Back to the Start
Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to SM.
Love
It was Esme Cullen who answered the door. She raised her delicate eyebrows in confusion when she saw Charlie Swan and his deputy, Mark Bridger, standing on the front porch.
"Hello, again, Chief Swan." She said cautiously. "You're looking well. How nice of you to stop by."
"This isn't a courtesy call, Mam." Charlie replied formerly. "This is an official visit."
"Oh, I see." Esme glanced over her shoulder briefly, before returning her attention to Charlie. "My husband isn't at home right now." She flashed him an apologetic smile.
As she spoke the room behind was suddenly filled with the sound of a composition so complex, so luxuriant, it was impossible to place. Whoever was playing the piano was a skilled musician.
Charlie exchanged a knowing look with his deputy. "Mrs. Cullen – "
"Call me Esme, please."
"Mrs. Cullen." Charlie said again. "Can we come in?"
Esme hesitated, glancing over her shoulder for a second time. "This is not a convenient time, Chief Swan. I would rather wait for my husband to come home. He is the one who normally deals with things like this. If you could come back another day?"
The music had slowed, transformed into something softer, sounding almost like a lullaby.
"Is there someone else at home with you?" Charlie asked.
"Only Edward – "Esme paused again, understanding flickering in her eyes. "Is this about your daughter Bella?"
"As I said, I would rather discuss this in a more formal setting. If you – "
"And as I said, I would rather wait for my husband." Esme cut in hastily. All pretense at politeness was gone. She half closed the door, blocking Charlie's view of the inside of the house.
Charlie pulled out his badge, holding it out toward Esme. "As I have already made clear, this is an official visit, Mrs. Cullen. Call your husband. We can wait." He said evenly, putting his badge away.
If Esme had looked cautious before, she now looked staggered. She fiddled with the ends of her soft, caramel-colored hair nervously with her slender fingers. Her heart-shaped face troubled. "I'll call Carlisle now. If you don't mind waiting in the hall?" She stepped aside and finally let them enter the house.
Billy had left to go to an urgent council meeting, leaving Bella and Jacob alone in the house. Exhausted from all she had been through, Bella had quickly fallen asleep, enmeshed in Jacob's arms. He held her tightly as she slept, listening to her sleep talking. She murmured his name a few times, along with a few other mumbled words he could not quite make out. At least her trembling had stopped. He never wanted to put her down. He liked the way she felt in his arms, he liked it almost as much as the kissing.
Still, the kisses troubled him. He wasn't sure why Bella had kissed him. He would take what he could get, but there were several possibilities, and each one meant something different. One of them was that she was simply grateful. He had saved her life by chasing off the vampire that had been hell bent on killing her. He sure didn't want that to be the reason she kissed him.
Another possibility was that Bella was glad he had survived the encounter. Ever since the meadow, she was always so worried about his safety when he was out patrolling. She tried to hide it, but Jacob could tell. Since Sam phased, those worries had eased a little, now that she knew he wasn't alone out there anymore, but she was still anxious. He supposed that reason was preferable to the first.
But the reason Jacob hoped she had kissed him was simple: she loved him. It didn't hurt to hope, although finding out the truth could be more painful than he could ever imagine.
As for Jacob, the reason he had kissed her would never change. He loved her. She made this life – this destiny, this curse – bearable. As a werewolf he could protect her. And because of her, he could embrace the monster he had become.
Billy's wheelchair was stationed at the head of the circle of elders. Old Quil- looking more brittle and careworn than ever- sat across from him on a folding lawn chair. Harry sat on the ancient elder's right, looking unusually grim. They had been in a deep discussion for the last few hours, pondering the best course of action to take. The news Billy had brought them about Edward Cullen's troubling behavior was disturbing.
When the original treaty was made with the Cullens, Ephraim insisted on two main points: The vampires could not injure any humans (either by hunting them for food or by transforming them into vampires, as the Quileutes' viewed this transformation as equal to murder), and the vampires were never to trespass on Quileute land.
Carlisle surrendered to these terms and proposed adding the concept of mutual secrecy: The Quileutes' would not be able to tell anyone the true nature of the Cullens, and vice versa.
Ephraim agreed, and they worked out the boundary lines for their respective lands. The Quileute territory covered all the reservation, plus some of the land that had traditionally belonged to the Hohs and the Makahs. In some places, the boundary line followed the main road, now Highway 101, but in others it followed the old tribal lines. In turn, the shape-shifters would not cross into Cullen land. The town of Forks, along with a few other surrounding towns, and the highway were "truce areas" where both the Quileute shape-shifters and the Cullens were allowed to venture.
