Emily had largely left Bella alone after Sam and Jacob left, her presence- and her cooking- a comfort, but she mostly did her own thing and let Bella do hers, which she was thankful for. She hadn't realized how hungry she was, so the unending presentation of food and desserts was welcome, as Emily's cooking was topped only by her baking.
"You're eating for two, you know," Emily pointed out as she set a plate of chocolate pecan cookies in front of Bella, who was still finishing off the bannock she'd been given half an hour before.
"Yeah but I don't think I have to do it all in one day," she protested, shaking her head at the cookies, despite the fact that they smelled amazing. Besides, she knew that if she didn't eat them, a troop of hungry boys would be sure to show up and do it for her.
Emily sat down next to her and put an arm around her shoulders, giving her a squeeze. "You're very brave," she said gently.
"I don't feel brave," Bella answered softly. "I feel like the most terrible person alive." She wasn't sure how much Emily knew, and it was on the tip of her tongue to pour out the whole story, but she feared the girl's judgment.
For a long moment Emily said nothing. Then she said, softly, "When Sam imprinted on me, his feelings for Leah completely changed. But to this day, he considers cheating on her the worst thing he's ever done."
Bella glanced away. "I didn't know he cheated," she said, when what she really meant was 'I wish you didn't know I cheated."
"Yeah," Emily said. "And they'd been together three years. I know you and Jacob have only been together three months… but it still hurts. For both of you."
"But it's my mistake."
Emily spread her hands as though helpless. "You're human," she said gently. "What you did was terrible and wrong. But I don't believe you did it to hurt Jacob."
"No," she whispered. "I did it for me. I did it… to stop him from abandoning me. I did it for the most selfish, messed up reasons that don't even make sense. I wish I could take it back. I wish I could convince Jacob what a horrible mistake I made, how much I want to turn back time and tell Edward to just leave if that's what he wants… and have it be okay because I know that Jake will be there for me when no one else is."
"Love doesn't always conquer all, Bella," Emily said softly. "But sometimes, if you work hard at it, it can."
Tears slipped down Bella's cheeks and she put her hand on her stomach. "I'm so scared. This baby… I want it to be Jake's so bad. Not only because it might kill me if it's not… I don't care about that. I…" She stroked her belly lightly. "I think I'm falling in love with it. It's so little… so alive… so innocent. But I'm terrified of what's going to happen. I don't know what to do."
"I know," Emily answered. "You'd have to be a sociopath not to be. But you still stood up to Sam… it sounds to me like you have a good idea of what you want to do."
"Killing it… it feels so wrong," Bella said. "I don't… it's not that I'm pro-life or something, but this isn't the same. As crazy as it is, this baby is nearly here. It's not like… a fetus or something. I mean, like a bundle of cells… it's a little baby. And it's going to be here in no time." She felt a sudden panic rising in her chest as she realized the truth of those words. Where was she going to be in a month? Two? This whole thing felt completely insane, like a bad nightmare.
"I had an abortion," Emily offered.
"Really?" Bella was surprised. "When? Was Sam okay with that?" Somehow she just couldn't imagine him being comfortable with Emily aborting their child, despite his views on this one.
Emily smiled. "I had a life before Sam, you know," she pointed out. "I was fifteen. Way too young for a baby."
"Jacob is sixteen," Bella pointed out glumly.
Emily cringed a little. "Okay… poor choice of words. But Jacob acts like he's thirty, Bella… at fifteen I had the emotional depth of a twelve-year-old. When I did briefly consider having it, it was only because I was thinking about all the cute little outfits I could dress it in. I can already tell you're more serious about it than that."
Bella shook her head slowly. "I just want to figure out what's happening to me," she said. "I don't want to make any decisions about anything until we know what's going on."
"You're a smart cookie," Emily said, and grinned as she reached for the plate. "Now have a cookie. Doctor's orders."
"I'm pretty sure you're not a doctor," Bella answered with a smirk, but she took a cookie anyway. As usual, it was delicious.
As soon as she was finished Emily said, "And now I'm ordering you to take a nap."
"It's like noon," Bella protested.
"You have to rest for two, too, Bella," she said gently. "Even if you don't sleep, I want you to lay down for an hour, and if I see you downstairs a moment before you'll be in big trouble, missy."
