Are You Happy Now?
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Chapter Eight
Even though it had been scary at the time, Bella couldn't bear to see Jacob shoulder all the blame. It wasn't his fault. Circumstances beyond his control had placed him in a difficult position. He was bound by a secret, much like she had once been with the Cullens-a secret that if revealed to the wrong people could bring trouble to the tribe and those he loved. She understood the enormity of what this meant, the terrible burden it placed on a person. Jacob had gone against his pack and his tribe to reveal that secret to her. He had placed his trust in her and she wouldn't let him down.
Bella knew, in this instance, mere words wouldn't be enough to ease his misplaced guilt. He needed to see by her actions that she didn't blame him. Sometimes actions spoke louder than words, right?
It began to rain again, the water droplets bringing a richness to each hue, the browns deepening in a way that soothed Bella's heart, bringing a steadiness to her soul. The rain brought a freshness, each drop a heaven-given gift for each part of creation. She raised up her hand, tilting her face toward the sky, feeling water and sunshine together. It conjured a sweet pattern upon her skin, and as she looked at Jacob, she noticed the same droplets kissing his skin and hair, but unlike hers the water dried on impact from his insane body heat.
Bella stepped forward, one hand reaching up to cup his face in her palm. Jacob's eyes widened in surprise at her touch, he stilled, gazing at down at her in wonder through thick lashes like the wings of the finest black butterfly.
"Bella." He whispered throatily.
"Hush." Bella quietened him with one sweep of her thumb over his lips.
Then she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him.
There was something so heavenly about a kiss in the rain, a tender moment that just won't wait. It is that burst of love that is expressed, not caring if the water soaks through to chill the skin. It is a connection that shows the strength of the feeling, the mutual need. It is a rebellion against the elements. Nature can bring the rain but the inner sunshine comes through just the same.
Jacob soon got over his shock. With his hands, gently in her hair, hers upon his chest, he returned her kiss tenderly, overwhelmed by the precious gift she was bestowing on him. Bella smiled, pulling back, and glanced toward the sky that promised more rain to come, then she kissed him again.
Jacob was smiling like a huge burden had been lifted from his shoulders. He sat with Bella on the driftwood log and held her hand in restful silence. The rain had gentled to a fine drizzle, causing the sand to turn the gentlest hue of gold, almost earthen and muted. He loved this beach; he loved watching the driftwood that floated upon the buoyant waves as tiny rescue boats. The seaweed, the flora upon the salty waves, as deeply green as any high summer foliage. His favourite though, of everything, was the tall, tall grass that whispered so sweetly into the gusting breeze. He knew he would never forget his first kiss with Bella. He wished he could bottle the perfect moment, but he knew it would be enshrined in his memory forever.
"Let's go for a walk." Bella suggested eventually. She stood up, gently tugging on his hand.
The beach stretched alongside the water, the gently lapping waves in constant motion as if to soothe the sand, in their wake giving the chance for life, constantly refilling the rock pools over and over.
"Isn't this the same stretch of beach we walked along when you told me the old stories?" Bella recalled. She smirked at her inept attempts at flirting, though it had impressed Jacob at the time.
"It is." Jacob caught her cute smirk and it made him grin. "I was trying so hard to impress you." He laughed.
"You did impress me." Bella joined in his laughter. "I loved hearing about the wolves and the protectors." The memory was becoming clearer.
"Yeah, that's what we call ourselves." Jacob remarked. His smile faded. "Better than monsters anyway."
"Jake." Bella warned him with a severe look. "Stop saying that. You're not a monster."
Jacob's face relaxed but he still looked serious. "I know. It's just been tough, you know."
Bella squeezed his hand in understanding. They strolled in comfortable silence for a while, before another pressing question formed in her mind. "What's happening in the woods, Jake? The missing hikers, the blood?"
Jacob sighed heavily. "We're trying to do our job, Bella. We're trying to protect them, but we're always just a little too late."
The blood drained from Bella's face as she thought about Laurent and what he had revealed to her about Victoria. She had been close to becoming his latest victim until the wolves had unexpectedly intervened. Of course, it had to be him. He was still here.
"Laurent." Bella looked at Jacob fearfully, her heart thundering in her chest. "Its him."
"Who?" Jacob was confused.
Stricken, Bella shuddered at the memory of Laurent unexpectedly turning on her. He had been on the Cullens side when James had decided to hunt her down and kill her in his sick, twisted game, even providing useful information to help them. But his bloodlust and her tasty scent had gotten the better of him in the meadow.
"You saw him." Bella whispered. "In the meadow. You were there, and you kept him from killing me."
