Change of Plans

JacobxBella; Edward

Rated M

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the franchise, as it belongs to Steph Meyers

Change of Plans

Chapter XXI

"Edward, we need to talk."

Edward looked at his sire in confusion, trying hard to get past Carlisle's mental barrier to read his mind, but her couldn't. Deciding to just give up trying, Edward looked at him and asked, "What do we need to talk about?"

Carlisle simply looked back at his son and said, "I think you know what I'm talking about."

"Bella," Edward supplied. Taking a seat in one of the chairs in front of Carlisle's desk, he asked, "How did the talk go? Did you convince Bella to stop this nonsense and continue to go with the agreement she made?"

"No actually, I did not. In fact, I didn't even broach the subject with her."

"What? Carlisle, you said that you would."

"I know what I said Edward, but the fact is that I didn't. And the reason that I did not is because I believe that we should leave Bella be."

Edward looked at him in bewilderment before asking, "What do you mean? You said that you'd take this appointment of hers to talk some sense into Bella."

Carlisle let out an unnecessary sigh before saying, "Listen Edward, Bella is in a place in her life right now that she didn't think she'd ever be in. In being in this place, she's found that she likes and wants to experience it. I'm sorry son, but where she is in life right now no longer concerns you. It doesn't concern you, it doesn't concern the rest of us, and it doesn't concern turning into a vampire. We are no longer a priority to her anymore. Bella is perfectly happy right now with being human, with being pregnant, with being with Jacob, and becoming a mother to the baby that they are having together. Edward, whether you want to accept it or not, Bella has moved on from you. She had moved on from all of us and we need to respect her wishes in leaving her alone now, and that specifically means you. You need to leave Bella alone and let her go."

Not believing what he was hearing, Edward looked at his sire in disbelief. Was Carlisle really saying all of this to him right now? He had always been firmly on his side about everything he had ever done, even when he had done wrong. But now he was going against him? Even as he was thinking this, Carlisle opened his mind to him, and he was able to see inside. Carlisle showed him what had occurred during Bella's ultrasound, letting him see the happiness both she and Jacob Black had on their faces, a happiness Carlisle was not going to disturb. Seeing how happy Bella looked, how her face was alight with joy, Edward saw that this was a version of happiness that she had never had on her face when with or around him. And yet, she had it all day when she was with the dog.

Feeling rage bubbling inside of him, Edward stood up and glared at Carlisle. "I won't. I'm not going to leave Bella alone, and I won't let her go. She needs to fulfill her promise to the Volturi so we can be together forever. It's what she wants, and it's the only way for me to be happy. You didn't dissuade my relationship with Bella because I was happy. Don't you care about my happiness anymore, Carlisle?"

"Of course, I care about your happiness, Edward," Carlisle said patiently. "I'll always care about your happiness, but this isn't about you. This is about Bella and the mess that we put her in. She's finally found true happiness and I refuse to take that from her. You talk about your happiness, but don't what about Bella's? Don't you care anything about Bella's happiness?"

"No, not if it involves Black and his puppy. Bella is still mine and I won't stop until all hindrances are gone for us to be together."

"You mean Jacob and the baby."

"Yes, I mean them. Once those two are out of the picture, Bella will have no choice but to come back to me like I know she wants, and she will fulfill her promise."

Carlisle felt a feeling of dread drop in the pit of his stomach. He knew that if he was still human, he'd feel a sudden urge to throw up. Shaking his head, he stood from his seat and said warningly, "Edward, don't do it. Whatever it is you're thinking, don't do it. Leave Bella and her life alone before you do something that will have catastrophic consequences."

Edward turned to leave the office, ignoring Carlisle's warning. Grabbing the doorknob, he turned it and opened the door to leave, but not before stopping to look back at the blond vampire. "Bella is mine, Carlisle. And I won't stop until she knows and accepts that."

Without another word, Edward left Carlisle's office, leaving the blond behind. Carlisle watched him leave, not believing what his son had said. This…this wasn't good. Edward wasn't accepting that Bella had completely let him go, and because of his lack of interference in their relationship, Edward believed he had a claim on the human girl. He needed to do something to stop Edward before he went down a path he couldn't return from. But what could he do?

Bella had thought about Jessica's suggestion of having a girl's night that weekend, and on Friday at school, she told her that she was willing to have a sleepover. Angela too had thought about it and had asked her parents, to which they agreed as well. Jessica, happy that their sleepover was on, told them to come to her house after school around five or six o' clock. So, after school was over, Bella went back home and did a bit of homework before packing an overnight bag for her sleepover with Jessica and Angela.

