The next morning Bella acted as if she were getting ready for any other day at school. Charlie left for work and soon after she headed out for the Cullen's. Jacob had been waiting for her at the truck and insisted on driving. She was still concerned about him being around Edward and the rest of the family but she knew it was useless trying to talk him out of it. To be honest, it felt good knowing he'd be there for support. Seeing Edward again wasn't going to be easy. She wasn't in love with him any longer, but she knew his feelings hadn't changed towards her. She hated knowing that she was hurting him, but her heart was all Jacob's now. She was sitting snuggled against him as he drove. Whenever she was close to him like this, she felt like some missing piece of herself was returned to her, like she was only whole when he was with her. She leaned up and kissed his cheek. He looked down at her, "What was that for?" She brushed his hair with her hand, "I just love you, Jacob." He smiled at her and they drove on.
Alice had been watching for the truck to pull into the driveway. She ran out when they arrived, stopping about 10 feet away with a disgusted look on her face, "Bella, sorry but you definitely don't smell good anymore. In fact, you smell as much like a dog as he does." Bella couldn't help but smile. She could feel Jake tensing and took his hand, "Yeah, nice to see you again too, Alice. You know Jacob Black." Alice looked at him, "Oh, yes, I knew he was coming. I've warned the others. I think it'll be okay." Jacob stepped in front of her, "What do you mean, you THINK it'll be okay? Is there a problem?" Alice was a bit stunned but politely replied, "We don't usually interact with 'people' like you. That's all I meant. But, as Bella's friend, you're welcome here too."
Jacob was fighting hard to control his anger, "I don't usually associate with bloodsuckers myself so I guess it's a new thing for all of us." Alice only nodded and turned to walk with them into the house.
Esme and Carlisle met them at the door. Bella couldn't help herself. She hugged them both. They had always been so kind to her and she had missed them. Jacob stood back but kept a wary eye on all of them. Jasper, Emmett, and Rose were all sitting in the living room. All three of them seemed ready to pounce on Jacob at a moment's notice.
He stood directly behind her and she could feel the heat radiating from him. He was fighting hard to stay in control and they all knew it. Alice finally broke the silence, "Edward is upstairs. He didn't want to barge in and surprise you…or anyone else. Is it okay for him to come down now?" Bella turned to Jacob. He looked at her and nodded. She told Alice to call him, but of course, he was already coming down the stairs.
"Hello, Bella, Jacob," he said. He was walking slowly and keeping his distance. He seemed okay, Bella thought, although he looked as tense and agitated as she knew Jacob was. Carlisle asked them to sit but she felt it was better to stay standing with Jake. "Well, let's get started, then," Carlisle said, "Alice has told us about what happened yesterday and about the killing on the reservation. Did you bring the pouch from your truck?" Bella nodded and pulled it out. She had sealed it inside two plastic bags, being aware of how the scent of human blood would affect the Cullens. Even with that precaution, they all tensed at the sight of it. "We'll wait until you leave to open that and investigate further. Will you just place it on the table please?" Bella did as he asked.
Edward spoke, "Bella, we are going to stop her. I..we..won't let her hurt you." Jacob stepped forward, "You don't have to worry about Bella. I'll take care of her." Edward bristled at Jake's intrusion but continued, "We think we can track her and set up some type of trap, then we can kill her. We may need your help, and Jacob's, of course." She was so grateful that Edward acknowledged Jake, "Let me know how we can help," she told him, "I just want to finally be rid of Victoria." Edward looked pained, "It's my fault that she's been after you all this time. I'm sorry for that and for so many things, Bella. I wish…" He stopped. There was nothing more to be said and they both knew it.
Jacob, however, was not appreciating Edward's apology.
Bella could feel how the anger was building in him. He wasn't going to be able to hold off phasing for much longer. The Cullens were all as aware of it as she was. She decided to get him out of there as quickly as possible, "We'll leave the pouch with you. Alice can call me later and let me know if you find anything." When they got to the truck, Jacob asked her to drive. They were barely off the Cullen's land when he told her to stop. He yelled over his shoulder, "I'll see you later," and was changing before he even reached the tree line. He needed some time, she knew, to run with his pack and burn off the anger and tension built up from the morning. It was still early so she decided to go on to school. She had missed enough time over the past few months. She didn't want to have more work to catch up on in order to graduate.
