Ain't it a bitch sortin' out our sordid lives?

Yeah, it's a bitch when you come to realize

Crack yourself a box of Cracker Jacks

You could get a really shitty prize

It's a bitch sortin' out our sordid little lives

"Sordid Lives"

-Olivia Newton John

Chapter 20:

Well, this won't end well…

Jake returned not long after I had ranted and raved at Bella. I hid in the bushes, hoping that the setting sun would help mask me in the darkness. He saw me and Seth, sitting together, waiting on him to return safely. He drove the car back into the garage.

I never realized how large this mansion really was. I don't know why I kept coming back here. The smell killed my nose. How I had made it out of the house alive after my rant, I have no idea. I guessed that the vampires were all too shocked that I was suicidal enough to come into their crypt and scream at them that they hadn't had enough time to react and kill me.

Stay here, I ordered Seth as I trotted towards the garage. I wanted to see what Edward was going to say to Jake.

Hey, I outrank you, remember? Seth questioned.

Keep dreaming, kid. I rolled my eyes.

He ignored me and followed me to the garage. As soon as Jacob threw the keys back to Edward, Edward tattled. I should have known that he would tell Jake the first chance that he got . Wah, wah. Leah was mean to my wife. Snitch. Jake was probably going to lay into me for yelling at his precious Bella. But I didn't care.

"What happened?" Jacob was astonished that I had let down my guard and gone into the house human.

"Well, she wanted to speak to Bella."

Psh, Speak. More like kick her ass. I snorted.

Edward then started to puff his chest out and get all defensive of Bella. He warned Jacob that next time I did something like that, he wouldn't be accountable for his actions. Oh, bring it on, mindreader...

I could see the curiosity forming on Jake's face.

"What exactly did she say?"

I laughed. Would Edward be able to repeat my entire rant? Highly unlikely. Mr. Prim and Proper had probably never even heard of some of the words I'd spit at his wife today. Stupid goody-two-shoes vampire.

"Let's just say that Leah feels strongly about you. And she didn't hold anything back when she blew up. Some of the things she said…well, Bella is still crying…"

She was still crying? I felt proud of myself. Of course, making that whiny brat cry wasn't difficult. She moaned and complained about everything.

"I can't promise to control Leah." Jacob shook his head. Damn straight. God, it was nice to have a pack leader who didn't bark order's at me every step of the way. "I'll talk to her. But I'm not going to stop her from being who she is."

Even though we fought constantly, I realized at that very moment how much I really loved Jacob. He never tried to change me. That was something I would forever be eternally grateful for. I owed him so much.

"Leah doesn't really hold back much…" That was the truth, "...so whatever she said, she probably got it all off of her chest today…"

I wouldn't have gone that far. There were a few more choice words I had for the pregnant whore.

Jacob immediately tried to make things right. He told Edward he would talk to Bella. I hoped he wouldn't take back any of the things I said. I meant them all. Luckily, he would have to wait. Apparently the heartbreaker was asleep. Edward then tried to convince him that Bella was improving.

Yeah, right. I thought of the way she had looked when I was screaming at her. She was knocking on death's door. If she was improving, then I would personally kiss the vampire's feet for the rest of my life. No way she was doing any better.

"When Carlisle returns…"

I saw Jacob flinch when he heard that the vampires weren't back yet. His face looked…worried? He was concerned about the vampires? What the hell was happening to him? A week ago he wanted to kill them. Now the thought of them being hurt concerned him?

Edward explained that Carlisle hadn't just gone hunting. He had gone to find resources to help Bella. It was just like the doctor to put Bella before himself. He was the only one of the leeches that I believed was any good.

"As soon as Carlisle gets back, I'm going to see if he can deliver the baby."

I saw that Jacob's reaction was the same as mine.

What! They planned on trying to do a c-section on her? To deliver the Exorcist child?

Edward continued to explain that the child…growl…was ready to be delivered. He then used the one thing that he knew Jacob couldn't argue with. Bella was dying, so in order to save her, they had to deliver the baby. Jacob would not argue with Bella's life.

I saw pain wash across his face. His time with Bella was swiftly coming to an end. He couldn't breathe. I knew that feeling, too. Losing your heart, your lungs, everything in your body shuts down.

Once the baby was out, if Bella lived…Jacob would be forced to see Edward, Bella, and the child living happily ever after as a family. He would lose her forever. And, if she didn't make it, he would still lose her. It was just a lose-lose situation. He lost his balance and it looked as if he were going to collapse.

