Lost

Disclaimer; all characters and copyright belong to SM.

A/N-thank you for the kind reviews and for following this story!

Chapter Eight

Bella slept on the plane ride home. It wasn't a restful sleep. She had nightmares. Charlie was the one sitting beside her as Jacob's seat was a few rows away. When Bella first started to stir, Charlie didn't realise what was about to happen. He thought he would be able to gently wake her and try and soothe her fears. But it didn't work like that. He just couldn't get her to wake up no matter how hard he tried. The other passengers around them began to stare. Charlie tried again but Bella continued to resist. And then she let out a piercing scream. It was so loud that it disturbed the whole plane. Two stewards came up to see what the hell was going on, probably thinking that Charlie was murdering his daughter. Bella was writhing in her seat as if in pain.

"Is she having a fit?" One of the stewards asked. "We need a medic."

"No, she's not." Charlie tried to quieten Bella but she just got louder.

Jacob quickly got out of his seat as soon as he heard Bella scream. It had ripped his soul to shreds hearing that. Whatever she was experiencing in her dreams must be truly horrific.

"Sit back in your seat please, sir." One of the stewards said immediately as he tried to block Jacob's path. He gulped when he saw the size of him. "There's nothing to see here." He ended nervously.

"He's with us." Charlie said desperately. He scowled when he saw the other passengers still staring. Some had their cell phones out and were filming. He was appalled. He gritted his teeth. "My daughter suffers from night terrors. That is all this is. Once she wakes up she will be fine."

"When will that be?" The other steward interrupted him. "She's causing a scene."

"Oh piss off." Jacob snapped as he shoved the steward aside. "Just get those gruesome idiots to stop videoing. Let's swap." He said to Charlie. The older man hesitated for a moment before complying. If anyone could get Bella to calm down it was Jacob.

"You can't just swap seats." The steward interrupted again as he tried to sound authoritative.

"Oh, shut up." Charlie flashed his badge. "I'm a cop. There is nothing to see here." He glared at the passengers filming his daughter's distress. "And if you lot don't delete that footage I'll arrest all of you." He threatened. It was an empty one he knew that, but most of them complied.

Jacob sat down beside Bella. She was talking incomprehensibly in her sleep. At least she was a lot quieter now. He touched her face with gentle fingers. He marvelled as the blood flowed to her cheeks as if she was blushing. "Bells, you need to wake up." He said softly.

Bella mumbled something again before she finally began to stir. Her eyelids fluttered open. She gasped in fear before she became more lucid and realised it was Jacob. "What's happening?"

"It's alright you had a bad dream." Jacob smiled at her before raising his head to glare at the two stewards who were staring at Bella in fascination. "Haven't you got jobs to do?" He said pointedly.

"Yes…um….she seems fine now." The first steward took off abruptly. His colleague hovered for a few seconds, seeming to have a death wish, until another fierce glare from Jacob sent him scuttling away.

Charlie was thankful when they landed in Seattle. He didn't think he could take any more stress. He felt guilty for letting Jacob bear the brunt of looking after Bella for the rest of the flight. But the kid seemed to handle it just fine. Thinking back on it Jacob had always known how to handle Bella. Charlie knew it was his tender loving care that had pulled Bella out of her depression when that son of a bitch she ended up marrying had abandoned her. Now he was relying on Billy's boy to do it again. It wasn't fair on him. But Charlie knew that Bella needed Jacob right now. He was thankful that the boy had such a forgiving heart. Charlie would be forever grateful. He knew without Jacob that he wouldn't have even found his daughter. All he wanted to do was check out of the airport, collect the cruiser and go find their motel. But it was never going to be that easy.

Charlie helped his daughter along while Jacob carried their meagre belongings. As they made their way through the airport terminal and headed for the carports they found some familiar faces waiting for them. Charlie heard Jacob curse as he laid eyes on Samuel Uley and Paul Lahote. He put his arm around his daughter as they neared the two guys. Charlie knew they were friends of Jacob's but he had no idea why they would be there. Jacob looked pissed as he strode over to Sam and Paul. Charlie kept his distance with Bella. Clearly this wasn't going to be a pleasant meeting by the look on Jacob's face so he made sure that they were out of earshot for Bella's sake. Although, he wished he could hear what was being said. Charlie glanced at Bella. His daughter was shaking with nerves and she was chewing on her bottom lip.

