Disclaimer: As much as we'd like to claim these characters, nothing Twilight-related belongs to us.
A/N: Hello. Sorry it's late again. Ben's internet was down all weekend. Still is, as a matter of fact. So you better appreciate this chapter because I had to drive over to his house at 10 tonight to get his half. :) Anyway, absolutely everything is explained in this chapter. And by everything, I mean everything. Every twist and turn we've provided you with… it's all here. And yes, this includes who died in Chapter 7 of WHWHW. :) So enjoy. Some sad news: Ben and I discussed the future of Turning Eighteen today, and we figured out that there was probably only going to be roughly four more chapters left in the story, not including the epilogue. Sad day. :( But if you're still aching for more cALLIEfornia BENches, we're working super hard on Cursed, and throughout the summer we'll be writing a whole mess of mini series. So it isn't over.
Turning Eighteen
By cALLIEfornia BENches
Chapter 10: The Scheme of Things
The sun finally began to shine its way feebly down the canopy of the snow-covered forest, forming small patches of light upon the ground floor where Bella and I stood; we had decided to just venture towards the path that would soon lead towards the Denali house after spending two hours aimlessly walking around town. The cloud cover ahead was beginning to fully diminish, and a stunning hue of blue was being painted across the sky. Small rays of light beamed down on nearby tree branches and their slightly damp leaves. Everything was glistening. Not another living soul was around. As the two of us silently trekked, surrounded by underbrush, my eyes followed the pockets of sunshine.
And slowly, a ray illuminated upon my skin. I was taken aback initially as warmth traveled from my arm to my neck, and back towards the area where the sun had left its bright mark. I had forgotten how unnaturally comfortable the sun, even in the coldest of weather, felt on my bare skin. I gazed down at the patch of light on my left arm, my sight moving to my right at Bella's hands intertwined with my own. It felt slightly disconcerting to be disappointed that I would never feel that warmth with her ever again. I frowned at the thought.
We continued to walk in silence until another blotch of warmth pierced my skin, and I tried very hard to suppress a sigh of pleasure. My intertwined fingers squeezed slightly in contact with the heat.
Bella gasped. "I haven't seen you sparkle in quite a long time, Edward," she whispered, as if telling some important secret. I looked down at the sun on my arm, finally noticing the sparkling aside from the relaxing heat. My skin glistened with the surrounding wet branches shrouded in light.
I smiled. How familiar.
In the midst of my content thoughts, Bella and I had stopped in the middle of the snowy woods, simply staring at my skin in mild wonder and excitement. It is good to be back again.
Finally, I felt that I could relax. I was safe. My Bella was by my side, safe in my arms. And my family...
Lazily, my thumbs rubbed assuring circles unto Bella's back hand, and I slowly averted my gaze to her face. Brown wisps of hair flowed gently across her face, glinting like glass when little strands would wave into a ray of sunshine. Her eyes were closed, and a small smile crept across her smooth features. God, did she look breathtaking. We stayed glued to the spot for a little longer; we really were in no hurry.
Eventually, my thumb ceased its brushes on her skin, and she sighed.
"This is nice," she purred, her eyes still gently closed, fluttering beneath her lids every once in a while.
Before I could utter any concurrence, however, the sunlight melded behind moving clouds, darkening the sky slightly. The change of scenery was drastic.
And Bella opened her eyes, meeting my gaze.
I was taken aback, fully expecting those beautiful brown orbs to look up shyly to me. Instead, blood red eyes fixed upon mine, and my back went rigid, stiffer than any board. Bella caught my change in mood instantly, even while I hurriedly tried to shift back into complacent features.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing," I murmured. There was no need to be upset over this, I thought. I already knew that she was going to donning that color. Hell, I myself had red eyes. But as I tried desperately to change my internal thoughts by looking into her eyes for perhaps a remaining streak of chocolate brown, I knew I couldn't. The red wasn't theproblem. All it did was remind me that the two of us were indeed vampires once more. That something had happened. That we needed to discuss some things that we had tried to hopefully avoid. Happiness was once again going to have to adjust.
