"So, Erin went for a girls day with Em and Kim, right?" Quil checked, tossing Jake a wrench from his perch on the couch next to Embry in Jake's garage. Jake was working on Old Quil's car, which Quil had brought over.
"Yep. They're spending the day at PA, shopping and eating and stuff." Jake answered, laying back on his creeper under the car.
"That's good. Erin could use some girl time." Embry commented, "She's always hanging out with us guys."
Quil's head tilted suddenly before he stood up and approached the large, open doorway at the front of the garage. He peered outside through the light drizzle, his eyes trained on the driveway just around the old, red house.
"Hey Jake, Charlie's here." Quil called, looking over his shoulder at his two best friends.
Jake's brows furrowed before he wheeled himself out from under the car and sat up. He met Quil's eyes as he wiped his hands on his cutoffs. Embry offered him a hand and helped him stand up before the trio walked outside and crossed the yard to the back door.
"All I know is that Bella came home upset, saying that the council banned her from La Push. Where the hell do you get off banning my daughter from the reservation?" Charlie demanded as they entered the house, his hands rested on his gun belt as he stared down at Billy. The pack had contacted the Cullens the day before to tell Bella that she was officially banished from the reservation, and any violation of said banishment would result in punishment similar to if she were a Cold One. Her offended screeching still echoed in Jake's sensitive ears.
The two old men barely glanced at the teens before Jake jumped to defend his dad. "Charlie, don't blame my dad. I'm the one who made the call."
Charlie looked taken aback. "What? Jake, why? You're best friends…Is this because of that girl Bella told me about? She said you've been seeing someone, and that she's been causing problems between you and Bella."
Jake growled quietly in his chest. "With all due respect, Charlie, Erin hasn't been causing problems between me and Bella, it's the other way around. Did Bella tell you what happened that caused her to be so scuffed up the other day?"
Charlie straightened up a bit. "Not much. She just said it was some girl…Wait, you mean to tell me your girlfriend attacked Bells?" Charlie demanded angrily.
"No, Bella attacked Erin at the cliffs. If I hadn't gotten there when I did, Bella would've pushed Erin over the side of the cliffs. Yes, Erin did that to Bella, but it was self-defense, Bella attacked her first."
"And I suppose this Erin girl told you that, Jake?" Charlie questioned doubtfully.
"Yes. She did. And you know as well as anyone how horrible Bella is at lying."
"So, your response is to just banish Bella from the reservation? Don't you think you're overreacting?"
"I could've told Erin to turn Bella in for assault, and have that on her record for the rest of her life." Jake pointed out, keeping it to himself that Bella wouldn't be 'alive' much longer if Cullen turned her. "But I figured this way would be more beneficial."
"How is this beneficial? It's childish, Jake. Using your birthright for your own advantage. And you're encouraging it." Charlie added to Billy.
Quil cleared his throat. "It's not just Jake's advantage. We all agree with his decision. If anyone disagreed it wouldn't have happened, at least not so quickly. The whole council agreed instantly."
Charlie turned his eyes on Billy. "So, you agreed with this?"
Billy sighed. "Charlie…Erin didn't grow up having people looking out for her and protecting her like Bella did. She was on her own. She means a lot to Jake, as well as the rest of the guys. They just want to protect her, and they can't do that if Bella could turn up at any moment."
"You're making my daughter sound like some kind of monster from a horror film." Charlie protested. "It's not like she sought the girl out and attacked her."
"Actually, I'm pretty sure that's exactly what she did." Quil blurted, looking thoughtful. Embry bopped him upside the head.
"From what I heard, Bella was looking for me and she couldn't find me, even though multiple people told her I was working. She went to the cliffs and found Erin there, and she started accusing Erin of crap. One thing lead to another, and Bella started the fight by pulling Erin's hair, and then shoving her to the ground." Jake explained patiently.
Charlie looked like he was refusing to believe it. "Bells would never do that. She'd never attack someone like that."
"Well, one time she slapped Paul in the face because he laughed at her." Embry mentioned.
"I've noticed that Bella tends to lash out at people when she's angry or things aren't going completely her way." Jake explained carefully, not wanting to upset Charlie. "That's something she really needs to work on. I'm sorry if this puts you in an uncomfortable situation, Charlie, but I can't allow the people I care about to get hurt because of her. You're more than welcome to come and go on the rez as you please, but if Bella steps a toe onto the reservation it's considered a violation and punishment will be given. If she thinks I'm kidding, just tell her she's in the same boat as the rest of the Cullens."
"That's another thing. Now, I hate Edward after what he put Bella through, but banning an entire family from your land because of some old superstitions? Come on, old man." Charlie added, giving Billy a look.
"You don't have to agree with my beliefs, or the way I run this tribe. You do, however, have to respect them. I have my reasons, some you can't even begin to understand, Charlie. And my son will take my place one day, he needs to start stepping up and showing responsibility. That's what he did in regards to Bella. If I hadn't understood his reasoning, of course I never would've agreed to it, but I did. If you have a problem, it's with me. Don't attack Jake."
Charlie stared silently down at Billy for several moments before speaking. "So, that's it, then? My daughter can't come here with me for a visit? She can't hang out with her best friend while we go fishing?"
"Charlie, she stopped being my best friend after she abandoned us without a backwards glance, and when she hurt Erin." Jake explained gently, "And to be fair, Cullen probably wouldn't let her come down here even if she was allowed. She's only making a big deal about it because she doesn't have a choice. She never came down here when the Cullens were around. I'm sorry that this hurts you, that was something I wanted to avoid, but Bella brought this on herself. She needs to understand that she can't have both Cullen and me, this isn't some…polygamous society. I'm with Erin now, and she's with Edward. She needs to accept that."
Charlie sighed heavily, looking down at the floor. After several moments he slowly nodded his head. "Alright. I may not like it, but I can see I can't change your mind. If that's really what you want."
Jake nodded slowly. "I really am sorry that this had to affect you, Charlie. I wish it didn't."
Charlie gave him a small smile under his mustache. "Don't worry about it, Jake. You're protecting the people you care about. That's a pretty honorable thing to do."
XXX
Not sure if I like how it ended, but this needed to happen. The next 'chapter' will have more JakeXErin time. Remember, I'm open to ideas if you've got anything in particular you want to see!