A/N I'm sorry for taking so long to update, I've been dealing with a lot of studying, homework, and personal issues. Thank you for all the reviews and alerts, and I assure you I read every one. Enjoy the chapter XD

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, SM does.

Previously

Bella nodded and was about to jump onto Jasper's back when she remembered something. Turning around she ran across the line and hugged Seth, ignoring Jacob's glares. "Thank you, Seth. I know it was hard for you to keep my secret, and I'm grateful that you did even if you didn't really know me. I just know we'll be great friends." She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek, causing Seth to blush, and then danced back across the treaty line, ignoring the rest of the pack.

Jasper narrowed his eyes at her, giving her a look that said that they'd definitely be talking about it later and then smirked. "Well, climb on darlin'."

Bella grinned and hopped onto his back, laughing as he immediately took off, the Platts and Carlisle following after them.

The pack was shocked speechless, feeling terrible for what they had done to Bella.

Quil was the first to speak. "What have we done?"

Chapter Five: He's Coming

Seth glared at them. "What have we done? The real question is what have you done? How could you treat someone as beautiful and caring as Bella like garbage? What did she ever do to you?"

The rest of the pack was silent, having nothing to say. They all had played a part in it and they couldn't deny it. There was no way to make up for what they had done.

Seth, becoming angrier as the silence ensued, repeated himself. "Why did you do it?"

Leah was the first to answer. "I hated that she was so smart and talented. All Mom ever did was praise Bella for this and that. Whenever she came over, Mom dropped everything to attend to her every need. Mom never did that for me."

Seth shook his head at her. "You were jealous? Bella was bullied and teased every day in her life and no one accepted her on the rez, except for Mom. Did you ever think that maybe Mom wanted to show her something other than the hate and disgust everyone else seemed to show her?"

Leah put her head down, ashamed of her past actions.

Seth looked each of them in the eye, his disappointment evident. "Now that I think about it, I don't even want to know the reasons why you did it. It was wrong and I hope each of you know it. When I first joined the pack, I was excited and proud to be a part of it. I felt as if we were a family and that nothing could ever break that connection. Now, I feel like I don't even know any of you for who you truly are. I don't even know what this is anymore." He sighed and walked away.

They were silent once more until Jacob spoke up. "What are we going to do? My imprint hates me and I can't even blame her for it."

Sam spoke gruffly, trying to hide his own guilt. "We need to arrange an emergency meeting with the elders. They need to be informed of who the new coven leader is. Leah, go get your brother, we'll meet at my house in two hours."

Back with the Cullens

Bella hopped off Jasper's back. "That went well, I think."

Edward looked at Bella as if she were crazy. "Bella, love, you told off a bunch of volatile werewolves. How is that even remotely a good thing?"

Bella sighed. "Oh ye of little faith. The pack feels terrible for what they did. So they will do their best to suck up to me. Therefore they will be more lenient when it comes to you guys. They will at least try to be civil to you."

Emmett wiped a tear from his eye. "Oh Bellsy, your ingenuity is such a comfort to me."

Bella grinned. "Yeah, I know. I get it from Mom."

Rosalie smirked as Emmett's mouth fell open. "But..I..and..urgh, whatever."

Carlisle gestured upstairs. "Isabella, I think we need to talk. In my office."

Bella nodded and followed him upstairs. She plopped down in an armchair as he closed the door behind him. He went over to sit on the sofa in front of her.

"Isabella, I am so sorry for what I did back then. I know I wasn't easy on you when you were younger and I apologize for never listening to you."

Bella shrugged. "It's okay, Dad. I understand that you were very busy."

Carlisle sighed and looked at her earnestly. "You and your mother were the most important things in my life and I regret not seeing that sooner. I was too focused on my work to realize that I wasn't there for my family and there is not a day that goes by that I wish that I could change it. But I can't, so I want you to know that you can talk to me about anything at any time, no matter what I am doing." Carlisle didn't miss the fact that she flinched when he mentioned her mother.

