Even though hope was all but gone, and it seemed utterly impossible that they would get back in time, it didn't mean they were going to just bow down and give up; Edward wouldn't let them. With insistence he hurried the wolves and elders along. Leaving an unresponsive Emily on the floor, they rushed off to save Jacob as fast as they possibly could; but they were already too late.
By the time Edward got back home, Jacob was in a bad way. Unconscious, deathly pale, sweats racking his body, unresponsive and shaking in the hot summer heat. Added to that he was also taking heavy shuddering breaths that went through his whole body, with violent hacking coughs mixed in every so often. A painful sight to even the strongest of hearts. A heart that would break when they saw Jacob take one last shaky breath, before he went completely still.
Edward froze in the doorway, his mind went blank, all he could see was white, like a blank page, useless without words to fill it. The floor rose to meet him as he dropped to his knees, his heart breaking in half, as the still figure of his lover was locked in his sight. It was a loud sudden painful cry from Abigal that brang Edward crashing back to reality, and out of his shocked stillness. Snapping out of it he decided he was not going to give up, not yet, he couldnt, he had to save Jacob. With a new steely resolve he grabbed the fireweed solution off one of the elders and ushered over to Jacob, ignoring Abigal crying by her daddy's side for now, as he focused on trying to save Jacob.
"How is it administered?" Asked Edward in authoritative tones to the slack jawed Elders.
"How so I save him?" He snapped once again at the blank stairs of the elders.
"Edward, honey. It's too late." said Esme coming up to him and placing a hand on his shoulder, gathering Abigal in her arms as she dragged her from her daddy's side, giving an understanding look full of pity at Edward kneeling by Jacob, clutching the medicine a little to strongly.
"It's not" said Edward chocking on his words "Its not too late, I know its not too late. I can still sense him, and he isn't gone, not completely. I can still save him. Now stop just standing there and help me! Help me save him! Before its too late."
"Im sorry Edward" she said placing a hand on Edwards shoulder before she turned her head away from her inconsolable son, taking the squirming crying Abigal with her.
"Here," said the woman elder, tentatively approaching Edward and handing him a syringe. She gave him a understanding pitying look, like she knew exactly what he was going through, "you have to fill that up with the solution and inject it into his veins, but its already too late, all you'll be doing is wasting the liquid. It's better to give up now, then try, and be faced with the fact that you have failed in saving a dead man." Edward just ignored her, too focused on the task at hand to consider the implications of her words.
No one was able to meet his eye as Edward tried to save what was already gone. He didn't care what they thought, he wasn't going to give up on Jacob. He wouldn't accept that Jacob was dead. He couldn't. Not until he had done everything in his power; and more to save him; Given everything; tried every option; begged at every door; shed every tear all in an effort to bring his beloved back to him. He wouldn't, couldn't give up, not until they dragged him screaming from Jacobs body. He shook the bottle and filled the syringe with the bright red clear solution, injecting it into Jacob's forearm, straight into his veins.
Nothing happened for a very long time as Edward anxiously waited by Jacobs side, willing him to live with pure love and need alone. Not daring to breathe less should it distract the solution from working. A few of the quileute, mostly the elders turned to go, already given up on Jacob right from the start, and never believing it would work in the first place, shaking their head at Edward's foolishness, and already blaming him for their alphas death. But Edward still stayed by Jacob's side, he would stay their all night if thats what it took.
"Come on Jacob," he whispered urgently in his ear, holding Jacobs hand firmly, but not too tightly "you are not leaving me now. Not after everything, this is not how you die, struck down because of your own stupidity. I cant go on without you. I cant live without you, you are my life. You need to wake up, you need to live. Just wake up Jacob! Think of Abigal, you are the most important thing in her life, she needs her daddy. I need you as well, I love you so much, and I would be completely lost without you. We all need you Jacob. Come on Jacob! Wake up! You've faced worse than this. Just live! You deserve to live! Dying wont bring Sam back or make Emily any less broken. It'll just leave us all with broken hearts, and empty homes, missing you because you chose to give up, refused to fight hard enough, hold on with enough of that pure strength I know you process. Please Jacob, just come back to us, thats all I ask, come back."
Edward buried his face in Jacobs chest, dry heaves raking through his body. Never before had Edward wished so much he could just cry his heart out. Cry to relieve all the despair and frustration he was feeling.
As time wore on, increasingly more and more it was looking like Jacob was never going to come back to him. It was starting to dawn on Edward how foolish he was being, and that Jacob wasnt going to come back. Their would be no miraculous recovery; no miracle cure; no family reunion; no passionate relieved lovemaking. There would only be Edward, left alone, loveless and hopeless. Forever fated to spend eternity alone; his whole future, hopes and dreams, ripped from him in another sudden twist of fate life had thrown his way.
Then once again Abigal cried out from Esme's arms, breaking out of the strong vampires hold this time as she ran, and stumbled to both her fathers across the room. As she reached both her dad's, a deep breath and a cough came from Jacob, and he awoke with a jolt. Not believing it Edward moved back a few paces. Shocked, eyes widening he couldn't quiet believe if it was real, or by instantly wishing he had driven himself mad.