Bella giggled and allowed Emily to help her from her seat, take her upstairs to the loft, and fuss over the blankets and pillows in her bed before tucking Bella in and drawing all the curtains. Light still filtered through, but it was muted and made the room dim and cozy. Bella actually thought she might sleep, though she hadn't felt tired until she lay down. As she yawned, Emily gave her a knowing look and left the room, and even before her footsteps faded away on the wooden stairs, Bella's eyes had fluttered closed.
She was back up north, in Abi's community. She stood in the forest, clad only in a doeskin skirt and bikini top, the same outfit she'd worn when she and Jacob had spent their first night together. The woods were deathly quiet- no birds, insects, or other animals broke the silence. The earth beneath her feet was soft and cool, and her belly was flat again. It was almost pleasant, if not for the nagging feeling that something was very wrong. The forest was too quiet, the light cast strange patterns on the ground, and the entire experience was ominous and foreboding.
Suddenly, where Bella stood was bathed in light as the sun emerged between two boughs of a huge oak tree. At the same moment that Bella turned her face up toward its warm light, pain sliced through her, cutting her down to her knees. She gasped for breath, feeling her body rippling, her muscles bunching and twisting, as though they were trying to tear themselves from her body. She opened her mouth to let out what should have been an ear-piercing scream, yet no sound came out.
Lying on the ground in agony, her eyes caught movement through the forest and she realized she wasn't alone after all. She tried and failed to stand, then dragged herself through the dirt towards that movement, not knowing who it might be but hoping for help. Her body continued to convulse and seize, and then she was huge again, her belly dragging along in the dirt as she heaved her suddenly heavy body towards the tree line.
As soon as she was close, she recognized the back of Jacob's head through the trees, as well as the way he held his body as he stood there. She opened her mouth to call for him, but he couldn't hear her. No sound came out no matter how hard she tried, and she couldn't reach him. She had no more energy left to get her to him, and nothing she did- not throwing dirt in his direction, not pounding her hands on the trunks of the nearby trees, got his attention. He stood less than three feet from her, stock-still and oblivious to her presence.
Suddenly, when she was almost beyond hoping, Edward's face appeared in front of hers. For a moment she was elated as she realized he could see her, but still she couldn't find her voice to tell him she needed help. He seemed to sense that something was wrong, and he pulled her into his arms, searching her eyes for answers to what she couldn't say.
For a moment she felt safe in Edward's arms, but then she was wracked by waves of pain, more excruciating than before. Somehow, with horror, she realized he was causing the pain- he was hurting her just by being there, just by touching her and being near her.
"Hush, Bella," he whispered into her hair, puling her closer even as that caused more pain. "I'll keep you safe." He was oblivious to the agony she was feeling. She tried to squirm out of his embrace but he held her close, locking his arms tightly around her. She tried to scream, tried to get away, tried to tell him he was killing her, and in desperation she clawed at his face, but her nails were useless against the cold stone of his skin. He caught her wrists in his hands and held her tightly, stopping her from trying to escape.
Then Jacob turned around, and he immediately caught sight of them. He too was blind to the danger she was in, and with tears choking his voice, he whispered bitterly, "I loved you, but this is beyond betrayal. You've broken us, Bella… you've broken something I never thought could break." Turning his face away from her, he walked away, leaving her with Edward, who continued to sap the life from her even as he thought he was giving her love.
Finally, too late, she found her voice. "Jacob!" she screamed. "Jacob, come back!" But he couldn't hear her, already out of earshot.
Edward flipped her over and pushed her down into the cold wet mud. She tried to struggle out of his grip, but it was impossible. He put his hand on her stomach; inside, she felt her baby kick, felt the life there, the helplessness. His golden eyes narrowed and he pushed harder, bringing such pain that she thought she would pass out or die, but she didn't. His hand put so much pressure on her stomach that the flesh split open, and soon he was buried, wrist-deep, inside her. She felt disgusting, dirty, guilty, and there was so much blood… so much pain.
"Bella," he said. "This is for your own good."
