Christmas Eve
A taxi skidded through the icy winter streets of Port Angeles's main highway, as Jacob Black waited nervously in the back seat, travelling closer towards Forks and the Reservation, and confronting the pack. It would have been quicker and cheaper to run home in his wolf form, but Jacob convinced himself he wanted his return to be a surprise. Still, he couldn't ignore the voice in the back of his head whispering his true motivations, as he couldn't risk anyone figuring out what triggered his return.
Instead, Jacob thought over his journey, particularly his stay in St. Petersburg…
After seeing Bella's transformation Jacob was filled with rage and disgust. His Bella, best friend and true love had just turned into his ultimate rival. And then she had the nerve to tell him she still loved him! That he should come back to Forks! Jacob sprinted away from Xavier's house thinking it over, still in his human form.
That creature wasn't Bella, he shuddered, remembering her icy touch, and she must be eliminated. He began to formulate a revenge plan, situated around Forks to channel his fury. It was then the reality of his situation hit him. He had been tricked into travelling to Russia, and was now stranded; underage and penniless, and fuelled only by a growing hate. He wasn't watching where he was going, but just kept running, as if trying to escape from his troubles. A torturous cry caused him to focus, where he discovered he was at the beach, and off in the distance, a gang of pirates were attacking a small fishing boat.
Seeing such evil, a thought crossed Jacob's mind.
Why did he always have to be so nice?
Jacob Black, werewolf and protector against vampires.
Well he was done. Being kind had brought him nothing but pain, so he decided to try a different tactic. He would join these pirates and sail the seas, back to America, evoking terror wherever he went.
Before he knew it, Jacob was swimming across the ocean, adrenalin pumping through his body.
In no time at all he was climbing up the side of the fishing boat, where the pirates were now surrounding their victims. Jacob jumped onto the deck, as silently as he could and, using his height, he peered over the gang seeing, what appeared to be, a group of men on their knees, begging for their lives.
Jacob cleared his throat, to attract their attention.
"Um…I'd like to join, your, uh… gang of pirates?" he mumbled, heading towards the group, all of them staring in disbelief.
Looking down, he saw the victims, only they weren't kneeling but standing; it appeared they were all dwarves. Or leprechauns.
Looking at the sight, Jacob began to laugh in shock, as the entire group stood staring at him.
He was interrupted, however, by a large blow to the head from behind him.
"Oh man!" Even though he healed incredibly fast, it still hurt in the moment; the force would have knocked any mortal out.
He was so mad at the pirate, and Bella, and the pack, and the world in general that revenge overflowed him and so he went for the closest source. He returned the gesture, instantly knocking out the man who had hit him. He was then attacked, by several men at once, but they were no match for his strength or force, even with their weapons, and it wasn't long before all of them lay unconscious, scattered across the deck.
The dwarves stood huddled together, not sure who to be more scared of.
Jacob didn't know how long they stood standing there, him still seething, with his arms in a defence position and the dwarves paralysed in fear.
It was getting darker though, and soon enough Jake collapsed onto the floor exhausted, depressed and crying. He was vaguely aware of some scuffling around him and several shadows circling him, but Jacob didn't care. He just wanted to sleep.
He had woken up stiff and sore, in a bed far too small, crushing his hopes it had all been a dream. Walking out into the bright sunlit deck, Jacob saw 7 little bodies scurrying around, setting up fishing nets, tying knots, steering the boat, but they all froze when seeing him.
"Uh. Hi?" Jacob questioned and was at once bombarded with questions and thanks all talking over each other. One of them gave a loud whistle and they all quieted.
"Thankyou for rescuing us from the clutches of those evil pirates. If there is anything we can ever do for you, we would gladly repay the favour. I am Jehu, and these are my brothers. We are on our way to America, in search of a sacred treasure our fore-fathers have left us. Who are you?"
"Jacob, Jacob Black"
"Jacob Black" they all repeated with awe.
"Uh, well, if you're going to America, I might as well come along. I have… business to attend there." Jacob answered, thinking if he had finally lost his mind, he may as well make the most of it.
They all cheered and it was settled as they started their way across the sea.
Jacob Black with the Seven Dwarves…
Looking back now, he still couldn't believe it, but here he was, 2 weeks later, now arriving at La Push.
In Forks, Angela and Ben sat together in their new home, on a large, comfy sofa in front of a small TV. Angela had forced Ben to watch 'The Phantom of the Opera', a film she had watched many times but Ben hadn't even heard of.