I saw Edward shoot his hands out to try and steady him, but after realizing that would probably only make things worse, he pulled back. Smart move, bloodsucker.

Then he said something I would never forget, "I'm sorry, Jacob."

Was the leech apologizing to a werewolf? I was floored. It was one thing for Edward to know that this was killing Jacob. But it was another for him to actually recognize it aloud and ask for forgiveness.

Edward continued, "I know you hate me. But…I don't hate you. To be honest, I never have. I always thought this werewolf/vampire rivalry was stupid. And these past few days, I have come to know and respect you more than I ever thought possible. I've come to see you as kind of like…a brother." Oh, give me a freaking break. This was just too corny. "No one wants to see their brother hurting. I'm truly sorry for your sorrow. I hate seeing you suffer." He took a deep breath. "I know what matters to you is Bella's life. And she is going to live."

Jacob wouldn't argue with him, even if his speech was completely lame. Having Bella survive is what he had always wanted. But that still didn't soothe his heartache.

"That being said, I'm going to beg you to do something for me…"

Like he had anything left? I heard Jacob say exactly what I was thinking.

"If something does go wrong, I need something from Ephraim's heir."

I couldn't believe that Edward would refer to our original pack.

He looked at Jacob with begging eyes. "As true Alpha, Jacob, I want your permission to break the treaty. I need to know that if something goes wrong, I can save her life."

Jacob must have thought his response, because Edward started babbling about how Sam wasn't the true Alpha, Jake was. Wow, something that Edward and I agreed on. There's a first.

Jacob never answered yes or no to Edward's plea. I could see that their conversation was going on in Jake's head now. I got bored, so I loped back to the trees. Seth stayed in some bushes closer to the house. And when Edward and Jake came out of the garage, he strolled over to them.

"Hey, kid." Jacob could barely speak. He was still reeling from everything that was going on.

I was worried about you, Jake. Seth lowered his eyes. I knew that Jacob would understand what Seth was thinking.

"Hey, everything's all good. I'll explain in more detail later," Jacob shrugged. God, he was a terrible liar.

"He overheard everything." Edward blew Seth's cover. "They both did." He glanced in my direction. The stupid vampire just couldn't keep his mouth shut.

"Hey, sorry to take off on you like that. But I promise everything is going to be okay. Now do me a favor and tell your sister to back off, okay?"

I saw Seth shoot me a glance, With pleasure.

Say one word and I'll rip your legs off, I threatened him. He didn't appear at all afraid of me. Guess all those years of being my tortured younger brother had paid off.

Seth ignored me and shook his head. I'm sorry for everything everyone is going through. I wish I knew how to fix things.

Certain things will always remain broken, I sighed. Hearts, for one.

Don't listen to her. She's just cranky, Seth shrugged and looked at Edward. Tell Bella I said to feel better, kay? Edward nodded silently to acknowledge my brother's kind words. Everything will work out. It has to.

"Get back to work." Jake shoved Seth playfully. Seth quickly obeyed. Still a suck up.

Edward complimented Jacob on Seth's kind thoughts. I shook my head. He was too nice sometimes. But that's just who he was. When he was four, he gathered up all of the loose change in the house to donate it to a friend of his whose mother had lost her job.

Sometimes it was nice to share thoughts with someone as sweet as Seth. He made me hate myself a little less.

I watched as they disappeared into the house.

You heard him, Leah, let's get back to work, Seth suggested.

He only said that to you. He didn't give me any orders.

Because he knows you wouldn't follow them anyway, he muttered. Are you going to join me or what?

In a minute. I glanced through the window. Apparently Bella was awake. She and Jake shared a quick "warm fuzzy" moment. Then, I heard Edward thank Jacob for something. I'm not sure for what.

"I've got to, uh…" Bella glanced at Rosalie. "My bladder is a little full."

Apparently all the blood that she had been drinking was running right through Bella. Her new best friend, the blonde, whisked over and helped her to her fat little feet. Her belly was so round and swollen.

Being the klutz that she was, she knocked over a cup, spilling blood all over the place. I choked out a dry heave. Gross!

Then, something in the atmosphere changed. There was a horrible noise that came from inside of her. I could hear it, and I was outside. I can't imagine how loud it must have sounded to them. Bella collapsed into Rosalie's arms.

