Change of Plans

JacobxBella; Edward

Rated M

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

Author's Note: Hi everyone! Welcome back to another chapter of CoP. I'm sorry that I haven't been able to upload as frequently as I have in the past. Life has gotten in the way of me giving some of my time to writing, but I haven't forgotten about or abandoned this story, or any of the others that I have been working on. I hope you all are still sticking along with this story and will still stay tuned for more to come, and thanks a bunch from the bottom of my heart for those that are still reading. It warms my heart knowing you still want to see what comes next, even when I sometimes feel I have no idea where the story is going. Again, thanks so much for your support, and I hope you enjoy this chapter. With love, SehunsBae37.

Change of Plans

Chapter XXIV

Jacob sat at Sam and Emily's table, staring absently at the wall while eating one of Emily's muffins. They didn't taste as good as Bella's, but they were still good. Just the thought of the brunette crossing his mind made him slowly stop eating, putting the muffin down on the table and sighing as he swallowed the bite in his mouth, no longer hungry. Bella, his girlfriend, the love of his life, and the mother of his unborn baby. Also, she was the reason why he was at Sam's house right now. He knew she was upset with him and most likely wanted to talk about the decision he had made, and he was here pretty much hiding in order to avoid talking to her. He knew she wanted to argue his point in pulling the Pack out of the fight against the newborns with the Cullens, but he had nothing to say to her about it. His decision was final, and there was no way he was going to change his mind. And yet, a part of him felt bad about not talking with her about it.

It wasn't as if he had made the decision hastily. He had already had some serious reservations about teaming up with those leeches, especially with the mind reader still trying to influence Bella into taking him back and making threats against him and his brothers. He held his tongue in order to be civil, letting all of them know that their alliance was only temporary and would continue to work so long as they all worked together. But the mind reader obviously wasn't going to work with them in order to protect Bella, and he had had enough of his attitude and temper tantrums. Instead of focusing on the bigger picture and threat, he wanted to focus on him and Bella. Well, if he wanted to be childish, then he was leaving him and his family of leeches to deal with the problem that they had created.

Even so, he knew Bella would not let him leave things like this, but there was nothing she could say that would change his mind. He loved her, he really did, and he understood her feelings about the Cullens fighting the redhead's army by themselves. Like her, he knew they didn't stand a chance, but that didn't mean he was willing to put his Pack in jeopardy to get rid of them and the redhead, even if it was for Bella's protection. But he also knew the brunette would never forgive him if they all…well, whatever it was called when a vampire died again since they were already dead. With a sigh, Jacob ran a hand down his face wearily, thinking to himself that being the Alpha was tough. It was no wonder Sam looked worn out all the time.

Speaking of Sam, he and Emily were silently looking at the younger man from where they stood in their kitchen, Emily looking at him in concern while Sam's expression was unreadable. Sam had filled his Imprint in on everything that had happened, and Emily, while understanding the situation, questioned whether it was the right thing to do. As for Sam, he thought Jacob did the right thing as leader of the Pack, but also believed that he was still letting himself be ruled by his emotions, a trait that wasn't befitting of the Pack Alpha. Then again, he was still young and taking the reins of leadership the best way he knew how.

In his opinion, Bella, while already being the catalyst for a lot that had occurred for them, was also the reason that was holding Jacob back from being the best leader he could be. She had a hold on him that, for her to not be his Imprint, was different from anything he had ever seen. Jacob hadn't Imprinted on anyone, and he believed his loyalty to Bella, especially now that she was expecting his child, was keeping him from doing so. Sam did believe that perhaps, when all this mess was over and dealt with, Jacob would be able to Imprint properly on someone and he would be able to let Bella go. Of course, they would figure out how to coparent their offspring, but there was no way that someone with so much trouble following them like Bella could ever be the Alpha's true mate. Still, he felt that as former Alpha, he should do something, or at the very least talk to Jacob.

Walking over to him, he cleared his throat and said, "Jacob, let's take a walk. I want to talk to you."

Jacob looked up at Sam for a moment before nodding and standing up from the table, following Sam out of his home and the two of them walking away from the little house along the road. Silence flowed between them for a moment before Sam finally said, "I know why you're avoiding Bella, but you can't do it forever. You are going to have to talk to her about your decision, especially with her being as involved in this as she is."

"I know that, Sam," Jacob sighed. "I just don't want to have a fight about it."

"Fight or not, you have to talk. Just hear her out about her opposition about pulling out."

"I don't have to; I already know why she's opposed. Bella and I, we just know what the other is thinking and feeling. We've always been like that, even when we were kids. Usually we fight and make up, but I don't want to fight with her about this. My decision is final. That, and I don't want to stress her out right now, not any more than she already is."

