27. From the Woods
[Edward POV- 1 Day Later]
After my outburst two weeks ago I had calmed down somewhat. Just because Alice had a vision that Bella was in pain didn't mean anything. She was human. Pain was a constant for them.
I wanted to go back. I wanted to seek an end to my pain by going to the Volturi but I did neither because there was the off chance I could be wrong.
As hard as it was for me, Bella wasn't my problem anymore. At least that's what I'd told myself. The decisions she'd made were her own. They didn't affect me.
I tried.
I delivered babies at the hospital.
I existed in my own life.
I put myself back to the final time I saw Bella. Tried to convince myself I didn't want her. That our night together meant nothing.
And it worked.
For a time.
Until Alice had another vision, two weeks after her first. A bite mark and screaming were all she saw. I'd also heard Bella's screams via Alice's vision.
She couldn't be dead. Alice's visions were wrong.
Why couldn't the plane we now sat in go faster?
The hour flight from Boston to Seattle seemed to drag on until finally my family and I had arrived.
At first it was only going to be myself and Alice but Jasper didn't want to be separated from her and our parents knew how important it was so they came with us. Rosalie and Emmett were going to stay behind but at the last minute Emmett thought going back could be entertaining. And with the notion of Bella being dead he was curious to see for himself how I would react so he and Rose came with us.
"Do you all smell that," Esme asked as we stood in the woods near Bella's house.
Bella's scent and even Charlie's were faint. The house looked desolate, like no one had lived in it for a while but it wasn't only the lack of scents but the strong odors that lingered.
"Wolves," said Carlisle.
I sped into the house and Bella's room and was back out in an instant.
"The house is completely empty but the wolf smell is as strong inside as it is out here," I said to them.
"Do you think they kidnapped her," Alice asked.
"I don't think so," I replied. "Bella was friends with Jacob Black when I met her but he hadn't phased yet."
"You had to pick a chick who loves monsters," said Emmett.
We ignored his remark.
"Then something happened," said Alice, "Those stupid mutts did something to her and to Charlie. That's probably why I can't get a clear view of Bella's life like I did before. They have her."
"We don't know anything for certain," said Carlisle.
"Then why move," asked Rosalie, "Bella we could understand by why Charlie?"
"That's what we need to find out," said Carlisle, "If that's what you want, Edward."
I took a deep, unnecessary breath. "All I wanted for her was to move on with her life but if she knows about the wolves then she probably knows everything including the treaty we have with them. She can marry one of them if that's what she wants but I need to make sure she's safe Carlisle."
"That's great Edward," said Emmett, "but the wolves have taken over our lands. It reeks all over. We leave and what suddenly they think the lands are theirs?"
I ignored Emmett and snapped at Rosalie.
"She's not dead! And neither is Charlie."
Emmett placed his hand on my shoulder to prevent me from attacking my sister.
"Easy," he said.
"Why don't you tell them what you're really thinking, Rose? Come on just say it."
"It's nothing," said Rosalie.
"The hell it isn't. You think Victoria or Laurent got to them first don't you? That's why the wolves were here."
"I'm sorry, Edward," said Rosalie, "It's just a possibility."
"If we're lucky," said Emmett, "Maybe the wolves got to them first."
"Only one way to find out," said Carlisle. "You four follow the wolf scent. Edward, Esme, and I will see what we can learn in town."
"If its' all right, Carlisle, I'd like to make my way to the house."
Carlisle nodded, "Do what you must son. Your mother and I will search the town."
I nodded and we all went our separate ways.
[Jacob POV]
One day since the twins were born.
One day since Bella had begun her transformation.
I sat by her side now with Ness in my arms. Leah had taken the time to change her. She now laid deadly still on the clean bed in jeans and one of her old plaid long sleeve shirts, a size prior to getting pregnant now that her change had apparently taken care of any pregnancy changes from the birth. At least that was an upside. I didn't know much about pregnancy but I wasn't deaf either- I'd hear the complaints about how women longed and tried to get back to their bodies before the baby weight. Bella didn't have to try.
Charlie had gone to work thanks to Sam and Sue's instance. He still didn't know what was going on but the two had promised to call the instant anything happened or Bella woke up, whichever came first.
Sam, Emily, Paul, and Rachel were downstairs now with Seth, Leah, and EJ. Jared and Embry had gone home; Embry to inform Quil on the situation.
I wasn't sure how I'd be able to tell how Bella died or survived but at least one of the questions I'd had was answered.
Even though the Cullen's had left, what did remain was every book in Carlisle's library and among them a journal that had in it records of when each of the Cullen's had lived and died as humans and the date and process for which they had transformed into vampires. It took between one and three days for the transformation to be complete.