I saw the panicked look in everyone's eyes. Even Blondie was freaking out. The pain on Bella's face was palpable. She opened her mouth and let out a horrifying scream. As much as I disliked her, I felt bad for her. It had to hurt. I heard her start to choke on something and I cowered down. I knew that sound. No one made a noise like that unless they were dying.

Everything happened so quickly. Bella was seizuring in Rosalie's arms. The vampires looked at her helplessly. The pain on Jake's face was too much. I whisked away from the house as fast as my legs would carry me. I wasn't about to stand around and watch Bella die. I couldn't watch Jake go through that.

Oh no… Seth whined when he saw my thoughts. He immediately turned around to come here to help in any way that he could.

I stopped him. Keep running, Seth.

But Bella…

Look, forget her okay? She's half past dead already. There is nothing you can do. Jake needs us to focus right now. It's only a matter of time before Sam's pack finds out what's going on. Who knows what will happen then? We need to be prepared.

I knew that Sam and Jared had been watching us like hawks lately. With this change, they were certain to know something was up.

He knew I was right. And that helped him regain his focus. We were helpless. All we could do was offer Jake some protection against a possible attack. As Seth and I ran in complete silence, I was reminded of Embry, who had been making the border's between the land an awfully comfy place for himself.

Maybe I could talk to him; find out how much Sam knew.

It's worth a shot. Seth was in agreement with me, The more we know, the better.

So I raced to where I had last seen Embry, hoping that he would still be there. Fortunately for us, he was curled up beneath a tree taking a nap. I approached him slowly. He heard me coming and leaped up, unsure of who it was. When he noticed that it was me, he lowered his guard.

Got a minute? I knew he understood what I was thinking. He nodded. We found a spot and phased. I threw on the last pair of clothes that I still had. I was kicking myself for throwing those stupid donated vampire outfits downriver.

"How've you been?" He was more cheerful than the last time I saw him.

"Better than ever," I nodded. I had to remember that this was a mission to find out how much they knew. "So Sam didn't completely forbid you from seeing me after that tirade I went on telling you what a terrible leader he was?"

"No, he did," Embry shrugged. "I just didn't listen."

"You rebel you," I chuckled.

"It's getting easier to ignore him. He knows that," Embry said. "The way I figure it, as soon as I can completely pull away from him, I'll be with you guys. Quil's doing the same."

"What about Claire?" I gasped. Surely Quil wouldn't abandon Claire?

"He'll still be there for her," he said. "Because neither of us will have to leave La Push." He heaved a sigh. "Sam's tired of fighting a losing battle. He's agreed that if we do leave, he won't punish us for it."

"Then what the hell are you waiting for?" I encouraged him to join our ranks.

"The right time," Embry responded. I didn't understand what he meant by that. Then I suddenly remembered Bella and the baby. Did they know that it was coming today? Were Embry and Quil waiting to see what kind of monster the child was before becoming loyal to it?

Embry interrupted my thoughts, "How's Jake?"

This would be tricky. I couldn't tell him the truth in case he didn't already know it. He wouldn't be able to hide it from Sam.

"He's up and down. It's hard."

"Yeah, I bet," Embry nodded.

"What's Sam up to lately?" I tried to steer the conversation towards what I wanted to know. God, now I was no different than that moron Bella. I couldn't just bat my eyes and use Embry like this. So I tried honesty. "Forget that question. Can I ask you something? And just be straight with me. What does Sam know?"

"I don't understand what you mean." Embry looked confused. It didn't look like an act.

"What is he planning on doing about Bella and the Damien kid?"

"Nothing's changed." He was more confused than ever.

I felt a sigh of relief. They didn't know anything.

"Why? What's going on?" he questioned.

I quickly had to put my game face back on.

"I wanted to make sure that the treaty was still in affect. I don't want Sam doing something stupid. I don't want my brother and Jacob to get hurt," I rambled nervously. I couldn't reveal too much to him.

"Does this have anything to do with why Jacob ran off earlier today?" Embry questioned. "Sam said that he and Jared saw him hauling ass away from the Cullen's place."

I had to think on my feet, something I knew I wasn't good at.

"I pissed him off," was the first thing that came to mind. Well, I did have a tendency to run guys off. "He just needed to get away for a while. He's fine."

Embry didn't look convinced. Thankfully, I heard Seth howl in the distance. Maybe he was giving me an exit strategy?

"Uh, that's my cue. I gotta go." I looked back to where he had called from.

"Okay," Embry said cheerfully. "I'll see you guys soon."

I quickly undressed and rolled my clothes up against my ankle. I let the heat consume me and hit the ground running.