Impasse

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to SM.

Soul Mate

Bella woke up from yet another nightmare with her skin slick with sweat. She curled up into a fetal position, her whole body shaking as she clutched her stomach.

Jacob sprinted to her side, gazing at her worriedly. He had kept a lone vigil, watching her tossing and turning on the couch as she dreamed. Occasionally she would cry in her sleep. He would then intervene, caressing her face with gentle fingers until she quietened. But the peace never lasted for long before the process began all over again.

"Bells, honey, what is it? What can I do?"

"I'm so hot." Bella moaned.

This statement alarmed Jacob. When he touched her forehead with his hand, he was shocked to find the heat exuding from her skin exceeded even his own insane body temperature.

"Shit, Bells, you're burning up!"

"Oh, Jake, I think I'm going to be sick." Bella wailed as she looked up at him with bleary eyes. "I need the bathroom."

"Okay, come here." Jacob bent down and carefully lifted her limp form up from the couch. Bella clutched at him like a woman drowning. Any slight movement made her head spin. Her stomach heaved and churned as if she was on a boat traversing choppy seas.

Jacob carried Bella up the stairs bridal style. His footfalls were so light they made no sound. Edging the bathroom door open with his right foot, he whisked Bella inside, setting her gently on her feet. She instantly fell to her knees, reaching for the toilet bowl and promptly being sick.

"Jeez." Jacob muttered as he held back the damp hair from her face.

After she had finished emptying the contents of her stomach, Bella slumped to the floor, pressing her hot cheek against the cold edge of the bathtub.

"What's happening to me, Jake?" She begged hoarsely. "This isn't normal stomach flu."

"I don't know, Bella." Jacob knelt beside her and peered at her wan face. She was the palest he'd ever seen her. Her skin was practically translucent. "Its your temperature I'm worried about. You feel even hotter than me."

"How is that possible?" Bella exclaimed. She shifted her position so she was leaning against Jacob for support. He put one arm around her, resting his back against the bath tub.

"Maybe I should take you to the ER to get checked out?" Jacob suggested anxiously, although he was concerned that no medical practitioner would be able to diagnose what was ailing Bella. He noticed she was idly scratching the scar on her right wrist. "Can I see?" He asked, holding out his hand.

Bella looked at him dully as he carefully cradled her right wrist in his left hand. James' bitemark seemed to be the origin of the burning pain. It travelled down the length of her arm, across both shoulders, down her spine, until it made itself at home in her stomach, consuming her entirely.

Jacob examined the reddened skin on Bella's wrist. Before the scar had been quite indistinct, but now it seemed to glow with a life of its own, clearly showing the indents of the vampire's teeth. Just looking at it made Jacob feel physically sick. He repressed the urge to throw up, knowing full well that it was no ordinary virus that was the source of Bella's malady, but something supernatural and beyond his understanding.

"Jacob, what is it?" Bella's voice was broken, cracking. Even as ill as she was, she was still aware enough to realize that something was bothering him.

His anxiety morphed into a kind of background noise, as if it were traffic on some unseen road. There was nothing he could do about it, other than focusing on his responsibility to Bella. Even though she was very sick, he was not going to lie to her. She needed to know the truth.

"Bella, this isn't some kind of stomach flu. You're hot – hotter than me. And that worries me. I only ever get as hot as you are right now when my body is trying to heal itself. Remember our conversation a few weeks ago when I told you about my quick healing ability?"

All Bella could do was nod, but even that slight movement cost her.

"I don't know what's going on here – but I have a feeling its supernatural. I'm out of my element, honey." Jacob admitted, his voice low and tense. "I need help. I'm gonna call my dad. Will you be alright on your own for a minute while I do that?"

Bella nodded again, sliding away from him a little so she could get up. Jacob folded up a towel and placed it on the floor so she could use it as a pillow. Bella lay on her side, curling up as she rested her head on it.

"I'll be back in a minute." Jacob promised as he pressed a light kiss on her burning forehead.

Bella barely acknowledged him as she closed her eyes, breathing shallowly.

Reluctantly Jacob left her alone in the bathroom and made his way silently down the stairs again. He was like a shadow in the night as he slipped quietly into the kitchen and reached for the phone hanging on the wall.

