A/N: I own nothing! Beta'd by the wonderful August Shaffer. Pre-read by feebes86 and Mist. Many thanks, ladies! Thanks to all for the reviews, favs and follows. They are like candy!
Chapter 2 - The Calm Before The Storm
'I'm looking to the sky to save me
Looking for a sign of life
Looking for something to help me burn out bright
I'm looking for a complication
Looking cause I'm tired of trying
Make my way back home when I learn to fly (high)'
Learn to Fly - Foo Fighters
BPOV
I leaned forward in my seat to grab my backpack. Searching for what seemed a far too significant portion of my short life, I smiled, victorious, as my hand emerged with my salvation. My Advil.
The plane had just leveled off, and I was sitting, semi-uncomfortably, at thirty-thousand feet above the earth, Phoenix was now a bad memory. Semi-uncomfortable only in that I had been blessed by airplane Gods with a window seat. So instead of being sandwiched between Seinfield's Newman and a NBA hopeful, I was plastered against the hull of the plane, watching in the reflections of the window as beside me Bob, aka Newman, stared lasciviously at me. He had chatted me up relentlessly during the taxiing before takeoff until I couldn't take anymore and feigned flight nerves and put my buds in and cranked some metal. I ignored when he ogled my chest, because hey I had a good one, but when his socked foot started grazing my calf I began planning his long, tortuous death. I gave him a death glare and he wisely backed off, but stupidly forgetting the enraged lioness beside him. He could build up my ire if he liked, I needed to sharpen my claws anyway before I landed.
But nonetheless I was in an uncharacteristically good mood, even with Sir-Sweats-A-Lot and the toddler wailing in the seat in front of me. After throwing three pills in my mouth and washing it down with some water, I started to plan.
I had about two and half months before school started. The idea of being trapped in a house, even if Renee-free, for that long was too much. No, I would have to get a job. Maybe even a hobby, or at least new venues to perform current hobbies.
I'm sure Charlie, my father, wouldn't like the idea of that. But, I needed wheels, and wheels needed gas, and getting gas needed money. And I loathed the idea of taking a cent from him. Thus, necessitating the job.
I was a great cook but doubted there were many cooking jobs around Forks, and I couldn't waitress as I wouldn't make a damn dime when I broke all the dishes. I sighed, my fate would land upon a job in retail more than likely. And it wasn't the work that annoyed me, it was the people. One person, alone, could be okay, as long as they were not overly obnoxious or ignorant. However, when more than one person congregated together, their IQ points and my patience started disappearing quicker than an ice cube in the Phoenix sun. It should be okay as long as I could avoid clothing stores as I knew nothing about fashion and didn't have the inclination to pretend I did to earn some money. Perhaps, the library or a book store was hiring and ...
"Would you like a drink?" the stewardess asked, interrupting my train of thought. I waited patiently as she retrieved my answered choice, but when she handed the drink to me, my moment for revenge had come. A fortuitous moment of turbulence happened allowing me to intentionally, but believably, fumble with my drink and then throwing my elbow back and up in an effort to prevent spilling it, but only succeeding in hitting the asshole square, and hard, in the nose. And as my prevention efforts were only for show, the drink landed unceremoniously in the Creeper's lap. I did a mental fist pump. I kick ass!
He bolted up as far upright as the next row's seat and his beer gut would allow and started cursing lowly under his breath after a few louder slip-ups earned him the indignant glares of several neighboring parents.
"Oh, I'm such a klutz," although my words and tone were apologetic, my eyes were anything but. Attempting to taunt the creepy fuck to go too far and say something that would really provoke my wrath.
My eyes were pulled away from him by the clearing of a throat.
The attendant's eyes danced in mirth, her knowing damn well the spill was no accident. After giving Bob a few more napkins to clean himself with, she handed me a cup of ice and a full, chilled can of Dr. Pepper instead of the teeny, tiny cup that was usually given. I mouthed a thank you to her and she nodded her head in acknowledgment, moving down the aisle to water the remaining herd. Bob chose to ignore me like the plague after that, his eyes still shining with unshed tears from my elbow's introduction to his nose.
