title: a tide in the affairs of men ll author: caricatureofintimacy ll rating: pg ll word count: 2,147 words ll pairings: edward/jacob, jacob/bella (bella/edward) ll warnings: slash, homosexuality, swearing, loneliness ll spoilers: it's best not to read this if you haven't read any twilight, but it won't hurt you. just knowing the characters and you should be fine. au forever really, their will be some details from all the books up to eclipse ll summary: pressure from billy changes jake's view on girls (bella) forever, edward being there and alive doesn't help either. ll
thanks too: Mizukihikari, IcePrincess87, asianpervert, becky2gt2bstr8, Emotionsonhold for the lovely comments. I want to thank c-jackie for adding my story to her favourite list, and Kairi92, Mizukihikari, Rusty4Coke, Twin Eclipse, arlene67, darkicefire and susanjones for adding me to their story alert. I am not a review aholic, and knowing that people liked my story enough to save them without commenting is still nice to me. So thank you. All of you. (And especially for the comments ! Written adoration / critisism is nice)
a tide in the affairs of men
chapter two (told in six parts)
(And lately I've been walking
From all these places that I cannot stand
I guess it's just my history talking
Or I'm refusing to supply your demands)
one.
Bella took two steps towards the Black household, when the door opened and Billy enthusiastically wheeled out. Rachel was behind him, frantically following after her crippled father, cloth draped over her left arm, dripping from the wet end onto her brown skin. Rebecca was behind her smiling.
"Bella! It's great to see you!" Billy cried happily across the small yard. Charlie placed a hand around Bella's shoulders and gripped it tightly. Bella forced an ecstatic smile on her face and walked forward to wrap Billy up in a friendly hug. Billy vibrated excitement through his entire body, and grinned against her neck.
"It's great to see you too Billy" Bella parroted, moving away from Billy and waving shyly in the other girls direction. "Such a beautiful girl you've grown up to be, Charlie she is beautiful" Billy enthused to Charlie, wheeling around Bella to shake Charlie's hand. Bella smiled unconvincingly in the other girl's direction, and walked forward to introduce herself.
"My name is Bella, I don't know if you remember me..." Bella introduced, standing in front of the girls directly, holding out her hand as a peace offering. Rebecca grinned and enthusiastically shook Bella's hand, pulling her into a warm hug and laughing at the nape of her neck.
"Of course we remember you, future Mrs. Jacob Black, its all dad ever talks about, other than the football and mum" Rebecca explains, watching Bella blush under her playful scrutiny.
"You know that really stopped being funny ages ago... actually now that I think about it, it was never funny in the first place" a voice calls from behind them in the house, and Rachel turns towards the voice and places her hands on either side of her hips in the most convincing pout Bella has ever witnessed.
"Jake...don't be rude and come and introduce yourself to our lovely guest" Rachel orders innocently, curling her finger slowly in a 'come here or you will die' gesture. Jacob hesitates behind the darkness of the house before following his whole family onto the small driveway. Bella frowns at the boy in front of her and takes an obvious step back.
"Bella Swan, I have heard loads about you" Jacob said tilting his head to the side. Observing. "I can't say the same about you" Bella says softly, watching Jacob's face go white in anger? "Well aren't you the lucky one?" Jacob says in reply, voice still soft, and hard in the centre. Face clear of any emotion, including anger. Rachel laughs nervously behind them.
"Coffee, let's have coffee" she says cheerfully, herding everyone into the house and into her kitchen.
-
"How's school been girls?" Charlie asks over dinner. Dinner was hosted earlier than usual today, Jacob had wanted to start working on his car, and it was the grand final for the football, so no one wanted to eat that late anyway. Both girls looked up from their dinner and shrugged their shoulders.
"It's ok, long days, short nights. The usual" Rebecca answered, waving her fork in the air, it stabs dangerously in her sisters direction. Rachel nodded her head in agreement.