Bella's eyes lit up, part of her happy that her father was deciding to pay more attention to her, the other half bitter, wanting to say that it was too late for him to try now. "I'm not going to say that it will be easy, I'm so used to you not paying me much attention. But I'm glad you're putting forth the effort and I'll try to do the same."

Carlisle smiled. "That's all I can ask for." He raised an eyebrow. "Now what was bothering you before the meeting? Something about your mother?"

Tears filled her eyes as she remembered. "Look at the date, Dad." She knew that it had been years and that Carlisle had a lot on his mind, but he was vampire. He was supposed to have a photographic memory.

He glanced over at the calendar that was displayed on his desk and after a few minutes he finally figured it out. "I'm so sorry, Isabella!"

She tried to be nonchalant about it, but it was obvious that it hurt her that he didn't remember. "It's all right. I know that with a new wife and family, it's hard to remember stuff like that."

Carlisle chose not to correct her on the fact that he had been married to Esme for more than ten years. "I'm sorry. I guess it completely slipped my mind. Do you want to put flowers on her grave?"

Bella shook her head. "I went with Jasper before the meeting."

Carlisle sighed. "I will never forget your mother or our family, Bella. I want you to know that. I'm sorry for not remembering her birthday and I'll try my best not to do it again. Maybe you and I can take a trip to her grave this weekend."

Bella smiled. "I'd like that. May I go to bed now? I'm really tired."

Carlisle nodded. "Of course."

She stood up. "Jasper."

Carlisle looked at her worriedly. She only called Jasper at night when she knew she'd have nightmares. She said that he helped to calm her, even though she refused to allow him to tamper with her emotions.

Jasper was standing by the door in less than a second, giving a sharp nod to Carlisle. Carlisle fought to keep his feelings of jealousy from reaching his son. He hated the fact that Bella was closer to Jasper than she was to him.

Jasper sent apologetic waves to Carlisle and then glanced in Bella's direction with concern. "I'll be waiting in your room after you shower."

Bella grinned. "Is that you subtly stating that I smell, Jazz?"

Jasper shook his head at her. "Now that you said something…" He laughed. "I just know it helps you to relax. And then you won't be rushing to take one in the morning. We all know how much you hate getting up early."

Bella smirked but took off towards the bathroom, removing her clothes before stepping into the shower. As the warm water dripped down her skin, her mind strayed to Jacob and how she liked how possessive he seemed to be of her. Don't get her wrong, she was incredibly independent and strong-willed, but just the thought of him not wanting any other man to touch her made her feel so wanted.

Bella had, of course, had her fair share of boyfriends, she definitely was no angel. After Rosalie had found out that Bella knew who her mate was at such a young age, she had insisted that Bella 'play up the field' and have the same experiences as any other teenager. Bella grudgingly followed her wishes, and figured that it might be beneficial in the long run. It would be amusing to surprise Jacob with some of the things she'd learned. That would of course, occur later in their relationship. She was content with letting him beg for her hand, so to speak.

Sighing, Bella turned off the water and dressed in a tank top and shorts. Normally, humans would find it uncomfortable to lay with a vampire due to their cold skin. But for some reason, Bella did not find their skin cold, oddly warming. Definitely not warm to the same degree as another human, but it didn't cause her to have goose bumps.

Walking out of the bathroom, she towel-dried her hair and climbed onto her bed and under the covers, snuggling into Jasper. He usually stayed until she fell asleep and then would leave, but she knew she needed him for the entire night. "Jazz, can you stay for the whole night?"

Jasper heard Alice's huff of annoyance but knew that Bella would only ask if her dream would be an extremely bad one. "Of course."

Bella sighed in contentment and drifted off a few minutes later.

In La Push

The Elders and the Pack were gathered, and even Sue was there, along with the imprints, of course.

Billy spoke first. "Why did you call us here, Sam?"

