A/N: I proudly present … the next chapter! Once again KayMarieXW did an amazing job at proof-reading it. She had so many valuable suggestions as to how to improve it, and it is because of her as well that the fight training session turned out the way it did as I was inspired by her own writing! Thank you! I can't tell you how much I appreciate your thoughts!
I would also like to thank longtobeme, RoyalRose, poeticallyflawed, who have been with me for several chapters now and review almost every time, and also all the others who keep writing amazing reviews and added "Lifelines" to their story alert and favourite stories lists! Thank you so much!
I hope you enjoy this chapter! Tell me what you think about it!
By the way, this story already comprises 147 pages, which makes it the longest story I have ever written. I can't help feel a little proud because usually I give up most projects after a while, lazy creature that I am!
Disclaimer: The Twilight Saga is property of Stephenie Meyer! I only own Freya, Danielle and all the other characters I came up with!
19. BIDING TIME
EDWARD
Rosalie was in a mood. I didn't know whether it was worse for Jasper, who had to feel and endure the fury that clung to Rosalie, or for me, who had to hear her ugly thoughts. Neither her fury nor her thoughts were directed at anyone in particular, not even at Bella. It was the general situation she wasn't at all happy with, even more so than usual because she knew that this time she wouldn't be able to count on Emmett to support her. He'd made that abundantly clear earlier that night, before we'd left for Bella's.
Rosalie had pitched a fit. This was no surprise, especially not for Emmett, who knew her so much better than the rest of us did. However, this time she'd gone too far, because in demanding Emmett's support she'd asked him to choose her over his family for no good reason. They hadn't exchanged a single word since and while Rosalie was furious that she wasn't his first priority she was also scared. Scared because she was afraid he would leave her, scared because she was afraid he didn't love her after all.
Emmett had been Rosalie's lifeline for as long as they had been together. He was a lifeline she needed, because for all her arrogance and self-confidence, very deep down she was still the woman that had been raped by her fiancé and his friends and then left for dead. Rosalie had never come to terms with what had happened to her. She'd held on to her darkest memories when it would have been so easy to forget and because of this they kept haunting her, similar to the way my own memories and my own regrets kept haunting me. She had been sure of her fiancé's love for her and he had turned on her in the cruellest of ways. It hadn't taken long for her to begin doubting her parents' love for her as well, because she had realised what her marriage to one of the wealthiest, if not the wealthiest man in Rochester, would have done for them in terms of social status. That she could never ask them if she had only been a means to an end for them had made things worse; that spark of doubt that had lodged itself firmly into her mind would remain there forever.
Emmett was the only one she had ever felt safe with, the only one he had ever trusted and the only one whose feelings she had believed to be sincere. His refusal to stand idly by while the rest of us went after Victoria had shattered that trust in his love for her. Rosalie was furious because she was scared, but she was also furious because she knew that Jasper and I were both aware of that fear and she was furious because she was unable to control her feelings.
I was surprised actually, that she didn't blame Bella for that. I didn't know exactly why that was, because her erratic, furious thoughts were difficult to follow; her mind was spinning so fast it almost made me dizzy to watch. Maybe she simply hadn't gotten to blaming Bella yet, wrapped up in her own misery as she was.
Esme kept darting anxious glances over her shoulder at Rosalie, sensing that something was amiss. All eight of us, including Freya had set down at the dining room table, which had never served that particular purpose. Freya had been ecstatic when we told her that we did not intend to kill her after all and had happily agreed to stay with us after we'd explained to her that we couldn't let her go until Victoria was destroyed. It was possible Victoria would send someone to investigate when word of Bella's non-demise got back to her and we couldn't risk Freya falling into her hands. Aside from the fact that she knew too much and therefore was a liability, she also wasn't likely to survive that encounter. Freya wasn't part of our family, but we had taken her in and we'd protect her until this was over and afterwards too, if she wanted us to.
"We have to stop playing by her rules," Jasper said, trying to ignore Rosalie's emotional state. She'd only joined us because of Emmett. She was trying, somewhat grudgingly, to appease him. Not because she wanted to help us in our search for Victoria, but because she wanted Emmett to forgive her. She was prepared to do her best to assist us, but she wasn't happy about it, which only intensified her anger.
It was always so complicated with Rosalie.
