Hey, everyone. This is part one. The next part will be up at some point soon if I can help it. The next part will have a conversation between Bella and Sam, and then a conversation between Bella and Jacob. Maybe some more moments between them as they try to fix her truck.
Edward is a creep in this. If non-consensual touch really bothers you, I suggest you skip to 'ii'. I promise you, no matter how it might end up looking for a little bit, that this is NOT an Edward/Bella story.
Anyway, hope you all are doing well. Hope you enjoy it. if you could give me any feedback, I would highly appreciate it! As always, I will come back at some point to do further editing. Enjoy!
i
Bella knew it was Edward who disabled her truck once Jacob had mentioned the battery. It forced her to recollect what led up to it.
The day before, she had tried to push back against him, trying to see Jacob. Alice had apparently 'seen' her trying to go. (Alice, despite her small stature, was easily one of the scariest of the 'family'. She always had a dazed smile, and strange attitude, as if nothing mattered. It didn't help that she constantly touched Bella, her touch lingering even hours later. Her ability to see the future didn't help either. Bella's hopes to make it out of the nightmare that was her life were dwindling). Edward had been incredibly angry. He had grabbed her roughly by the arm, (ignoring her cast, which would soon get removed), and had started lowly threatening her. He ignored the sun coming out, so caught up in his anger.
Bella watched with satisfaction tinged with horror, at the sight of part of him catching on fire from the sun suddenly peeking through the clouds. His face twisted in pain and malice when he caught the smug look on her face. Bella had backed up, trying to step fully into the light so he couldn't pursue her. (She had been so close. She knew he wouldn't be kind when he finally got to her. He didn't like being humiliated, it seemed). Then the clouds rolled back in, covering up her savior.
"You think you can laugh at me, wench?" He had her in his grasp again, talking lowly. "You're only alive because of my kindness, and you laugh at my pain?" (Bella wasn't sure what his definition of kindness was, but it sure wasn't the same as hers). "Little Singer, you have no idea what I'm capable of. You've seen so little of me. You're lucky I so thoroughly enjoy your company." (He didn't enjoy her company, she knew that. He enjoyed her scent and her fear. He enjoyed making her cower in the presence of his family, and when they were alone in his room. He didn't like her, and she was sure of it). "You are not to go see that dog, Isabella."
'Dog' confused her. What did it mean? Was he calling Jacob a dog? It felt racist, and considering he was already a monster, she wouldn't be surprised if he felt that way. (He already felt superior to humans, and he had once been one, why wouldn't that extend to specific humans too?)
"But he's my best friend, please," she begged. Her voice was wobbling, and she could feel tears welling up. (She had been so good about not crying in front of him lately, but the streak had clearly been broken). "Please. He's been so worried. I can't just ignore him anymore"
Edward's face went blank for a moment and then reformed into a softer expression. Bella watched it with deep confusion swelling in her. He had never looked at her like that. What did it mean? His hold on her went lax, and one of his hands gently rose to cradle her face. (He was so cold, and his skin was unnaturally smooth. It was like a marble statue, come to life). His thumb tenderly rubbed at her cheek, sweeping across in gentle strokes.
"Oh, sweet Singer. You mustn't let him captivate you so. He's no good for you. He'd only sully your sweet scent." Bella felt his other hand go to her waist and press at the hem of her shirt.
Bella's heart began pounding, blood rushing to her face as she weighed her options. Her mind went silent, however, when his face leaned in and his sweet breath rushed over her face. There it was again, that foggy feeling. She felt dizzy suddenly, and it only worsened as he continued touching her face. The hand at the bottom of her shirt lifted, underneath it, and his cold fingers danced along the soft skin of her, now-exposed, midriff. It sent shivers up her spine despite the headache forming. (Something in her was chanting, "No, no no!" It made it worse). His cold hand finally settled, flattening out over her stomach entirely. (She was again reminded of how different they were. He was a monstrous being, and he was much bigger than her. He had all of the control, whereas she had none. She was a simple human, and she was smaller and weaker than him).
"My Little Singer. How I long for you," he whispered, more of his breath fanning over her face. She could barely understand him, but her attention was latching to his voice anyway. (A small part of her mind was raging, though. It was frightening how easily he swayed her into relaxing). "You must not go to that dog. I want your body and scent pure, and he would only ruin it."
His touch went still, tensing slightly, and then-
His cold lips were on hers, and her body went loose in his arms. He seemed prepared, however, and wrapped them around her, keeping her lifted. (She would have surely fallen to the ground with how slack her muscles went. That angry part of her would have preferred the fall to his wretched touch). He molded her lips to his, and he was unyielding in his contact. He was wholly encompassing her senses, and she felt like she was going to pass out.
