Lost in Translation

Disclaimer; all characters and copyright belong to Stephanie Meyer.

A/N-thank you for the kind reviews. Nikki

Part Seven-Bella the Wildcat

Bella couldn't believe it. She had to blink a couple of times to make sure that Edward Cullen was actually standing before her, that it was not some illusion dreamt up by her messed up mind. She felt Jacob shudder in front of her and it pulled her out of her funk. She held onto his hand a little tighter as she came to stand beside him. She noticed Edward's eyes follow her every movement as well as the fact that she was holding onto Jacob as if her life depended on it. His amber eyes continued to bore into her the longer she never said anything, and it made her feel uncomfortable and ungainly. In fact Bella could feel herself shrinking back into the girl she used to be, the complaint version of herself who forgave him everything.

"You never change do you, Jacob Black?" Edward's words startled her and she glanced up at Jacob who had a fierce expression on his face. His eyes had turned coal black and he looked as if he was struggling not to phase and rip Edward to pieces. He hadn't spoken one word so that had to mean Edward was reading his mind. Bella forced herself to look at Edward, seeing him so close, looking exactly the same as she always remembered him was doing funny things to her insides. "Your internal rants just show you up for the violent creature you are." Edward continued. "Bella doesn't deserve to be around such an animal."

A growl erupted from Jacob's chest, his skin rippled alarmingly. Bella dug her nails into the palm of his hand literally drawing blood. Her move made Jacob glance down at her for a second. "Do not let him bait you, Jake." She was surprised that she sounded so calm, considering the tumultuous emotions she was feeling inside. "That's what he wants."

Her words seemed to pierce Jacob's psyche. He continued to look into her eyes as he drew in sharp breaths. Eventually he stopped shaking and Bella saw the fire die in his eyes a little. She squeezed his hand and he did the same in response. Edward seemed bemused as he watched their silent interaction. What he saw displeased him as his brow furrowed and he looked perplexed. "It is at times like these I wish I could read you, Bella." He turned to stare at Bella again and she recoiled a little.

"I thought you were dead, burned in the fire." Bella felt Jacob slip an arm around her waist. His warmth infused her with a little more confidence and she stood taller, doing her best to gaze at Edward with an indifferent expression. She didn't want him to see the effect he was having on her inside. "Are the others alive too?"

"Yes, all of us." Edward's face changed and he now looked weary. He pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers, an old habit which Bella knew meant he was feeling pressured. "We had no choice but to fake our demise, Bella." He sighed heavily before gazing at her again, his eyes now registering pain and hurt. "The Volturi were coming to check up on you. You recall the promise we made in Italy to the leaders?" His pointed question stole the breath from Bella's body. She jackknifed as if she had been stabbed, and it was only Jacob's hold on her that stopped her pitching forward onto the floor.

"Bells?" Jacob didn't know what to think. Promise to the Volturi leaders? What promise? Bella had never spoken about this to him before. Italy was a sore subject between them and they had only really scratched the surface. He helped Bella up and was stunned to see fear mixed with panic written all over her face. "Bells?" He whispered her name again and cupped her face between his hands. "What does he mean? What promise?"

Bella gulped back her tears as she stared into his worried face. She had almost forgotten about the Volturi. Had placed the horror of her time there in a secret box in her head. Allowing herself to dwell on what she had seen and heard, and how frightened out of her wits she had been, would mean she would never have been able to sleep at night again. Sometimes she slipped; the box would snap open in her head and she would suffer a bone chilling nightmare, seeing again the horrified faces of the innocent tourists as they realised they were facing their doom. The screams, the blood curdling screams were the worst part. The doors had closed on the tourists as Edward and Alice had led her away, but she had still heard the screams. Bella clutched onto Jacob's arms, her fingers digging into his flesh as she tried to tell him about the promise that had been wrenched from them by Aro. That at a certain point in the future, if he allowed them to leave, Bella would go through with the change and become one of them.

Jacob witnessed the flickering emotions crossing her face, and it hurt him to see her so scared. She was literally petrified, and because she was feeling it, it began to infect him too. He hauled her against his chest and wrapped his strong arms around her, whispering soothing words into her ear. He ignored Cullen's heavy sigh. All he concentrated on was Bella as she trembled and shook in his embrace. "It's alright, honey. It's okay. Nothing and no one is going to hurt you."

Bella felt like she was drowning. The happy ever after which had so nearly been within her grasp faded. Her heart clenched in her chest and she actually felt as if she was dying from a heart attack. It hurt so much to think what she was now going to lose. No longer did she want to be a cold, dead thing that existed on the edges of society. She wanted to live, she longed to live so badly. And here was Edward again, the harbinger of her doom. Anger hit her like a bolt out of the blue, anger at Edward and all he brought with him. This was his fault, all his fault. He should have left her alone, but no, his own selfish wants were going to destroy her for a third time.

Bella pulled away from Jacob, a fierce energy pushing adrenaline through her veins. She was like a she devil as her hands clenched into fists and her body stiffened. Bella felt as if she could burst into flames. Perhaps she was borrowing Jacob's heat, perhaps the fire had been building inside her for months, the fire of her rage. The rage she should have unleashed the first time Edward had come back into her life and dragged her to the pit of hell. "I hate you." She screamed at Edward. "I hate you. Do you hear? I hate you."

Edward crumbled under her onslaught. She cursed him over and over, only Jacob's strong hold on her arms holding her back from attacking Edward. She unleashed months, years worth of anger and hurt all at once. She was like a wild thing as she thrashed in Jacob's hold as she fought him to get to Edward. "You should have stayed dead." She spat. "You should have stayed DEAD."

