Chapter 15

Frannie Walsh, thank you so much for helping me out. I know it's not an easy job to clean up those messy chapters that I send you, but you do an amazing job of making me look good! Hugs!

Song for this Chapter: I Hope She Cheats by Tori Rines

For a good hour after the house cleared out. Charlie, Peter, Char, and I passed handwritten notes around Dad's old dining room table.

'The elders, pack, and imprints were camping no more than half a mile from Charlie's backdoor.' Peter had said, adding, 'Someone at the airport had been paid to call one of the pack members and let them know when our plane had landed.'

Charlotte wrote, 'The pack watched Charlie pull the For Sale sign out of the yard.'

'Oh, and the Cullen's were returning to the Pacific Northwest.'

Charlie wrote 'how the wedding was off.'

I wrote 'that things had gone as well as could be expected in Alaska.'

Peter wrote that it was more than just wolves listening to things from the outside of Dad's house. Something about listening devices and a few hidden cameras. Dad and I were both shocked about that one.

'How were the Cullens told to come to Forks? ' When I questioned who'd sent for them; Peter smiled.

Char had written me a personal message asking how I really was and telling me how all of these things were only going to make me stronger in the long run. I had to question her judgment, but I guess we'd find out soon enough.

Later, after Dad went to bed. Peter and I stepped outside for a smoke. We were both quiet, not talking out loud, but after living with him for a couple of years. I could almost guess what was going on in his mind. I could tell he thought we were outnumbered.

Hell, I felt the same way earlier. He was worried about our safety. His rigid posture was proof of that. He didn't like putting himself in a situation like this, but he also knew it couldn't be helped. Cleaning up my mess didn't sit well, but he'd done it. Yeah, I could almost read him like a book.

Once inside, I settled on the couch. Trying to go to sleep, but knowing I was being watched by two vampires, even though they are my best friends, I found sleep hard to come by.

It seemed like I'd only just closed my eyes when I was awakened by my Audi's alarm going off.

"Mother fuckers!" I screamed, jumping up from the couch. I had paid an extra fee to have a special Coda alarm placed on my car. If someone, who was not holding the key on their person came within two feet of the vehicle, the alarm would shriek, headlights flashed, all the lights on the inside and outside would come on, and the hood/doors/trunk would be double locked.

I'd thought the wolves would be too worried about Dad's reaction to try to sabotage my car, but I guessed wrong.

Charlie came barreling down the stairs wearing only his boxers, gun drawn, ready to shoot whoever the fuck was trying to break into my car. And who was I to try to stop him?

Sure, the sun was up, but we'd both needed at least eight hours of sleep, and Lord knows neither one of us got that much.

"I miss home," I said to no one in particular.

The front door was now wide open, letting the cool morning air flow over Dad's hardwood floors. My unsocked feet felt it more than I thought possible. Sure, the forties of Alaska were bad, but Forks' fifties should feel warmer than it did.

"Mother tuckers ran away before I could catch them. I ought to put all of them in jail. It'd serve them right, waking a man up from a restless night's sleep!" Charlie grumbled as he walked back into the house and upstairs. Probably to get dressed for the day.

Looking at the clock on the way it read 6:13 am. Four hours of sleep wasn't good. I could live off that little sleep for a while, but while Dad was used to getting early morning calls from the station, it wasn't an everyday thing. I quickly started the coffee and walked to my duffle. Peter and Char were looking out the windows, so when I went upstairs, they didn't move. All I could think about was a hot shower.

As the extremely hot water hit my skin. I couldn't stop thinking about how the person who invented the hot water tank needed a Nobel Peace Prize. Finally feeling clean and somewhat refreshed, I dressed in comfy jeans and a hoodie before going for my first cup of ambition.

Dad, Peter, and Charlotte were waiting for me in the kitchen. Again, they were passing notes. Peter had found four listening devices. One in the family room, one under a kitchen chair, one in the foyer, and curiously, one in Charlie's bedroom. The two cameras were attached to a VCR in the living room, and one near the back door, hidden in the fire alarm.

I watched as Dad dropped each one into a glass of water sitting in front him. His face was a picture of rage mixed with mirth.

Peter had gotten a text from Jasper sometime in the night saying the Cullens had caught a flight to SeaTac and would be in Forks by 2 pm.

Today was going to be a long day no matter which way I looked at it. So, I made a quick breakfast of oatmeal, praying we could somehow work all this shit out as I ate.

I watched as Dad picked up the landline to call Sue. I do believe she had some more explaining to do. Oh, I couldn't wait to watch that. I hoped it would be an in-person conversation. Popcorn, I needed to make some before the shit hit the fan.

Shit, I'd told Asshole last night that I'd talk with him sometime today. Oh, and I get to see the Sparkly Mother Fucker Asshole #1 as well.

Great.

I could feel Peter watching me. Sometimes he just knew what I was thinking, I sometimes knew his.

"It'll work Izzy, I've got a feeling about it," Those were the first words spoken out loud since the tribe had left last night.

I needed a morning smoke, so I looked at Peter and said. "Rainbows?" Without question or argument, he followed me to the porch. I sat in the swing while he watched the side and front yard.

