DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS FROM TWILIGHT. THEY ALL BELONG TO STEPHENIE MEYER.
I just want to say I'm loving the reviews that are coming through about the confrontation between Edward and Jacob and Bella's reaction. Never realised that there were so many Jacob haters out there lol. There are a lot of them. I love how you're all so taken with Edward. Seeing the reviews makes the hard work that I've put into his character all worthwhile.
I want to say a thanks for Shelby0321's review. That really got me laughing. Still giggling now as it happens.
BPOV
I sat upstairs with Edward for, I don't know how long.
After a while, Esme came and knocked on the door, telling us that the guests had gone home and that we'd leave presents and everything else until the next day. The excuse that they'd used was that Edward was a little overwhelmed by the surprise and needed some rest. I wasn't sure if they knew what was going on but I would have to fill them in on the situation tomorrow.
"Are you going home, sweetie, or do you want to stay here tonight?" Esme asked me. "Your father wants to know."
Charlie.
I was going to have to have words with him when I got back tomorrow. There was no way I was going to be leaving Edward tonight. Not after what had happened. And he had been having such a good day as well. Trust Jacob to go and ruin it. I wouldn't be talking to that boy until he came grovelling to both me and Edward for forgiveness. And if Edward had any kind of relapse because of tonights events, the tiniest little setback in his recovery and therapy, then I would be driving down to La Push myself to beat the living hell out of Jacob.
"I'll stay here tonight, if that's okay Esme." I smiled at her and looked at Edward, and in doing so everything else in the world fell away. All I knew was that he needed me. And I wasn't going anywhere while he needed me like he did.
"Okay dear." Esme gave me a small smile and walked out, closing the door, leaving us alone.
"Love?" I whispered in Edward's ear and he took his head off of my shoulder and looked at me wearily. "Shall we go to bed?" He nodded and I stood up, gently pulling him up with me. He walked over to the bathroom and closed the door.
I decided to get changed myself while we was in the bathroom, saving us a little time. All I wanted was to hold him in my arms and for the both of us fall asleep. After changing I took my phone out of my bag. I had left it in Edward's room, on silent before the party as per the request of Alice. I flipped it up and saw that I had twenty-nine missed calls. All of them from Jacob. There were numerous text messages ranging from:
Bells, please.
Come on. We can't let this come between us.
J xx
to
Bella, you have to answer me sometime.
I'm not giving up on our friendship.
I can only hope you're not doing the same.
Jacob xx
to
Fine. I'll leave you be for now.
I'm not letting this go.
I'll come see you when you've calmed down.
I sighed and flipped my phone closed without answering to any of the texts. If he thought that he could worm his way back into my good books with a few texts then he had another thing coming. I wasn't planning on talking to him for a long time. When that was was up to him. He would have to apologise to Edward before I even thought about letting him back into my life again. It would have to be sincere as well. Not a phoney apology like the ones we used to give our parents when we knew that we'd been caught doing something that we shouldn't be.
Edward emerged from the bathroom and I held my arms out to him like an expectant toddler. He smiled at me and walked over, leaning into my embrace. I fell back onto the bed, taking him with and he chuckled. He laid his head on my chest and sighed. Even at this angle I could see that he had a slight smile playing on his lips. I shifted slightly and we both moved up the bed, so that we were on the pillows and I wrapped my arms around his waist as he nuzzled into my hair. I giggled as his warm breath tickled my neck. I could feel him smiling at my reaction.
"Thank you." He whispered and I moved my head back and kissed the end of his nose, which only caused him to nudge his head into my shoulder even more. "I love you, my Bella."
"As I love you, my Edward." I kissed his lower jaw lovinging and he sighed, his grip around my waist tightening slightly before relaxing as he fell asleep. It wasn't long before I joined him in slumber, my hands finding their place in his hair and on his lower back, as usual.
Waking up the next morning, I saw that Edward was still deep in slumber. His face looked peaceful and serene, showing no signs of the distresses of last night.
Kissing him gently on the forehead, I unwrapped his arms and slid out of the bed. I turned around and watched him sleep for a moment. He was truly beautiful, even with the scars of his past, physical, mental and emtional. It was all part of what made Edward who he was. I padded into the bathroom and went through my morning routine of brushing my teeth and trying to sort my hair into something slightly manageable. Tying my hair into a loose ponytail, I crept back into the bedroom to see Edward still asleep. Sighing, I quietly opened the door and walked downstairs, seeking to placate my growling belly.