Sam cleared his throat. "We have discovered the identity of the new coven leader of the Platts."

Old Quil sighed impatiently. "Well, spit it out, boy."

Sam grimaced. "It is Carlisle Cullen."

The Elders gasped and tears filled Sue's eyes. "What about Bella?"

Paul couldn't control his outburst and sneered. "She lives with them."

The Elders murmured amongst themselves, obviously uneasy about this news. Though they had never truly accepted Bella, they still didn't want a member of their tribe living amongst their enemy. After a few minutes of arguing, they broke apart and turned to the pack.

Billy's voice reverberated amongst them. "You will have the Cullen girl meet with us. Alone."

The pack's unease was hard to miss and Billy addressed it. "Is there a problem with following the Council's orders?"

Seth snorted. "It could be due to the fact that she hates them."

Harry looked at his son in surprise. "She hates the pack, but not you? Why?"

Seth jerked his head in their direction, his contempt for them apparent in each word. "Because they are the reason why she left in the first place."

Sue, who had remained mostly silent during the discussion jumped up, furious. "Are you telling me that the pack, the ones who protect this tribe and are respected by all, are the very ones who tormented that poor innocent girl when she was younger?"

The pack's heads, except for Seth's, were lowered in shame.

Sue's rage increased, and if it were possible, they'd think she was about to phase. "Answer me!"

Leah couldn't look her mother in the eye and Quil seemed to be the only one able to speak up, even if it was almost a whisper. "Yes."

Sue looked at him in disbelief. "You too? You were the closest thing to a friend she had, and yet you were the one who betrayed her the most. She never mentioned your names, you know. Even when I begged her to. She had some sense of loyalty to you, even when you yourselves never returned it." She slowly sat down, ashamed of herself for never seeing the truth.

Billy's voice resounded over them. "You will bring the Cullen girl here tomorrow. I don't care how you do it but it will be done." He turned his wheelchair away from them and headed outside the door, silently dismissing the meeting.

The next morning

Bella awoke to find herself still wrapped tightly around Jasper. She sheepishly detangled herself from him and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She had barely slept more than a few hours, despite Jasper's pleas for her to allow him to use his gift on her. Jasper would never use his gift on her against her will.

Jasper sighed. "Will you tell me what your dream was about now?"

Bella shook her head. "Maybe later. I'm still trying to understand it. But I promise that you'll be the first to know."

She stumbled over to her closet, ignoring Jasper's chuckles, as she tried to figure out what she would wear that day. She decided on a dark forest green top and a pair of black skinny jeans with black cowboy boots.

As she pulled it on and admired her appearance, she heard Jasper making wolf-whistles at her. She rolled her eyes and began to think about what she was going to do with her hair.

Alice breezed in behind her, fluffing her hair. Bella whirled around. "What are you doing?"

Alice grinned. "Just go with the bed head look. Trust me, you'll love the results."

Bella decided not to argue with her and slid down the stairs, landing right into Emmett's arms. He twirled her around before setting her gently on her feet, waiting for her to regain her balance.

"Good morning Bells!" Emmett scrutinized her and whistled. "Lookin' good, lil sis."

Bella grinned. "You know it." She walked into the kitchen and checking the time, decided she only had enough time to grab a granola bar.

She followed her family into the garage and fought to hide her laughter as she saw Rosalie standing triumphantly near her red Ferrari, keys in hand.

Emmett groaned, but couldn't complain since he had agreed to it the day before. He jumped into the car, avoiding the glares from his wife for not being careful around her car.

Edward and Alice decided to ride in the Volvo while Jasper and Bella would be riding his Ducati again.

Bella clambered behind him and slipped on her motorcycle jacket. She carefully tucked her hair under her helmet, and without further ado, they took off towards the school.

-insert line here-

The pack were all gathered around Jacob's car, casually leaning against it and discussing how they would get Bella to come to La Push alone. They finally decided to get Kim to ask Bella to come over to her house, when they would really be taking her to Sam's place.

