So with this chapter we are officially caught up to all the chapters so far that needed to be re-written.

CHAPTER SIX

They had probably been asleep, at the most, two hours when the howls sounded through the air. Jacob awoke immediately, cursing under his breath as he was forced to unravel himself from Bella and the sheets securely tucked around them. Where he had woken immediately at the sound, Bella only stirred just slightly, hugging her body pillow closer. He did his best not to wake her as he left the bed, nodding at Rosalie who was once again back in the room, ready to defend the pregnant woman. Esme and the others, all but Edward and Jasper were there as well.

Running out of the house, he cursed again as Bella mumbled his name in her sleep just as he hurled himself off the porch, letting the fire of his phase rip him apart midair. There was a sharp tearing sound as his clothes shredded. Crap. He thought. Those were the only clothes that he had. Didn't matter now, he supposed. He landed on paws and took off toward the west.

What is it? I shouted in his head. Is it the pack?

At least three,Seth answered. They are incoming fast

Did they split up? It would be a harder fight if they split up, Jacob would have to divide Seth and Leah to cover all sides to make sure they didn't make it to the house.

I'm running the line back to Seth at the speed of light,Leah promised. Jacob could feel the air huffing through her lungs as she pushed herself to an incredible velocity, revitalized from the food Seth had brought out to her. The forest whipped around her.

So far, no other point of attack. Seth reported. That was good.

Seth, do not challenge them. Wait for me.

They're slowing. Ugh-it's so off not being able to hear them.Leah complained.

I think….Seth began to say, noticing something.

What is it, Seth.

I think they've stopped.

Maybe waiting for the rest of the pack? he threw out there, feeling his hackles rise, his fur standing up in aggravation. He didn't like this.

Shh. Feel that?Jacob absorbed Seth's impressions. The faint, soundless shimmer in the air.

Someone's phasing? That didn't make any sense at all, what purpose would any of them have to be human unless they thought it would be easier to sneak by, that they would be reluctant to attack them in such a form.

Feels like it,Seth agreed.

Leah flew into the small, open space where Seth waited. She raked her claws into the dirt, spinning out like a race car. She was ready for a fight, almost looking forward to it.

Got your back, bro. she promised him, ready to defend and attack.

They're coming,Seth said nervously. Slow. Walking.

Almost there,Jacob told them. He tried to fly like Leah. It felt horrible being separated from Seth and Leah with potential danger closer to their end than to his. He should be with them, between them and whatever was coming.

Look who's getting all paternal,Leah thought wryly. That's what happens when you spend so much time with Rosemary.

Head in the game, Leah. He growled. He didn't need her shit right now, they needed to focus on only one thing.

Four, Seth said, after focusing his hearing, getting an exact idea of how many there were now. Kid had good ears. Three wolves, one man.

He finally made it into the clearing then. moving immediately to the point. Seth sighed with relief and then straightened up, already in place at his right shoulder. Leah fell in on his left with a little less enthusiasm.

So now I rank under Seth, she grumbled to herself.

First come, first serve, Seth thought smugly. 'sides, you were never an Alpha's Third before. Still an upgrade.

Shut up, both of you. Jacob complained. I don't care where you stand, just get ready.

They came into view a few seconds later, walking as Seth had thought. Jared in the front, human, hands up. Paul, Quil and Collin were on four legs behind him. There was no aggression in their postures. They hung back behind Jared, ears up, alert but calm.

It was strange that Sam would send Collin rather than Embry. That wasn't what Jacob would do if he were sending a diplomacy party into enemy territory. He wouldn't send a kid, but an experienced fighter. There was more going on behind the scenes, that he was sure of. Embry was one of his best friends, even closer to him than Quill was, it was probably tearing at him to be fighting against him.

A diversion? Leah thought.

Was that it, was Sam, Embry and Brady making a move alone? No, that didn't seem too likely.

Want me to check? I can run the line and be back in two minutes, Leah offered.

Should I warn the Cullen's? Seth wondered.

What if the point was to divide us? Jacob asked. And the Cullen's heard your howl, they know something is up and are ready to get Bella out of here the moment we give the second howl.

