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CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

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A/N:- Banner by FatesLoveQueen /oed60p

I own nothing. Boydblog helped me with this and I'll be forever thankful.

She fixed. I fiddled. Any mistakes that remain are on me.

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~ EDWARD CULLEN ~

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Bella and I lay in an intimate embrace underneath the tree for hours.

She eventually began to ask the same questions she'd asked when she'd first woken. I was initially apprehensive about how she would react to my answers.

I explained to her, how people I considered to be part of my extended family had been instrumental in her pain.

When it came to the part in the story when I had to tell her what I'd done to save her, my instinct was to hold her tighter. I was sure she would try to break free and run from me. Instead she listened calmly to the story, interjecting occasionally to ask a question or add some information she knew that I didn't.

"How do you do that?" I asked.

She looked at me with confusion clear in her eyes. "Do what?"

"Control your emotions so well."

"What do you mean?"

"I was worried all of these memories would be too painful. I still remember what it's like being a newborn. It's so easy to lose control of your emotions."

She shrugged. "I'm just too happy that I'm here, with you, to worry about those things. None of that can hurt me anymore."

"Nothing will ever hurt you again. Or come between us," I promised.

"I know."

She kissed me, her mouth hard and desperate. I was wrong when I'd said she was entirely in control. She seemed to vacillate wildly between thirst, happiness and lust. However, when compared with Rosalie, Emmett, Esme and even myself, Bella was the most controlled newborn I had ever encountered. I just hoped she remained in control when I shared the next part of the story. I had to admit to her the measures we'd taken while she was unconscious.

"Bella, there's something else I need to tell you," I admitted, knowing if she kept kissing me like she was, we'd be wrapped up in each other again in no time. Not that I would complain about taking her again, and again, and again—in fact I was very possibly becoming insatiable for her touch—but I wanted to be honest with her.

Bella stilled and waited for me to continue.

"We had to tell Charlie something to explain your disappearance."

She gasped. "Charlie!"

I could tell by the change in her demeanor that she felt emotional. I wondered that in the excitement and rush of new sensations from her change, she hadn't given her father or mother much thought.

I understood. When I woke from my transformation, my parents were already a vague shadow in my memory. It was only that I could see them in Carlisle's mind that I could even recall what they looked like.

"It's okay, love," I reassured her. "He's not happy with you at the moment, but he knows you're safe."

"What did you tell him?"

"I didn't want to say anything that would hurt you when you woke. I wanted it to be your choice when you broke off contact. You know it won't be safe for him to see you, but if he thinks you're still alive you may be able to talk to him on the phone."

"So he knows I'm okay?"

I smiled slyly. I wasn't entirely sure how she would feel about our deception. Personally, I was elated to be able to call her my wife, even if we hadn't actually taken our vows yet.

"Tell me," she demanded.

I bit down my nerves. "Charlie thinks we're on our honeymoon."

To my surprise, she laughed. "Why would he think that?"

I tilted my head in confusion, and then I realized what I'd said and how she'd taken it. She assumed Charlie just thought we'd eloped, not that he'd been presented with so much evidence over the last few days that he had no choice but to accept our marriage.

"Our family is very skilled in deception, Bella."

She smiled and nuzzled closer to me. "Our family. I like that."

"Me too."

"What did they do?"

"They've sent postcards, emails and photos. The paper-trail they've created would be enough to convince anyone that you and I have run away together to get married and live the rest of our lives."

"I like that." She smiled. "How is he taking it?"

I didn't want to lie to her. "He's angry, but that's only to be expected."

She wrapped her arms around her chest protectively; I wrapped my arms around her as well.

"Don't worry, my love, Alice has assured me he'll understand."

She nodded but her face still showed her sorrow.

An ill-feeling began to build inside me.

Is Bella having second thoughts about this life?

Does she regret asking me to save her?

"I'm sorry," I said.

Her finger whipped up to press against my lips. "No! Don't apologize. Do I wish that we'd had more time to discuss and prepare for this? Yes, of course. But I'm not sorry that I'm going to have forever to spend in your arms. I'm not sorry that all my dreams have come true."

