A/N:Thanks for waiting, everybody! I appreciate your support so very much!
My sincerest thanks to Katmom, for keeping me from looking silly, and to sherryola and Noble Korhedron for pre-reading. They provide invaluable input and I appreciate their help with this piece so very much!
Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight and all the characters; we're just exploring the blooper reel! No copyright infringement is intended.
Chapter 25 – En Prise
When the night hours waned and gave way to the misty, pale dawn, Jasper and Jacob called us in for debriefing. They wanted to talk with those of us in Sam's patrol, before the wolves turned in for the day. I waited until Edward joined me, and we walked to the meeting place together. I was rather somber, still thinking about the events of the attack. It wasn't long before Edward couldn't stand it.
"What are you thinking about, love?" he asked.
"Oh, just what happened last night. I mean, this morning," I answered. "I thought maybe if I had run with my shield fully extended I might have been able to reach Seth or Brady. But Sam was too far ahead."
"Don't blame yourself," he said. "You did what you needed to do, and nobody was hurt."
"I know, but I just wonder if I could have done something better," I persisted.
"I'm sure that's what Jasper wants to talk about," he said with a wry smile.
When we got to the clearing, Jacob and Sam were in human form, so they could talk with us. Carlisle and Eleazar were also there with Jasper. No sooner did we enter the circle than Jacob started.
"So, this isn't working," he said brusquely. "They didn't need to cross the river in order to hit us."
"Perhaps, but they still can't kill you from a distance," Jasper pointed out. "If they are serious, they'll have to move in."
"Do your elders recall anything that would help us in this situation?" Carlisle asked.
"No," Sam answered. "None of the vampires in our lore had special abilities."
"Why are we just sitting and waiting?" Jake asked with a frown. "They didn't bite tonight. And if they don't bite then we can't do anything."
"You're right that they didn't bite." Jasper held up a hand. "But we have to be careful. With the effect Jane's gift has on the wolf-link, the entire tribe can be disabled, and Alec can easily handle the ten of us. When you're out-gunned, you have to think defensively. Charging into the face of over-whelming force would be suicide."
"But if we don't take them out somehow, this won't ever end. Do you really want to spend the rest of your life on the Rez?"
Jasper laughed, humorlessly. "Somehow I don't think it will come to that. But it does raise the question – what are they up to? They've struck twice so far, but didn't follow through in either instance. The first time, the purpose of killing Bradley might have been to lure you into a trap, but they didn't. Tonight they struck, but didn't inflict any damage."
Eleazar cleared his throat. "They're taking our measure. They were waiting to see what we would do, and now they know – we've sided with the wolves. They've also seen Bella in action. So they have to be taking the increased numbers into account."
"They're up to something," Sam said.
Carlisle nodded. "They have their just cause now. Why haven't they just come down on us like the covens before?"
Eleazar's puzzlement showed on his face. "Yes, that was the pattern. But where is Aro?"
"What's this?" Jacob asked with raised eyebrow.
"The leader of the Volturi is a…collector," said Edward with a grimace. "He's been systematically finding talented vampires, and he's not above destroying a coven to get them."
"So he's gunning for you."
"We think so," Edward continued. "But he and more of the Guard would normally show up for one of these operations. So I'm not sure. Could it just be a search and destroy mission?"
I had to disagree at this point. "I don't think so. They pretty much had us dead to rights. I thought any second they were going to come out of the water and finish us, but they didn't."
Jasper pursed his lips and nodded. "True. They could have remained submerged in the river, waiting for the patrol to pass. Alec could have spread his power like fly-paper and waited for you to blunder into it. This wasn't a serious offensive. They're still poking at us."
"Then maybe we should poke back." Jacob's voice rose, and he threw his hands in the air.
Edward frowned. "Mass assault?"
Jasper shook his head quickly. "Not a good idea. You wolves are like light cavalry: fast and mobile, but you still need to get close enough to tear them apart. Jane only needs to get hold of one of you to disable the entire force."
"Then we should bury them with numbers!" Jacob was getting a little frustrated. "Look, even if she gets hold of one of us, maybe it hurts like hell, but it doesn't kill us. The second she stopped we were fine. She'll have to stay on us to keep us down, because if we get up they're dead meat. Like you said before, we'll distract them. You flank them and take them out."
"Or we could distract them, and you kill them," Carlisle said, still calm in the face of Jacob's outburst. "It would make more sense because some of us they may prefer to take alive, and that will slow them down."
I felt a moment of instant panic, when they mentioned 'mass assault.' The last time we had talked about this, it had been discarded as foolhardy. "Wait a minute, are you guys kidding? Didn't you say that mass assault was a bad idea? What's changed since then?"