Sam wouldn't be so stupid,...Leah whispered, fear in her mind. She was imagining Sam tracking the Cullens with only two others beside him.

No, he wouldn't,he assured her, though he too felt a little sick at the image in her head.

All the while, Jared and the three wolves behind him stared at them, waiting. It was eerie not to hear what Quil, Paul, and Colin were saying to one another. Their expressions gave away nothing.

Jared cleared his throat, and then he nodded to Jacob.

"White flag of truce, Jake. We're here to talk." he promised, hands raised high in the air.

Think it's true?Seth asked, unsure himself.

I'm not sure….They didn't relax. We can't trust them like we used to.

Yeah, Leah agreed, eyes narrowed on the wolves in front of her. It wasn't too hard to see them as the enemy, she's been dying to rip a chunk out of half of the packs asses anyway.

Jared frowned, easily sensing that they were conversing with one another.

"It would be easier to talk if I could hear you, too." he pointed out to Jacob.

Jacob stared him down. He wasn't going to phase back until he felt better about this situation. Until it made sense. Why Collin? That was the part that worried him the most. Where the hell was Embry and Sam?

"Okay. I guess I'll just talk, then," Jared said. "Jake, we want you to come back."

Quil let out a soft whine behind him. Seconding the statement.

"You've torn our family apart. It's not meant to be this way." his voice was a low, sad sigh.

Jacob wasn't exactly in disagreement with that, but he had another family right now that needed him more. Bella and the baby. On top of that there were still a few unresolved differences between him and Sam at the moment that would make coming back extremely difficult and uncomfortable for everyone.

"We know that you feel….strongly about the situation with the Cullen's. We know that's a problem. But this is an overreaction." Jared ran a hand through his hair, his brows pinching together.

Seth growled, picturing Bella sleeping last night and again this morning, smiling and sweet as they ate breakfast, as he felt the baby kick. Overreaction? And attacking our allies without warning with the intent to kill a pregnant woman isn't? On top of the fact that she's an imprint!?

Seth, have you ever heard of a poker face? Cool it. Jacob understood what the kid was feeling, but he needed him calm, needed him to be able to think straight.

Sorry. He said, lowering his head, embarrassed to be scolded.

Jared's eyes flickered to Seth and back to me. "Sam is willing to take this slowly, Jacob. He's calmed down, talked to the Elders. Considering this involves an imprint they've decided that immediate action is in no one's best interest at this point."

Translation: They've already lost the element of surprise, Leah thought.

"Billy and Sue agree with you, Jacob. They don't want to see her hurt, or you. We can wait for Bella to be….separated from the problem. Killing her is not something any of us feel comfortable with." he admitted, and Quil gave another whine of agreement, his head low as he moved a little closer.

Though he had just given Seth crap for it, he couldn't hold back a snarl of his own. So now they didn't feel comfortable with murdering Bella, his imprint? They had his head spinning with their turn of mind. There wasn't even a problem, not really. The more time he spent with Bella, saw the change in her, her strength, the way she had slapped Edward without a flinch of pain, the more clear it became that this wasn't a bad thing. They had no real reason beside the paternal heritage of the baby to have any reason to think it was a threat to its mother or anyone else.

Jared raised his hands again. "Easy, Jake. You know what I meant. The point is we're going to wait and reassess the situation. Decide later if there's a problem with the...thing."
Baby! Jacob snarled again. Not a thing, a baby.

He just wished they could see what he and Seth saw. At least Leah had an idea , though it was through him and Seth's minds. She still saw it, saw how Bella glowed, saw the healthy shine of her hair, felt the grip of her hand, the way she seemed to have filled out overnight, looking healthier. She was happy and human, and if this went right she could stay that way like they all wanted.

Don't listen to him, Jake. Leah though.

You don't buy it? he asked her.

I know what they're thinking, Jake. What Sam's thinking. They're betting on Bella dying anyway because they don't know what we know, they only remember the images of how frail and sick she had looked. They figured that if she does die you'll be so mad…. she shook her head, her fur ruffling.

That I'll lead the attack myself. He finished her sentence, his ears pressed against his skull. What Leah was guessing sounded pretty spot on. And very possible, too. If….If the baby was killing Bella. If it did, it would be easy to forget how he felt about Carlisle's family. They would look like enemies, no more than bloodsucking leeches all over again. But that wouldn't be the case.

