Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Thanks again to everyone whp put this on alert and in their favourtie. Thanks to SuperSumer, kayla paige, mommytwilight, berdb, hopless, sandy, jerseyhalliwell, CharmLightLove, makki, Flora73, gabyhyatt, cademan24, barbmeg, Twilight-ObsessedDiva, hooker81, frankfart101, devliza, girlfrakes, BeckyLuvsTwilight, Lizzie, winternow, D-l0v3 oF uR Lif3, sober alcoholic, ConfusionPixie, Troyis, gabzCoatz, Akaalias, livvi84 and klcivinski for all your reviews. Have I told you how awesome you are?

This is the second longest chapter so far, (doesn't look it does it?) and it's very important. You learn more about Bella's history and the true drama begins.
Hope you enjoy it!


Forever Bound

Chapter Eight – Hate Is A Strong Word

Almost a month had passed since the ball, yet every day that went by was the same. Bella woke up, eat breakfast, read, went for a walk, read, ate dinner, read, and went to bed. The routine was only broken when Alice or Esme paid a visit and dragged her from her own home.

Apart from the visits from Alice and Esme, the only contact she had with others was with the servants and recently, she had started to receive letters from Jacob Black, her best friend.

After the incident at the ball, Bella had never needed him so much and composed him a letter as soon as she rose the following morning.

Dearest Jacob,

It has been so long, too long. How are you? How is Leah? Is she over the morning sickness yet? I cannot believe that you, Jake, the boy who ate dirt, is going to be a father so soon!

Jake, I need you.

My marriage is falling apart and we have only been wed two weeks! I cannot let the family down and allow this marriage continue to collapse; if it were to end, no one would ever permit Emmett to marry their daughter and that I could not bear for my big brother. How is he? We have not had contact since my departure. I'm sure mother is not allowing him to write to me.

Please, tell me what to do. Guide me to make this right.

Please write back soon and send my love to your family and Emmett,

Love Bella.

Jacob, never one to let her down, had replied within three days and their correspondence had not wavered since then. Each morning, Bella would ask Angela, who had become quite dear to her, if any letter had arrived for her. She requested that she not be presented letters at breakfast, afraid that Edward would take Jake away from her, just as he had taken everything else.

Every morning Bella would take a stroll about the garden, sitting on the odd bench here, picking the odd flower there. It was in the garden she felt truly at home, it reminded her of the garden at her family's home.

On the days she received a letter from Jacob, Bella would take the letter into the garden, sit in the middle of the grounds and read the letter over and over again until her heart's content. Jake managed to uplift her spirits and gave her advice on how to handle her current situation with Edward. Although they did not cause her husband to become any more courteous, it made Bella's life a little easier to live. She found enjoyment in books once more and felt at peace.

Jake had also preformed an act of kindness that Bella would never be able to repay. He had somehow managed to pass his letter onto Emmett and always allowed him to add his own message to send to Bella. She had sobbed a mixture of relief and longing as she had read the first letter from her big brother.

Hello squirt,

I beg you to forgive me for not having contacted you since your marriage. As you have probably already assumed, mother has forbidden me to write to you, checking all my letters before I am permitted to send them, as in her words "She is their family now".

Life is incredibly dull here without you. There is no one to help me wind-up grumpy old Mrs. Mallory, or sing badly with in church. Here is something to amuse yourself with little sister; Lauren Mallory has taken a fancy to yours truly. Stop laughing. It appears that she wishes for me to court her, asking for my hand to dance at every social gathering, requesting my opinion on her dress. I've always thought it was the man who asked a woman to dance, but I have clearly been mistaken in the past twenty years of life!

I have requested to add a little bit of my own writing to each of Jake's letters. Do not worry Bella, we will not lose touch. I hope everything is well and I miss you every day.

Lots of love from your amazing brother,

Emmett.

Bella had wanted to pick up her skirts and run all the way home, back into the arms of the two people she cared most about in the world, the two people she knew would always care and look out for her; Emmett and Jacob.

Each time she read her letter outside, she returned to the house in high spirits. Angela had noticed and questioned it, "Bella," Bella had forbidden her from calling her Miss, "What is in the garden that pleases you so much?"

"The garden is where I feel at home Angela. At my parent's home, the only thing I had control over was the garden. My mother did not care about it and she enjoyed having me out from the house. Honestly, I enjoyed it too, and made sure the one part of my life I could control was beautiful. Of course, here there are gardeners, yet I still feel peaceful just being outside. And as you know, I have been receiving letters from my best home, filled with news, which always cheers me up. His wife is expecting soon you see, so he informs me about all her antics." Bella trusted Angela; she would not tell Edward that Bella had correspondence with someone.