"No!" she screamed, writhing, trying desperately to escape this monster, this killer, this force of darkness. She screamed again, "Stop it! No! Don't do this!" But he ignored her. With an effortless flick of his wrist, he tore something from her that she could never get back.
Her eyes snapped open, her breath coming in frightened gasps. Judging by the light in the room, she'd been asleep for some time- maybe a couple of hours. Downstairs, she could hear the murmur of voices, Emily's and a deeper one- not as deep as Sam's, but obviously male. Maybe Jacob. Her heart was pounding. She put her hands on her belly as if to make sure it was still there, still intact. Her baby moved under her fingertips, rolling around in its watery world, nudging her as if to say, Hello. A small smile spread over her face as she gazed down at the mystery below her heart.
"I'm never going to let anyone hurt you," she whispered, in awe of the life inside her, its will to live evident even now.
With some difficulty, she managed to sit up and then stand, wrapping an arm under her belly as she did so to support the unfamiliar weight. She glanced in Emily's mirror and grabbed the older girl's comb off the dresser, running it quickly through her hair to make herself look somewhat decent. She still looked terrible as far as she was concerned, but there wasn't much she could do about that. It was bad enough that her clothes didn't fit, and she could feel that the skin at the bottom of her belly was completely bare, which meant that her new stretch marks were on full display. Knowing Emily wouldn't mind, she grabbed a robe off the back of the door and wrapped it around herself before heading downstairs, taking comfort in its fluffy softness.
Bella crept to the ladder-style staircase and descended a few steps, walking slowly to avoid overexerting her already aching muscles. As she got closer to the middle of the stairs, she started to make out what the voices were saying.
"Hand me that spoon- no, the wooden one," Emily said, and Bella heard the sounds of a lid coming off a pot and something being stirred. She had to pause there for breath, so she sat down on the step to take a break, and she could just see into the combined kitchen/living room area down below. Emily stood at the stove, still stirring whatever delicious meal she was making, while one of the boys- not Jacob, maybe Jared or Embry- was sitting on her counter, his back to Bella.
"Come on, give me just a little taste?" he begged, and now that he'd spoken Bella recognized that it was definitely Jared.
Emily turned around to face him, holding the spoon in her hand and giving him a gentle jab on his bare chest with the blunt end of the handle. "No way, mister," she said. "This is an Emily original and it's not to be sampled by anyone but me until I serve it. Got it?" She smirked at him.
"But I'm hungry," he complained good-naturedly, and Bella could hear the smile in his voice. He reached out a hand to snatch the spoon from Emily, but she dodged it, holding it just out of reach before transferring it behind her back to the other hand. Again he made a grab for it and Emily twisted, giggling, using her hip to block him as she held the spoon high on the other side of her body. Jared reached for it from both sides but couldn't quite get a good angle.
"Come on, I'm hungry!" he protested, laughing. "Are you going to let me starve? Don't you love me anymore, Emily?"
"Not if you keep being so irritating!" she proclaimed, finally tossing the spoon into the sink, whirling on him and flatting her hand against his stomach to push him back into the counter. "Don't forget I have brothers- I can totally take you."
He laughed, swatting her hand away and making a lunge toward the sink, which she moved to block, but he'd only been faking and quickly jumped to the stove, his hand poised to plunge his fingertips into the concoction.
Emily shrieked in mock outrage and again went to swat his hand away, but he dodged at the last second and her hand hit the boiling hot liquid in the pot instead. She drew her hand back quickly, hissing in pain.
"Are you okay?" Jared asked instantly, all sense of play dropped from his voice. "Let me see."
"I'm fine," she answered calmly. "Turn on the cold water, will you?" He hurried to do what she asked and she put the hand under the water, wincing as the cool liquid hit the burn.
"Let me see," he said again, gingerly touching her wrist and leaning over the sink to get a better look. Bella started to rise to continue down the steps and make sure Emily was alright, glad the attention wouldn't be on her for once, but she paused as she saw Emily turn her head toward Jared, bringing their faces only inches apart.
"I'm really sorry," he said softly. "I never meant to hurt you."
"I know," she answered, her voice equally gentle.
Bella watched, her breath held, as Jared brought his free hand up and swept it through Emily's hair, tucking it behind the girl's ear slowly. She gave him a little smile, and then suddenly Jared leaned toward her like he was going to kiss her.
