25. Fate

Bella's POV

It's funny the places your mind can go when it should really be focusing on something else. That 'else' being chased through the woods by an angry pack of werewolves intent on pulling you to pieces with their razor-sharp teeth and claws. I should have been thinking about how to best win this fight and avoid being ripped apart. I should have been considering how to get Edward and my family out of this alive. Especially since it was my request that had brought us back to Forks and placed us in harm's way. But I wasn't thinking about these things. Instead, of all the possible mostly irrelevant topics, my mind was focused on the philosophy of fate.

Here is how I saw it.

Sometimes fate becomes more than just some theory or excuse that people use to try and explain away things about their lives that can't be understood and don't seem to be changeable. Sometimes fate is a real, tangible fact of existence- a force that makes itself known suddenly, completely and irrevocably changing the course of an individual's life. I'm proof of that.

Unfortunately, fate isn't all about finding the love of your life or finding your place in the world or discovering your calling. Fate is too wild and unpredictable to be contained in that way. When it happens to you, there is no way to know what may happen, except to know that it is out of your control, and that the sort of changes pushed into motion by fate will touch every bit of you. The way you see the world and experience life, who you interact with, who you fall in love with, become friends with, form a family with- even death- it all changes from the moment the cosmos interfere.

All that's left to do once the universe interrupts your carefully laid plans is to go with it, see what happens, and make the best of it. Personally, I wouldn't have changed a single thing about my destiny- even if the powers that be decided I was to die racing through these woods, chased by him, with his cruelness radiating out of black eyes and unworldly beauty. Even if I was ultimately torn to pieces because of it, fate had never done anything more admirable than to give me love, and I was ok with whatever repercussions that may be required.

That, however, did not mean I couldn't try to avoid what seemed to be inevitable. If anything, my previous encounter with fate had shown that change could take place on a whim.

So maybe my thoughts weren't so fruitless after all. It was this thought that convinced me to follow a moment of intuition and stop dead in my tracks. As I whirled around, I heard the rest of my family working to lead the other members of the pack away, delving further into the forest as they tried to outrun them. I could have done the same, continued to lead them away. Instead, I stared down the russet-colored beast that chased me.

I don't know what caused the horse-sized wolf to pause. Maybe it was surprise or my non-threatening stance. But there was something that caused an unrecognizable softness to supersede the ruthless ferocity in his eyes. We stood staring at each other for a long, panic-filled moment. I have no way to know what he was thinking, but I knew I was waiting for him to spring forward and rip my head from my shoulders before I could think of anything I could say that might bring my redemption. The shaggy creature never did, instead cocking his head to the side, intently staring at me in consideration. With a very human shake of his head, the beast let out something that sounded like a sigh.

With that, I heard the sounds of howls and pursuit skid to a stop deeper in the forest. My brow knitted in confusion and disbelief as the wolf turned and disappeared behind several bushes growing closely together. Rustling noises came from behind the shaking leaves for several seconds, and tension built in my chest. What was happening?

Then the rustling stopped, and out walked a boy. His skin was the same russet tone as the wolf's fur had been, and his eyes carried the same weary and troubled expression in their inky depths. His movements were stiff and cautious, but it dawned on me that the main characteristic of his expression was recognition.

"Bella," he stated simply, without question.

I gulped, unsure of what I was expected to say. I studied the boy's face, gathering my own thoughts. I traced the plains of his cheekbones and nose with my gaze, noting the dark circles of exhaustion under his eyes. I saw how his body was both tensed and relaxed at the same time- muscles clenched but arms hanging idly by his side. He was a bit further away than would be normal between two people. Then again, we were vampire and werewolf, mortal enemies.

Except that through my murky human memories, I remembered a boy that I used to play with as a kid, when I came to visit Charlie in the summer. Then I remembered a much more recent evening, listening to a confrontation as it filtered up from the living room to where I sat in Carlisle's study. And then I had a name for the face that held a vague familiarity.