Jasper's voice was fairly level, and very patient. "Our options are more limited, Bella. You have to be able to adjust to what your enemy is doing, and they're not going to leave unless we drive them off or kill them. If we can't maneuver them into a position we want, we may have to go after them."
I was a little flustered in the face of his cool logic and tried to think of some kind of alternative. "Can't we shoot them or something?"
Now it was Edward's turn to be patient, and he gave me a little smile. "Bella, first, we're more or less bulletproof. Second, how would we explain a gun battle on the reservation? The sounds of hunting season is one thing, but a war? Anti-tank missiles might be effective, but even if Jasper could get them, how would we explain the explosions?"
I sat speechless as I absorbed this. I had hoped modern weaponry might give us an edge.
Edward rubbed my back in encouragement. "I know you're concerned, love, but this is what we have to work with."
Eleazar nodded. "We have to consider, now that they have just cause, that Aro and the rest of the Guard may come calling after all. But even if they don't, we still have Jane and Alec to contend with, and we don't know where they are. We can't simply blunder through the wilderness hoping to come across the enemy."
Jasper regarded Eleazar. "We need to reconnoiter," he declared.
"Definitely," Eleazar agreed.
Jasper slapped a hand on his thigh. "All right, we'll need to scout out their location. We need a few extremely stealthy warriors who can remain undetected. Once they've located the enemy, do not engage. Report their location and what they're doing. Then we'll figure out what to do."
Jacob jerked a thumb at Edward. "Can any of them hear like him?"
Eleazar shook his head. "As far as we know, the only telepath they have is Aro, and he must touch to hear thoughts. The rest rely on normal senses."
"No problem, then," Jacob said. "We're wolves. The night forest belongs to us. And we don't need a noisy radio to communicate."
"Fair enough, then that's what we'll do," Jasper said and rose to his feet. "You and I should establish a search pattern. Then tonight we send out the scouts. Hopefully we can find them and end this."
Jacob gave a tight, fierce smile. "That's what I'm talking about." He raised his voice and addressed the assembled wolves. "Get some rest. You're gonna need it for tonight."
= = CR = = CR = = CR = =
After Jacob dismissed the pack, he asked a number of the younger wolves to hold back for a minute. He asked if they were tired, and they were only too eager to say that they weren't. Jake assigned them to stand sentry for a couple hours until the sun was completely up, because he wanted to make sure we didn't get a surprise visit. I was rather impressed with the way Jacob dealt with the members of his pack. He had the authority to order them, but preferred not to.
Watching Jake's management skills made me think about his assignments. In the two nights we had run patrol, he hadn't assigned me to his unit, even though it made more sense to protect the alpha wolf. But I think I knew why – he was avoiding me. And while it bothered me, I didn't want to say anything. It couldn't be easy for him, having to put up with vampires on his land when he had originally objected to our help. The least I could do was to make things easier for him by staying out of his way.
I had sworn to Edward that I wouldn't get involved with Jacob again, and I meant it. But that didn't stop me from wondering about him, and wanting to know if he was getting any better. I couldn't stop thinking about it after Edward had walked me back to my post. On this subject, the serene forest setting did nothing for my peace of mind. Not that I could come right out and ask him. But after a while, I thought maybe I could ask Leah.
Since Charlie had been old friends with Harry, Leah and Seth were childhood acquaintances of mine, just like with Jacob and his sisters. We kids had been thrown together to entertain each other while our fathers tried their hardest to reduce the fish population. But when I moved down to Phoenix, there was a long stretch where we lost touch, and I probably hadn't endeared myself to Leah with my issues with Jake. This might be an imposition and was bound to be awkward, but I had to know.
For a long while I waffled on whether I should say something, feeling like a little girl who needed to go to the bathroom but was too embarrassed to ask. If anything were to go down tonight, I needed to be able to concentrate, and not be distracted by minor issues. Judging by the amount of light coming through the clouds, we still had a few hours left until sundown. I could find Leah, talk to her, and be done in plenty of time. I picked up my radio. "Jasper? It's Bella."
"Yes?"
"Sorry to bother you, but I'm running out of Kate's ointment. I've been using a lot more to mask my scent. I should get some more before patrol tonight."
"All right," Jasper said. "We'll shift over to cover your area."
"Thanks, Jasper." I left my sentry post and headed to our little encampment. Back at the tents, I picked up a fresh jar of ointment. If I was looking for Leah, I would have to start at Sue Clearwater's house, and she was full human. I also didn't want to look too bizarre, so I scrubbed my face clean with a towel to remove the camouflage makeup.
I kept to the trees as I ran down to the Clearwater's. It was cloudy enough to go out in the open, but without Edward I didn't know if my father or anybody else who knew me might be on the reservation, so I kept under cover.
The Clearwater house was a yellow with white trim, ranch style house. An old wooden bench sat under the roof over the front porch. Around the side of the house, a vegetable garden with a high fence to keep the deer out gave the scene a very homey feel.