It was the treaty that was posing the problem. The Cullens had stuck to it rigidly. They had not trespassed onto Quileute lands, had kept to their 'vegetarian' diet,' had not hurt or injured another human as far as the elders were aware. Forks was considered part of the 'truce area'-which meant that Edward Cullen was allowed to roam there unrestricted.
So, in effect, despite his stalking behavior, no rules had been broken, which meant that they had no grounds to interfere.
"He has been hassling her at school." Billy said gravely.
"Still in mutual territory." Harry reminded him.
"He has been in Charlie's house, Harry." Billy argued vehemently. "In her room! Spying on her!"
Harry's mouth drew down. "It alarming. I know it is. But Charlie's house is in Forks, which is still in mutual territory. There is nothing in the treaty that forbids Edward Cullen from being there. He has not physically harmed her, or tried to change her, which means he has not technically broken any rules, which gives us no grounds to interfere."
"I cannot believe you are saying this, Harry." Billy snapped impatiently. "There must be a way around it. This is Bella – Charlie's daughter- our friend. Are we supposed to wait until he does do her some harm before we act?"
"That is not what I'm saying." Harry replied defensively. "I am merely pointing out the facts, that's all."
Thus far, Old Quil had remained silent. The ancient elder was one of the few living members of the Quileute tribe alive at the time of the previous pack. He listened to the two men arguing back and forth, his expression brooding, thoughtful.
"There might be one way around it." He said in his thin tenor voice.
Billy turned to look at him, irked by the interruption, thinking he had nothing useful to say. "What is it, Quil?" He asked, merely humoring the old man. Old Quil spent most days asleep in his chair, looked after by his daughter-in-law, Joy. Even though he dutifully attended every council meeting, he rarely spoke much, leaving the younger men to make the decisions because he tired so easily.
"No need to take that tone with me, Billy Black." Old Quil fumed from underneath his bushy white brows.
Billy took a deep breath and quickly apologized. "I'm sorry, Quil."
"Humph." Old Quil muttered, mollified by Billy's deferential tone. "Now, I can see the argument from both sides, gentlemen. You want to act, but the treaty prevents us from doing so."
"Yes." Billy exchanged an impatient glance with Harry. "So, what do you suggest we do?"
"I am not suggesting anything." Old Quil wheezed. "I am just pointing out that you both seem to have forgotten one pertinent fact."
"Such as?" Harry prompted him.
"Imprinting." Old Quil said succinctly. "If a cold one dared to interfere with a wolf's imprint, then there would be legitimate grounds for us to get involved, wouldn't you agree?"
Billy sighed heavily. "Bella is not an imprint."
"Isn't she?" Old Quil questioned lightly. "How do you know?"
"Jacob would have… I mean…" Billy paused; his dark eyes troubled. "I don't know." He admitted eventually. "He already has such a heavy burden on his young shoulders that I decided to delay that particular discussion until things had settled down a bit."
"So, he's in the dark, so to speak?" Old Quil shook his head in disbelief. "That was a bad call, my friend. He should have been given all the facts straight away. In fact, he should be sitting in on this little discussion, shouldn't he?"
"He's my son, not yours." Billy retorted bitterly.
Old Quil bristled. "He is the Alpha wolf, Billy Black, with all the responsibility that comes with it. You cannot coddle him. It is his destiny and he must embrace it fully. You are doing him a disservice by treating him like an immature child."
Billy glared at the ancient elder, infuriated by his assertions.
"Hey, let's calm it down a notch, guys." Harry warned, acting as mediator. He turned to face a glowering Billy. "You know there might be something in what Quil says. Jacob has always been drawn to Bella, even from a young age. And since she moved back to Forks to live with Charlie, they have become awfully close. He might have imprinted, but was unaware of it, as he no knowledge of the concept."
"So, this is my fault for just wanting to protect my son?" Billy countered angrily. "If it was Seth in Jacob's place, you would have done the same, Harry. Don't deny it!"
Harry's face clouded over. "I don't know." He admitted. "But it isn't Seth. Its Jacob. One of us needs to talk to him, find out if imprinting could be a possibility. If he has, well, then it changes everything."
"I'll talk to him tonight." Billy muttered.