"Jacob," I answered, with the same measured conviction. His head lowered in an almost imperceptible nod, and more softness crept into his eyes.

"You're a vampire Bells."

I shut my eyes for the briefest of seconds, remembering the familiar nickname. It seemed like it belonged to someone else, someone who had existed a lifetime ago. Yet, at the same time, it fit perfectly.

I smirked at his obvious statement. "And you're a werewolf."

For the briefest of moments, I saw the corners of his lips attempt to pull up into an easy grin before slipping back into a firm line.

"I should kill you, just so you know." My stomach clenched in awareness that being pulled to pieces wasn't entirely out of the realm of possibilities. This could just be a minor interlude, a moment of discussion before I ceased to be.

"Why haven't you?" I asked, pretending to be courageous. The vibrato was blatantly false, even to me.

Jacob looked away, turning to the side for a moment. He let out a shaky breath before answering.

"I- I…I don't know. I was going to- but then you turned around. Why aren't you fighting?"

I shrugged. "I don't want to. I don't want to hurt anyone." I bit my lip. That was mostly true. I had turned around out of instinct- and not the vampire kind. This instinct was like the human piece of me had been speaking; telling me that maybe I could just give myself up and it would all go away. But I didn't think I could explain that out loud, and I really didn't want to hurt Jacob. Not now- not when I saw that he was just a person too. A person that I happened to have known in my human life, even if I only had the fuzziest recollection of him.

He swore under his breath, looking back up with all of his defenses down. "You sure know how to talk someone down Bella."

I just stared blankly at him. Was he not going to hurt me? He was supposed to be tearing me to bits right now. He swore again.

"I can't do it with you being all…Bella on me. I expected someone much less human. But Charlie is Billy's best friend and I just can't," he rambled, more talking to himself than to me. I stayed still, not wanting to do anything to catch him off guard.

"What about the others?" I asked, panic rising in my chest. What had happened while I had been standing here? Why had the noises stopped? Had the rest of the pack already gotten everyone else? Was my family gone? Was Edward gone? The thought ripped at my insides, threatening to tear a hole in my chest.

Jacob sighed. "I already told them to wait- to hold their fire, if you will. They're all on their way back."

Relief washed over me, and the tearing feeling ceased.

"Wait? How?"

He smirked. "Pack mind- they can all hear my thoughts when we're in wolf form. And I'm the alpha, so they have to listen to me."

"Oh," I said softly, as if that made perfect sense and wasn't at all strange.

"But that doesn't mean this is over," he continued, a hint of menace returning to his voice. "We're all going to have a nice little chat."

I nodded. It could have been worse- at least now we were using words instead of violence.

At that moment Edward and Carlisle broke through the trees into the small opening I stood in with Jacob. Behind them followed at least eight other russet skinned boys, surrounding Esme, Alice, Rosalie, Emmett and Jasper. They all looked like Jacob, with shorn hair and taut muscles. They were nearly identical, except several of them looked incredibly young, one of them hardly older than thirteen. There was also one girl, and her eyes were hard as stone, set in her seething but beautiful face.

Suddenly, the space felt claustrophobic and filled with a tension that hadn't been there when it was just Jacob and me. All of the Quileutes looked warily at Jacob, questioning looks on their faces. Edward's jaw was clenched, but he appeared calm and I recognized the look on his face that told me he was listening to the thoughts around him. The rest of family looked around calculatingly, seeming to be considering the situation. Carlisle, on the other hand, calmly connected his eyes with Jacob's.

"Thank you for giving us a chance to explain Jacob," he said, voice as serene as ever.

Jacob's face drew together, obviously in distaste. "Only for Bella. And this doesn't mean everything is ok."

"Of course," Carlisle conceded. "But you didn't have to do this- you would have been well within the treaty guidelines had you attacked without speaking with us first."

Several of the Quileutes mumbled quietly at his words. "Damn straight." The girl's voice stood out above the others, while the youngest boy fidgeted uncomfortably.

