Thanks so much for all the reviews guys… I hope you like this one, we are slowly getting closer to Jake and Nessie reunion…Let me know what you think and yes there are some deliberate parallels between this and Breaking Dawn (You'll see what I mean at the end and in the next chapter…I'll explain why next time) Till then, send me some love ;). Love Tink. XX
Renesmee POV
Pacing the floor I glanced more than once at my father, as I chewed my nails anxiously, a terrible habit I had apparently picked up from my maternal grandmother when I was a little girl. The shrill ring of the cell was audible to me, even without the benefit of speakerphone. Each separate pulse of the tone was like another butterfly in my stomach. Why doesn't he answer? Come on Seth, I'm dying here, pick up I thought.
"Nessie, please stand still you're making me dizzy" my father murmured without even looking my way. I carried on pacing, adding a slight bad tempered stomp, so sue me, I was a teenager.
"Why doesn't he answer?" I mumbled giving voice to my earlier thought, staring blindly out of the window as I paced.
"Renesmee, please sit down, you're not helping" he turned to look at me and patted the sofa beside him. I twisted my hands in my lap nervously and flounced toward him as my father stared at me, his eyebrow raised slightly.
I didn't need to be a mind reader to know he thought I was being immature and maybe I was but this felt as though it was the most important phone call I had ever part of. The cell continued to ring and just when I thought we had to give up, a deep yet somewhat breathless voice hissed,
"Edward?" he sounded flustered, speaking quietly.
"Seth? Is everything okay?" my father asked and I realized I had begun to nibble at my pinkie finger. Looking down I placed my hand in my lap and forced myself to stay still, concentrating on just breathing.
"Everything's fine Edward, I'm with Sam and Jake…you shouldn't be calling like this…you know what Sam said," he whispered but we could still hear him.
"Can they hear you?" I blurted out, snatching the cell from my fathers grasp, unable to stay silent when I knew I was seconds away from hearing about Jake and how he was.
A low chuckle met my ears "H'lo Nessie…no they can't hear me but they can probably hear you"
"What's going on? Is he okay? Has he remembered anything?" I asked desperate for information.
"Ness, he's fine…he doesn't remember anything and looks a real mess but other than that he's doing okay"
"Can I see him? Please Seth, I need to see him for myself…I won't let him see me I promise, I just need this Seth, please"
There was a long silence, and knew this didn't bode well for my plans to be reunited with Jake. Eventually he sighed,
"The thing is Ness, I really don't think it's a good idea…he seems to have a problem with you lot"
My heart dropped "What do you mean he has a problem?"
"Jake is very antagonistic towards all vampires at the moment and I don't think he would view you any differently… it wouldn't be safe for you to come here"
"Just tell him Seth, tell him about me, about my mom…he has to know we're different…Sam will tell him" though my words were confident, my voice was not and I knew everyone could hear the tremor in it.
"Ness, Sam hasn't told him anything, he says it's better if Jake remembers for himself, and at the moment Jake wants to hunt and kill all vampires, including you…I'm sorry Ness"
I felt tears prickle in my eyes and handed the cell to my father "You talk to him" I said hoarsely, disappointed and in pain as I flopped back against the seat, an arm over my eyes.
"Seth, I'm asking this of you as a friend of mine, of Renesmee's and of Jake's…will you talk to him…I know Sam and I know that he doesn't plan on telling Jake the truth until he has to…he has never approved of our friendship and now I'm asking you to stand up for that friendship" my fathers tone was grave and concerned.
"I can't Edward, Sam is acting Alpha at the moment I can't go against his command, he has told all of us we can't discuss Jake's past or you with him….I just can't, you know that Edward…I'm sorry I wish I could, I really do…I will do what I can to provoke his memory but that's all I can do"
Seth spoke softly and slowly and his tone was full of regret but it didn't make it any easier to hear.
"I understand Seth but I had to ask for Renesmee's sake...this is very hard on her Seth"
"Its hard on all of us… Jake is different now, he's so angry, full of hate towards vampires, all vampires"
I bit back a sob, my Jake hated me.
"But I promise you this Edward, as soon as there is the slightest sign that Jake is remembering I will tell him the truth, where his roots are…I don't agree with what Sam is doing but I can't go against his wishes"
"I know Seth but please if there is any change let us know immediately,"
"I will, look I gotta go he's coming over"
"Hey Seth, who ya talking to? Tell your woman goodbye...come on we gotta go hunt some bloodsuckers" I heard a familiar deep voice call out in the background and my heart spiked.
