Chapter 5: The Back Burner

Bella's POV

My uncertainties begged to be put to an end. I stood up abruptly, sending the piano bench sliding noisily along the floor behind me. Making a quick dash to the front door, I flung it open and didn't even bother closing it after me as I proceeded to run into the woods in the direction Edward and Jasper had went.

"Edward, wait!" I called blindly into the emerald maze, not knowing if I was too late to catch him. Fallen branches snapped beneath my feet as I scurried clumsily through the forest, and I knew that it was more than likely that I would leave with more than a few scrapes and bruises, but I didn't care. I wanted answers. I needed to be reassured. I didn't believe that Edward would ever hurt me, but I just needed to hear him say the words himself.

"Edward?" I called out more loudly when I heard no reply. Immediately after I called his name a third time, I was responded with a loud fluttering of feathered wings and a deafening cawing behind me, making me whip around toward the noise.

Instead of a crow that I was expecting to see, I found Jasper standing directly before me. Stunned to see him so close, I gasped and tripped over my own feet, landing roughly onto the ground, spraining my wrists in the process as I instinctively held them out to catch my fall. Groaning in pain, I brushed the damp soil from my palms onto my jeans.

"You scared me," I exhaled sharply, looking up at him. He avoided my eyes, looking past me instead, which I didn't find strange since Jasper always seemed on edge around me anyway. However, what did make me uneasy was that he was alone. "Where's Edward?" I asked, rubbing at my aching left wrist.

His jaws tightened together and his unwavering glare remained frozen behind me.

"Jasper?"

Chills ran down my spine as a slow-building growl rolled inside his throat. "Go back to the house," he finally replied, his lips being the only movement that broke his static frame.

I turned to see what he was looking at, and found Edward standing above me. His arms hung down at either side of his body with both fists clenched so tightly together that his knuckles threatened to pierce through his marble skin. Blood stained his parted lips and ruby rivulets dripped down slowly along his chin as if struggling desperately against gravity. And his eyes... they were colored a bright crimson underneath lids that were narrowed into menacing slits.

My own lips parted in shock, but there was only absence of sound. Frozen in fear, I was unable to react. Even blinking became impossible.

"I can't promise you anything, Bella," Edward rasped callously and leaned down to me, forcing my head violently to the side then sank his razor sharp teeth deep into my neck.

I woke with a start at the sound of piano keys being pounded, followed by a cold hand gripping my arm.

"Bella, are you okay?" Alice murmured softly, taking a seat beside me on the piano bench. "You were talking in your sleep."

I had fallen asleep? Looking through the living room window, I was surprised to see that the sky outside had been painted black. A heavy sheet of rain had also begun to fall, rapping noisily against the glass, keeping time with my racing pulse. A sudden aching in my chest made me realize I was holding my breath, so I let it out slowly, struggling to hide the shakiness of it from Alice.

"How long was I out?" I asked, bringing my palm up to rest against the side of my throat. Discreetly swiping my hand over my skin, I fearfully searched for evidence that Edward had actually bitten me. Thankfully, I felt nothing but my quickened pulse fluttering beneath my fingertips. The feeling of Edward's teeth searing through my flesh had felt so real that I was having trouble shaking it off as just a dream.

Alice arched her eyebrows worriedly. "A couple hours," she sighed, wrapping her arm around my shoulder comfortingly, undoubtedly picking up on my thundering heart.

My eyes widened, mainly at the notion that I had managed not to fall off of the piano bench for that long. The sound of voices coming from upstairs suddenly claimed my attention. "Is Edward back?" I inquired hopefully, looking from the ceiling back to Alice.

Her short pixie hair swayed delicately from side to side as she shook her head. "No, that's Emmett and Rosalie talking upstairs. Edward and Jasper still haven't gotten back from hunting. But don't worry, Edward's just fine. They'll be back a bit later," she said, clearly pleased by the fact that she could at least confirm that much of the shady future. Seeing my visible disappointment, Alice put her hand over mine and gave it a little squeeze. "But Carlisle will be back from La Push any second now," she added casually.

My head snapped up as a pang of guilt struck me like a runaway train. How could I have forgotten?!

Jacob.