"Did they get close enough to touch the car?" I questioned when I was half way through.

"Naw, they ran away like the cowards they are when the alarm went off, though," he was smiling, but that smile didn't reach his eyes. His eyes never stopped scanning the area. His nose would flare, and it made me wonder how close the pack really was.

I finished my smoke quickly and started to stand when Peter said, "No, this is your house. You and I have a right to be here. They don't. Fuck 'em, have another like usual."

So I did.

I'd bought a carton in North Carolina before flying out for the party, and I really hoped I wouldn't run out too soon.

After my smokes we went into the kitchen. Dad had finished his call with Sue, and they were going to meet up at noon, which meant we had a few hours to kill.

Char was scrolling through her phone's pictures and showing my dad some I was in.

Me on the ranch in Texas by the barn. All of us riding horses at sunset. That time they got me to take an edible in Colorado. Me in a two-piece on the beach. Me with a dog I'd found on the side of the road that neither vampire would let me keep. Several selfies of just me and Charlotte. A couple of me alone with Peter.

My favorite is one of the three of us together.

Their vampire skin was shining, and we were on a boat off the coast somewhere. My smile was genuine, and so was theirs.

Charlie looked at every photo. Taking in each and every detail. His face was sad, but eyes seemed happy about what he saw in each picture shown.

"I like this one," Charlie said.

"Yay, come to find out, Colorado ain't your daughter's style, Chuck." Peter laughed.

"Please stop calling me Chuck. Charlie or Chief will work, but not Chuck," my dad said. Shaking his head as Peter laughed harder.

Dad got up soon after to take his shower. He'd waited for the hot water heater to replenish before taking one himself. I washed the dishes and cleaned out the coffee pot.

"Where are you meeting Sue," I asked when Dad came downstairs.

"At the church off of 1st and Main. I figured I'd kill two birds with one stone."

Dad shrugged his shoulders. Then passed me a note. 'Pastor Weber was supposed to marry us. I'm ending things with Sue. I can tell him at the same time.'

The next note said, 'You need to talk to Jake, but I want it done here at the house. Outside? And I want to be here when it happens.'

I nodded my head in reply. Then I wrote a note of my own. 'Do you want me to come with you to meet Sue? You and me, remember?'

Dad shook his head. 'The church is in the middle of town. Lots of people around. I'll be okay.'

"Maybe you should call Deputy John to sit somewhere close by just in case?"

I'd just gotten my dad back. I didn't want anything to happen to him. Dad smiled but still said no.

Damn it, no popcorn needed, then.

When Peter put his hand on my shoulder, I looked up. "Someone's coming to the front door."

Charlie made his way to it, and after the knock, he pulled it wide open to reveal Jacob standing there with his hands in his cutoff pockets.

Without a word, I marched past Char, Peter, and my dad. I walked right past Jacob to stand in the middle of the driveway. Charlie had left deep ruts in the ground pulling up the For Sale sign last night. I could see that clearly in the daylight.

I leaned against the Audi. I had my keys and a couple of other things in my pockets. I lit a smoke and waited to see what Jacob had to talk to me about.

Shit, maybe I should have made my dad some popcorn.

As Jacob approached, I asked, "What do you want, Jacob?"

"Come on, don't be like this, Bella. You're my best friend, and we need to talk about what happened four years ago." His hands were raised in surrender, but I could hear wolves breaking off branches close to the other side of my car. Probably Quil and Embry, I thought. Some things never change.

"Really? I remember you saying how I just needed to get over myself." I sneered. "How, this, is just the way you are? Or were? What the fuck ever!"

I was hotboxing my cigarette, I was so mad. "What was her name, Jacob? Do you even remember her name?" I waited for an answer that never came.

"We can work things out, Bella, if you'll just give me another chance," Jacob pleaded.

Charlie was standing on the walkway now, his pistol in his hand, murder in his eyes. Peter and Char were right behind him, ready to snatch me away from Jacob if needed.

"There is no 'we' to work out, Mr. Black. You know we sealed imprints know when their other half is fucking around, and you've never stopped. Not once since I've left. Why the hell would you stop now? I really hope they were all worth it."

"Bella, you're my imprint. We were meant to be together from the start. Yes, I goofed up, but that doesn't mean there can't be a 'we.'" he was waving his hands between us.

"Yes, there is. Because I say no!"

He got up in my face and sneered. "I can only have children with my sealed imprint. You know this! So let's just stop this bullshit, and let's fix what needs to be fixed!" There was pure hatred pouring off him. His voice was low and rough.

Babies?

He thinks I would actually have puppies with him? He has lost his ever-loving mind! I smiled as I threw my now burnt smoke to the ground. "Oh, puppies… isn't that a wonderful idea for you?"

I watched as he got madder and madder by the second. I moved away from my car, walked a short way up the path, and had my back to my dad and the vampires lining the walkway.

"Let me tell ya, Jacob," I sneered out his name. "I took care of your puppy problem a while ago. See, I'd always remembered my Pack 101 class from Emily. How she'd said only sealed imprinted couples could produce heirs. So, after a long and researched analysis, I had a womb ablation." Then I laughed.