I applied a fresh dose of ointment, then edged out from under the trees and took a long look up and down the road. There was nobody around so I hurried across. I knocked and, after a short wait, the door opened.
Sue's eyes widened in her thin, sharp face when she recognized me, then she gave me a welcoming smile. "Hello, Bella. What brings you out here?"
"Hi, Mrs. Clearwater." She was carrying a dish towel and a paring knife. "Sorry, if I'm here at a bad time. I was hoping to talk to Leah."
"She's not here right now. I was just starting to fix supper." Sue gazed at me silently for a long moment, obviously weighing something. "Are you, uh, supposed to be on sentry duty?"
I nodded. "They're covering for me. I was hoping to ask her something quick and then get back."
"Do you want to wait for her?"
"If it's not too much trouble."
Sue turned her head. "Seth! Where's your sister?" she called. Then she opened the door wider, and stepped back.
I thanked her and followed her in. She made her way to the kitchen, where some peeled carrots were sitting on the counter waiting to be cut.
"Haven't seen you since the wedding," Sue said, picking up her work where she left off. The sound of chopping rose in the kitchen. "How does it feel to be a married woman?"
I got a little uncomfortable to talk about myself, not sure how she looked on my…other changes. "It's been good…but very different."
One of her eyebrows twitched as if she was thinking "no kidding."
Hoping to steer the subject away from myself, I asked, "Have you talked to my dad, lately?"
"Yes. Matter of fact, he's coming over tonight for dinner after his shift."
That was a surprise. "Oh. I better be gone before he gets here, then. How's he doing?"
"A little lonely, I think. He's been spending more time with me and Billy. He's very proud of you for getting into college." She looked sideways at me.
Embarrassed, I dropped my eyes. "We are taking classes. Just online."
"Uh-huh."
I caught her eyes with my own. "You won't…mention anything to him, will you?"
Sue didn't say anything for a while, just kept chopping. "No, I won't. You and I both have our secrets to keep from him." Sue set down her knife and leaned on the counter, a sincere expression on her face. "But he misses you, you know. Someday you'll need to make a decision."
I dropped my eyes again. "I know," I said softly. "I miss him, too." And by the last e-mail I had received from her, my mom also missed me. The knowledge that I had already made my decision didn't make thoughts of the future any easier.
I was saved by the sound of a door opening. Seth walked into the kitchen, yawning, his dark hair still mussed from sleeping. His eyes opened wider when he saw me.
"Hey, Bella," he mumbled, still a little bleary eyed. "Whatcha doing?"
"Looking for Leah," I replied. "Do you know where she is?"
Seth scratched his head. "Well if she's not here or hanging out at Jake's, she's probably down at the beach." Of course, it figured he would know his werewolf sister's mind better than their mother did.
"Thanks, Seth," I pushed away from the counter. "I'll go look for her down there."
"If you see her, tell her to come help with supper," Sue requested.
"I will. Thanks, Mrs. Clearwater. See you later, Seth," I said as I walked out of the kitchen.
"Later," Seth said, and reached for the refrigerator door.
I took to the trees again on my way down to the beach. I figured I'd try there, first. If Leah wasn't there and she was over at Jacob's house, I would talk to her another time. I didn't want to run into Jacob unnecessarily.
Emerging from the trees, I trotted down the gravelly path that led to the beach. I hadn't been here since that last time with Jake, and a number of memories rose in my head. We had talked here, and fought here. He'd pulled me from the water and saved my life here. It seemed like so long ago, but these human memories were fairly strong.
I walked slowly, scanning the beach for Leah. As the driftwood log that Jake and I called 'our tree' came into view, I realized with a moment's irritation that she was sitting on it. Dressed in only a T-shirt and shorts, she was gazing out at the heavy surf, the ocean breeze riffling her short, black hair. Turning at my approach, she raised her eyebrows slightly when she saw me but that was all, so I felt a little encouraged. At least she wasn't openly hostile.
"Hi, Leah," I said as I drew near.
"Hey," she said and flicked her hair out of her eyes. "What's up?"
"Your mom wanted me to ask if you could help with dinner. I guess my dad is coming over." I sat down on the log a few feet away from her. The breeze blew my scent away from us, so at least I wouldn't be offending her that way.
Leah gave a little grimace. "He's been doing that a lot."
"Really?" I couldn't hide my surprise. "Well, your dad was one of his best friends, so I'm not surprised he's keeping your mom company."
"Yeah."
I watched a couple seagulls flying together over the breaking waves, their plaintive calls echoing across the beach. An odd thought came to mind. "You don't think they…"
Leah shook her head. "Hmm…awkward," she said.