It was Jake. My entire body trembled with relief at the sound of his voice, he sounded so carefree but at the same time excited at the prospect of killing. My Jake. It had been so long since I'd heard his deep gravelly tones and goose bumps broke out on the surface of my skin and I shivered involuntarily.
"Yeah I'm coming, keep ya fur on…listen guys I gotta go"
"Seth come on, I'm aging here!" Jake bellowed with a laugh and my own grin appeared in response to the sound of his laughter.
I smiled through my tears, wanting to shout out, wanting to call out to him, to tell him that I was here for him, that I missed him, that I loved him, that I wanted him home with me.
"Bye guys" Seth murmured and I heard Jake's muted laughter in the background drawing closer just as the cell cut out. So near and yet so far. I sighed. I couldn't help it.
My father turned to look at me, a sad smile playing around his lips,
"You okay Nessie?"
I nodded not trusting my voice, feeling the tremors inside me break free.
"I'm –" my voice broke on a little sob and I covered my mouth with my hand and cleared my throat "I'm just pleased he's okay Daddy"
"Well he sounds fine, still as pigheaded and obnoxious as ever" he remarked and I laughed. I knew that my father in his way loved Jake as much as I did. After all he had saved my life as a child, given up so much to protect me when the Volturi came for us.
"He's still in there Daddy, I know he is… I just have to wait a little longer is all"
I smiled to myself and replayed the sound of his laughter in his head, his deep and oh so masculine voice. That was one of the things I missed most about him, his laughter. It wasn't just his physical presence I had missed, it was also his emotional one.
"I hope so Ness, I really do"
I couldn't say it out loud for fear the tears would choke me but I hoped so too.
La Push- Thirty minutes earlier
Jake POV
The door opened and Seth strolled inside, greeting Sam with a grin and me with a punch to the shoulder. I grinned and reached for him, ready to tussle. I liked Seth, out of all of the pack I had a feeling we had been close once before. He was easy going and there was almost something furiously gentle about him, yet I knew if I needed him he would be there for me in a heartbeat. The first at my side to defend our pack. Our pack? Where had that come from, we were part of Sam's pack, weren't we?
"You ready to kick some bloodsucker ass? Sam said Quil and Embry have picked up the trail of a lone male out past the res" I told him, eager for the hunt to begin, feeling all my energy prowling just below the surface of my skin, ready to bust loose at any time.
Seth grinned, "Excited are we…shit Jake you still love to fight," he said shaking his head at me with a grin.
"You better believe it kid, I can kick your ass too" I smirked at him, watching as his eyes narrowed in challenge.
"Ya think?" he growled at me, crouching low, ready to go as Sam and Emily waddled slowly into the room, their heads close, hands entwined across her stomach.
"Oh I know so" I said and lunged for him again, just as his cell phone began to buzz.
I watched as he glanced down at it and then looked back at me, looking uncomfortable and nervous. He seemed edgy, cagey.
"I gotta take this…there's this girl," he stammered and I laughed watching as he strolled outside, protectively hovering over the cell phone as he muttered into it, too quiet for even me to hear.
"Who was that?" Sam asked me suspiciously as his eye followed to where Seth was pacing up and down talking on the phone. He looked agitated. Women. Who ever she was, she was giving him the run around judging by the look on his face. Poor bastard, I had never seen anyone look so miserable, so uncomfortable and so damn torn.
I shrugged and watched as Emily hissed in another breath, coming to a dead stop in the center of the room.
"Are you okay?" I asked her, as she lowered herself to the love seat, her hands in their usual position on her stomach.
She nodded and pasted a smile on her face "Just tired, junior here has been keeping me awake at night…how are you Jake?"
"Same as ever…ready to kick some bloodsucker ass though"
Emily's eyes widened and for a second she looked distressed "Not all the cold ones are bad Jake" she murmured gently.
I looked at her shocked and Sam stepped protectively in front of her "Emily, Jake doesn't need to hear about this now…besides you're tired …you should try and rest…Jake you wanna go check on Seth while I say goodbye" he looked meaningfully toward the door and I felt that urge to obey, unable to go against my alpha's command.
I nodded and smiled at Emily, who winced again at some movement inside her "Take care Emily"
She smiled back but there was a look in her eyes which told me something wasn't right, "You too Jake"
I headed out of the door and crossed towards Seth, who was murmuring into the phone.
"Hey Seth, who ya talking to? Tell your woman goodbye...come on we gotta go hunt some bloodsuckers" I called over to him.
He nodded and waved to show he had understood but carried on talking, his voice too low for me to hear even with enhanced hearing.
"Seth come on, I'm aging here!" I bellowed and laughed when he flipped me the bird, before closing his cell.