As Abigal reached the couch and jumped on her daddy Jacob sat up. Abigal hugged her daddy with all the strength her tiny arms would allow. Jacob hugged her back just as tightly, careful not to use too much strength to harm her. He then blearily looked around, searching for the face of his beloved till he realised Edward was there right beside him, standing a few paces back. They locked eyes as time stood still, and Abigal moved to the side as Edward leant down pulling Jacob in for a bone crushing kiss, full of relief and newly spun hope.
"Are you really alive?" He whispered with disbelief.
"Yes, I am really alive."
"Dont you ever do that again." Edward said holding him close.
"Not intending to." He said wrapping his other arm around Abigal as she came close, hugging both her Dad's.
Once the disbelief and shock wore off the room the vampires and the wolves started smiling, coming up to personally confirm that Jacob was indeed alive. Once Jacob's health was confirmed they broke off into separate groups, unnoticed some of the elders went to the back of the room, glaring unhappily, and talking in hushed tones, with a few mysterious vampires. It seemed they were less than happy Jacob had survived.
"But how did you survive?" said one elder who had non too happily broken apart from the group at the back of the room to see how indeed Jacob survived. "It's impossible for you to be alive you were dead, We all saw it, didnt we? Jacob was dead. We heard his heart still, and his breath stop, stone cold dead!"
"Enough!" Said Esme, glaring down the elder, "Jacob is alive and that is all that is important here."
"She does make a good point though," said Carlisle with medical intrigue "how did you survive?"
"I dont know" said Jacob looking lost up at the group of elders.
"Never underestimate the power of true love" replied one of the more sympathetic elders "A strong imprint bond can even break through the veil of death its self if the body isn't too far gone and both members of the bond are fighting hard enough. On rare occasion it has been known for one member of the bond to fight their way back from the brink of death itself."
"Thats impossible!" said the first elder who had originally spoken out.
"Not impossible, no. Very unlikely though. It is rare and only happens in the most strongest of bonds. The two imprints who are tied to each other with the strongest of imprinted bonds and love."
The elder frowned heavily, sneaking his way back to the small group in the shadows at the back of the room, to discuss what he had learned.
Jacob turned to his family, by now he had stopped caring for their talk, and just wanted to be with his family. Hiding him self in Edward's arms and hugging Abigal tightly, he was very thankful that he hadn't died. His heart swelled with love as he thought of how hard Edward had fought to save him, and shame as he thought of how foolish he had been to risk his life like that.
\/\/
The next two weeks passed by fairly peacefully, uninterrupted as they went about their daily normal lives, enjoying just enjoying the fact that they were alive and healthy. Till one day, at the beginning of winter, Alice had another vision.
"The volturi are still coming." she announced "They never gave up, they were simply delayed by unforeseen events. After a long time of discussion, preperarions, and waiting, they have finally decided to put their words into actions, to eliminate the threat, to claim back their honour, and for Bella to get supposed revenge on Edwards "betrayal". They will be here by the end of next month"
"A month" Edward said backing up "no"
" Bella is with them, you will have to face her again on the battle field, and this time she will be ten times more ruthless and cunning." Im so sorry her eyes silently conveyed as she stared into the shocked, despairing expressions of both Edward and Jacob.
\/\/
"What can we do?" said Rosalie despairingly "There is too many of them, there is no hope of beating them when they have such strong vampires on their side, and what do we have we have? We have nothing to combat that strength with, one coven comprised of a few vampires and an wolf. We have all been sentenced to die! It is completely hopeless."
"We need help" said Edward, "Carsile? What about the other covens, will they help us?"
Carsile sighed sitting down "Listen Edward, I cannot ask them to fight, stand against the Volturi, they would not do it, and the few ones that would, would not do it when they found out what they are fighting for. Even though we all love Jacob like one of our own, the other vampires are not so... Understanding of what Jacob is. They will not understand how a werewolf could mean so much to a Vampire such as yourself, and would not affiliate them selves with someone who would behave in such a way for another "lower" species."
"We cant just give up." said Jacob seeing everyones despairingly grim faces "We cant just roll over and allow them to rip us apart, destroy everything that we have fought so hard to build. We have to at least try to fight them off, protect what is ours."
"Jacobs right" said Esme, "We cant just give up, we have to try and ask our friends to help, maybe they will be more understanding than we think."
The room still looked unsure, especially Carlisle,
But when Abibal stumbled in the room, with the carefreeness of childhood, everyone's mind was instantly made up, they had to fight, to protect their family, and if that meant appealing to the lowest of the low, the baddest of the bad, the least understanding, and most unmoving, they had to do it. They had to consider all options, even the ones that they normally would never approach, not even in their darkest dreams. If it meant saving their family they had to do whatever it took to find a way to defeat the Volturi.
A/n remember to review, and my mock exams are in 4 weeks, and my real in 2 months, so next update may take a while.