Emily made a complete 180° turn with surprising grace, extracting herself from the sink and the situation, coming to stand right behind him. She put her hands on his shoulders, giving them a squeeze. "Jared," she said, and his name seemed to be enough to break the spell.
He turned to face her, his eyes full of apology, his face flushed with embarrassment. "Sorry, Em. Forgot myself for a second there."
She ruffled his hair a little, putting him at ease once more. "Not a problem," she answered, retrieving her spoon and going back to the stove. Bella waited another couple of minutes before clearing her throat and descending the staircase noisily.
"Hey there sleeping beauty," Emily said with a warm smile. "Did we wake you?" Bella couldn't help but notice that Jared bee-lined it to the living room as soon as she reached the bottom step, as if to pretend he'd been there all along.
"No," she answered, turning to smile a greeting at Jared, but his eyes were locked on her belly.
"Holy crap," he exclaimed. "You're huge!"
"Hey!" Emily called sharply, throwing the spoon at his head.
"Ouch." He rubbed the spot where it hit, giving Bella a sheepish smile. "Sorry," he added. "It just surprised me."
"Don't worry," she said. "It surprises me too, every time I notice."
"So, everybody's coming over," Emily spoke up, changing the subject. "They should be here shortly."
"Everyone?" Bella repeated.
"Those Canadian wolves arrived earlier," Jared explained. "They're all on their way over." His voice suddenly took on the tone of a boxing announcer as he added, "Collision of two different packs! Unprecedented in history, Bella. What will happen? You'll just have to wait and see."
"Yes, it's all very exciting," Emily said warmly, seeing Bella's obvious discomfort and giving Jared a pointed look to back off.
Bella was in the bathroom when everyone else arrived, and she hesitated on the staircase, watching as she had earlier before making herself known. It was strange to see not only the entire wolf pack in Emily's living room, but also the visitors Bella had been dreading. Jared, Quil, and Embry squeezed themselves onto the larger of Emily's two couches, while Paul and Jacob occupied the loveseat, much to Bella's disappointment. Emily and Leah had taken seats across from one another at the small dining room table, with Seth in the middle, and Sam immediately started pulling out extra chairs out from under the stairs for the new arrivals. The food remained on the stove, turned down to simmer and held for later.
Bella watched as the visitors each took a seat- first Mitsis, the one who could see the future, an impish smile on her face for Sam as he scooted the chair under her as she sat; next to her was Abi, a very un-queenly queen in most situations. Only when both women were comfortable did the two men accompanying them accept their seats from Sam- first Veyo, the younger of the two warriors, who Bella eyed with caution she'd learned from their last encounter, when she'd basically been convinced that he hated her. Last to sit was Chay, who dwarfed all the other men in the room both in musculature and stature. She could see her friends shifting in their own chairs uncomfortably as they sized themselves up to this massive man on his own chair, which looked almost comically small under him.
Unlike the Quileute wolves, the two men from the north kept their thick dark hair much longer, Chay's reaching his shoulders while Veyo's fell to halfway down his back. All four of them were dressed in their own style of dress, animal skins decorated with beading and tassels, and the women's hair adorned with feathers and beads.
But Bella couldn't take her eyes off Abi. She was beautiful, and because she had nearly married Jacob, Bella couldn't help but hold herself up to her. Especially now, she felt completely inadequate as she did so. It wasn't really true that Abi was completely un-queenly; she was approachable and surprisingly down-to-earth, yet even sitting on a simple folding chair she had a presence, and appeared regal compared to everyone else in the room.
Mitsis, too, had a presence, but it was of a completely different kind, and Bella still felt wary about her because of her ability to see the future, and the way she tended to speak in riddles. She imagined Mitsis was just dying to get everyone to kneel down in front of her so she could feel their faces and find out all about them, as she had made Bella do when they'd first met. While Bella was somewhat used to the idea of fortunetelling because of Alice, Mitsis used her talents very differently, and was not so quick to offer advice- at least, not in a way that was ever easy to follow.