Before the Voluri had arrived in the clearing, he had been badly injured by a newborn vampire in the battle against Victoria's army; left mangled and broken. Carlisle had assured me earlier that Jacob would heal completely in no time, but I had to see him for myself before I could feel any sort of relief.

Just as Alice predicted, the front door opened a second later and Carlisle stepped into the large foyer, shaking off his large black umbrella. I stood up in anticipation, my mouth opening to speak.

"He's doing just fine," Carlisle assured, giving me a comforting smile before I could even get out my words. He proceeded into the living room after hanging his drenched coat in the closet, giving Esme a repentant shrug as she silently pointed out the puddles he left on the tiles.

"You can go see him now if you like. I'm sure your presence will ameliorate his spirit," Carlisle suggested, running a hand back through his dampened golden locks.

I turned back to Alice, gnawing nervously at my bottom lip as I deliberated. "Edward won't be back for a while, right?"

"You'll be back before he returns," she replied, nodding in emphasis. Carlisle held the keys to his Mercedes out in front of him as Alice rose from the bench. "Come," she said, the keys clinking together as she hooked one finger into the ring. "I'll bring you home so you can get your truck."

-

-

Charlie's police cruiser was not parked in the driveway when Alice dropped me off at home. It was dinnertime, so his absence was a bit curious, but it was a small blessing that I didn't have to face him right away and have to describe my "weekend of shopping with Alice". I hated having to lie to him all the time, but keeping Charlie from knowing about the insane world of supernatural beings was for his own protection. Besides, telling him about a battle between an army of vampires and werewolves would have ensured me a one way trip to the psycho ward. With all that has happened since I had arrived in Forks, sometimes I wondered if I actually was checked in, and these were all just figments of my warped mind. It was definitely the most logical explanation, but also the most painful. How could I continue to exist knowing that Edward wasn't real?

The screen door banging closed against the frame as I walked inside the house snapped me out of my brief moment of contemplation. After flipping on the light switch against the wall, I found the keys to my truck on the kitchen counter and hastily snatched them up. I jotted down a quick note for Charlie, telling him that I was "back from Seattle" and that I was going to Jake's, then left the house again just as quickly as I had arrived.

The porch light at Jacob's house lit as soon as I pulled into the driveway, and the front door swung open half-way even before I made my way out of the truck. Undoubtedly having heard the Chevy's loud engine well before I even pulled onto their property, Billy sat expectantly in his wheelchair beside the open door wearing a grim smile.

"Bella," he greeted in a low voice as I hurried the the front door to get out of the rain. His expression was worn, looking as though he hadn't slept in days. "Jacob's in his room," he added as he wheeled himself backward to make room for me to enter.

I pressed my lips into a thin line. "How is he doing?" I whispered, closing the door behind me.

"He'll be fine." Billy motioned with his head in the direction of Jake's room, urging me to see for myself.

I patted his shoulder softly as I made my way around him, then treaded slowly down the dimly lit hallway to Jacob's bedroom. The door was slightly ajar and my hand was shaking as I used my knuckles to carefully nudge it further open. Even with the light from the hallway, it was still difficult to make out anything in the room. Regardless, I was thankful for the dark veil of night, for I was sure that I would begin to cry if I could properly see the extent of Jacob's injuries.

I could tell that Jacob was asleep by the sound of his deep rhythmic breathing. I stood in the doorway until my eyes adjusted to the darkness, and eventually I could distinguish his body from the other dark shadows. He was laying on his left side facing the wall and I watched as his shoulders rose and fell underneath the blanket with each breath he took.

Taking a step inside the room, I gnawed on my bottom lip as the memory of the last time we were together played in my mind. I had begged him not to fight against the newborn vampires earlier today — tried to make him stay safe by asking him to kiss me. Who knew the significance that simple moment would become, as I realized then the magnitude of my feelings toward him. I loved Jacob, but he could only ever be second place in my life. It wasn't fair to him, and that hurt me more than he could possibly know.

As I was lost in thought, I took another step toward his bed and absently bumped into the dresser which sent a bottle of painkillers crashing to the floor. As it landed, there was a small pop followed by the scattering of dozens of tiny pills that bounced noisily on the wooden floor.