I needed to talk to Bella about our human lives, and the vampire ones. There was no denying it anymore.
"Bella..."
She sensed the hesitation in my voice, and I could already tell she knew what I was going to say. Her eyes pleaded with mine to seek reason; to hold off on this as long as possible. I knew that I couldn't.
"We need to talk about this."
"About what? There's nothing to talk about. You're happy, I'm happy..."
I shook my head slowly. I wanted so much to ignore everything as well, and to live happy lives without further burden. Today was already incredibly radical; to wake up a vampire again, with my Bella in my arms. To see Alice, who probably also subtly reminded us of the change that had occurred. And now, with the once nice weather diminishing, our problems had crept from its shadows, sprouting its ugly head for us to face.
"You know that's not true," I murmured, "We have things to discuss, Bella. Like how we're back to this," I pointed at my eyes, signaling attention to the red tinge, "and how everything seems to have changed. I still remember being Masen. But I also remember being Edward. And I want to know... why you came to Volterra. What happened to you after Alice died. I don't want to be confused any longer, Bella."
The forest rung still for a span of time, and the only sound came from nearby birds fluttering atop the trees and the quiet breathing of the girl beside me that only a vampire could hear. Finally, Bella spoke up, sighing in the process.
"When you were taken, I didn't know I could be much more broken than I already was. But somehow I found a way. All I could do was wallow in pity and depress myself with thoughts of you. It was difficult to speak to anyone about anything anymore. Being around the family was the only thing I felt comfortable with, because no matter how horrible and heart-wrenching it was that you weren't here, I thought I would always have the rest of the Cullens. My real family." Her head was hung low, and she refrained from looking at me. A part of me wanted to cease her pain, to stop this conversation. The better half of me wanted to know this. I had missed too much.
"But I couldn't even keep that well! Esme, I think, blamed me for your 'death,' and would never look me in the eye or put herself in a situation that involved just me and her. Alice always tried to be comforting, but I was still so broken that I never talked to her much like I used to when you were still here. I only had Carlisle, who agreed to change me upon my request. I thought that if I was a vampire, I would never have to deal with nightmares of your death, or hear your voice taunting me everyday. I could just be. And still be a Cullen.
"Then one day, as I told you way back in Volterra, Alice persuaded me to get out of the house with her to hunt. I hadn't left the house in a very long time, so I finally gave in," her voice grew significantly quiet and, even though I knew what was going to happen and had accepted it, knew she needed comforting. Gently, I pulled her to my side, tightly wrapping my arms around her.
"I didn't mean for it to happen," she whispered, her head in the crook of my neck. "It must have happened fast, because Victoria was still there, looking maniacally at me. So I did the only thing I could think of: I ripped the bitch apart. Alice would have deserved nothing less. But the damage was still done. Alice was gone, and I had lost a sister and officially a family.
"So imagine our surprise a few months later when we found Alice, our Alice, in town... as a human. She was working in her flower shop. But she didn't remember us, much like you and I didn't initially know Esme or Jasper. Alice freaked out and forced us to leave, where the entire family, save Carlisle, banished me." My hands instantly curled into fists at this information. It hurt to know my angel had gone through all these things. But my family? They were supposed to protect her. It took all my energy to hold my tongue and let Bella continue talking. If I exploded in anger now, we'd never finish this discussion.
Bella sensed my stiff posture, but proceeded.
"I went to the only place I could."
"So you went to Volterra?" I blurted. "You could have gone anywhere! You could have stayed!"
"And face humiliation and personal exile?" she shouted.
The air was tense and no one spoke for a good minute.
"Yeah, well, I had no where else to go. You were always still on my mind, and the only constant left. I thought that life in eternity would be somewhat bearable had I ventured into the last place you were. The only place I had where I could still manage to investigate you. I ended up in Volterra, where I asked to join the guard, also because it seemed like my rightful place."
Now I was thoroughly confused.
