This is really long and I think I could have edited more so please forgive any errors. Mostly grammar. Roll eyes.
I'm so looking forward to your reaction so don't leave me hanging. YOU NEED TO REVIEW. If you can click the alert button you can click the review button... it's the same one. This chapter deserves it, i think... maybe.
Edward.
It was a risk coming here. We all knew that, maybe myself more than anyone, but Bella wanted to touch base with her roots. Alice didn't foresee any problems with our being here. She actually can't see much of anything happening in quiet Forks.
Why not? I thought spitefully from the backseat of Carlisle's Mercedes. It's just Forks. Blah Blah Blah. We were waiting in the parking lot outside the cemetery while Bella went on ahead. I allowed her this private moment after holding her hand on the ride over. I wondered if she knew it was shaking.
"I hope she's okay." Esme said from the passenger seat. Her knee bounced nervously as she stared at the wrought iron gate before us. Every couple of seconds she would check her make-up, smooth her dress or fuss with the flowers she brought.
My ears pricked at the sound of Bella's clumsy running. I cracked open the car door letting the crisp air fill my lungs. Her diluted scent hung in the air. After getting out I nodded back at Emmett's Jeep and everyone else followed suit.
Slowly we proceeded to the Swan's graveside.
The path was seared into my brain. I had visited their resting place not long before we left. Memories flooded my head, the smell of freshly disturbed earth being the most predominant. The dirt in question had long since been packed and grown over. Bella's flowers were thrown haphazardly next to the vase which held fresh cut wild flowers.
Poor Bella. Esme worried as she had been all morning. She fixed Bella's flowers and placed hers neatly close by.
"You have a marvellous daughter." She whispered to Renee's headstone and placed a kiss on the cold polished granite, as if she was an old friend. I felt as if I was intruding on her private moment. Rose and Alice stepped forward as well placing a single rose each on top of Esme's bouquet.
I glanced around at my family's sad faces as they paid their respects. The irony didn't escape me that we were standing around Bella's 'real' family.
Her strangled cry came from the distance. The sound she made may have been an attempt at words but came out in a jumbled mess. I flew over any obstacles the headstones might have presented in an effort to get to her. When I found her, she was rocking back and forth in front of a mausoleum, sobbing.
"Where...do—I belong?"
Her face was so torn and lost my heart broke at the sight of her. The words she sobbed cut me deep. I knew where she belonged, even if I had to remind her.
"You belong with us," I wrapped my arms around her quivering frame. She threw herself into my embrace with abandon.
"With me," I whispered as an afterthought.
You belong with me.
Bella.
My shopping basket was overflowing.
Note to Self: Never do junk food aisle first... without a cart.
For some reason I also went down the 'baking needs' aisle even though Esme was the only one to ever open the flour canister. It only served to prove how out of it I was. The few days since arriving in Forks I have been all over the emotional map. My thoughts trailed elsewhere as I turned down the next one.
Special K. No.
Cheerio's. No.
Cinnamon Toast Crunch. No.
Lucky Cha...
In my daze I ran into something hard. My basket swung back nearly pulling me over with its contents.
Ow. Nope. They're so not lucky. I thought as I lost my balance. Thankfully the hard something reached out to catch me. I looked up to see my saviour; a gorgeous 6 foot something with dark skin, darker hair and a sparkling white smile. Might have to rethink the Lucky Charms.
"Thank you," I practically whispered in my stunned state. Once I was righted he didn't let go of his strong grasp on my arm. I momentarily worried if the arm might bruise where he caught me.
"You smell... off." He said; scrunching up his nose with a look of confusion painted on his face. "And you're warm!?" His ear pricked up as if listening for something I couldn't hear. The only thing I could hear was my pulse beating so loud I wouldn't have been surprised if he could too.
Nah.
"Well aren't you observant!" I casually quipped snatching my arm back. His touch actually was searing, which I hadn't realized until I felt its absence. "And hot yourself." He looked at me like he thought I might be special, as if he wasn't the one that just gave me an update on how I smell.
A heartbreaking grin broke out and his face, "Well," he said flipping his long hair over his behind his shoulder dramatically, "I do have that effect on the ladies."
"That's nice." I ducked my head and started to move past him down the aisle.