Carlisle's voice cut through the murmurs. "Jacob, would you mind taking this back to our house? I can promise you there will be no violence. The pack, of course, could wait outside should we violate my word."

Jacob's eyes narrowed, flicking to me and then each of my family members. He looked uneasily at his pack, his eyes settling on the largest and seemingly oldest in the crowd. Only Jacob looked bigger than him, though he was certainly younger. He gave the slightest nod, but Jacob still looked contemplative.

"I bring one other with me. The rest of you wait outside- I only want to speak with you and Bella."

"No." I said softly, but forcefully. All eyes turned to me, piercing and curious.

I couldn't let Edward be outside, potentially in danger with all of the wolves. Jacob raised an eyebrow at me.

Carlisle spoke, reason coating his words. "Bella, I don't really think we're in a position to bargain right now."

I gave a frustrated sigh. "I won't talk without Edward," I said, defiant.

Jacob glanced quickly between the three of us, particularly focusing on Edward and me.

He shook his head. "Fine," he offered grudgingly. "I expect to meet you all there in ten minutes. If you don't, any chances of compromise are off and we will find you."

His voice was threatening, and I didn't doubt his words for a second. His tone was repossessed by the ferociousness and ruthlessness that I had seen in his eyes earlier. Edward eagerly came to my side and we all ran at breakneck speed for the house.

We stopped when we pulled up to the front steps.

"Would someone mind explaining what happened back there?" Rosalie asked before anyone else had a chance to do anything other than halt their footsteps. Everyone rounded on me, curiosity on their expressions, but it was Edward who spoke.

"From what I could see in their minds, one moment they were all ready to attack, and then Jacob gave them an order to stop. I have no idea why- I wasn't paying attention to what was going on before that. I was too busy trying to fight off the one that was trailing me so I could get back to Bella."

"Looks like little sis didn't need any help on that front," Emmett offered teasingly, but with a worried and confused look on his face. I saw the way his arm was gripped tightly around Rosalie, and spotted his fear in the action.

All eyes returned to me, Jasper's particularly interested. I remembered the story of his past in the newborn armies of the South, and I knew he was trying to figure out how someone with no experience had gotten a werewolf to back down. He and Alice clung together as tightly as Rosalie and Emmett.

"Bella, love," Edward breathed into my hair, and I noticed his posture was no different. "What happened?"

I took a deep breath, wondering how I could possibly explain something I didn't understand.

"He- Jacob- was chasing me- I was sure we were all without hope. I didn't think I could do anything but give myself up- I figured I was the reason they wanted us, and maybe I could make it stop. So I turned around and stopped running."

"Bella," Edward chastised, his tone scandalized. "You are not the reason they attacked. I broke the treaty."

I shrugged. He may be right, but I didn't want to argue right now. There wasn't time.

"Well, I brought us back here. But that's beside the point. I turned around, expecting him to attack. But he paused too- and then he went into the bushes and morphed back into his human form." I left out the part about his change in expression, thinking that was too difficult to meaningfully recount.

"Why?" Esme asked, begging the question everyone else wanted the answer to. She was concerned, but I could see the hope building in her eyes as I tried to explain the inexplicable.

"I asked him and he said it was because I didn't fight back. He said I was more human than he expected- he mentioned Charlie."

My voice quieted at the end, thinking about Charlie. I began to wonder if all of this would be in vain. Would I break his heart all over again?

Carlisle's voice broke my reverie. "Is that everything?"

I nodded. "Hmmm…well, maybe we'll be able to talk this out. He obviously has some kind of soft spot for you Bella- we'll figure this out," he promised, smiling. His eyes were still tight, but I saw the same hope that was settled in Esme's features.

"Either way, it doesn't matter. We can take down these mutts if we have to," Emmett proclaimed chest puffing up. I looked at him hopelessly, wondering if we really could. Hadn't we almost lost just minutes before? Only the looks of fierce determination on my family member's faces checked my doubt- if we didn't make it, we were going to put up a fair fight. The thought was disturbing, and I gripped Edward a little tighter.

