Being There
Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to Stephanie Meyer.
A/N-thank you, thank you. Your awesome reviews really touched me. I am so relieved you liked the way I portrayed Charlie's reaction to Bella's pregnancy. Here is the next chapter...
Part Eighteen
Jacob and Bella stayed cuddled up on the couch for quite a while as they talked in low voices about what they would do now. One important factor needed to be dealt with sooner rather than later; Billy and the pack needed to be told.
"I wish I could come with you, Jake. But I don't want to leave my dad right now. I really need to have a heart to heart with him. At least this way you can do the same with Billy without worrying about me." Bella kissed him softly before getting up from the couch.
"I suppose so," Jacob said reluctantly. He followed her out toward the front door and pulled her in for another goodbye kiss. "I'll see you later, honey." He dropped to his knees and kissed her flat stomach too. "Goodbye baby."
Bella giggled at his antics. "You're too cute. See you later."
Jacob smiled happily before he finally left the house. Bella went back toward the kitchen. Her dad was still asleep at the table. As quietly as she could she collected up the beer cans and disposed of them. Leaving Charlie to finish his impromptu nap she headed upstairs to have a shower and wash away all traces of the day.
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The strong wind ruffled Jacob's russet fur as he plunged through the dense undergrowth. He pushed his strong legs harder; revelling in the freedom of running through the forest. For once there was no one else in his head. None of the pack were phased, with the threat of Victoria now over, Sam had decided to give everyone a short break from patrolling. While he ran, Jacob mulled over in his mind exactly how he was going to tell his father about the baby. They were struggling financially as it was and to find out there would soon be another mouth to feed would not sit well with his father.
He imagined different scenarios in his head about how to break the news to Billy. Each one didn't end well. It wasn't that he thought his dad wouldn't support him; they just had a lot to deal with already. Being chief of the tribe came with a lot of responsibility, his father had married a local girl from a good family. Bella would be considered an outsider, even though Charlie had spent half his life on the reservation and was well respected among the Quiluete tribe. They were still young and Jacob knew their relationship would be scrutinised down to the last detail by the elders. There was something he hadn't yet told Bella, that one day he would be taking his father's place as head of the tribe and also Alpha of the pack.
Jacob's pace slowed down as he reached the outskirts of home. Something was niggling at the back of his mind, it was about what Bella had told him about Edward...'the one thing that I always hated when I was with Edward was that he lied to me'...he hadn't taken in everything that she had told him as he had been fretting about losing her. But now that he recalled what she had said he felt sick. He had been keeping things from her too; just like the leech. The imprinting issue loomed large in his mind and he began to worry about what to do. He should have just been upfront with her from the start, now he had made things worse by lying, even though he had been thinking of her feelings. A sigh escaped his lips as he reached home and phased back into his human form. Jacob's heart weighed heavy in his chest as he walked slowly toward his house.
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"Pregnant?" Billy stared at his son in shock. When Jacob had asked to speak to him this was the last thing he had expected to hear. "How could you have been so stupid?"
Jacob bristled at his dad's words. "Is that all you have to say? I tell you that you are to be a grandfather and that's it."
Billy's face was grim as he glared at Jacob. "That is not the point. If you had told me in four, five years time I would be happy for you. But you are sixteen and Bella only a couple of years older. We are barely surviving as it is, Jacob. Now there will be a baby to feed."
"I'll get work," Jacob said nonchalantly.
"Where?" Billy snapped. "Between your pack duties, school work and other things. How will you fit in a job? There is no work around here."
"I'm good at fixing cars. There is always odd jobs that people want doing. I'll make it work," Jacob stated adamantly.
"What does Charlie say about this? Have you even told him yet?" Billy rolled his chair forward so he was right in front of his son.
"He knows," Jacob admitted."He was at the hospital when we found out."
Billy sighed. "You really like to do things the hard way, don't you? I'm surprised he isn't here ranting at me and you."
Jacob rubbed the aching muscles along the back of his neck. "He did at first but unlike you I actually think he is beginning to accept things."
"Charlie hasn't got the responsibilities that I and soon you have." Billy reminded him."It's not that simple and you know it."
"I don't care. I love Bells and she loves me, we are going to have a baby. Everyone and everything else can go to hell." Jacob stood up and began to pace, his anger getting the better of him. He was tired of Billy's negative reaction.
"Stop being childish, Jake. You have to care. The elders will have to be told, poor Bella will be expected to attend a meeting where they can asses her suitability to be a partner for the future chief. She too will have a lot of expectations placed on her. Not to mention the one thing you refuse to talk about...imprinting." Billy's voice rose as he spoke.
Jacob blanched. "I will not imprint."
Billy studied his son carefully. He could see the distress hidden under Jacob's anger. "I don't think you will either." He confessed.
Jacob stopped pacing. "You never said that before."
"Well, I wasn't sure how your relationship with Bella would pan out. I know that you love her but I wasn't totally sure that she returned your love like you wanted her to. However I've seen the change in her and well...now she's pregnant that does change things. She is carrying the next generation of wolves and the rightful Alpha's at that. If you were meant to imprint on another I doubt she would have become pregnant." Billy surmised.
A hopeful light shone in Jacob's eyes. If he could tell Bella that then she would have no fears about him imprinting, ever. Although he knew that she was always the one for him. "Then that must sway things with the council in my favour, surely."