Walking into the kitchen I found Carlisle and Esme already up. They both smiled at me as I walked in, and I, knowing where everything was and spending more time in the Cullen household than I did my own, started to make myself some breakfast. Grabbing a bowl from the cupboard I decided that I would steal some Choco Bongos, Emmett's favourite cereal. Even though they had my favourite cereal in stock, I was in one of those moods, and I knew that Emmett wouldn't do anything to me if he caught me. He was like my big brother teddy bear.
"Bella." Esme called cautiously as I was setting my bowl down and taking a mouthful. I looked up at her and smiled. "What happened last night?" I looked down at my cereal, not wanting to meet her gaze. "I mean, everything was going really well and then Edward disappeared. The next thing we know, Edward's run upstairs and you and your friend, Jacob is it?" I nodded. "The two of you are arguing. What happened?"
"Jacob....." I started, taking a breath. "Jacob said some stuff to Edward. Stuff that I couldn't let him get away with saying. Let's just say, Jacob's not my friend anymore."
"What kind of things did he say?" Carlisle had put down the paper that he was reading on the breakfast bar and was now looking at me with a worried expression on his face.
"You'll have to excuse my language, but I am quoting here." They nodded. "But I heard Jacob calling Edward a.....a......" I couldn't say it. I couldn't tell them what Jacob had called Edward. It hurt too much.
"A what?" Esme pressed, her expression concerned.
"A fucked up little freak." I finished, not wanting to look at either of them, but knowing that I had to.
Esme's hand flew to her mouth and Carlisle just looked angry. "To his face?" He asked, his voice hoarse and strained. I nodded and he slammed his fist on the breakfast bar, causing both Esme and I to jump. "I swear, if this causes Edward any setbacks at all...."
"That's why I was with him last night. I think he's okay." I tried to reassure them both. "I think he just needs a little space at the moment. What Jacob said really hit him hard."
"If this.....if he....." I had never seen Carlisle this angry before. Well, maybe once, when Emmett lost to Jasper at Guitar Hero and decided he was going to take it out on the wall, leaving a nice fist sized hole in it. Actually that one would have to come second.
"Carlisle, calm down." I laid my hand on his arm as Esme wrapped her arm around his shoulders. She looked on the brink of tears. "Edward seeing the two of you like this isn't going to help him. Don't worry, I don't plan on speaking to Jacob anytime soon."
"I should hope not." Esme said, but not in a warning tone. I knew that she wouldn't want me to ruin my friendship but her son's health and wellbeing took precedent at this point in time. I didn't care for Jacob anymore. How could someone be so cold and heartless. It was like he didn't care that he could cause Edward to relapse. Maybe that was what he was after. Maybe he was looking for Edward to really take what he said to heart, get sent away again and then he could "make his move". Like I hadn't already turned him down once before. "I should fix Edward some breakfast for when he wakes up."
"Oh yeah, Esme." I said in a small voice. She turned around to look at me expectantly. "Edward would never say this himself, because you know how he is, but I think that it would really help him is he was able to make his own meals you know. Fix his own breakfast and stuff. I mean, he's supposed to be getting back to normal isn't he? What eighteen year old has their mother make their breakfast for them?"
She looked puzzled for a moment. "I see your point." She sighed. "I guess what with him coming home, I just wanted to know that he was eating. I didn't really think, you know? I just wanted to know that he was eating properly."
"We know dear, we know." Carlisle assured her, rubbing small circles into her back just as I did with Edward. It was strange to think that she and Edward were so alike and yet he was adopted. "Maybe, letting him make his own meals will be a good thing. I mean, it is supposed to be part of this therapy right?" I nodded, remembering what Derek had said about Edward learning to trust himself with food again.
I finished my breakfast and went back upstairs. As soon as I opened the door, Edward began to stir. He rolled over onto his back and rubbed his eyes with the heel of his hand, smiling at me sleepily.
"Hey, love." I smiled, walking over to him and sitting on the bed. "How are you feeling this morning?" I brushed the loose strands of hair out of his eyes and he smiled at me again.
"Mmmmm......" He mumbled. Suddenly he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me to him, so that my back was pressed into his chest. "Much better now." He nuzzled into the back of my neck and I giggled. "Where did you go?"
I turned over and looked at him, drinking in every tiny little detail. "I woke up early so I decided to go and feed my rumbling belly." I explained and he grinned, chuckling softly. I kissed him on the nose gently and rested my head on the pillow, staring deeply into his beautiful green eyes.
"Thank you." He whispered.
"For what?" I replied, confused. What could he be thanking me for?
"Last night." His face turned into the vulnerable mask that I hated to see. "You were there when I needed you and I cannot thank you enough."
