Warning: Slight use of the F bomb. Rating changed to M just to be safe.

Chapter Fourteen

"Jacob?"

He's not really here, I chanted inwardly. This isn't really happening. This is a dream and when you wake up, you're going to be laying in Edward's arms and he'll tell you how much he loves you. This is just a dream.

"Izzy," he repeated, a bright smile forming on his stupid face.

Not real, not real, not real, not real! It became my silent mantra as I stood there, staring at him stupidly. I felt like my entire body was anchored to the floor. As badly as I wanted to remove myself from this situation, I couldn't. So I did the only thing I could think of. I asked him to leave. "Jacob, you can't be here. Go away. Uh, please?" I added lamely, my voice cracking ever so slightly.

"What do you mean I can't be here? This isn't a private showing. I had to come and support my girl on such a big night for her."

"I'm not your girl anymore," I whispered, the tears stinging my eyes. "Please get out of here," I pleaded. "What are you even doing here?"

"When Lauren told me that someone had come down to the school and bought one of your pieces, I had to check it out. So I called Dr. Wheatley and asked her about it. She gave me the name of the collector and told me that apparently, they were going to be showing your work." I hated myself for the painful stab in my heart at the mention of Lauren Mallory. It felt like I'd been kicked in the stomach. Lauren was the one he'd left me for.

"L-Lauren told you? Why was Lauren even concerned what was being done with my artwork? She must have thought it was a joke, right? Did she call you thinking you two would have a good laugh at my expense?"

"Don't be stupid, Bella. No one was laughing at you. Anyway, I feel like I had a hand in this particular piece. I inspired it after all, right?"

"Is she… is she here with you now?"

"Oh God no," he responded with a shake of his head. "We've been broken up since July."

"You really need to go, Jacob. I can't… I can't do this right now."

"Come on Izzy," he coaxed softly. 'I flew all the way up here from Arizona. The least you could do is come talk with me for a few minutes."

"I don't have anything to say to you. You shouldn't have come."

"Don't be like that, Izzy. Please baby. How about the two of us just go outside and talk? Hmm? I didn't come here to argue with you. I just missed you and I wanted to be here to support you."

"I don't want to go outside and talk to you, Jake. I want you to leave."

"I'm not going anywhere until you come and talk to me, Bella. Just come hear me out and then I'll leave. But not until then," he said, crossing his arms over his chest.

I glanced over my shoulder towards the front of the gallery. From where I stood, I could clearly see Edward scowling in our direction, Emmett's hand resting on his shoulder as if holding him back from interrupting. For once, I wished Edward could read my mind to know that an interruption would be more than welcome. But at the same time, Jacob was stubborn and I had to get him out of here.

"Let me go tell Edward where I'll be. And then I'll give you five minutes out back Jacob. But you'd better hold up your end of the bargain and leave after we're done."

"Fair enough," he responded, sending me another smile. Bastard.

With a resigned sigh, I turned away from him and walked back towards the front, where Edward was waiting for me. I put what I hoped was a reassuring smile on my face as I approached him. "Hi," I greeted quietly.

"What's he doing here, Bella? Are you okay?" He asked, pulling me into his cold embrace.

"I'm fine, Edward. And as far as him, I've been asking myself the same thing, but apparently, he wants to talk. He promised he would leave if I would just come outside and talk to him for a few minutes."

"Well fine, I'll come with you then," he said, grabbing my hand protectively.

"As much as I'd like that, I'll be fine. I have a thing or two to get off my chest anyway," I said quietly. I didn't miss the smirk that formed on his face. "What? What's funny?"

"He's irritated by the way we're touching," he said. "Apparently, he didn't realize that you were seeing anyone. He thought when you said 'Edward', you meant your father. Are you sure it's wise for you to go talk to him alone, Bella?"

"It'll be fine. I told him he had five minutes and then I'll be back here with you."

"I can't promise I won't eavesdrop."

"Well, you wouldn't be you if you refrained from doing that," I teased as I stood on my toes to press a soft kiss on his lips. "I can't promise that you're going to like everything you hear, Edward. But I love you, and it's you I'll be coming back to when I'm finished with him, okay?"

He nodded, pecking my forehead gently. "Just be careful, okay? Don't provoke him."

"I'm not concerned about that. Jacob would never hurt me… well, he wouldn't hurt me physically. I'll be fine."