He patted my shoulder with his hand. "Shh…it will all be okay Bella," he promise, but I didn't miss the way his hold tightened as well.

I settled my head into his chest, cherishing every second, considering our uncertain future. Jacob cut through the tree line then, followed by the larger, older dark-skinned man I had noticed him look to earlier.

"Who is that?" I whispered into Edward's ear.

"Sam Uley. He was the alpha before Jacob. Jacob only took his place after you went missing and then we left town. He was suspicious and his determination to figure out what happened to you forced him to take the role he deserved by birthright. He keeps thinking about Charlie and playing with you as a kid."

I nodded. The last part wasn't that surprising, given what we had talked about just a bit before, but the part about why he was the alpha was. I didn't completely understand all of it- just that it meant that he was in charge and Sam Uley seemed to be his right-hand man. It was already apparent he respected him.

They stopped at the base of the stairs.

Carlisle opened the door, allowing them inside. They stepped through the door cautiously, and Edward and I followed with a last glance back at the rest of our family and to the woods where we knew the rest of the pack sat. It was an uneasy feeling to close the door behind us.

"Please, let us talk in here." Carlisle gestured to the dining room and we filed in. Carlisle swiftly pulled the drop cloth away, revealing the furniture that had sat unused for a year. Dust filtered through the air, catching the artificial lighting.

Jacob snorted. "A dining room?"

Carlisle didn't drop his cool façade. "It makes a decent conference area."

Jacob didn't say another word, sitting stiffly on one side of the table with Sam by his side.

Carlisle sat across from them, and Edward sat to his left, pulling me into the seat beside him. He clutched my hand in his beneath the table.

An eerie, uncomfortable silence descended. Carlisle was the first to break it.

"Obviously, we have broken the treaty. I acknowledge that." Sam's face was a steely acknowledgement of that fact, and he stared angrily at all three of us.

"Obviously," Jacob affirmed.

"But there is also some reason you have not followed through with the terms of the treaty. Thus, I would like to hear why. If you don't mind."

I wondered at Carlisle's civil tone, and saw that it caught Jacob and Sam off guard as well. They glanced at each other, and Jacob cleared his throat.

"I'd like to first hear what happened to Bella- from her," Jacob replied coolly.

Edward squeezed my hand in encouragement, and Carlisle nodded.

What was I supposed to say? Edward attacked me in cold blood in the parking lot of the high school but its ok because I didn't die, I just became a vampire. Or maybe, Edward bit me, but he didn't mean it. Somehow I just don't think they would understand either of those explanations. But I had to try.

I took a deep breath.

"Ok- but I don't want any interruptions until I'm finished," I demanded, channeling all of my inner strength and commanding their attention. Both Jacob and Sam slowly nodded. I studied them carefully before beginning.

"On my first day at Forks High, I was walking with Edward after Biology. I don't remember exactly what happened after that, because most of my human memories are really blurry and indistinct,"

"I do know that I followed Edward out to his car for some reason. The next thing I can remember is him biting me, and almost losing consciousness."

Jacob growled and tensed in his seat, but I gave him a pointed look. To my surprise, he eased back in his chair.

"Before that could happen, someone pulled Edward off of me and someone else carried me back here to Carlisle. I found out later Emmett and Jasper stopped Edward and Alice took me. Over the next several days, because Edward's venom was in my veins and it couldn't be stopped, I was transformed into a vampire."

I decided to leave out the part about burning and excruciating pain- I didn't think those things would be helpful to my case, and they would only hurt Edward. He was already wincing beside me, reliving his darkest days. I squeezed his hand and turned to give him a look of encouragement before turning back to the two pairs of black eyes that were staring at me.

"When I woke up, I was a little confused. Carlisle had explained a lot to me while I was changing, but I didn't believe it until I experienced it all. Edward was the one who showed me everything, and explained what had happened. I've never seen anyone so repentant, or so faithful."

I smiled at him lightly, but was interrupted by Jacob.