"You don't have to thank me." I assured him, wrapping my arms around his neck. "You being okay is thanks enough. You were strong last night. It would have been easy for you just to give up and.....yeah." He knew what I meant as well as I did, but I didn't want to say it out loud, because if I did then it made the possibilty real. "The fact that you were strong is thanks enough." I kissed him gently on the lips, revelling in the softness of them, when his stomach growled. "Hungry are we?"
He sighed. "I don't think I'm ever going to get used to answering that." He chuckled and I giggled along with him. "I love hearing you laugh."
"I love hearing you laugh as well. It's as though everything before these last few months never happened, and we're just normal teenagers." He frowned, knowing that he would never be a normal teenager. "Come on, let's get you some food." He grumbled but got up anyway, padding after me.
We got down to the kitchen and I saw that Esme and Carlisle were sat in the living room. They had obviously listened to me when I suggested they let Edward make his own meals. I walked over to the toaster as he took a bowl out of the cupboard. He, like me, reached for Emmett's favourite cereal. I knew that Emmett wouldn't do anything to Edward either. He would just be too happy that he was eating something to worry about what cereal he was eating. He would connect the dots later on, if he came down in time, but he still wouldn't do anything. He knew it was a big deal for Edward, so he was safe. Emmett would just take it out on Jasper instead.
I popped two slices of bread in the toaster and turned to face Edward. "Want some?" I asked and he looked up from his cereal and nodded. I stood there waiting for the toast to pop up, staring aimlessly into space as Edward ate his cereal. I wondered what had caused Charlie to tell Billy. Why he had felt that he had the right to tell Billy. I would have to get going soon. I wanted to confront Charlie as soon as possible. Get it out of the way.
When Edward was done with his cereal he put the bowl in the dishwasher, took out a glass from the cupboard and filled it with water. Placing that down on the counter he opened the cupboard I saw him take out a bottle. It was his medication. He knew that he needed it and I was proud of him for remembering. I watched him out of the corner of my eye as he swallowed the big white pill, something that I couldn't do. I hated pills of any shape or size. Couldn't handle them.
After the toast popped up, we sat there eating it in silence, not needing to fill the room with unnecessary chit-chatter. The silences between Edward and I were always comfortable and easy. We never needed to fill them. We were just content with being with each other.
I looked at my watch and saw that it was nearing 10:30AM. I wanted to get home and yell at Charlie while I could. I knew that he was off of work today, and that he didn't have any plans with Billy. Not that that would stop me anyway.
"I've got to go soon, love." I saw his face drop slightly. I hated being away from him as much as he hated being away from me, but I needed to sort this out with my father. "I'll be back later, I swear." I leaned over the breakfast bar and kissed him gently. "No presents till I get back." I pointed a finger at him and he pouted. He still hadn't been able to open his presents because of what had happened last night. "Promise me?"
"Okay," He said, chuckling. "I promise."
"Good." I leaned over and kissed him again, before sliding off of the barstool and running up the stairs. Amazingly I didn't trip on the way up to Edward's room. I dared to think that my coordination skills may have been improving somewhat, but I would never say that out loud as I didn't want to tempt fate. Throwing on a pair of jeans and a tshirt that I had brought over yesterday before I took Edward out, after having the feeling that I would be staying over the night, I packed away the clothes I had worn the previous day and shoved what I'd worn to bed in Edward's washing hamper before walking back downstairs.
I walked into the kitchen where I saw Edward reading the newspaper that Carlisle had abandoned earlier. I looked over and saw that the plate on which he had had the toast was now empty and smiled slightly. He would get better. I knew he would. He just needed all the love and support that we could give him.
He looked up at me and smiled. I bent over and kissed him deeply. "I'll be back in a couple of hours. I've just got some things to sort out at home and then I'll be back." I said all of this lightly, making it sound as though all I had to do was put on a load of laundry and get a bit of homework done, not letting on that I would most likely be ranting and raving at my father about not being able to trust him or whatever. I didn't want Edward to know this as it would just worry him and stress him out. "I'll see you later." He nodded and smiled at me. I could feel him watching me as I bid Carlisle and Esme farewell and walked out of the door. The others weren't up yet, so I didn't have to worry about saying goodbye to them.
As I reversed out of the driveway, I maintained my usual speed, but as I got onto the highway that lef into Forks, I sped up, going as fast as my truck would go without it dying horrifically on me. I reached my house soon and saw that the police cruiser was outside, meaning that Charlie was home.
Perfect! I thought as I got out of my truck and slammed the door a little harder than was normal. I stormed up to the house, my rage completely taking over as I jammed my key into the lock and threw the door open.
"CHARLIE!!" I screamed, not caring that this man was my father, or that he was probably in the sitting room watching television.