In my short time of being a wolf prior to imprinting I'd hated the Cullen's and what they'd turned me into. I'd accepted them now because had it not only been for Bella but also for Edward, I would not have found Ness so by accepting him I'd accepted the rest of his family and now having read their stories I came to see that us and them were alike in a way I hadn't noticed before: both species, human turned wolf and human turned vampire having been affected by other vampires; with the slight difference being that the Cullen's truly were a family- connected by Carlisle's venom and the only two that were literally and by venom that were adopted into the family were Alice and Jasper.
I looked at Bella now. The venom that ran through her was her sons', the very venom he had inherited from his father, and his vampire father before him. A family lineage much like the blood lineage that had been passed down to me and my siblings. Not a blood lineage but a venom lineage which was the most powerful by what seemed the rarest of vampire covens.
I looked at Ness and thought of EJ. Leah and I had not only been drawn to them because of our status as hybrids but because of the similarities. Werewolves and vampires weren't that different at all.
Now it made sense to a degree: the only reason vampires had been our natural enemies was because the first vampires to encounter the tribe hadn't been like the Cullen's. They'd been true bloodsuckers, drank human blood. Our ancestors had never experienced vampires who hadn't wanted to kill humans for blood even if they had made the treaty with them.
It was different for us now because of the connections Leah and I had made.
From what Bella had told me, the Cullen's and their cousins, a coven up in Alaska, were the only vampires in existence to abstain from human blood but now as I looked down at Ness, asleep in my arms, a new generation of non-lethal vampires would arise. History was changing for wolves and vampires. It would be interesting to see where life would be in a century or two, if the twins lived that long.
"Here," Paul said coming up to me with a burger in hand. "Rachel would kill me if you don't eat." I hesitated as I looked at Ness. "I can take her if you want."
"Since when are you a baby person?"
Paul shrugged, "I don't know. I figure around the time she was born and the fact that in eighteen to thirty years she'll be my sister-in-law. Besides I need the practice if Rachel and I are gonna have one of these."
"Ugh okay," I said not wanting to hear about my future brother-in-law's plans with my sister. "You can take her while I eat if that gets you to shut up."
Paul put the burger off to the side and I passed Ness off to him careful as to not wake her.
"You got her," I asked.
"Yeah," Paul said softly in a calm manner, "I got her."
Paul smiled, suddenly taken over by Vanessa's charm.
"Wow," he said to her.
"Got that right," said Leah as she entered the room, "Who would have thought that you of all people would like babies?"
I shook my head as I smiled and reached over for the burger.
Leah came over to us with EJ asleep in her arms. "Still hasn't woken up yet," she asked.
I shook my head and then took a bite.
Leah placed a hand on my shoulder. It was strange at how close we had gotten. It felt different than the way it was with my other siblings- almost as if that spiritual attachment that connected to our imprints had also attached the two of us but unlike the bonds that would shift in the future, with Leah and I there wasn't that impending future romance, it felt more like the special shared connection that twins have, the way we'd seen only briefly between Ness and EJ now even now in their sleep they seemed to drift toward each other.
Seth and Leah had become as much a part of my family as Paul- with all of us ending up as future in-laws, EJ included but for now I felt like an uncle to the boy much in the same way Seth did. And Leah hadn't felt like a godmother to him but as an older sister and an aunt to Ness.
Our silent thoughts didn't last long. I put my food aside as the three of us tensed. Our noses burn in a way we'd almost forgotten, almost- the smell could not completely leave our memories and our senses.
"Get the babies out of her," I ordered. "Go!"
"What about Rachel and Emily," Paul asked, afraid for his own girl.
"You take care of your niece. I'll take care of her aunt. Go!"
Leah and Paul nodded and they easily jumped out the window with the babies in their arms.
It slightly irritated me that even Sam's pack had to listen to my orders when Sam wasn't around but right now I was grateful.
I quickly touched Bella's hand, "I'll be right back."
I hated to leave her alone but I had no choice. I bounded off the second floor terrace and phased in mid air. I could tell that Paul and Leah were long gone.
Seth, Embry, and Sam, making sure the girls were safe inside had taken the woods to that led to the front entrance. I'd decided to take the side near the river.
The vampire smell was stronger in this direction as I was now twenty yards from the house.
Then he suddenly appeared.
'Edward,' I said sounding very confused. Was my mind playing tricks on me?
"Jacob Black," he said sounding not quite sure, "Is that you?"
Of course he didn't know my wolf form. I hadn't phased yet. The only way he could possibly know was by the sound of my voice.
