They arrived home Sunday night, and Bella immediately crashed. The trip to Denali had been a lot of fun, but being the only human meant she had lost out on a lot of needed sleep over the last week. Carlisle let her rest and even brought her up something for breakfast when morning came. Out of habit she'd woken up early, and thanks to a little coaxing from Carlisle, she went back to bed after eating. Once she had had her fill of sleep, she changed and went in search of Esme to see how the house was coming along. Esme took her over to Charlie's house and walked her around. The place looked brand new; it was truly impressive what she'd gotten done in just a week.
Giving her seal of approval, Bella said a silent goodbye to the house and told Esme she was ready to put it on the market. They'd been working with a realtor to sell the house, Esme doing most of the leg work for her, and by Wednesday had signed what they needed to place the house on the market. Bella hoped the people that bought it would enjoy the house like her father had.
A few days later, after she and Carlisle had shown the house to a perspective buyer, Carlisle asked her to take a walk with him, which she was all too happy to do. They set off down a trail and soon the house was out of sight as they walked hand in hand. The path was well worn, almost manicured, which led her to believe they used it often. Bella was focused on a bird in a tree when Carlisle came to a sudden stop causing her to bump into him. In front of them was an adorable little cottage with a stone fence around a small garden of flowers.
"Welcome home." Carlisle spoke softly heading towards the door, a smile tugging at his lips.
She stared at him in shock as he opened the door to a lovely little living room, a kitchen off to the right and a hallway to the left. There were new couches in the living room around a small fireplace, with shelves filled with books, and upon further inspection, she realized they were her books. He showed her down the hall to the spare room, the bathroom, then the main bedroom. It was simple, slightly rustic, but perfect in every way.
Bella turned in a circle, looking at the adorable little bedroom around her. She could easily see the two of them spending many nights sequestered there in that little room. Carlisle watched her with a little smile on his face that she couldn't help but match.
"It's wonderful here." She stepped closer to him, laying her hands on his chest. "Are you sure it's, ok? The others won't mind us taking this?"
"Yes, love, it's fine. They have their own homes scattered around the world. This will be ours." His arms wrapped around her, holding her close.
Nibbling her bottom lip, she guided him backwards towards the bed. "Then maybe we should make it officially ours."
Her hands slid up his chest to his shoulders and helped him out of his suit jacket and tossed it onto a nearby chair. His smile turned mischievous. "And what did you have in mind?"
Taking his tie in hand, she used it to pull him down into a kiss. "I want to play a game with you."
"You have my attention." He teased as she undid his tie, pulling it from around his neck.
With a light shove, she pushed him back onto the bed and ushered him up towards the metal headboard. Carlisle watched her with avid interest as she crawled over him, purposely giving him a perfect view of her breasts as she tied his hands to the headboard. Once he was secured, she slid back down his body settling over his hips as she tugged his dress shirt out of his pants.
"I like that tie, so don't break it." Bella grinned down at him as she started to unbutton his shirt.
He glanced up to the tie then back at her. "You're really going to test my self-control huh?"
She smiled. "Yes, I am."
Once his shirt was unbuttoned, she leaned over him and kissed him as she pushed open his shirt, her hands trailing over every inch of exposed skin. Breaking their kiss, she laid a kiss to his jaw, then down his neck to his throat, forcing him to tip his head back. Moving down his throat, she made it to his chest, following the outline of his sternum, his chest rising and falling as he breathed. Her fingers circled his nipples, never having played with Carlisle's before she found it amusing to feel them start to harden under her touch.
Curiosity led her to take one in her mouth and suck on it. Carlisle gasped, his back arching slightly as she swirled her tongue around the growing peak. Moving to the other side, she gave the other one the same treatment until both were hard and standing tall. Grinning, she could feel how turned on he was as she moved down over his stomach leaving a trail of kisses and until she reached the top of his pants. Her hands gripped his hips, ignoring the straining bulge in his pants, as she teased along the top of his slacks with her tongue.