Much to Angela's dismay, Bella had recently begun to lend a hand in the kitchen, often helping prepare dinner. Of course, neither women enlightened Edward with this fact; Angela due to the fact she feared what her master would say is he knew she allowed his wife inside the kitchen, which was full of dangerous objects. Bella did not inform him as she felt he had no need to know. He enjoyed the food Bella cooked, but she was sure if he discovered it was her work, he would find some reason for complaint or ban her from entering the kitchen.

If Edward had been surprised by Jacob's arrival, it was nothing to rival Bella's shock. During dinner on the third of July, Angela had pulled the door wide and Bella looked up, spotting Jake. Dropping her composure, she screamed, pushed herself away from the table, ignoring her fallen napkin and run into his arms, crying his name. Jake had pulled her into a tight hug, neither willing to let go for a long time. Finally, Jake had pulled away, moved the stray hairs away from her forehead and planted a friendly kiss on her forehead, gracing her with the smile she had missed so much. "Surprise," he muttered softly.

"I'm so happy to see you Jake," she whispered, trying to bury herself deeper into his chest.

Of course, Edward decided to break up their moment, "Bella, are you going to introduce me to your friend?" She noticed he emphasised the word friend and wondered if her realised this was the first time he had addressed her in over three weeks.

Bella gave Edward an odd look, but complied with his request all the same, "Edward, this is Jacob Black, my best friend. Jake, this is Edward Cullen, my husband." She could not help say the word "husband" with distaste.

Jacob held out his hand, and Edward took it. As they shook hands, Bella noticed that Edward appeared to be squeezing it as hard as he could, though she knew Jacob would not be intimidated. Could Edward not see who he was dealing with? Jacob was probably six and a half feet tall and towered over Edward! He did not even bat an eyelid as Edward tried to crush his hand. Bella smiled a little at this.

"I would like to say it's a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance, however, I am aware of your treatment of Bella, and it is a sin to lie." Jacob looked down on Edward. Bella didn't know how to react. She was not fond of Edward, but she did not want her husband and best friend to be at odds with one another; Edward may forbid her from communicating with him if that were to be the case.

Edward composure did not shift, "That's odd, because I've never heard about you," and with that Edward left the room.

As soon as the door had shut behind him, Bella smacked Jake on the chest, hurting herself more than she did him.

"Hey, what was that for?" he cried, rubbing the spot she had hit, although they both knew he had hardly felt it.

"Don't antagonise him. Please Jake. I want to spend as much time with you as I can, and angering him is not the way to go about it."

"I'm sorry Bells," he apologised softly, "Come on, finish your dinner and then we can talk."

Bella looked over at her now cold dinner. "Suddenly I'm not hungry," and she pulled him from the room, leading him towards the library.

Once they were seated comfortably on the settee, facing one another Bella asked, "Why did you not tell me you were coming? I would have been better prepared to greet you!"

"Bella, you appear not to have grasped what surprise means. Let me enlighten you. Surprise means to not warn one of another's plans; hence my reason for not telling you." Jake laughed at her while she scowled at him.

"Tell me, how is everyone at home? How is Leah? She must be past six months now, am I correct?"

Jacob's eyes lit up at the mention of his wife and unborn child, "Everyone at home is fine, though missing you of course. Six months just three days ago. Her hormones are raging, she is out of control. One moment she is screaming at me for folding my socks the wrong way and the next she is sobbing her apologies. Edward is lucky he doesn't have to deal with a pregnant you, I can't imagine how terrible you'll be!" Bella knew that Jake would be an amazing father, but the comment about her lack of pregnancy hit a sore spot.

"I don't think Edward views it that way. As far as he is concerned, I am just a vessel to carry his child. Once I have given birth, he will have no use for me and will carry out his promiscuity." Bella confided in Jacob. Of course he already knew all about the ball and the woman Bella saw her husband embracing.

"I'm sorry B. You deserve so much better than this." Jacob sympathised.

Bella shrugged, "Do not concern you with my troubles tonight. This evening is a joyous occasion; we have been reunited once more. Tell me all about Leah. How is she feeling, apart from the mood swings of course?"

"We're both extremely excited of course. We are arguing over the child's sex though. I stand firm in my belief that the infant will be a girl, though Leah disagrees, stating that she is his mother and knows it will be a son!"

Bella laughed. The two of them agreed on nothing. The only thing Bella knew they agreed on was how crazy they were for one another, though she was also aware that they argued over who loved the other the most! They were the perfect match for one another. "Have you thought of any names?" she questioned.

Jacob smiled softly at her, "If it's a girl, which it will be, we're naming her Emily Isabella." Bella smiled at this, touched, "And if it's a boy, which it won't be, we're naming him Seth Charles." Bella's eyes began to cloud over. Trust the two of them to pick such moving names. Emily was Leah's cousin who had been attacked by a bear when she was in her late teens. She was rescued by her future husband Samuel, and although her face was terribly scared, Samuel looked at her as if she were the most beautiful women in the world.

