The White Feather

Disclaimer; all characters and copyright belong to SM.

Chapter Seven

Old Quil grabbed his struggling grandson and hauled him over to the corner of the room. "It will only take five seconds, Quil." He wheezed. "Just stay still."

"Don' wanna be measured. I wanna play." Young Quil bawled as he continued to wriggle in the old man's grip.

"Just do as you're told." Old Quil felt pain shoot through his lower back as he put young Quil down next to the wall. Just above the child's head were a series of lines etched into the paintwork. "Just be patient." The elder ruffled his grandson's hair as young Quil pouted. He stood still long enough for his grandfather to check whether his head had risen above the last etching, before running off back to his game.

Joy came out of the kitchen drying her hands on a towel. "Not again, Quil." She remonstrated with the old man gently. "You're getting obsessed. Quil is young; of course he's going to grow. You don't need to measure him daily." She refrained from rolling her eyes.

Old Quil held his lower back as he straightened. His daughter-in-law didn't have a clue. She had no idea that he lay awake all night worrying that his precious grandson could be next. If Jacob Black was affected, then young Quil could be, too. He swallowed thickly and his eyes moistened as he thought about all the suffering the Black and Swan families had endured in the last few weeks. Renee Swan had finally been laid to rest now that the investigation into her tragic accident had been resolved. Ever since the car wreck young Bella Swan had not spoken one single word.

"Here you can take this food with you when you go to see Charlie and the kids." Joy interrupted his train of thought as she brought out several containers filled with ready meals she had prepared.

"Thanks, Joy." Old Quil smiled gratefully.

"You know I can mind Jake and little Bella if Charlie wants a break." Pain flashed in Joy's hazel eyes as she remembered the dark days after losing her own husband during a freak boating accident. "Or he can bring them here…" She tailed off as she saw Old Quil look at her sympathetically.

"You're a good woman, Joy." He praised her.

Joy sighed heavily. "I just know what it's like to suddenly have your life turned upside down, that's all. I admire Charlie for stepping in and taking care of Jake as well as his own daughter while Billy is in hospital."

Old Quil nodded as he adjusted his baseball cap on his head. Intense grief and stress had taken its toll on Billy' Black's health. He hadn't been taking care of himself properly as he fretted over his son's welfare and the future implications of what this could mean. Sarah had been his rock and he was floating in a sea of grief without anything to cling to. His diabetes had worsened to such an extent that he had collapsed. Billy was going to be in the hospital for a few days while he recovered his strength and got his blood sugar levels back under control. Charlie had stepped in at this point. With the twins still living at the Clearwater's, and with his own daughter being crushed under the weight of losing her mother, he had decided to move to the reservation and stay at the Black's to look after Jacob. Old Quil knew that was partly down to the fact that little Bella was more stable when she was close to Jacob and vice versa.

"I'll be on my way now, Joy." Old Quil told her as he picked up the containers of food. "I might be a while as I'm going to head down to the hospital with Charlie and the kids to see Billy."

"Okay." Joy smiled sadly. "Give them my love, Quil."

"I will." Old Quil replied gruffly. His eyes glistened with emotion as he looked toward his grandson. Young Quil looked so young and so innocent. Old Quil felt his heart constrict in his chest as he tore his eyes away and finally left the house.

"Are you hungry, Bells?" Charlie asked as hunkered down in front of his small daughter. She looked so tiny and frail and seemed to have gotten smaller since the accident. But then maybe it was because she was sitting pressed up against Jacob. The boy had grown another three inches. "I can make you some scrambled eggs. They're you're favourite."

"Bella Angel not hungry." Jacob was her spokesman. He had been ever since the car wreck that had stolen Renee's life.

Charlie focused his attention on Billy's son. Every time he looked at Jacob all he could see was him carrying his comatose daughter in his arms while surrounded by a pack of wolves. The images haunted his dreams at night. It seemed too bizarre to be real. He had not told anyone about what he had seen because he was still trying to process it himself, and secondly because he didn't have a chance to after Billy collapsed. His friend was under enough pressure without having to listen to his strange tale.

"Bells has to eat, son." He implored Jacob. "You understand that, right?"

Jacob looked at him for a long moment with his intelligent dark eyes. He then broke away and looked at Bella. She glanced up at him wordlessly. Her long hair was tied in a simple ponytail. Her fingers wandered to some loose strands and she began to chew on the ends anxiously. Jacob stopped her, gently pulling her hand away from her face. Bella sighed dully and just nodded.

"Bella Angel eat now." Jacob confirmed to Charlie as if he had read her mind.

"Okay." Charlie stood up. He felt so weary. Since Renee's funeral he had been acting on autopilot. There was so much he didn't understand and couldn't explain. He had always been a practical man. He saw the world in black and white. There was good and there was evil. But that had all been shattered. He now understood that the world he lived in was full of shades of grey. Jacob and Bella were surviving in that grey area. They were something unique, something different altogether.

A truck pulled up outside. Charlie walked over to the window and looked outside. Old Quil was climbing out of his truck. "Hey, kids, I'm just going to help Quil, alright." He said to Jacob and Bella.

As was usual these days Jacob answered for both of them. "Okay." He replied absently.

Charlie sighed and hitched up his jeans. He was out of his depth and didn't know what to do anymore. This couldn't go on. He had to find a way to reach Bella and get her to speak again. She was internalising her feelings and using Jacob as a crutch and this wasn't healthy for either of them. "I won't be long." He touched the top of his daughter's head before going outside to help the elder.

Bella sat curled up in the big chair next to Billy's hospital bed. Jacob was talking animatedly to his father as he perched beside him on the bed. Old Quil and Charlie stood either side. While they were all focused on Billy, Bella was focused on the corner of the room. She was trying to see, to remove the veil between this world and the next. She longed to see her mother like she had once seen Sarah. But nothing happened and this scared Bella. Did this mean her mommy hadn't gone to heaven like Jacob's mommy?

