Bella Would Like to Pause Life, Please

Bella Swan sat on the back porch of her father's house, her mind a chaotic mess. The events of the last week were catching up to her and she stifled a yawn as she fought against the desire to climb into bed and pull the covers over her head for a while. No matter how much she wished for it, she couldn't hit a pause button for life to stop until she was ready to deal with it.

She'd actually tried it when she was little.

Hearing his daughter's frustrated growls, Charlie Swan had walked into the living room to see his 5-year old daughter frantically pressing buttons on the TV remote. Trying to hide his amusement, he'd asked what she was doing. Bella had looked up at him with tears in her eyes and told him that she didn't want to go to 'big girl school' yet so she was trying to pause life for a second until she was ready, but "damn it, daddy, it's not working!"

After choking on a laugh, and giving her a gentle scolding for swearing, Charlie pulled his little girl onto his lap and explained that pause didn't work for real life, that they had to walk through each day as it came, even if they really didn't feel like it. He kissed the top of her head and promised her that he'd always walk beside her, holding her hand if she needed him to, supporting her however he could.

"Oh good, so you'll come to big girl school with me?" she'd asked with a brilliant smile.

Bella hadn't been all that impressed when he'd told her that grownups weren't allowed at big girl school, but she gave in with just a trace of a pout when he gave her his word that he'd walk her to and from school every day. And he did. Rain or shine (and honestly, this was Forks, so usually rain) Charlie walked his little girl to kindergarten, her tiny hand held tightly in his bigger one.

Bella smiled at the memory, wishing she could hold her dad's hand for a little strength as she stared at the stars. Unfortunately, her troubles were of the supernatural variety and she couldn't tell him all that was wrong without putting his life in danger.

Sensing movement out of the corner of her eye, Bella's heart sped up as fear flashed through her. It took her a second to realize that it was Jacob coming through the trees at the edge of the backyard, and to remember that - thanks to Jasper, Alice, and the wolves - she was safe and didn't need to worry anymore about Victoria hunting for her. She may be the only human amid a huge gaggle of supernatural beings, and her immediate future might be a touch uncertain, but she couldn't have been blessed with any greater friends.

Seeing that he'd spooked her, Jacob whispered an apology as he came to sit beside her. As he wrapped a heavy arm around her, Bella leaned in and rested her head on his shoulder and let her best friend's warmth seep through her. Jacob was content to wait quietly, knowing she would talk when she was ready.

Just as he began to wonder if she'd fallen asleep, her voice broke the peaceful silence.

"He wants us to get back together. Actually, he assumes we're back together, what he wants is for us to get married."

Jacob barked out a laugh, not at all surprised. He wasn't the biggest Edward Cullen fan, and proposing marriage to a girl he'd broken up with six months ago and hadn't spoken to since seemed just like something that over-dramatic fuck would do.

Bella laughed quietly, knowing Jacob well enough to imagine what he was thinking.

Her laughter tapered off with a sigh. "I feel stuck, Jake. I'm honestly not sure what the right thing is anymore."

"Have you spoken to Alice or Jasper since you've been back from Italy?" he asked.

Bella shook her head. "Not since we split up at the airport. Alice said there were some things she needed to take care of but they would come see me in a couple days."

Jacob thought about everything he'd learned about the tiny pixie and the former soldier before he offered an opinion.

The two had approached the pack a few months ago, waiting near the treaty line until a wolf showed up. Unfortunately it was Paul, who'd been harshly anti-vampire, regardless of whether those vampires fed on humans or animals. In his mind back then, they were one and the same.

Alice and Jasper had been sitting on the ground when Paul came across them in his wolf form. They were clearly hoping to show that they weren't there for a fight and they weren't a threat to either the wolves or the humans of the tribe. It was enough to make Paul hesitate and Sam and Jake, the only others in wolf form at the time, were able to see the two vampires through Paul's eyes. Jasper glanced quickly at Alice, who smiled at him and gave him a brief nod, and then he turned back to Paul and held his hands out in front of him, again to show he meant no harm, and asked if he could speak to Jacob Black.

All three of the wolves were surprised, as it wasn't common knowledge who in the tribe was part of the pack. Bella knew, but she understood the need for secrecy and Jacob was confident that she would never betray their secrets.

At the time, they didn't know about either vampire's gift, but later realized he must have felt the shock and suspicion coming from Paul.

"I understand that you don't trust us and I understand why. Please believe me when I say that we have no ill will towards you or your pack, and that our sole purpose for being here is the protection of a human whose friendship we have in common. It's my understanding that Jacob Black is friends with Bella Swan. It's her safety we want to talk to talk to you about."