My cold, dead heart was so filled with joy and life that I almost thought it might beat again.

"I am happy," she assured me.

"Me too, more than I could have ever imagined."

She kissed me again and straddled my lap. "I know how to make you happier."

My fingers found the curve of her hips and guided her over me. I couldn't believe how insatiable I was for her after spending so long stifling my desire and reining in my touch. Perhaps it was because of how careful I'd had to be and how unrestrained I could now be. I trailed my lips down the soft column of Bella's throat, loving the sounds that my lips could elicit from her.

'I was supposed to be there when she woke up. When I arrive, I find they've already left. It's pretty typical really, what else did I expect when it came to Bella?'

I stilled my movements as soon as I heard Jacob's internal grumbling. I gathered her dress and handed it to her. "We'll have company in a few minutes."

She pulled on her clothes and quickly stood to allow me to do the same.

"Who is it?" She asked quietly.

"Jacob."

"We need to go."

Her entire demeanor shifted, she was actually beginning to show some of the fluctuating emotions I would expect from a newborn.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"I can't be around a human."

I wrapped my arms around her, which seemed to ground her a little—at least she no longer looked like she was ready to flee at any second. "I've got you, but there's something you need to know about Jacob."

"Please don't hold me, I don't want to hurt anyone. I don't want to hurt you."

"You won't," I promised her. "But you need to know that Jacob isn't human."

"What do you mean, not human?" She chuckled nervously.

"Do you remember the Quileute legends? The ones Jacob told you on First Beach, when you didn't know what I was."

Her brow puckered in concentration for a moment before she shook her head.

I knew Jacob wasn't far off; he was close enough that he could hear our conversation. He was in human form and walking at human speed. Bella heard his footsteps and tensed in my arms.

"It's going to be fine," I said, as much to myself as to Bella. I still wasn't entirely sure where the Quileute's stood on her change.

Do they regard the treaty as broken?

"Bella?" Jacob's voice rang out through the air. 'I hope they're decent.'

"Jake? What's going on?"

Jacob's mind processed the difference in Bella's voice. He mourned for her lost humanity, but I was relieved to hear the relief that colored his thoughts that she was alive—or at least an approximation of it. I hoped it was a positive sign when it came to the way the wolves viewed her change.

He didn't answer for a moment as he closed the distance between us. When he came into our view, and when he could see Bella in return, he stopped. I watched her through his eyes, her tousled hair, her smooth, white skin. I growled in reaction to some of the thoughts that ran though his mind when he saw her. Bella's hands tightened around my arms, it was her turn to ground me.

'Don't worry, leech, you won. She's just… more beautiful than I would have thought. I didn't think it was possible.'

He took one step closer to us and Bella tensed.

"Please keep back, Jake. It's not safe for you to be near me."

He frowned. "I'm not going to hurt you, Bella."

"You don't understand. I know it seems impossible, but I'm worried I might hurt you."

Jacob grinned and then cocked an eyebrow. "Wait, for real? You think I'd let you hurt me?"

Bella started to explain, but I shook my head to silence her.

"Jacob knows what we are," I stated. "He has secrets of his own. You're both a danger to each other. I don't think either of you would intentionally hurt each other, but let's just stay where we are for the moment."

"What do you mean Jake's got secrets?" She looked between Jacob and I.

"She doesn't know?" he asked.

"As hard as it may be to believe, discussing ancient Quileute legends and how they pertain to reality hasn't really been the most important thing for us to discuss."

Jacob rolled his eyes. 'There's no need to be rude.' "I'm a wolf, Bella."

She laughed until she realized that neither Jacob nor I were laughing. Her eyebrows puckered together in concentration.

"That's what Victoria meant?" Bella said. "'Isn't that right, doggy.'"

Jacob nodded. "I'm sorry I couldn't do more. I was so close to phasing that whole time, but if I had, I know I would have killed you."

Bella shook her head. "I'm sorry that you were caught up in this mess. It's my fault."