Carlisle watched her with an intensity that made her shudder under it, as she moved down to slowly undo his pants and, with his help, pulled them off him. She watched for a moment as his cock pulsed against the confines of his boxer briefs. Lightly, she ran a finger over his clothed cock, loving the way his hips twitched and wiggled under her scrutiny. Ridding him of his boxer briefs she smiled down at him, his eyes locked onto hers as his chest rose and fell. Running her hands up his thighs she by passed his leaking cock, earning her a small groan of disappointment. Teasingly, she continued to run her hands over his body, avoiding the one spot that clearly wanted her attention, until he couldn't take it any longer.
"Bella, please." Carlisle begged, his hips jerking upwards involuntarily.
She could almost hear the fabric of his tie straining as he tugged at the restraint. Taking pity on him, she took his cock in hand and started stroking him. He moaned deep in his chest as she worked him, twisting her hand around the head of his cock, loving the way it made his legs twitch each time she got it just right. Carlisle's gaze stayed locked on her hand as it worked him over and over, his breath coming out faster as he got closer to his release. His head fell back as his moans grew closer together and just as he was about to come, she stopped.
Carlisle's head snapped up, eyes wide in shock, his release slowly dissipating. His mouth moved wordlessly for a moment as she smiled down at him. "I told you; I want to play a game with you."
She could see his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed. Before he could respond, she started stoking him again, paying extra attention to the head of his cock as he gasped and groaned. His legs wiggled under her as she quickly brought him to the brink of another release only to once again stop before he could finish. Through their bond, she could feel his disappointment, though his face remained placid as he took slow breaths as his release ebbed away again.
Climbing off him, she slowly, teasingly, stripped out of her clothing. His now black eyes watching every movement she made until she was bare for him. She felt a little silly, but seeing how much he enjoyed it helped ease her mind. Crawling back onto the bed, she threw her leg over him and lowered herself down, so his cock was positioned against her slit. Rocking her hips she grinded against his hard cock, her juices mixing with his own to slicken him even further. Her hands were splayed out on his chest as she continued to pleasure herself on his cock, a desperation slowly building in Carlisle's eyes. His hips twisted trying to angle himself so he could enter her and try as he might, she denied him.
There was something quite enjoyable about having this much control over the man, watching his face twisting in both pleasure and frustration, feeling his desire for her building and building inside him. She understood why the girls had suggested she do this, though she worried about the headboard as it creaked slightly as his hands gripped the metal. Bella wouldn't be surprised if there were obvious finger indents when they were done. To be honest she was surprised the tie had lasted as long as it had, she had been almost certain it would have been torn by now with how hard he tugged at the fabric.
His hair was disheveled from him, tossing his head from side to side, and she was sure if he could, his cheeks would be rosy, red by now. Pleading eyes met hers as his hips rutted up against her desperate for more. Lifting herself up, she reached down to grasp his throbbing cock and placed the head at her entrance. Slowly she sank down his length, humming contently as he filled her. No matter how many times they did this, she loved the feel of him entering her. Once fully seated, she leaned down and kissed him, which he eagerly reciprocated.
Swirling her hips in a slow circle, she pulled back from the kiss as she started to ride him, slowly at first, then picking up speed. His hands clenched and unclenched over and over, the desire to touch her and guide her evident in his eyes as he struggled to maintain his control. Once again, his release built as she continued to ride him, his moans becoming more insistent. At the last minute, she pulled off him, letting his cock slip out of her.
"No." He groaned, hips jerking up seeking the friction he so badly wanted.
Lightly, she ran her finger over his twitching cock, just enough for him to feel it but not enough to get him off. His body trembled as she continued running her finger over him and when she got to the head of his cock his whole body gave a twitch. From what she could feel through the bond, he was getting desperate, and from the reaction of his body, he was getting extremely sensitive. Smiling, she slipped him back inside her.
Several more times she brought him to the precipice only to deny him his release. On the fifth time, she heard the fabric of his tie start to tear as he yanked on the restraint, the headboard metal bending slightly. Carlisle panted below her, teeth clenched together, eyes pinched shut.