Jacob startled awake and groaned in pain as he raised his head, turning his body toward me. The springs of his mattress complained noisily as he shifted his weight. "Bella?" he said when he saw me, a twinge of pain distorting his face.

"I'm so sorry!" I stammered apologetically, kneeling down to blindly search for the pills that had rolled under the bed.

"Don't worry about it, they don't work anyway," Jake uttered, still sounding half-asleep.

When I raised my head back up I was surprised to see his face inches from mine as he had bent over the mattress to look for me. "Oh!" I gasped, and sat back on my heels, grasping onto the edge of the mattress so I wouldn't fall.

Jake leaned back and laboriously propped himself up so that he was leaning back against the headboard. "Sorry," he muttered, almost sounding annoyed at my reaction.

I ignored his tone and took a seat at the end of the bed and hesitantly scanned over his body as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes with the heels of his hands. Most of his body was still covered by the blanket, but it had slid down some as he had propped himself up, revealing layers of bandages around his torso. I could feel the tears already beginning to well up behind my eyelids, but I blinked them away. I wanted to place a comforting hand on his leg but I was afraid to cause him any further pain, so I folded my hands awkwardly in my lap.

There was silence between us for a short while, save for the hitches in his breaths when it hurt him to inhale.

"How do you feel?" I managed to choke out, forcing a tiny smile.

"Better than Ethan is doing," Jacob scoffed heartlessly.

Stunned by his answer, I paled at his dark humor. "How did you know about that?" I asked as butterflies began fluttering violently in my stomach.

"Sam told me."

I continued to stare at him, confused.

He sighed before he continued to explain. "Carlisle told Sam. He was concerned about the treaty."

My eyes became wide with realization. I had completely overlooked the treaty!

I bolted to my feet, nearly falling on my ass in the process. A couple pills rattled across the floor. "What did Sam say? You're not going after the Cullens are you? Jake, Edward had no choice! He did it to save my life!" I stuttered, my words falling over one another as I started to panic.

Jacob rolled his eyes, otherwise unaffected by my reaction. "Relax, Bella. No one's going after them," he said monotonously. "Carlisle spoke with Sam when he was here checking on me. I guess he wanted him to know all the facts before we discovered the body and came to our own conclusions." Jacob grimaced before he continued. "And considering our alliance in the battle today, Sam decided to overlook the treaty in this instance."

I stared at Jacob incredulously as he simply sat there with his lips pressed lips together, looking rather bored with the subject.

"Wow. That's... pretty major, right?" I asked, sitting back down. I was relieved that Edward didn't have to deal with the added consequences of the treaty on top of his own torment.

Jacob shrugged with indifference. "Apparently we're all best buds now, so why not? You can breathe easy. Your fiancé is safe," he answered bitterly, emphasizing the word.

It wasn't a surprise that my engagement to Edward hurt him, so I chose to disregard the jest. But words failed me. My mouth opened and closed repeatedly as I unsuccessfully attempted to respond. I'm sure I looked like some kind of ridiculous fish because Jacob cocked his eyebrow when he finally looked up at me. He then turned around in bed to face the wall, dismissing me.

I frowned in frustration. "What are you, pouting?" I challenged, irritated with his behavior.

He spun around again quickly ripping the covers off his upper body, revealing more of his bandaged ribs. "Why shouldn't I be?" he spat. "The only reason we weren't around to protect that kid was because your bloodsuckers told us to leave so the Vultures wouldn't see us!"

"Volturi." I corrected.

"Whatever!" Jacob groaned in pain. I remembered Carlisle telling me that his right side had been crushed and I winced as he clutched at his ribs. "A boy is dead and Edward goes scot-free. All is well with the world," Jake continued, muttering through gritted teeth.

"He had no other choice!" I asserted, remembering the look of torment in Edward's eyes as he revealed what he had done in order to save me.

Jacob grimaced, not looking entirely convinced. "Maybe..."

I glared at him furiously. "Oh my God, Jake! What exactly do you think happened?" I deepened my voice to mimic Edward's. "'Beheading a psycho vampire sure made me hungry. I think I'll go abandon Bella and find myself a random boy to snack on. Screw the fact I've sworn off human blood'," I huffed, theatrically waving my hand in dismissal.

Jacob stared at me, bewildered, and suddenly his lip began to tremble. He then combusted in laughter. The sound of it was so confusing and it clashed against our situation.