"We're lucky that we got roomed together, I think I would've got even less sleep if I was sleeping near someone I didn't know. Creepy" Rachel said, shovelling some vegetables into her mouth and chewing loudly.
"Cops sleep at night knowing girls think about safety like that, especially girls your age" Charlie explains, accepting the butter from Billy and handing it to a silent stoic Jacob. "What about you Jacob, how's school going" Charlie asks, Jacob startles, surprised and as he is buttering his bread he shakes his head.
"Same same" Jacob replies, taking a bite out of his bread, "the boys look the same, the girls look the same, I feel the same, so...same" Jacob explains, grinning mischievously towards Charlie who was grinning back.
"That's great Jake, that's great"
-
"FOOTBALL!" Billy cheers turning on the TV via the small remote. Charlie nurses a bear in his right hand, the other over the couch pulling Rachel into a half embrace. "Yay!" Bella says faux happily, watching Jacob pull his boots on and tie the lasses quickly together.
"Where are you going Jake?" Rebecca asks from the door, eating the rest of the ice-cream out of the tub. Jacob looks up from his shoes towards his sister. "I'm going to take the car out for a test ride, might stop for ice-cream why?" Jacob responds, crouching forward he stands up and gestures his head towards the door.
"That sounds like fun," Rachel says from the couch pausing to turn towards her brother, "maybe you should take Bella with you, right dad?" Rachel finishes, watching Billy nod his head vigorously fast. Jacob frowns and Bella sinks awkwardly into the cushion. Hiding herself from Billy, the evil sisters, and Jacob's disappointed glare.
"Jacob, show the lady around town, here the ice-creams on me, REBECCA GET MY WALLET FROM THE KITCHEN!" Billy yells, turning his head around to watch Rebecca scramble for the wallet and for money. Rebecca hands Jacob a twenty and pushes him towards Bella.
"Go on, go on" Rebecca whispers into Jacob's ear. And Jacob sighs.
"Whatever, come on, there is something I want to show you anyway"
two.
The drive is awkward. Bella sits uncomfortably in the front passenger seat, her knuckles are white against the seat belt, and she is thirty percent sure that Jacob isn't old enough to have his licence yet. "How old are you anyway?" Bella asks, wincing when they turn a sharp corner. Jacob grins at her, hair dancing wildly across his boyish features. And Bella isn't sure.
"Sixteen in a few weeks, but the cops don't care as long as you don't kill anyone they usually turn a blind eye, small town you know" and no Bella did not know. She grins back anyway, finding Jacob's grin in itself to be infectious.
They stay quiet.
three.
Jacob parks the car near a cliff and gets out. Bella unbuckles her seat belt quickly and jumps out of the car to follow him. It was dark in La Push at night, and Bella wanted to stay as close to protection as possible. Walking close to the edge, Bella kicks at the rocks near her feet and watches them tumble down the edge, watches them fly through the air, and drop ceremoniously into the water below.
"What? What are we doing here?" Bella asks, taking a step back, safer to be closer to the car, than closer to the edge. Jacob takes a step further towards the edge, and leans over, the wind blows his hair, tickles his face, and erects goosebumps on his arms, and he grins.
"I like to go here sometimes to think" Jacob explains, turning around to face Bella and not the ocean. Bella frowns and huddles closer in her hoodie for warmth. "I don't know if you have realised it yet, but my dad has been planning our wedding before I even knew who you were. It's suffocating at best" Jacob finishes with a wave of his hand and a sad frown.
"Oh, I don't...my dad has never mentioned that to me, I'm sorry" Bella says, taking a step forward to Jacob, and Jacob steps back, feet crunching on the gravel. Bella's heart beats faster. To close to the edge. "Ah Jake, get away from the edge, you're going to give me a fucking heart attack if you don't move" Bella swears, hand going to her heart.
And Jacob laughs.
"I'm not going to fall, I promise"
-
"Where are we going now" Bella asks when they get back to the car.
"No offence, but I want to show you why you are not enough"
-
four.