"If you're sure…" he said, offering me a slight smile. "I'll be waiting for you."

I pecked his lips once more before I pulled away. As much as I wanted to allow him to come out back with me while I dealt with Jacob, I knew it wouldn't be wise. I had a lot I needed to say to Jacob, and while Edward still sure to hear the conversation (at least on Jacob's end), I didn't think I would have the strength to do it while Edward was there.

"You have five minutes, Jacob," I reminded him as I crossed my arms over my chest. "We'll take this out back. I'm not really in the mood to put on a show for everyone here tonight," I grumbled as I lead the way through the gallery to the back room and out the back door.

I turned to face him, taking a deep breath as I willed myself to do this. There were months of pent up hurt and anger when it came to him and I wanted to make sure that when he left here tonight, there would be no confusion as to how I felt about him.

"Who was that guy?" He asked, his voice sullen as he kicked a rock with his shoe, unwilling to meet my gaze.

"That's my boyfriend, Edward."

"Wow. You sure don't waste any time, do you?"

I couldn't stop the incredulous laugh that escaped me at his words. "You've got to be kidding me, Jacob. I'm pretty sure you were the one seeing other people while we were still together."

"That's different."

"Different how?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at him.

"You claimed to be so heartbroken over the whole thing!"

"So what? Does that mean I'm supposed to wallow and wait for you, hoping you'd change your mind? You broke my heart, Jacob. You left me completely damaged and it's only thanks to Edward that I even feel human again!"

"I never meant to hurt you, Bella. You know that. You know me. I would never do something to intentionally hurt you."

"Intentional or not, you made me feel like I wasn't even good enough to be your friend. Not only did you screw around on me behind my back, but you made me feel like it's because I was doing something wrong!"

"And you know what the worst part of all of it was, Jacob? Watching the two of you together. Hearing you talk about how perfect she was for you. It was like you were rubbing it in my face that she was just fine for you when I wasn't!" I didn't even realize I was crying until a tear landed on my hand. "I would have done anything for you, Jacob."

"I never meant to hurt you," he repeated, his voice barely above a whisper. "I didn't realize how badly this would hurt you."

"Then you're stupider than I thought. I can't do this anymore Jacob. I'm sorry you wasted your time coming out here."

I could barely see through the tears as I turned quickly, hurrying back inside. I slammed the back door behind me, hoping that would discourage him from following. Not wanting to face the crowd while I was such a wreck, I sank down into the desk chair, lowering my head to my hands as I cried.

I didn't even realize he'd come into the room until I felt his icy hand against my bare shoulder. "Bella?" He said quietly, his voice even. "Bella, please don't cry."

"Y-you must think I'm s-so stupid for being upset over something so stupid, huh?" I asked, a bitter laugh escaping me. I refused to meet his gaze. I didn't want him to see me crying over Jacob.

"Of course not, my love. I'm sure it was incredibly difficult for you and I'm so sorry that he ruined what should have been the perfect night for you." He knelt down, his hands tugging gently at mine. "Please don't cry sweetheart. I hate to see you so upset."

I allowed him to pull my hands away from my face before he cupped my cheek gently, lifting my head to meet his gaze. "I just… I needed him to know… I needed him to know how much he hurt me but I didn't expect to get so upset. I feel like a horrible girlfriend!" I cried, throwing my arms around his neck. "I shouldn't have let him get me this upset, Edward! It shouldn't matter to me what he thinks about me!"

"You can't help how you feel, sweetheart. And bringing up painful memories was bound to make you upset, but that's not something you should apologize for." He rubbed my back gently and held me against his chest until my sobs subsided. "There now," he soothed softly as he pulled away to get a better look at my face. "And look at that! Not even a smudge of makeup out of place," he grinned.

I couldn't help but laugh softly. "Remind me to thank Alice for that later," I said as I brought my hand up to swipe at the remaining tears on my cheeks. "Esme must think I'm a terrible person for running out on her after she put all this work in to tonight."

"Don't be silly. Esme adores you, Bella. I explained the situation to her before I came back here to check on you."

"So she's really not mad?"

"Of course not. Now listen, the night's not ruined by any means. Let's go back out there and enjoy the rest of the evening," he said, giving me a smile as he pressed a gentle kiss to my nose.

"Do I look okay?" I asked, biting my lower lip.