Once they were all seated, Sam set up the last chair and leaned against the kitchen counter near where Emily sat, and quickly Bella stood up from the stairs and made her footsteps heard as she descended. All eyes turned to her as she stepped into the room, and she instinctively pulled her robe tighter around her just in case, feeling incredibly self-conscious. But there was no way she could hide the huge bulge just below the sash. She saw that the visitors all eyed it curiously, while most of the boys tried to avoid it with their eyes- Emily was giving her a supportive, yet sympathetic look, and Leah looked like she was trying to avoid noticing Bella in any way. Jacob gave Bella a momentary smile of greeting, but his eyes betrayed the complicated feelings that were obviously swirling through him.
It didn't surprise Bella that Abi was the one who spoke first, standing as she did so. "Bella," she said warmly, her voice high with youth that did not reflect reality- in truth she was over two hundred years old. But she was a small girl, and appeared quite young- perhaps Jacob's age- and as she walked over a sweet smile spread over her face, her expression open and friendly. She put her hand on Bella's stomach for a moment, and then she took Bella's hand and gave it a squeeze before leading her over to the last vacant chair, helping her to sit. "We were just discussing the unique situation you've found yourself in."
"Everyone just arrived, Bella," Emily said. "You haven't missed much."
"Okay," Bella answered uncomfortably. "Um… hey."
There was a murmur of greetings, but it was clear many of them were as uncomfortable as she was. She could only imagine how strange it must have been for them to be sitting in this room with people who shared common ancestors, yet had lifestyles so different from anything the other group knew.
"Abi, will you fill us in, please?" Sam spoke up, shifting everyone's focus thankfully away from Bella and on to the other girl, who seemed much more comfortable with the attention.
"I hope you won't be offended that I've been fully apprised of your situation, Bella," Abi said before going in, "What's happening here is not completely unheard of to us. It has happened three times since our history began. Always Quileute women. Always Quileute babies."
"That's not very often," Jacob spoke up glumly.
"Yeah, but it's better than nothing," Embry offered. He looked to Abi. "Why just us?" he asked.
"Don't address her," Veyo spoke up, his words not exactly hostile but certainly not friendly. "Unless she speaks to you, you can't-"
Abi held up a hand, silencing him. Gently she said, "That's not necessary, Veyo. You forget we are not on our land, and I am not queen here." She turned to Embry with a gentle smile. "Quileutes have a unique history as you all know," she said. "Our own foremothers split from yours long ago, and since that time have our lines have changed. Though we are passionate for our land we are not tied to it in the same way you feel compelled to protect this peninsula. And though we are wary of vampires because we have experienced the death they can bring on a place, we have no compulsion to kill them. You are also larger, and faster, and warmer than we are- all adaptations that give you a unique defense against your natural predators… vampires."
"You say it like we're just a different branch of a regular species," Leah said. "As if we're normal."
"And so you are," Mitsis spoke up, a light smile playing on her lips as though Leah had said something funny.
"The trigger for what's happened to Bella," Abi went on, drawing everyone's attention back to her, "as you've probably all guessed by now, is close contact with a vampire."
"Define 'close,'" Leah said, her voice dripping with something Bella couldn't quite identify, but it made her cringe.
Sam gave her a sharp look before saying, "We know a vampire is responsible for this. What we don't know is the mechanism of that."
"Unlike us," Abi explained, "The wolf sleeps in your blood. You are only a small tribe, and you shift for a specific purpose. We shift for the joy of it, because it's who we are, but for you the transformation is a defense mechanism. When vampires are near, the numbers in your pack increase. And so there was no pack a generation ago, because there were no vampires. But now there are many. And you are many. Rarely, under extreme circumstances, vampires can cause a similar reaction in an unborn child. A survival instinct, if you will."
"And that would account for the acceleration we're seeing?" Sam asked carefully.
"It may," Abi agreed. "As I said, we have seen it, to one extent or another, three times before that. The children of the Quileute are tied to this land even before they are born. The wolf sleeps in all of you. With enough reason, that potential can be called forth." Her eyes lingered on Leah for a moment. "Even in cases which some would see as unusual."
"Okay," Sam said, taking charge of the discussion. "So that's one possibility. I'm sure we all have follow-up questions about that. But…" He trailed off for a moment and exchanged a complicated look with Emily, seeming uncertain how to word what he wanted to say.