They drive in silence, the radio turned on low, so low that the music is only useless noise in the background, both indulged in their thoughts. Bella watches the trees pass by her, and only really notices where they are going when they exit La Push and drive down the main road into Forks. Bella turns towards Jacob questioningly. However Jacob shows no emotion in his face. His eyes never leave the road, and Bella feels safe in the car with him, even though he isn't old enough to get a licence yet.
They turn off of the main road and drive down a deserted road. Forest and grass on both sides and Bella closes her eyes and pretends to sleep. Jacob's silence is loud, in a way that shows Bella that this is not something he'd tell a lot of people, and that this was important, and Bella felt inferior. And special and she kept her eyes closed until the car stopped, and Jacob shook her awake.
"We here?" Bella asks for show and Jacob smiles softly. "I knew you were awake Bella, but thanks, it means a lot" Jacob says patting her awkwardly on her shoulder before turning towards the hugest motherfucking house Bella has ever seen in her life.
"Holy shit" Bella says in awe, and Jacob laughs. Loudly. Blushing Bella turns back towards the house and gloats.
"Where are we?" Bella repeats for what feels like the tenth time that night and Jacob smiles, wide and large and happy.
"Welcome to Casa De Cullen, I just hope Edward's home"
-
Edward? Who the hell is Edward?
five.
Jacob doesn't knock on the door when he gets to the door of the mansion, and Bella doesn't question anything. Jacob looks worried and happy and Bella doesn't know what she should feel like so she stays silent and follows Jacob up the winding staircase. And Bella is just breathless the piano is beautiful, and if she was a pianist she would sit down at the seat and play, play till her fingers bled. And they were at the top of the staircase. And they were walking down the hallway to a large door and pushing that door open. And Bella lost her breath all over again.
-
six.
"Jacob" Edward says in surprise, eyes wide behind a thick tome of information, which Bella can see is a text book. Jacob smiles wildly at Edward and walks further into the room."What are you doing here? Miss me already?" Edward asks, leaning forward on the couch to drape himself over the corner and stare at them full on.
"Of course" Jacob replies, "I want to introduce you to someone Ed" Jacob says grabbing for Bella's hand, dragging her further into the room, and Edward stills. His whole body paralyses on the couch, and it's not noticeable at first, but Edward's eye starts to twitch, and Jacob's eyes go wide in understanding.
"Bella I think you forgot something in the car" Jacob lies smoothly, and Bella doesn't get a chance to say anything before Jacob is dragging her out the door, down the stairs and into the car. Bella doesn't struggle, just looks up to the house in wonder. "Jacob what?" Bella asks when Jacob closes the door and peers at her through the glass window.
"Stay in the car I will be down soon"
-
"Edward?" Jacob calls, walking slowly into the room. Edward looks up from the couch, removing his hand from on top of his head, and frowning at his boyfriend.
"She smelt good" Edward explains when Jacob joins him on the couch, laying down next to Edward and laying his head on the beautiful boy's chest.
"I thought that didn't matter anymore, I mean it's been so long" Jacob asks watching Edward shake his head and close his eyes to block the pain, and Edward didn't explain.
"Do you need to hunt" Jacob questions when Edward doesn't answer, and Edward nods his head. Jacob turns over to move away and Edward pulls him back, till Jacob is lying on top of him.
"I want to kiss you" Edward says, brushing his thumb over Jacob's bottom lip, and Jacob closes his eyes and leans forward, brushes their noses together and kisses him gently on the lips.
"I would like to stay and do this all night but I have to take Bella home, I think she is worried she did something wrong" Jacob says pulling away from Edward's body before leaning in again to kiss him one more time.
"Bella" Edward repeats "her name is Bella"
And Jacob nods his head "Bella Swan, my future wife at least that's what my dad thinks"
Edward grins.
To Be Continued
Next update should be in a week or so, I have Panic/Cobra/TAI on Friday so I'll be busy having fun. Hope you all enjoyed this. And have a nice day.
- Rachel.