After a moment, his eyes opened, pleading up at her. "Bella…please…I can't…AH"
She cut him off with a quick stroke of the hand, his teeth snapping shut so hard she could hear it. Taking pity on him, she slid him back inside her and rode him hard and fast, and this time when his release built, she kept going until he threw his head back with a shout as he came. Pleasure erupted from the bond pulling a low moan from her as she came as well. His hips thrusted up into her as he rode the waves of his release until his body slowly settled against the mattress, his breath coming out in pants.
Leaning over him, she kissed him lightly, gently stroking his face as her other hand released his hands. His arms wrapped around her once free, holding her close as the remnants of his orgasm subsided, and his twitching stopped. Rolling off him, she ran a hand over his stomach and up to his chest, grinning at the little shudder that ran through him.
"Was that too mean?" She asked softly, fingers drawing little designs on his chest.
"No. I am curious where you learned that?"
"It was one of the things the Denali women told me about. They were placing bets on how many times you could be denied release before your legendary control finally broke."
He chuckled. "One more time and I'd have broken the bed and tie."
Bella smiled at him. "But you didn't, so I win the bet."
Carlisle kissed her forehead as they fell silent. Bella let her eyes close, just enjoying the silence around them and the slow rise and fall of Carlisle's chest. Yes, they'd be using this cottage a lot more, she'd be making sure of it.
About halfway through summer Charlie's house sold, which surprised her at how quickly it went. She tried to transfer the money to Charlie, but he refused to take it and insisted she use it for college. When she tried to compromise and only keep half for college, he still said no and that he'd set it up that she'd get everything when he died, so it was rightfully hers. Granted he didn't really need the money as the Denali's, like the Cullen's, had money to burn and could support him for now until he was able to get a job himself.
Things continued to go smoothly for Charlie, which Bella was super grateful for, as he adjusted to his new life. There had only been one, almost slip up, but the others had managed to contain him before he'd harmed anyone. Bella had also noticed Charlie seemed happier as the weeks went on and she had a sneaking suspicion it had something to do with a certain blonde named Tanya. While she'd visited them, she'd noticed Tanya seemed a bit taken with Charlie and had used any excuse to talk about the man, but Bella hadn't said anything, wanting to see where it went.
When she mentioned it to Carlisle, he agreed with her and stated he wouldn't be surprised if they were bonded before his first year was up. Carlisle believed that was why he was able to get approval from her father to ask her to marry him. Whatever the reason, she was ecstatic to see him happy.
Before she knew it, the summer came to an end, and she started her first day of college. Since the Forks high school still had another week before they started, Carlisle was more than happy to drive her down to Seattle for orientation and to collect any books she might need for her classes. She had a feeling he was just using orientation as an excuse to spend more alone time with her, not that he needed an excuse. She didn't argue it and they spent the day getting her all prepared.
Carlisle tried to pay for her books, but she reminded him her father wanted her to use the money he'd left her for college, and she could afford to buy her own books now. She also bought herself a nice laptop and a comfy school hoodie just because. They headed home and she got everything set up, Carlisle having made room for her in his office. Her classes were fairly easy, and the first week went by in a flash.
When Carlisle had to start working again, she soon found herself semi alone in the house most days. Someone was typically home with her, since the threat of Victoria was still there, and Alice had been unable to pin down where the red head was but was often left her to her own devices. Since Esme had to work, she was normally gone during the day as was Carlisle.
Jasper and Alice went off to Seattle for a while, she later found out they were working on getting Charlie new paperwork so he could travel if he chose to. Rosalie and Emmett were working on revitalizing The Beast, which Bella helped with in her down time, and Edward often spent his days in the piano room. He'd come join her when she came out of Carlisle's office, or if he knew she hadn't eaten lately, he'd bring her food, but otherwise he left her alone.
Her birthday came and went without a big fuss thanks to Alice being out of town. She'd asked Carlisle if they could go to Seattle for the weekend, but he'd seemed hesitant and instead offered to take her to the cottage instead. Agreeing they'd spent the weekend being a cute domestic little couple spending the days entirely wrapped up with each other.