Edward tensed, "What are you and your pack doing here?"
It wasn't just my pack.
Edward tensed more.
Right the mind reading thing. Damn it this was going to get annoying real quick.
I shook my head.
'Forget about me, what are you doing back?'
"That doesn't concern you pup?"
'If it's about Bella it does.'
He tensed more and his lips tightened.
"She chose you," he said sounding defeated. "That's why Alice couldn't see. Whatever pain she was in-," Edward shook his head, "It doesn't matter. I guess that's it. I can let her go now."
'Hold up would you just wait a sec!'
'Jake,' Seth said coming into view. He looked up at Edward and smiled, 'Oh hey Edward, what's up?' he said as if they'd been friends all their lives.
'Pleasantries later kid,' I said to him, 'What is it?'
'Right. We found more vampires. Jake, they're his brothers and sisters.'
I turned to Edward, 'You all came back?'
"What's it to you? Bella's yours now and so are the lands. We'll never disturb you again."
'Damn it bloodsucker,' I said as I followed Edward to the front of the house, Seth following behind me, where his siblings and our packs waited. 'Just wait a minute!'
"We're leaving," Edward said to them.
'No you're not. Stop!' I ordered. 'Sam, Embry, do something.'
Sam stood behind the Cullen's and Embry took their left, my right. Seeing what they were doing, Seth took the right, my left.
'Stop for a second,' said Sam. 'And listen to him.'
Sam huffed.
Embry looked at Sam and then to the Cullen's.
'Yeah, I don't know what he said but it's not what you think,' said Embry, 'Bella didn't choose Jacob.'
'She'd be crazy to,' said Seth. 'She still loves you man.'
"What are you talking about," Edward asked.
'That's what I'm trying to tell you,' I said to him. 'Bella didn't choose me but your daughter,' I said placing emphasis on that final word, 'Did.'
Edwards eyes widened in surprise and confusion. "Vampires can't have children," he said.
His siblings had the same look in their eyes.
'Yeah well you might wanna tell that to your microscopic boys there. I don't think they got the memo.'
"What did you mean when you said you were chosen, chosen how?"
'I may have slightly imprinted on her.'
What went through my mind was Ness as a baby, as a toddler, as a kid, as a teenager and then a full grown woman. The spiritual aura surrounded the images.
They were enough to piss Edward off.
His tense demeanor turned to anger as he lunged at me quicker than my brothers could reach him. He tackled me to the ground and picked me up, tossing me against a nearby tree.
Sam and Embry came over to help me up. After my attack from the nomad I'd been preparing myself mentally and physically for such an outburst.
'Jacob, you okay,' Sam asked as I got to my feet.
'Never better,' I replied.
'Are you sure,' asked Embry, this time having heard Sam's words through my thoughts.
'Yeah, no broken bones this time,' I said shaking off the dust from my fur.
"Okay," said Alice, "Would someone please explain to us non-mind readers what's going on and what provoked my brother to lash out?"
Sam and Embry looked at me to make sure I was really okay and then turned to the woods to phase, Seth following.
"Charlie's safe," Carlisle said as he and Esme came into view. "Son, what's going on?"
"I'm not sure exactly," Edward answered.
'You will once I explain,' I told him, 'Just make sure no one goes inside.'
"Why not?"
'It'll make sense in a while but they can't go inside right now. I mean it.'
Edward nodded.
I phased in an instant. The girls quickly looked away.
Emmett laughed but I knew it wasn't at my size. It was simply the fact that there was a buck naked dude standing in front of him.
"Man don't you have a package for those Lil' Smokies?"
"He does now," Embry said coming toward me and tossed me a pair of shorts. "You always have to phase on the fly don't you? How many times we gotta keep restocking those trees?"
I put them on. It was probably insensitive of me to phase in front of them but with Bella upstairs I didn't want to waste any more time than I had to.
"Bella's upstairs," asked Edward.
Right the mind reading thing. How did his family put up with it? It was one thing having the pack and hearing Sam but Edward could hear me in both my wolf and human forms. At least from the wolves I got privacy in my thoughts when I was human. Guess that was gone now too.
Sam and Seth came into view and tossed me a gray shirt. "You're lucky I found one. I think it's your last," he said as I put it over my head so that I was now completely dressed.
"It's better if you don't go up there right now," I said to the Cullen's.
"It's our house dog," Rosalie said as she began to get agitated.
"Please," I said not wanting to argue. "At least not until you've heard the whole story."
"We're listening Jacob," said Carlisle as he nodded to me.
I nodded back in silent thanks.