Sam looked at the younger Alpha before saying, "You are letting yourself be ruled by your emotions, Jacob. You can't do that as acting Alpha. It will be detrimental in the future."

Jacob glared at Sam in response. "I am not being ruled by my emotions. And even if I was, I'm also thinking rationally. Do you really think that I pulled us out of this fight because I wanted to? No, I did so because I don't take kindly to that leech making threats against not only Bella and I, but towards my unborn child and my brothers. It's my duty to protect you all, no matter the circumstances. I won't put you all in danger during a fraught alliance in a fight that's not our own while one of them is having a tantrum that could end up being the death of us."

"Are you sure this isn't just another layer to your rivalry with Cullen over Bella?"

"Don't start, Sam," Jacob said warningly, his glare hardening as he did.

Not willing to back down, Sam continued. "She's chosen the Cullens and her vampire several times before. What's to stop her from doing so again? She's not your Imprint, Jacob. You can't continue to remain faithful to her in the hopes Imprinting will happen or because she's having your baby. She isn't good for you, she's nothing but trouble, and one day you'll forget about her when you Imprint on the right girl."

"I'm not going to Imprint, Sam! Damn it, how many times do I have to tell you that?! It's not going to happen!"

"It will, Jacob. It will, and it won't be Bella. This hold she has on you will be gone the moment you do, and you will be happy with your Imprint."

"She doesn't have a hold on me! I love her and she loves me! I've always loved her, even way back before she moved to Forks to stay. She completes me in ways that no one, not even she or I understand, and I complete her! So, don't you stand there and tell me that she's just trouble and doesn't make me happy! I've never been happier than when I'm with Bella! Don't you dare tell me about being happy or Bella being the right girl for me when you're the one that Imprinted on your ex's cousin and is in a miserable love triangle full of guilt and unresolved feelings. At least Bella figured out what she wanted and truly felt. So as far as I'm concerned, you can take your advice and shove it up your ass, Sam."

Jacob knew he had hit below the belt with that, but he couldn't help it. It had just come out in his anger. And he was one to talk about being in a miserable love triangle when he himself had been in one. Even so, like he had stated, Bella finally decided and chose him, cutting Cullen off and not dragging him along, even if the leech wasn't willing to let her go. Sam, on the other hand, was bound to Emily through their Imprint and while loving and caring for her, was still carrying the feelings he had always held for Leah. Like Bella, Sam was caught between two loves, but where Bella was able to differentiate what was real and what wasn't—though, it took her time—Sam couldn't figure out what love was true, the one forced by the Imprint, or the one that was organic. Still, he probably shouldn't have thrown that in his face. Oh well, it was out there now, and he couldn't take it back.

Sam had stiffened when Jacob had brought up his Imprint dilemma and soon was standing there vibrating in anger. He felt like Jacob had attacked him, and in retaliation, he wanted to attack Jacob. However, he wasn't going to because…because he wasn't wrong. Still, he didn't like having it thrown in his face. Feeling himself about to phase, Sam turned and ran back towards his home, soon transforming into his black wolf and running into the woods past his home to cool off, the scraps of his cutoff shorts floating to the ground.

Jacob watched him go for a moment before sighing, hoping that he would be able to talk to Sam later and apologize. Still, their talk did get him thinking about one thing. He needed to talk Bella, even if he didn't want to. And as long as he had been gone, he was sure Bella was angry with him for staying away and avoiding talking to her. Knowing he couldn't put it off for much longer, he decided to walk back to his house, deciding to gather his thoughts before speaking with the brunette. Hopefully when he spoke with Bella, it wouldn't end in shouting like his with Sam had.

Emmett watched his mate punch and kick around large pieces of metal agitatedly, taking her anger and frustration out on the scrap. After her screaming match with Edward, she had run off to supposedly cool herself off. Being the good mate that he was, he followed his mate all the way to the scrapyard and watched her destroy scrap metal to vent out her anger. He understood her frustration. She had been working with Black and the wolves in order to be able to protect Bella and her baby during not only the fight with the newborns and Victoria, but Edward as well. And it was because of their—he believed—mentally unhinged brother that all of his mate's hard work was now dashed.

He waited until she had crushed a large dumpster flat before moving from where he stood, walking up to her and wrapping his arms around her from behind. He held Rosalie close, feeling her frame tremble as she tried to suppress what was left of her anger. Silently shushing her, he said, "It's okay, Rosie. Everything will work out; I just know it."

"Emmett, I don't want to hear that right now," Rosalie replied through her teeth, her fists clenched. Even so, she made no attempt to get out of her sweet mate's hold. As he continued to hold her, she could feel her anger melting away, only to be replaced by the feeling of despair.

Letting out a defeated sigh, she whispered, "We're all going to die, Emmett."