Time seemed to drift by her, and soon it was October. Jasper and Alice returned after visiting Charlie, and Bella was very happy to have them back. She and Alice spent a lot of her down time together, Alice slowly changing up her wardrobe to a similar style, just nicer versions of what she had. Bella allowed it because she knew this was just one way Alice showed she cared.
Around mid-October she started to notice Carlisle and Jasper paying more and more attention to the news and talking amongst themselves. Curious, she came over one day and slid onto Carlisle's lap, which he accommodated without even glancing at her, his attention still on the TV. The report was talking about strange occurrences that had been happening all over Seattle recently and an odd number of people coming up missing of late.
To say it made her nervous was an understatement.
"Do we need to worry about this?" She nodded towards the TV.
Carlisle gave her that smile he used when trying to calm her. "Not likely, we're just being cautious."
Frowning, she looked at Jasper, his expression serious and focused on the TV. Turning back to Carlisle, she crossed her arms. "Why does it feel like you're lying to me?"
Both men exchanged glances. Jasper spoke this time. "It's likely gang activity, there's been a rise in crime lately."
"But?" She pushed, knowing there was more he wasn't telling her.
Jasper's gaze fell on her. "But it could be vampires too. It's a bit, convenient, that the attacks and destruction seem to be happening at night. There not frequent enough to be worrisome, per say, but something we'll need to keep an eye on."
Bella could feel a sinking feeling in her gut, something told her this wasn't going to end well.
The disturbances continued to happen now and then. Carlisle and Jasper would theorize, some they were able to write off right away as regular criminal activity, others they weren't so sure about. Bella tried not to let it get to her as she worked on her schoolwork. Alice still hadn't had any visions about Victoria so she assumed that meant things would be ok. Or so she hoped.
As November creeped up on her Billy reached out to her, inviting her to Thanksgiving. This year, they were doing a combined celebration with the Clearwater family and Billy didn't want her to celebrate on her own. She accepted, eager to see Jacob again. They hadn't been able to connect much since he phased, what with his schooling, and hers plus his rounds he did with the pack. This would be a good chance for her to reconnect with him.
On the day of Thanksgiving, it was a bittersweet moment pulling up to the Black family home without Charlie. She'd called him before going just to check in, but it felt strange not having him with her this year. Climbing out of her truck she headed over to the large table set up outside and to Billy who was manning a smoker with several turkeys inside.
"Wow, how many people are coming to this?" She teased as she leaned down to hug him.
He smiled at her. "I invited Sam and the pack as well; the boys need to eat after all. I'm surprised that boyfriend of yours let you come."
She gave a slight grimace; Carlisle had been a little apprehensive of her going to this alone. It had taken some convincing to get him to relent, though she was sure he had followed her to the border. "He understood how important this was to me."
"Bella!" Jacob called out from the front porch.
Smiling, she rushed over to hug him. He was really warm, warmer than she remembered him being. Stepping back, she looked him over, his hair was cut short, he was way buffer than she remembered, and she could see the hint of a tattoo peeking out from under his sleeve. "Wow, you've changed."
He laughed. "So have you, is that a wrinkle?"
Smacking him on the arm, they headed inside to help with preparations. "So, what's it like in the pack?"
Jacob shrugged. "It's hard to explain, we can hear each other's thoughts which is hard to get used too. All in all, it's not too bad. Though there's this fang that keeps coming back, and we don't know why."
Bella paused in her peeling of the potatoes. "What do they look like?"
"Some red head chick, sometimes there's a black dude with dreads with her, though mostly it's just her on her own."
Gulping, she set the potato down as her hands started to shake. Why hadn't Alice seen Victoria's return, and worse, Laurent was with her too? "I think I know why they are coming."
Jacob's brow furrowed. "What's wrong?"
"It's me, she's after me." Her breathing started to come out as pants as panic overwhelmed her. The bond rippled and she knew Carlisle was fighting not to come to her aid, likely thinking she was in danger.