As she thought about it, she had never actually had a sleepover. All the girls in her past classes thought her too weird or quiet to invite to a sleepover or party. Of course, that all changed upon her moving to Forks—among other things that never happened to her before happening when she moved—and her first sleepover was with her being a teenager. Bella wondered if teenage girls even had sleepovers anymore, but she supposed they did if Jessica suggested they have one. With her necessary belongings packed in a duffle bag, Bella made her way downstairs to leave home. As she made it to the bottom of the stairs, Charlie walked into the house.

"Hi kiddo," Charlie greeted.

"Hi dad," Bella replied.

Taking notice of her bag, Charlie asked, "Going somewhere?"

Nodding, Bella answered, "To Jessica's. She, Angela and I are having a little sleepover."

"Really?" Charlie couldn't keep the surprise out of his voice. Bella never seemed like the type to have a sleepover.

Understanding her father's surprise, the brunette nodded and said, "Yeah. It's just us, so it will be fine. And, according to Jessica, it won't be long before I'm sporting a beachball and my freedom is gone, so she's suggesting we have some girl time before I can't anymore."

Charlie rolled his eyes at the ridiculous statement before shaking his head. Looking back at his daughter, he said, "Alright then, I won't keep you. Remember to stay safe and you girls have a good time."

Bella smiled and thanked her dad before grabbing the keys to her truck and heading out. Putting the bag in her truck, she climbed in and started the engine before pulling out and heading to the Stanley residence. Like Charlie had said, she hoped she had a good time, and had a good feeling that she was going to.

The sleepover was in full swing, and Bella found that she was having a rather good time. Jessica was her usual animated self, and Angela was more open than she would usually be while at school. Even Bella found herself smiling and laughing more than she ever had when with the two girls. The three of them were bonding, and if this was what sleepovers were about, then Bella was glad she was finally experiencing one. In fact, she hoped that the three of them would be able to do this another time soon.

Jessica gossiped about this and that, Bella and Angela piping in here or there, they ate popcorn and other snacks, gave each other mani-pedis to which Jessica couldn't believe how soft Bella's feet felt, and just overall were having a good time with one another. Jessica even broke out some of her unused and unopened makeup for makeovers, not being able to help herself in doing Bella's makeup. Her face felt heavy from the products, but Bella couldn't help but admire Jessica's handywork. The girl had enhanced her features and made her look beautiful. She knew Jacob would say that she was already beautiful, but she could appreciate the work her friend had done. All in all, Bella was having the most fun she had ever had around the first friends that she had made upon moving to Forks.

At some point that night, the three of them sharing a pizza that Jessica's mother had graciously ordered for their sleepover, Jessica announced, "Let's talk about boys now, or rather our boyfriends and crushes. That's a subject we haven't broached yet."

Angela rolled her eyes good-naturedly and said, "Of course, you want to."

Bella giggled before deciding to humor the girl. Grabbing another slice of pizza, Bella asked, "Who's your crush now, Jess? After all, you said that you're over Mike, so you must have a new one."

Taking a sip of root beer, Jessica nodded and said, "Indeed I do. I decided to take a page out of Bella's book and look for someone on the Reservation."

"You didn't," Bella said in disbelief.

"I did, and I came across one guy that is almost as hot as Jacob, and I think he's totally my type. I swear, if Bella hadn't already said Jacob had sisters, I would think he was his brother."

"And who is that?" Angela asked intrigued, mostly because of Bella's incredulous expression.

Jessica grinned and answered, "His name is Paul Lahote."

"Paul?!" Bella exclaimed.

"Yeah, you know him?"

"Yes, I do. And he's a hothead if I've ever met one. Are you sure he's the one you want to pursue?"

"Of course, I'm sure. He may be a hothead, but he's a hot hothead, and he's full of confidence and he showed me a good time when I met him."

Bella rolled her eyes. "Arrogance is more like it. And what do you mean he showed you a good time? You didn't sleep with him, did you?"

"Oh no, I never sleep with a guy on the first date. But he was such a gentleman to me, and I think there is something between us. We exchanged numbers and have been texting here and there, and I'm sure that it won't be long before we're dating."

"I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you, but good luck anyway."

Ignoring her warning, Jessica turned to Angela and asked, "What about you, Ang? How are things with Ben? Still perfect in paradise?"

