Troubleshoot
Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to SM.
Confrontation
Even though Jacob had done his best to dissuade her, Bella insisted on accompanying him to La Push when he went to confront his father and Paul. Even though feeling much better after Jacob's reassurances, she still held onto some residual guilt about the role she had played in Rachel's decision to run away.
"I just need to say sorry to them face to face – especially Billy."
"Bells, I've already told you that you have nothing to apologize for." Jacob gazed at her with the same mixture of love and frustration as he had when she first told him about his sister absconding.
"I heard you." Bella promised. "But I need to do this."
Jacob knew it was a hopeless cause when he noted the obstinate look taking over her face. Any further protests of his would only fall on deaf ears. It was pointless wasting his breath.
"C'mon on, then, honey." He sighed as he led the way outside.
A rare break in the clouds brought with it the warmth of the sun rays. The sunshine was so sweet, bringing with it a symphony of colors, adding a buoyancy to Bella's mood as she held tightly to Jacob's hand when they walked to the truck parked in the driveway.
"Do you want me to drive?" Jacob offered.
"Yes." Bella agreed, passing him the keys.
Bella wound the window down as Jacob drove to La Push. With his arm around her shoulders, and the sunlight bringing a frisson of joy to her skin, Bella began to feel hope rise in her heart. Maybe it wouldn't be as bad as she was anticipating. She was always looking on the gloomy side of life. Perhaps she should take a leaf out of Jacob's book and learn to be more optimistic. After all she had only been trying to help, just like he said.
As the familiar little redwood house hove into view, Bella did her best to stay composed. She glanced at Jacob, noticing the strained look on his face, causing her own mood to plummet. It appeared he wasn't as optimistic as he pretended.
"It'll be okay, Bella." He said, as if reading her thoughts.
As usual, the truck's noisy engine had signaled their arrival. The front door opened and Billy wheeled his chair out into the open. Behind him strode Paul, his expression stern and forbidding.
"Jacob!" Billy cried as soon as his gaze settled on his son. His husky voice was rough with anxiety, his pallor grey, the dark circles under his eyes showing lack of sleep. "You've heard about Rachel?"
"Yes." Jacob answered curtly.
Bella saw Paul look fixedly in her direction, his lips curling into a sneer. She immediately cowered into Jacob's side, full of regret that she hadn't listened to him when he had recommended that she stay behind.
"We've looked everywhere we can think of, son." Billy continued gruffly. He held his hands out in despair. "I have no idea where she could be. Or even why she left in the first place."
Paul's expression turned furious as he continued to glare at Bella, now half hidden behind Jacob. "It was you, wasn't it?" He accused, jabbing one finger in her direction. "You've been hassling her ever since she came home about one thing or another. Sticking your nose in where it wasn't wanted. You said something to make her leave."
"Watch your mouth, Paul." Jacob warned in a low voice. "Rachel left because she was too cowardly to tell either of you the truth."
"What are you talking about?" Paul raged. His arms were already beginning to quiver.
Billy rolled his chair further onto the porch, his heavily lined features contorted with worry. "What are you saying, Jacob?"
With his steely gaze still fixed on Paul, Jacob pushed Bella gently behind him. She leaned her forehead against his back, emitting a quiet sob.
"Jake, answer me!" Billy cried.
"I've been trying to tell you for weeks that you needed to talk to Rachel. But you continued to bury your head in the sand. Your refusal to act is the reason why she's taken off."
"I was just trying to give her time…time to settle back in. I didn't want to push her – "
"Bullshit, Dad." Jacob cut in scathingly. "You just wanted to ignore the unpleasant reality that Rachel only came home to leech off you because she had nowhere else to go. The only reason she hung around so long was because she imprinted with Paul. If that hadn't happened, she would have taken off long before now."
"That's not true!" Billy denied.
"Your perfect daughter is a thief and a liar, Dad. She didn't come home from college because she graduated early, she got kicked out. She was stealing from the other students-money, jewelry, all sorts of things. Bella had her suspicions, as did I. She did some digging and found proof. She gave Rachel every opportunity to fess up, but she didn't, instead running off like the spoiled weakling she is."
"No! No!" Billy shook his head back and forth, clutching one hand to his chest as if Jacob's words had stabbed him in the heart. "Rachel would never!"
"Don't talk about Rachel like that!" Paul shouted. "I should have known you would believe any lies that the leech-lover fed to you!"
"I won't warn you again, Paul." Jacob threatened icily. "Shut your mouth!"
A shudder rippled through Paul, along his shoulders and down his spine.
"Paul, please, you need to relax." Billy said in alarm, hastily putting some space between his wheelchair and the young man vibrating beside him.
Paul shook his head back and forth, as though he was concentrating hard to keep his shape together.
"Dad, go inside the house!" Jacob yelled. He turned to Bella, gazing at her desperately. "Get inside the truck."
"Jake?" Bella reached out to him with trembling fingers. Everything was falling apart and it was all her fault.