We both laughed nervously at that. My dad had been a bachelor for so long that I couldn't really picture him any other way. And if he and Sue were to get married someday that would make Leah and I…
I gave another nervous chuckle at the thought. To cover it, I reached down, picked up a stone, and pitched it at the ocean. The rock whistled through the air and landed beyond the breaking surf, about where I had seen Jacob throw. But I wasn't using my full strength.
"Ha!" I muttered with satisfaction. I turned back to Leah. "I didn't see you at the pack meeting this morning."
"Had to drive my mom to Port Angeles to get some medication for Old Quil," she said. "And I'm not part of the pack, really, so I don't have to be there." She said the last sentence with a bit of pride.
"Do you…like not being part of the pack?"
Leah smiled. "It's much better. Now at least my brain is my own space."
"You don't ever miss it?"
Leah pursed her lips. "Sometimes when we hunt together, it would be useful to be able to communicate easier. But otherwise, no."
I nodded my understanding. Edward was right, she wasn't quite so bitter anymore, much more like the girl I used to know. I was glad she had been able to find some kind of peace.
"Not that it's any of my business," Leah spoke. "But why would you want to do that to yourself?" She indicated my body with a sweep of her arm. "You were smart, nice looking and you had not just Jake, but some of the other boys around here drooling after you. Why?"
Without asking, the image of Edward's face and how he made me feel came to my mind, and I could feel a slight tingle rise on the back of my neck. "For Edward," I answered. "It was always for Edward. Once I met him it was all over for anybody else."
"Then why'd you string Jacob along?" Leah's question was blunt, but that was one thing I remembered about her. She wasn't one to pull any punches.
"I…I didn't mean for it to happen that way," I said lamely. "He held me up when I was down. When Edward came back I should have broken it off, but I didn't. It was selfish of me. Now, I'm trying to keep my distance. That's why I'm talking to you, and not bothering him."
Leah's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"
I twisted my fingers in my lap and forced myself to get the words out. "I know I don't have the right to ask but…how is Jake? I know he's been hanging out with you a bit, and I just wonder if he's, you know, feeling any better these days"
"Boy, you do have some nerve," Leah said. "You know it's not really your business anymore." She pointed an accusing finger at me and her eyes flashed briefly. "You turned him down. That just about killed him for a while. I'm not in his head anymore, but back when I was, you were the only thing he would think about when he had a waking moment."
Leah broke off and turned back toward the ocean, silently fuming. Her intensity made me think that she might be feeling more than just friendship or loyalty to the pack leader. Without looking at me, she continued. "He started to get better when you went off to Alaska. But he's been angrier since you came back, so I'd say he's not completely okay."
I latched on to the one part of her tirade that gave me some hope for Jacob. "But he did get a little better for a while?"
She looked at me from the corner of her eye. "Yeah, when you were out of town. He actually started thinking about doing something useful, like getting his mechanic's certification."
"He'd be good at that," I said, and Leah agreed. Part of me was relieved that he might begin to feel better after a few months away from me. At least he wasn't as mental as I was when Edward left me. A very small part of me was dismayed at the idea, but I was just going to have to get used to it. "Well, if we get out of this mess alive, I'll just have to see that he gets enough space from me."
"That'll be a good start," Leah said, then fixed me with a steely gaze. "But if you start playing him again…" she said ominously.
"Don't worry," I tried to reassure her. "I want him to be happy. If space is the way for him to get there, I'm all over space."
Vampire senses twitched — the crunching of footsteps on gravel. I looked over my shoulder and Jacob came into view, walking down the path towards the beach. In a flash of panic I considered running for it but it was too late. He saw me sitting with Leah and his eyes widened briefly before his face locked back down.
"Leah, your mom's looking for you," he called out with no preamble.
"Yeah, Bella was telling me that."
Jacob didn't answer her but kept his eyes focused on me the entire time.
Leah got up to leave. "Okay, I better go. See you later, Bella." As she left she gave me a rather intense look, as if to remind me. I didn't need to be reminded, since meeting Jacob wasn't what I had planned.
"Yeah, later," I responded, a bit late.
Jacob came to a stop at the end of the tree and regarded me over the long, awkward silence. His eyes seemed to alternate between anger and pain, and one cheek muscle twitched as he tried to gather himself. Finally he settled into the expressionless mask of not-my-Jacob. I gave an inward sigh; it was to be expected.
"Hi." I finally spoke, unable to stand the silence any longer.
"Hi," was his dull response. "So…you been pumping Leah for information?"
"I just wanted to see if you were doing okay."
Jake snorted. "You barely talk to me, and then when I see you you're sneaking around to Leah. Why don't you just come ask me yourself?"
His tone started to get my back up, but I didn't want to argue with him. "I didn't want to bother you," I said. "And most of the time I've seen you, you've been a wolf. I figured you were avoiding me when you didn't assign me to your patrol. Don't you think it makes more sense to protect the alpha wolf?"