Jacob put his hands on her shoulders. "Easy, we won't let her get to you. We'll talk to Sam when he gets here. You're safe here."
Nodding, her phone went off and she quickly answered it knowing who it was. "I'm ok."
"What happened?" Carlisle's concerned voice came over the line.
"I'll tell you when I come home, I'm ok for now." She insisted.
Carlisle took a slow breath. "Fine, call me when you leave."
She could feel his worry and did her best to calm herself to show him she was fine. Jacob was looking at her with a confused expression, so she explained how the bond works. It turned out it was similar to how their imprinting worked. They returned to helping prep the meal and when Sam arrived, Jacob led her out to meet him.
"Bella, this is Sam, Sam, Bella."
Sam nodded to her and shook her hand. "You're Carlsle's mate if I'm not mistaken."
Bella nodded. "I am. How did you know?"
"He told us when you crashed your truck. It was the only reason we allowed him onto our lands."
Nodding again, she thought back to that night. It was fuzzy from her head injury, but she remembered the giant wolves, and Carlisle later explaining that they were Sam and Paul. "Right, thank you for that."
Sam gave a single nod and Jacob stepped in. "Sam, the woman we've been hunting, she's after Bella."
"Why?" Sam asked a bit gruffly.
"The Cullens killed her mate protecting me from him." She left out the part about Charlie for now, she wasn't sure this was the proper place to mention that he was still alive.
"So, she's seeking revenge by going after you?" Sam crossed his arms. "Well, we'll do our best to hunt her down and tear her to pieces. You don't need to worry."
Nibbling her lower lip, she wished his assurance made her feel better. Trying to put it out of her mind, she continued to help with cooking, the guys carrying the finished products out to the table and once everything was ready, they all sat and ate. Jacob helped to keep her mind off Victoria as they enjoyed their meal and when it was all over, the pack had made sure there were no leftovers. Bella helped clean up, and when she left, Jacob hopped into her truck with her.
"Just in case." He grinned at her.
She drove towards the Cullen's house and as they came up on the boarder, Carlisle stepped out from the tree line. Pulling over, Jacob got out, nodded to Carlisle and started back towards his house at a jog. Carlisle climbed into the truck, and they were once again on their way. Bella told him that the pack had had run-ins with Victoria, and Laurent, which concerned him since Alice hadn't said anything to him.
Once they arrived home, they headed inside in search of Alice. The pixie met them in the living room with a solemn look on her face when Carlisle brought up Victoria being in the area. "I've been trying, I swear, but something's blocking me from seeing her. It happened today too with Bella being on the reservation."
Carlisle leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, hands clasped together. "The pack must interfere with your abilities, that would explain why you haven't seen Victoria's movements of late."
"With Alice's visions hindered, that doesn't give us a lot of warning if Victoria were to attack." Jasper mused out loud.
"Let's take the fight to her." Emmett suggested looking eager for a fight.
"Except we don't know where she is hiding." Carlisle pointed out.
"We also don't know how many she might have recruited against us." Jasper added.
Bella watched them all as they thought over their current situation. She wondered if Alice spent time around the pack, if she'd learn to see around whatever makes them block her vision. The problem would be convincing Jasper, she was almost certain he'd be against Alice hanging around the pack. Maybe she shouldn't bring it up.
Nibbling her lower lip, she decided to speak up anyway. "What about bringing the pack here, let Alice get used to being around them and maybe she'll be able to see better."
All eyes landed on her.
"That might work, would also help boost our numbers." Jasper drawled to her surprise.
Carlisle nodded. "If we could set up a meeting with Sam, maybe we could come to an agreement. Would you be able to ask Jacob if Sam would be willing to meet us?"
With a nod she typed the message to Jacob. They all waited there for nearly half an hour for his reply, the Cullens unnaturally still while Bella felt like she was fidgeting like crazy. When her phone buzzed, she nearly jumped out of her skin, fumbling to answer it.
"He says that Sam agrees to the meeting, tonight at midnight by the creek separating the boarders."
Carlisle gave a nod. "I think it best that only a few of us go, Bella knows them, so she'll be one, I'll go, and Edward to translate. That should be good for now."