"Why would that be your rightful place?" That was far from what I thought her place was. Her rightful place was with those who loved her.
For the first time since we began this conversation, Bella's eyes met mine. Tears lined the bottom of her lashes.
"Because for the first time, I felt like that monster you always felt that you were. I was a horrible excuse for a body; I failed to contribute to anything with a family that, through an immense hardship, still invited me with open arms. I disrespected everyone around me. Hell, I took away the seemingly unlimited love I thought Esme always had! I weakened the bonds of the Cullen's. I killed Alice, and in the process ruined Jasper's life!" By now, Bella was yelling, her form trembling under her words. "To this day, I cannot look at Jasper without knowing I caused his present pain. I let everyone down. And what hurt the most was that you weren't there to hold me and tell me everything was going to be alright. I was finally like you, invincible, and you weren't there to get angry that my eyes were now topaz. Without you, it didn't matter how indomitable I physically was. I still felt weak everyday.
"I'm a monster, Edward. I ruined the very family I loved! You helped me realize just what kind of thing I had become. And the only place, the place I deserved to spend the rest of eternity, was the very place I always thought was full of monsters. The very place where they made the evil and killed the innocent. I went to Volterra." In a flash, Bella was out of my arms, appearing a few feet away from me, her head once again bowed down low.
Slowly, I walked to her hunched form. Lifting my arms, I placed my index finger below her chin, raising her face to meet mine. Intently, I kept a piercing gaze with her red eyes, seeing past the color. I had heard what I wanted to hear. Now it was time to rid her of her pain and never let her out of my sight.
"Don't say that. Ever. You are never a monster, and to think that is the most absurd thing I have listened to in a long time. It wasn't your fault for Alice's death, and in turn, Jasper's anger and shame should not fall upon your shoulders. You could never have foreseen Victoria, nor could you have been able to predict that she would be a human, of all things, and not remember anything. As for Esme, know that she acted in a way a grieving mother had to handle. She lost a child as a human, and the effect of my disappearance brought back past memories. I know for a fact that she regrets not standing up for you in the square that day.
"If there's anything I've learned as a human, it's that loving you is fate. No matter when or what situation may pervade, I will always love you, whether you're Isa, Bella, or whomever else. I don't necessarily understand how I became human, or how I was able to meet you as well, but I do know that it doesn't matter. Our love is too special, too great, to die. It belongs in eternity, and it belongs with us. And that," I said, kissing her cheek, "is why you could never be a monster. And I cannot either. We wouldn't have come back if he didn't believe we were meant to do something. To love. And I'm sure we would not be here if we were monsters. Monsters don't deserve another chance."
I couldn't say anymore. Not because I didn't want to; I could have talked lovingly to her forever. But because Bella pushed herself unto me, crushing her lips to mine in the process. We stayed there, holding each other and kissing with all that we had. Our lips grew frantic, replacing the initial sensual vibe with a passion of urgency and need.
We slowly parted, not diverting our eyes from anyone but each other.
"I love you, Edward Cullen."
"I love you, my Bella."
"I'm glad we had this talk."
The sun was no longer visible behind the quick flashes of moving clouds, and the once blue sky was darkening into a navy tinge. We must have stood in the forest for quite some time. It was time to go.
I replayed all I had heard today, making a mental note not to bring it up further. The past was the past, and it made no sense to be frustrated from it when it would only hinder the future, regardless that I had all of eternity. I found it much easier to forgive my family for what they did, after contemplating further. As long as I still have Bella, I will just never let it happen again.
But something wasn't right.
"Something seems off," I murmured, my face enveloped by Bella's hair. I still knew that she could hear me.
"What seems off?"
"Well, it's just that I expected a different reason for why you came to Volterra. When I read Esme's mind back in the flower shop, she felt extremely guilty and ashamed for letting Jasper shout at you the last time she was there. She told me, when I was Masen, that the Volturi also contacted her about your death, saying that you requested to be killed, like I had. They said you wished to have no further reason to live. That's kind of why I was initially hesitant about bringing up this conversation; I didn't want to bring up past hardships."