"And how do you suggest we do that?" she asked tersely, fighting to keep her voice even. Esme's expression grew even more worried; she knew Rosalie too well to be fooled by her sudden interest in the matter. Carlisle, suspecting why Rosalie was gracing us with her presence and her thoughts, placed his hand over Esme's.
Jasper grimaced, both in response to Rosalie's words and the emotions behind those words. He pulled the calm Carlisle radiated tighter around himself to shield himself against Rosalie's emotions before he continued, "I don't know. As we have no way of knowing where she is," he glanced at Alice, whose expression darkened, "it will be difficult."
"I think I know how she's doing it," Alice said slowly. She glanced at me and I gave a slight nod, already knowing what she had come up with. I knew how Alice's visions worked at least as well as she did, because I saw many of them as well and there weren't that many options as to how Victoria had been able to evade them.
"How?" Carlisle asked, frowning as he leaned forward.
Freya looked curiously from Alice to Carlisle and then at me. She had no idea what we were talking about, because she didn't know that she'd been part of a bigger plan. Nobody had ever told her why she and her comrades had to kill Bella and she was curious to learn more. She was a strange child, childlike at times and mature at others, more mature than her age warranted. I kept wondering what her human life had been like even though it didn't matter anymore. I only felt sorry because I suspected that she hadn't been as happy as she could have been and her second life had started out just as dire. If she wanted to stay with us after this was over, we wouldn't send her away. Maybe she'd decide to stay with the Denalis; Carmen had already offered to take her.
"Well," Alice said, "as you know my visions are based on the decisions people make. I only see what's been firmly decided or things that cannot be influenced by people's decisions like the weather. However, I don't see what I can't look out for and I can't look out for things I don't know anything about. I saw you guys attack Bella," she jerked her chin at Freya, whose eyes were wide as she tried to make sense of what Alice was talking about; surely she didn't mean that she was able to see the future, "because I look out for her future."
Freya's mouth popped open. I had to hide a grin and so did the rest of my family aside from Rosalie, who narrowed her eyes. She'd taken an instant dislike to the girl simply because she was here.
"As for why I didn't get that vision until it was almost too late I have no idea. It was almost as if it was a snap decision, which it couldn't have been because you were brought to the forest with a purpose."
"Well," Freya said, pursing her lips as she thought about what she'd just learned, "Adam brought us there and told us to go after the first vampire to cross our path..."
"That might work," Alice replied thoughtfully. "It has worked, actually. Crap, that doesn't make things any easier. What else did Adam say? What did he tell you to do in case Bella didn't show up?"
"He told us to wait. He said he'd be watching us to make sure we didn't run away."
Carlisle and I exchanged glances. There hadn't been a sixth vampire out there that night. Adam had most likely lied to them and scared as they were of him they'd taken his word at face value. If they had waited there, one of us would have come across them eventually and they would have died. We probably wouldn't even have asked questions. It had been cunning plan, which had almost worked.
"Victoria must have been planning this for a very long time," Jasper said eventually, his voice tinged with grudging admiration as he echoed my own thoughts. "So we know why you got so little warning before Bella was attacked," he continued, his words directed at Alice, "but why don't you see Victoria herself at all?"
"Because she's not deciding anything, is she?" Freya piped up excitedly. "She doesn't have to, does she, if she lets other people decide for her."
Alice stared at Freya with the most curious expression. "Yes," she said eventually somewhat lamely, "yes, that's exactly why I think I can't see her. You're very smart for an eleven-year-old kid."
Freya shrugged. I looked outside to hide the smile that was tugging at the corner of my mouth. Freya's thoughts were very smug. I caught a blurry glimpse of her former life as the memory Alice's comment had provoked briefly surfaced: Freya's father, a very strict man by the general tenor of her thoughts, had made sure his daughters received the best education possible and while Freya had resented the logic games he played with them most of the time, right now she was glad that she'd paid attention. I knew the feeling, having been forced to learn the piano although I would have preferred sports instead. I had come to love it, had discovered my love for music only later.
"Anyway, there is nothing I can do about that," Alice concluded. "Until she slips up, I am blind. And I wouldn't count on her slipping up."
"No," Jasper sighed, "that's not very likely. I say we try and track down this Adam. Maybe he'll be of some use."
"Do you really believe that?" Rosalie's voice was doubtful.