"Don't get ahead of yourself, son. Bella will still be considered an outsider and you haven't actually imprinted on her. You will still have a fight on your hands." Billy warned him.
Jacob knelt down in front of his dad and looked him in the eye. "Do we have your support?" He asked.
Billy stared back at him and eventually put his hands on Jacob's shoulders. "Of course. Always."
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Charlie woke up with a slight hangover. He rubbed his temples and stretched his aching muscles. Getting up from his chair he noticed that the empty beer cans had been tidied away. He felt embarrassed that Bella and Jacob would have seen him in this state. He hadn't meant to drink so much, but after confronting his past, he had been in real need of a release. He wondered where his daughter and Jacob were, the house seemed so quiet.
"Bells?" He called out.
"In here, dad," Bella called out from the living room.
Charlie went to join her. He found her sitting at the small dining table flipping through some old photo's. "Good sleep?" She teased him as he sat opposite her.
A smile twitched at his lips. "Not bad. Where's Jake?"
"He left to go and tell Billy the news." Bella told him.
"I see..." Charlie picked up some of the abandoned photos. "What made you look through these?"
"Nostalgia," Bella admitted. "Now that I'm going to be a mom I just wanted to see what I looked like as a kid. Did I ever smile?" She picked up one of her as a three year old; she looked sad, her large brown eyes wary.
"I think you found it hard being moved around so much. You know, Renee, she could never settle. I tried to fight for custody, kiddo, but the courts always favour the mother." He said regretfully.
"It's okay, dad," Bella patted his hand. She sifted through some more photo's. "Oh look I'm smiling here."
Charlie raised his eyebrows. "Oh yeah that was because you and Jake sneakily threw water over me and Billy when we took you fishing."
Bella laughed. She gazed at her five year old self. She could see Jacob and his dad in the background, her father must have taken the photo. "See Jake made me happy even back then."
"Yeah, you two were always close as youngsters. Every time you came down to visit in the holidays the first thing you wanted to do was see your best friend. Billy and I thought you would grow distant from each other but no...it was like the months apart never happened when you were in each other's company again." Charlie said as he smiled at his daughter fondly.
"Until I stopped coming when I was twelve," Bella bit her lip. "I'm sorry dad, that was mom. She wanted me to be like her. I was always so upset when I came back home, so she stopped me coming after that."
Charlie stared at her in shock. "Renee did that? Why didn't you ever tell me, Bells? How dare she?" His anger at his ex-wife kicked up a notch.
"I was weak and she made me feel guilty..." she sighed. "So much time has been wasted."
"I didn't know, kiddo. I thought you just got bored of coming to visit. That's why I always went to you after that." Charlie lamented. "I'm going to be having words with your mother."
Bella smiled. "Feel free. I'm not looking forward to telling her about the baby. I can hear the lecture already."
"No let me have that pleasure. It's time that woman stopped acting like a selfish brat and thought about other's for a change."
"Dad?" Bella said hesitantly. "I know it's a shock but you are alright about the baby, aren't you?"
Charlie reached out and took her hands in his own. "You're my little girl, Bells. It was a shock to hear that you were pregnant, but it's happened and despite my blustering I will support you in any way you need. So don't worry."
Tears of relief leaked out of Bella's eyes. "Thank you," she said simply.
Charlie smiled, there was no more to say.
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Jacob waited outside for Sam. When he caught sight of his Alpha emerging from the trees, he was shocked at how tired and strained he looked. "Hey," he greeted him as Sam approached.
"How's Bella?" Sam asked as he sat down on the bottom step.
"She's okay, actually she's great," a grin lit up Jacob's face as he spoke.
Sam stared at him. "What does that mean? Am I missing something here?"
Jacob sat down next to him. "I called you here because I wanted to tell you first. When we were in the hospital having Bella checked out we were told that she's pregnant. I'm going to be a dad."
"You what?" Sam questioned in disbelief.
"I'm gonna be a dad," Jacob said again happily.
"Fuck, Black you don't mess about," Sam shook his head. "What did your dad say?"
"The usual, but in the end he supports me. I hope that you do too," Jacob asked him his tone serious.
"Of course," Sam slapped him on the back. "Can't wait to see the other's faces when you tell them."
Jacob shrugged; not worried now that Sam seemed accepting. He saw his Alpha frown, he seemed to have the weight of the world on his shoulders. He assumed now that Victoria had been vanquished that Sam would be more light hearted. "Are you okay?" He asked eventually.
His question brought Sam out of his reverie. "Not really." He confessed.
"What's going on? Is it Paul?" Jacob's expression darkened as he thought about Lahote. He wasn't finished with his pack brother yet. Paul better watch his back when he caught up with him.
"No, it's Leah," Sam said unexpectedly.
"Leah? What has she done?" Jacob asked in confusion.
Sam stood up and began to pace. He glanced at Jacob warily. "It wasn't what she did. It was me."
"Stop being cryptic, Sam," Jacob said impatiently.
Sam took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. He stopped pacing and looked Jacob in the eye. "I kissed her."
A/N-dun dun dun...I promise the pack's reaction will be next, couldn't fit it all in this chapter, sorry!
Nikki :)
