Change of Plans

JacobxBella; Edward

Rated M

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the franchise, as it belongs to Steph Meyers

Change of Plans

Chapter VIII

The police cruiser pulled up in front of the yellow house later than evening, Bella and Charlie finally returning home from having dinner with the Blacks. As she got out of the cruiser with her father, Bella couldn't help the nervous feeling that came over her. She was nervous because she was afraid, afraid that Edward would be waiting for her in her room. And if he was, she wouldn't be able to escape him.

The two Swans entered the home and Charlie instructed Bella to get ready for bed. She had already missed school today—not that he minded; yesterday had been shocking enough with the news of her pregnancy, he didn't blame her for missing school—and she needed to go back tomorrow. Bella nodded and wished her father 'goodnight' before going up the stairs slowly. She walked down the hall to her bedroom, stopping before her closed door. Her heart was hammering in her chest with nerves. She was so scared to face Edward, knowing he was waiting for her inside. Taking a deep breath, she let it out and grasped the doorknob, knowing she could no longer put off the inevitable. Turning the doorknob, she pushed her bedroom door open and stepped inside.

Surprise filled her and she stopped in her tracks to see not Edward waiting for her in her rocking chair, but Jared Cameron reading a book, her copy of some of Edgar Allen Poe's poems. From what she could see with the book in his lap, he was reading The Raven. Closing the door behind her, she asked, "Jared, what are you doing here?"

Jared looked up from the book and closed it, setting it aside before answering, "I'm here to look out for you."

"What do you mean?"

"Jacob told Sam and I about what Cullen tried to do today, dazzling you into agreeing to abort the future Alpha, and Sam thought it best that you receive extra protection. He asked me to be the one to look over you tonight, so here I am. Also, your leech tried to sneak in, but left when he realized that I was here, meaning he wouldn't be able to get close to you."

Bella nodded slowly before a frown appeared on her face. "What do you mean by 'the future Alpha'?"

Jared looked at her before asking, "You know Jacob is technically supposed to be Alpha to the Pack, right?" At her nod, he continued speaking. "Well, Jacob is supposed to be Alpha because his great-grandfather, Ephraim Black, was the Alpha of the Pack before ours. It's also why his wolf form is bigger, stronger, and faster than Sam's. He's got Alpha blood in his veins; it's his birthright. Therefore, any offspring Jacob has will have his "royal" blood. His child, especially if it is a son, will have the wolf gene in him and will be the next Alpha of the future Pack, as well as chief of our tribe, just like Jacob will become once Billy either steps down on passes on."

Bella stared in shock at Jared, feeling slightly overwhelmed by what Jared had told her. Finally finding her voice, she said softly, "I…I didn't know that. Jacob never mentioned that."

"I wouldn't doubt it, and it's probably because he forgot, or hasn't thought that far ahead with everything going on. So, don't be mad at him for that. If anything, he's going to be pissed that I told you all of this. But yeah, because you are pregnant by Jacob, you are carrying or potentially carrying the future Alpha. Therefore, it is important that you and the baby be protected from Cold Ones, even ones like the Cullens."

The brunette said nothing in response, just taking in everything that was told to her. She had gone from feeling slightly overwhelmed to completely overwhelmed by this news. Excusing herself, stating she was going to take a shower, she left Jared in her room while she went back out into the hallway. She stopped by the towel closet and got a clean towel, then went to the bathroom, closing and locking the door behind her. Stripping herself, she got into the shower and turned the water on, letting the water cascade down over her. The water was hot, wanting to use it to wash away the stress of the last two days, as well as the troubles in her mind. However, it did not, especially after her talk with Jared just now.

Thanks to Jared, she now knew the extent of what her being pregnant now meant for not only herself, but everyone around her. Her being pregnant wasn't just that, her being pregnant. No, it was so much more than that. It was no longer a big deal in general, but rather something bigger than she had ever thought. And because she now knew this, she knew that her life was never going to be what it once was, even with all the supernatural stuff.

The next day at school, everyone could see and feel the tension between Bella and Edward. Bella, who was already awkward to begin with to a lot of people, could easily see that there was some sort of change in her demeaner with her boyfriend. The poor girl looked uncomfortable with him, which was odd. And Edward, he seemed to be putting off some sort of air about him that was demeaning over Bella. Something had to have happened between them since Monday, something big and pretty bad for Bella to look uncomfortable and Edward like he was ready to kill someone.