The day went pretty smoothly. A few people asked where she had been but she claimed she had been suffering from a stomach virus and no one questioned her excuse. It was hard to keep her mind on her work, though. She was on pins and needles all day worrying about Victoria's plans. She knew that the ultimate goal in Victoria's mind was to hurt Edward but in the process, a lot of innocent people like the young Quileute boy could get hurt or killed. She wished that she were stronger in some way, a wolf like Jacob or a vampire like Edward so that she could fight with them. Then, she thought, if she were a vampire, she and Jacob would be mortal enemies and that was unthinkable.
She couldn't imagine her life without Jacob now. How was it possible that she had once longed for Edward to change her into a "cold one"? She was so thankful that he had been strong enough to deny her and to leave her human. She was still warm and full of life and in love with a man who could love her exactly as she was, with no holding back. Without Edward's selfless refusal on so many occasions, she would never have known the way it felt to be encompassed by the warmth of another body, to feel the flame of your lover's touch against your skin. Although it had felt like she would break apart when he left, she was grateful that he had given her the chance to live a human life.
She would have to tell Edward that she understood what he'd done and thank him for his sacrifice one day.
When she arrived at home, Jacob was waiting for her. As soon as they were inside, he couldn't keep his hands off her. She wanted to ask him what he'd found out, but his lips and hands were too distracting. Talking would wait until later. Right now, all she wanted was for him to take her upstairs and he knew it without her even asking. She had told him once that he was like his own sun and now she could feel his heat racing through her blood as they made love and then bursting into fiery sparks as their passion peaked. Heaven couldn't be any better than how she felt when she was with Jacob like this.
A little later, once they had both caught their breath, she asked him whether he'd found anything during the day while he was out with the pack. He looked worried, "She's still around. We catch a scent once in a while but can never follow it for long. She's staying in the tree tops a lot of the time. I honestly think she's doing this to try and string us along. It feels like she's got us chasing our own tails. Maybe it's just to keep us busy so we won't notice what she's really up to. It's so frustrating." He turned and pulled her into his arms, "Bella, I will never let her get near you or Charlie. I promise you that I will keep you safe. I can't live without you." She leaned her forehead against his chest, "I know. I'm not worried about her getting to me, Jacob. I worry that she'll hurt you or someone else in the tribe. She's evil and she won't give up. I can't live without you either so don't take any crazy risks, okay? Promise me." He smiled, holding her tighter, "You don't have to worry about me but since I know you won't let it go until I say it, I promise." She smiled back up at him and kissed him, "Good. Now it's probably not a great idea for us to stay like this until Charlie gets home so I think getting dressed is a priority. Then I can make you a sandwich or how about eggs again?" He cringed, "I'll take the sandwich."
Jacob stayed for a while. He even sat around and talked sports with Charlie over a dinner of take out chicken. It felt like they were a family, joking and having fun. Always, though, in the back of Bella's mind lurked the shadow of Victoria. She hoped that the Cullens had been able to track her but she still had not heard from Alice. Would it ever be over? Would they be able to live a normal life (if being in love with a werewolf could even be considered normal)? She wanted to be able to plan a life with Jacob, not worry about someone taking him away from her.
At about 9 pm, Jacob said his goodbyes to Charlie. As she kissed him at the door, he whispered, "Don't worry. We'll be here watching all night." She nodded, almost in tears. He grabbed her hand just before walking away, "It's going to be okay. I promise," and then he disappeared into the darkness . She knew that Charlie could tell something was wrong but he didn't pry. She told him she was tired and headed off to bed early. It was easier to just hide from him rather than trying to stay in his presence and hide her emotions.
Once she was alone in her room, she called Alice. Her call went straight to voice mail which worried her more than a little bit. Alice knew how worried she was. She should have called by now. She got up and looked out her window toward the woods where she knew Jacob was watching. He stepped out enough so that she could see him. She put her hand against the window as if to touch him but the glass was cold, nothing at all like touching Jacob. She lay down, holding the phone, willing it to ring. She didn't think she'd be able to sleep at all because she was so keyed up from the events of the day but eventually she drifted off. Alice never called.