I had definitely inherited my temper from Charlie's side of the family, particularly my grandmother Helen. Gran was a real piece of work who gave as good as she got, often called Hellion by her friends. She didn't take any shit from anyone, but she would do anything for her family and friends.
One of my favorite memories of her was actually her last Christmas and we were having a big dinner at her house. Our cousins the Atearas and Blacks were there. Billy Black had lost his wife, Old Quil Ateara's daughter, only a few months prior and Gran couldn't bear them not having a decent meal, as Billy's daughters couldn't boil water and Billy was only marginally better in the kitchen than Charlie. Anyway, I was helping Gran get things ready, as I had pretty much done since I had gotten off the plane. I walked into the pantry for something and when I returned she was ripping into Old Quil something fierce. He had apparently snuck in and cut into one of her pumpkin pies because, as he said, the veggie tray she had laid out for the rest in the living room 'just wasn't cutting it'. Ignoring her ranting completely, he made to get another slice, but was rewarded with a wallop to the top of the head with the wooden spoon she was holding. He tried again so she picked up a large chopping knife and started wielding it like Excalibur, threatening to cut his braids off if he didn't get the hell out of her damn kitchen. She chased him out of the room, turned around, and winked at me as she passed to continue on as if there was no interruption.
Gran and Old Quil always bickered and teased but you could tell they thought the world of each other. Gran had been best friend's with Molly Swan, Quil's wife, who later introduced her to Papa Swan, Molly's first cousin. The four were as thick as thieves and when Gran and Old Quil lost their spouses only a few months apart, they found comfort in each other and their families.
Looking out the window again, I rubbed my chest. I missed her so much it hurt. It had been five years, and even now the grief felt raw.
Leaning back, enjoying my fizzy prize, I lifted my eyes to meet a pair of wide, grey eyes staring back at me. The little boy giggled when I winked at him, his laughing eyes still moist from his recent crying. He looked to be not quite two years old, with adorably round cheeks and brown, curling locks. He appeared to have been pulled from his tantrum from my neighbor's one, and in the interest of my headache, and the collective sanity of the plane, I decided try to keep the little monster entertained. I made faces at the boy and played peek-a-boo, silently laughing as his peals of delight would startle the pervert beside me and several others awake. After giving my chocolate brownie, with extreme willpower, to the little tyke in an effort to maintain tranquility when he demanded another from his ragged looking mother, I continued to try to figure out what I was going to do when I got to Forks.
An hour later, we were finally making our descent into Seattle. Looking out the window was an exercise in futility, as I couldn't see jack shit except endless grey clouds and water beads sliding down the window. One thing I was going to have to get used to was the rain. I didn't see this being an issue, kind of fitting in its own way really.
Later, I remained seated as the plane emptied, as I had plenty of time to kill. Dreading the ride home with Charlie with the intensity of thousands suns, I had decided to fly into Port Angeles instead of him picking me up at Sea-Tac. Finding the additional time in layover and transfer time to Boeing Field to be the lesser of two evils compared to being trapped an extra two hours with my estranged father in an enclosed space. My remaining journey was uneventful and as I exited the plane in Port A, I realized just how tired I was and how much I was not up for the inevitable battle to come.
After collecting my baggage, I dragged myself to where I could see my father waiting. Fuck my life.
~ B of L ~
Meanwhile, back in La Push:
Jacob Black shook out the water than remained in his hair after his phase from wolf to human. After pulling on his cutoffs, he moved from the shadow of the tree line toward his home. He frowned as he got closer, he couldn't hear any sounds from the little red house save for his father's heartbeat. Something must have been wrong. The Mariners were playing the Athletics, and his dad never missed an opportunity to cheer against the Athletics. Hell, he'd cheer for the Yankee's before he would the A's. Picking up his pace, he entered the house to find his father sitting thoughtfully in the living room, several empty cans of beer in front of him.