He appeared seconds later a worried expression on his face. "What?" He asked, panting through shock. Good! I thought. I wanted him to be stressed out. "What's wrong Bells?"
"How could you?!" I screeched, not caring that he was two feet away from me. "How could you tell Billy?"
"Tell Billy what?" He asked sounding confused.
"Oh, you know exactly what!" I stormed through into the kitchen, dumping my bag on the table and ripping off my jacket and throwing it over the back of one chairs. "Edward!" Charlie's face fell and got suddenly paler as he realised that I knew. "Hah!" I pointed at him accusingly. "How could you tell him Dad? I trusted you with that information. We only told you because I was spending so much time at the clinic with Edward. That's the only reason we told you why he was there. We thought you had a right to know. And then you go and tell Billy, who you must have known was going to tell Jacob!"
"Woah! What?" He looked genuinely confused now. "What about Jacob?"
"You know how he and Edward went outside to talk last night?" He nodded. "Well, I went out there to find them and I heard Jacob calling Edward, wait for it....he called Edward, "a fucked up little freak"." I made quotation marks at the last part. "And.....and he wasn't even sorry afterwards. He told me that he thought it was what Edward needed to hear. Dad, Edward could have come this close," I made a gesture with my fingers to emphasise my point, "to a possible relapse last night. He is still so fragile. And it's all because you couldn't keep your mouth shut!" I shouted the last part of the sentence at him.
"I'm sorry Bells." He did look sorry but I wasn't going to let him off that easily.
"Why?" I asked, folding my arms over my chest, not giving him an inch. He knew that he had upset me, and that it was justified. He knew that he shouldn't have told Billy, but that didn't excuse the fact that he had.
"He asked where you were and it kind of slipped out that you were at the hospital with Edward." I could tell that he was being honest. He obviously knew that lying would only work against him at this point in time. "He wanted to know why Edward was in hospital and when I told him what the agreed story was he knew I was lying."
"You could have just told him that it was none of his business." I snapped at him.
"You know he would have found out some way." He tried to reason but that just made me angrier.
"No! No, Charlie." I didn't want to call him dad at the moment. I was too angry. "He would not have found out. The only ones who knew why Edward was in hospital were the Cullens and us two. Now I'm betting that the whole reservation knows. I wanted to take Edward down to La Push. To the beach. But I can't do that now, in case we run into someone who knows and gets all weird around him!" I took in a sharp breath. "You have no idea what you've done do you?"
"I'm sorry, Bells." He looked sorry, but I didn't care.
"Sorry's not going to cut it." I grabbed my bag and jacket and stormed up to my room, slamming to door behind me. Yeah, okay, it was a bit immature, but I was really past caring at that point.
I heard Charlie leave about half an hour later and when I looked out the window I saw that his cruiser was gone. He had probably gone to Billy's, with any luck to get Billy to agree not to tell anyone else about Edward. Like that would do any good. The damage was done. Charlie had told Billy. Billy had told Jacob. Jacob had probably told his friends, who would have spread it around the whole reservation by now.
I decided that rolling it around and around in my mind was not going to get me anywhere, so I flopped down on my bed and got out Wuthering Heights. I seriously needed to get a new copy of this book. This one was falling apart and I doubted it would last much longer.
About an hour or so later, I don't know, I wasn't really paying attention to the time, my stomach announced that it needed sustenance. I sighed and marked the page I was at, taking the book downstairs with me. Walking into the kitchen I set the book down on the table and popped two poptarts into the toaster, knowing that I would probably get fed while I was at the Cullens. When the poptarts were ready, I put them on a plate and sat down at the kitchen table, reimmersing myself in the old english countryside.
I pushed my plate aside, still completely immersed in the tale of Heathcliffe and Cathy, the tale that I had read so many times. Enough times so that I could recite almost the whole book off by heart.
I was brought out of my daze by a knocking at the door. Turning my book upside down, watching it lie completely flat from wear I walked to the front door and opened it, not believing who was standing there.
"What do you want?" I spat, trying to close the door, but being stopped by a foot and a muscly arm snaking its way in.
"I want to talk to you Bells."
"Leave me alone, Jacob." I snapped. I really didn't want to deal with him right now.
"No." He forced the door open, causing me to stumble backwards, thankfully without tripping. I looked up at him and stood my ground. I wasn't going to give in to him, no matter how much he begged. It wasn't me he needed to apologise to.
"What do you want?"
Ooooo what does Jacob want?
I don't know if I have the time to update again before I leave tomorrow. But then again I think I've said that for the last three chapters so who knows. Might be able to, might not. If I don't then I will attempt to sometime during the week.
Please review. I love them very muchly :D
xxxx
