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Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to Stephanie Meyer.

Chapter Eighteen-Mother and Daughter

"I'm sorry, Phil. My clothes got some blood on them and I didn't have anything to change into. I know it's cheeky, but I didn't want Bells and Renee to see me with bloodstains on my clothes." Jacob apologised. "I feel bad enough that it ended up in a fight."

"You didn't pack any clothes to bring with you?" Phil asked in disbelief.

Jacob's mind went blank as he tried to come up with a suitable excuse. Bella saw he was struggling, she put a hand on his arm and took over the conversation. "This is my fault, Phil. When I found out Edward was here, I panicked and called Jake. He managed to get a cancelled flight and rushed to be here with me and Ethan. He didn't have time to pack or anything."

Phil's expression softened. "That makes sense. I must admit I didn't really take to Edward myself. I did try and tell your mother it wasn't a good idea for her to let him stay, but you know Renee." He shrugged helplessly.

"Yeah, I know." Bella sighed.

"Well, I'll go and check on Ren and I'll sort through some clothes for you to borrow while you're here." Phil gave them both a kind smile.

"Thanks, I appreciate that." Jacob said warmly. He really liked Bella's stepfather.

Phil left them alone and went to his room to try and placate Renee. When he was out of earshot, Bella led Jacob back to the sofa and began to ask him exactly what had happened while she was gone. Ethan lay asleep in Jacob's arms as he told her as much as he could. He watched as her face paled when he described the fight and how he had ripped off Cullen's arm.

"What did you do with it?" She asked in alarm.

"I had to burn it." Jacob admitted nonchalantly. "The main problem is I don't know where he went. I got out of the pool and he was nowhere in sight."

"Perhaps he has left and gone to rejoin the others." Bella responded doubtfully.

"You really believe that?"

Bella's gaze dropped to her lap; her hands were twisting nervously together. "No, not really."

Jacob put a comforting arm around her shoulders. "It's okay, honey. I won't let him near you."

"I know, Jake." Bella leaned into his side, soaking up the comforting heat emanating from his skin.

"We need to go home to La Push as soon as possible. It's not safe to stay around here, especially as I don't know where Cullen went." Jacob tucked her closer into his side. Ethan stirred restlessly for a moment, his tiny mouth opening in a yawn before he settled down again.

"Jake, we've got no money." Bella reminded him. "The whole point of me being here was to work out my two weeks' notice to raise some money. How did you pay for your ticket here by the way?"

A sad look crossed Jacob's face as he thought about his dad's sacrifice. "I had to pawn my mom and dad's wedding rings." He confessed.

Bella heard the devastation in his voice. She couldn't even comprehend how Billy must feel having to give such personal and sentimental items away. "I am so sorry, Jake. This is all my fault. You were right, I should never have come back here." Guilty tears welled in her eyes.

Jacob leaned down and kissed her. "Hey, this is not your fault in any way. You didn't know that the leech was going to be here."

Bella wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and rested her head on his shoulder. "What do we do then? How are we going to get home without any money?"

Jacob was quiet for a moment as he looked down at his son. Ethan was sleeping peacefully, his chest rising and falling with every breath he took. He felt so much love for the little boy and wanted nothing more than to keep him safe from harm. "I'm going to ring Em and get him to pick my truck up from the airport and then sell it. Afterwards he can book the tickets home for us."

Bella glanced up at him, she wanted to protest, but really there was nothing else they could do. "I've a few pieces of jewellery that I can pawn. They won't fetch much but it's better than nothing."

"You don't need to do that, Bells." Jacob hugged her tighter and kissed the top of her head.

"They're only worthless possessions." Bella gave him a small smile. "All that matters is that we get home safely."

"Yeah." Jacob agreed. They both sat quietly after that, just watching Ethan sleep and revelling in the fact that they were all together and safe.

Bella sat outside near the pool with Renee. She had just revealed that she was planning on leaving as soon as Embry let them know what time their return flights would be. Jacob had rung him and Embry had agreed to pick up the truck and take it to a local dealership to see how much he could get for it.

"I thought you would stay for longer, baby girl." Renee's lips quivered, easy tears rolling down her cheeks. "I miss not having you here."

"I'm sorry. Mom. This is just the way it has to be. I need to be with Jake and that means moving back to Forks." Bella leaned over and gave Renee a one-armed hug.

"Can't you all move here?" Renee suggested. "I'm sure that Jacob could find work easily. Ethan needs the sun. It's too dark and gloomy in Forks."

Bella sighed, getting irritated by her mother's selfishness. "No that's not an option. You remember that Billy Black has diabetes and is in a wheelchair now. He needs Jake, and anyway, Jake would never leave La Push, it's his home."

"But not yours." Renee pressed. "Why do you have to sacrifice what you want?"

Bella frowned. "I'm not sacrificing anything. My home is where Jake is. I don't care if that's La Push or Timbuktu. I'll go wherever he wants me to. It's called love, Mom."

"Are you saying that I don't know what love means?" Renee snapped.

Bella hesitated for a moment before replying. "Let's just say that we both have different ideas about what that means and leave it at that."