Hearing that, Jacob put on a burst of speed to get to the boundary faster. When he got to the trees that bordered the clearing he phased back to human, pulling on a pair of sweatpants he had tied around his ankle. He might not think too highly of Edward, but he didn't see the Cullens as the enemy the way Paul did, so he didn't hesitate to approach the two vampires.

"You're Alice?" Jacob asked the pixie-like vampire, who answered with a nod and a bright smile. He turned his attention to the vampire beside her. "So you're Jasper, I assume?"

Jasper wasn't expecting the wolf to know who he was, and Jacob let out a laugh when he saw the surprise cross Jasper's face.

"Bella has talked about the two of you," Jake explained. "No real details, she says your stories aren't hers to tell, but enough to know the two of you are important to her."

Jacob didn't let on that he knew Bella felt a pull towards Jasper, even when she thought herself in love with Edward. She had found him intriguing and her friendship with Alice and Jasper was something she treasured. Because of that, Jacob was willing to hear the two out. If they'd taken the risk of approaching the wolves, whatever they had to say was probably important. So Jacob plopped himself on the ground across from them, trying to ignore the way their scent burned his nose. If their faces were anything to go by, the wolves didn't smell all that great to the vampires either.

Ah well, that's what you get with mortal enemies.

Before he asked about their reason for being there, Jacob needed to know one thing.

"Is Edward with you?"

Jasper smiled as Alice let out a bubble of laughter. "No," she answered. "We're not here on his behalf, I promise. We're actually not sure where he is right now. I've only had brief flashes of his future, he hasn't been making any solid decisions recently."

Seeing Jacob's confusion, Alice went on to explain her gift. She had visions of the future, which fell into one of two categories. Some things were unchanging, and those were the futures set in stone by fate, but other visions were altered if the person involved made a different decision, slightly changing the path in front of them. Regardless of those smaller changes, however, the path of fate never faltered. If something was meant to happen, that fixed vision remained the same, regardless of the path it took to get there.

Alice's very first vision of Bella Swan was of her as a vampire. The road to that ending had meandered through more twists and turns than Alice had expected, and the foreseeable future wasn't always clear, but that vision of Bella never faltered, never changed. Nor did the person standing beside her, smiling brighter than Alice had ever seen.

Jasper.

Alice kept that knowledge back at the time, not sure how the wolves would react to Bella's future. She and Jasper were hoping to work with the wolves to keep Bella safe and that meant staying on their good side, not antagonizing them in any way. It wasn't going to be easy, but it was the best way they could find to handle the coming threat.

Once she'd finished telling Jacob - and Paul and Sam, who were now sitting behind Jacob, both still in wolf form - about her gift, she got down to business.

"There's a vampire hunting Bella. She's looking for revenge because her mate was killed last year when he decided Bella would make a tasty snack," she explained, surprised when Jacob barked a laugh at her description.

She smiled at him. Maybe getting their cooperation wouldn't be as hard as she thought.

"Bella had come with our family when we were playing baseball last spring and nomads approached the clearing we were playing in. They were a coven of three - the woman, her mate James, and another named Laurent. Jasper attacked James as soon as we realized he was planning to hunt Bella, killing him quickly, while Rosalie and I got to Laurent before he could make it out of the clearing. Victoria, however, managed to escape. Edward and Emmett went after her - Edward is the fastest in our family - but they couldn't catch her. We think she may have a gift that helps her evade or escape danger."

Jasper picked up the story at that point. "From what Alice has seen, the woman wants Bella dead. She considers Bella to be the catalyst for her mate's death. Alice and I have tried to track her since then, but again, we believe she's gifted. She gets away anytime we get too close."

Jacob was silent for a moment before he glanced behind him to catch Sam's eye. Feeling the worry and dread in the wolves, Jasper let out a low growl, which Jacob ignored. He knew it wasn't meant as aggression towards them. He was, in fact, suppressing a growl of his own at the realization that Bella was the target of the vampire that the pack had chased off on more than one occasion.

He turned back to the two vampires. "This woman… does she have red hair?"

A hiss escaped Alice as she looked at Jasper, the two seeming to have a silent conversation. Jasper could feel the panic coming from Alice and sent her his own worry, but also his confidence. He had faith that between the two of them and the wolves, they could kill the bitch before she touched a hair on Bella's head.

Turning back to Jacob, Paul, and Sam, Jasper nodded sharply.

"Yes. Her name is Victoria."

Thank you for reading!

Take care, M. x