The others didn't argue and slowly dispersed, leaving her alone with Carlisle. She felt guilty putting them all through this, if she hadn't agreed to the 5 years this wouldn't be happening. If she was like them, she could defend herself, and them. Turning to Carlisle, he looked deep in thought, and she was loathed to interrupt him, but she couldn't stand to risk everyone like this.
"Carlisle." He turned to look at her. "I know you want us to wait, but I think we should talk about changing me early."
Shaking his head, Carlisle stood. "Bella, now's not the time for this."
"I think it is." She insisted. "If I were like you, I could defend myself, I could help you take down Victoria. I wouldn't be a burden on everyone and risking your lives for my sake."
Carlisle knelt in front of her, his cold hands coming up to cup her face. "You have never been a burden on us, not now and likely not ever. We are defending our family member and my mate, just as we would if it were Alice, Rosalie or Esme in your shoes. Yes, you're a bit fragile right now, but that's alright. You only have 4 years left, enjoy this time while you can because you won't get it back."
Reaching up, she curled her fingers around his and pulled his hands away from her face. "I know, and I'm trying, but I just feel so guilty that you're all doing this for me, and now the pack on top of what happened with my dad. It's just a lot to deal with. I'm tired of feeling helpless, I want to be able to fight with you and stand up to her."
A smile tugged at his lips. "My Bella, you are helping more than you know. It was you that is trying to bridge the gap between us and the wolves. This would be the first time we've worked together for a common goal."
She sighed and leaned forward laying her forehead against his, her eyes closing. "I hope one day we'll be able to just relax and not worry about a vengeful vampire."
"It will happen soon, love. Try to be patient."
Bella smiled; he always had a way of making her feel better. Giving him a quick kiss, she checked the time. They still had a few hours before they had to head out, so she tugged him back onto the couch, grabbed a pillow and unceremoniously flopped down so her head was resting on his lap on the pillow. She figured she'd get a quick nap in having no idea how late she'd be up that night, and Carlisle quickly caught on to what she was doing and smiled down at her as he lightly stroked her hair.
She fell into a light sleep, vaguely aware of conversations happening around her but unable to make out the actual words, more just voices in the dark as she slept. Carlisle gently woke her about half an hour before midnight, helped her into a jacket and led her outside to where Edward was waiting for them. As they headed down the stairs, Bella hopped off the stairs onto Carlisle's back, getting a little chuckle out of the blonde, as he got her situated, so she was comfortable.
Suddenly they were whizzing through the trees at breakneck speed, and she couldn't help but smile. It was amazing getting to see what they could do, what she'd be able to do one day. She loved it. When they arrived, Carlisle came to a stop and helped her down, the smile still plastered on her face. Edward teased her about it, but she ignored him as she rubbed her hands together to warm them up.
The moonlight lit the whole area up, giving it a beautiful sort of glow. It was eerily quiet, though she supposed that made sense since two vampires had just come barreling through the woods probably sending everything around here running. The only sound was the creek as the water flowed by. They waited for what felt like 10 minutes before she heard the crunching of footsteps and soon, the wolves crested the rise of the other side of the creek. All of them were in wolf form making it hard for her to know which one was Jacob.
A reddish wolf caught her eye and as she observed it, she got this familiar feeling like she knew those eyes. "Jake?"
The wolf nodded, the black one at the front giving a soft growl causing Jacob to bare his teeth. She wondered what Sam said to him, but whatever it was, Edward didn't translate for her. Instead, Carlisle stepped forward.
"Thank you for coming. I know this is unusual for us, but we were hoping with our current situation, that we could work together."
Edward sighed. "They want to know why they should bother to help us."
"For Bella's safety. Bella is my mate, and a friend to your people." Carlisle explained. "If we knew for sure it was just Victoria that was a threat, we could handle it on our own, but it seems that Alice's visions are being blocked. We believe it has something to do with the pack, though we're not sure how. We were hoping, if you'd be willing, to allow Alice more exposure to you so she can learn to see around whatever it is that's blocking her visions."