Jake finally cast his gaze down and mumbled something too low for vampire hearing.
"What?" I asked.
A little louder, he said, "I was avoiding you."
"Oh." I glanced out at the grey, pounding waves. It wasn't blowing as bad as when I had jumped off the cliff but it would be unpleasant for a human. I turned back to Jacob, who had finally raised his head. "Do you want me to go?"
He shrugged one shoulder, barely an annoyed twitch, but didn't give any indication that he cared one way or the other. After a long silence, I finally asked, "So...how've you been?"
He shrugged again. "You know how it is. Guarding the Rez from evil vampires, trying to act like I know what I'm doing. Same old, same old."
"Yeah, same old." I gave him a thin smile. "I think you're doing fine, though. I watched you with the younger guys. You're a better leader than you think."
"Hmp," he grunted. "You seem to be taking to this vamp stuff pretty well."
"Sometimes," I said. His reticence seemed to be rubbing off on me. I wished we could break out of this endless uncomfortable loop but didn't know how. He always used to be so playful before. But maybe it was for the better. At least it was easier to maintain emotional distance when he was like this.
"Hey, watch this." I bent, picked up a fist-sized rock and stood. I took a couple steps and hurled it toward the ocean. There was a brief whistle and then the rock shrank out of sight. I had to adjust my vision quickly to track where it landed – far out to sea.
"We can't all be freakishly strong," he dead-panned with a sarcastic smile.
"I don't even exercise," I replied with a smirk.
"Did you have to practice killing people?"
I stared at him in shock, unable to believe what he had just said. His face was still closed down. I knew he was bound to still have issues with me, but this was too much. I felt the rage bubbling close to the surface and took a breath to keep it in check. My eyes narrowed as I hissed at him. "You know what happened. I wasn't myself that day."
"Well, I told you this was wrong," he kept going. "You turned into this twisted, predator thing that couldn't tell her friends from a piece of meat."
"If I couldn't tell my friends from a piece of meat, your dad would be dead right now from that little test of yours!" I had my fists doubled up without even thinking of it. "You're such a jerk! I accepted you for who you are when you changed. Why can't you do the same for me?"
"No, you didn't! You thought I was a murderer, but I wasn't! Well, you know what? You. Are!" He had his chin pointed out belligerently at me, and I so wanted to deck him.
I'd had enough. "I can't believe you're being such a bitch!" I snapped.
His mouth dropped open. "I can't be a bitch, I'm a guy."
"Well, you're acting like one!" I shouted at him. "And I was worrying about how you felt! I see you're too much of an ass to feel anything, so I won't worry about it anymore!"
I stood and began to stalk past him, and his eyes rolled up in exasperation. "Wait, Bella…" He reached for my elbow and tried to spin me around like he used to when I was human. But I wasn't having it. Turning into him, a slight twist of the forearm was enough to break his grip and I punched him in the solar plexus. Jake gasped and hunched forward, and I unloaded a solid double-palm strike on his chest.
Normally as light on his feet as a cat, he flew backward, high over the log, landing with a thump, his legs sticking up in the air. For a moment the sight of his feet sticking up was so satisfyingly comical, I felt most of my anger evaporate in the ocean breeze. But he didn't get up immediately and remained still.
"Jake?" I called. No answer. "Jake?" I called louder. As I neared the log, he finally groaned, and I saw he had hit his head on some rocks. "Oh crap." I scrambled over to him and put my hands on his shoulders. "Don't move, Jacob. Can you hear me?"
His eyes opened and he blinked a couple times. He searched and found my face and he groaned again. "Geez, talk about over-reacting."
"You hit your head, are you okay?" The panic was still in my voice.
Jacob pulled his legs off the log and tried to roll onto his side, but my hands on his shoulders stopped him. "Do you mind?" he asked, and I let go. As he rolled, I could see a little blood on the back of his hair. He got to a kneeling position and massaged the back of his head. "It's a good thing I'm a werewolf," he grumbled at me.
"Sorry, Jake," I muttered. "I guess we're even for the broken hand. You were being a jerk, though."
"It's a gift," he said, and he climbed back over the log to sit facing the surf. He patted the log next to him. "Sorry, I guess I was feeling a little pissy." I clambered over the log and sat against it, a couple feet between us. He looked at my face, and his expression seemed to have thawed somewhat.
"You don't know how different you are now, do you?" he asked.
"Hey, you don't smell so good, either."
Jake snorted. "That's not the only thing. You look like them now: kinda alien and shiny. You've got those demon eyes and you're hard as a rock. It's like your voice and your manners got transferred into another body. You're lucky there's still enough of your face for me to recognize or I might have killed you that first time."
