Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.
Bella felt like she was under house arrest. She couldn't even go to the get the mail without feeling that someone was watching her. The Cullen's took turns watching her during the day while she spent most nights with Paul. She was at her wits end, constantly looking over her shoulder in fear.
She'd had a bad day at school and to make matters worse it was Edward's turn to look after her. He stayed in the woods most of the time. She would see him in the yard staring up at her window forlornly at least once an hour. Once he would spot her watching he would head back to the tree line.
Edward was the one causing tension between them. Bella had trouble trusting him. He wouldn't listen to reason so maybe it was time for a little tough love. She pulled on one of Paul's sweatshirts that he had left in her room before going outside.
"Edward, I know that you can hear me. I want to talk to you," she said from the porch.
Edward came out of the trees a few seconds later. Bella sat on the steps watching him.
"Do you have to wear that? It smells like him," he said with a sigh.
"That's the point I am trying to get across to you. I am with someone else now, and there is nothing that you can do to change it."
"He's dangerous," he cautioned.
"So are you," she countered.
"Does the time we spent together mean nothing to you?"
"Of course it does, but it will never be that way again."
"You won't even consider giving me a chance?"
"I am his mate; I am physically and emotionally tied to him."
"You were like that with me once," he reminded her with pleading eyes.
"No I wasn't. You said it yourself; I was under your spell. That spell was broken when I finally admitted to myself that I could live without you," she said, shaking her head in disagreement.
"So you're saying that you didn't love me?"
"I thought I did, but it was part of the illusion. My relationship with Paul is real. It is based on actual feelings."
"I love you, does he?"
"I don't know. He's guarded with his emotions," she said with a sigh.
"You can go," Jacob said from behind Edward.
"We are talking," Edward said glaring at him over his shoulder.
"It sounds to me like you're trying to put doubts into her head. Let me tell you something blood sucker, she doesn't need more added stress piled on her. If you don't leave now I'll make sure that you never see her again."
"Edward, go," Bella said, sighing again.
"My family wants to start training as soon as the moon is up."
"We'll be there," Jacob said with a nod.
Jacob sat next to Bella on the steps and she leaned against him.
"Why did you come out here to talk to him? You knew what would happen," he chastised.
"I thought that I could talk some sense into him," she reasoned.
"Well, you gave it the old college try but you should have known better. He's more stubborn than Paul."
"Thank you for coming over," she said appreciatively.
"It was nothing. Your dad will be here in a few seconds. I knew you wouldn't want him to see Edward."
Sure enough, as soon as Jacob was done talking Charlie's cruiser pulled in the driveway. Bella and Jacob stayed where they were while Charlie watched them curiously. He walked up the walkway taking in Bella's weary expression.
"What happened?" he asked.
"She's had a long day," Jacob answered.
"I'm emotionally drained Dad."
"Would Paul have something to do with that?" Charlie asked as he sat on the step below them.
"No Daddy," she said quietly.
"Why don't you go home, Jake? I can take care of her."
"Actually Dad, Jake and I have plans tonight."
"You do?"
"We're going to see some friends later."
"When will you be home?"
"I'll be home by midnight," she promised.
"I guess that's okay since it's not a school night," Charlie agreed.
Charlie stood and walked into the house. Jacob stood then held out his hand for Bella. He pulled her up and into the house. In her room they sat on her bed facing each other.
"Has Leah told Sam yet?"
"He was just getting home when I left. It will be too late by the time we get back tonight. She's going over there tomorrow," he explained.
"How are you handling it?"
"Better. She's not as vulnerable anymore."
"She's scary when she's like that."
"Tell me about it," he said with a scoff.
"Dinner's here!" Charlie called up the stairs.
Bella and Jacob left after dinner. Jacob drove out of town silently. Bella leaned against the back of the seat and had her feet propped up on the dashboard. All of the stress from an hour ago was starting to leave her. She would see Paul soon, he was all she needed.
XXXX
The wolves entered the clearing with Bella in between Paul and Leah. The Cullen's walked towards them with Edward bringing up the rear. Jacob saw him and growled before Bella walked around Leah to put a hand on his head. Edward stopped walking but his family continued towards them.
"Edward?" Carlisle asked.
"It would be best if he stayed back," Bella warned.
"Stop it Jasper," Edward said through clenched teeth.