Their heads snapped up as a red Ferrari sped into the parking lot, managing to find a park effortlessly.

Quil's mouth dropped open. "Damn, that car is hot!"

Paul snorted. "Complimenting the leeches now?"

Quil shrugged. "You can't say that it isn't a nice car."

The Ducati from the day before came into view, skidding to a stop only a few parking spaces away from them.

Embry nudged Jacob. "Looks like your girl showed up."

Jacob ignored him as his eyes focused on his imprint. As she swung her leg over the bike and took her helmet off, shaking her hair out of it, his mouth almost dropped open. She was wearing the tightest pair of jeans that clung to her curves and a forest green top that hung off one shoulder, displaying her lightly tanned skin. But that wasn't all. Her hair was tousled, giving her a just-been-fucked look.

Jacob's pants tightened and he growled as the rest of the pack eyed her appreciatively.

Paul whistled. "Damn. What I wouldn't give to…"

Jacob glared at him, stopping him before he could even finish his sentence. The blond-haired leech came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her and whispering something in her ear that caused her to blush.

Quil spoke up. "Hey, Jake. Do you think that she…you know..with the leech?"

Jake's inner wolf snarled and he fought to control himself as he kept repeating MINE in his head.

As if sensing that they were watching her, Bella's eyes met Jacob's and smirked at him before her eyes made contact with Seth's, brightening immediately. She disentangled herself from Jasper's embrace before walking towards them.

Ignoring the pack, she veered in Seth's direction, hugging him when she reached him. "Hey Seth!"

Seth smiled shyly in return. "Hello, Bella."

Jacob growled, jealous that his mate was touching another man.

Bella raised an eyebrow at him and waved goodbye to Seth, before joining hands with an impatient Jasper and walking off.

The pack couldn't hide the fact that they were all hurt. She hadn't even acknowledged their presence. They knew that they definitely didn't have the right to feel that way at all, but when anyone from the pack imprinted, their imprint had almost automatically felt a connection to the rest of them. Surely Bella had felt it?

-insert line here-

Bella rushed into her homeroom class, face flushed, just as the last bell rang.

Ms Greene looked up at her. "Just in time, I see."

Bella smiled at her apologetically and quickly walked over to her seat. She took out her sketching pad and coloring pencils to finish her birthday present for Peter. She had almost finished coloring it; she just had to put the final touches on it.

Kim, deciding that now was a good time to ask, leaned over to catch Bella's attention. "Hey, Bella…" Her voice trailed off as she looked at what Bella had been drawing and gasped.

Jared glanced over at his imprint in concern, but she just waved it off and turned to Bella with a shocked expression on her face. "Why were you drawing…human drinkers?" Her voice was barely above a whisper.

Bella immediately slammed her sketchbook closed and responded harshly. "Mind your own business, wolf girl."

Kim flinched but remained persistent. "You were in the picture..along with your…boyfriend? Have you met human drinkers before?"

The rest of the pack began to 'subtly' move closer, eager to hear her answer.

Bella narrowed her eyes at her. "Listen, mutt-lover. What part did you not understand? The mind your own business or the wolf-girl? I thought you were a smart girl, but I realize now that you never were in the first place, considering the company you keep."

Tears filled Kim's eyes and Jared jumped up, but was restrained by Embry. The teacher raised her eyebrow at them until Jared sat down, glaring daggers at Bella.

Paul glowered at her. "You don't have to be such a bitch, leech lover."

Bella grimaced, ashamed of her behavior, but not wanting them to know it. She had just had a foreboding feeling since this morning and she had hoped that drawing would take her mind off of it. It had never failed to calm her and she hated being disturbed while she was doing it. She hadn't meant to take out her frustration on Kim. "I'm sorry; I just haven't been having the greatest day." Bella looked at her apologetically.

"I should talk to Jasper about it; he always knows what to say," she mused.