He paused, thinking back. "I've been watching you through my brothers' eyes. It's weird, seeing you this way. You're not so clumsy now, and you've got some skills." He waved a hand indicating my changed body.
I frowned at the thought. "Well, I still feel like me. I was surprised at how much I still felt like me."
"Except when you smell blood."
"Yeah, there is that." I grimaced at that small truth. "But at least I'm not a bloodthirsty maniac. I was worried I might be. This ointment lets me be almost normal."
"Hate to tell you, Bells, but you never were normal."
He called me 'Bells' and was teasing me again. That made me feel a little better, that he didn't totally hate me. "Look who's talking!" I retorted.
Jacob looked into my eyes for a moment before turning away. I noticed a slight shudder as he did so. "How long do you get to keep the eyes?" he wondered.
"Maybe a year." I wondered how I looked to his werewolf senses. "When my old blood gets used up my eyes will turn golden."
He fell silent, most likely imagining how I'd look. "So what's the best part about it?" he asked.
I picked up a handful of sand, and squeezed it for a while. When I felt it warm up, I opened my hand — it wasn't sand anymore. Like sedimentary rock formed by eons of compression, it was hard and held the impressions of my fingers. "It's nice to be strong and not so fragile for once," I said with a smile. "I can throw a motorcycle around just like you, now."
"But with my skills, I'm still older than you. Let's see you rebuild a car," he said with a superior air.
"I'm working on that. I'm going to go to school to be a nurse. If I can save lives, that should count for more than mechanical skills. Then I'll be older than you."
"A nurse, huh?" He peered at me briefly. "Think you can do it?"
"It might take a while, but I can do it." I might have to go through many batches of Kate's ointment, but I'd manage it.
Jacob reached out and took the oddly shaped rock from me, one raised eyebrow his only reaction. "And what's the worst part?" he asked, softly.
My face fell. I didn't like to think about them too often, having determined to simply accept this life for what it was. The images swam into my head before I could stop it — my parents standing with Jacob, and two dark-haired children I would never have. "You know what they are," I answered just as quietly.
Jake silently turned the rock over and over in his hands. "So, was it worth it?"
With his guard down like this, it was easier to be honest with him. "Mostly yes, but there is some bad that came with it. It was getting better before the Volturi came to town, but they were bound to come sooner or later. Whatever, this is my life now."
Jacob looked up from the rock, gazing at my face for a long moment. I stared out to sea so I wouldn't feel uncomfortable from his staring. Then he reached out and pointed a finger at my throat. "I saw that necklace when you were leaning over me. Is it from…him?"
I nodded and caressed the smooth stone between two fingers. "I should have put it away to be safe, but it's such a part of me now. I forget I'm wearing it."
"Do you still have the bracelet I gave you?"
"Yes. It's safe with the brooch my mother gave me."
"But…you don't wear it anymore," he said quietly. There was no mistaking the disappointment.
I shook my head, wishing he hadn't brought this up. It was much easier to be mad at each other, than to be this intense. "You know why," I whispered.
Jacob mulled that over, the corners of his mouth turned down. Maybe it was my imagination but his face seemed to be a little older, almost like Sam's. Gone was the carefree Jacob that lit up my darkest hours. I gave a mental sigh of regret. He deserved better than this, but I couldn't give it to him.
I looked away, leaned back and stretched my legs in front of me. I felt a little strange to be sitting next to him in military fatigues so I scrubbed at my face again with my sleeve. "So you're buddies with Leah now?"
"She's not so bad." Jake shrugged. "It was just bad when she had to listen to Sam, and share her thoughts with us. No privacy, even when you're feeling lousy and just want to be left alone."
I nodded in understanding. "She said you were going to get your mechanic's certificate."
His eyes narrowed at this invasion of his privacy but at least he didn't get angry. "Already certifiable, so why not?"
"You know what I mean…" I rolled my eyes.
"I s'pose. Already good with my hands, might as well put it to use." He picked up a rock and tossed it into the surf. It didn't land as far as mine had and I stuck my tongue at him. He answered with a rude noise. "I have good control of myself, so I should be able to go back to school. Maybe I can start the first auto shop on the Rez."
"If we all survive the Volturi, I'm sure things will go back to normal once we leave town." I raised an eyebrow at him. "Maybe you'll stop phasing then?"
Jake shrugged, more reconciled to his fate. In the beginning he would have given anything to be normal again. "You guys planning to leave for good?" he asked me.
I nodded. "Eventually we'll have to leave," I said. "Carlisle's saying he's thirty-four but he looks twenty-five. Somebody's bound to start wondering."
"And there's Charlie."
I nodded but didn't say anything. I didn't really want to think about that and wasn't sure what to tell Jacob. "Who knew when we were kids we'd end up like this?"