Jasper lifted an eyebrow at her and opened his mouth, a biting remark ready on his tongue; he wasn't finding Rosalie's input very helpful. Neither was I, but somebody had to be playing devil's advocate. I said as much. Jasper gaped at me, surprised that I would defend her. Rosalie gaped as well although she quickly snapped her mouth shut, trying to look as if that was just what she'd been doing all along. Emmett looked at her with some surprise.
"I am only saying that we shouldn't waste our resources," Rosalie said as reasonably as she could. "I am sure you all agree." Looking at me, she gave a curt nod, the only thank you I was likely to get. I didn't mind as long as she'd remember what I'd done for her the next time she and Bella had to be in the same room for any period of time.
Emmett sat back, grinning broadly. I didn't feel particularly guilty for deceiving him like that—not even Alice glaring at me could change that—because I hadn't done it for Rosalie or even for Emmett. I'd done it for me, for my family. Rosalie would have to behave from now on. If she didn't, Emmett would know she'd only been pretending and after all that had happened tonight she'd never risk that. Eventually, she'd figure out why I'd helped her of course—she wasn't stupid—but there was nothing she could do about that for the same reason she'd have to watch her actions.
Maybe that was petty, but we couldn't afford to be quarrelling amongst ourselves.
"I do agree with Rosalie, on this at least," Carlisle said eventually. "However, we can't sit here and do nothing. Jasper, if you want to try and track this Adam down, go ahead. You're right. We have to stop playing by Victoria's rules."
—
Bella and Jacob arrived around sunset, the latter in his wolf form as he didn't trust us enough to allow us near him in his weaker human form. Jasper and Emmett exchanged excited glances.
Bella glared at both of them as she slammed the door of her Porsche shut behind her. "You're looking forward to this, aren't you?"
"Well," Emmett said, grinning broadly, "maybe a little."
I rolled my eyes at them. I was just as capable of showing Bella how to fight as Jasper and Emmett were. Even Esme could have taught her the basics. They wanted to be present simply to see how Bella was doing and neither of them expected her to be doing well. A fair assumption, because she should have done better than she had last night, even guided by her instincts alone. Maybe, with a little training, she would at least be able to get away next time, though I hoped fervently that there wouldn't be a next time.
Jacob was thinking along the same lines. He'd already decided not to leave Bella unguarded, although he hadn't worked out the details yet and had no idea what he would do next week when Bella had to work. He could hardly show up at the hospital, because people were bound to notice him. He'd already dragged her out here, too; she hadn't wanted to come. Putting his muzzle against her back, he nudged her forward towards Emmett and Jasper. As he did, he managed to place his body between Bella and me, hiding her, shielding her. From me.
He didn't want me near her.
I don't know why she wants you, he thought bitterly. I wish she'd fallen for someone else, someone who wouldn't have done to her what you did, wouldn't have put her through all that pain. He was thinking of himself, of how he lost the love of his life. No, he didn't think he'd lost her. That would imply that he'd once been sure of her feelings, but he never had, not that way. Oh, he knew that she loved him, but she wasn't in love with him. He'd never pushed her on that, had never tried to make her change her mind. Because he loved her. And because he loved her, he wouldn't try to make her change her mind about me either. He knew that it would have been wrong.
But he wouldn't allow me to hurt her again. If you hurt her, I'll kill you. Am I clear?
"Crystal," I muttered. Emmett and Jasper glanced over their shoulders, and even Bella briefly looked back, eyebrows raised. "I was talking to Alice," I lied smoothly as I followed them around the house. Jacob positioned himself beside the garage which gave him a superior vantage point as it sat on a soft hill. I joined him there. I saw Alice, Freya and Esme behind the round window on the first floor because Freya was too scared to come down with Jacob here. She hadn't forgotten what he'd done to her comrade Michaela. She never would. Carlisle and Rosalie were the only ones absent. Carlisle had been called to work for a heart transplant and Rosalie was upstairs, cleaning out the attic so that Freya would have a room of her own for the duration of her stay. She'd offered to do it simply because she didn't want to have to interact with Bella, but I was the only one who knew her true motive and I intended to keep it that way.
It hadn't taken Rosalie very long to work out why I'd come to her aid this morning. Smirking, I remembered her tirade. She'd been reduced to fuming and silent ranting and I'd rather enjoyed both. She should have been grateful, because Emmett was talking to her again—in fact, he'd already almost forgotten their fight—but Rosalie's brain didn't seem to be programmed for gratitude.