At his dumb-founded look, I continued. "You know where the doctors cauterize a woman's womb? I'll never, EVER, give you or anyone else puppies!"

Before I knew it, I was in Charlotte's arms, and Peter was standing between Jacob and us. Dad's hand was shaking as he pointed his 45 straight for Jacob's forehead, as he phased into a wolf.

If Peter and Char hadn't shown up? If they hadn't been outside with my dad and I when Jacob went furry? I'd have been splayed open at the asshole's feet right now.

He and I both knew he was about ready to lose it, but instead of stepping back or going away, he stayed where he was, knowing when he did lose it. I'd be dead.

I wanted to see if there were any feelings from the Jake I knew still left inside his shell that stood before me.

"Is that what you want, Jacob? For me to be dead? Would your life be better off without your imprint in it? I thought once the imprint was sealed, when the wolf dies, so does the imprint. Does it not work the same for wolves? If your imprint dies, don't you die too?" I knew the real answer when I asked the question.

No, Jacob wouldn't die. His wolf would never find another imprint, he could never have children, but he would survive.

As it turns out, Quil and Embry weren't in the tree line. It was Emily and Kim. My words seemed to hit home with them as they walked closer. Neither one knew that bit of wolf 101, but they sure as shit knew it now.

I figured it out about a year after taking off from Forks.

Sam was always so protective of Emily, not wanting to leave her side. Why was Leah so pissed off at the world? She could see inside Sam's head when they were phased. Sam could kill Emily, and Leah could take her place.

I'd bet my last dollar Leah had asked Sam to do it and he refused. Then, he made an Alpha order that Emily was to be protected at all costs. He's probably added Kim in there somewhere, if only to appease Jared.

When Jacob imprinted on me, there was no such protection given. I'd say everyone from Sam, the other wolves, the elders, and even Billy didn't protest when I wasn't given that same protection. I'm just a Hok'wat, after all. White trash that wasn't good enough to keep, so why protect her?

Oh, I was good enough to cook, clean, and give the tribe its next generation. But if I died in the process, Charlie would have been the only one crying at my funeral.

I realized rather quickly that Jacob was furry, but he wasn't growling. His mind was probably hearing both Jared and Sam cursing his name. His eyes were roaming the side yard, not those standing in front of him.

After Char let me go, I grabbed the small vial that hadn't left my jean pocket since before coming to the pre-wedding party. I popped the top and walked over to Jacob. As I touched his fur, I drank down the damn liquid inside. I was back with Charlotte before Jake even knew what had hit him.

I watched as the wolf suddenly turned human. A very publicly-naked Human, who was now on the ground writhing in pain.

Every wolf was now coming out of the woods. They, too, were in their human forms. It was their turn, I thought.

Smiling, I watched the scene play out before me. He'd never be able to phase again!

"What have you done to him," Paul yelled from across the yard. His body was shaking so badly and I could clearly see he wanted to shift into his wolf.

I just stood from inside my friend's protective arms watching, listening, hoping…

The Elders who hadn't listened to Peter last night about being on Cullen land walked, or in Billy's case, wheeled out from the side yard.

At that moment, I'd never been more thankful that dad owned a huge piece of property …No nosey neighbors calling the cops.

The Elders were huddled in a group near the wolves, and wouldn't you know it? Sue was there with them. Old Quil bent down to touch Jacob's head. Then his withered eyes turned to me. "What have you done?" He questioned.

I really didn't owe any of them answers. But when I saw Emily and Kim watching. I thought my information might make things a little more interesting for the whole group.

"You're not the only Medicine Man, you know that, right?" his old eyes grew large. "The Kickapoo Tribe in Texas has several. Though their tribe doesn't shift, they too, have their own legends. They even have a couple about humans becoming souls attached to shifters. And their Medicine Men and women know how to break those attachments." I couldn't keep the smile off of my face.

"The human drinks a little something while touching the shifter in their alternate form, and BHAM, no more attachment. …for the human… at least."

What Jacob and probably the pack are feeling now is called the rebound. He now gets to feel both sides of the imprint.

"Jacob will never quite be the same. He can no longer, you know …" I used my arm as a demonstration.

"You know … Good luck getting your puppies now …" I laughed.

I was losing my shit rather quickly. Lack of sleep, overly stressed, and too overwhelmed by everything to really think about how I stated the facts to these people.

"Hok'wat, no more," I yelled over and over when Charlotte, Peter, and my dad pulled me inside the house. I could hear Dad yelling at the crowd about calling his deputies about the encampment behind his house if it wasn't cleared within an hour.

As he finally closed the front door, Peter, always quick on the draw, had me on the couch, wrapped tightly in his arms as Charlotte brought my duffle and a glass of water.

She was getting out my unused meds. As I told y'all before, I'd seen several PHDs about my mental status, and they, like most doctors, loved giving out pills. After swallowing several, Charlie's worried eyes were the last thing I remembered seeing before a deep dreamless sleep overtook me.

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