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.

A/N: Song used is Sorry About That by Alkaline Trio. :(

And maybe I just set aside,
The fact that you were broken-hearted,
In my own special selfish way.
And if I hadn't set aside,
The fact that you were broken-hearted,
Hell knows where your heart would be today,
Maybe with me.

Chapter Five: Ramifications

I never truly appreciated the phrase "freezing to death" until that night. Edward hugged his knees awkwardly in the opposite corner of the tent, giving my quivering form pained glances as I willed my teeth to stop chattering. It wasn't just numbness, it was this bitter, painful chill that just seemed to be getting worse and worse as time went on. Through the wind battering the sides of the tent, the low, mournful howl of Seth's wolf could be heard. A rumble of guilt echoed in my stomach that he was outside in such a blizzard – he was still just a kid, after all. Periodically, Edward cast a glance towards the entrance and frowned. I had no idea what was silently being relayed between them, but the look on Edward's face told me that it wasn't to his liking.

"W-what-ss Wr-rong?" I said, attempting to clench my jaw in an effort to stop the now painful chattering. I felt like I was being stabbed all over by tiny needles, and wondered exactly what the first signs of frostbite were. More than anything, I wished Edward could take me in his arms and dull the pain, but I knew better than to expect comfort from his embrace. If anything, cuddling up to my fiance would only exacerbate the problem.

"Doesn't he think I know that? Tell him it's none of his concern!" Edward snapped, and a small whimper came as the reply. I got the feeling that Seth's mind wasn't the only one he was reading – Jake must have been phased too.

"Eh-Edward," I warned. "P-please don't f-fight."

He gave me a remorseful look and held out his hand to caress my cheek, before thinking better of it.

"I'm sorry, love, but the dog is being impossible. He suggested I take you back to your house – I just know you wouldn't hear of it, but he's blaming me."

"J-Jake is?" I said, getting more than a little embarrassed by the sound of my whimpering.

"He's keeping an eye on things through Seth., taking his foul mood out on us and saying that I can't care for you properly," he grumbled. His head jerked away again, in the direction of where I assumed Seth's wolf was. A long pause was filled only with the howling storm before Edward raised a brow, curling his mouth on one side thoughtfully. "That's about the first useful suggestion you've had all evening..." That was directed towards our temporary guard-dog, or more accurately Jacob, not me.

"Wh-hats going on?" I asked, getting frustrated by the one-sided conversation they were having, especially since it was about yours truly. Edward let out a sigh and shuffled further away from the opening.

"Jacob has asked Seth to be your own personal heating-pad. Normally I wouldn't agree, but desperate times..." he said morosely. I knew this had to be difficult for him – Edward wasn't accustomed to feeling useless.

Amazingly, the situation I was in left no room for embarrassment. I was just thankful that it had been sweet, innocent Seth Clearwater who was edging his large muzzle into the spacious tent – who knows how awkward it would have been had someone else been guarding us. He was the only wolf Edward seemed to truly like, and he entered as cautiously and respectfully as his large limbs allowed. His intelligent brown eyes looked at me sheepishly as he edged in, and for a second I wondered how he would even fit, until his flank curled round the corner of the canvas. Seth was one of the packs smallest members, after all. Without invitation. I buried my nose in his fur, desperately absorbing any warmth his body was giving out and curling my stiff fingers in the tendrils closest to my face. He was like a huge down comforter but even more inviting. Once my voice didn't sound like a badly-tuned radio station, I whispered my thanks. Seth grunted softly in return.

"He says you're welcome, but your fingers are bony," Edward translated with a soft smirk. Seth lifted his head suddenly and whined – I don't think I was meant to know the 'bony' part. If wolves could blush, I think I would have witnessed it first hand. It would have matched my own.

"Sorry, Seth. I'm getting pretty numb all over, I guess I didn't realise how tight I was holding on to you."

We stayed in companionable silence for some minutes after that, my body slowly coming back to a safe temperature while the sound of a massive canine heartbeat rhythmically spread calm throughout my body. Edward laughed softly, capturing my attention, but his was focused on Seth.

"Yes, she does smell good. Keep your paws to yourself, though, pup," he said.

It was kind of amazing the contrast between his relationship with Seth and his one with Jake. Did Edward actually see Jake as a threat? Is that why he was so uncomfortable with his feelings for me? The thought was ridiculous. I was committed to Edward, one hundred percent. Sure, I'd been having chills in my feet about becoming a vampire, and about leaving my family and friends behind, but that was just what any sane person would do – it was nothing to do with my relationship with him. Jake and I were friends.