Well, I could live with that.
"Now," Jasper said, "I trust you won't go looking for a fight, because really that's not a good idea."
"I don't go looking for trouble," Bella replied, narrowing her eyes at him. "Trouble usually finds me all on its own."
Jasper briefly smiled. "What I meant is that you should run away when you're outnumbered. There's no shame in running away."
"I tried that. It just didn't work very well. Besides, they'd have gotten me a whole lot quicker if they'd started herding. I suppose I should be grateful that they were too stupid for that. Sorry, I didn't mean it that way," she added quickly, glancing up the house with an embarrassed smile at where Freya was sitting on Esme's lap. "I am not in a very good mood today. Ask Jake."
Jacob barked a laugh. I caught a memory of Bella snatching a magazine out of his grip and smiled. Jacob shot me a strange look. What the hell does she see in you? he asked. He was surprised that he'd asked, surprised that he truly wanted to know. Almost as surprised as I was.
"I don't know," I replied softly.
"I'd still advise you to at least try and run," Jasper continued. "You might get lucky. If that doesn't work and you have to engage remember to keep moving. Whatever you do, don't stop moving. If you stop, if you let them get their hands on you, you'll lose. Let's give that a try." Emmett danced forward, a grin plastered across his face. Bella groaned, automatically retreating a few steps. "Just try to evade. We'll take it from there."
Emmett was rubbing his hands in giddy anticipation. Bella retreated further, automatically slipping into a defensive crouch that would be of no use in a real fight. Jasper saw it as well and made a mental note to work on that later. Emmett feinted to the right. Bella didn't react, her inexperience showing. Instead of mirroring his movements and trying to anticipate his next move, she stayed frozen in place, as still as a statue. Emmett glanced at Jasper, who was scratching his forehead—he couldn't believe what he was seeing—then back at Bella whose eyes were wide with anxiety that was bordering on panic.
Jasper shot me a look and I shrugged. Jacob grumbled, less than impressed by Bella's performance or lack thereof. Hearing him, she looked in our direction, momentarily forgetting that she was supposed to be fighting. Emmett used her distraction to launch himself at her with the force of a wrecking ball. With an undignified squeal, Bella spun around and took off in a straight line. She didn't get very far. Emmett slammed into the ground in front of her, snow exploding in every direction and showering back down on them, taking a swipe at her even as Bella rammed her heels into the snow to brake. She ducked out of the way just in time and scrambled away, finding no real purchase on the snow. Emmett lunged after her.
It's like watching a mouse trying to escape a cat, Jacob commented, slowly shaking his head. A not particularly clever mouse, he added after a moment when Emmett caught Bella by her boot and yanked her back, hurling her through the air.
"Yes, that image certainly comes to mind," I replied drily, watching Bella hit the ground and roll aside just in time to avoid Emmett's elbow. I looked at Jasper, who kept running his hands through his hair and probably would have pulled it out if he could have. And there I thought I'd seen it all, he thought absently.
Bella had leapt to her feet again. Instead of dashing off, this time she stayed where she was, watching Emmett's movements more closely than before. She was more focused now, calmer, the panic that had made her movements jerky and uncertain finally gone. Emmett feinted to the right again. Although Bella fell for it once more and dove at his left, she managed to slip through his hands.
I was beginning to doubt her instincts, Jasper said, visibly relieved. Alright, let's chase her a little.
"Jasper wants us to join Emmett," I told Jacob, who instantly got to his feet and shook himself to dislodge the snow that clung to his russet coat.
About time, he replied as he leapt into Bella's way to cut her off, having far less qualms about attacking her, about analysing her like prey, than I had. Bella gasped, surprised, as she suddenly found her path of escape blocked by Jacob. He snapped at her, his teeth glinting in the moonlight. The weather that had forced us to stay inside all day had held fair; the sky was clear, the moon and the stars bright, especially to a vampire's eyes. We'd lit no lamps and the house was dark. The few trees that stood scattered around the house cast eerie shadows, but none of them touched the area behind the house.
Bella kept darting back and forth. Jacob and Emmett, both very experienced fighters, were very quick, cutting her off whenever she thought she'd found a way to get past them. There was no trace of panic left in her face; it was blank with concentration, focused. She was beautiful to behold, with her dark hair loose around her shoulders.