"It wasn't your fault. No one is to blame for what Victoria did to you, no one but Victoria and her friends," I told her, rubbing her arms soothingly.

'Including the ones your family vouched for.'

I recognized Jacob's angry thoughts as instinctual and not trying to assign blame. Nonetheless, he was right and it was a reminder of another thing I'd done wrong that had hurt Bella. I just had to remind myself that she was strong now, she was unbreakable, my mistakes might have been fatal to her but despite everything she was by my side.

"The stories you told me..." Bella was concentrating hard, no doubt trying to recall old human memories. "Enemies of the wolves are the cold ones. Does that mean we're enemies now?"

Jacob crossed his arms. "What do you think, Bells? Do you hate me?"

"I don't think so."

Jacob took a few steps toward us. Bella patted my arm before stepping away from me. Seeing my mate step unprotected toward a werewolf, even one that I would almost regard as a friend, went against my every instinct. It was only the calmness in Jacob's thoughts that stilled me. The two of them stepped closer to each other while I stood behind Bella. I listened to Jacob's thoughts for any indication that his intentions were to hurt her in any way. The only thing his mind gave away was his discomfort from her new smell.

The wind shifted to blow his scent back toward us.

"What on Earth is that stench?" Bella asked turning back to me.

I had to laugh. "That would be Jacob."

Jacob screwed up his nose. "Well at least I don't smell like I bathed in a bucket of bleach."

I could see Bella's discomfort, no doubt caused by her proximity to Jacob. I closed the distance between us to help put her back at ease.

"I know your body wants to flee, but underneath that is the way you really feel."

She relaxed against me. "No, Jake, we're not enemies."

"Unless there's something you need to convey from the pack?" I interjected, seizing the opportunity to ask about the treaty.

He shook his head. "Sam appreciated what you did for the tribe, you helped hunt down our attackers and you only did what was necessary in order to save Bella. The treaty will be extended to Bella if she agrees to abide by the same rules."

"I will," Bella said before the rules had even been explained. "If it's something my family agreed to, then I'm willing to agree as well."

"We're not allowed beyond the treaty lines around La Push and we mustn't bite a human," I whispered into her ear in explanation.

Her fingers brushed her neck where she'd been bitten. "Does that mean you broke the treaty saving me?"

I nodded. "Technically, yes."

"But we're willing to overlook it," Jacob said. "Bella, the thought of you…dying. When I came to and saw you being tortured, I knew I would do anything I could to get you out of there."

Bella looked to the ground. "Thank you, and I'm sorry."

"Don't say sorry," he admonished. "Like Edward said, it wasn't your fault."

"Sorry." I chuckled.

"Actually, Jacob, there is something I have to apologize for," Edward said. I didn't anticipate Bella waking as suddenly as she did, or I would have contacted you earlier. Once she had woken, I wanted her to hunt as soon as possible or we would have waited."

He cocked an eyebrow. "Sure, hunt."

His thoughts painted vivid pictures of what he thought I was using the word as a euphemism for, especially considering our current dress. He wasn't far off base, but I didn't want to confirm that.

"Newborns need to hunt regularly, especially if we expect Bella to be able to control her instincts and only feed from animals."

Bella looked between Jacob and I, seeming to understand the non-verbal communication between us.

"I'm sorry I didn't wait for you, Jake," she said. "I really did need to hunt, and I wanted to get some answers."

He nodded. "I know, Dr Cullen explained it to me when I arrived. I wanted to give you some time, but I couldn't wait all day, I need to get back to Sam and see what his next plan is."

I could see in his thoughts the plan was about hunting Laurent and Irina, they wanted to make accountable all of those involved in the raid on the village. They'd already destroyed the blond vampire and Victoria.

"What about Kieran?" I asked.

Bella whipped her head around to look at me. "What do you mean?"

"The wolves plan to hunt everyone who attacked their village."

"You can't stop us," Jacob said. "My family was attacked and I want justice."

"I'm not going to try to stop you, my family were hurt by their actions too."