"No." Old Quil interjected. "Send him to me. You've already struggled to tell him once." He held his hand up when Billy opened his mouth to argue. "I understand your reasons, even if I don't agree with them. And don't worry, I'll be subtle."
Harry nodded his agreement. "I think it's a good idea, Billy. It takes the burden away from you as his father."
Billy stared at the two men apprehensively. "Fine." He said grimly, finally conceding defeat.
Much to Charlie, and his deputy's surprise, Carlisle Cullen appeared in record time. He arrived in his black Mercedes with the tinted windows, wearing an understated, but clearly expensive, designer suit in a subtle shade of grey. It seemed Esme's urgent call had pulled him out of an important meeting at the hospital. However, he remained unflustered, greeting Charlie coolly with an outstretched hand.
"Its nice to see you again, Chief Swan." He said politely. "Esme said it was urgent."
Charlie eyed him critically. "It is. I expect you can guess why I'm here."
"You want to talk about Edward's relationship with Bella." Carlisle guessed.
"Let's get one thing straight, Dr. Cullen." Charlie stated forcefully. "There is no relationship. Your son has been continually harassing my daughter for weeks, forcing his company on her when she has stated several times that she wanted nothing to do with him. I warned you the last time I was here, that if you failed to put a stop to his behavior, then there would be serious repercussions."
Carlisle remained unruffled by Charlie's sharp tone. "So, am I to understand that this is an official visit then, Chief Swan?"
The same feeling of ease that had spread through Charlie the last time he had visited the Cullens, ran through him again. He felt his anger subsiding, his tense posture relaxing against his will. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the tall, leonine figure of Jasper Cullen, lurking at the top of the winding staircase. He frowned, trying to keep his focus. He noted that his deputy had completely zoned out altogether.
Charlie shook his head to clear it. "Yes, as I explained to your wife. I – "
"If this is an official visit then I think we should cut this meeting short." Carlisle interrupted him smoothly. He dug in his top pocket and pulled out a small, white calling card. He handed it to Charlie. "This bears the name and address of our attorney, Jason Jenks. I have already briefed him, so he is fully aware of the situation. He will be present during any official interviews. So, unless there is anything else, I bid you good day, Chief Swan."
Charlie stared at Carlisle's youthful face, feeling completely blindsided. "This isn't over." He warned. "No smarmy attorney is going to get your son off the hook."
Carlisle smiled blandly. "As I said, good day to you, Chief Swan. Unless there is anything else I can help you with?"
"No." Charlie scowled. "I'll be in touch."
"Of course." Carlisle's smile stayed in place as he watched Charlie storm out of the house, followed by his confused deputy.
Bella stirred in Jacob's arms, her eyes fluttering open. "Jacob." She whispered his name and rubbed her cheek against his chest.
Jacob cupped her face in his warm hand, gazing down at her intently, trying to assess her mood. She seemed relaxed. A good sign. "How are you feeling?" He asked.
"Better." Bella leaned up to press a light kiss on his lips.
At that moment it didn't matter to Jacob why she had kissed him. But he still knew he would have to talk to her about it. No matter how much he wanted it, it needed to be for love and love alone.
"Thank you for saving me, Jacob. Again." Bella said earnestly.
"You'll always be safe if I have anything to do with it. I'd never let anyone hurt you." Jacob vowed.
Bella twisted in his arms and he bent down so that their foreheads were touching. "We need to talk, Jake." She said hesitantly.
So, this was it. Her tone didn't sound encouraging. Jacob braced himself for the worst.
"Jake, I've always known that you wanted more than simple friendship." Bella began haltingly. "You've been incredibly patient with me. Thank you for that." She smiled softly, placing one hand on his chest. "I've relied on you so much, not just since you became a werewolf. You are incredibly important to me. No more than that…you've become…my everything."
Bella's resulting blush at this confession was pink perfection; the hallmark of one who is true of heart.
It answered all of Jacob's questions without her having to say another word. His arms tightened around her possessively. "You love me." He said, and it wasn't a question. "That's why you kissed me."
Bella nodded, her blush deepening to a vivid red, she ducked her head, acting all coy.
Jacob's face broke out into one of his sunny smiles. She loved him. She kissed him because loved him. The blush, the shy smile on her face, was all for him. Because she loved him. Then he was kissing her, her sweet lips opening under his, causing his body heat to rise. He loved her so much. And had never felt so happy in his life.
A/N-thanks for reading!