You should tell him about the amnio. Seth whispered. Like you said, if they know what we could learn from it they might change their minds about all of this.

Maybe.he huffed a sigh.

Leah, make a run just to be sure. I'm going to have to talk to him, and I want to be positive there isn't anything else going on while I'm phased...that they won't attack Bella. He ordered, but not really ordered her.

Give me a break, Jacob. You can phase in front of me. Despite my best efforts, I've seen you naked before-doesn't do much for me, no offense.she rolled her eyes.

I'm not trying to protect your innocence, I'm trying to protect our backs. Now, get out of here.

Leah snorted once and then launched herself into the forest. He could hear her claws cutting into the soil, pushing her faster.

Nudity was an inconvenient but unavoidable part of pack life. They had all thought nothing of it before Leah came along, after that it got awkward. Leah had average control when it came to her temper-it took her the usual length of time to stop exploding out of her clothes every time she got pissed. They had all caught a glimpse. And it wasn't like it was anything worth looking at; it was just that it was so not worth it when she caught one of them thinking about it later.

Jared and the others were staring at the place where she'd disappeared into the brush with wary expressions.

"Where's she going?" Jared asked, taking a step back.

Jacob ignored him, closing his eyes and pulling himself together again. It felt like the air was trembling around him, shaking out from him in small waves. He lifted himself up on his hind legs, catching the moment just right so that he was fully upright as he shimmered down into his human self.

"Oh," Jared said, surprised that he had turned back so suddenly. He had been sure that he wouldn't. "Hey, Jake."

"Hey, Jared." he grumbled, glaring at the other.

"Thanks for talking to me."

"Yeah." he grunted

"We want you to come back, man" he repeated, smiling at Jacob, arms open in a invitation.

Quil whined again.

"It's not that easy, Jared." he shook his head, thinking of Bella still asleep back at the house.

"Come home," he said, leaning forward. Pleading. "We can sort this out. You don't belong here. Let Seth and Leah come home, too."
Jacob full on laughed. "Right. Like I haven't been begging them to do that from the start."

Seth snorted behind him, a confirming sound. He lifted his head too, like he was proud of such a feet.

Jared assessed that, his eyes cautious again. "So, what now?"

Jacob couldn't help but sigh. "You tell me to come home, but have you ever considered that my home is wherever Bella is?"

"I can't just so easily forgive all of you for jumping on the 'kill Bella band wagon' when you know the laws, know she's my imprint. You've always respected that before, no matter what." he was hurt by their choice, by their lack of hesitation to at least think things through to consider what it would mean.

"By so quickly choosing to kill her, you betrayed me more than I have by leaving the pack for her, for the Cullen's."

"Jacob…"

"Even if that wasn't the case, things wouldn't be able to go back to normal anyway, Jared." he said. "I don't know how it works, but it doesn't feel like I can just turn this Alpha thing off and on as the mood strikes."

"You still belong with us." Jared was practically begging him to come back, to see reason.

Jacob shook his head.

"Two Alpha's can't be in the same place, Jared. The instinct is too competitive."

"So are you all just going to hang out with the parasites for the rest of your lives?" Jared demanded to know.

"You don't have a home here. You're already out of clothes." he literally pointed out."You gonna stay wolf all the time? You know Leah doesn't like eating that way."

"If it really bothers you so much, then I'll let you know that Bella made us breakfast this morning. We won't starve. And Leah can do whatever she wants. She's here on her own choice. I'm not telling anyone what to do." he explained to him, almost begrudgingly as if he wanted Jared to take Leah back, maybe Seth too. It would be better that way.

"Bella is cooking for you?" he asked incredulously, both shocked and disturbed. Now he was being an asshole, he knew Bella cooked.

"Yes. Because despite what you might think, she does care about us. She doesn't want anyone on either sides to get hurt because of her." Jacob said, thinking back to Bella this morning, how she asked about Leah favorite food and made sure he brought Seth in to eat breakfast, how he pressured him to get some sleep.
Jared scoffed.

