Lost and Found
Disclaimer; all characters and copyright belong to Stephanie Meyer.
A/N-thank you for the kind reviews!
Part Seventy Five-Hope
Rosalie came across the pack about ten miles out of Forks. The wolves were surprised to see the blonde vampire as she had deliberately kept downwind of them so her sweet scent wasn't blown their way under the strong wind. It was a tactic she had used several times in the distant past. She revealed herself immediately once she was in the pack's vicinity. Rosalie could already detect the wolves' agitation and she didn't want to alarm them further than necessary. She was very familiar with their ways, having been around when Ephraim was the leader of his own pack. When he caught sight of Rosalie, Ephraim phased back into his human form, while ordering the others to continue on with their journey while he spoke to the blonde vampire alone. Jacob held back for a moment as he studied Ephraim and Rosalie in concern, but his need to return home to Bella won over his curiosity and he eventually followed his brothers into the dense forest.
"What's going on?" Ephraim asked as soon as the others were out of earshot.
"Carlisle has heard from Alice. Victoria is on the move. She calculates that the red head will be here with her army in about a week. Alice is still trying to decipher where it will all take place. Victoria can't seem to decide. Her constantly changing decisions are giving Alice a headache." Rosalie revealed.
Ephraim ran a hand through his sweaty hair as he sighed heavily. It was happening sooner than he had anticipated. He had hoped to have more time to get the young pack prepared, but time was limited now. "Thanks for coming to find me. I don't want the pack knowing about this yet. Things have been tense while we've been gone, especially between the young Alpha and Samuel Uley. They fought viciously and Samuel was quite badly injured. It will take some time for him to recover fully. He has managed to phase into his wolf form but I sent him off to recuperate. I didn't want him and Jacob in the same place for a while. It looks like I will have to rethink that action now that the danger is coming sooner than I thought."
"Where did you send Sam Uley?" Rosalie asked curiously.
"Off into the wilds. I wanted him to spend some time alone. I am hoping the space will give him time to rethink his actions." Ephraim replied.
"We better get back." Rosalie said as she glanced around the forest. The sky was getting darker as clouds scudded across the heavens. A storm was on its way, and she had an inkling that would be the perfect opportunity for Victoria to slip into the area unnoticed with her army. She could tell that Ephraim was thinking the same. "I'll lead."
"Not for long." Ephraim laughed as he watched the beautiful blond spin gracefully on her heels and dash off into the surrounding trees. He phased on the fly and charged after her, enjoying the chase, and momentarily putting his worries to one side.
Esme had ordered a substantial amount of food to feed the young pack upon their return. She was alerted by the sound of their approach and called out to Bella and Rebecca who had been anxiously awaiting their lovers return. Sarah was laying on one of the soft leather sofas. Esme had placed a cashmere shawl around her shoulders to ward off the chill. Like Bella and her daughter, Sarah was eager to see her son again. Carlisle had already left to go and meet up with the returning pack. He would let them know about the feast awaiting them, and it would give him a chance to catch Ephraim and have a long talk with him before they both spoke to the pack. Carlisle had asked Bella to keep what she knew to herself until he and Ephraim had a chance to explain everything to the others. Once again she was forced to keep a secret and Bella felt her burden heighten.
"They're back." Rebecca had her face pressed to the window. As soon as she saw the wolves break free from the trees surrounding the palatial mansion and begin to phase back into their human forms, she charged out of the house and down the porch steps as she searched for Jared.
Bella was hot on her heels. She tripped down the marble steps in her eagerness to see Jacob, and would have fallen and cracked her head if a strong pair of arms hadn't come out of nowhere and caught her. "JACOB!" Bella yelled in delight as she realised who her saviour was. Her heart immediately felt lighter upon seeing him. She heard him laugh as she threw her arms around his neck. He picked her up, with one arm resting under her butt as his fingers tangled in the back of her hair. Bella wound her legs around his waist and tightened her hold. Jacob grinned as he began to walk inside the mansion with Bella wrapped around him. He drank in her sweet scent and his eyes roamed her beloved face. She looked more beautiful than ever. Her brown eyes were alight with happiness now that he had returned and her lips curved up into a huge smile.
"I missed you." Jacob confessed as Bella began to press wild kisses all over his face. Behind them they heard Rebecca calling Jared's name as she enjoyed her own reunion.