Angela looked down at her half-eaten slice of pizza before saying softly, "I don't know. We're still dating, but it's not like it once was. We're not…well, we don't really see each other like we used to, and I feel like he's ignoring me or brushing me off a lot lately. He doesn't pay me any attention like he used to when we're alone. And sometimes, I feel like I'm the only one putting any effort into our relationship anymore. I want to think it's nothing and that I'm overreacting, but when I asked him about prom and matching colors and going together and whatnot, he said he'd think about it. We're dating and that's not something you have to think about, right? I don't know, but things with Ben aren't what they used to be."

Bella took a hold of the bespectacled girl's hand and gave it a squeeze before saying, "If things don't get better, then you might have to accept that your relationship has run its course. You and Ben have been together for over a year and with our high school career coming to an end soon, so he could be focused on that. But if it things are heading towards a breakup, then it's better to accept it and let him go than try to hold on to something that is no longer there. Trust me, I speak from experience; it'll only cause you more pain if you do."

"Or just drop him now instead of waiting it out," Jessica added.

As Bella threw a balled-up napkin at Jessica, Angela smiled and said, "Thanks Bella. I'll think about it and see how things go before doing or saying anything to Ben. But since we're talking about boys and boyfriends, what about you, Bella?"

Nodding in agreement, Jessica said, "Yeah Bella, I'm curious too. You and Jacob are obviously in love even though you just started dating recently. Anyone can see you two are head over heels for one another. How did you know that he was the one you loved and wanted to be with?"

Bella thought about the question and her relationship with Jacob before finally saying, "Truthfully, Jacob and I have a longer history than you think. We've known each other since we were practically in diapers and our dads have been best friends for years. Though he had older sisters that I could have played with if I wanted to, I have always been drawn to and wanted to spend time with him. Back then and even now, Jacob was only ever the one to make me feel good about myself. He never expected me to be more than I am and always liked and accepted me, flaws and all. Everything that I hate about myself, Jacob loves, and he loves me wholeheartedly. Yes, we're a couple now, but he's always been my best friend and we're always going to be that first and foremost, and that won't change, no matter what happens between us or in our lives."

She thought some more, getting her words and thoughts together before speaking again, Jessica and Angela waiting patiently for her to speak. "You know, the type of romance and relationship that I wanted were the kind that I would read in my romance novels. I wanted the fairytale romance with the knight in shining armor and all that came with it. And for a while, I thought I found that with Edward. But I've realized that fairytales are just that: fairytales. They're not necessarily supposed to come true and no relationship is perfect, something I carelessly overlooked when I dated Edward. Jacob helped to put my feet back on solid ground about that and helped open my eyes to what was wrong with my relationship with Edward, but I had to be the one to take the step to accept it and break things off."

"Which you did," Angela stated.

"Yes, I did. And despite how rocky my friendship with Jacob had been, we both have a mutual respect and understanding of each other that helped to develop the romance between us. Jacob understands me better than I know and understand myself, something Edward had never been able to do and was jealous of. And the same goes for me; I know and understand Jacob in a way that no one else does. I denied my growing feelings for Jacob while he never denied his for me, but I'm glad that I accepted them and was ready to be with him as more than just a friend."

"Even despite the baby keeping you together?" Jessica asked.

Nodding, Bella said, "Yes. The baby, while keeping us together, didn't bring us together. We've always been a part of one another. And now that we're dating, I strive to be better for him. I don't deserve him in the least, but I want to be deserving of him. I love Jacob, I always have, and I've never been happier than when I'm with him."

Silence followed Bella's speech, both Angela and Jessica looking at her in wonder. The silence was soon broken by Jessica letting out a low whistle before saying, "That was beautiful, Bella. I wish I could have that kind of relationship. Hell, I wish I could have had a fraction of that when I was with Mike."

Angela nodded in agreement before saying, "I hope I'll find a love like that one day. It's amazing you already know you have that at such a young age and that you and Jacob are so committed to one another. I wish you both the best in life, no matter where it takes you."

"So do I," Jessica said with a kind smile. "Not that we all don't deserve happiness, but if any one of us deserves it the most, it's you Bella."

Bella smiled and thanked the girls before the three of them decided to change the subject, discussing lighter topics before deciding to watch an old scary or thriller movie. As Jessica and Angela argued over watching Children of the Corn or A Nightmare on Elm Street, Bella couldn't help but smile. Yes, this was the most fun that she had ever had with them and she was in good spirits. This was such a fun night, and she believed that this was good for her. She didn't think anything could ruin the good mood she was in and she hoped this feeling lasted for a long time.