"It's okay, kiddo. I suspect that Billy sent them to support Jake or something." He said to comfort her.

"Yes." Bella replied faintly. She doubted that Billy had sent them. Jacob's father would never do that. No Sam had done this deliberately. She had only been back in Washington State for five minutes and she was already causing problems.

Jacob was livid when he saw Uley and Lahote. Sam had rocked up on purpose to try and intimidate him. He had also brought along his least favourite pack brother as back up. It was a pathetic attempt to take control. He stormed up to Sam and glared at him. "What are you doing here?"

"I should be asking you that." Sam retorted. "Seth let slip you were bringing Bella back. I had to see for myself."

"This could have waited until I got back." Jacob argued.

"I needed to see." Sam insisted.

"See what? Bella is not changed." Jacob wanted to punch Sam. He was having trouble keeping his voice down.

"You're joking, right." Paul muttered as he gaped at Bella and Charlie. "She looks like a ghost."

"Fuck off, Lahote." Jacob snarled. "Stop staring. Bella has been through enough."

"Why are you even getting involved in her shit again?" Paul shook his head in disbelief.

"Be quiet, Paul." Sam warned him as he noticed Jacob getting angrier with each passing second.

"Why did you even bring him?" Jacob demanded.

"I left Jared in charge of the pack and I thought it best to have back up. Wherever Bella goes, vampires follow. I wanted to know what we were up against." Sam responded coldly.

"For fucks sake." Jacob was close to snapping.

"Is this a flying visit or will she be going back to them?" Sam asked harshly.

"This is a permanent move." Jacob tried to keep his voice down but he was seriously losing it. "Just go back to La Push, Sam. You've seen her with your own eyes now. So piss off. I'll be back later tomorrow. We can argue this out then."

Sam's lips thinned. He glanced over at Bella, then met Jacob's stony gaze. This wasn't a fight he could win. He really didn't want Bella Cullen back near his home turf. Life had settled down while she had been gone. He had never expected that he would ever have to see her again. Like Paul and a couple of the others, Sam thought Bella was nothing but trouble. Everyone had already risked enough for her sake only to have it thrown back at them when she married the bloodsucker and essentially went off to die. What had been the point of keeping her alive if that was what she had chosen for her future? As far as he was concerned the Cullens should have taken Bella and fucked off long before the newborn battle took place.

"Why did you have to get involved again, Jake?" Sam asked eventually. "You were doing so well. You were seeing Charlotte. She's a good girl. She's…"

"Not a leech lover." Paul interjected sarcastically.

Jacob's eyes blazed. His hand shot out and he grabbed Paul's shirt, dragging him forward. "Keep your dirty comments to yourself." He inhaled sharply as he tried to get his temper under control. He let go of Paul and shoved him away before returning his attention to Sam. "This is not the time or place. If you are not going to support me then I suggest you leave, now."

Sam stared him down. Paul was about to make another flippant comment when Sam silenced him with an Alpha command. Paul scowled in response. "You ask too much, Jacob." Sam said wearily. He ran his fingers through his hair restlessly.

"I ask nothing." Jacob replied as he glanced back at Bella. His expression softened as he gazed at her. She looked close to collapse. "Support me or don't. Either way I'm on team Bella."

Sam frowned as he mulled over what Jacob had said. He wished that Bella Cullen would just vanish in a puff of smoke. But despite what he wanted she would be living in his back yard anyway. "Fine." He said through gritted teeth. "But we all head home tonight. I won't be blindsided, Jacob."

Jacob decided to demur to Sam on this point. He was too wired up to rest anyway. Home was calling him. He would feel safer once Bella was safely in La Push. That was a point he was going to have to discuss with Charlie on the drive home. "Alright." He finally agreed.

Sam said no more. He jerked his head in greeting to Charlie and Bella who were still hovering in the distance, before striding out of the airport with a sullen Paul following behind.

Bella was laid out in the back seat of the cruiser fast asleep. Jacob and Charlie took turns driving. They hadn't shared much conversation. Charlie could see how tense Jacob was. He didn't want to push him. Whatever Sam Uley had said to him had definitely gotten under the boy's skin. Charlie knew it had to do with Bella. That was obvious. Charlie couldn't fault Sam. He was the one who had found Bella in the forest the day that Edward Cullen had first abandoned her. He would be forever grateful for that. He had been so relieved at her return that he had never questioned how Sam had managed to trace her so easily when trained tracker dogs had failed. Charlie had witnessed so many odd things over the years, even more in Anchorage regarding Jacob. When Billy's kid had returned from his tense meeting with Uley and told him that they would be driving home that night, Charlie hadn't questioned him. It was because he had complete faith in Jacob. He was protecting Bella. Charlie didn't know how or understand why, but he trusted Jacob implicitly to follow wherever he led.

