Moonlight in Forks

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to SM.

Reunion

"Leave me alone, Edward!" Bella said viciously when he attempted to pull her into his arms to comfort her.

Edward immediately backed away, the pain and hurt in his eyes at her rejection visible for all to see. Bella didn't care, she was beyond tired of worrying about his welfare, or any of the Cullens for that matter. They had all shown themselves to be weak, cowardly creatures. None of them had stood up for poor little Bree-not even Carlisle.

"I want to go home now." Bella continued in the same harsh tone. "I have played my part in the deception. Jane and the others have gone now."

"Bella." Esme drew near, her arms open wide. She stopped when Bella stepped back, the pain in her face nearly as great as Edward's. "I'm sorry." She whispered before withdrawing back to Carlisle's side.

Carlisle put his arm around his mate, rubbing her upper arm soothingly. "It's okay, dearest." He murmured. "It has been an ordeal for all of us-but especially for Bella."

"I just want to leave." Bella said again. She couldn't even bear to look at Carlisle. Her good opinion of him had been completely destroyed-he was just as selfish as the others in his own way. His reluctance to stand up for Bree sickened her, especially as he had been the one to offer the unfortunate newborn mercy if she gave up the fight. Bree had believed in him, trusted his offer as genuine. So had Bella, Carlisle had disappointed them both. He was as weak and faint hearted as the rest of the coven.

Alice stepped hesitantly forward. "I will take you, Bella." She offered. "But first, may I suggest, you clean up a little-you don't want to Charlie to see you in such a- "

"State?" Bella finished for her. The angry tears pooled in her eyes again, dripping down her cheek, making her nose run. She hated it, but she knew Alice was right. She couldn't let Charlie see her so stricken, otherwise he would start asking questions, questions she couldn't answer.

"Come to the house." Alice suggested cautiously. "It will just be you and me, I promise. You can take a shower, have some rest, and then I'll drive you home."

Bella wiped her hands over her face, her salty tears smearing with the dirt on her cheeks. She gazed at the Cullen clan, looking each of them directly in the face, none of them even attempted to meet her eyes. Their shame was palpable. They were pathetic-all of them.

"I'll come." She said bitterly to Alice. "I can't stand being in this place any longer."

What she really meant was that she couldn't stand to be around any of the Cullens any longer. By the guilt-ridden expressions on their faces, Bella guessed that they knew that too.

The counter in Alice's bathroom was covered with a thousand different products, all claiming to beautify a person's surface. As everyone who lived in the mansion was already both perfect and impermeable, Bella could only assume that the little psychic had bought most of these things with her in mind. She read the labels numbly, feeling sick at the waste.

After her shower, she allowed Alice to comb her hair. She felt too exhausted to minister to herself. She kept hearing Bree's anguished screams as Felix ripped her apart. Bella knew the sounds would haunt her nightmares for the rest of her days.

"That's enough, Alice." Bella said tonelessly after a while. "I want to go home now."

Alice paused, carefully laying the comb down on the counter. "Just a little more, I promise. You need to think of Charlie now. You've had a long day." She winced when Bella shot her an irritated glare. "Sorry-I know that word doesn't begin to cover it-but its all I can say. And I am sorry, Bella. I really mean it."

"You're right-sorry doesn't begin to cover it." Bella retorted curtly. "And I know my responsibilities. You don't need to remind me that I need to keep up the damn act for Charlie's sake. I know my role."

Pain and guilt crossed Alice's pretty face. She looked utterly crushed by Bella's sharp rejoinder. "I'll just pick out an outfit for you." She murmured with her head down.

"No thanks!" Bella refused. "I'll wear my old clothes. I won't have you dressing me up as a doll."

"But, Bella, they are so soiled and dirty." Alice pointed out. "Charlie will ask questions."

"We'll just say I fell over or something. Charlie is used to that." Bella stood up, pulling her hair back from her ashen face, she wound it into a messy top knot. "Now take me home."

Alice dropped Bella off outside of her front door. She examined her face, her eyes unfathomable. "Bella, I know you are feeling emotionally exhausted and devasted right now-I need you to understand-there was simply nothing we could do for poor Bree. We were in a no-win situation."

"You saw the outcome, did you?"

Alice's eyes turned haunted. "It was difficult-there were so many different scenarios-so many quick fast decisions being made. I am - "

"Just trying to justify your inaction? I get it." Bella interjected sarcastically. "I would rather you be honest then serve up these pathetic excuses, Alice."

"Please, Bella, don't be like this." Alice pleaded. She put her arms around Bella. "I'm sorry. I really am."

Bella shook off her arms. She opened the door to Alice's extravagant yellow Porsche. "If you're looking for sympathy, you'll get none from me. You had a choice to intervene-you didn't-so your apology means nothing."

"Bella!" Alice choked out. "Don't leave it like this!"

"I have to go and deal with Charlie now. Goodbye, Alice." She slammed the car door shut and walked away without looking back.

"Hey, Bells." Charlie greeted her when she walked into the kitchen. He did a double take when he saw the muddy streaks covering the bottom half of her jeans. "What happened to you?"

"I fell." Bella replied despondently.

Charlie assessed her mood, worry clouding his eyes at the low-spirited way she answered him. She was definitely out of sorts. He hoped it had nothing to do with Jake. "Ah, you seem a bit low, kiddo? Anything going on I should know about? You and Jake getting along, okay?"

