Thanks again everyone. I made it extra long for y'all cuz of the two week (and day late) absence.
I don't own anything...That'd be Stephenie Meyer!
Jacob sighs. They had not had this conversation in a while. Not since Alice's vision. He had told her that he would be fine. The only things that would be hurt were the newborn vampires. He knew her reservations were still in existent but did not realize they were this bad.
"Bella, I am not going to sit out on a fight."
Bella gets off the bed and begins to put her original outfit on. "I need to go." They both wince; her voice echoes the tears in her eyes.
"Bella, it's ten of two," Jacob stands up as well. He takes the jeans from Bella's hands and throws them on the bed, "You don't need to go for hours."
Bella shakes her head. "I need to pack my bag," she says. She refuses to look at her wolf-boy. Instead she turns to the window and steps away from Jacob.
"Bella, I love you, I am going to come back to you. I promise."
Bella's shoulders shake. A sob escapes her throat. Jacob is immediately next to her sitting on his bed. He sits her on his knee. His arms are wrapped around her rubbing her back and playing with her hair.
"I love you Jacob," Bella's voice is soft. "I can't lose you. Not now."
Jacob raises a hand and pushes Bella's hair out of her face to look into her chocolate orbs. She said it..? The words had slipped right passed her barrier. Finally! "You…said…"
Bella nods. "I'm sorry it took so long…that it's a separation that forces it out. I love you so much Jake. I just figured if I hadn't said it, that you wouldn't leave because it would keep you waiting for it, for me. I know you need to fight. You're second in command. But, I just want you next to me…"
The tears pour silently down Bella's cheeks and chin. Jake wipes them away with his thumbs. "Bella, you aren't forcing me to stay with you. I am with you because I love you. I know you love me, and that it's very hard for you to tell me." He kisses her forehead.
Bella nods.
"And I never want to hear that you are sorry about never telling me that you love me. I already know it." He places a hand over her heart. A gentle thump-thump-thump drums against his large hand. "Because I can feel what you feel here. I know, Bella. Just let it all out…"
Bella nods and wraps her arms around his neck and sobs into the crook of his neck. The heart-wrenching noises made his heart hurt with each one. Slowly, they trickle to whimpers and sniffles until Bella's breathing evens out. Jake places an arm behind her back and under her knees and picks her up. He lays her on his bed and pulls the blankets up to her chin.
He walks out of his room and goes to the kitchen where the group had moved to give the lovebirds privacy. He sits down at the table with a sigh.
Emily places a hand on his arm.
"She told me, finally."
Sam, Quil, and Billy look at Jake with concern. "She said that she thought it would keep me here longer. That somehow, if she kept me waiting for her that I wouldn't fight. She cried herself to sleep. I told her that I knew…that she didn't have to tell me, I already knew…" His voice trails off.
Sam sighs. "Our first separation was the hardest, too." He looks to Emily and places a hand on her scarred cheek. "I ran away when…Well, I couldn't face what I had done. It is the most torturous feeling I have ever felt.
"It's a normal feeling, Jake. What she is feeling is normal. She's never been away from you longer than what, two maybe three hours since the imprint?" When Jake nods, Sam adds, "She's also been left for dead before. She's not sure what to think, Jake."
"My job is to protect her. I'm putting her in pain because of this fight…"
"And I also heard that she said she understood Jake."
Billy places his hand on Jacob's shoulder. "I had the same problem with your mom."
Jake turns to face his father. "Dad…"
Billy smiles. "She was the most beautiful woman on this earth. She was the best thing to happen to me. And then she gave me my girls. Then you came along, Jake."
"I took her away from you…"
"She gave you her life. She placed a kiss on your head and said she loved you and she took her last breath." Billy smiles sadly. "The loss of a mate is the worst feeling in the world. Bella has already felt loss once; she knows her heart won't heal fully if she were to run into it with you."
"It's the first separation," Emily says. "I will go with her to the Cullens'. Sam, I have to." Sam turns his head to the door of Jake's room. He turns his gaze back to Emily and nods.