Jacob did his best to contain his impatience as he waited for his dad to answer the phone. He knew it would take Billy a while to transfer himself from his bed to his wheelchair.

Eventually, when Jacob was just about to give up, his dad finally picked up the phone.

"Hello." Billy said sleepily.

"Dad, its me."

"Jake?" Billy was suddenly more alert. "What's going on? Is Bella okay?"

"No, she's not." Jacob confided, his voice shaking a little with the intensity of his emotions. He hastily filled his father in on what he suspected was behind the sudden onset of Bella's mystery illness. "I'm frightened, Dad. She is so hot. Hotter than me, even. I'm surprised she's still alert enough to talk to me – but she is, although it's a struggle."

"I know you're scared, son." Billy did his best to sound soothing. "But the heat is a good sign."

"How?" Jacob was perplexed. How was his father so calm? "That might be true for me – but Bella's human!"

There was a beat of silence on the other end of the line as if Billy was trying to gather his thoughts.

"Look, son, there's something I've been withholding from you." He admitted guiltily. "I was probably wrong to do so – it's just that I felt you had enough to deal with already."

"What do you mean?" Jacob demanded; his suspicions heightened. He knew that tone.

"Its kind of difficult to explain in one phone call."

"Try." Jacob said through clenched teeth.

Billy emitted a long sigh. "Okay, I need you not to be judgmental and keep an open mind."

"Dad!" Jacob growled into the phone. "Just tell me!"

"Have you ever heard of imprinting?"

"Imprinting?" Jacob repeated the unfamiliar word. "No. What's that mean?"

"Its one of those bizarre things that a phased wolf has to deal with." Billy explained cautiously. "It doesn't happen to everyone. In fact, it's the rare exception, not the rule. As soon as I saw you and Bella together, I just kind of knew. Still, I shared my suspicions with Harry and Old Quil just to make sure I wasn't imagining things. But they both agreed with me."

Jacob was fast losing patience. "Can you just get to the point, Dad? What does this imprinting nonsense have to do with me and Bella?"

Billy hesitated before answering. "Sometimes…we don't exactly know why… it's a way for a phased wolf to find their mates…. their soul mates."

"What way? Love at first sight?" Jacob was disbelieving. It sounded like something out of a cheesy romance novel.

There was a critical edge to Billy's tone when he spoke next. "It's a little bit more powerful than that, son."

"Wait…you're actually serious?"

"Yes, I am."

"Love at first sight? But more powerful?" Jacob was still dubious, and Billy could hear that.

"Its not easy to explain. And I would rather not argue semantics with you over the phone. Suffice to say, I think the imprinting bond that you share with Bella is helping her fully heal from any remaining venom residue that might have been still lingering within the tissues of the skin around the original bite."

Jacob felt completely blindsided, but there was also an element of elation involved. He tried to explain his reaction to himself. He decided he was just glad that this odd, mystical wolfy connection between him and Bella was proving of some use. He refused to acknowledge his innate happiness at the thought of them being soul mates.

"So, are you suggesting I just wait it out?"

"Yes, like any illness, I think Bella will get better in time. Maybe even as early as tomorrow." Billy sounded so certain of this fact that it quelled the last of Jacob's worry and panic. "Just stay and take care of her, Jacob. Bella will be okay." He paused for a few seconds. "And I'm sorry I didn't tell you about imprinting before."

Jacob was too relieved at knowing that Bella was going to get better to care about being kept in the dark. "As long as you've not kept anything else from me."

"No – that was it." Billy promised. "Call me in the morning and let me know how she's doing."

"Okay." Jacob agreed. He was quiet, then, and the silence felt a little awkward. Eventually, he cleared his throat. "I better go. Um…thanks, Dad."

"Anytime, son. Good night." Billy said softly. Then he hung up the phone.

Jacob felt quite emotional as he tiptoed up the stairs and back into the bathroom. Bella was right where he had left her, sleeping with her head on the now crumpled up towel. He slid down into former position beside her and leaned back against the bath tub. And that's where he remained for what was left of the night as he stayed awake and kept watch over her.

A/N-thanks for reading!