"Stop laughing!" I demanded, anger flushing heat to my face. "I'm serious. This isn't funny!"

"I'm sorry," he chuckled, unable to suppress his hysteria as I continued glaring at him. He groaned in pain and clutched his ribs again and I found myself fighting to hide the smile that began to creep to my face as well. A small laugh mixed with my anger and for a split second, the tension was alleviated as the familiar comforting smile on Jake's face worked its magic... but only for that split second. Edward's suffering wouldn't allow me to make light of the situation.

Jacob's laughter diminished when he saw that I ultimately wasn't appreciating his humor. His face became serious again, but marginally kinder than earlier. "Alright, alright. I'm sorry."

I glanced at the window, watching the rain patter against the glass. "It wasn't in cold-blood," I said quietly, my voice shaking. "Don't you think Edward feels awful about what he had to do?"

"For your sake, I would sure hope so," Jacob remarked.

I turned back to him and glared disapprovingly.

Jake sighed. "Yeah, alright. I'm sure he does," he replied grudgingly.

My eyes narrowed questioningly at him. "So you don't agree with Sam, is that it? After everything that happened today, you can't give Edward the benefit of the doubt?"

"He killed a boy, Bella," Jacob replied his voice sounding more factual than confrontational. "It doesn't matter if he wanted to or not, he killed him. And we're supposed to overlook that? No, I don't agree with Sam. After the boundaries that have been established for decades, we're just supposed to ignore it and give him a free pass?"

I shook my head and stared at him, not buying his rant. "You know what? I don't think this is about the treaty at all. You'd just love the opportunity to drive Edward away from here, wouldn't you?" I challenged. "Away from me," I added pointedly.

Jake shrugged, which frustrated me even further.

He leaned forward from the headboard and reached for my hand, this time bearing his physical discomfort silently. He softened his features into a concerned expression. The warmth of his skin burned against mine. "Look, this is probably eating him up, like you said. You're right, he must be feeling guilty," Jacob said sincerely. "But what if he leaves you again?" He added quietly. I flinched as the pain of when Edward left me last fall echoed in my memories. I kept my eyes downcast. "Or worse... what if he liked it too much and goes after you?"

I snatched my hand away. "Can we please just stop talking about Edward?" I objected, shutting my eyes tightly, wanting the issue to disappear.

Jacob complied with silence.

I let a long breath out through my nose and reluctantly opened my eyes, sensing Jacob was staring at me. The tension in my expression softened when I was met with his somber gaze. It seemed that his emotions hurt him more than what was hidden underneath his bandages.

"Can I just ask one last thing?" Jacob asked, narrowing his eyes at me curiously.

I gnawed nervously at my bottom lip and motioned concededly with my hand for him to proceed.

"How can you be so forgiving of him for killing that boy? How can you not worry that he could do the same to you?"

The answer was simple. "I love him," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

"You love me too," he murmured. It wasn't a question.

The tension between us was thick and I could practically feel the weight pressing down on my chest as a deafening silence seized the next few moments between us. The rain had eased up and let a sliver of moonlight shine through the space between the curtains. I stared at Jake, intrigued by the way it lit up his dark pools. After a few moments of silence, I nodded once, affirming the recent revelation of my feelings toward him. "Yeah," I admitted, and swallowed hard over the lump that had taken residence in my throat.

"But not enough," Jacob's voice was so low that I wasn't sure he meant for me to hear it... so I pretended that I hadn't.

Clearing my throat, I stood up swiftly. I was definitely not ready to deal with this yet. "Anyway, I just came to make sure you were alright," I said, stuffing my hands into the pockets of my jacket. It only took a couple steps to reach the door of his tiny room. Tears had finally found their way down my cheeks.

"Bells?"

I stopped at the doorway, wiping my face before turning back to him.

"Be safe," he murmured.

I sighed. That wasn't the first time I'd heard that one before.

A/N #1: I love feedback so please let me know what you think! It really inspires me to write more :)

A/N #2: I know not everyone is a fan of Jake but please refrain from posting the Jake-hating comments. Edward will be back in full swing in the next update so please stay tuned with this story. You won't be sorry :) I got a lot of goodies planned!