"You look utterly sinful, my love. Remind me to thank Alice for that later."

Xoxoxoxoxoxo

All in all, the night had been a success, save for the little incident with Jacob. It had been difficult to face him, but now that it was said and done, I was glad. It felt like a weight had been lifted off my chest. After things with Jacob had ended, I pulled myself into a shell, refusing to acknowledge exactly what had happened. Because of that, I'd never really gotten to have my say.

Of course, I didn't exactly get to tell him off like I'd planned, but it didn't matter. He was now well aware how I felt about the whole situation, and I was confident that I could officially close that chapter in my life. It was no longer a suspenseful cliffhanger that hung over my head like a black cloud.

"Esme?"

She turned to face me, giving me a sad smile. "Are you alright dear?" She asked quietly.

"I'm fine," I promised her. "I wanted to apologize for sneaking off earlier, but I had some unfinished business to take care of."

"Of course dear," she said with a nod. "Edward filled me in. And there's no need to apologize."

"Well, I wanted to. And I also wanted to thank you again for all of this. I had always hoped my work would hang in a gallery one day, and I'm so glad that it's yours."

"This is only the beginning for you, you know. You are an incredibly talented person, Bella. And I'm not just saying that. I've never seen such passion put in to a particular piece of work. I really hope you decide to give all of this a try again."

I gave her a smile, my eyes seeking out Edward. I spotted him near the back room, speaking quietly to Rosalie and Emmett as the last few guests milled around, chatting with one another. Esme followed my gaze, her smile matching mine when she saw who I was looking at. "You know," I said thoughtfully, "I think I may have to pick up painting again. I seem to have found a new inspiration."

"I'm so happy he's found you, Bella. For the longest time, I worried about him never finding someone. But from the minute I met you, I knew you were The One."

"You really think so?"

"I know so. You can't see the changes in him that we can. I don't know that you would call it 'soul-mates', as he believes we no longer possess our souls, but there's really no other way to describe it. It's like you were made for him, Bella."

I watched as Edward turned his attention to me, that crooked smile lighting his whole face, making him even more beautiful. My heart was thumping wilding in my chest. "Go on, dear. He's waiting for you."

With a nod, I threw my arms around Esme as I whispered a thanks one more before I hurried across the room. At this very moment, he was all that mattered. It didn't even bother me the way that Rosalie scowled in my direction before she grabbed Emmett and stomped off. It didn't matter to me that we were not alone in the room. It didn't even matter than less than two hours ago, I was crying my eyes out over the boy who'd once broken my heart. All that mattered right now, in this very moment, was that Edward was here. I threw myself into his arms, grinning as his arms snaked around my waist to pull me closer.

"You seem to be in a better mood," he commented playfully.

"That's because I'm with you."

"You're an easy girl to please then," he said, giving me his most dazzling smile as he bent his head to kiss my lips. I sighed softly against them, completely melting in his embrace. It was the perfect ending to an almost perfect evening, I decided when he pulled away. His icy hands found mine as he tugged me gently for one last round of goodbyes before we headed out for the evening.

Alice was waiting for me at the door, a bright smile on her tiny face, with Jasper waiting dutifully at her side. She threw her arms around me in an exuberant manner, nearly knocking me backwards, though I couldn't help but laugh.

"See?" She smirked as she pulled away. "I so told you that the dress would be a good idea. You were the belle of the ball tonight, Miss Swan."

"I can't thank you enough for all you've done for me, Alice. You truly are my best friend."

"Does this mean the next time I tell you to wear something, you'll do it without complaining?"

"Well, let's not get ahead of ourselves here. We're still taking baby steps," I teased.

"I know that the next time you tell her to wear something, you won't hear any complaints out of me," Edward said, giving me another appraising look. "You really outdid yourself tonight, Alice."

"Well thank you, big brother. It's nice to know that my talents were not lost on you tonight. She almost looks good enough to eat, doesn't she?" She asked him playfully.

"Among other things," he responded dryly. "But really, if you'll excuse us, I think it's almost bedtime for the human."

"Mmhmm… It's bedtime alright. But there most likely won't be much sleeping," she said, tossing him an over exaggerated wink.

If vampires could blush, I'm pretty sure Edward's face would have been beet red as he quickly ushered me out of the gallery, mumbling under his breath about pixie know-it-alls.

