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 XXIII
Bella sat curled up on Billy's couch, staring blankly at the television. She had been at the Black household since Jacob had brought her back after the disastrous sparring session that ended with the dissolvement of any further ones. And furthermore, Jacob had completely pulled the Pack out of the fight with Victoria and her newborn army. All of these events was because of Edward and his stupid mouth. But that wasn't why she was upset, though it did contribute. What upset her now was the fact that she knew the Cullens couldn't fight off Victoria and all those newborns on their own, and Jacob was going to leave them to those feral vampires.
It wasn't right and she wanted to talk to Jacob about it, to possibly change his mind about pulling the Pack out of the fight, but she hadn't seen him since they made it back to the Reservation. Jacob had dropped her off at the edge of the woods of his home, nudged her to head to his house, and then let out a bark to the rest of the Pack before turning and running off with them. She didn't know where they had gone, but Jacob had been gone for the better part of almost two hours. And here she was, still sitting on the Black couch waiting. She really wished her boyfriend would return so they could talk.
Billy, who had been watching Bella from his place at the kitchen table with a cup of tea, let out a soft sigh before taking another sip. He knew what the brunette was thinking about. She had filled him in on everything when she had walked through the door, her eyes filled with tears. And while he could understand how she was feeling, he also understood his son's decision. Edward Cullen had essentially made a threat against not only his son and the Pack, but Bella and her baby as well. Any Alpha worth his salt wouldn't dare take that and continue an already fraught alliance at the risk of his loved ones, and Jacob was no different. It made Billy wonder if Bella understood it too, or was she just being ruled by her emotions right now. He wouldn't blame her if she was; she was pregnant after all. He remembered Sarah's emotions being all over the place during her pregnancies, and it looked like Bella was experiencing the same. Only difference here was that Bella was dealing with much more than pregnancy hormones and wanting chocolate ice cream in the middle of the night.
Clearing his throat, Billy said, "Bella, come here for a moment, please."
Standing from the couch, Bella walked over to the kitchen table and sat down across from Billy. Looking at him, she asked, "What is it?"
"Firstly, I want to ask you how you are doing. Are you alright?"
"I'm…I'm okay, though I could honestly be better considering the situation we're now in."
Nodding in understanding, Billy continued speaking. "Yes, the situation. That is why I called you over here, to speak about it. Or rather, speak about Jacob's decision to pull out of the fight."
Bella stared at her boyfriend's father for a moment, looking into his eyes in his wise face before saying, "You agree with him."
"I didn't say that, Bella."
"But you do, don't you?"
"I can understand his stance on what happened and why he made the decision that he did. That being said, I can also understand how you feel and why you feel the opposite."
Chocolate brown eyes stared into dark brown, nearly black ones for a moment before looking down at her hands. She was quiet for a moment before saying, "I just wish Jacob would just understand that the Cullens need their help to keep this threat from getting any worse. The Cullens won't stand a chance against that army without the Pack helping them out."
Placing a gentle hand on top of hers, Billy said, "My son does understand that. He knows they are at a disadvantage as much as you do, Bella. But you must understand that as acting Alpha, Jacob heard and sensed a threat from Edward Cullen towards not only him and his Pack, but you and your baby as well. He was acting in the best interest of and protecting his family."
"I know that, but I wish he also understood that even though I'm not with Edward anymore, I still care about the rest of them. Even though I'm no longer going over to their home anymore, I don't want anything to happen to them. They helped look out for and took care of me."
"Again, Jacob does understand that, and he knows that you still care for them despite no longer caring for Edward. That being said, he made the best decision for everyone."
"But it isn't! It isn't the best decision for everyone! They were all supposed to go into the fight together! It was the only way to beat not only the army, but Victoria once and for all! If they go in by themselves without the Pack, then it will be a massacre and Victoria will still be a threat towards me!"
"Bella, calm down." Billy rubbed the brunette's hand soothingly, the gently gesture calming her down. "You have to stay calm, Bella. Stressing out isn't good for the baby."
Bella let out a small laugh before rubbing a hand down her face. Nodding, she said, "Yeah, I know. I know that, I do. It's just…ever since I came to Forks and met Edward, all I've ever known I stress. And what makes it worse is that…I brought the stress upon myself. Edward tried making me stay away, but I didn't listen. Being with him was more stressful than it was worth, and now we're all in a situation that we can't get out of without losing any lives. It's…it's all my fault."
Billy shook his head in response. "No Bella, what's occurring now is not your fault. You're caught in the middle of it, but it is not your fault. Edward Cullen would not leave you alone despite telling you to stay away, purposely drawing you in until you were in deep, and his coven leader allowed it to happen. None of what has happened is your fault. You are just an unfortunate, unwilling player in this game of chess Edward has been playing."
"But I was willing. I was willing to play, willing to do anything to be with Edward and be with him forever. Thank God I opened my eyes when I did to help me see how stupid I was. But I'm still stuck on Edward's chessboard. We all are until this whole thing with Victoria is over. And even when it's over and done with, we're all stuck on an even bigger chessboard, one that is only going to end in checkmate, and not on our side."
"Are you going to blame yourself for this one, too?"