"Go! Go! Go!" Jacob urged. "Paul is about to explode. I don't want you in the firing line." He pushed her none-too-gently toward the old Chevy.
Paul twisted his head toward Jacob, his lips curling back in irritation. Then he shifted his glare in Bella's direction again. Jacob took another step in front of her to shield her from Paul's crazed gaze.
That did it.
"Right, protect her!" Paul roared in outrage. "You always put her above your own family, even your own sister!"
Another shudder, a convulsion, heaved through his body. He threw his head back, a real growl tearing from between his teeth.
"Paul!" Billy begged. "Not here. Not now!"
It was pointless. Paul fell forward, vibrating violently. Halfway to the ground, there was a loud ripping noise, and he exploded. Dark silver fur blew out from his body, coalescing into a shape more than five times his size- a massive crouched shape, ready to spring.
The wolf's muzzle wrinkled back over his teeth, and another growl rolled through his colossal chest. His dark eyes, slick with rage and grief, focused on Bella.
With one swift glance to see that Bella was safely sealed inside the truck, Jacob took off running straight for Paul.
"Jacob!" Bella pressed the palms of her hands against the driver's side window, her face paling, tears sliding down her cheeks.
Mid-stride, a long tremor shivered down Jacob's spine. He leaped forward, diving headfirst into the empty air.
With another sharp tearing sound, he exploded, just like Paul. He burst out of his skin-shreds of black and white cloth blasting up into the air. By the time he landed, he was in his wolf form, his gigantic russet-brown shape bristling with anger.
Paul went for him at once. Jacob met his attack head on. Their angry snarls echoed like thunder off the treetops.
"Oh, Jacob!" Bella sobbed again; her eyes blurry with tears. "This is all my fault." Her closed fist banged uselessly on the glass.
Just then the other members of the pack came striding out of the trees. They moved in perfect synchronization, swarming around the fighting wolves, blocking Bella's view of them.
"Embry stay with here with Billy and Bella." Sam ordered solemnly.
"Will do." Embry said as he jogged over to the truck to check on Bella.
Even though Bella could no longer see, she could still hear. The roar of the fighting wolves seemed to increase in volume as Embry opened the truck's heavy iron door.
"Its okay, Bella." He said gently, peering up at her frightened face. "Come with me." He offered her his hand. She took it, grateful for his assistance as he helped her climb out of the truck.
Jacob and Paul were still snapping and tearing at each other, their sharp teeth flashing toward each other's throats. Jacob-being visibly so much bigger and stronger in his wolf form than Paul- already had the upper hand. He was giving Paul a good beating. Once he glimpsed that Embry had helped Bella out of the truck, he began ramming his shoulder against the silver-grey wolf again and again, forcing him back toward the trees.
"Take her inside." Sam shouted to Embry.
The others were watching the conflict with rapt expressions. Leah with a sneer marring her face as if she had been expecting this all along. Jacob had successfully shoved the grey wolf into the trees. They disappeared out of sight, though the sound of the snarls was still loud. Sam ran after them, kicking off his shoes on the way. As he darted toward the forest, he was quivering from head to toe.
After a moment's hesitation, Leah followed him, to many eyerolls from the others, including her own brother.
The growling and snapping noises faded into the distance. Suddenly the sounds cut off and all went quiet.
One of the boys started laughing- it was Jared.
Bella turned to stare at him- her wide eyes felt frozen, like she couldn't even blink them.
"What did you expect?" Jared said sarcastically when he caught her looking. "That's what happens when you interfere in an imprinted relationship. You just couldn't leave it alone, could you?"
"Leave it, Jared." Embry warned as he guided a stricken Bella toward the house. "Paul brought this on himself."
"Oh, yeah, you would take her side." Jared retorted. He shook his head in disgust as he began to lope toward the trees. "Anyone else coming?" He called to the others.
Quil shrugged helplessly, before following Jared. Seth was close behind. Soon they were swallowed up by the trees just like the others.
"Ignore them, Bella." Embry gave her kind smile as he spoke. "C'mon, lets get you inside."
Once inside the Swan house, Rachel Black went through her usual routine. Stop for five whole minutes and listen. Close the curtains. Check the bedside cabinets and bathrooms for anything valuable. Then go through closets, drawers, and suitcases. Normally it only took a handful of rooms to hit the jackpot, but this time she had turned up a real gem. She held Bella's engagement ring from Edward in the palm of her hand, smiling contemptuously. This alone would fetch a pretty price, but not as much as the real prize. In her other hand she held the keys to the Mercedes Guardian that was parked on the road outside. Bella still hadn't managed to find a buyer for it, it being a vehicle out of most ordinary people's price range.
"At least I'll be able to drive out of here in style. Thanks, Bella." Rachel muttered smugly. She pulled her baseball cap lower, so that the brim concealed her face. Without even giving a backward glance, she exited the house the way she came in, the glass from the broken window crunching under the tread of her heavy boots as she did so.
A/N-thanks for reading!