Seth was Leah's little brother. Three years ago he had been murdered by some sickening thugs, who had killed him as they hated the fact that he was not white. It had truly left a hole in everyone's lives. Seth had been the life and soul of the town, at only thirteen years old. Although his killers had been caught and taken care of, nothing could fill the gap left in everyone's heart.

Charles was Bella's own father. They had been extremely close; he showered Bella in attention when her mother was not around. She loved him so much. He himself had been killed five years ago, soon after Bella turned eleven. He was protecting a woman from being attacked. Although the woman had escaped, her father had not been so fortunate. The man stabbed Charles before he ran off; he was yet to be caught.

Bella threw her arms around Jake, and began to cry quietly into his shoulder; torn between the joy she felt at being reunited with her best friend and the sadness she felt at the memories she had tried so hard to bury, the death of her loved ones.

Jacob rubbed her back soothingly, allowing her to get it all out. Minutes later, when Bella was all cried out, Jacob rose from the settee and held out his hand to help Bella rise. "It's time for bed sweetheart. It is getting late and we have a lot more to catch up with tomorrow."

Bella smiled up at him, accepted his hand and led him to one of their spare chambers before retiring herself, soon falling into a dream world.

Bella was sitting on a tartan blanket in the middle of a field which was covered in daisies and many other flowers. Looking around Bella tried to work out where she was, but knew that she had never been here before. It was beautiful; there was a silence in the air that was so peaceful and calming. The silence was soon pierced with the sound of a child's laugh; Bella had never heard a more angelic sound. Turning around, Bella saw a little girl, no older than two, running as fast as she could towards Bella. Her chocolate coloured ringlets were bouncing as she run, her little white lace dress rising up as she pushed herself forwards.

"Mummy!" she cried as she flew into Bella's arms. As the little girl lay contently in her arms, playing with the bracelet on Bella's wrist, it gave Bella the opportunity to take in the girl's appearance .She had mahogany coloured hair and little pink lips in the shape of cupid's bow. Bella could certainly see pieces of herself in this child, but she also saw Edward's claim to her. Her eyes were emerald green, and she had a round chin, identical to her husband's.

Another cry broke the peace that had once again fallen across the field, but this time it was the cry of a much younger infant. Looking next to her, Bella saw that a basket holding a newborn baby had appeared. The little girl on Bella's lap moved around until she could get a good look into the basket.

"I think little brother is hungry mummy," she stated as she stared up at Bella with her wide green eyes, full of innocence. Bella picked up the wailing baby as carefully as she could, his cries softening as soon as he was in the comfort of his mother's arms.

"Shh little one," she cooed, "It's okay. Mummy's here, it's okay." The baby's cries had turned into gentle whimpers as he was rocked. He was the most beautiful baby Bella had even seen. He was definitely Edward's child. They had the same hair colour, the same facial structure, and the same shaped eyes. The only thing that gave Bella the right to claim him as her son was the colour of his eyes; chocolate brown like her own. The baby's whimpers had completely silenced, and he gave his mother a small smile, and Bella had never seen anything so beautiful. Just at that moment, her daughter planted a kiss on her little brother's forehead and then laid her head on her mother's chest, staring at the child in her arms. Never in her life had Bella felt so peaceful.

Shifting slightly in her sleep, Bella swore she heard Edward whisper, "You're mine," before she once more submitted to a deeper slumber.

When Bella woke she was quite disorientated, trying to figure out what her dream meant. Confusing her even further was the fact that, for some reason, she was entangled in Edward's arms. She had not awoken like this since their wedding night, and to be quite honest, it was making her extremely uncomfortable.

Untangling herself, Bella quickly rose from bed and walked over to the wardrobe. Sorting through her dresses, Bella pulled out one Esme had forced on her on their last visit into town. Bella detested people spending money on her but Esme refused to take no for an answer. Bella had to admit that it was a beautiful dress. It was silver with a dark silver layer of velvet on top, in shapes of flowers and leaves. Reaching just below her knee and covering her shoulder, with lace around the sleeves, bottom and top of the dress it suited her perfectly. Pulling it on, she quickly brushed her hair, leaving it in the natural lose waves she had and rushed downstairs.

To her immense pleasure, Jacob was already eating breakfast as she entered the dining room. She ran over to him, not before tripping over her own feet, and placed a kiss on each cheek. "Good morning. I hope you sleep well?"

"How could I not? Your mattress felt like it was made of silk it was so soft!" Jake laughed, Bella laughed along side him, revelling the feeling of having somebody to laugh wit. It was not that she did not enjoy the time she spent with Esme and Alice, she valued their friendship immensely, but it was just not the same as having Jacob with her.