"Wait," he called, stopping me in front of the Count Chocula. I turned around so fast I almost ran into him again. "I'm Jacob, Jacob Black" he stuck out his hand. I had to awkwardly juggle my armload to take his huge warm hand in mine. He looked to be at least 23 but still had some boyish features.
"Marie."
I had started moving away again when he piped up.
"Hope I bump into you again—Marie."
I let out a sarcastic laugh and made my way to the front. I couldn't help the goofy smile that spread across my face. Jacob's brief encounter made me feel at ease as I hadn't since visiting my parents. Nearing the end of the aisle I passed an older native gentleman in a wheelchair and gave him a happy nod.
There was a till right in front of me with no line. Score. This couldn't get any better.
"Isabella."
I turned toward my name absently. Wait.
In the middle of the aisle was the older guy staring with wide eyes at me and a very confused looking Jacob. My first instinct was to run.
And I did.
Edward.
I ran the conversation over and over in my head from the events of earlier today. I was ashamed of how I reacted when Carlisle told me the news. It seemed Emmett and Jasper crossed a werewolf path while they were hunting for small game in the area. I didn't take it too well.
"You assured me last time we were here they were extinct!" I screamed loudly.
"And I believed them to be. Besides they shouldn't be anything to worry about. Yet."
"Yet?!? What about the treaty? I can't have Bella here if there are wild dogs about. They might confuse her for one of us and attack her."
Carlisle stayed calm and serene as I yelled openly. "Their memories might not be as good as ours; we will have to ensure the treaty is still intact. Emmett and Jasper say their scent sticks mostly to the boundaries."
I scoffed loudly. "So you'll assure me her safety then?"
He let out a humourless laugh. It wasn't often Carlisle's patience grew thin with me. "Bella could hardly assure you that herself on the best of days."
"We'll go to the boundary tomorrow, that's final."
"Fine. What..."
A floor board creaked in the hall breaking me out of my memories. I listened closely to hear Bella's shallow breathing. She was trying to sneak up on me. I tried to keep a distant look on my face. When she was half way across the room I could hide my smile no longer.
"How long have you known I was here?" She asked moving at a normal pace now to plop down on the bench next to me.
"You were still in the hallway." I laughed as she let out a disappointed huff.
"I wish I were a vampire..." my laugh stopped short and all the unnecessary air in my lungs constricted, "so then I'd be the only one who could sneak up on you!" She was giggling at her own joke but stopped when she saw what I'm sure was my horror stricken face.
"What's wrong?" She asked, her playful demeanour lapsing into one of worry.
I quickly washed my feature of emotion.
"What... oh nothing." She seemed to believe me and put on a lazy smile.
"You know what I haven't heard in forever?" She lifted the cover off the keys and gently nudged my shoulder with hers. I placed my fingers on the appropriate keys without any further encouragement. She rested her head on my shoulder and closed her eyes letting the music, her music, envelope us.
"That's the one."
Bella.
I was going stir crazy in that house. I needed out. There was a used bookstore in town that I could check out. We weren't going to sign up for school for another week in case some problems should arise. As long I didn't run into Jacob, I couldn't see any.
Help Wanted. There's a job I would love. Also another thing I would have to wait for... just in case.
I took a deep whiff upon entering the shop. It was quaint. I wondered how many time the books had made their way around in a small town like this.
"Welcome to the Book Nook. How are you today?"
"Great," I replied eagerly, taking in the girl behind the counter for the first time. She was pretty in a conservative way and looked as welcoming as she sounded. "You?" I asked genuinely curious.
"Bored," she admonished. I looked around once again and realized that it was quaint... and empty.
"Poor girl. I was actually looking at the Help Wanted sign. I might be in the market for a new job soon enough. I could keep you company."
She visibly brightened and started talking up the pros of working in a book store. We had similar taste in books and found an endless list of them to talk about. "Bye Angela," I called as I left the store. I was in desperate need of a caffeine fix. Luckily enough there was a coffee shop down the block.
Once again I was assaulted by another of my favourite smells when I entered the warm cafe, espresso. There was no line so I waited patiently for my order, all thoughts of Jacob Black gone from my head. That's when I was tapped gently on the shoulder. Well that didn't take long.
"Hello Isabella or do you still prefer to be called Bella?"
He looked sad. "Only if I can call you Jake."
Edward.