They had eaten Chinese takeaway, and Angela had spent half an hour on the phone speaking to her parents and brothers. Angela just finished her conversation, placing the phone next to her plate on the table.
Ben had tried to put Angela's betrayal to the back of his mind, but unsuccessfully. He swallowed his apprehension and bravely addressed her.
"Angela?" Angela, chewing on some chicken, turned to him with a look of surprise. Something in his tone made her worried.
"Yes Ben?"
Ben paused for a moment. The tension in the air seemed tangible, "This afternoon, with Jasper… I thought I heard … I mean I did hear…" he cut off, his pale face gone red, "are you with Jasper?"
Angela froze, her purple eyes widening in confusion
"With Jasper…? What on earth do you mean?"
Ben sighed deeply, "I mean if the answer is yes I won't mind. I mean offcourse I will mind. But I support whatever decision you make, because I love you, Ange-"
"What do you mean, with Jasper?" Angela interrupted again.
"Do you love Jasper?"
…
There was a long, tedious moment of silence that seemed to go on for an age. Suddenly, Angela laughed. She laughed so hard that tears sprung to her eyes.
"What's so funny?" he asked with a frown.
"You are! Of course I don't love Jasper! The only person I could ever love is you!" She threw her arms around him. Ben felt like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders.
Soon enough, Angela had turned The Phantom of the Opera on and they listened to the incredible opening song.
As soon as the shock of Ben's question and suspicions wore off, Angela began to concentrate on the movie. The Phantom, alone and hurt at Christine's betrayal, was knelt over a rose on the snow.
"I gave you my music…made your song take wing…and now, how you've repaid me…denied me and betrayed me… You will curse the day you did not do, all that the Phantom asked of you!" Angela felt tears in her eyes, and fear in her heart.
The Phantom reminded her of someone else, lost and alone on that stormy Christmas Eve.
Xavier Ivanov.
"Which way from here" the taxi driver grunted at him.
Jacob looked out the window to see the small houses and trees that lined the streets of La Push.
"Uh… take the next left up the hill" Jacob spluttered, heading towards his father's house. As they pulled up into the driveway, Jacob paid the driver and walked up the path, gently knocking on the door before turning the handle and walking inside.
Billy Black sat in the living room alone watching TV, and fumbling with the remote.
"Dad!" Jacob choked out, his voice filled with tears.
"Jacob?" Billy questioned, rolling around and seeing his son, instantly dropping the remote, tears forming.
"About time, about time…" he repeated, as Jacob felt his spirits rise for the first time in a long while.
"What took you so long? Where have you been?" Billy heaved, still in a state of disbelief.
"The pack hasn't heard from you in weeks!"
"That doesn't matter anymore, I'm back now. And as long as all goes well, I'm here to stay." Jacob reassured, embracing his dad.
"As long as I have my revenge" he finished in his head, eyes flashing with vengeance.
Jacob talked to Sam and urged him to hold a tribal meeting at La Push Beach that night, even though it was Christmas Eve. The night air was still and cool, and an eerie fog seemed to creep out from the ocean.
Jacob stood before the rest of the pack, who had all grudgingly turned up, curious to see their fellow wolf again, and interested to hear what he had to say.
Emotions had been boiling up inside Jacob for weeks; sadness, anger, frustration… but most of all, hate.
"Everyone," started Jacob, in his loud, booming voice of authority that somehow lacked the warmth of what it had before he left, "for centuries, our tribe and the Cullens have waged a cold war, and I think it is time we brought in some heat"
A loud murmur spread through the pack.
"I have finally returned after a long journey, and I have come back to you with a whole new perspective. A new way of looking at the vampires, which for three years I have put up with."
Paul and Sam exchanged shocked glances.
"Bella has turned into one of them" he stated bluntly, all emotion gone from his voice. The wolves were silent.
"I have come back to you with not only this information, but also that a werewolf/vampire hybrid named Xavier Ivanov, has imprinted on Bella's best friend, Angela Weber…" he told the whole story to the unsuspecting werewolves, who were furious. Paul shook in anger, and Sam's eyes narrowed with hate. Emily put her hand on Sam's arm.
"What do you propose we do about it?" asked Embry with a frown.
Jacob answered, "The only thing we can do. We kidnap Angela and hand her over."
"To who?" the question hung in the air.
"Some people who want to get their hands on Xavier. An elite group of vampires in charge; The Volturi"
Paul erupted into his wolf form, and sped off into the distance, howling ferociously.