It was raining heavily. The wipers were having difficulty clearing it off the windscreen. Now this was familiar. Despite the horrible driving conditions Charlie was feeling more relaxed. It meant they were closer to home. He glanced behind quickly at his daughter. Bella was still spread-eagled across the back seat wrapped in a blanket, deeply asleep. She hadn't stirred once. She looked so fragile. Charlie wanted to just scoop her up and keep her safe. He sighed as his gaze swept by Jacob. Billy's kid had done most of the driving so far which allowed Charlie to find rest. When he had woken up hours later he had to order the boy to pull over so he could take over. Jacob was supposed to be sleeping but he was still wide awake.

"Not long now. I can't wait to get Bells back home where she belongs." Charlie returned his attention to the road. It was slick with water.

"About that." Jacob sat up straighter in his seat. "I don't think Bella should stay in Forks right now. Or you either. If Cullen comes back looking…"

"You want us in La Push." Charlie reasoned. He kept one hand on the steering wheel while he used the other to scratch his chin. He needed a shave.

"Yes." Jacob was surprised by how calm the chief sounded. Charlie had been surprising him a lot over the last few days. He had been so accepting and hadn't questioned him once.

"I can see the sense in that." Charlie agreed. He put both hands back on the steering wheel and gripped it tightly. "Is that what Sam was so ambivalent about. I could see the tension."

Jacob stared straight ahead as he frowned. He could see Sam's black truck a few meters in front. Uley and Lahote had been escorting them home. He couldn't ignore the irony. "He's just worried, that's all."

"I can understand that." Charlie glanced wearily behind him at Bella again. "He's looking out for you. I know Bells hurt you pretty bad."

It was the first time Charlie had ever openly acknowledged Jacob's deeper feelings for his daughter. All Jacob could do was nod. "That's history now." He mumbled.

"History has a way of coming back to bite us on the ass. I should know." Charlie replied. "Even though she's my baby and I love the bones of her. I won't excuse her behaviour. Cullen was very controlling. He influenced a lot of her bad choices. I'm sorry you got hurt because of it, kid."

Jacob stared at his hands. He didn't know what to say. This conversation was bringing back old hurt he had buried deep and would rather forget. But Charlie seemed to feel the need to get a few things off his chest. "A lot of it is my fault. I was absent for most of Bella's life. I should have made more effort to be involved no matter how much it pissed Renee off."

"I thought you and Renee had a cordial relationship." Jacob couldn't help but ask. He had never seen any tension between Charlie and his former wife when they were together, unless they were very good at hiding it.

"We're polite to each other for Bella's sake. But when Renee first left and took Bells with her, not so much. I was hurt and I got depressed. I couldn't follow them you see. Not matter how much I wanted to." Charlie gazed at the rain as it continued to lash the windscreen and drummed on the roof. He was forced to slow down as the traffic was building up. "My parents were getting old and they weren't in good health. I couldn't just take off and leave them. Their conditions worsened over time and four years later I lost both of them."

"I'm sorry, Charlie." Jacob apologised. This was the first time he had heard Bella's father speak about his past or the impact of Renee leaving had on him.

"I'm not making excuses." Charlie rubbed a hand over his face before he turned to look at his sleeping daughter again. "I should have done more to be part of Bella's life instead of accepting the occasional summer visit whenever it suited Renee. But it was hard. I was grieving. My job became my wife I suppose. I became obsessed with moving up the ranks. I wanted to prove that I was good at something, you know."

"You were always there if Bella needed you." Jacob said quietly. "She always knew that."

Charlie shook his head. His face was full of guilt. "No, I don't think she did. I closed myself off emotionally after Renee left. I never dated another woman again. I wouldn't allow myself to get hurt. I should have been more open with Bella. I should have told her how I felt. How much she meant to me. Instead I expected her to just know." He sighed heavily. "I have so much that I regret, Jake. I let my hurt take over my whole life and before I knew it my daughter was seventeen and I missed the most important years. No wonder Cullen got his hooks into her so easily."