This thought frightened Bella. Was her mommy lost? Bella knew it was her fault that Renee had stolen her and gotten into the car. Her parents had been arguing before it happened and it was about her. She was the reason her mommy was gone. Her mommy was lost because of her. It was all her fault. Bella sucked in her lower lip and tried not to cry. She didn't want anyone else to see her distress. So instead she pulled her hair out of its thick ponytail and let it swirl around her face. She was hidden now. The heavy strands felt comforting on her chilled skin. Bella captured a lock between her fingers and began to chew on the ends anxiously.

Jacob knew, though. He stopped talking abruptly and slipped off the bed. The three men watched as he scampered over to Bella and stood in front of her chair. He reached out and parted her curtain of hair and gazed at her stricken face. Like before he eased Bella's fingers away from her mouth to stop her chewing on her hair. "Bella Angel." He whispered as he took her hand.

Billy's dark eyes met Old Quil's, and then they both looked at Charlie. He was swallowing thickly as he stared at his little girl. It took him a moment to gather himself together before he bent down and lifted Bella into his arms. Bella rested her chin on his shoulder and sucked in a deep breath. Charlie felt tears prick at his eyes as he rubbed her back gently. "You can cry, Bells." He said huskily.

Bella looked dully toward the corner of the room. Renee wasn't there. Her mommy was still lost. She clenched her eyes shut and choked back a sob. Charlie kept rubbing her lower back as he urged her to speak but Bella couldn't. Her vocal chords wouldn't work. Her throat was too tight, her chest too heavy. She clung to Charlie and pressed her face into the crook of his neck.

"It's alright, Bells." He assured her. "I'm here whenever you're ready." He looked desperately toward his friends and young Jacob, who were all as upset as he was at seeing Bella so distressed. "We all are."

It was dark but Jacob could see as if it was daytime. His angel was having a nightmare. He was so attuned to her moods and emotions that he could sense when the bad dreams started to unfurl in her mind before her body reacted. He slipped out of his bed and padded quietly to the twins room. He opened the door to see his beautiful angel bathed in a shaft of moonlight shining through the partially opened curtains. She was beginning to stir restlessly. Her fingers were curled into tight fists, her face taut with tension. Jacob hastened to her side and crawled onto the bed beside her. He took Bella's hands and whispered her name. Slowly her fingers relaxed and the tension eased out of her body. Jacob shifted so he was sitting beside her. He kept watch over her throughout the rest of the night.

Until in the distance a wolf howled…the pack was calling to him.

It was early. Charlie yawned, stretching his aching limbs one by one. He'd had a restless night's sleep and he felt wearier than ever. He gave up on trying to rest and got up. Dawn had just broken. It was raining heavily. He could hear it drumming on the roof. The air smelt damp. Charlie decided to go and make some coffee. As he passed the twins room he decided to check in on his little girl. He carefully eased the door open and peered inside. The curtains were partially opened letting in a sliver of light. The bed his daughter had slept in was empty, the sheets rumpled. Charlie's heart leapt into his throat. He spun around and raced to Jacob's room. If Bella had woken up in the night she would have gone to him. Charlie shoved Jacob's bedroom door open, calling his name. His heart sunk. Jacob's bed was also empty.

"Bells. Jake." Charlie yelled as he ran clumsily down the hallway. He clung to the hope that the kids had just gotten up early. He pictured them in the front room sitting on the old couch, watching some old cartoons, and sipping some juice. But the house was quiet. Charlie's heart sank as he searched the whole house. He looked in every nook and crevice. Nothing. Jacob and Bella were gone. "Why?" His hands sank into his hair. "I don't understand." He cried to the empty air.

There was a muffled howl. Charlie froze. He held his breath as he listened carefully. He heard a faint whine. It was coming from outside. It took a few seconds for him to comprehend what was going on. He forced his frozen limbs to unlock and he hastened toward the window. It was still raining heavily. The window pane was splattered with water, obscuring his ability to see. Charlie scowled when the glass misted up when he breathed. He used his shirt sleeves to wipe it away. Then he peered outside. A muttered expletive fell from his lips as he pressed his fingers against the cold glass, his eyes widening in disbelief.

Milling around in the front yard were a pack of wolves, five of them in total, ranging in size and colour. Charlie could tell that there were three male, two female. Their fur was flattened against their bodies as the rain pelted down on them. The window steamed up again infuriating Charlie as it cut off his view. He rubbed the glass furiously. His breath caught in his throat when he saw what happened next. The wolves parted revealing Jacob and Bella. The largest wolf, a big male, obviously the Alpha of the pack, hunkered down. He locked eyes with Jacob trustingly, his jaws parting as he breathed raggedly in the cold air. Jacob held the Alpha wolf's gaze steadily for a few seconds before he stepped aside and took Bella's hand.

Charlie watched his small daughter's wet hair blow gently in the light breeze. Water droplets clung to her skin. She looked like a tiny nymph as Jacob led her toward the big wolf. Then to his astonishment he saw the Alpha wolf flatten his body to the ground allowing his small daughter to climb easily onto his back with Jacob's assistance.

"Bells…." Charlie panicked as he left his post and darted for the front door. "Bella." He called louder as he yanked the door open and stepped out onto the front porch. "BELLA…. JACOB!"

It was too late. Charlie watched in horrified fascination as the pack of wolves took off toward the forest with Bella riding astride the Alpha wolf. And running barefoot at the head of the pack was Jacob. Charlie screamed their names into the wind, but they didn't turn back and soon they were swallowed up by the forest.

A/N-thanks for reading!