Bella was silent for a moment before speaking.
"Oh no,"
"What?"
"Don't you remember what Jane told us before we died?! She plans on killing..." But Bella couldn't finish. And she didn't need to.
I knew exactly what she meant.
The Volturi was deliberately lying to the family, failing to mention also the cause of my death.
I already knew the Volturi were not to be trusted. That Jane specifically had intentions for our deaths.
Suddenly, everything was starting to make sense.
Carlisle was in Volterra.
"Oh no," I gasped. I slowly looked into Bella's eyes.
"Carlisle," I managed to choke.
Bella stood in shock. "Are you saying that he's..."
Without hesitation, I grabbed her hand. Together, we strode through the forest at full speed, aware that the sun was gone, replaced by a kindling darkness. The birds had ceased to chirp above.
When we arrived at the house, I hurried up the stairs without explanation to the others and started throwing things into our suitcases. I could vaguely hear Bella explaining to the others what we had discovered, and the new urgent need to move to Volterra as soon as possible. We had to save Carlisle before it was too late.
I was practically flying through the room, frantically stuffing and overstuffing clothes into the too-small suitcases. But it would have to suffice for now.
We needed to leave.
Now.
As soon as I heard Bella finish her speech, the others were off into their rooms, packing. Not a minute later, I heard Bella climb the stairs to our room timidly.
I glanced back at her over my shoulder as I shoved more clothes into the suitcase. "Come on, we've got to go. Help me pack."
"Edward," she said quietly, playing with her fingers as she stared at the ground. "Can I ask you something?"
My brows furrowed and I immediately slowed my movements and went to her, gently putting my arm around her waist and leading her over to the bed. "Of course, love. You know you can ask me anything."
"Do you think…," she started. "I just… I know we need to leave quickly and everything… but do you think we could make a pit stop so I could say goodbye to Charlie and Jacob? I never really got to say goodbye to them when I left to get you three years ago. I know they probably are assuming that I'm dead by now, but it would mean a lot to me. Some closure, you know?"
I bit my lip. We really needed to get to Carlisle, but I could understand where she was coming from. Hell, if I had been in her same position, I'd want exactly the same thing. And although it would be tough, maybe I could convince Esme and the others to go ahead without us. That'd probably save some time.
"Of course, Bella," I said. "It's only fair. How about you go tell the others, and I'll meet you downstairs in five?"
Her eyes widened. "Really? That soon?"
I nodded. "Yes. I'll book some tickets to the next flight Forks right now."
She threw her arms around me and placed butterfly kisses all over my face. I laughed. "I love you, I love you, I love you," she chanted between kisses. She smiled widely at me before dashing out of the room.
And that's how, three hours later, we were standing in front of Charlie's door.
She had been quiet throughout the entire trip, and I wasn't sure whether it was because she was excited or nervous. Probably a bit of both, I supposed. I had hardly gotten ten words from her the entire plane ride. Eventually, I just handed her my iPod and let her be. But right now, as we stood silently on the porch of her old house, her nerves were clearly getting the best of her. The hand that wasn't around mine was nervously clenching and unclenching, and she kept taking deep, unnecessary breaths.
Not that I could blame her. As far as Charlie was concerned, she had left for me three years ago and never heard from her again. Any kidnapped victim's family would have giving up hope after three years.
Charlie was about to get the shock of his life.
"Bella, are you sure you want to do this?" I asked cautiously, using her hand to pull her closer to me. She took a deep breath and nodded, bringing her other hand cautiously up to the door.
She knocked three times and waited.
"Just a minute!" a voice rang from inside. It was weird hearing that voice after so long. I could see she was uncomfortable, too, but we both knew it had to be done.
We heard heavy footsteps from inside, and then the door opened.
"Bella," he said, his eyes widening. "Is that really you?" He closed his eyes and rubbed them before he opened them again. "Bella?"