"Uley?" Carlisle questioned. Jasper and I flanked him loosely as this 'Sam' spoke with Carlisle. On either side of Sam there were two wolves flanking him in a similar fashion. Their stances appeared to be more ready to attack then ours.
They were young and reckless. I would have to keep a close eye on Bella with these guys around.
"I remember the name. Fascinating, I heard rumours of the condition being hereditary but..."
"Carlisle." Jasper and I hissed in unison. Both of us were getting antsier as the young wolves before us thoughts and feelings messed with our own.
"Right. Sorry." He apologized. "We're all here for the same reason. I assume we still have an understanding."
"We will honour our ancestors' treaty so long as you abide by it unlike those human drinkers we had around here a while back"
"Human drinkers?" Carlisle asked. A phrase that sparked my curiosity as well.
"Yes, they were the ones that induced our changes." Sam's eyes opened wide at his own words as he wouldn't normally have shared them out loud. He was having trouble understanding why he all of a sudden felt very forth coming. I nodded imperceptibly to my talented brother. Instead of risking opening his mouth again the pack leader remained tight lipped. We got one. If only the other 2 hadn't got away.
I gave another short nod for Carlisle to confirm we had got what we needed.
"I'm curious though," Carlisle continued as I was mid step turning away, "What about the Blacks? Did Billy never have a son?"
Jake. Ha. Probably found your Isabelle by now.
A growl ripped through the air causing the two wolves to pull back on their haunches, ready to pounce.
"EDWARD." Carlisle broke the murderous fog that was clouding my vision.
"They-- they have Bella." I stammered. Sam looked back at me stunned trying to figure out what just happened.
"Go." Was all Carlisle said but I was gone before he could even finish the word.
Bella.
"You don't remember me, do you?" He asked.
The guilt I felt at the sadness in his eyes caused me to look away. He grabbed my chin gently urging my gaze to meet his. When it did his eyes were pleading. "Let me remind you."
All I could manage was a curt nod.
This was what I wanted. I wanted someone to fill in the missing pieces. Why, when someone offers me the chance, am I so nervous?
He led me by the small of my back out to a bulbous truck. I looked at the chipped red paint, old panaramic windshield and cracked seats smiling. It was so refreshing compared to the fast aerodynamic monstrosities my family drives. I looked over at his expression which was one of distain, a sharp contrast to my own.
"Hop in."
He drove not far out of town before taking the turn off to the reservation. Each minute he seemed to get tenser and tenser. The tenth time he looked in the review I asked if he was expecting someone. He didn't find it nearly as funny as I did. Then all of a sudden he relaxed. Some invisible barrier was breached and he was Jake again. I didn't push the matter.
We pulled up in front of a small rickety house just as his father William, aka Billy, came out.
"Hiya Bella, nice to finally see you again." He greeted me warmly. His eyes were glistening with unshed tears. "Right this way."
Edward.
"Where is she?" I chanted while pacing the boundary line on the road to La Push.
My phone chirped loudly in my pocket.
"What Alice?" I barked.
"Don't you even think about crossing that line. Everything is blurry enough as it is." She scolded.
"Blurry!?"
"Just don't do it. I can't see them." She sounded frustrated. "I can't see the wolves."
"Great. That's just great."
Bella.
They left me in the living room alone. I had nothing to do but snoop. Pictures lined the mantel. There was one of a girl that must have been Jakes sister. A few were of Jake; one was a school picture that said last year in the top corner though he didn't look any older than 15. It must have been a typo. At the other end there were two that caught my attention. There was one of a small me and Jacob. I rubbed a finger down our smiling faces. Another was of me crawling on my parents; tears sprung to my eyes as I hugged it to my chest.
"It's yours to keep." Billy said rolling up behind me with a large filing box in his lap. He lifted it with little difficulty that was disproportional to the crashing sound it made when landing on the coffee table.
'Bella' was scrawled messily across the front. He told me to keep what I wanted. Jake kept me company while I selected some folders to go through. I already had a few picture and my real birth certificate in a small stack.
"This is one of my earliest memories." He said holding up the picture of us. "Right before you were..." He looked at me cautiously before continuing. "You were 6 and I was 5."
"You're only 16?" A smile crossed his features. I shrugged it off. Of all the weird things that happened today I wasn't going to get upset about man/boy. "Whatever."
A label peaked out from midway through the box. 'Cullen'.