Edward, Jasper urged, breaking into my reverie. Finding her left blocked by Emmett and her right by Jacob, with Jasper coming at her from behind, she was charging directly at me, barely noticing that I was there or, if she did, maybe hoping that I'd let her get past. Her golden eyes widened as I suddenly came down in front of her, snow raining down on both of us and I saw irrational betrayal flicker in them.
She'd assumed the latter then.
Darting a glance over her shoulder and wasting valuable time, she saw my brothers and Jacob closing in, the latter already bending his hindquarters to take a massive leap that would catapult him right on top of her if she didn't start moving again. With every side covered, Bella chose the only way of escape left to her—up.
Launching herself into the air, she twisted into a somersault. Jacob landed heavily only two feet in front of me. Momentum drove him into me and gravity wasn't on our side either. Falling, I brought up my legs to catapult Jacob over my head and onto his feet again, following his curt instructions. Jasper and Emmett bounded past on either side of me, and as soon as Jacob's weight was gone I leapt to my feet again to rush after them.
Emmett and Jasper broke away, intending to herd Bella back towards Jacob and me. Realising their intent, she made a desperate attempt to break away as well and threw herself to the right, down the slope of the hill. As I was still several yards below her, I turned and retraced my steps, coming at her from below instead of behind. She ran directly into my arms, too busy looking over her shoulder.
We collided with the sound of rolling thunder. Pushing her hands against my chest without ever looking at me, Bella tried to free herself. I reacted automatically, having practiced these moves many hundred times. Jasper was a good teacher. I shoved her arms up and away, then caught her left wrist as she stumbled backwards, trying to regain her balance. Twisting her arm in a way that would have broken every single bone had she been human, I pinned it behind her back. I caught her free arm just as she wanted to drive her elbow into my ribs.
"Very well done, Bella," Jasper said, smiling as he walked towards us, Emmett beside him. "I think that's enough for now," he added, jerking his chin meaningfully at Jacob whose fur stood on edge. He didn't particularly like seeing Bella so close to me and while he knew that he'd have to get used to it eventually, he wouldn't allow me to hold her against her will.
I dropped my arms. Bella stepped away from me almost immediately, turning her head to look at me only for a second. Her eyes were unreadable.
"If you say so," she muttered, not sounding very convinced. Jacob nuzzled her shoulder, and she buried her right hand in the fur between his ears. He had to lower his head for her to reach it. I should have been jealous, I supposed, should have envied Jacob, but all I felt was gratitude, gratitude that he'd been there for her when I hadn't, that he was still there for her.
"It'll get better," Jasper assured her, glancing at me. At least I hope it will. Maybe she just needs enough pressure. If so, then maybe we should have her spar with Rose. I am kidding, he added when I glared at him and rolled his eyes. "The two of you should come back tomorrow night," he said aloud, his words directed and Bella and Jacob. "You'll have to do without Emmett and me, but Alice and Edward know just as much."
"Where are you going?" Bella asked. If she was troubled by the prospect of me training her, she didn't let on. I took this as a good sign.
"After Adam." Jasper sighed a little. "I realise we're grasping at straws at this point, but we can't sit around twiddling our thumbs, waiting for Victoria to act. I don't expect to find him, but it's worth a shot." What he didn't add was that he was convinced that Victoria had already killed Adam or had sent someone to kill him for her. Jasper would have done the same, the second he'd outlived his purpose. He was very practical that way and it was best to assume that Victoria was, too.
"I hope you find him," Bella said softly. "Well, we'd better get going." She glanced at Jacob, her eyes travelling down his hindquarters which were slightly bent, because he was trying very hard not to put too much weight on them. "Jake hasn't quite recovered yet, although I know it's hard to believe."
Jacob grumbled and bared her teeth at her a little, put out that she would betray him like that in front of what he still considered his enemies. Bella rolled her eyes at him, not nearly as intimidated as she'd been when he'd come charging at her.
"I have an idea," Alice said, suddenly dropping down beside us, having walked out of her bedroom window. Jacob huffed in consternation. Having let down his guard for just a moment, he hadn't seen or heard her coming and she'd startled him. Though he'd rather die than admit that to any of us. Alice flashed a blinding smile at him. "Let's go out tomorrow night. We could all use some fun."