"The vampire believes he's the father," Jacob spoke up for him. His words and the way he said them caused Bella to tense momentarily, and her face burned with shame in the crowded room. She knew that the mental link they shared would mean that all her friends would know exactly what she had done- but actually discussing it all in a big group together was beyond humiliating.
Abi and Mitsis exchanged a look, and then Abi said gently, "I am aware of that possibility. Bella… did you have any knowledge of your pregnancy before you and Edward became intimate?"
Like a breeze passing through a field, everyone shifted uncomfortably at her use of such a term for what had happened. Of course, everyone would be on Jacob's side, and see Bella as a disgusting cheat. She knew they were right, but Abi's choice to use neutral words were a relief.
Bella shook her head. "No… I had no idea. I had the flu."
"Very little time has passed since she was with us," Veyo pointed out. He was pretty much the last person Bella wanted to discuss feminine issues with, but his eyes were surprisingly gentle when they turned on her.
"According to the Cullens- the vampires we have a treaty with- if the child is his, it could be dangerous to her," Sam said. "Do you know if that's true?"
"Those are demon children," Veyo answered. "We once sheltered a woman who'd been raped by a vampire. The creature nearly destroyed her from the inside, and at the end it ate through its mother's belly instead of emerging properly. She died that night."
A tense silence fell over everyone assembled. Bella shuddered, wrapping her arms around her belly, hardly able to believe that possibility.
"But the baby isn't hurting her," Jacob pointed out. "Right, Bella?"
"The kicks… they do hurt sometimes," she admitted hesitantly. "But I think I'm just not used to it. I hurt all over, but that could be because my body went from not pregnant to this pregnant so fast. I don't think… my baby isn't trying to hurt me."
"Of course it isn't," Abi said gently. "The child is innocent. But the fate of your life is real."
"But we can't know for sure," Jacob insisted. "And if it's mine…" He left the comment hanging in the air because he knew that everyone was aware of exactly how he felt about that possibility.
"But if it is Edward's baby," Seth spoke up softly, his young voice full of concern. "It'll kill her?"
"So what about a paternity test?" Quil asked, glancing sidelong at Jacob, trying to turn the discussion back to more hopeful things.
Sam nodded. "I'd say that's top priority at the moment. Otherwise we have no plan." He didn't look very happy to say it.
Leah let out a small, humourless laugh. "And what lab should we send it to? That tick's sample won't exactly be your standard swab."
"We don't need him," Jared spoke up. "We can just test to see if Jacob is the father… if not, then we'll assume it's a vamp and deal with it." He cast an apologetic look Bella's way, realizing the severity of his words. She gave him a tight smile to let him know it was fine, even though she didn't feel that way. Abi's words had stuck in her mind. The child is innocent. But the fate of your life is real.
And wasn't the fate of her life in her hands? Didn't this baby deserve to live? She loved it now. It was that simple. No one was going to kill her baby, no matter who fathered it. Maybe it was her hope, but Abi's story seemed to give good reason why this baby was Jacob's and not Edward's at all. How could they kill something that was born of love, from one of the nights they'd spent in the cave together up north, and all the magic of those moments? She couldn't imagine doing something so horrible.
Leah's voice called her back to reality. Under her breath she said, "Just because it's not Jacob's doesn't necessarily mean it's that tick's." Bella stared at her.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Jacob retorted, getting to his feet quickly. All his friends straightened a little, their expressions tensing. The four visitors exchanged glances and Chay, who was incredibly imposing but had remained silent so far, made a move to rise from his seat. But with a single gesture Abi stopped him, and everyone seemed to be holding their breaths.
"Nothing," Leah answered, her voice on edge. She stood up slowly. "I'm just saying-"
"You're just saying what?" Jacob snapped.
"Come on," Seth said, standing quickly and putting a hand out in Jacob's direction. His sweet face pleaded with both of them not to fight.
Instead of answering Jacob, Leah turned her sharp black eyes on Bella. "Every time I shift I have to witness your latest mistreatment of your so-called boyfriend and how much you're hurting him," she snapped. "I have to witness the agony he feels, the terrible pain and suffering, all of this because of you. Because you're so self-centered and so arrogant as to think the world revolves around you. That your actions don't have consequences. That you don't hurt people with every step you take. So forgive me if I'm not trusting that you only cheated once."