I held my breath as I pulled it out shooting glances at an oblivious Jake. As quickly as I could manage I shoved it into the middle of my pile.
"Well I guess I should be going." I stood and straightened all my papers effectively hiding the folder I felt very protective over. It all fit into my book bag. "Thanks Billy." I called grabbing Jake's wrist to head out.
Somehow the old man had beaten us to the door. "Bella, you don't have to go back to them." He pleaded. I tried my best 'i don't know what you're talking about' smile before bustling past.
"Where to?" asked grumpy Jake having made a triumphant return.
"My cars back in town."
He put the car into drive and sped off without a word. It wasn't far down the road before he let out a short humourless laugh and slowed the car to a stop. With my frayed nerves and an excessivly emotional state, the one guy that could help me stood right out front the window. "Edward."
I jumped out of the car to ran to him before Jake even had the truck in park. I only slowed down when I noticed his tense posture and livid expression. Tears were brimming my eyes as I came to a stop before him.
"Can we go home now?" I choked. He looked as if he wanted to reach out and comfort me but there was a wall preventing his arms from moving.
"Get in the car Bella." He said through clenched teeth. I didn't want to leave Jake alone with him.
"Okay, let's go."
"I need to have a small chat with the wolf you just spent the day with first." I shook my head no, somewhat confused.
"GET IN THE CAR. NOW." He yelled. There was no arguing this time as I dashed off towards the passenger seat.
Edward.
Stupid bloodsucker can't tell her what to do. The mongrels skin was twitching as if he were having trouble in this form.
"So...How'd it go?" he asked.
"How'd what go?" I asked having more trouble then him to keep my voice steady.
"I assume because your not a pile of ash that the treaty is still in place." Oh.
"Ha. Me a pile of ash? You spoken with your pack yet. Whose to say they aren't a pile of broken limbs?" A momentary flash of doubt crossed wolf boys face before a cocky grin replaced it.
Gotta change to check on the guys. Hope we can wrap this up fast. "Don't test me."
"Fine," I hissed at him, "so long as you don't test me. Leave Bella alone."
Bella? and the leech? Thoughts of Bella flitted through his mind. He liked her, felt a connection with her. Wanted more.
"Can't promise she'll leave me alone."
The invisible line between us felt like the only thing preventing me from ripping his head from his shoulders. I glanced back at the car thinking how easily I would break the treaty if Bella weren't mere feet away.
"See to it that she does." I commanded. He rolled his eyes in response. Right. And dashed off into the woods.
"Stupid mutt." I muttered to myself stomping back to the car. My adrenaline from an afternoon of worry and anger at the wolfs total disregard for Bella's safety, teamed under my skin. Hell, I was angry at Bella for being so reckless.
I wrenched open the door and slammed it behind me, taking deep breaths to clean the offending stench out of my lungs. I let Bella's aroma smooth out my frayed nerves. When I looked out the corner of my eye I saw her tear stained cheeks, red wet trails leading down to her pouty rose lips. Her beautiful, soft, warm lips.
Lips that I proceeded to crash my own into. My head lost all control over my actions to my most desperate desires. I poured all of the passion I had into that moment, forgetting everything in that instant but Bella. ANGER. LOVE. WANT. NEED. She lifted off the seat to meet my body with hers. Her mouth seeming nearly as eager as mine, meeting my ferosity with one all her own. I started to inch my hands up to her shoulders to pull her closer to me when a red eyed Bella flashed in my mind...again.
Instead of pulling her closer as I so hungrily wished to do, I pushed her back to her own seat effectively breaking our mouths hold on eachother. I listened to her rapid heart beat and ragged breathing as I held my own breath. If I indulged in her scent again I didn't know what might have happened.
All I could think in that moment was she kissed me back. The sheer feeling of joy that fact brought me was vastly overshadowed by one of dread.
How did we get here?!? I was.. am a monster. What was I thinking when I took her in all those years to go? And most importantly, What the fuck am I going to do now?
---
I think it's funny when author says I like this part, when that part had absolutely no effect on me... but I'm going to do it anyway. I really like Esme at the grave. She's proud of her 'daughter' and thankful and blah. They're kindred spirits and all that junk.
Who want's to read Jacobs point of view in the grocery store? I think it would be a cute story. All attack poor little vampire only to find out she's human, the one his Dad has been looking for the better part of his life. hmmm.