Chapter 15

Gabriel's POV:

Within seconds from the moment I heard her scream, I was kneeling by her side. Her face was pale and sweaty as she gasped for air.

"I'm here, Bella. I'm here."

Her eyes were closed, trying to bare the pain.

"Her contractions have begun" said Carlisle as he took a blanket out of my backpack and spread it on the ground.

Bella groaned again, squeezing my hand so tightly that it threatened to break.

"Make it stop, make it stop, please, make it stop" she pleaded desperately.

"Shhh," I said as I kissed her forehead. I knew it was only a matter of time now.

"Please" she cried in agony and I thought I would be undone. "Please!"

I tried to see ahead, minutes from now, but it wasn't even close. I had to buy some time so I leaned into her, as if hugging her as she sunk her teeth into my neck, pulling hard against the wound. In seconds, her body began to relax and she sucked my neck easier now as I whispered in her ear, "I love you, Bella. You're going to be all right."

I pulled away when I knew she had enough. Blood was smeared on her lips, giving them such an appeal. Her chocolate colored eyes had hints of red in them. God, she was beautiful.

Her breathing slowed and her eyes were heavy with exhaustion.

"Sleep, my angel. I'm here with you."

After a few minutes, she was sound asleep. I smoothed the hair away from her face and stood up to find Edward, staring down at her, torn in pain.

"I need to have a word with you, Edward."

He looked up at me with so much hate in his eyes. If he only knew he had her heart in his hands. That the love she held for him was far greater than anything she felt for me. It was I who was the envious one.

I walked past him and after a brief moment, he turned and followed me. I was sure to keep a distance from the others. Edward and Carlisle were the only two that needed to know what was coming. I had an idea that Alice may have already figured it out, but her visions are like puzzle pieces, only picking up fragments of information.

We came to a stop and I turned to face him.

"Has Carlisle spoken to you about why she is here?" I asked.

"Yes, but there has to be another way. This can't be the only alternative."

"It is, Edward. There's just no other way around it. It has to be done."

"I don't think its right that you're keeping this from her. She has a right to know."

"She mustn't know. You and I both know she wouldn't allow it. She'd stop it and put herself in danger."

"How is it that you can't control it? Can't you just keep her safe?"

"Because it's the way it has to be."

He stared at me dubiously.

"Edward, you can't fail me… when the time comes, you must let her die. It's the only way I can go through with it. The child will not protect neither one of us once he is born. He will be too young to fragile to produce such protection."

"I still say there has to be a better way" he said.

"If there were, I wouldn't be here."

I could hear footsteps approaching me, coming fast. I turned around and saw the boy, Jacob running towards me. He flew back in the air before he got with five feet from me.

"That's Jacob" muttered Edward.

"What is he to her?" I asked curiously as I watched him jump back up on his feet. "Why does she regard him with such empathy?"

"He's her best friend. But he wanted more than just a friendship from her."

"I'm not surprised."

"You don't have to hurt him. He shouldn't be any match for you" he said sourly.

"It wasn't me that threw him" I said, staring across at Bella.

****

Jacob's POV:

So it was him, the son of bitch who did this to her. I got back to my feet and began to make my way back to him when I heard her voice.

"Jake?"

I came to a halt. I didn't expect to hear my name be spoken by her voice ever again. I turned around slowly and found her sitting up on the floor. Her face was radiant. Her skin looked like it glowed and her eyes, looked like burning wood. She was even more beautiful than when I last saw her.

"Is it really you?" she asked and I just stared at her.

She pushed herself from the floor with strained effort. Carlisle immediately took a step forward.

"No," she said, "I'm all right" waving him away and she began to walk towards me. I don't know how to best describe it, the feeling I got to when I saw her, looking so breathtaking and her stomach so swollen. I felt joy and sorrow all at once.

She looked so happy to see me yet nervous as well.

"I can't believe it's you!" she said as she spread her arms. I flinched back at once and her face changed immediately. She took a step back, surprised and hurt. I didn't want to hurt her, didn't want to make her feel bad but I couldn't help it. She was bloodsucker, just like the rest of them.

"Why'd you let him do this to you? Why'd you let him, Bella?" I asked.

She stared at me, her face frowning and tears glistening in her eyes.

"I did this, Jake" she whispered.

"What?"

"No one forced me to become vampire. I wasn't raped and this baby was no accident."

I shook my head in disbelief.

"He's not forcing me to be with him. I'm with him because I want to be. It's not as if I didn't have a choice, because I did. But I chose to be with him."

"You don't fucking know him, Bells! He just came out of nowhere."

"Jake you don't understand…"

"And you know what?" I seethed. "I don't want to either! I would've been good for and you fucking know it but you had to go and fuck a vampire…"

Ow.

She slapped me with such a force that I felt my brain wiggle in my head. I suppose I deserved it. I didn't mean to be such a dick but I loved her. I fucking loved her with every inch of my body and she left to be with a fucking vampire.

She glared at me, wither jaw squared and eyes livid.

"Your friendship meant the world to me, Jake. I would've done anything for you and I was stupid to expect you to do the same for me."

"That's not true, Bella and you know it. I would've done the same."

"But you didn't. You didn't let me go even after I told you that I didn't love you the way you wanted me to. And now you have the audacity insult me?"

She looked at me with tears in her eyes, shaking her head in disgust.

"I'm sorry Bella" I said reaching for her hand. She pulled back right away.

"Get the fuck away from me" and she turned and walked away, her vampire husband appearing instantly by her side, with his arm around her back as he looked over his shoulder at me.

I, Jacob Black, have officially given up on Bella Swan or whatever it is she goes by these days. I'm sorry that I hurt her. I let my anger get the best of me. The memories I kept in my heart were poisoning me. I suppose I knew I'd never have her, even when Edward had left her. I knew her heart was never mine. I figured if I fixed it, if I put it back together again, she would give it to me. Her love was impossibility. She was out of my range. I turned around and marched across the clearing, passing Edward along the way.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"Far away from all of you" I grumbled.

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