"Not as much as I missed you." Bella pulled back and studied his handsome face. She noted the change in him, she could see it. Even though he was grinning at her, he still seemed on edge. Something was eating away at him and it concerned her. "You okay, Jake?"
"I am now." Jacob assured her as soon as they entered the palatial mansion. He walked into a shadowy corner and took the opportunity to kiss Bella. His mouth sought hers eagerly and his tongue slid between her parted lips as he tasted her. Bella moaned softly as she felt him intensify the kiss. She had missed him more than words could describe, she had missed his voice, the way he looked at her like she was the most beautiful thing on earth, the way his hands touched and inflamed her skin, sending hot jolts through her body as his long, skilful fingers set her on fire.
The pack piled into the mansion, boisterously. Paul was at the head as he shouted in delight at the enormous piles of food decorating the kitchen table. He charged inside, with his brothers close behind as they began to whoop and exchange high fives. As always they were starving. Esme stood to one side and smiled in amusement as she watched them pull up any chair they could find and begin to devour the food. Rebecca was perched on Jared's lap as he ate, occasionally feeding him some of her own pizza when he had eaten his own share.
Bella eventually came down from her high when she remembered they were surrounded by an audience. Luckily they weren't very captive as their need to refuel trumped any teasing they might have indulged in. "You must be hungry, Jake." She gestured toward the food. Her legs were still wrapped around him as he pressed her back against the wall. One of his hands had wandered under her t-shirt and he was caressing her back in gentle strokes. "Jake." She said again breathlessly as she tapped him on the shoulder. His nose was skimming her throat as he pressed light kisses along her sensitised skin. His touch was driving her crazy.
"I'm just hungry for you, honey." Jacob said huskily as he nipped her skin gently before raising his head. Bella gasped at the fire burning in his eyes, and it sent pleasant tingles coursing through her body.
"You'll have to wait until later for that." Bella whispered as she traced a finger over his full lips.
Jacob kissed her again, gentler this time, before he reluctantly released his hold on Bella. Her legs fell from around his waist until her feet hit the floor. They hugged each other for a long moment before they went to join the others.
Sarah cupped her son's face in her hands as she smiled at him, relieved that he had finally returned safely. She could see that Jacob looked equally as relieved at her recovery. Sarah was still feeling weak and fragile. Carlisle had told her the aftereffects of her illness would take some time to wear off. Her body had taken a battering, but with tender loving care, she was pulling through. "I have been so worried about you."
"I'm fine, mom." Jacob tried to reassure her.
Sarah wasn't fooled. There was a war going on inside her son. Anyone who knew him intimately would sense the same thing. She knew that Bella had. Sarah had watched the young girl gazing anxiously at Jacob when his attention was elsewhere, then plaster on a smile when he looked at her. Something had happened to him while he was gone. He seemed on edge and deeply unhappy, even though, like he had done his whole life, he hid his trauma behind a bright smile and confident manner. "You can talk to me, Jake." Sarah said softly as she stroked his cheek. "It does no good to keep your burdens hidden inside. They just end up getting heavier to bear."
"I'm really okay, mom." Jacob said again as he took her hands from his face and clasped them in his own. One of the burdens that his mother referred to was gone at least. Sarah was getting better; she looked more like her old self than she had since the unexpected attack.
"Are you?" Sarah's dark eyes, so much like his, roamed his face. "If you can't speak to me, then talk to Bella. That girl loves the bones of you."
Jacob's pensive expression softened at his mother's words. "I know, and I love her."
"Yes, you always have. I saw it even when you were both very young." Sarah sat back as weariness overcame her.
"You rest now, mom." Jacob plumped up Sarah's pillows and watched as her eyes began to drift closed. "Love you." He whispered as he leaned forward and kissed his mother on the forehead.
Carlisle and Ephraim walked slowly side by side. Carlisle could see that something was weighing heavily on his old friend's mind. After their brief conversation about Alice's prediction, Ephraim had fallen into a moody silence. He was obviously brooding about something. "Care to share." Carlisle asked eventually as they drew near the edge of the trees surrounding his home.
"I decided to tell Jacob about his fate." Ephraim revealed as he drew to a sudden halt.
"I see." Carlisle said gravely as he threw Ephraim a sympathetic glance. "I expect he did not take the news well."
"No. His anger was to be expected, but the grief I see in his eyes, now that was something I wasn't prepared for. That girl he loves…"
"Bella." Carlisle finished for him.