"What's wrong?"
"Sit down son. We need to discuss some things." Jake's eyebrow lifted in question but he obeyed, although he did grab a Dr. Pepper from the fridge first. After he was comfortably sitting on the couch across from his father, his dad continued.
"Charlie was here earlier to pick up the truck. He wanted me to thank you for your help," his father said, looking at the can of beer in his hand. Jake did a mental hand pump. Finally, he could concentrate on the Rabbit. He couldn't wait to tell Quil and Embry, his best friends.
"Okaayyyy," Jake drawled. None of what his father was saying was explaining the worried expression on his face. His father sighed and looked up, his sad eyes boring in to Jacob's, trying to convey the weight on his tired mind.
"We had an argument. About Bella. I tried to get him to send her to school here, but he ... didn't appreciate my concern."
"What did he say?" Jake asked in reply. Figured he'd have to run patrols when drama erupted at home. He always missed the good stuff.
"He ranted on about the wonders that are the Cullen's and basically called me a prejudice old fool."
Jake's mouth dropped open. "He what!" he exclaimed as he stood up abruptly, slight tremors shimmering across his skin. He clamped his mouth shut and fisted his hands closed, not wanting to be grounded a month for phasing in the house again. Those fucking leeches, he thought. They had the entire town fooled, but now they had the Chief of Police turning to the dark side as well.
"I don't know what is going on Jake, but I can feel it. I've been having nightmares ..." Billy paused as he saw his son cringe and look away. "They are about Bella. She's upset and screaming. I never see what is after her but ... I always feel cold after I wake up." Jake didn't need his father to finish the thought. He knew all about the things that go bump in the night. Hell, he was one of them.
His dad went on, "I spoke with Old Quil after I found out she was coming back but he said we couldn't tell them anything. We have to keep the secret except for those destined to be in the know." He chuckled, "I was mad at the old coot for ignoring my concerns but I think he was just waiting. You see, your Grandmother Molly was a Swan. Her blood runs in the tribe, and now, it runs in the Spirit Wolves with you and Young Quil phasing. There is a possibility that one of the other wolves could imprint on Bella."
Jake did not like imprinting. The idea of your choices being taken away irked him to no end. He prayed to the Spirits that he would be immune, as he wanted no part in it. Look at the the drama it caused with Sam, Emily, and Leah. Yeah, he'd definitely pass. But he could see that Bella being imprinted on would solve a lot of his dad's concerns. How would she take being bound to Collin, Brady, Seth, Embry or *shudder* Paul? "And if they don't?" he asked his father.
"Well, we can still look out for her. We are bound to protect humans - those who know and those that don't. And we've got all summer before school starts to make her comfortable here. Although there is a chance she could run into them during the next couple months, it's small." Jake nodded at his father's words. The Cullens kept a low profile during the summer, what with the sunshine and heavy hiker traffic in the forest. He didn't know what they did, nor did he give a flying fuck, but it was a rare event to see anyone but the doctor during that time.
"What do you want me to do?" he asked his father.
"Keep watch. Be her friend and introduce her to the others. Give her a reason to come here," his dad replied. "Charlie is bringing her home from the airport tonight. Maybe you can stop by tomorrow?"
Jake just nodded his head in assent. He could do that. He hadn't seen Bella in four years. They used to keep in touch with the occasional phone call, but it just stopped. It was like she fell off the face of the earth. She wouldn't come home during the summer or even Christmas. He didn't even know if Charlie was in contact with her, he very rarely mentioned her.
Jake ran his hands down his face. He was tired and just wanted to sleep. While showering before crashing onto his mattress, he decided that he would go there first thing in the morning. He'd just have to wing it from there.
He was asleep within seconds of his head hitting the pillow.
A/N Thanks for reading!
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