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" I asked, eyebrows raised.
Alice shrugged. "Why wouldn't it be? Just the four of us," she added, smiling at Bella and Jacob, who eyed her as if he wasn't certain that she was for real. I could relate. Alice could be quite overwhelming, especially when you didn't know her. "Rose and Esme are taking Freya hunting."
I lifted my eyebrows even higher.
Yes, they are, Alice confirmed. Let's hope your plan doesn't backfire. Freya's such a nice kid and she doesn't deserve to be on the receiving end of Rose's temper. By the way, Esme asked her to tag along. She couldn't say no. "As I was saying," she continued aloud, "we could use a distraction. Sitting around and waiting for something to happen is kind of depressing."
"I'll think about it," Bella said eventually, glancing at Jacob. He found the idea of going out with a bunch of bloodsuckers—his words, not mine—appalling. He was hoping fervently that Bella wouldn't agree to this, because if she did, then he would have to come along as well—he didn't want to let her out of his sight, not even for a few hours. He didn't trust us to keep her safe.
"Fine." Alice beamed. "I'll see you tomorrow then. I'm looking forward to sparring with you." She turned around and launched herself back inside, landing on the wooden floor with a soft thud.
"I like him," Jasper said, when Bella's Porsche had disappeared behind the bend a minute later. Jacob had taken the direct route through the woods as the pain in his hip, which he'd barely noticed up until a few minutes ago, had gotten worse because of the strain he'd put on it tonight.
"Surprisingly, so do I," I replied quietly. "He's good for Bella."
"That he is," Jasper agreed, frowning a little as he remembered Jacob Black's outburst a few nights ago. He'd been willing to kill me and if the other deputy hadn't been there, he would have at least tried. "He doesn't like you, make no mistake, but I doubt he'd kill you now unprovoked."
"It seems he and Bella had a talk about me this morning. I didn't see much, because he was trying not to think about it—and he's very good at that—but I got the gist of it. As long as I don't hurt her he'll leave me alone. And if I do, I'll deserve everything he throws at me."
Jasper gave a curt nod. "It's a pity I can't read his mind. His emotions were very … tangled. It's hard to describe. It's a strange mix. Love. Dedication. Happiness. Remorse. Hatred. Guilt. There's darkness in there, too. He's hiding it well, almost as well as you do," he glanced at me with a crooked smile, "and it's not as crushing as what I get off you sometimes, but that's probably only because he doesn't have the capacity for emotions the way we do."
"He sacrificed everything, gave up everything for her," I replied quietly. "He left his pack knowing he would never be able to return and be a part of it, knowing he'd have to live close to us even though we're his enemies. No, he doesn't think of us that way anymore," I added when Jasper opened his mouth. "I think that's because of Bella, too. He couldn't give her up when she was changed although his alpha wanted him to. He's begun to see that we're not all bad, that we're … people, at least to some extent. He doesn't trust us and I don't think he will anytime soon, but he trusts Bella and that's good enough for him. I am glad she has him."
"You're not jealous," Jasper replied, surprised.
"No, I'm not." I looked up into the sky as I tried to find words for how I felt. "I have no right to be jealous. They're so close because of me, because of what I did to her. I have no right to complain about that and I don't want to. Without him she wouldn't be who she is today. She'd probably be dead, too, because without the pack's protection Victoria would have gotten to her a lot sooner."
"Well, then I am glad you can see it that way," Jasper said, smiling.
"Yes," I replied, returning his smile, "so am I."
—
"I can't believe I am here," Jacob muttered, shoving another piece of still bloody steak into his mouth and washing it down with half a glass of beer.
Alice was watching him eat in morbid fascination while Bella, quite obviously used to Jacob eating like a horse, didn't pay much attention. "Feel free to leave," she said absently, her forehead creased in concentration as her eyes travelled over the pictures of various buildings the quizmaster had dropped on our table a minute ago. "I recognise most of them," she said eventually, ignoring Jacob rolling his eyes at her, "and I can tell you which country they're in, but that's about it."
The bar Alice had dragged us to held table quizzes every Saturday night. The little room was packed with people, most of them regulars. I'd been worried how Bella would handle it—two years into my new life I had avoided crowds like the plague—but I needn't have bothered; she seemed perfectly fine wedged in between Jacob and Alice, a glass of water in front of her.