"Yes, Bella." Ephraim repeated. "What do you think of her?"
"I admire her very much. Because of Esme's strong attachment to her, I have been able to observe her over the years. She has grown from a timid anxious child and blossomed into a strong, courageous young lady. She is a great support to Jacob, and she obviously loves him very much." Carlisle replied.
"It's definitely love then, and not just feelings enhanced by their imprint bond." Ephraim studied Carlisle's reaction carefully.
"You want to know if I think their connection is like the imprinting bond you shared with your mates." Carlisle rubbed his chin thoughtfully as Ephraim nodded. "No, it is not." He stated firmly.
"Please clarify." Ephraim pressed, curious as to how his old friend had reached this conclusion.
Carlisle continued to walk toward the house as he spoke. "From my observations and from what Edward has unintentionally picked from the young Alpha's mind, I don't believe that Jacob and Bella have a conventional imprint. I remember what it was like for you when you met your last imprint, Georgiana."
Ephraim winced. It was hard for him thinking about the women he had spent his life with. He had grown to care for them of course, but never truly loved them, and each of his imprints had known that, making the relationship sad on both sides. Georgiana had been the last. He had met her in Italy, not long after he had crossed paths with Carlisle again. It had not been a happy union. Georgiana had loved him deeply, but resented the fact that his devotion to her had come about under false pretences. It got worse when he refused to procreate with her when she longed for children. But he stood firm, he wanted no more offspring in case they ended up sharing the same fate as him. Even though Georgiana had stayed with him, she had never forgiven him for depriving her of a family. She had died a bitter woman.
"Why did you have to bring her up?"
"I am sorry." Carlisle apologised regretfully. "I am just making comparisons to prove how different Jacob and Bella's relationship is to what you had."
"As far as I can tell and from what Jacob told me himself, they are imprinted." Ephraim said testily.
"Yes, they share a lot of the same traits, bar one of the most important." Carlisle pointed out smoothly.
Ephraim frowned. "Such as?"
"Jacob chose to imprint on Bella and she chose to accept it because they were already in love. Edward saw it all in Jacob's mind when he and Bella were interacting. It was very clear. Jacob still carries a strong memory of when he decided that Bella was his soul mate at the age of four." Carlisle watched as Ephraim's brow furrowed further.
"How is that possible that he got to choose?" Ephraim demanded angrily. He felt his anger building up inside. Could he have done the same? Had the bad advice he had received from his so called betters in the past deceived him. The ancient elders of his tribe had been so firm in their belief that what had been handed down through the generations was true. As he had been brought up to do, he had listened to these wise men and taken what they had said as gospel. In doing so he had avoided making any romantic attachments as he knew they wouldn't last. Because he decided not to choose someone for himself had the spirits stepped in and chosen for him because he held back.
Carlisle saw his friend begin to shake and he put a firm hand on his shoulder. "I am sorry, old friend. I so wish I had known of this sooner. But it was only in the last few days that Edward told me what he had learned. To him it was all irrelevant information, but when I heard what he had observed I was able to draw my own conclusion."
Ephraim was devastated. He stared at Carlisle in despair. "I could have chosen."
"Yes, I think you could have, and in doing so, things might have turned out very differently." Carlisle's face was full of sympathy. "It might not be too late, old friend."
"I will die soon. Now that Jacob is taking up his rightful place, my wolf can finally be laid to rest." Ephraim said wearily.
"Ephraim, your wolf may go, but I suspect you will still live for another normal human life span. There is still plenty of time to meet someone, fall in love and have children again, the natural way this time." Carlisle's face broke out into a smile.
"And Jacob? What about him?" For the first time in forever he felt a ray of hope lighting up the darkness inside his soul.
"He already beat you to it. I doubt he will be forced to live as you have. We need to do some more research, old friend. But I hope things will be better for him as everything about him is so different from what you have known." Carlisle replied.
A genuine smile crossed Ephraim's face for the first time in decades. The heavy burden of loneliness and loss he had carried on his shoulders lightened and calmness descended on him. "We should get inside and talk to the others, and I need to have a quiet word with young Jacob and tell him that there may be hope after all."
Carlisle patted Ephraim's shoulder as he smiled back at him. The two men resumed their journey both feeling much lighter inside.
A/N-thanks for reading!