"Oh, the black-haired leech?" Jacob frowned. He found it odd that they had names. "He was an easy kill. One lone vampire isn't much of a threat to a pack as big as hours. It was so easy; it was hardly even fun."
"You killed Laurent?" Bella paled even more.
"Vampires don't count as people." Jacob said darkly.
"So, he's dead? Really dead?"
Jacob looked at her critically. "Yes. Don't tell me you're mad about that? He was going to kill you-he was going in for the kill. We made sure of that before we attacked. You know that, right?"
"I'm not upset, Jake. I'm…" Bella ran out of words. She swayed, feeling faint. Jacob quickly steadied her. "Laurent is dead. He's not coming back for me."
"Bells, what is wrong withy you?" Jacob asked worriedly. She had such a strange look on her face. "He wasn't one of your friends or anything, was he?"
"No, Jake, he wasn't one of my friends. I'm just so relieved. I thought he was coming to find me-I've been waiting every night, just hoping he'd stop with me and leave Charlie alone. I've been so frightened." Bella burst into choked sobs as the enormity of the quiet dread she had been living with constantly finally abated.
Jacob put an arm around her comfortingly and let her weep against his chest. "I'm sorry you had to go through that alone, honey. I wish I had known sooner. Everything has been such a mess." He lamented as Bella continued to shake with the force of her tears against him. "You don't need to worry anymore. We're strong. We're made to kill vampires, Bells."
"Oh, Jake." Bella nestled closer to him. The heat pouring from his skin was comforting. He was the only solid thing in her world.
"You have to stop stressing, Bells. We're going to take care of this. And we'll keep a special eye on Charlie and the others- we won't let anything happen to him. Trust me on that."
Through her tears, something that should have been obvious from the beginning, suddenly occurred to Bella. She had been so caught up in her distress, she had missed what was right in front of her face.
"Laurent is dead."
"Yes." Jacob confirmed again.
It wasn't over. If Laurent had died over a week ago, then someone else was killing people now. That could only mean one thing-Victoria was back. Bella let out a strangled gasp, staring up Jacob fearfully. "Then there's another vampire?"
Jacob nodded, anger making his eyes dark. "There were two of them. We thought his mate would want to fight us-in our stories, they usually get pretty pissed off if you kill their mate-but she just keeps running off, and then coming back again. If we could figure out what she was after, it would be easier to take her down – "
"Me." Bella cut in tremulously. She felt sick, the nausea rising in her throat. Victoria was looking for her, killing strangers in the woods. The woods where Charlie was searching….
Jacob grabbed hold of her, once again preventing her from falling. "What do you mean?" He demanded.
"Victoria." Bella gasped. "She wasn't Laurent's mate. They were just old friends."
"How do you know?" Jacob asked sharply.
"Because her mate was the one who tried to kill me." Bella was almost blinded by her tears. "But Edward killed him. She did get pissed off. But Laurent told me that she thought it was fairer to kill me than Edward. Mate for mate. The irony is she doesn't know that Edward left me…she doesn't know."
Jacob's self-control was a finite resource because the part of the brain exerting control gets tired - it required a lot of energy now he was a wolf, especially when someone he loved was put in danger. The repressing of anger needed careful thought. He could feel it boiling up, and it needed to be cooled. If it exploded, there was only one person who would bear the brunt. Stress bubbled inside him as he tried to control his reaction. His anger was like steam in a pressure cooker, he needed to find a way to let it out in a safe manner.
Normally he would have achieved that through physical activity or by finding inner peace, or often a combination of the two. He couldn't do either of those things right now, Bella needed him to remain focused, not to lose himself in his anger toward the leeches who had placed her in this horrific situation. It was purely his love for her that made him able to swallow the fire-seed of his anger deep inside his gut.
"Is that why the Cullens left?"
"I'm nothing but a weak human. Nothing special."
Jacob couldn't stop the growl from escaping him at the way she described herself. The Cullens had destroyed so much more than her sanity, they had killed her self-esteem. He hated them for it. "Fucking bloodsuckers! They are not worth your tears or time, Bella, honey. You know none of that it true, don't you?"
"Please, Jake, it hurts to think about them." Bella pleaded.
Jacob pressed a comforting kiss on her forehead. She hid her face in his chest as he stroked the back of her hair. "Bella, I need to tell the others. This is too important to keep to myself. I know you're stressed, but this can't wait."
"I know." Bella whispered. "Do what you need to do." She pressed her eyes tightly closed to stem the tide of her tears as she attempted to pull herself together. She didn't want Sam and the others to see her cry.
A/N-thanks for reading!