"But why Jacob? It isn't worth it!" exclaimed Seth from behind Sam.
"It is worth it, I assure you. If Angela isn't handed over we'll have both Xavier and The Volturi on our backs, which is much worse. We need to show some backbone, do what we must do."
The meeting concluded not long after.
The verdict decided. The wolf pack would give Angela to the Volturi, if necessary, and a main priority established; find out how such a creature could be created.
After the meeting, Jacob stood in front of the ocean, looking into the horizon.
Sam put a hand on his shoulder.
"What do we do about the Cullens?" he asked, already knowing the answer; Jacob's burning eyes spoke the truth.
"I need to kill Bella"
"Here, I'll get this" Ben said as he took their plates back to the kitchen, leaving Angela to her thoughts; she often wondered what she would ever do or say if she ever saw Xavier again. Even after what he had put her through, she didn't blame him at all, and some small part inside of her wondered what would have happened if there was no Ben, and she hated herself for thinking so.
In the kitchen, Ben washed and dried the plates, contemplating what he should do about Angela. She had been acting very strange around him recently, and if she really wasn't having an affair, Ben wondered what else it could be.
The storm raged on, more ferocious than before, and Ben looked out the window, to examine the damage.
At that moment, a streak of lightning lit up the sky, illuminating what Ben thought was Xavier, soaked through from the rain.
Ben shook it off as his imagination, but headed back to Angela to make sure all was well.
"Angela?" Ben yelled, hurrying back to the living room, where she remained, safe on the couch.
"What's up Ben?" Angela asked, switching off the movie, as she was worried by his tone.
"I was just making sure you're still here, but Angela, can we talk. You've just seemed kind of… distant lately." Ben said, choosing to confront her openly to avoid another misunderstanding.
"Actually Ben, it's about Xav-" But Ben never heard the answer as a loud thump from the roof cut her off.
"What was that?" Angela said, frightened.
"It's probably just the storm."
But again there was another thud, and Angela and Ben jumped up and stood huddled together in the centre of the room.
The noise echoed at an even beat throughout the room until suddenly, it stopped, leaving the couple frozen in their fear.
The silence continued until they heard a rustling noise behind them.
Ben and Angela both turned around in time to see a figure gracefully drop down the fireplace and onto the floor.
"Ho, Ho, Ho! I want you for Christmas!" Xavier yelled pointing at Angela.
Ben didn't take long to react.
"If you want Angela, you'll have to kill me first." He yelled, picking up a fire poker threateningly and quickly kissing Angela on the lips.
"I just might." Xavier shouted before grabbing his knife and attacking Ben, holding it to his throat.
"Ben!" Angela cried, terror filling her voice.
"Let him go! Please! Why can't you just leave us alone?"
"Angela! I love you, don't you understand?" Xavier questioned zealously.
"Ever since I first saw you, I can't sleep, or feed, or feel, all I can think about is you. We are meant to be together, can't you see that?"
Angela stood in a state of shocked horror.
"And watch while you kill more innocent people?"
"I'm not like that anymore" Xavier swore.
"Nobody else has to die if you come with me. We can have an eternity together."
Ben struggled against the knifepoint.
"Don't… do it … Angela" he choked out, seeing Angela's contemplation.
"I can't. I love Ben, he's 1000 times kinder, and funnier, and smarter, and… he's the best fiancé anyone could wish for." Angela was crying now.
"And you'll never change. You don't love me, you just think you do." Xavier stood, shocked and hurt.
"How can you even say that, Angela? I would do anything for you."
"Then prove it to me now, and let Ben go." Angela reached up and touched Xavier's cheek.
As Ben fought against the knife, it lightly scratched Ben's throat, and a single drop of blood escaped his neck, and to Xavier, the scent was almost too much to endure.
He flung Ben into Angela's arms, both of them crying in shock and relief, as Xavier flinched back, finding it hard to concentrate, through the tormenting scent and the hatred he felt at Ben for ruining everything.
"I've finally learnt to love someone, and you have taken that away from me. You think I can just get over you? Find someone else?" Xavier was whispering angrily at Angela, afraid to breathe again, for fear of destroying what little affection Angela might still have for him by devouring her 'boyfriend'.
"I know I can't have you in this life, not with Ben Cheney here. But I will not, can not live without you. I will love you always, Angela."
With that Xavier transformed into his wolf form and bounded out the front door and down the street, tears blending with the rain and soaking him almost instantly. Angela stared at the open door, and heard a wolf howl in the distance. It was the loneliest sound she had ever heard.