When he finally let go of her, he was panting, and she was dazed.
"Don't you see, Isabella? I need you, like this, far too much. He would destroy you, and I would be crushed if that were so," Edward said, his expression softer than she could ever remember it being. (She was bewildered, and it made her lose any ground she felt she had in the situation. Was this inhuman beast convinced they were truly in a relationship?) "Let me get you inside, sweet one. You must be so tired."
And suddenly she really was tired. Exhaustion waved over her, crashing in waves. She staggered in place, trying to remain upright. She finally failed, and crumpled, the unnatural fatigue finally overcoming her.
She had woken up in her bedroom, confused, but sure of one thing; she could not go see Jacob.
ii
Jacob quietly offered the last few directions to Bella's house. Sam parked the car on the side of the road right in front of the house. Charlie and Bella were standing outside, talking, and from the look on Charlie's face, it wasn't a great conversation. The anxiety growing in Jacob made him tense before he got out of the car.
Sam got out with Jacob, helping him unload the tools from the backseat, and they made their way over to Charlie and Bella. Charlie gave a halfhearted smile and a quiet greeting, clearly lost in thought. Bella, for her part, lit up at the sight of Jacob, and then her face fell in confusion at the sight of Sam.
Sam, Jacob noticed, was staring at Bella with that strange look on his face- the one he'd had in the car. Bella seemed captivated by it, (a snapping in Jacob's chest made that familiar flame of anger flare in him). Suddenly Sam shook himself and set down the things he had been holding, walking over to Bella. Jacob prompted with a nod of Sam's head, followed suit. (He felt weird suddenly, as if, despite the strange anger he was feeling at the way Bella and Sam stared at each other, that it was right. Something instinctual was trying to tell him something, and he couldn't understand it).
"Jake," Bella said. (It was like a warm blanket being settled over him; the way she said his name. He wanted to wrap himself in it and stay there). "I'm so glad to see you."
Jacob wanted to say everything he had been thinking over the last few weeks. It was terrible, the time he had spent without seeing her. They hadn't even spent a ton of time together since early September, but they had such a close connection that it didn't feel that way. (It was always said that time spent having fun flies by, but with the two of them, it dripped like molasses. It always felt like they had all the time in the world). These things went unsaid.
"Hey, Bells," and he felt like such a fool. The way the words fell from him made him feel like he was in a romcom his sisters had forced him to watch with them. It felt so wrong for him to talk like that, (but then again with her everything felt so right, even when it shouldn't. He couldn't explain why). "How're you?"
"Hah, not great, unfortunately. My truck won't start, and I was supposed to go to the store. Dad wants me to just wait, but we're running low on things." Her hands had started waving around as she talked, and he smiled. She had always been so expressive, and it was so clear how she felt about every little thing because of it. (She couldn't lie very well because of it. Her guilt was always so clear on her face. He hoped she never lied to him).
Sam watched as Jacob walked around the old truck, getting in front of the hood. "Hey, mind poppin' the hood for me?" Jacob asked Bella. She complied after opening the door, and Jacob undid the second latch, trying to ignore Sam's stare.
It didn't take long for Jacob to see one of the issues. "Uh, hey Bells? Any reason you don't got a battery?"
Bella whipped around the driver-side door and scrunched up her face. "What? Why would I-" And then she stopped. Jacob watched as her face lost what little color it had, and her expression fell flat. "No, I don't know why I don't have one. Think anyone could have stolen it?"
Charlie's attention was grabbed then, and he stepped up next to Jacob. "That's a little strange." The man's face scrunched up in thought, his mustache twitching as he tried to come up with scenarios. "I don't rightly know how that could'a happened."
Sam was staring at Bella, however, and Jacob felt lost. There was that look again. It was unnerving, and Jacob wanted to understand what it meant. He wanted to unpack it and take it apart into its most minor pieces. He did it with everything else, why couldn't he do it with this? He just wanted to understand. It was making him another level of anxious.
"Jacob?" Charlie said, drawing him back into the matter at hand. Jacob looked at Charlie, trying to act like he had been paying attention. "You alright kid?"
"Uh, yeah. Sorry, Chief. Was just trying to figure out how to get another battery. They're real expensive, and this one is an older model, so, you know," Jacob said genuinely confused about her truck. He worried that that wasn't the only problem, but he needed to take it one thing at a time.