"Yeah, right. She should have thought of that before she chose the leeches over us, the ones who had been protecting her, the ones who had accepted her and taken her in when that leach left her in the forest to freeze." Jacob hadn't been the only one hurt when Bella chose Edward over him.

"Edward and her are over. He won't accept the baby, so she ended things with him." he hadn't meant for it to come out, honestly. But he still felt the need to defend Bella, to have them accept her like they once had. She was his imprint after all, and she was probably the first imprint they didn't like. Emily and Leah's rocky relationship didn't count.

"So what? It's not like she going to go running into your arms. Don't kid yourself, Jake. She's never wanted you the same way she's wanted him." Jared rolled his eyes, feeling bad for his brother.

"You don't know that." he growled. "Things could turn out different this time. She's my imprint, that has to mean something for us."

"She's having it's spawn, Jacob, get your head out of your ass already and come back to reality." Jared shook.

"Baby." said Jacob, correcting him. "It's just a little baby. It's a part of her, not just him."

"We're also going to do an amniocentesis, to see if we can figure out more about it. If it works we can give you proof if it's more vampire than human or vice versa. That he's not some horrible, ravenous monster that will eat the towns folk once he's born." he rolled his eyes as he spoke the last part.

"Just give us time to run the tests and give you the results. You can decide if you still want to kill him after we give you the information." he tried to compromise. "Just know, no matter the results, I will still protect Bella and her child."

Jared thought for a minute.

"How will we know when you have the results?" he asked.

"They do have phones here," Jacob snorted. "I'll call you."

"Really think, Jared. What if you're wrong about the baby and you kill it not knowing whether if it really was human or not? You would have helped murder an innocent child." this time it was Jacob doing the pleading.

Jared thought some more.

"You could easily lie about the results." he pointed out. Jacob wanted to pull his goddamn hair out. He had really hoped he would have taken the compromise. At least run it by same first before outright rejecting the idea.

"We wouldn't do that, and you can even have Sue look it over." he recommended, tired of all this back and forth fighting.

"Otherwise you're just going to have to wait and see for yourselves what it is after he's born" he shook his head, he had hoped he could end this sooner than later if he could gather some evidence that the baby wasn't a danger to them.

"Fine, call us when the results are ready and we'll give you Sue's fax for her to review them, otherwise none of us are going to know how to read them" Jared frowned.

"You'll see, Jared, you'll all see that you're wrong. I know it deep down inside me." he pressed his fist in between his ribs.

"I wish we could trust that gut feeling." Jared shook his head,

"It's not that you can't trust me, it's that you don't want to be proven wrong. You want to believe it's a monster, because it's easier than just accepting it." Jacob shook his head.

"We're not murderers, Jacob. If it turns out as you think it is, human, we'll walk away without a second thought." he defended them, disgusted that Jacob thought them so savage.

"Why is it, that now I don't trust you?" he narrowed his eyes.

"I wish things had been different, I wish Bella chose you, Jake. We all do, we loved Bella in that short time she was with us, when she was one of us before she chose them." Jared stepped forward, waving a hand in the direction of the Cullens house.

"She was a wolf girl, an imprint!" he shouted. "It's not you, or her, that we can't trust. It's them, and what they are!"

"Believe it or not we're also thinking about Bella, what this must be like for her, the pain and the fear! We hate that we're the ones she's scared of and it makes us feel sick to our stomachs." he confessed to Jacob.

"You know that by the off chance she chose all of a sudden we would accept her. It would be fucking hard to do it all over after everyhing, but we would. Because we know she's what makes you happy, that she completes you, that's she meant for you and we care enough about you to get over our own pity shit and be happy for you." Jared told him.

"But this!?" he pointed back to the house. "Is this making you happy, watching the woman you love carry that things spawn?"

Jacob swallowed. "But it doesn't feel like he's Edwards. I'm the one who felt him kick, I'm the one who listened to his heartbeat and worried about him. He could have-should be mine."

"But it's not yours, Jacob. Don't fool yourself into thinking otherwise." Jared said softly, almost sympathetically, like he felt bad for him. "Don't hurt yourself like that."

"You should go." Jacob said, stepping back, his eyes cold and dangerous. He would protect what he felt was his to protect, Bella and the baby.