"Bella..." Edward fell back into a chair and put his head in hands as she continued to curse him. "I did it for you, to keep you safe." He whined like a little boy who had been chastised by his mother. "I did it so they would have no reason to go after you. Now that they think we are all gone, they will not trouble you...we can...we can...build our life together..." He raised his head, his perfectly coiffed hair was mussed up from where he had slid his fingers into it. His perfection had been ruined.

"How can you build a life when you are already dead?" Bella hissed nastily.

Her words were like a slap in the face. Edward recoiled and curled away from her. He had never witnessed such ferocity from Bella before and it both stunned and frightened him in equal measure. In his eyes he had done the best for her, kept her safe in the only way he knew how. He couldn't tell her his plans, the Volturi would have seen through it all if Bella had known. She had to look like she was grieving for him and his family. It had to look real. He felt a small hurt was worth the larger gain. They would be together in the end, and she could remain human for longer than they anticipated if she wanted to. He had done all this for her and this is how she treated him. He couldn't understand her. It was galling to admit to himself but he never had. Bella had stopped speaking. He dared to look at her again, only to see her wrapped up in the dog's arms, her head pressed to his chest as she sobbed hysterically. It seemed the anger had left her. The dog was stroking her hair and whispering useless, pointless words in her ears. Phrases that meant nothing!

Edward stood up gracefully and combed his fingers through his hair and adjusted his clothing. "I know you are in pain, my love." He said softly. Jacob growled at him when he used the word love, but Edward would not be put off. "I cannot take back the hurt you have endured at my loss, but it was the only way. The only way I had to keep you safe. The money is all there, Bella. So is the house. It all belongs to you. All of it. You can live in the house, go to college. I know it will take a while for you to forgive me. But in time..."

Jacob had heard enough. He carefully disentangled himself from Bella and stalked toward Edward, he towered above him, his eyes darkening and his expression fierce. "I would rip you apart if we were not in the middle of a crowded city, but then again perhaps that's why you dragged Bella here to protect your skinny little ass? Stay away from Bella and stay away from Forks. The treaty is null and void. If I catch you skulking around. I will kill you."

Edward's top lip curled backwards. "I am only here for Bella. Your empty threats are meaningless."

Even though it nearly broke his fist, Jacob punched Edward hard on the jaw. Cullen reeled back a little, rubbing his jaw absently as if he did feel phantom pain. "You only hurt yourself." He sneered at Jacob.

"Felt good though." Jacob's quick healing was kicking in already. The skin across his bloody knuckles began to knit together and the sharp pain receded. He turned his back on the glowering leech and took hold of Bella's hand in his good one. "Come on, honey. We're done here."

"Bella?" Edward's pained voice made her look at him, an inscrutable expression on her face. She neither looked angry or hurt. Her red rimmed eyes were blank as she regarded him. "Bella, surely we need to talk?"

Bella didn't answer. Instead she laced her fingers with Jacob's and flashed him a watery smile. "You're right, Jake." She echoed him. "We're done here."

Bella was silent on the drive back. Jacob kept giving her worried glances. He hated to see her so preoccupied, and he hoped she wasn't regretting how it had ended with the bloodsucker. He was still having a hard time believing that the Cullen's had concocted such a ruse. The only good thing was that they had no crypt to come back to, and it seemed that the future generations of La Push would hopefully be free of their prescence. From what little Bella had revealed about the Volturi, they sounded like a nasty bunch of bastards, and this would doubly mean that the Cullen's would have to stay under the radar, and keep away from any old haunts.

After two hours of silence Jacob couldn't take it anymore. He pulled into the car park of a motel and parked up. Bella looked at him in confusion when he killed the engine. "Why have we stopped?"

"Because I can't take much more of this tension. I'm sick of you shutting me out. Just talk to me?" Jacob demanded. "Tell me what's going through that head of yours." He saw tears well in her eyes and he sighed, giving in and hugging her to his hot body. "I'm sorry." He pressed a kiss into her hair. "I shouldn't push, but I'm worried."

Bella closed her eyes and let him comfort her for a moment before she pulled away and swiped at the few tears on her face which had managed to escape. "No, I'm sorry. This has all been a huge shock. I never expected any of it. I just feel like such a fool. I grieved for that...that...whole family. Not just Edward. I feel betrayed by them all."

"I know, honey. I never saw it that way. I forgot you thought of them all as..as..." He struggled to say the word family because to him they would always be cold hearted vampires and noting else. To him they had just shown their true colours. The Cullen's were selfish in every regard. It was in their nature, no matter how often they tried to refute it. Why else would they have allowed Edward to carry out this insane plan? He had manipulated Bella all over again.

Bella had to smile as she watched his struggle to understand. He was so kind, even now trying to be empathetic. She touched his face with the back of her hand and stroked his cheek. "I love you. You know that right?"

Jacob grinned at her suddenly, it lit up his whole face and made Bella's smile widen. Her hurt began to ease a little. She wouldn't allow Edward Cullen to drag her down anymore. She was done thinking about him. In a way he had done her a favour. She no longer had to feel guilty about his death, and the threat of the Volturi was gone for good. Bella glanced behind at the small motel. It was getting late and she didn't feel like sitting cooped up in the car. She wanted something else instead. As if he could read her mind Jacob put his hand over hers and nodded toward the motel. "Think they have any free rooms?"

"I hope they do." Bella said meaningfully as their eyes locked.

Jacob's grin widened. They both climbed out of the car hurriedly, suddenly eager to find out if their hopes were true. Jacob took Bella's hand in his own and they ran quickly toward the reception area, and when Bella started to fall behind, Jacob picked her up in his arms and carried her the rest of the way.

A/N-thanks for reading!