Seth sniffled softly, a large paw moving to cover his head as his ears flattened. I looked at him questioningly, wondering what had happened to gauge such a reaction.

"Jacob's giving him the same speech. Seems I'm not the only one jealous of Seth right now," Edward said tightly. I squirmed in discomfort and contemplated moving away from my life-size teddy-bear, but the rush of cold air between us had me thinking better of it. Surviving the night somehow took precedence over placating the werewolf-vampire pissing contest that was raging on around me. Edward met my eyes and gave me a reassuring smile.

"Stop worrying. It's not your fault the dog's been snapping. Probably has fleas," Edward jibed. I could feel Seth wince beside me and decided that for once, I didn't want Jacob's thoughts translated. I could pretty much imagine what he was thinking. "Do you think you're warm enough to sleep, love?"

I nodded softly into Seth's ribs. Truth was, my eyes had begun feeling heavy the moment I snuggled into the puppy-soft, sandy fur – it was only my anxiety keeping me alert, and the unease that came with Jacob's anger towards me. Finally, I felt the darkness of sleep enveloping me, making the feat of tuning out the angry storm outside slightly easier, but only just. I was on the precipice of sleep when I felt a cool hand thread through my hair.

"Don't worry, love. I promise that I'll take you somewhere warm for the honeymoon."

I was too dazed to realise the damage that my answer would cause.

"You better," I murmered drowsily.

My eyes shot open wide when Seth let out an anguished cry. Shit. I'd spent the past week keeping my engagement a secret from Jacob and this is how he finds out? Through the pack mind, and when he's not even within range? My stomach roiled painfully, and I felt the remnants of the evening's dinner threaten to make a reappearance. I knew Seth was itching to either leave or phase human, but the way I was curled into him still made it impossible. I jerked back as if he was on fire to catch the slightly satisfied look Edward was doing a poor job of hiding.

What have I done?

I could feel it starting – instantaneously, the guilt clawed at me, the whooshing in my ears began as if the tent had been torn away and the blizzard was now surrounding my prone form – there was no way to come back from this. I'd hurt Jake in the worst way, and he wasn't even here for me to make an attempt at comforting him. My vision blurred with tears as the interior of the tent melted away. I was almost expecting this to happen, and for once, it was going to work on my terms. I just wanted to be close to Jacob. I wanted to go back to a time before I'd hurt him, and before everything got so complicated between us.

Looking round the interior of the movie theatre, I realised that wasn't going to be possible. There had never been a time when things between us weren't complicated – the lines of our friendship had constantly been blurred and I was powerless to stop any of it. It was always going to happen this way – he would always be hurt and I'd always feel guilty about how I was treating him. My attention was focused away from the barely-remembered movie playing on the large screen and down to the arm rests either side of me. To my right, Mike Newton sat silently, wincing in disgust at the unfolding gore playing out before us, his hand inching closer to me as he pretended he hadn't noticed. On the left, a large, russet hand was outstretched, subtly waiting for me to accept the invitation. I glanced at Jacob, tears welling in my eyes as I took in the serene calm on his face. It seemed like forever since he looked that way to me. It was forever since his only worry was whether I'd let him in or not.

I faltered. My heart ached for the future version of this amazing guy, somewhere amidst the span of time, who was hurting beyond what I thought I could repair. It seemed like such a distance away now, and I new that it would be a long time before I got the chance to be this close to him again without the torrent of betrayal he had to be feeling because of me. It was selfish, but how was I going to face him again, knowing what he'd heard and what it had to be doing to him? He shot me a soft smile, not pressuring me, just encouraging. It would be so easy to give him this. At least he would have something to remind him that I still held him in my heart. For the first time, I realised that it wasn't just Jacob's hurt that as getting to me – it was mine. I'd held off on announcing the engagement because I hadn't admitted to myself what it would bring – closure. Once Jacob knew I was marrying Edward, he'd know his chances were gone. The bravado he'd displayed before, when he'd informed me in his self-assured way that I was in love with him would disappear, and he'd be left defeated and hopeless. It was in that moment that I knew why I had been reluctant to let that happen. I didn't want to tell Jake I was marrying Edward because I was scared he'd stop fighting for me.

I didn't want him to stop fighting because a part of me wanted him to win.

How had I been this blind? Sure, when all this was happening, I was still a shell of myself, still pining for a lost love that had crippled every cell of my being, leaving me as broken and useless as scrap metal before the right person with the right skills came along. I was unfixable before I'd let Jake take a good look at me and decide that I was worth salvaging. Jacob's love for me had made me whole again – not only that, it had made me better than I was before. A whole new person, repaired, shiny and new.. just in time for the previous owner of my heart to come back and claim me. How selfish had I been? I'd been lying to myself and everyone around me, and most of all to Jake.