"Yeah. I was pissed I didn't get to go fishing and had to hang out with girls." Jacob gave me a long look, then quietly slipped the rock I had pressed into a pocket in his shorts. He reached down, picked up an ocean-worn stone and tossed it into the waves. "Ya know, if you're worried about how I feel, just stop it already. Right now you look different enough to me that it's already not the same as before. I bet I don't look so good to you, either. If I live long enough, I'll get over you."
I had to admit he was right about that. When I was human, he affected me in ways that I didn't even notice until it was too late. Where I once saw an honest, attractive face, my vampire senses perceived a slightly wild, almost brutish appearance. It was as if we had both gone to war, and returned disfigured. I sighed quietly and suppressed the little part of me that felt sad over the loss of that attraction. Edward was right; some sentiment still remained. But it would never be enough to overshadow my feelings for my mate.
Something my dad said after coming home from fishing came to mind. "Charlie sometimes told me, after coming home with no fish, that there was always another fish out there."
Jacob gazed at me with wistful eyes then looked away, but not before I saw the sadness twist his lips. "Yeah, but the one that got away was bigger. It was way bigger," he whispered.
Jacob leaned back against the log and closed his eyes. I looked down at the sand and let him sit there and compose himself. Part of me wanted to reach out, to comfort my friend, but the rest of me knew not to do that right now. When I raised my head, I noticed that all of his muscles were tensed like cables and stood out under his russet skin. Then his mouth opened and a sudden horrific scream burst from his throat. He doubled over convulsing and fell sideways onto the sand.
Completely confused, I stared at him with my mouth open. I hadn't hit him that hard, so why was he screaming? And why so long after the fact? I put my hand on his bare shoulder to try and comfort him, and the screaming stopped. He blinked and looked at me. The hairs on the back of my neck stood at once and a sizzling bolt of fear hit me as I realized what was happening.
I whipped my head around, searching, and there they were, coming out of the water. Jane's head, slick as a seal, rose just above the waves, a smile on her face. Alec, Felix and Demetri were charging forward through the surf. It was overcast but the sun wasn't down yet. It was too early! They shouldn't be here, but there they were.
Jacob took one look and started shaking. I felt the fur sprouting under my fingers as he phased into wolf form, and his exploding bulk shoved me aside a little. I didn't dare release him for fear of Jane or Alec getting him.
"Jake! Call the pack!" I yelled. "Let's get out of here!"
"Take care of her," Jane ordered.
Felix and Demetri splashed to shore and leaped out of the shallow water. I felt Jake's muscles bunch under his fur.
"Jake, don't!" I cried, too late.
Jacob broke away from me with a snarl and leaped to meet them, only to spasm in mid-spring as Jane's power seized him again. He tumbled to earth in a spray of sand and gravel. I rushed forward to shield him when I heard a crunch of gravel and a huge blow to the chest threw me backward. I fell against the driftwood log with a crash that echoed off the cliffs. The tree broke in half, crushed in the middle. I lay stunned for an instant, then tried to roll to my feet. A foot thumped down on my chest, pinning me to the remainder of the log.
"I wouldn't move if I were you." Felix grinned down at me. "Look." He pointed at Jacob, who writhed on the ground, growling and whining, burning in Jane's grip. In the distance, the sound of the suffering wolves rose into the air. Demetri stood close by in a half-crouch, his hands poised like claws, ready to strike. Occasionally Jake snapped blindly right or left but was helpless under Jane's power.
I reached my hand toward Jacob to try and extend my shield toward him, but then Demetri hit Jake in the muzzle with his fist, snapping his head back. A dull impact rang out. "NO! Stop it! Don't hurt him!" I screamed.
"That's up to you," came Jane's dull voice. "If you so much as twitch again, Demetri will kill him. You're coming with us," she said in a matter-of-fact tone. Afraid to move, I kept my gaze fixed on Jacob, who didn't even know he'd been hit. Felix bent down and grabbed both my wrists and held them together. For the first time, I noticed Jane was carrying some kind of sack. She held it out to Alec, who reached in and pulled out a pile of chains that glinted with a dull grey sheen in the fading light. Working quickly, he bound my wrists together with so much chain I could only see the tips of my fingers. He secured the ends with a lock.
"Titanium alloy," Jane gloated. "Much stronger than steel."
"Please! Please stop!" I sobbed at her.
"Demetri and Alec will keep him company until I tell them to let him go. If you don't cooperate, he's dead."
I had no choice. They were holding all the cards at the moment. "I'll do what you want, just stop hurting him!" I pleaded.
Alec stepped to Jane's side, and after a moment, Jacob stopped writhing. But his eyes were wide open and his ears twitched this way and that, searching for any sensation. He still lay on his side, legs moving like he was walking, unaware that he wasn't even standing. Alec had him now, but at least he wasn't in pain.