"Hi, Charlie," she said quietly. I squeezed her hand in assurance.
Charlie reached out a hand cautiously, as if she would disappear, and touched her hair lightly. When she didn't disappear, he seemed to relax. "You're really here, right? I'm not just imagining things again?"
"Again?" she asked softly, genuinely worried. "No. I'm really here."
He tore her from my grasp and threw his arms around her. I knew, for Charlie, this was a big deal. Bella had mentioned more than once how he wasn't big on affection. But apparently seeing your daughter for the first time in three years can make you emotional. His eyes were squeezed shut and tears were leaking out of them as he breathed her in, clinging to her as if she was some sort of lifeline.
Bella had her arms wrapped tightly around her father's neck, holding him as close as he would allow without crushing him. I knew it had to be incredibly hard for her, being that close to a human, but I knew she would be fine. I think some of our old vampire habits carried on with us during the transformation, because the bloodlust was coming way too easy to us.
Even a human bystander, one that couldn't read the incredibly touching thoughts in Charlie's mind, would more than likely be brought to tears by this reunion.
I gave the pair their space as they reunited again for the first time, and stood toward a corner of the porch.
When Charlie pulled away, he captured her face between his hands and gave her a thorough examination. He looked from her longer, shinier brown hair, to her dark black sunglasses, to her flawless, incredibly pale skin. "What are you?" he asked quietly. "You look like my Bella and sound like my Bella, but you look…," he finally glanced up from her features and looked at me, acknowledging my existence with a slight glare, "Like him."
I had to give Charlie points for perceptiveness. He had always been perceptive, but had a bad case of denial. Now, it seemed, he saw everything instead of just what he wanted to see.
"Can we take this inside?" I asked, glancing nervously around the neighborhood.
He nodded. "Sure, sure" he said. I saw Bella stiffen infinitesimally, so only a vampire would see, at his familiar phrase. He was obviously spending too much time around Jacob.
Charlie ushered us into the house, and I was surprised at how little had changed. It seemed as though he had kept the house in the exact same way it had been before she left. Pictures of her and Renee still covered the walls. In addition, there was a new one I had never seen before. It was a picture of Bella.
Her face looked dead. Her eyes were sunken in and her cheekbones were sticking out as if she hadn't eaten in a while. She was wearing a too-big sweatshirt and a fake smile that didn't reach her eyes. The sweatshirt had been mine, if I remember right; it was the one I hadn't known she had stolen until we had moved and I realized it was missing. It was the only bit of me I had accidentally left with her. And here she was, wearing it in her school picture.
So this was how she was when I left. It was terrifying to think that I left her in this state.
"Edward," she said softly from behind me, placing a hand gently on my shoulder. "Come on, we have to talk to Charlie."
"I did this to you," I said, hating myself with every fiber of my being. I was such a terrible person.
"It was a long time ago, Edward. You shouldn't keep blaming yourself. We're here now, and that's all that matters, don't you think?" she asked. I was silent. "Now let's go. We have a lot of explaining to do."
She laced her fingers through mine and pulled me toward the living room where her father was sitting down. She sat on the couch and I sat next to her, keeping my hand in hers.
She took a deep breath before looking at Charlie. "Well. You start, because I don't know where to begin. What do you want to know?"
Charlie didn't even hesitate. "Where have you been?"
I choked back a laugh. This was a complicated answer, and he would likely think we were crazy if we told him the truth. I wondered what Bella was going to tell him.
"When I left, I went to Volterra, Italy. Here was a miscommunication, and Edward was in danger. I had to go save him, Charlie. I didn't have a choice. But you've got to understand, I thought I would be gone a few days. But things went horribly wrong, and Edward got taken away. Needless to say, I was a mess. Even worse than when you had last seen me, Charlie.
"I was in no condition to go home. I wasn't very conscious of what was going on around me during this time, but the Cullens were taking care of me. They took me to Denali, where I stayed for a long time. About a year, I believe. But eventually, I realized I was a burden to them, so I got out of their hair. I went back to Italy to try and find Edward.