Jacob's wolf bristled at that. He wanted to be the one Bella came to when she was having problems, not that bloodsucking monster.

Kim smiled, forgiving Bella instantly. It probably wasn't easy having to be in a confined space with her past tormentors. She had been furious with Jared when she found out, but had ultimately decided that he could not change the past and that he was a better man now. Kim scooted her desk closer, her curiosity peaked. "So who were you drawing exactly?"

Bella smirked, her eyes twinkling as if she were remembering an inside joke. She turned to the page that she had been working on and tilted it in Kim's direction. "It's a portrait I'm working on for my best friend and his wife. It's coming along nicely, don't you think?"

The pack's eyes zeroed onto it and their eyes widened. It was a picture of two human drinkers along with Bella and the blond-haired leech. They appeared to be outside in a forested area. But what shocked them the most was the rugged and almost dangerous look of the male vampire, even though you could see the affection he had for Bella. The three vampires all had the same scars that the blond-haired vampire had and appeared to be protective of Bella, due to the fact that they all seemed to be centered protectively around her.

Just then, the bell rang and Bella stood up, closing her sketchbook and winking at them. "See you later…or not." She laughed and walked off, joining Jasper at the door, who was shaking his head disapprovingly at her.

-time skip-

Seth grimaced as he walked over to where Bella was sitting with her family for lunch. She was leaning against Jasper and absentmindedly picking at her food. She smiled up at him as she saw him approach. "What's up, Seth?"

He sighed. The pack had practically forced him to come over and ask Bella to join them for lunch. Kim hadn't had the chance to ask Bella to come over to 'her house' after school and this would probably be her only chance. "I was wondering if you would like to finish your lunch with the rest of the pack. Please. I don't think I can endure their conversation for much longer!" He gave her puppy-dog eyes, ignoring the heated stares that he was sure were centered on his back.

Bella seemed to consider it for a moment before she stood up, kissing Jasper on the cheek and giving her family a warning look. She then walked over with Seth to where the pack was seated. She plopped into the seat that was right next to Seth as well as across from Kim. She bit into an apple and chewed thoughtfully, her mind apparently elsewhere.

Jacob watched her every move, staring at the tiny drop of juice that dripped down the corner of her mouth and onto her chest as she took a bite from the apple.

The rest of the pack was shoveling food into their mouths as fast as they could, though they were still listening.

Kim decided to speak up before it was too late. "Bella, I was wondering if you would like to come over to my house after school. I could really use some help with my math homework."

Bella snapped out of her reverie and shrugged. "Sure. I'll be there."

Kim smiled gratefully. "I'll give you my address."

Bella sighed. "There's no need. You want me to meet you at Sam's house, right?"

Their eyes all went to hers in surprise. "How did you know?"

Bella rolled her eyes. "Not everything that happens on the rez remains a secret, as I'm sure you know. Eventually every single bad decision or tragedy that has occurred on Quileute land since I left will come to light. And I cannot wait for that to happen."

She suddenly stiffened and as if in a trance, pulled out a drawing pencil along with her sketchbook, opening it and turning to a blank page. She began to furiously draw and her eyes looked strangely unfocused.

Kim and the rest of the pack looked at her in concern. "Bella? Bella! What's happening?"

Before they knew it, the Cullens were at the table, surrounding Bella and causing the wolves to growl at them in warning.

Jasper glared at them. "I'm trying to help her." He knelt down and tried to turn Bella's head from the page. "Darlin', look at me now. What are you seeing?"

Bella's eyes returned to normal and she lifted up the sketch for them to see. "He's coming."

A/N Cliffhanger! I'm sorry, but I just couldn't help myself. I know Bella acting like a bitch, but can you really blame her? And as to Jake acting like an animal more than himself, his wolf just can't handle her seemingly not accepting the imprint, or so he thinks. Next chapter is the meeting and you find out exactly who 'he' is. Review review review!