Felix reached down, unclipped the radio from my belt and crushed it effortlessly. Then he dragged me to my feet, and he and Jane started toward the water, pulling me by my chained wrists. "I'll signal you," Jane said to Alec, and we waded into the pounding surf. The chilly water filled my boots and soaked my fatigues up to my waist but I didn't even shiver. I grabbed a last breath before we went under, and the murky water closed over my head.
We bobbed to the surface beyond the breakers and Jane and Felix began swimming strongly, pulling me through the water. We struck out toward deeper water, but then we turned to parallel the coast. I didn't bother to try swimming, not thinking to help them in any way. But the motion reminded me of Edward drawing me through the warm tropical waters in the cove at Isle Esme, and I gave an involuntary sob. If I never saw him again... I shied away from the thought as my face twisted with anguish. I ducked my face underwater so they wouldn't see my expression.
Under the surface, I gazed at Jane's slight form, and a smoldering anger began to grow, displacing some of the despair. Caius must have given new orders and I wished I had Edward's gift that I might read them in Jane's head. I contemplated making a break for it, but wasn't sure if they would truly let Jake go. They hadn't killed me outright, so they must have something in mind. I would have to bide my time and see what they were planning.
When we almost reached a rocky island just offshore, Jane stopped Felix and they paused, treading water. Felix turned around and let out a piercing whistle.
"Why are you doing this?" I couldn't help but ask.
"Shut up," Jane said, dispassionately.
"He's going to deliver a message." Felix seemed to smile a lot, even when engaged in acts of violence, or in this case, kidnapping. I breathed a little easier knowing that they really were going to let Jacob go, but not knowing their plans for me still filled my belly with ice.
Jane and Felix began swimming again, and headed in toward the shore, to a rocky outcropping. When we reached shallower water my feet began to bump on the rocks below. Felix set his feet on the bottom first, but Jane was smaller and continued to swim for a ways. Felix waded through the small breakers, dragging me by the chains. I tried to get my feet under me but Felix pulled roughly, making me stumble and splash back into the water.
"Wait," Jane commanded. There was the sound of tearing cloth. I looked and she was coming toward me with the long, dark strip. I twisted my head away from her and a sudden crack on the side of my head filled my vision with sparks and my head wobbled for an instant.
"Don't move," growled Felix, as Jane tied the cloth over my eyes. Bound and blind, a feeling of helplessness fell over me. I bit the inside of my cheek and the pain helped to keep me from sobbing out loud.
"Up you go," said Felix, and I felt an arm snake around my waist to pick me up. I settled with my head hanging down, and guessed that Felix had thrown me over his shoulder. Then the air started to move and there was the sensation of flying. I lay still and extended my senses, trying to get the feel for where we were. The sound of the pounding surf receded, so we must be moving away from the coast, and deeper into the hills.
I felt rain hitting me and my already wet clothes. The temperature would be around the low-forties, so at least I didn't have to worry about my clothes freezing on me. Trying to keep quiet, I tested the chains around my wrists. Alec had done a good job and I couldn't move enough to wriggle free from them. And whether it was the titanium or the sheer quantity of chain, newborn strength wasn't enough to pull them apart. I had to stop when I felt them cutting into my wrists.
After a run of indeterminate distance, the passage of air slowed and we gradually came to a stop. Felix suddenly bent and I sprawled with a thump onto what felt like forest floor.
"Well, my children," came an oily smooth voice that sent a chill through my bones. "What have we here?"
"I brought you a gift, Master," Jane said, her little girl voice very pleased. The blindfold was pulled from my head and I blinked for a moment. Night had fallen so I wasn't suddenly blinded by light.
I twisted around on the ground to face the voice and peered about the clearing. Aro stood smiling down at me, his hands clasped in front of him. White-haired Caius stood frowning at his right, and Marcus — dark and somber — was slightly behind and to Aro's left. All around us and back among the trees were a host of figures in dark cloaks. The rest of the Volturi Guard had come to Forks after all.
= = CR = = CR = = CR = =
To be continued...
A/N: I know, I know... Some folks who hate Jacob are probably disgusted with Bella right now. But if there's anything that Bella was, it was a loyal friend. Even if she wasn't romantically involved with Jacob, she'd still consider him a friend, despite all the crapola he pulled.
I was thinking of putting in an EPOV chapter next, showing Edward's experiences when he found out Bella was captured. However, it messed up the flow of this chapter, as well as revealing too much of the plot, too early (gotta save *some* surprises for you!). So I'm going to donate the chapter as an outtake to Fandom for Oklahoma. This is a great cause, supporting the tornado ravaged regions of Oklahoma City. You can find more information here: "h_t_t_p : / / Oklahoma . fandomcause . info" (delete the spaces and underscores). Your donations will help support The Red Cross, the ASPCA, and The Salvation Army.