"Right," he said with a disdainful attitude.

"I said no interruptions."

He quirked an eyebrow but responded with an amused "Sure, sure."

"I chose to stay with the Cullens. I chose to hide when you came to the house a couple of weeks later in the middle of the night. I chose to not harm humans. I chose to forgive Edward. I chose to flee and go to New York. I chose to make this my family. I chose to allow myself to love Edward. I'm choosing to marry him, and I chose to come back to Forks so I could see my father and he can walk me down the aisle."

I finished, using the last bit of my air supply to finish my statement. I sucked in another breath, expectantly waiting Jacob's response.

"You talked to Charlie?" I nodded.

"What did you tell him?"

"I was attacked by an animal and somehow drug myself away. Someone found me, took me to get treatment, and Carlisle, as a doctor, heard about it. They took me in, I lost a lot of my memories, but they persuaded me to come back. I fell in love with Edward during that time, and now I'm marrying him, and want my dad to be there."

Jacob stared me down, considering.

Sam interrupted the strained silence. "That doesn't change the fact that Edward attacked you, obviously breaking the treaty. Are we supposed to stand by and not do anything about that?"

Edward spoke then for the first time since we entered the house.

"You're right. My life is forfeit. You can have it- just don't harm my family or Bella. They did nothing wrong."

A flurry of noise followed his statement. Carlisle shuffled in his seat. "Son, I don't think.."

"Reasonable," Jacob responded. Sam looked appeased.

"NO!" I cried out. I had their attention again.

"You can't do that. You may as well kill me as well. Yes, Edward attacked me. But it wasn't him- it was the instinct he battles gallantly every day. It was one slip, and an exception- my blood was more appealing to him than anyone else's has ever been. Please, understand…" my voiced cracked, and my body was wracked with tearless sobs. My chest heaved, and Edward's arms were around me in an instant. He cradled me to his chest and the room fell away, and only his soft velvet voice existed, whispering quiet comforts into my ear.

After a minute or so, Jacob cleared his throat. I composed myself, looking up at him with prickling eyes.

He sighed, and traded a look with Sam, who looked resigned. "Do what you have to."

"Nothing would make me happier that to dismember you right here on the spot bloodsucker," Jacob spat at Edward. My chest heaved again, and the ripping sensation from earlier returned, accompanied by terror.

"But," he emphasized, his gaze softening and settling on me, "There are complicating circumstances. Bella, though not exactly alive, seems to be happy. As much as I'd like to believe she's coerced, I just don't believe she would be able to lie this well." A spark of hope ignited, and the tearing paused.

"There's also the matter that Charlie has seen her, and I can't imagine taking his daughter away from him again. Not after what I saw last winter. She seems to have come up with a convincing cover story. If you can renew the treaty, I suppose we could let this slide."

I breathed a sigh of relief.

"What terms?" Carlisle asked, taking over the diplomat role again.

"Same as before. No mercy if another human is ever bitten again. Same treaty line- stay off of our land. Charlie and no one else ever discovers exactly what you or we are."

Carlisle nodded. I saw the relief on his face as well. "You have our word." He offered his hand to Jacob.

Cautiously, Jacob took it, shaking it twice before letting it go like it was poison.

As if synchronized, we all stood at the unspoken cue.

"We'll be going then," Jacob said, slipping out of the dining room and taking large strides to cross the great room and exit the front door. Only Sam paused for a minute by the door, shooting one last regretful glance back at us. I had the impression that this was not the outcome that would have occurred had he been in charge.

And like that, the wolves were gone. Esme flew through the front door, rushing to Carlisle's side, squeezing him tightly before giving him a passionate kiss. I averted my eyes, embarrassed. I instead caught the eyes of Alice, Jasper, Emmet and Rosalie. They all looked at us in astonishment.

We would have a lot of explaining to do, but for now I relished the comfort of Edward's arms, with the assurance that I would rest there forever.

A/N: So, that's the last chapter before the epilogue. And it was the longest yet. Review and let me know what you think!