As for Bella, she had never felt so uncomfortable being with Edward at school before until today. Ever since discovering her pregnancy two days ago—gosh, it was only two days of knowing she was pregnant—things hadn't been good. She still couldn't believe that Edward not only reacted badly to the news, but that he tried to force her into a decision she wasn't even sure about. Edward, he seemed to suddenly turn into a whole different person, one she didn't recognize now that they were aware of her being pregnant by Jacob. And even though it had only been two days since the changes happened, it made Bella wonder if her relationship with Edward would ever be the same. Or rather, how much of it is even real, something she hadn't ever thought about until now, especially with Edward's current attitude. She didn't know, and it would kill her if their whole relationship had been a lie—she sacrificed so much to be with and save him—but how he was acting currently and his reaction to everything and not supporting her really made her wonder.

By lunchtime, Bella was ready and wanting to escape Edward. He had been pretty much breathing down her neck the whole day during and in between classes, his arm wrapped around her holding her pressed against him, his hand firmly on her as well. It made her uncomfortable and like she couldn't breathe. She needed to get away from him, but she didn't know how. He was always there, even when she went to the bathroom, he was there waiting for her to come out. And when she had told him he didn't need to wait for her to come out of the bathroom—it was weird, after all—he had sent Alice in with her. It was suffocating, and she needed to escape.

Walking down the hallway, she noticed Angela and Ben by Angela's locker, the girl exchanging some schoolbooks before lunch. Looking at them and how happy they were together, Bella found herself jealous of their relationship. They were perfect together and didn't seem to have any problems in their relationship. She also imagined that if they did, they worked it out and compromised, rather than Angela giving in to whatever Ben wanted or expected of her, like Edward did with her. Seeing her friends together and happy as a couple made her wonder when her relationship with Edward turned sour. It couldn't have been recently because of the baby, but she just didn't know.

Looking at them, she then realized that Angela was it. Angela would be her escape! She hated using her like that, but Edward couldn't keep breathing down her neck with Angela and Ben present. Quickly walking towards them, Bella made it next to Angela and said a little breathlessly, "Hey Angela."

Angela smiled at the brunette and replied, "Hi Bella."

"Hi Bella," Ben greeted.

"Hi," Bella said to him before looking back at the bespectacled girl. "I was wondering if you wanted to have lunch together today. You know, somewhere off-campus. To make up for Monday."

Nodding, Angela said, "Yeah, that sounds good. Ben is going to the library during lunch to work on a project anyway."

"Cool. So let's-"

Before she could finish speaking, Edward suddenly appeared next to them, grabbing her arm in what seemed like a gentle manner, but really wasn't. Looking down at Bella, he said, "Bella, you're having lunch with me."

His statement had sounded like a demand, even to Angela and Ben who frowned at Edward, Angela looking at Bella in concern. Bella's face turned red in embarrassment before she tried to shake his grip off her arm saying, "No, I'm not. I'm having lunch with Angela today."

Edward, not liking Bella defying him, glared down at her, practically looming over her and waves of anger rolling off him. His threatening aura made both Bella and Angela nervous, Bella shrinking back away from him. Ben, not liking this at all, pressed his hand against the other guy's chest and pushed him away from the two girls, making Edward let go of the brunette. Glaring at the pale boy, Ben demanded, "Dude, back off. If Bella wants to have lunch with Angela and not you, then she can."

He saw Edward ready to retort and take a step towards Bella, but stepped in front of him to block him, keeping himself in between Edward and the two girls. "I said, back off."

Before what seemed like a fight to outsiders could ensue, Alice quickly walked up next to Edward and took her brother's arm, pulling him away from the three human teens saying, "Edward, Bella can spend lunch with Angela if she wants to. Don't worry, everything will be fine."

The two of them shared a knowing look before Edward nodded and stalked off, Alice hot on his heels. Bella knew what Alice meant when she said everything would be fine. She meant she'd be watching her lunch with Alice, even if she wasn't present. Despite knowing she still wasn't getting any privacy, she couldn't help but feel somewhat relieved with Edward's presence no longer with her. Letting out a sigh of relief, Bella thanked Ben and waited for Angela to give him a kiss before the two girls left the school, getting into Angela's car and driving into town.