"Whatever it is; put it aside for now Edward," Carlisle said.
"What happened?" Esme asked.
"I was honest with him today, he didn't like it," Bella answered.
Jacob chortled deep in his throat and Bella looked down at him.
"Knock it off," Bella said sternly.
"We'll talk to him," Alice promised.
"Jasper, would you like to start?" Carlisle asked.
The wolves followed Jasper while Bella stayed back. She sat down on a boulder off to the side watching Jasper show Seth and Embry how to come at a vampire properly. Alice came to sit next to her. They were silent as Emmett worked with Paul and Jacob.
Edward worked with Sam and Rosalie. Rosalie voiced her displeasure by doing the opposite of everything Edward said.
"Come on Rose, all I asked you to do was let him come at you. He knows to stop just before he gets to you."
"Why should I? Bella isn't our problem anymore. She's theirs."
"Rosalie, don't argue with me. I am not in the mood to deal with you right now," he warned.
"You don't scare me," Rosalie said as she folded her arms over her chest.
"Fine, have it your way. Sam, go ahead. If she runs, go after her," Edward said before walking away.
Rosalie shrieked in anger making Emmett look up.
"She's being unreasonable, you handle them." Edward said as he strode up to Emmett and his group.
"That's a great idea…not. Ask Alice," Emmett said as Paul and Jacob came to stand on either side of him.
"You they like," Edward mumbled with a shake of his head before turning to walk away.
Alice and Edward worked together until clouds started forming.
"Okay, time for everyone who isn't a vampire or werewolf to head home. There's a storm coming," Carlisle said from across the field.
Bella stood and saw Paul coming towards her in human form. His lips formed a tight line and once he got closer she could see the vein in the side of his neck bulging. He was pissed, but why?
"What's wrong?"
"Let's go," he said walking past her.
"Paul, what happened?"
"I just spent the two past hours with Edward in my head. I'm allowed to be mad."
"What did he say?"
"I don't want to talk about it," he said as he got into the truck.
"Well I do," she persisted.
"Bella, drop it," he warned.
"Did he tell you what happened?"
"Not now," he said shaking his head.
"Fine," she said dejectedly.
They pulled up to his house and when she didn't turn off the truck he turned to face her.
"You aren't coming in?"
"Are you ready to tell me what happened?"
"No," he said quietly.
"He probably told you the same thing he told me. If that's the case then he's wrong. He's bitter and he will say anything to piss you off."
"I know, but he still pisses me off."
"Tell you what; I still have an hour and a half before I have to be home. I think I will come in."
Inside they lay side by side with the lights off. She took hold of his hand, squeezing it gently. She was going to give Edward a piece of her mind when she saw him again. He had gone too far and she wasn't going to put up with it anymore.
XXXX
The sun was barely up when someone knocking on the door woke up Sam. Emily had left half an hour earlier to go to work so the only way that the person would go away was if he made them.
He threw his legs over the side of the bed before feeling around on the floor for his shorts. He made his way down the stairs in a fog. He opened the door giving the person outside a tired look.
"I didn't realize that you were still sleeping. I can come back later," Leah said in a rushed tone.
"What's in the box?" he asked, gesturing to the box under her arm.
"Pictures," she said just above a whisper.
"Of what?" he asked in confusion.
"It would be who actually. It's a long story," she said quietly.
"Come inside," he said opening the door wider.
She walked to the table and set the box down while Sam went upstairs to find a shirt. She started a fresh pot of coffee and by the time Sam came down she had made him a cup. He took it with a grateful smile. They sat at the table and he could tell that Leah was nervous.
"Are you going to tell me why you're here or am I going to have to guess?"
"Do you remember how angry I was at you when we broke up?"
"Yeah," he said with a nod.
"There was a reason for that. Did you ever wonder why that was?"
"Would you have told me if I had asked?" he countered.
"I was pregnant," she said quietly.
"You were?" he asked in concern.
"I didn't want to tell you unless I knew that we would get back together. I waited a month before I called my mom and told her that you had broken up with me. By then Emily had already moved in and I knew that I had lost my chance."
"The pictures are of the baby," Sam said as it dawned on him.
"I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if I had gotten an abortion, but I knew that I wouldn't have been able to raise him on my own while I was still in school."
"We have a son?"
"His name is Sean, and he'll be two next month."
"Why are you just now telling me this?" he asked in a stressed tone.
