside me in an
instant. I fall to my knees in tears as his cry is joined by 2
others. Suddenly, I knew I was right
all along…
Some
questions maybe better left to the silence of the written word…