Jared frowned and turn to face Seth, concentrating on him now. "Your mom asked me to tell you-no, to beg you-to come home. She's broken hearted, Seth. All alone. I don't know how you and Leah can do this to her. Abandon her this way, when your dad just barely died-"

Seth whimpered.

"Ease up, Jared," he warned him.

"Just letting him know how it is." Jared shrugged.

Jacob snorted. "Right, Sue's known about this for how many hours now? And most of that time I'm sure she was with Billy, Old Quil and Sam. Maybe even Charlie know what a mess he's been"

Sue was tougher than anyone gave her credit for. Tougher than his dad, tougher than him or the entire pack combined. Tough enough to play her kids sympathies if that what it took to get them to come home. But he knew her a little bit better than that. She and Harry raised their kids right, to do the right thing. She was also dating Charlie, and knowing how much she cared for him she knew she wouldn't agree to the slaughter of his daughter and grandchild. It would hurt him too much.

"Yeah, I'm sure she's just perishing in loneliness." he rolled his eyes at the end.

"Of course, you're free to go if you want, Seth. You know that."

Seth sniffed and shook his head.

A second later, Seth cocked an ear to the north. Leah must be close. Jeez, she was fast, he thought. Two beats later she was trotting to a stop in the brush a few yards away. He barely noticed the person on her back until Leah took point in front of Seth and laid down on her belly to let the person off. Both Jared and Jacob gave a surprised gasp as they watched Bella sling her leg over and slide down off of Leah, almost losing her balance as she waved her arms at her side and teetered forward. It was Leah who caught her, twisting her head and catching the fabric of the jacket Bella was now wearing between her teeth, tugging her back so she was upright. She didn't let go until Bella was steady on her feet.

"Thanks, Leah." Bella said looking insecure as she looked over her shoulder at the she-wolf. Leah gave a snort before standing and circling her brother.

"Bells, what the hell are you doing?!" Jacob shouted, rushing over to Bella and moving her behind him, shielding her from Jared and the others. "Do you know how reckless riding Leah was. I can't believe she even let you. And what about the baby, or the vamps?"

"Alice told me what was going on when I woke up. I want to talk to them, Jake." she explained, brushing a little fur off of herself. It was so soft, like hair.

"Hell no! I'm taking you back to the house before Blondie comes out here and makes things worse." he glared at her over the shoulder, glancing warily back and forth between her and Jared.

"I want to talk to them," she repeated, touching Jacob's arm and looking around him to Jared. "If they plan to kill my child, then I at least deserve to say my peace."

"Bella-"

"No, I get this much." she choked on tears as she looked at the wolves behind Jared, her arms going around her stomach. Fear coursed through her veins and made her heart pound, but still she found the courage to move around Jacob so that Jared could see all of her.

"Please, Bella-" they all heard the roar of the vampires from the house. Edward and Rosalie. They would be there any second.

Bella took advantage of Jacob's distraction to march over to Jared, her ugg boots leaving imprints in the moist earth. He took a few steps back, as if she was the one they should be scared of. Before he could get far she snatched his wrist in a vice grip, startling him with her strength as he tried to break free of her hold. She wouldn't budge.

"I'm sorry, I didn't choose him, I am sorry I hurt you, that you felt that I betrayed you. I loved all of you too, I still do." she told him her big brown eyes swimming, her cheeks pink with the moment.

"But I can't help that I love Edward, it just happened. I didn't make any of my choices with the intent of hurting people, it's torn me apart from the start to know that no matter what I chose I was doing just that: Hurting people I care about." she wanted him to know this, let the pack know this.

"You guys healed me, helped me to move on when I thought I couldn't. You made me laugh, most of all, something that not a lot of people can do and I will be forever grateful to all of you for caring about me as much as you have." she smiled, remembering the days spent at Emily's with all the boys.

"But just like you have to protect your families, I have to protect mine." she told him, and using both hands she forced his fisted hand open and pulled him forward, laying his hand on her stomach.

"This is my family!" she nearly growled, not letting him get away. "And I will protect it to my last breath. If you plan to wait until he's born before you kill him, then you are going to have to pry him from my arms and look me in the eyes to do it."