"How would this help us?"
Carlisle hesitated, so Bella jumped in. "It could help ease the tension between the two groups. Then instead of always being worried about the other, you can focus all your attention on the real threat. We have no idea what Victoria is up to, whether she'll attack alone or with a group, but if your there with us, we both stand a greater chance of coming out on top."
Sam seemed to think about this for a while. After a while, Bella started to think Sam would reject their proposal, so it was a surprise when Edward started speaking. "We'll agree, but only one of us will go with for now. Any sign of deceit and we'll see it as a break in the treaty and attack."
Jacob leapt across the creek coming to stand by her. "Thank you, I promise, this isn't a trick. We just want to stop whatever Victoria has planned."
"We shall see." With that, the wolves turned and melded into the forest.
Once she could no longer hear them, she turned to the group. "That seems to have gone well."
Edward smirked. "They all think it's a trick, even Jacob here does, but he doesn't like the idea of you being alone with us, so he volunteered to watch over you."
Frowning, she turned to face the wolf. "I thought you were doing it because you believed me. You're just doing this because you don't like me being with Carlisle?"
Jacob's ears went flat back, and he whined, Edward continued speaking for him. "I'm trying to be ok with it, but it's hard to be. We're natural enemies, but it doesn't mean I don't believe you. I volunteered because I trust you."
Crossing her arms she huffed out a sigh. "Fine, but don't be starting fights with anyone."
He came forward sticking his head towards her and she couldn't help but smile and give the top of his head a little scratch. She knew Jacob would be on his best behavior, if only for her benefit. When he'd had enough of the head scratches he backed away, shaking out his fur.
"I'll come by in the morning." Edward translated before Jacob turned and headed off towards home.
Carlisle came over and placed a hand on her shoulder, giving it a squeeze. "See, told you your being helpful."
She gave him a little smile as he knelt so she could climb onto his back. Within minutes, they were back home and while Carlisle and Edward informed the others of what went down, she slipped away to their bedroom. She found herself standing in front of the windows looking out over the forest and wondering what was going to happen. It was frustrating having Alice's visions out of commission, and the not knowing was eating away at her slowly. Most days, she could kind of forget it and just enjoy her time with her new family. Then there were days like this, where it had been all she could think of all day.
The idea of losing any of the Cullens filled her with dread but more so knowing Carlisle would likely be in the fray. If he were to die, she wasn't sure what she'd do. Tears filled her eyes at the mere thought of it and she quickly wiped them away, angry for letting herself even entertain the thought. Carlisle was careful, he'd come back to her no matter what, of that, she was sure.
And yet, more tears came.
Using her sleeves, she dabbed at her eyes, feeling silly for crying, even as cold hands came to rest on her shoulders. No words were spoken, he simply turned her so she could bury her face in his chest and let loose. She was scared. Scared for him, scared for everyone downstairs, for the pack, everyone. Clinging to Carlisle, she let the tears come as he held her firmly in his arms. Through the bond she could tell he was worried too, which oddly made her feel better. It let her know she wasn't alone in her feelings, that he too shared them to an extent.
Slowly she calmed down, pulling back from him a step so she could dry her face. "Want to talk about it?"
"I just…hate this. I hate not knowing what Victoria is up to, I hate the idea that you or anyone else will get hurt or worse. I just want it to be over. I know you said to be patient, but it's hard. I almost lost my dad, the idea of losing you, it's too much."
One of his hands gently caressed her cheek. "You won't lose me. The family is behind you, and if we need to, we'll ask the Denali's to join us as well as the pack. We'll be just fine."
"How can you be so sure?" She leaned into his touch.
"Would it help if I said I'm not?" He gave her a loving smile. "I trust everyone here, I know they will do their very best to protect you, and each other. I have faith that everything will work out. That's all I can do right now."
Nodding, she wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him, laying her head on his chest. His arms wrapped around her again holding her firmly, but not too tight. She could feel the press of his lips against her hair as he spoke softly.
"It will be alright, love, I know it will."