"I found him, after a long search period. He was being held prisoner by a group called the Volturi. They captured me, as well, and completely by accident threw me into his cell. We escaped from the cell, but were…," she paused and looked to me. I nodded to her, telling her to go on. Charlie deserved a full explanation, even if it meant telling the secret. "Well, we died," she said blandly.
Charlie started laughing. "What?"
"Theoretically speaking, I had been dead for about five months when I went to Italy, but they killed me further. Killed me completely."
"You've lost me," Charlie said. "You were dead, but you were living?"
"Do you believe in vampires, Charlie?"
He laughed for a moment before he realized we weren't kidding. "You're not joking," he said dryly. "No way. Vampires are mythical creatures. That's ridiculous, Bella."
"Not quite," she said. She explained the workings of vampires to him, and what happened to us, how we were reincarnated into humans after our death, and then turned into vampires again. I could tell in his mind that he didn't want to believe it, but he had to. Bella told him about my power. And, like anyone would, he tested it out.
"So… you died, but only kind of, and then you died completely, and then you came back to life only to be kind-of-killed again?"
Bella nodded, thinking about his answer. "More or less, yeah."
"Huh," he said, looking a little forlorn. "So… the Volturi… am I in any danger now because I know? I mean, you said you guys don't… feed… on humans, but the Volturi did."
"It's possible, but not probable," I said. "They have no idea Bella is even alive still, let alone that she's been home to speak with you. If they knew, probably, but it's not like we're going to march in there and announce that we've talked to you. I wouldn't worry about anything, Charlie. You'll be fine."
"Okay," he said. "Well, that answers a lot of lingering questions I had before."
I chuckled, but otherwise kept mostly silent until the end of our time with Charlie. He and Bella talked for about an hour, just catching up. Charlie told us of his adventures in trying to find her, and what he had been up to since then. He hadn't changed much; he still went fishing every week or so, and was still chief of police down at the station. Charlie's thoughts were blissful.
And as much as I hated to break them up, I knew I had to. If we still had to stop down in La Push, we were going to have to leave pretty soon.
I gently nudged Bella with my elbow. "Bella, we have to get going."
She frowned at me, but nodded. "Okay," she said. She stood up and turned to Charlie. "Charlie," she said quietly. "It was so good to see you." A sad smile placed itself on her face.
"As it was you," he said. "Will I get to see you again? I know you guys are moving right now, but I'd really like to see you again. Not to mention, it wouldn't make this feel so much like a dream."
I knew we wouldn't be seeing Charlie again, as I was pretty sure Bella did, but I don't think she wanted to disappoint him. Not after how happy he had been today. There was no way she could tell him that moving to Volterra came with a high risk of death. "Of course, Charlie. I'd love to see you again. I can't say exactly when it'll be, but hopefully it'll be soon."
He nodded, a grin lighting up his face. "Good," he said. "I can't wait."
Bella's smile was unbearably bittersweet. It would be the last time she saw her father. "Bye, Charlie," she said quietly. "I love you."
"I love you too, kid. I'm glad you came to see me, even if it was only for an hour. Next time we'll get a few more, right?" he said with a smile.
"Yeah," she said quietly. "Next time."
Her and her father embraced again, tightly. If Bella had been able to cry, I knew she would be. Charlie looked pretty near tears, too, but he wouldn't let them get to him. He didn't want to show her how badly he didn't want her to leave again. He was terrified they would never see each other, but took joy in the fact that she said she would visit again.
When the two broke away, Charlie reached out a hand towards me. I shook it and nodded. "It was good seeing you, Charlie. You've made Bella very happy today."
He smiled and dropped my hand. "I could say the same thing for her."
After another short round of goodbyes, we were on our way to La Push. Bella was unusually silent. It wasn't the kind of silence like on the plane, either. She was sad, and we both knew it. I slowed our running so we were simply walking at a human pace and pulled her to me, wrapping my arms around her and placing my chin on the top of her head.