It was too late, now. I knew how this story played out, and I knew how it ended for the both of us – in tears. Still, I was back in this lost moment. Here with Jake, my best friend, my healer and my confidant. If it would bring him the smallest amount of happiness when he remembered this, I could give him that much. I owed him so much more.

I sucked in a ragged breath, lifted my hand, and rested it in his.

Charlie POV

The next morning...

Far be it from me to complain, but Billy was a piss-poor host. He'd gone out of his way to invite me to his house, telling me that Jake was leaving for some tribal youth meeting and had skipped out on their plans together, so he was at a loose end. It felt for all the world like some scheduled play date, but I felt I was due a little downtime. Who cares if I was being herded around for the day? We'd talked about going fishing, but when I got to his house at six am to pick him up, he'd still been asleep. Billy Black had been one of my best friends my whole life and I had never once known him to sleep in, especially not for some quality man-time by the river – something was definitely up. I made coffee while he dressed, wondering when exactly Jake had left. It was light out, but there was no evidence of breakfast dishes in the sink or the usual mess that boy left in his wake. It looked for all the world like Jake hadn't been home in over a day.

Billy's eyes were bleary when he appeared in their tiny kitchen again, reaching for the coffee-pot without so much as a good-morning. The anticipation of the day ahead ebbed away – looked like we weren't going anywhere.

"Hit up some wild party last night, old man?" I jibed good-naturedly. He wasn't having any of it and my smirk melted clean off my face. "What's eatin' you?"

He shrugged absent-mindedly. "Didn't get much sleep."

I raised an eyebrow, knowing that wasn't the end of the story. "And? You stayed up three days straight the weekend you and Sarah got hitched, you never were one for much sleep, Black. What's so different about this?"

"I was twenty when I got married, Charlie. Not allowed to feel my age now?" he snapped. I held up my hands in surrender.

"Whoa... just messing with you, alright? I can see you're not in a fishing mood, forget I said anything."

He huffed out a deep sigh and wheeled to the fridge to retrieve the milk. "Sorry. Just starting to get a little frustrated. Getting older would be bad enough if I wasn't stuck in this damn chair," he said, hitting his fist off the arm rest. "Kind of feeling a little useless."

I frowned deeply. "Where did this come from? Last week you were giving me hell about Native men ageing gracefully while us white guys ended up looking like the Crypt Keeper," I reminded.

"That's still true," he smirked. "But Jake's got a lot on his plate right now. Guess I'd feel a little more useful if I could shoulder some of the burden. Take the fight out of his hands."

Now I was really confused. "Is Jake in some kind of trouble?" I thought of that kid as my own blood, and he didn't seem the type to get mixed up in anything bad – but then again we all made poor decisions at sixteen. "Is it something to do with that gang Bella said he was a part of?"

Billy scoffed and shook his head. "Hardly. And I don't think Bella's the best authority on life decisions, Charlie," he sneered.

I stiffened. Sure, Billy could be in a bad mood all he wanted, but making snide comments about Bells was never alright.

"Careful, old man. That's my baby girl you're talking about."

His posture didn't relax and he shot me a stiff glare. "Be that as it may, she's still the reason I was up most of the night with Jake. She just about broke his heart all over again," he said coldly. "Girls her age don't realise the implications their decisions have on the rest of us. Especially those who are as sweet on them as Jake is on her. She's been stringing him along for months, letting him get close before pushing him away all over again."

I ran a weary hand over my face – it was way too early for this shit.

"Look, Billy. You know more than anyone that I can't stand that slimy Cullen kid. He gives me the creeps, but Bells likes him, and I can't help it if she likes Jake too. What do you want me to do, forbid her from seeing Edwin?"

"It would be the responsible thing to do, if you were doing your job right."

That was the sore spot. I'd failed Bella more often than not when it came to being a proper parent – it was only in the last few months that I felt like we were making real progress. I knew it was mostly down to Jacob, but that didn't mean I had to stand here and listen to his father – my closest friend – dole out unwanted life advice. Bells and I were doing just fine as we were.

"Billy, I know you're upset, but I suggest you keep your opinions to yourself until I ask for 'em," I warned. He just shrugged before replying.

"Can't say I didn't warn you. I'd make the most of your time with her, Charlie, You mightn't have much left."

I felt my hackles rise – it sounded way too much like a threat to me. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" I snapped, and Billy averted his gaze guiltily.

"Nothing, forget I said anything, alright?"

"No, tell me what you're getting at. Do you know something I don't?"