"It's not your fault." Jacob insisted.

"I let my girl down, Jake." Charlie finished sadly. "And there's nothing that can change that."

Bella pressed her face into the thick blanket as she tried to suppress her tears. Just like that night she had feigned sleep in the tent and had overheard Jacob and Edward's conversation; she had done the same thing now. It was so hard to hear. The pain in Charlie's voice as he acknowledged Jacob's hurt from her rejection and then later voicing his regrets as a father was heart breaking. She wished she could go back into the past and change everything, but that option was lost to her. She was so lucky that Jacob and Charlie were so forgiving. It would take a lifetime to make up for the hurt she had caused. If she ever could. There was so much that she couldn't remember. It just made it all so much worse and compounded her misery. She didn't deserve either of them. As Bella's emotions began to overwhelm her, she slowly slipped into unconsciousness.

Daylight was approaching as they finally reached La Push. The heavy rain had turned into a fine drizzle. Sam's truck was still in front of them as Charlie followed it onto the dirt track leading to the Black's. As the familiar redwood house came into view Charlie felt relief wash over him. He parked behind Sam's truck. Jacob got out swiftly. He went straight over to Uley and Lahote. Charlie couldn't overhear what they were saying but at least they didn't seem to be arguing like before.

After a few moments Jacob returned. "I'll open up and then come back for Bella."

"Alright, kid." Charlie smiled wearily. He climbed out of the cruiser and stretched. Sam Uley nodded at him again in silent greeting. Paul Lahote looked stonily in the other direction. Charlie wondered why they were still hanging around. Billy was still at the Clearwaters.

"Ready?" Jacob's voice seemed to come out of nowhere. Charlie hadn't even heard him approach. He nodded to cover his surprise. He watched as Jacob ducked down and carefully eased Bella out of the back seat. She was still comatose. Jacob stood up and carried her bridal style toward the house. Charlie grabbed their gear and followed him.

"I'll put Bells in my room. Make yourself at home, Charlie." Jacob disappeared again leaving Charlie to settle himself in.

Jacob was irritated that he couldn't stay. But Sam insisted on a meeting. Paul was left to guard the house while they went off alone. Jacob phased for the first time in days. It actually felt good to let his wolf free after days spent subduing him. He ran through the forest taking the lead, wallowing in the exhilaration of pushing his strong body to its limits. They didn't speak but Jacob allowed Sam to probe his thoughts, getting all the information he needed that way. It was easier than trying to find the right words to explain the emotional strain of the last few days. As Sam learned the truth of what Bella had endured over the last eighteen months his attitude began to change. He was shocked and horrified just like Jacob had been.

"That's fucking twisted." Sam rarely swore but in this instance it was called for. "Let's head to the Clearwater's. We can fill your dad in. You should bring that notebook with you. I'd like to read it and we should show it to Sue. She may understand some of the medical jargon we can't understand."

Jacob didn't hide his relief that Sam was finally seeing things his way. With his Alpha on side it would make it a lot easier to ask for help in keeping Bella safe. This time he followed the Black wolf as Sam changed direction and headed for the Clearwater family home.

Billy was aghast. After his initial celebration that Jacob was home safe, his feelings turned to shock as he learned about what had happened to Bella since she had left for her honeymoon. It was sickening. He listened as his son haltingly described his last conversation with Carlisle Cullen.

"He denied everything."

"He's desperate not to be exposed." Billy shook his head in disbelief. "I am sorry that I tried to warn you not to get involved again, son. I was wrong."

"You were looking out for me. You all were." Jacob glanced at Sam. His Alpha was pouring over the notebook with Sue Clearwater. Her children were out patrolling the borders along with the others. "What do you think?" His question was directed at the Clearwater matriarch. Sue had taken her place on the council after Harry's death so she was privy to all the secrets.

"I'm not a doctor, Jacob." Sue said cautiously.

"You have medical knowledge. You're a nurse." Jacob persisted. "Some if it must make sense to you."

Sue sighed. "No." She pointed to one particular page. "None of it makes sense. In fact I would say this has been cobbled together by a complete amateur."

"Are you saying its fake, Sue?" Billy asked before Jacob had a chance to.

"I'm not a doctor." Sue said again. "But from what I've read so far then yes."

A/N-thanks for reading!