They ended up going to a cute little coffee shop that was served lunch, and the two of them sat at a table for two, having ordered at the counter and waiting for their food and drinks to be brought to them. As they waited, Angela asked, "So, you and Edward…has your relationship always been like that?"

Shaking her head, Bella answered, "No, it hasn't. At least, I don't think so."

"Okay, but something changed. Does it have anything to do with Monday? You both were absent for the rest of that day, and yesterday too."

An employee came with a tray carrying their food, setting it in front of them and telling them to enjoy before leaving. Bella waited for him to be out of ear shot before taking a sip of her water. Setting her water down, she looked at her friend and said, "If I tell you, you have to promise to keep it a secret."

Angela nodded, taking a bite of her sandwich. Bella could trust her, she wouldn't tell another soul whatever was going on.

Bella nodded and took a deep breath before speaking. "I had been sick for about a week or so before passing out on Monday. I woke up at the hospital and it came out that my illness and passing out were all because…well, I'm pregnant."

Angela's brown eyes widened behind her glasses. "Really?"

"Yes, but…the baby isn't Edward's."

"Is that why he's angry? Because it isn't his baby?"

"He's angry because I'm pregnant, and I guess you can say it's because it isn't his. It's actually my friend's baby, Jacob. I've told you about him before, I think."

"You have, and he sounds like fun and he obviously cares a lot for you. Honestly, I thought you were dating him or about to until Edward and his family returned. So, Edward is mad because it's Jacob's baby."

Bella nodded. "He doesn't like Jacob, and he's even more angry about the situation because I won't get rid of it when he wants me to."

Angela looked absolutely appalled at hearing that. Taking a sip of her sweet tea, she took a minute to collect her thoughts before looking the other girl in the eye. "Bella, that is disgusting that he would even suggest to you to get rid of your baby just because he doesn't like who the father is. I'm going to assume this happened before Edward came back, right?" At Bella's nod, she continued. "Edward really has no reason to be upset. You two weren't together when you and Jacob had sex. It's a situation that really doesn't involve him. And I'm not one to speak on your relationship, but you shouldn't allow him to involve himself and dictate your decision-making. And if Edward can't support you having this baby, even if it isn't his and is Jacob's, then he won't support you on any decision you make, even unrelated to the pregnancy. As I said before, I'm not one to judge your relationship with him, but Edward is showing signs that he's probably not a good boyfriend. I'm not saying this to hurt you or anything, but it's just something to think about."

Silence fell between them as they ate their food, Bella weighing on Angela's words to her. Did Angela have a point? Was she right about Edward not supporting her decision about anything she did? Was Edward really not a good boyfriend to her? She believed he was, but perhaps to outsiders like Angela, who knew nothing about the supernatural around her, didn't see it that way. Originally, she'd just think it was just because they didn't understand, but maybe it wasn't that anymore. Maybe Edward really wasn't a good boyfriend to her; maybe he just wasn't good for her. Before she could think more on it, Angela spoke up again.

"Have you told Jacob about the baby?" Angela asked. "What does he think about you being pregnant with his child?"

Bella nodded and said, "Yes, I've told him already. Jacob is supporting me already and is going to support me in whatever decision I make concerning the baby once it is born."

Angela frowned. "What do you mean by that? You don't want to keep it?"

"I don't know, but regardless of that, Jacob will support me in my decision."

"Okay…but what about Jacob?"

"What do you mean?" Bella asked with a frown.

"I mean, what does Jacob think? What does he want? This baby is as much his as it is yours. He needs to be a part of the decision-making. Bella, have you even asked him if he wants the baby or what he would like for it? You must consider Jacob in this, too. It can't just be you and you expecting him to support whatever it is you choose to do. I think you should talk with Jacob again soon."

Hearing her friend's words, Bella suddenly came to a realization. She realized that Angela was right, that she had just been making decisions and hadn't even put into account what Jacob may be feeling about it all. She hadn't even considered what he may want for their baby. Once again, she was thinking selfishly, something she realized she needed to stop. It wasn't all about her; others were involved, including an innocent. Turning back to her lunch, and a change in topic between her and Angela, Bella resolved herself to speak with Jacob, and as soon as possible.

Author's Note: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and liked Angela's talk with Bella. I think it was something she needed to hear from someone on the outside. Again, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and stay tuned for more. And thank you all for your kind reviews and support of this story. XOXO, SehunsBae37.