Renee crossed her arms and stared at the shimmering waters of the pool. "I sacrificed a lot for you, baby girl. Being a single mother wasn't easy."

Bella didn't want to get drawn into an argument. She sat back in her chair and glanced over at the neighbouring property. For some reason she kept thinking someone was watching her. She scanned the area but couldn't see anyone. The events of the last few hours had made her twitchy. "Who lives over there?" She asked to change the subject.

"Mr Crabbs. He's a fussy man in his fifties. The house used to belong to his mother, he took care of her until she died last year. He lives alone now." Renee said dismissively.

"Do you see much of him?" Bella kept her eyes trained on the house next door.

"No, he's a very private man. Why?"

"No reason." Bella shrugged.

"I'm going to miss you, baby girl." Renee repeated sadly.

"You can always come and visit." Bella assured her.

"Maybe." Renee replied bitterly. "But you know the weather in Forks doesn't agree with my delicate skin."

Bella forced herself to remain calm and not issue a retort. She knew her mother had no intention of paying her a visit. Even when she had become withdrawn and depressed after Edward first left her, Renee hadn't bothered to come. Both women sat back in their chairs in silence, Bella shooting occasional glances at the house next door, certain that she was being watched.

"Thanks, Em." Jacob said over the phone. He wrote down the times of their return flights. "So, we just pick up the tickets at the check in desk?"

"Yeah, dude." Embry replied. "Do you want us to meet you at the airport when you arrive? Safety in numbers and all that?"

"Yeah, that's a good idea." Jacob agreed. "I can't take a chance that the leech might appear unexpectedly with his family in tow."

"Exactly. I can't believe the creep even turned up there. I thought Bella had made herself clear that she wanted him out of her life." Embry said in disbelief.

"He's obsessed with her, Em." Jacob told him. "There's something else I need to talk to you and the others about when I get back."

"Sounds serious. What is it?" Embry asked.

"It is." Jacob confided. "I don't want to talk about it over the phone. I'll wait until we can all get together and have a proper meeting."

"Your first official meeting as the Alpha." Embry teased him.

Jacob smiled wryly. "Yeah. I'll see you tomorrow...and thanks again."

"No problem." Embry ended the call.

Jacob put the phone down and turned to look out through the open patio doors. Bella and Renee were sitting near the pool, neither of them talking. With his enhanced hearing he had overheard their earlier awkward conversation. He felt for Bella having to deal with such a selfish mother. With Ethan still sleeping Jacob went out and joined the two women.

"Hey." He drew up a chair and sat beside Bella. "That was Embry, he's got us some flights back for tomorrow."

"That soon?" Renee sulked. "You just can't wait to kidnap my daughter and grandson and take them back to that godforsaken town in the middle of nowhere."

"MOM!" Bella retorted in disgust. "How dare you! Apologise to Jacob at once!"

"I will not!" Renee replied stubbornly. She stood up and pushed her chair back. "You were happy living here. You had a good job and were making a life for yourself. One visit home to Charlie and suddenly you hook up with him again and announce you are moving back to Forks. What sort of hold does he have over you, huh?"

Jacob felt his anger rising. How dare Renee cast such aspersions on him? He felt Bella take his hand squeeze it. "Can you leave me and mom alone for a moment, Jake?"

"Of course." He got up and kissed Bella gently on the lips. He knew that this was between her and Renee. It wasn't his place to interfere, although a large part of him wanted to tear a strip off of the selfish woman. He stood up and headed back inside the house, closing the patio doors behind him discreetly.

When he was gone, Bella turned to face Renee. Her mother was red in the face, her eyes shooting sparks. "It had to be said, baby girl." She said defensively.

"You had no right to talk to Jake in that way." Bella didn't even bother to shout. Her voice dripped with disappointment. "You're supposed to be my mom, and I should be able to rely on you for support. I love Jake, I always have. It was my own stupid insecurities that kept us apart in the first place, but you must take some of the blame for my low self-esteem."

Renee gasped indignantly at her words. Her hand flew to her chest. "I can't believe you're saying such things. I did the best I could bringing you up."

"No, Mom, I brought myself up and you know it. Who was the adult in our relationship? It wasn't you. I am the one who you leaned on to keep you together, not the other way round. You were constantly on the move, never satisfied with what you had. I could never make friends because I wasn't in one place long enough. Every town we moved to, you would have a different boyfriend, and he would become your priority until things went wrong and then you would up-sticks again."

"I was lonely. I needed a man." Renee's bottom lip trembled.

Bella sighed as she stood up too. "It doesn't matter now, Mom. I don't want to rehash the past. What I'm trying to say is you have to accept my choice. Jake isn't dragging me back to La Push. I want to go. It's my real home. It always has been. I just need you to understand that."

Renee stared at her daughter for a moment, the tears still streaming down her cheeks. "You should go now then. If you think I am such a useless parent then I suggest you get the hell out of my house."

Bella felt like she had been stabbed in the heart. She clamped her mouth shut in a grim line, and with her head held high, she walked back into the house to rejoin Jacob.

A/N-thanks for reading!