"I hadn't planned on ever telling you because I didn't want you to feel guilty. Jacob brought up something the other night that made me change my mind. He said that if it were him that he would want to know so that he could get to know the baby."
"Jacob knows?" he asked in concern.
"He finally broke through my wall that I had built up. It was only a matter of time," she said with a shrug.
"It only took him a month," Sam said with a shake of his head.
"He's persistent, you know that," Leah said as she pulled the top from off the box.
"Who all knows?"
"My family, Bella, Jake and now you know."
"How does Bella know?" he asked cautiously.
"We ran into each other one day and I was visibly pregnant. She was the first person to find out. I stayed away from Washington during my pregnancy."
"Is he in Arizona?"
"He's here in Washington, in Spokane," she explained.
She handed him a picture and he looked at it sadly. A little boy with Leah's eyes and Seth's smile stared back at him.
"He looks like your mom," he said with a sad smile.
"I know. You can keep that one if you want. I have a copy of it at home."
"I'm sorry," he said sadly.
"For what?" she asked quizzically.
"That you had to go through this without your family and me. That couldn't have been easy for you," he sympathized.
"It wasn't. I had a lot of resentment towards you for a long time. It wasn't until I joined the pack and imprinted on Jacob that I understood that you had no control over the situation."
"Do you keep in contact with his adoptive family?"
"I've seen him twice and they send me updated pictures of him every few months, but I try to stay out of the way. He's theirs now," she said sadly.
"Do you think that you could get in touch with them so that I could see him?"
"I'll call the adoption agency as soon as I get home. I have to go through them to get in touch with his adoptive parents," she explained.
"I understand. Thanks for bringing the pictures," he said as he picked up a handful from the box.
They spent all day going through the box and she told him funny stories about things that the baby had done the last time she had seen him. Emily came home to find the pictures scattered across the table but Sam and Leah were nowhere to be found.
Emily picked up a picture looking at Leah and the baby curiously. Sam came down the stairs with a photo album and Leah followed close behind him. Emily turned to face them, still holding the picture.
"You're home early," Sam said to break the silence.
"We were slow. Who's this?" she asked holding up the picture.
"I'm gonna go. This is a private conversation."
"See you later."
"Leah, whose baby is this?" Emily asked pointedly.
"He's mine and Sam's son," Leah said as she gathered the pictures.
"Sam?" Emily asked with a hurt expression.
"I just found out about him this morning," he said as he stood in front of her.
They were upstairs when Leah let herself out. It felt like a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. She had feared that Sam would be mad at her. She hadn't expected that he would feel guilty or that the sight of the little boy looking back at him would bring tears to his eyes. She had never seen Sam cry. He had been very understanding and accepting as she had explained her reasons for keeping the secret for so long.
Jacob was in his front yard when she walked up the driveway. She had gone home to drop off the box and left a message with her adoption representative before deciding to come and see him. He wiped his hands on a rag as he watched her walk towards him. Her face showed no emotion, but her eyes looked tired. He had been waiting to hear from her all day.
She stopped in front of him and he pulled her to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck before looking up at him. He looked down at her curiously as she smiled up at him. She leaned in, never taking her eyes off of him. The kiss was gentle and sweet; something that he hadn't expected from her. Her fingers played with the hair at the nape of his neck as she pleaded for entrance.
He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer. She sighed contently into his mouth as his tongue glided over hers gently. She hadn't been kissed like this in a long time. It felt so good to be in his arms, everything was right with the world. She had no worries.
There had been a time when she thought that Sam was the only person who could evoke these kinds of emotions from her. She had been so naïve then, she wouldn't make that mistake again. She and Jacob were going to have a long talk about what was going on between them. Just not now, she didn't want to ruin the way things were.
He pulled away giving her an amused look. She rolled her eyes before laying her head on his shoulder. He tightened his grip on her as she breathed in his scent. It was masculine, a mix of sweat, woods, and whatever soap he used. It was different from Sam's. Sam had more of a distinctive smell that reminded her of the ocean.
"How did it go?"
"He wants to see Sean."
"That's good. He should be allowed to see him."
Leah nodded against his shoulder and he kissed her temple. Jacob was a lot more patient and understanding than people gave him credit for. Leah and Bella were two of the few people who knew that about him. It was a shame that he didn't get the credit he deserved.