"Are you going to be okay?" I asked her.
"Do I have another choice?"
I didn't respond to that. I simply held her as close as I could manage and kissed the top of her head. "I love you, you know. A lot."
"I know," she whispered, as if speaking any louder would disrupt our peace. "I love you, too."
I simply held her for a moment while she took a few deep breaths to calm her nerves. "Edward, what if Jacob doesn't want to see me? What if he throws the treaty in our face? Technically, we aren't allowed over there."
My hand lifted her chin so she was looking at me. I placed a chaste kiss to her lips. "If it would make you feel any better, Esme gave me the Black's phone number. Would you like to call them before we cross the border, just to make sure it would be alright? I'm sure it will be. They haven't seen you in three years. Billy probably won't be as shocked as Charlie was. He probably knows you're a vampire by now."
She nodded, and I kissed her again while I dug my phone from my pocket. I flipped it open and, finding Jacob and Billy's number, hit send and gave it to her. She smiled at me.
I could hear the ringing in her ear, and then Billy answering. "Hi, Billy? It's Bella. Bella Swan."
The line was silent for a moment before he said anything else. "Where should we meet you?" he asked.
Bella looked at me quickly. "How about at the café by Forks High?"
"We'll meet you there in ten."
I heard a click, and he hung up. Bella gave me a puzzled look, but I didn't know any more than she did. "Well," I said slowly. "I guess we should get going? They obviously have things they want to talk to us about." She nodded and took my hand, and we started running toward the café.
When we arrived, Billy was already there. We saw his wheelchair parked at the end of a table. At the table was a dark, russet-skinned man that, if you didn't know them, might look like Jacob. But Bella and I knew better. Sam Uley was sitting with Billy, and there was no Jacob. I noticed Bella's brows furrow together as we approached table.
"Hey," she said cautiously.
"I thought I smelled blood-suckers," Sam said crossly.
"Enough," Billy said. "No need to be hostile."
Edward and I sat in the booth across from Sam, and Bella didn't waste any time. "Where's Jacob?"
Immediately, both Billy and Sam's minds were picturing Victoria, and a terrible battle. Victoria and Jacob were fighting ferociously. It was a tough battle, and the strengths were nearly equal. But I watched—more through Sam's mind than Billy's, since he had been able to see it through Jacob's mind—as Victoria beat down Jacob. But with the way she was squeezing and tearing at his limbs… there was no way he survived that. There was so much blood…
"Oh my god," I whispered quietly.
"What?" Bella said, panicked now. "What happened?"
"Jacob…," I said quietly. "I'm so sorry, Bella."
Comprehension dawned on her face. "Victoria," she said. "My dream… It was Jacob. It wasn't you, it was Jacob. That's why my heart hurt so bad… I thought it was because I lost you. But that wasn't it… it hurt because I lost my best friend. Oh my god." She dropped her head into her hands on the table. "Oh my god."
I placed my arm around her waist and pulled her closer to me. She buried her face into my chest. For the second time tonight, I knew she would be crying if she could.
"Oh, god," she repeated. "Oh god, oh god, oh god. I can't...."
"Shh," I said, rubbing a soothing hand up and down her back and using my other hand to pull her into my lap. "It's okay, Bella. It'll be okay."
I felt her heaving, dry sobbing, into my chest as she took in the information. I stole a glance at Billy who, despite the angry thoughts bouncing about in his head about our kind in general, looked sympathetic towards Bella. Her sadness broke my heart. I would have done anything to take it away from her, but I didn't know of anything I could do except for hold her until she cried it all out.
I didn't know how long it would take, but I figured we had eternity.
A/N: So now you know. Jacob was the one who died. Hope you aren't too mad about that. :)
Mucho amor. And review. We most likely will not be updating Turning Eighteen this coming week, because I (Allie) work at a chocolate shop, and it's Valentine's Day week. Needless to say, I'm working every single day this week. Hah. I won't have any time. =/
Until next time,
cALLIEfornia BENches