"Goddammit Leah, shut up!" Jacob yelled, shoving past Quil's quick attempt at restraint and charging over to her. Even from where she was standing, Bella could see the twitching of Jacob's skin that indicated he was close to losing control. Leah took a step back and Seth moved in front of her, his eyes imploring Jacob to stop. Leah put an arm around Seth's chest and hurried him out of the way, stepping up to meet Jacob. "Apologize," he growled at her.
"I'm not apologizing for the truth, you idiot," she growled back. "How can you be defending her right now?"
"I'm not defending her," he said. "I'm telling you to stay out of my business."
"Your business is my business," she said. "I have to listen to you whining all day about how much she-"
"Leah, that's enough," Sam cut her off, rising to his feet, his voice even deeper than usual, booming through the room in a certain tone that Bella had noticed always halted all arguments. It was this voice that she suspected he'd used all those months ago when he'd ordered Jacob not to tell her his secret.
Leah and Jacob both backed off and everyone else visibly relaxed, though they were still glaring daggers at each other.
"Bella will stay here with Emily and me," Sam said, easing his tone just a little now that he had everyone's undivided attention. He was looking at Bella now. "If your health declines, or there are any other indications that the baby is Edward's, we'll have to consider things you don't want to consider."
A knot formed in her stomach, but she nodded her agreement anyway, even as she silently vowed to the little life inside her that she wouldn't let it be hurt by anyone- not by Edward, not by Sam, not by anyone.
Sam turned to the others. "No more fighting," he said, his eyes lingering on Leah. "I know this is an uncomfortable situation for some of us. But it's not a black and white situation either. We will get a paternity test. Until then, no one fights about this. This is a closed subject."
Leah looked like she wanted to spit at him or worse, but she did nothing, just standing with her fists clenched, not speaking, not moving. Sam seemed upset by her response, as if he'd expected more active resistance and not this passive, angry acceptance, but he let it go. Instead he said, "Let's just all be on our toes. When I'm not here I'm assigning guard duty, just to be safe. We don't know if the Cullens will break the treaty over this, but we can't risk any of them coming near Bella and making everything worse than it already is."
"The treaty may already be broken," Paul spoke up. All the La Push wolves shifted uncomfortably in their seats, but Sam simply nodded.
"What about you?" Bella asked suddenly, and everyone's heads swiveled towards her as though they'd forgotten she was there. But she was looking right at Mitsis. "Can't you just touch my face and see who the father is?" She knew Mitsis' talent was different than Alice's- more powerful, in many ways. Where Alice could see the outcomes of people's intentions, Mitsis could see a person's unbiased future.
"I could…" Mitsis answered with a frown. "Is that what you'd like?"
"I don't want anyone trying to kill my baby," she answered softly. "If it's Jacob's, then it's over. No one has to worry about it hurting me."
The young woman smiled, and then stood. She appeared quite young, perhaps between twenty and twenty-five, but Bella knew that wasn't the case. She didn't know how old Mitsis was, only that she was much older even than Abi. Her presence was something almost indescribable… her skin was the colour of caramel and her hair fell in thick, dark brown waves to the bottom of her waist. She was beautiful, yet almost unapproachable, until she smiled and made everyone feel invited and at home.
Within the serenity of Mitsis' youthful face, her eyes gave the only hint to her true age, or the wisdom her long life had brought her. Bella could only imagine the staggering number of prophetic visions she'd had over the course of that lifetime- including one that Bella knew still haunted Abi to this day. As she looked at the young woman standing in Emily's living room, she remembered when Abi had told her about the prediction Mitsis had delivered to her on the day she inherited she became queen.
"Five days after my mother died, when our mourning time had finished, I went to Mitsis and knelt in front of her. She put her hands on my face and told me how my queenship would end," she explained. "She said, 'You will rule for a long time, and there will be many who will love you. But in the end you will die alone, and your people will be nothing more than dust and memory.'" She let out a shuddering breath, the words obviously still as raw as when she first heard them eighteen months ago. "And so, I now know the ending to my own story… I can't change it. It will happen. Mitsis is never wrong. We are all witnesses to history, Bella… It is a terrible burden to rule in these times, and truly I am doomed."