"You can't hurt Kieran," Bella said suddenly. "I know what he did was wrong, I know he hurt me, but I don't think he…"

As she began her worried rambling, Jacob's thoughts showed me exactly what happened with Kieran. I couldn't say I was happy with it, but at least it meant that Bella wasn't forced to make a similar, painful choice.

"Shh, Bella, don't worry," I assured her. "They're not going to hurt Kieran."

Jacob reached for her hand. After an initial reaction to flinch away, Bella took his hands.

"I saw what Kieran did for you, Bella. I saw him try to save you. He made a bad choice, a terrible choice, but you know what, I can understand why he did it." His eyes flickered between me and Bella. "I understand what it's like to see the person you love, in love with someone else. I know the pain that causes and how easy it is to make a mistake."

Bella frowned. I couldn't be sure whether she knew he meant he was in love with her or not, but I could tell she felt sorry for him regardless.

"Alice and Jasper were going to make sure Kieran didn't leave," I said.

"And I insisted he could. As much as I hate to admit it, he's going to be valuable to the pack. And if he steps out of line, we'll take care of him."

"Jake, you can't hurt him," Bella said.

"I won't, unless I have to. I promise."

Bella pulled him into a hug. "Thank you, Jake. I'm not sure what happens next, but please take care of Charlie."

She looked at me and I could tell by the set of her features that she was beginning to burn again.

"Thank you for seeking us out, Jacob, but Bella really needs to hunt again."

"I don't suppose I'll see you again, Bella. Take care."

"Don't say that, Jake. You're still my friend."

He nodded. "We'll see."

He pulled himself away from her arms and ran a few steps before bursting into his other form. Bella gasped with shock as the mountainous wolf appeared in front of her. He snickered internally at his reaction.

'See you 'round, Cullen,' he thought back at me as he disappeared from view.

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Bella took to immortality better than I could have imagined or hoped for. Within a week she felt ready to call Charlie to tell him she was okay. He was unsurprisingly angry at the start of the call, but calmed as she told him of her wonderful 'new' life and promised to come visit him once we were more settled. He made it clear that I wasn't welcome, but Bella had just laughed off his concerns.

Sam visited our family to officially discuss the future of the treaty, but we weren't worried after Jacob's visit. I was able to glean their plan from Sam's thoughts. Jacob, Paul and Jared had all left La Push with Kieran to hunt Laurent and Irina.

After Sam had left, we contacted Tanya from Denali again to discuss her sister's betrayal of our family and my mate. I explained what Irina had done for love, the misdeeds she performed with Laurent, the danger she'd helped place Bella in. Kate and Tanya wanted us to forgive their sister but I explained we could not be responsible for the wolves reaction. We tried to be the voice of reason, but I worried about what might happen once the wolves caught up with Laurent and Irina.

Our family began to debate what to do next. Bella and I couldn't risk being seen in the area, if we did Charlie would undoubtedly find out and want to see her. However, as the rest of my family had just moved back to Forks it was deemed too dangerous for them to move again so suddenly. In the end, we agreed Bella and I would stay with our Denali relatives until Bella was able to control herself around humans. Then we might be able to risk returning to Forks, at least temporarily.

Bella and I took our time packing the few possessions we were taking with us. It was almost a week later before we finally decided we were ready to move. We took our time on the drive, stopping at a few different hotels along the way.

When we finally arrived in Denali, Kate and Tanya were distraught.

"We've had another visitor," Kate explained. I saw in her mind a surprise arrival and the news he had to deliver.

"I'm sorry," I said.

"Irina?" Bella asked, the horror of the situation evident in her voice.

Kate nodded sadly.

"There is some good news though," Tanya said softly. I was in disbelief about what her thoughts showed.

"Kieran?" I asked. "Really?"

Tanya smiled softly.

"What's happening?" Bella asked.

"Perhaps it's best if I explain it to you?" Kieran's voice floated from the house and indicated that she should follow him inside.

Bella looked at me and I nodded and squeezed her hand gently. She took a hesitate step toward the house, turning back with concern as I released her hand to allow her to go on her own.

"Go," I said. "I'll be right out here."

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