Jake sighs and stands. "I need to get back to her," He says and turns towards his room.
"You can take them to the Cullens'," Sam says. "You make sure they are both safe." It's an order. Everyone knows it.
Jake walks back into his room, shutting the door quietly behind him. Bella lies in his bed still covered up to her chin. He sits on the edge of his bed and leans down and places a kiss on her forehead. Bella rolls onto her side and curls her body around Jacob, a customary habit of hers he notices.
"Bella," he whispers. Jake places a hand in hers and one in her hair. "Beautiful. I love you more than the air I breathe. You will never lose me. I am never too far from you for I can never be too far from you for too long."
Jacob picks Bella's hand up and places a kiss on her knuckles. "Isabella Swan, you are forever mine. This bond we share may be what you want it to be but you are forever my heart and soul."
He lies down next to Bella and places his ear at her chest listening to her heartbeat. It lulls him into a deep slumber.
~-~-~-~-~-
"Jake! Wait!" The russet colored fur disappears into the darkness of the forest that surrounds the Black home. Bella takes off after him. She runs and runs until she comes upon a clearing. She stumbles to her knees and sobs.
"Jake please no…"
Leaves shake and rustle around her and she looks up straight into the face of Victoria
~-~-~-~-~-
Bella struggles against the covers and shoots up from her slumber screaming. Thrashing her arms about, she pushes everything near her away in her panic. Arms try to calm her down. They wrap around her and she rocks with the body near her. A door in the background of her hysteria creaks open.
Tears blind her as they stream down her cheeks. Anxiety and fear coat the room. "Jake!" Bella sobs into his bare chest as he pulls her closer to him still rocking her.
"No please, Jake, please don't go!"
Jake sighs and places a kiss on her cheek. Sam and Emily share a look with him Guide me to make the right choice, Mom.
Sam nods at Jake and they walk in to the room. Emily sits down and places a hand on Bella's hand. "Sweetheart, I am going with you to the Cullens' home." Emily rubs circles on the back of her hand.
Bella nods showing she understands.
"I will be running patrols around the Cullen home." Jake adds.
Bella's shaking slows. "Jake, no…"
"It was an order," Sam says while standing near the door.
Bella nods and leans her head back on Jake's chest. Emily smiles and stands and Emily and Sam leave the room. With a sigh, Bella looks up into Jake's eyes. His dark orbs carry a concern that delves into his soul. She shakes her head slightly. "I'm sorry Jake. I know how much you wanted to fight."
"Sam understands that mates and their safety come before the pack. He and Emily know of the pain we feel," He places a kiss to her temple. "He also knows I would be more of a detriment to the pack than a help. Plus, I think Sam feels better knowing that Emily is safe too."
Bella nods and allows Jake to rock her into a calm disposition. They both look at the clock. 4:01pm. "I feel foolish."
Jake kisses her neck. "Don't be. My place is where you need me to be. You need me close by, and that is where I will be. I should have known that you were hurting."
Bella turns in Jake's lap and sighs. "But I kept it from you. I wanted you to be able to do something for yourself." Jacob smiles at that.
"My two purposes on this earth is to be what you need me to be and to protect you. Going and fighting is hurting you. Making you happy is what I want to do." Jacob places a chaste kiss on her lips ending the discussion.
"Let's go back to my house," Bella says. She shifts out of Jake's lap and turns to him sitting on her knees. "We can pack me up and then maybe go out for a while. Maybe take a walk. And wear clothes. Be normal please." She smirks.
Jacob growls. "Why you…" He tackles her to the bed and then lies next to her. "Get dressed." Bella nods and gets up and gets dressed.
I appreciate all the support. I apologize for being late. I have had a rather rough two weeks. It's been hectic. School finals and tackling them in one day (with only a weekend to study), family support system and going to Boston the following day, and then the matters of the heart ... It's been rough.
So review! It makes me feel better and not to mention it encourages me,
Kaleigh