There was a pregnant pause before he shook his head.

"No... dammit Charlie, I'm just tired. Let me finish this cup and I'll get my stuff, and we can spend the day forgetting about our kids."

I didn't feel like doing anything with him right then. It was becoming more and more obvious that Billy had been holding back his feelings on Bella – friendship or not, nobody insulted my family.

"Forget it... don't much feel like it anymore, and there's a bunch of casework at the station I've been putting off. We can do this some other time." I turned away from him and made for the door, before he called out after me in an attempt to change my mind.

"Charlie, wait... I'm sorry, Come on. We can still figure out something, maybe Sue will take pity on us poor bachelors and serve up some of Harry's fish fry later," he said, and I didn't miss the panic in his voice. Screw it, let him stew.

"Sorry, Billy. Maybe we can take a rain-check," I said before slamming the door behind me.

I spent the morning in my office, focusing on paperwork and trying all I could to keep my mind off the spat with Billy. In all our years of friendship, I could count on one hand the amount of times we'd argued. Most of it was over sports or after we'd had one-too-many beers; never like this. I knew Billy felt some sort of responsibility for Bells – hell, our kids were all we had and we looked out for each other as best we could, but I couldn't shake the feeling that Billy knew more than he was letting on. He got that glint in his eye that always told me it was something he wasn't willing or able to share, but maybe it was for my own good.

I needed to stop thinking about this – I was starting to worry I'd grow ovaries with all the time I'd spent dwelling on it. I'd call Billy later... invite him over to watch a game and it'd all be good. I'd just let him sit on it for a bit. Couldn't hurt.

No sooner had I made up my mind when a strange call came in. I wasn't even meant to be on duty today, but Agnes Howard had complained of a disturbance in the woods near her house – something about loud explosions and smoke. The old lady was deaf in one ear and half crazy from living by herself with no-one to talk to all day, but we kept an eye on her. She needed it more often than not and she'd never called in for something serious before – it was usually that her dog had gone missing – even though she didn't have one - or that she'd seen some kind of red-headed demon in the woods; complete fairy stories, but this was new. It didn't sound like anything we would have granted a permit for, so I took to checking it out. If nothing else, it'd stop her bothering us for a while.

She wasn't wrong about the smoke, anyway. I was still a mile off from where she lived when I saw it – thick, dark purple plumes that reached taller than a skyscraper into the clouds. The air was choked with it and I wound up the windows of the cruiser automatically before radioing in for the fire department. Agnes sure wasn't making it up, this time.

I parked on the roadside, hell bent on waiting for the fire-truck to show up when I heard a weird noise. It was a cracking, almost like trees were being snapped in two by something huge, but I couldn't picture anything in my head that could do something like that. I stepped out of the cruiser and edged into the forest, following the noise but careful to stay back in case it was some kind of rogue bear, or those wolves we'd been hunting but never found a trace of.

The noise stopped for several long seconds before starting up again – this time closer in succession and getting louder and louder by the minute. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. Whatever it was, it was coming straight for me, and fast. I stood rooted to the spot, not ashamed to say that I was frozen with a mixture of fear and curiosity. What appeared then, between the trees in front of me was not what I expected.

It was a kid, no older than Jacob's age but not built the same. He was African American, but his skin had this ashen appearance that made it look like he was not in good health. I held out a hand defensively, not sure where this fear was really coming from. This was just a lost child, probably scared and needing a little help. It wasn't until he inhaled deeply and looked me square in the eye that I realised how wrong I was.

Whoever this kid used to be, he wasn't that any more. His eyes were a brilliant red, and he looked at me with a feral anger that chilled me right to my very bones. I knew before I started backing away that it would be too late.

The last image to enter my mind before he sank those burning teeth into me was a flash of grey, spotted fur between the trees. The pain of the bite was only numbed as I felt the blood drain out of me and my strength dissipate. I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe, and all I could think of was that someone was going to have to tell Bella. I hated delivering bad news – it was the one part of the job I despised. I wondered who was going to tell my girl that her Daddy was gone.

My chest tightened, and I wondered how far out the fire department was. Could they even help me? I didn't think I could hold on much more.

The dull screech of the sirens echoed in the distance as my hearing started to go. It was the last of my senses to leave me, giving way to a serene calm once the burning started to numb.

The last sound I heard was a low, deep growl, louder and more threatening than any animal I'd ever heard. I didn't need my sight to know what it was.

Huh. Guess those wolves were real.

A/N: The next chapter picks up where the Prologue left off. Did you guess correctly who it was that died when you first read it?

Let me know!

Reviews make me happy, and I need that after what I just did to Charlie Swan. :(