Jacob wasn't nearly as happy. He still would have preferred not to come and he'd considered staying at home, but in the end his protective instincts had overruled his dislike for vampires in general and for me in particular. Still, he couldn't help feeling vulnerable because phasing into a wolf hadn't been an option. Alice, blind because of his presence but not stupid, had offered to buy him something to eat to appease him—having guessed correctly that he wouldn't accept if I offered—and he'd taken her up on it.
"May I have a look?" I asked. Pretending to drink because the waitress was looking in our direction—she'd never seen so many so stunningly beautiful people—Bella shoved the pictures and the sheet with the instructions over the table.
"Explain the rules to me again," Jacob said, who was finally done eating. Crumpling his napkin, he craned his neck to catch a glimpse of the pictures as well. "They're six categories with five questions each and an additional category." He pointed at the pictures, eight of them in total. "That. We hand that in at the end, right?"
"Right," Alice replied, leaning over and unceremoniously sitting down on Bella's lap. Bella sighed, throwing me a brief and somewhat resigned grin, then scooted over so that Alice was seated directly beside Jacob without her caught in the middle. "We're not allowed to cheat, which means no phones or any other web-enabled devices on the table and," her voice dropped as she looked at me, eyes narrowed in warning, "in our case no mind reading."
"I can't turn it on and off, you know," I said, folding my arms in front of my chest and scowling in fake consternation. It wouldn't be a lot of fun for Bella, Alice and Jacob if I simply picked the right answers out of the quizmaster's mind, so I'd decided not to participate unless they asked me to. Alice knew that, but she wasn't reminding me because she assumed I'd forgotten but because she wanted to make Bella laugh. Mission accomplished, she thought smugly when Bella's lips curved into a slight smile, her eyes briefly meeting mine, and went back to explaining the game to Jacob.
I dropped my gaze back on the pictures. She'd turned her head to listen to Alice and I didn't want her to catch me staring at her. She was beautiful tonight. She wore a white button-down blouse, with a brown leather belt around her waist that matched her boots, and blue jeans. Her mahogany hair fell over her shoulders in loose waves. Alice's work. She'd deemed both Bella's hair and clothes unsuitable for a night out after our training session was over. Bella, obviously having expected as much, had taken the path of least resistance. She'd brought something to change into and let Alice have her way with her hair.
Alice was trying to help me. She wanted me and Bella back together as much as I did. She was doing what she could, though she'd made it clear that she wouldn't push her. I didn't expect her to and I wouldn't want her to. If Bella decided to take me back, she would do so because she'd chosen to. If she didn't…
Well, I tried not to go there.
The music that had been playing in the background, pop mostly, died as the quizmaster reached for the microphone that lay waiting beside him on the bar. "Wow, it's a full house tonight," he began, grinning broadly and revealing crooked teeth. "I see a lot of familiar faces, which is awesome and… Hey, Sam, glad you could make it!" Almost everyone turned to look at the girl the quizmaster—whose name was Tom—had addressed. Sam was a woman in her late twenties with blue eyes and short golden hair. She blushed furiously when Tom waved at her. She quickly hid behind her cocktail because she didn't want him to see her ogling at him like an infatuated teenager.
I slowly shook my head, a smile tugging at the corner of my mouth. Things had changed so much since I'd been alive. In my time girls and women wouldn't even have gone into a bar in the first place.
"It would really drive me nuts," Jacob said suddenly as he glanced at the girl, who was excitedly talking to her friend. Bella looked up from the pictures she'd retrieved, obviously surprised that Jacob had addressed me. "I so wouldn't want to know what's going on in other people's heads. I'm glad that I'm finally alone in my own head…" His voice trailed off as Sam, the La Push pack's alpha, rose to the surface of his mind. When they were wolves their most treasured thoughts, their most precious secrets and desires were laid bare for everyone to see. Jacob hadn't been able to hide his love for Bella or his anger about Sam's decision to separate them.
Jacob knew that it had been just as difficult for Sam because he didn't want to know Jacob's secrets and it was hard for him to watch as pack slowly broke apart from the inside as time passed, but Jacob didn't feel particularly sympathetic. Sam had refused to see reason. Sam had forced Jacob to end his friendship to Bella. As far as Jacob was concerned, it was all Sam's fault. He only felt sorry for his pack brothers because they'd had to witness the deterioration of a once strong pack.