"Are you telling me I shouldn't?"
"I feel that even if I did, you won't listen to me. Once you get your mind on a certain mindset, it's hard to convince you otherwise. You're stubborn, just like your old man."
She couldn't help but smile a little from that. Bella knew she was stubborn, just like Charlie. It was something Edward hated when they were together, and apparently was still hating now. As for Jacob, he loved it but wasn't above combatting it with his own. But it was also Jacob who was able to cut through her stubborn ways to help her see the bigger picture. And it looked like Billy was trying to do the same, though not as direct.
Sighing, Bella took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Closing her eyes, she counted to ten in her head slowly before opening them and looking back at the Black patriarch. They stared at each other for a moment before she finally said, "This is something I need to talk to Jacob about alone. Maybe we can come to a consensus and he'll change his mind. But thanks for talking to and hearing me out about it, Billy."
"Of course, Bella. I'm always here to talk when you can't talk to Jacob or Charlie about it," Billy told her before patting her hand and taking his cup of tea back in his.
"I wish I could talk to dad about it. There is so much he doesn't know or understand and I wish I could tell him."
"Do you want to?"
"It would certainly help ease up some of my guilt in not being able to tell him. And I do wonder if he'll ever forgive me for keeping him in the dark."
"He will, I'm sure of it. And when the Cullens leave Forks forever, you can tell him the truth, and I'll be there with you. And I'll take most of the heat from Charlie, don't worry. I won't have him stress you out any more than you already are."
Bella smiled and thanked Billy before offering to cook dinner. Billy objected, but she insisted, believing it would keep her busy and her mind off things. As she pulled out ingredients to make chicken spaghetti (something Billy protested the idea of, but Bella insisted he'd like), Bella thought about her conversation with Billy. She understood Billy's outlook on the situation, from both hers and Jacob's point of view. But in the midst of their conversation, Bella realized that this fight wasn't Jacob's or the Pack's, and they were only intervening on her behalf. Jacob had pulled out of the fight on her behalf, wanting to keep her safe. But she also knew the only way that she'd ever be safe, for any of them to be safe, was to end things with Victoria once and for all. As for the threat of the Volturi, she supposed they'd deal with that when they got there.
Alice sat with her eyes closed, her hands over her ears as she listened to Rosalie and Edward fighting, the blonde vampire calling the copper haired one everything foul under the sun. Ever since the abrupt ending to their sparring with the wolves, Rosalie had been yelling at Edward, telling him that everything was his fault and that they'd be lucky if they got out of the fight with Victoria alive. As for Edward, he kept trying to deflect saying that it was Jacob Black's fault for pulling out of the fight. And in the middle of all this, she was busy trying to get an outlook on the battle.
She really couldn't see much of anything. She could see them fighting, but it was hazy, and she could no longer tell the number of newborns that there would be, though she believed it was about twenty now, more or less. And what upset her more was that she could no longer tell if they were going to win or not. It made her anxious, and now with their family being at odds, going into the battle not on one accord could be disastrous for them. A wave of calm washed over her, and she turned her head and smiled at her mate, Jasper smiling at her in return. He held out his hand to her, silently inviting her to leave with him for some peace and quiet. Taking him up on his silent offer, she stood and took his hand allowing him to lead her out of the house and away from their bickering family.
Carlisle, having had enough of his bickering children, retreated to his home office, Esme right behind him. He liked it there, as it was the one place in his home that was pretty much soundproof, even to their sensitive vampire hearing. As soon as the door was closed, Esme asked, "Are you alright, Carlisle?"
He stood with his hands on his hips for a moment before turning to his beautiful mate, taking in her concerned mate. Carlisle said nothing in response at first, but then said, "I've been thinking about what Jacob said. About how I'm not a strong coven leader."
"You are, honey."
"But I'm not. He's right, I'm not a firm leader. I don't like to step on toes or ruffle feathers. And…and I especially don't make the best decisions concerning Edward. I just wanted him and us to be happy and at peace, but all I've allowed to happen since we've come back—both times, mind you—is chaos and more chaos. And now Bella is caught in the middle and there is something much bigger than us on the horizon and it's coming fast. Esme…I don't know what to do."
Esme looked at her mate for a moment before moving to wrap her arms around her mate. Carlisle wrapped his around her in return and they held each other, taking comfort in one another. After a while, Esme told him, "Carlisle, it's okay if you don't know what to do or what decision you make. But the best leaders are those that ask for help and make the hard decisions instead of the easy ones."
"You're right, and I know you're right. But…but there is just one decision I find hard that I have to make right now."
"And what's that?"
"…What to do about Edward. What he's doing and the issues he's causing, it can't go on."
A sad expression came over Esme's face. "So, what are you going to do?"
Carlisle held Esme tighter, resting his head on top of hers. "I wish I knew."
Author's Note: Hello everyone. I'm very sorry for the delay of this chapter. Life had been busy, and I've been in a bit of a creative slump. That, and my laptop is being a complete ass as of late. Still, I'm back with another chapter and I hope you all like it. Also, Happy Memorial Day to all that are serving, have served, and will serve. Love, SehunsBae37.