"Details Bella!" Alice called out at our retreating forms. "I expect details!"

I shook my head, my shoulders shaking with laughter. "She sure is a handful, huh?"

"You have no idea," he grimaced. Though his look was meant to be playful, it wasn't long before it melted off his face, being replaced by anger. "You have got to be kidding me."

"What?"

"Did he, or did he not promise to leave if you gave him five minutes of your time earlier?"

"What?"

"Jacob," he sneered. I had been so caught up in the exchange between brother and sister, I didn't even realize that there was a lone figure in the parking lot, standing with his arms crossed defiantly over his chest. Beside me, a low growl rumbled from deep inside Edward's chest. It was nothing like the playful snarls I'd become accustomed to over the course of our relationship. It was almost frightening.

"Edward," I said quietly, my hand resting gently on his arm. "Calm down, okay? Just relax. I'll go handle him and then he'll be on his way."

"Don't count on that, Bella. He's had nearly two hours to stew over this whole situation, and he isn't happy that you dismissed him so easily."

I snorted, rolling my eyes. "Well isn't that just so sad for him? How terrible it must be for someone to dismiss the all mighty Jacob Black? Just… stay here okay? I'll go talk to him and tell him he has to leave."

"Yes, because that worked so well the first time."

"Edward," I sighed, slightly irritated at how quickly his temper was flaring, "if you go over there, it's a good chance that he's going to try to provoke you. I've seen him do it to other guys before. The difference, of course, is that you could probably kill him with your pinky. Now, while I'm not completely opposed to that whole idea, it would ruin everything for you and your family."

"He'd better not make you cry again," he threatened, his already pitch-black eyes seeming to darken even more. Though Edward was always protective over me, he wasn't usually quite this easy to rile up. "So help me God, Bella, if he makes you shed one tear—"

"While I think it's incredibly sexy that you're so ready and willing to go defend my honor or whatever, just stay put, okay?"

"You have three minutes, Bella. If he doesn't leave, I'll come over there and make him leave," he snarled.

"Did you ever notice just how cranky you get when you're thirsty? I swear, you're such a guy," I said, though I stood on my toes to kiss his lips. He remained frozen, his eyes locked on Jacob's rigid form. I sighed and rolled my eyes as I pulled away.

"Three minutes," he repeated evenly. "And the timer started thirty seconds ago. You're now down to two minutes, thirty seconds… twenty nine… twenty eight… twenty—"

"Oh for God's sake. I'm going, I'm going!"

Attempting to saunter rather than stomp, I made my way across the parking lot until I came to a stop in front of Jacob, mirroring his stance. "What are you still doing here? You told me you would leave if I gave you five minutes."

"I want you to come back to Arizona with me."

Of all the things I thought he might say, that was not one of them. I nearly laughed in his face. "And why in the world would I do that, Jacob?"

"Because I want you to. Because I was a complete fucking idiot for what I did to you and I completely realize that now. But mostly, because I love you."

"What if I said yes? What if I packed my things right now and flew back with you tonight? What would happen the next time you decided I wasn't quite good enough? Huh Jacob? I have a life here in Forks now, with Edward. And he loves me unconditionally."

"That guy?" He asked, furrowing his eyebrows as he nodded towards Edward. "Come on Bella. It's just a matter of time before…Never mind."

"No, go ahead Jacob. It's just a matter of time before he realizes how plain I am in comparison to him? It's just a matter of time before HE decides I'm not good enough either? Let me tell you something about 'That Guy', Jacob Black. 'That Guy' would do anything in the world to make me happy. There is no doubt in my mind that he loves me like he says he does." I glanced back over my shoulder to where Edward stood, his jaw clenched as he watched the scene unfolding.

"'That Guy' is going to be the man I spend the rest of my life with and there's nothing you could do or say to make me ever change my mind. But you know what, Jacob? Maybe anger isn't the emotion I should be feeling right now at your pretentious assumption that I would just drop everything and come back to you. Maybe I should feel grateful for what you did to me. Because if I'd never met you, if you'd never broken my heart and I hadn't come to Forks, I never would have met 'That Guy'. And that really would have been a shame."

"Izzy—"

"Go away, Jacob. You could never live up to the standard that's been set by him, I'm sorry to say. But maybe you should give Lauren a call? That hopeless skank always was pretty taken by you, for whatever reason. I'm sure she'd drop whatever she was doing and run right back to you. And by the way… did I ever tell you how much I hated being called 'Izzy'?"