"Who's the girl then Seth, someone I might know?" I enquired, curious about the panicked look in his eye. She really had him on his toes this one.
"Nah no one you've ever met…she's from school" he told me but there was something about the way he refused to meet my gaze that told me his was lying. Strange. No matter I would be able to tell exactly who he had been talking to when he phased, there could be no secrets.
I allowed my gaze to wander back to the house wondering what was taking Sam so long and when I turned to look back at Seth he was staring at me, with a pained look on his face.
"Seth, is everything alright?" I asked, concerned, worried that the happy go lucky teenager I'd known was disappearing in front of me, to be replaced with this worried looking child. And he did look like a child, a child that had been caught with his hands in the cookie jar. Guilt was written all over his face.
"Jake how much do you remember of your life before?" he asked me urgently, in hushed tones.
"Nothing, more like flickers of memory, the occasional brief image and feeling if something is right or wrong… why?"
"Because there are things…things you don't know that you should," he told me, staring at the ground, shifting from foot to foot.
"What kind of things?" I thought Sam had told me everything.
"I can't tell you… but you could ask me…ask me questions about the pack…things you think you already know" he sounded so frantic that I began to get a little more worried and felt my energy shift inside me. My wolf.
"Um okay" I said slowly, taking a deep breath trying to calm myself. This was getting more confusing by the second "Why am I wolf?"
His face cleared and he look more relaxed, pleased that I had asked "Because of them, The Cullens-"
"Blood sucking bastards," I cursed savagely and he flinched visibly.
"Yeah animal blood" he blurted
"What does that mean 'animal blood'?"
"They're vegetarians" he said looking me in the eye, his voice muted.
I barked out a laugh, thinking he was joking, "Seriously Seth, you're funny man"
"I'm not joking Jake…they are not like other vampires…they don't drink human blood…they're good people Jake"
I snickered, holding my ribs as I laughed out loud "What is this some kind of pack initiation, right? Am I being punkd?"
"Jake I'm serious…all the things Sam has been telling you…well there are things he's missed"
"Like what Seth…what's next…let me guess I'm a vampire too" I said getting angry, why was he doing this? Things had just started to make sense in my mind, I knew why I had been put on this earth, knew why I was half man, half wolf. This had explained my reason, my purpose in life but now Seth was trying to destabilize my world and I didn't take kindly to that.
"No Jake…but you need to know that things are not as black and white as you think they are…you…The Cullen's…you were …close…very close…they were your family too, man"
I blinked in shock and felt like throwing back my head to howl at the moon and release my wolf that clawed at my insides, confusion making me vulnerable. Seth's claim that I was friends with those bloodsucking creeps seemed totally impossible, I hated leeches and everything they stood for.
"Bull shit Seth, if that was true Sam would have said something"
"He wanted you to remember for yourself…Jake there is so much more going on here than you know-"
Suddenly a blood-curdling scream filled the night air, followed by a haunting howl and a cry of genuine fear. The hairs on my neck stood on end and Seth and I exchanged worried looks, before sprinting for the house. Seconds later we were racing through the door, my eyes bugging at what I saw.
Emily was crumpled on the floor in a heap, a vivid scarlet pool growing steadily around her as Sam fell to his knees beside her. His hands clawed at her trying to keep her upright as he called her name over and over. There was no response. Her scarred face was pale and drawn, her labored breathing the only sign she was still alive.
"Emily!" repeated Sam, the panic in his eyes and the weakness of his tone, sending a sudden feeling a power surging through me. Alpha. He was no longer the alpha. It was me. It had been me all the long. He needed me now.
"What do we do, shit what do we do Jake?" Seth stammered staring at the pool of blood, his own face ashen beneath his russet skin.
"Carlisle" Sam choked out, barely taking his eyes off Emily "Seth, take Jacob…go now, get Carlisle"
"You're sure Sam… what about" Seth said and gestured toward me. I didn't have time but later I would wonder about that gesture.
"Jake I need you to control yourself… I know how you feel about them but…one of the Cullen's is a doctor…we need him here now, Emily needs him and she's mine Jake, I protect what is mine…please do this for me" Sam said staring at me for a second, his eyes then pulled back to Emily once more. Beneath our combined gazes she paled further as more blood pumped from her body, each heartbeat carrying her further away.
I nodded bewildered at this turn of events, I was alpha, things were not as I had been lead to believe, and there was more to my story than even I knew. Shifting in seconds I was unable to believe that I as going back to face my enemies once more but willing to do it to save the life of Sam's mate and their young. With Seth close behind me we set off for Forks, and I prayed, prayed that we wouldn't be too late, prayed that I could control myself and prayed I would get some answers or we'd all be lost.