"Do you have plans for the day?" Jacob asked her as she bit into a piece of toast. She shook her head and swallowed.

"No, not for the morning at least. Esme is coming at midday, as she does every Friday, but until then I am as free as a bird," she giggled.

"Good, you can take me on a tour of the gardens. I know how much you love your gardens. I also have to leave at an hour to midday to post a letter to my lovely wife, telling her I have arrived safely. I may take a look around the village also." Bella smiled, "Now, I did not have the chance to tell you about Paul's latest escapades last night."

When Edward entered the room quarter of an hour later, Bella was in a fit of laughter. Jacob had just finished telling her what his six year old brother had done to the aunt he hated when she came for dinner and Bella had not been able to hold in her laugh. She had tears rolling down her face, yet when she looked up at Edward, he looked extremely irritated and she sobered up immediately. She could have sworn she heard Edward growl at the pair of them as he sat down.

As Edward was finishing, Bella and Jacob had finished a while ago, the butler entered the room and held out a letter for Edward. He ripped it open, read through it and folder it in half once more before he turned to Bella, "It appears that I have the day free, Mr Jenkins has been taking ill with a bout of food poisoning. What are our plans for the day Bella?"

Bella looked at him in shock; never before had he made plans with her before. "I'm sorry Edward, but Jacob and I have plans for the day. A lot has happened since I have been away from home, and it is crucial that I know what is happening." Bella smiled tightly at him. She glanced at Jacob and noticed he looked smug; she had to hide her smile. Edward fixed them both with a dirty look before he rose from his seat and left the room.

Jacob burst out laughing and Bella soon followed suit.

An hour later, Bella and Jacob were exiting the house, arm in arm. The clouds were darkening; it looked as if a storm was brewing but Bella and Jake decided to risk it. Jacob was still entertaining Bella with stories about what she had missed; this time it was about the numerous ways Emmett was finding to avoid Lauren; from grabbing old women for a dance to faking the chicken pox for the forth time. It appeared that she was still not taking the hints he was dropping right in front of her face!

The two of them had an extremely enjoyable time roaming around the ground, stopping sometimes to admire the flowers, or in most cases, for Jacob to help Bella up from the ground as she slipped on the morning dew. Their hour together passed quickly and soon, Jacob was kissing Bella on the head in farewell and left her to her own devices and he went into town on his horse, Embry.

With half an hour until midday, Bella decided it was time to head back to the house to prepare for Esme's visit.

As she entered the foyer, she heard voices coming from within the living room. She quietly walked over to the door and peered in through the crack. Sitting opposite one another was Esme and Edward. Bella blushed, what must Esme think of her not greeting her as soon as she had arrived? Bella checked her watch and saw that it was still not midday yet. She was sure Esme had said she would arrive then, not before.

Just as she was about to rush away and get changed, she heard the mention of Jake's name. She put her ear to the space in between the door and the wall, not wanting to burst in during a conversation but wanting to know why he was being mentioned.

"Oh she is with Jacob. I have heard all about him of course; the two of them seem extremely close," Bella heard Esme muse, "I had the pleasure of meeting him last night. It seemed he did not know the way to this house and so asked at ours for directions. Lovely, polite boy." She was sure Edward scoffed at this.

"Is something that matter Edward?" Esme asked, sounding concerned to Bella's ear.

"Apart from the fact my wife is whoring herself out with the "polite and lovely" gentleman you speak of?" Edward hissed.

Bella's hand flew to her mouth and tears pooled in her eyes. She almost missed Esme reprimanding her son, "Edward! How could you say such hateful things? Especially about Bella! She is the most honest human being I have ever met. She would never stray from you!"

"Really? Really!" Edward asked, raising his voice, "If she was such a brilliant human being, what is she doing spending time with another man who is not her husband, fawning all over him? You did not see them together mother, there was barely an inch of air between them! If she were such a brilliant wife, why is she not carrying my heir? It has been three months mother!"

"Edward Antony Masen Cullen, you take those spiteful comments back right now!" his mother told him in a deadly quiet voice.

"NO!" he yelled, "Why should I? All I am stating is the truth! The woman you FORCED me to marry, a woman I could NEVER love, is nothing other than a common whore!"

Bella could not stand to listen a moment longer. Edward had insulted her in the worst way possible; she did not wish to hear any more.

She turned around, with tears streaming down her face, and ran right back into the garden, never wanting to stop.

At that precise moment, lighting cracked and thunder rumbled in the sky as the heavens burst open.

---

What do you think? Feel sorry for her? Are you happy with Jacob's character?

So Emmett is her big brother, and thanks to all your ideas, I know how I'm going to fit Rose into it too!

Please review and tell me what you think. Can we get to 100?

Until next time. :)