Feeling incredibly smug at the shock look on his face, I turned to make my way back to Edward. However, before I could even take one step, I felt his large hands closing around my upper arm, tugging me hard back to him. He turned me to face him, the shock having disappeared. It was replaced by anger.

"How dare you talk to me like that?"

"Let go of me, Jacob!"

"You little bitch! You would have been nothing without me! The only reason anyone even bothered with you senior year was because of me. You've always been a nobody, and you'll always be a nobody. And you know something else? It's only a matter of time before he realizes that too."

"If you don't take your hands off of her right now, I swear to God I will tear you limb from limb," Edward threatened, his voice dangerously calm. "Didn't your mother ever teach you it's not nice to manhandle a lady?"

"Yeah, she did, but I guess it's good that there's no lady here, huh? Just a worthless, no good whore. Not even a good whore, really. I find her to be a bit lacking in that whole department, myself."

With a forceful shove, Jacob pushed me away from him. I stumbled slightly, nearly losing my balance until Edward's hard hands shot out to catch me, preventing me from going down. "Bella love, do me a favor and go sit in the car."

"No Edward. Let's just go, okay? Let's just go home."

"I'd like to have a conversation with Jacob."

"Please Edward? Let's just go. He's not worth this."

"I think what she's trying to say is that she's not worth this," Jacob sneered. "Ain't that right, Izzy? It would be a damn shame if your new boy toy got his face all fucked up over a piece of trash like yourself. Right?"

Though his words stung, I forced myself to ignore his taunts. This was how he operated. He goaded people into fights and usually came out victorious. This time, however, I knew he would not and I couldn't let Edward ruin everything like that. "Come on Edward. Let's just go home."

"Bella, go sit in the car," he repeated, his eyes never leaving Jacob.

"Yeah Bella. Go sit in the car like a good little girl while the two men talk."

"JUST SHUT UP JACOB! Edward, please, let's go back to the car. We need to leave."

I felt Jacob's hand on my arm once more as he shoved me out of the way. "You heard him, you little bitch."

A few things happened very quickly. At the same time that Jacob shoved me, a loud snarl escaped from Edward's mouth as he lunged towards him. This time, when I stumbled, I had no one to catch me. I threw my hands out to catch myself as I went down, but I simply wasn't fast enough.

The blow to the head was nearly enough to send me into a state of unconsciousness, but miraculously, I fought off the haze that threatened to consume me. My hands stung as the sharp gravel dug into my skin. The concrete parking curb that I'd whacked my head on was quickly turning red as the blood seeped out of the open wound.

It took every ounce of strength I had to turn over so that my bottom was on the ground. Through my blurred vision, I could see Jacob sprawled out on the ground, unmoving. Though he was no longer a threat, the growls never ceased as Edward turned to me, his eyes filled with… lust?

"Edward?" I managed to rasp out, my head spinning as he moved impossibly closer. His white teeth were gleaming in the darkness as he moved to a crouch in a front of me. Suddenly, I understood the look he'd given me. Not lust. An uncontrollable thirst. For my blood.

A/N: BAH HAHAHAHA. How was THAT for a cliffhanger? Are you worried? Are you curious as to what happens? Good. Remember, reviews help me write faster! =) Haha.

First of all, HOLY COW YOU GUYS! The response for the last chapter was so amazing. How about we keep up the trend with this one? Sound good? Thought so. Anyway, there's a few things I want to clear up. FIRST!!!: I warned you that there would be a character coming up who was completely OOC! Jacob, anyone?

Just in case anyone was curious, Jacob was not abusive to Bella during the course of their relationship. And I don't really view him as being abusive here. Did he do a complete 180 in his moods between the beginning and the end of the chapter? Of course. Because he's used to getting his way with women and when Bella didn't bow down to him and do what he wanted, it ticked him off. And he really wanted an excuse to punch Edward. Haha. Too bad for him Edward is like... made out of freakin' stone.


If there's anything else that's confusing to you, feel free to ask and I'd be happy to clear it up. I'm currently running on 4 hours of sleep, so while this all makes sense in my head, it's possible that it's just jibberish on the page. Remember, reviews resolve cliffhangers faster =)