Despite receiving this sobering prophecy, Abi ruled her people in love and joy, and Bella couldn't help but be a bit awed by her perseverance. And as for the woman who had made the prediction, as well as seeing many other futures she must have wished desperately to avoid, Bella couldn't help but carry a deep respect for her as well.
Now, Mitsis stood in front of the eleven assembled werewolves and turned her attention to Bella. She stepped forward, and placing one palm on each of Bella's cheeks, Mitsis stared into her eyes for a very long moment, and Bella knew she was glimpsing her future unfolding before her. Finally, Mitsis released her face and touched her shoulder gently.
When she turned back to rest of the assembled crowd, she looked a little sad. "I'm sorry," she said, addressing Bella once again. "I cannot help you with this."
"Mitsis," Jacob said, his voice sounding strangely pinched. He raised his warm brown eyes to meet hers; Bella felt a pang as she saw how much pleading there was in his expression. "Please… why can't you?"
"There is a time for knowing things and a time for those things to stay unknown," she answered gently. "Though I always see the world as it is, our Great Mother gives breath to my words, and Her breath is silent now."
That was their religion- their society was matriarchal and the goddess they worshipped reflected that. Bella knew they were all very faithful to their leadership and their deity, and their people's devotion to their queen was exceeded only by their devotion to that goddess- the one they called the Great Mother. But Bella felt as frustrated as Jacob looked as they both watched Mitsis take her seat once more. The rest of the pack also looked uncomfortable and somewhat irritated by her response.
"Then we wait for the test," Sam said finally. "Everyone clear out. Bella needs as little stress as possible right now." He turned his eyes on the visitors. "You're welcome to stay here too, of course."
"Yes," Emily spoke up with a smile, seeming relieved for the change of subject. "Very welcome."
"Thank you," Abi answered graciously. "But there are four of us and we don't want to burden your accommodations."
"Leah and Seth have the most room," Quil piped up helpfully, eliciting a death glare from Leah and a smile of excitement from Seth.
"Yeah, you can stay with us," he said, nudging his sister. "Wouldn't that be so cool, to have a queen in our house?"
She forced a smile. "Yeah, really cool," she answered dryly, but Seth didn't seem to notice her lack of enthusiasm.
"We would, of course, appreciate your hospitality," Abi answered, a small smile playing on her lips as she looked at Seth's animated face.
They left with a very unhappy Leah and a very eager Seth, and Sam assigned Quil and Jared to watch the house before heading out with Embry and Paul for evening patrol. Emily declared that there was important work to do with the food left in the kitchen, leaving Bella somewhat alone with Jacob. When he didn't immediately approach her, her heart sank. Tentatively she rose from her chair with some difficulty- though it was getting easier moving around in her strange new body- and went to where he was sitting.
He took almost a full minute to turn his head toward her. "Sam's right," he said, not quite looking at her even still. "You need to be resting."
"I can't rest every second," she pointed out. "I just had a nap." She bit her lip nervously. "Jacob… can we talk?"
Finally, he met her eyes. They were so full of pain that she wanted to take him into her arms and hold him until she melted it all away. But she knew that was impossible- at least now. "Bella," he said softly, gazing at her belly and not her face. "I want to keep you safe. I hope to God you're carrying my child. But I'm not ready to talk about this." His eyes flickered away from hers, then back to hers again. "I don't know when I will be." Abruptly, he stood and left, closing the front door behind him.
Bella just sat there, feeling completely deflated, forlorn and alone, full of such guilt that she felt she was choking on it.
Emily sat down next to her and put an arm around her shoulders, giving her a squeeze. In her hand she held a plate of muffins. "You've got eight months of overeating to make up for," she said gently, pressing a soft kiss to the side of Bella's head. "Have one, they're good."
That maternal, gentle but firm kind of prodding was exactly what Bella needed right now, and she gave Emily a light smile, taking a muffin and biting into it, no longer surprised by how delicious something from this particular kitchen could taste. But long after Emily's focus had shifted to other things, Bella gazed out the front window and into the woods, hoping for Jacob to come back, take her into his arms, and make everything better again.