"Then, when it's over, you better at least have the balls to go to Charlie yourselves and tell him what you did. Tell him how you murdered his only grandchild, and daughter. Because if you want to kill my son, you best be prepared to kill me because I won't just lay there and watch you rip my child apart."

"Let me go!" Jared finally roared, right in her face. Bella didn't even flinch. She let go of his hand then, so suddenly that Jared fell back on his ass from the momentum of trying to pull away.

She looked at Quil.

"I want you to picture, Claire, Quil." the wolf growled at the mention of his imprint, but Bella didn't back down she was not afraid to play dirty if she had to."Now picture a little boy her age with her. A little boy with my brown eyes and hair, and Charlie's nose and chin. His face round and cheeks rosy, playing on the beach with Claire."

"Think of what Claire's mother would feel if suddenly Claire was murdered because some idiots jumped to the wrong conclusion about her." she hissed. "Think of your own mother, and how she would feel if one of your enemies came and killed you as a child because they assumed you would phased but never knowing for sure."

He whined.

"Don't listen to her, Quil." Jared barked at him, glaring at Bella.

"None of you can know for sure what my son will turn out to be, just the same as no one could have been sure that any of you would have phased before the Cullen's came here." she said, her emotions running high as her face turned even redder.

"You don't know what he is or will be. No one can no until he grows up, until we see what type of person he grows to be. You can't judge a baby and go on a guess that he'll become some psycho murderer!" she shouted, taking a step towards them. It took Jacob grabbing her arm to stop her from getting right up in Jared's face.

"Before you go back, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. I still talk to Emily and too Kim and I know for a fact they would never approve of any of this." she told him, and Jared was clearly taken back my this information.

"That's right, Buddy, I even have them on goddamn speed dial. You know that roast beef Kim cooked you last week for your birthday? That was my recipe I gave her. She knew I could cook, and wanted to make your favorite but wasn't confident so she called me and I talked her through it." she told him

"And all those shorts and pants that Emily bought for all of you? I told her about the sale they were having and let her use my discount at Newtons." she explained.

"No matter who I chose to be with it never stopped me from being their friend, from going to them for advice, to talking to them when I felt that I couldn't talk to anyone else. That will never change, and that includes all of you." she told him, remembering the days at Emily's at the beach, in Jacob's garage, all the fun times, all the happy times. Those days meant so much to her.

"BELLA!" Rosalie and Edward finally arrived and were caging her between their arms in seconds, glaring at every single one of the wolves present. Even the ones on their side. The other Cullen's arrived soon after.

"It's fine, Jared was just leaving. They didn't hurt me." she told them, feeling suffocated between them.

"And If Sue wants to talk to Leah and Seth, she is free to call the house or my cell at anytime of the day and the same applies to them." she promised Jared.

"Now, I think it's best you run back to Sam." and that's exactly what they did. Turning tail they ran back into the forest and took off towards La Push to report back to Sam.

"Bella-" both Rosalie and Edward started to say, but it was Jacob who grabbed her shoulders and looked her in the eyes.

"DON'T YOU EVER DO SOMETHING SO RECKLESS AGAIN. DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME!" he shouted, his eyes furious and frightened, his grip on her shoulders never rough but still firm, strong.

He ignored Rosalie and Edward's arms around Bella and pulled her too him, his arms wrapped around her shoulders and his face in her neck forgetting that he was naked ."What's the point of me protecting the both of you if you're just asking to be killed?"

That's when she felt the warm tears on her skin.

"I'm so sorry, Jake, I didn't mean to put you in this position after all you've done. But I had to say my peace. I had to try something, I couldn't just-" she started to go off. but he shushed her.

"Please, just...just don't scare me like that again. I know nothing would have happened to you, I would have protected you of course, but…."

"Shh, I know, Jake, I'm sorry." she whispered, running her fingers through his hair, her own arm around him, rubbing line up and down his back. "It's ok, I'm alright. No one is ever going to hurt me, because you're always going to be there for me, right?"

"Sure sure," he whispered, kissing her shoulder.

"Jake and Bells, right?" she asked him.

"Jake and Bells," he promised her. "Always."