"It's trying at times," I said eventually. "I can tune it down to background noise, but I rarely do. It's like a swarm of buzzing bees in the back of my mind and I find that distracting. I try not to listen instead, like you would try not to listen to a conversation you are forced to overhear. It doesn't always work, but then I'm used to it. I would probably feel incomplete without that extra sense."
As the evening progressed I realised that Jacob and I had more in common than I would have guessed. The third category of the table quiz was music—after famous deceased and, even more morbid, serial killers—and Jacob knew the answers to every single question although he had to fight Alice on two; she didn't like being wrong. "No," he said with an air of finality, snatching the piece of paper she'd written the first three answers on out of her hands, "that's Tunng with 'Bullets'. Green hills and enemies / These things they make us sentimental inside…"
"Your words are gelignite / Or just another sentimental aside," Bella said. "It's one of my favourites and I made Jake play it to me on his guitar about a million times."
"I've never heard of them," Alice replied.
"That means there's a massive gap in your musical education," Jacob answered, quickly ducking out of the way in a well-practiced movement because Alice was attempting to smack him over the head. Bella giggled. I gathered she used to do the same when she was still human. "And it felt more like a billion," he said to her, his eyebrows almost disappearing into his hairline.
"You play the guitar?" I asked quickly to change the subject, because Alice didn't look at all happy that she'd been overruled.
Jacob shrugged. "Yeah. I am not sure that I'm really good at it, though Bells keeps telling me otherwise. I wish I could have brought it along, but that wasn't an option." He snorted. "I could hardly strap it to my back."
We have at least four or five guitars stored away in the basement, don't we? Alice asked, her anger that hadn't been very real anyway, already forgotten. Why not give him one? I think he'd like that.
"I think he would, too," I said three hours later as I inched the Volvo out of the parking space, Alice craning her neck to make sure I didn't accidentally run into the car behind me. Bella and Jacob waved at us as we passed them; she'd parked her Porsche further down the road. "I can't believe that's the same person I ran into three nights ago," I said quietly, the car's engine purring smoothly. It wasn't very late yet—by our standards—but the streets where empty, so I turned off the lights and floored it.
"I like him," Alice replied. "I didn't think I would, but it's kind of hard not to like someone who's so good for Bella."
"I am glad she has him, even more so because I doubt she'll be able to hold her own for very long when she's attacked again." Alice nodded grimly. We both knew that another attack was a matter of when, not if. Victoria would be furious when she learned that Bella was still alive. She'd certainly come after her again; she probably had a contingency plan already in place. "Do you think Jasper and Emmett will find Adam?"
Alice shook her head unhappily. "I doubt it. I've been trying to catch a glimpse of him now that I know that he's there and of course he would have influenced Jasper and Emmett's future as well…" She sighed in frustration. "Really, I would have seen something the second they decided to go after him, but all I keep seeing is the two of them searching and searching and searching… My best bet is that Adam's already dead. Jasper thinks so as well."
"I know and you're both probably right." I sighed. "It's just… What?"
Alice had gone very still, her eyes looking through me as if she didn't see me, as if I didn't exist. I caught the images flooding her mind, dozens of them, some of them blurry and uncertain but most of them bright and distinct and certain. Bella in her car, her eyes frantic. Bella checking in at the airport, the only passenger on a plane out of Anchorage. Layover in Minneapolis. Bella boarding a plane to Chicago… I hit the brakes, the car squealing as it skidded to a stop, slamming into the snow beside the road so hard that Alice and I were flung back into our seats.
"Why is she going to Chicago?"
Alice shook her head, holding on to the vision as she tried to see more details, tried to get more information out if it. "I don't know," she whispered. "Um, I think my cell phone's ringing." Shaking her head to clear it, she dug it out of her purse, confused because she hasn't seen the call coming, confused because she didn't know why Bella had suddenly decided to go to Chicago. "It's Jacob," she said barely half a second after she'd slid the phone open. "We have a problem."
—
Sorry for that cliffhanger! Oh, well, actually I am not that sorry at all! I have to keep you hooked, don't I? I am really looking forward to writing the next chapter and I hope I'll get it done before the semester starts next week. Then it's all studying again—and believe me, I am not looking forward to that!