Impasse

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to SM.

The Alpha Wolf

"Talk to me, honey." Jacob pleaded.

He was on his knees in front of her, holding tightly to her hands. Even like this their faces were on the same level.

Bella's eyes were trained on some invisible specter, her heavy eyelids a fraction too slow to blink, her irises too stationary. It was as if her brain was suffering a massive short circuit and was struggling to compute. Jacob touched her cheek with the side of his thumb, his lips forming a pensive smile. Bella's head tilted to his face, her chocolate brown eyes sliding into focus.

"I know." She whispered.

"Know what?"

"About Edward."

Jacob felt like he'd been stabbed in the gut when she mentioned the leech's name.

"What about him?"

"He's a vampire."

Jacob felt his heart sink. So, her memories were finally returning. He had been fearing this day for such a long time, frightened that her feelings for Cullen would come back as well as the memories.

"Yes." He confirmed.

Even that one word choked him. He braced himself for the worst.

"You knew and you kept it from me!"

Bella's voice rose an octave in her distress. Her body swayed a little as resentful tears formed in her eyes.

"I didn't know what to do, Bella. You had been so amazing about the whole turning into a wolf thing…. yet you were still recuperating. I was worried that me telling you the truth about Cullen would prove too much for you to take. You were already scared enough of him."

Bella's resulting glare was of one hurt and buried, as if she feared being vulnerable more than the cold reality Jacob's omission had manufactured and serviced.

"That is nothing but a weak excuse, Jacob, and you know it. I could have handled the truth. I always trusted that you were the one person who would always be honest with me…but you lied!"

"It wasn't a lie." Jacob retorted indignantly. He dropped her hands and climbed to his feet.

"A lie by omission is still a lie."

"I was trying to protect you." Jacob argued defensively.

Bella shook her head. When their eyes met again, hers were hard and unforgiving. "You deliberately and intentionally withheld relevant information from me. That type of deception is worse than a blatant lie."

Jacob was hurt by what he considered an unfair accusation. He ran a hand through his hair. It was already growing out again, and the messy fringe fell into his eyes.

"Don't you dare look at me like that, Bella. I don't deserve it. I have always been as honest with you as I could be. I already explained my reasons – "

"I call bullshit, Jacob!" Bella cut in angrily. "Look at you – you can't even be honest with yourself."

Jacob's eyes narrowed, his own temper rising to match hers. She was being deliberately obtuse. Her accusations stung because, deep down, he knew that they had the ring of truth about them.

Of course, he hadn't wanted to be the one to tell her about Edward. What was that old catchphrase? Don't shoot the messenger? And, really, even that wasn't the real reason. He had been scared. Frightened that if he revealed the truth about Cullen's true nature, that it might not only trigger a memory, but also a resurgence of her former feelings.

Jacob remained silent as he matched her angry stare.

"Do you have anything else to say?"

"No." Jacob said stubbornly. "I don't."

"I see." Bella murmured.

The muscles in Jacob's arms tightened and his shoulders stiffened. He took a deep breath to try and calm himself down.

"How much do you remember?" He dared to ask when he had regained control of his vocal cords.

"Only that – that Edward is a vampire."

Jacob took another deep breath, this time of relief. She hadn't said anything about catching any old feelings. There was still hope. He knelt and captured her hands in his again. She tried to resist at first, but soon gave in when he would not let go.

"Alright, Bells, you want me to be fully honest. Okay, I will be." He screwed his mouth up into a half smile. "I may be a werewolf, but I'm still very much human. A human who screws up from time to time."

His dark eyes held hers for an immeasurable moment.

Bella was the first to look away. She ducked her head. "Go ahead."

Jacob's big, dark eyes were full of unashamed pleading when she finally found the resolve to meet them again.

"I did just want to protect you." He began. He did a painful swallow at the irritated frown that took over her face. "At least that's what I told myself. And I really believed that's what I was doing. But, you're right, it was all a lie. The truth is I was scared, okay. I was scared that if I told you that Cullen was a vampire, that it might trigger your memories….and other things."

"Other things?" Bella questioned curiously. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously at his worried tone.

Jacob dropped his eyes from hers in shame. "You know…feelings and stuff. I thought you might remember why you fell for him in the first place…and that you might go back to him and forget all about me." He finished in a low voice.

Bella felt a lump rise in her throat at the contrition in his tone. But it still didn't erase the hurt his lie by omission had caused. He had unintentionally taken away her agency. Fully armed with the truth about what Edward was, she would have been better prepared to arm herself against him. It hadn't been an ordinary human stalking her, it had been a supernatural creature. Regardless of their past relationship, which she still had no true memory of, she had no idea of Edward's intentions toward her now. Did he wish her ill? Had he been behind her so-called accident? The terrifying dreams she'd been having about him seemed to indicate so. And to find out that Jacob knew all along what he was – that was something she was finding hard to forgive.

"Bella?" Jacob whispered, his throat tight with pain.

Bella struggled to look at him. She knew if she did, she would probably cave in and forgive him. But what he had done couldn't be so easily glossed over. There would always be a lingering resentment on her part, and a secret fear that he might be keeping other important things from her. She needed time to think, to wrap her head around things. And she couldn't do that with him looking at her with those damnable puppy dog eyes of his.

"Its late. I think you should go."

Jacob tried to swallow down his heartbreak as he slowly rose to his feet. "Okay."

"I just need some space to think." Bella explained. "You understand?"