"Jake and I are fine, Dad." Bella started pulling things out of the fridge for something to do. She might as well start making an attempt at cooking. She needed the distraction. "I'll be heading over to La Push as soon as I've made dinner."

Relieved that his daughter's sullen mood had nothing to do with his best friend's son, Charlie settled himself at the table. He was in an unusually talkative mood, having had a good day's fishing with Billy.

"Weird day today." He mused aloud while Bella worked around him. "You know, I don't put much stock in that superstitious crap…but it was odd…"

"What was odd?"

"Well Billy seemed so out of it. Like he was waiting for something to happen…he was as nervous as a turkey on Thanksgiving all morning. I don't think he heard a word I said to him all day."

Bella nearly dropped a plate. She caught it just in time before it slid through her fingers. So, it seemed even Billy had trouble keeping up the pretense too. It made her feel better, knowing that she wasn't the only one.

"And then, so weird-remember back in February and March when we had all that trouble with the wolves?"

Bella made a non-committal noise as she bent down to get a frying pan out of the cupboard, and hid there for a second or two to regain her composure.

"I hope we're not going to have a problem with them again. But, today, we were out in the boat, and Billy wasn't paying attention to me or the fish, when all of a sudden, you could hear wolves howling in the woods. More than one, and, boy, was it loud. Sounded like they were right there in the village. Weirdest part was, Billy seemed to be expecting it, like he knew it was going to happen. He turned that boat around and headed straight back to the harbor like they were calling to him personally."

Bella glanced at her father's thoughtful face. In that moment, as he was trying to fit the pieces of his friend's bizarre behavior together in his mind, she had an urge to tell him the truth, to give him the answers he was seeking.

"The noise stopped before we got the boat docked. But all of a sudden Billy was in the biggest hurry not to miss the game, though we had hours still. He was mumbling some nonsense about an earlier showing… of a live game? I tell you, Bella, it was odd."

Tears glimmered in Bella's eyes. Charlie wasn't looking at her directly, his mind far away as recalled what happened, so he didn't see. She wiped them away quickly.

"Well, we just found the game he said he wanted to watch, but then he ignored it. He was on the phone the whole time, calling Sue, Emily, and your friend Quil's old grandpa. I didn't get what was looking for-he just chatted real casual with them-but I sensed his nerves."

Bella turned toward the counter, squeezing her eyes tight shut.

"Then, lo and behold, Jake strolls in. I tell you, kiddo, I've never seen such a look of relief on Billy's face. He rolled his chair right over to Jake and held out his hands to him. Jake took them, and they stared at each other for the longest time, Billy had actual tears in his eyes."

Bella opened her eyes again, imagining Billy's expression of pure relief at seeing his son home safe and unharmed. A longing to feel Jacob's arms around her overwhelmed Bella. It was lucky she had the counter to hold on to, otherwise she might have collapsed.

"Are you sure you're okay, Bella?" Charlie asked in concern when he noticed her stiff posture.

"I'm fine, Dad." Bella mumbled. "Dinner will be ready soon."

"Okay, if you're sure?" Charlie still wasn't convinced, but he had learned not to push Bella for answers. She would tell him what was bothering her when she was ready. "Need any help?"

"You can set the table." Bella suggested with her back to him. She was barely holding on.

"Okay." Charlie stood up and went to fetch the cutlery, ceasing all questions, much to Bella's relief.

Bella left for La Push in her truck as soon as she had finished eating. She could see that Charlie was still worried about her by the concern in his eyes. She was finding it more and more difficult to be around him. If she stayed in the house much longer, there was a strong likelihood she might end up confessing everything. She was tense and on edge. She needed comfort and the only one who could provide that comfort was Jacob. It wouldn't be the first time he had held her together.

Oh, how she longed to feel his strong, warm arms around her!

Bella didn't get very far driving when she knew she wasn't going to make it. When she couldn't see any more through her tears, she let her tires find the rough shoulder and rolled slowly to a stop. She slumped over on the seat and allowed her chaotic emotions to spill over. The force of her breakdown took her by surprise, Bree's death had impacted her more than even she had realized.

But Bella wasn't alone for long-Jacob had been watching out for her. He was with her within minutes. He nearly pulled the door off its hinges in his haste to reach her. As soon as he climbed inside, he pulled her into his arms.

Bella had felt so very angry. She had felt so deeply fucking angry with the universe, with God, with the Cullens, over what had happened to Bree. The pain that came with the brutal realization of what her existence would have been like as part of the Cullen clan was soul destroying. She couldn't believe she had wanted to ever be part of that family. They were not as she perceived them to be-not even the good doctor. There had been no other way to learn what she had learned without seeing it with her own eyes.

The anger was because she had been so deceived by them. Or, she had let herself be deceived, so determined to wear rose colored glasses, not wanting to see the truth behind the shiny veneer. It had been Jacob's steadying love and influence which had really opened her eyes. She was finally seeing them as he saw them.

When Bella first tried to speak, to tell him what happened, her voice faltered into unintelligible croaks. She wanted to tell him she loved him, to tell him that he had been right all along, but she was afraid her words would sound hollow. Then the warmth of his body met her cold skin, infusing her with hope like he always did. One of his hands clasped around her lower back, the other stroking her hair. With each soft touch of his more tears fell, tears neither of them wiped away.

Slowly, haltingly, Bella told him what happened. She told him about Bree.

Jacob didn't say anything, he just let her sob until her tears eventually subsided and she was left a quivering mess in his arms.

A/N-thanks for reading!