Turning her around to face him, Emmett shook his head and denied, "No, we're not going to die, Rosie. We're going to get through this."

"How? Please tell me how. The Pack were what was going to give us an advantage in this fight, and that stupid brother of ours ruined that. Not only that, but all this vampire activity is going to catch the Volturi's attention. You know Aro is threatened by the size of our coven, as we're the next biggest one behind his own. Even with him respecting Carlisle, he won't allow but so much vampire activity around this area. He'll be sending his guard to investigate if they haven't come already. If the newborns and Victoria don't kill us, the Volturi surely will."

"That won't happen. You can't think negatively, Rosalie. Forks and Bella are relying on us. And I know Black pulled the Pack out, but if anyone can convince him to help us before it's too late, it's Bella. Don't worry, everything will work itself out."

Rosalie looked up at him, seeing nothing but hope and faith in his amber eyes. Emmett really believed that they would make it out of this fight alive. She wished she had his faith about their situation, but she didn't. Then again, Emmett always looked on the bright side when everyone else believed there wasn't one. Perhaps he was right, but she couldn't help but think the opposite. But if he thought so, then maybe, just maybe, everything really would turn out okay.

Giving her a sweet, encouraging smile, Emmett kissed the blonde's forehead before pulling her close in a hug. Feeling her wrap her arms around him in return, he told her, "Everything will be alright; you'll see."

Bella looked up from her place on Billy's couch when the front door opened, watching as Jacob stepped inside. He closed the door as he looked at her, the two of them staring at each other in silence for a moment. Finally, the silence was broken when Jacob finally said, "Hey Bells."

"Hi," Bella replied softly.

Jacob moved to sit on the couch next to Bella, asking as he got settled, "Where's Billy?"

"He got Quil to pick him up and take him to Old Quil's. He's filling him in about everything that's happened."

"Right, of course he is."

Bella looked at him for a moment, then opened her mouth to speak saying, "Jake, we need to talk."

Nodding, he replied, "I know, and I want to talk, too."

"You do?"

"…Not really, but I will."

She could see that despite his reluctance, he was willing to talk with her about his decision to pull the Pack out of the fight with the newborns. Twisting her body to face him, she grabbed his hand in hers and held it tightly before beginning to speak. Taking a deep breath, she said, "Jake, taking the Pack out of this fight is a bad idea. You know just like I do that the Cullens won't stand a chance against Victoria and her newborns without you guys. They will kill them without your help, and Victoria is especially vicious. I fully understand why you pulled the Pack out, and Billy helped me to understand as well, but please reconsider your decision."

Jacob was quiet for a while, simply looking down at his large hand being held in the brunette's tiny ones. As quiet as he was, Bella wondered if he was going to say anything in response at all. When another minute passed by in silence, she finally said, "Jake, please say something."

With a sigh, Jacob ran a hand down his face before lifting his eyes to stare into her chocolate brown ones. Finally opening his mouth to speak, he said, "I know they don't stand a chance without our help, Bella. But as Pack leader, I also have a responsibility to look out for my family. Threats made against them won't be taken kindly, and the Cullens need to see that they can't just expect us to stand by while their golden child threatens us. They can't control us or expect us to fight with them if they can't respect us enough to have this temporary alliance. This isn't our fight to start with, and as far as I'm concerned, they can deal with it themselves."

"But Jake-"

"That being said, I also get that it isn't all of them that feel that way, just the mind reading leech. The others were willing to work with us to defeat a common threat to protect not only you, but everyone else in the area. Edward Cullen is the one making things difficult, and you believe that the rest of the Cullens shouldn't have to suffer because of his irrational actions."

"Well, yeah, I do think that." Bella was surprised that Jacob had taken the time to think about everything with her and wasn't leaving her in the dark. Then again, he had always been open with her, unlike Edward who had no problem leaving her in the dark about his decisions. Still, that didn't mean Jacob had changed his mind. With that thought in mind, she said, "But you're not going to change your mind about pulling out of the fight."

Shaking his head, Jacob said, "No, I'm not. I know you don't like it, and I know you don't agree with my decision, but I'm not going to change my mind. The Pack is not getting involved in this fight."

Bella frowned as she took in her boyfriend's words. She understood how he felt, but what could she do or say to make him change his mind? The Cullens needed the Pack's help. But leave it to Edward to mess it up for them. Even so, she knew that despite their civil talk, she and Jacob weren't going to come to an agreement any time soon. She just hoped that they would before Victoria and the newborns showed up. With a sad sigh, Bella leant her head against Jacob's shoulder, feeling him lean his own head against hers. No, they hadn't reached middle ground on the issue, but that didn't mean that they wouldn't before it was too late. At least, she hoped they would.