All Jacob could manage was a weak nod.

"Please, Jake, don't look like that!" Bella pleaded.

"Like what? What do I look like?"

"Like I've stomped all over your heart." Bella was stricken, already feeling her resolve weakening.

"I get it, Bells." Jacob said, avoiding looking at her directly. "I'll go. But I won't be far away. That red headed leech is still out there somewhere…." He rolled his shoulders, taking a deep breath. "What I'm trying to say is take all the time you need. I'll be around whenever you're ready to talk, okay? I know I screwed up. I really am truly sorry."

Then he ducked out of the bedroom door before she had a chance to respond. She felt more tears trickle out of her eyes as she fell back onto her bed and sobbed into her pillow.

Jacob smelt Edward Cullen's cloying stench as soon as he reached the tree line bordering the Swan's property. He scowled, knowing that the disgusting leech must have been outside the whole time, listening in to his private conversation with Bella. He really was a despicable son of a bitch!

Edward's expression remained neutral as he watched Jacob eye him with obvious hatred. "We need to talk." He said calmly. He turned around and began walking, never checking to see if Jacob was about to spring at his unprotected back.

"I know you want to kill me, Jacob Black." Edward said in that same annoyingly conciliatory tone as he paced quickly toward the cover of the trees. "I know werewolves have trouble practicing patience, but I don't think I need to remind you of the treaty that still exists between us."

Like he cared about the fucking treaty right now, Jacob thought viciously. Though the leech's reference to it did calm his temper a little – enough to think more rationally.

Edward kept walking, maybe a couple of hundred yards further into the tree cover, with Jacob right on his heels. He was all hot, his fingers trembling with the effort it took for him not to phase and rip Cullen's head off.

Suddenly Edward stopped without warning and pivoted to face Jacob. His expression had changed. He now looked superior, even daresay smug.

For a second Jacob felt like a little kid again – a kid who had lived his whole life in the same tiny room. Just a child. Because he knew in Edward's eyes that was all he was. God, he longed to make the bastard suffer. On edge, ready and waiting, Jacob gave Edward his most menacing glare.

Edward raised his hand as if to swipe the sweat off his forehead, his fingers scraping against his granite skin. His black eyes burned in their sockets, boring into Jacob, his superior expression remaining fixed firmly in place.

"Now that Bella's memories are returning, she no longer requires your protection. You are relieved of your duty. My family and I will take over now."

Jacob laughed derisively, not wanting to believe that Edward could possibly be serious. "Like hell you will. I'm warning you to stay away from Bella. The only thing she remembers is that you're a bloodsucking monster. She recalls nothing else about you or your sick relationship. We all know you groomed her. That's the only reason she fell under your spell. You wore her down until she caved in to what you wanted, isolating her from everyone who cared about her, just so you could keep her all to yourself. You are the very definition of a sadistic predator."

Edward's smug superiority faded away as his angelic features morphed into an expression of fury. He stared Jacob down, his voice when he answered sounding like he was ticking off a kindergartner for the tenth time.

"I do not have to justify my relationship with Bella to someone such as you. You think you know her well – but you haven't the first idea about her, or the way her mind works."

"You've got that backwards, leech. I know her very well. Much better than you ever will. You clearly underestimate her. Just like you underestimate me." The sarcasm tripped off Jacob's tongue as he taunted Edward. "She's much stronger than you give her credit for – and believe me her eyes have been well and truly opened now that she is no longer under your thrall."

Edward stared at Jacob with undisguised loathing. "You really are a reprehensible creature. I almost feel sorry for you. You crave Bella's love and attention like some lost little puppy. But that's all you are to her – an obedient little pet. She has already sent you away. Once her memories come back in full, you will come to mean less than nothing to her."

Jacob was just about to issue a retaliatory response when he caught a glimpse of Edward's true feelings. It was there, underneath the smug superiority, the face a man would have if he were burning at the stake. Edward was scared, frightened that he was losing his hold on Bella for good. His actions reeked of desperation.

This newfound knowledge made Cullen appear weaker in Jacob's eyes. It was clear he was still in shock, that he hadn't wrapped his head around the consequences of his actions. He had lost Bella and it was his own fault.

"My fault?" Edward whispered, as if answering Jacob's thoughts. "I blame myself for many things, Jacob Black. But not this. Bella means everything to me. Everything. I will not let you get in the way of my protecting Bella. You need to be honest with yourself. You cannot give her what she needs. Only I can do that. And deep down you know it."

Jacob watched as Edward's eyes burned brighter, wilder. He wondered if the leech's separation from Bella had made him go a little crazy. He was certainly acting like it. Could vampires lose their minds?

"Maybe." Edward answered as if Jacob had spoken the question aloud. "I don't know. It feels like it." He shook his head. "I have to try and hide how I feel from my family. I have to be composed. Only Alice knows my despair at being parted from Bella. But none of that matters right now. Only Bella's safety. So, I am telling you one last time to stay away and let me and my family take care of her. Deep down in your heart, you know it's the right thing to do."

Jacob met his stare and for a moment and Edward's face was frenzied under his thin layer of control. A hard scowl took over his face.

"And I am telling you the exact same thing. Times have changed since your coven made the original treaty with my great grandfather. I am the Alpha wolf now. I can revoke it anytime I want to. So, if you want to enjoy the same privileges as before, I suggest you adhere to it and stay away from Bella, otherwise I will run you and your family out of town for good."

A/N-thanks for reading!