The Guard
by Laura Spudzmom
Chapter 02
A growl resonated from deep in the chest of the russet wolf as his supernaturally massive form melted back into the night-shrouded tree line behind Chief Swan's house. He'd been there for the better part of the last three days, patiently listening for any information that would back up the mind-reader's claims.
Today, he'd hit pay dirt; first with the psychic leech's visit earlier and just now with Bella's somewhat cryptic phone call.
He'd been beyond shocked when, two weeks earlier, the hated bloodsucker had called him wanting to meet. Now, he was damn glad he'd finally agreed, despite his earlier misgivings.
To Jake's everlasting shock, the bastard had been telling the truth. Isabella was determined to be turned into a leech while her bloodsucker—Edward—was dead set against it.
The mighty wolf huffed at his unintentional pun as he continued making his way toward the rez.
Once back on Quileute lands, he phased and pulled on his shorts before fishing his phone from the pocket to make a call.
"Well? Did you hear what you needed to hear, mutt?"
His lip curled in revulsion at the sound of his most hated enemy's voice. "Yeah leech, I did. She even called the Italian's."
"When?" Edward snapped sharply.
"About ten minutes ago. She talked to a bloodsucker she called Uncle Vittorio and told him what was going on—in a round-about way, anyway."
"Hmm, that was most likely Aro. So, what did he say?"
"He said he'd send her cousin Demetri to take care of it and that he'd be arriving sometime late tomorrow."
"Shit!" the mind-reader cursed before breathing out a frustrated sigh. "This means we need to act sooner than expected. You okay with that?"
Jacob scoffed. "Yeah man, everything's set and I've got nothing better to do."
"Good, so you'll call her early tomorrow and get things started?"
"Yeah, I will." Jake ran a hand over his shaggy hair, mumbling as he paced, "I can't believe I'm going along with a leech."
He could hear the sneer in Edward's voice as he responded. "Yeah well, this leech is trying to prevent her from becoming what I am, mutt. Be grateful."
"Grateful," Jacob sneered. "Sure, sure."
"Whatever, mutt," Edward spat back. "Just follow the plan."
Jacob bit back a growl. "You swear you're not gonna hurt her, right? I mean, I don't see why she can't just stay here on the rez. We would protect her!"
"Oh, for the love of… How many times must I tell you? I'm the one that's going to prevent her change and eternal damnation! What part of that aren't you getting? And we've been over this. You keep her on the reservation, you risk the safety of not only your pack, but all of your people. The Volturi don't play games and they're nothing like Victoria and her rag-tag newborns. Make no mistake, they'd slaughter every last one of you, even if you had our help!
"But fine Jacob…fine! You need further reassurance? Here it is. I'm only doing this so I can get her away long enough to convince her not to throw away her human life—her family, her friends! When that's done, I'll bring her back, safe and sound, and most important of all - human! By that time, the Volturi will have lost interest, I'll leave her with you, and my family and I will pack up and disappear for the rest of your natural lives. Good enough for you?"
Jacob bristled at the mind-reader's tone, his hand tightening dangerously on his fragile phone as he breathed through the tremors that wracked his body. When his jaw loosened enough to speak, he answered. "Yeah leech, that's good enough for me."
"Good, I'll see you tomorrow."
~o0o~
The barest hints of a grey dawn were just beginning to filter through her window when the shrill, tinny tones of Madonna's 'Like a Virgin' woke Bella from a dead sleep. Snorting yet again at Emmett's choices of ring tones, she groped her night stand for the offending gadget and answered. "Hello Edward."
"Hello love. You sound sleepy. Did I wake you?"
She cracked an eye and glanced at the alarm clock. "Yeah, you did," she croaked. "It's five a.m. Edward, I'm human, I've graduated and I'm currently unemployed. Aside from chronic insomnia, a screaming kid, or a passion for fishing—none of which I'm plagued with—why would I be up?"
"No need for sarcasm, love. I just wanted to hear your lovely voice and couldn't wait any longer. Also, I wanted to let you know that I won't be back today after all. I'm tracking a mountain lion. It's the first one I've found on this trip, and I can't resist." She rubbed her forehead in frustration but said nothing. When the silence stretched to awkwardness, he spoke. "Bella? Are you upset with me, love? If you are, I guess I can head home. I just thought, since there are no threats and with the wedding, and...you know, the honeymoon being so close, I should hunt as much as possible."
She sighed, her hand flopping back on the mattress as sudden guilt flooded her. "No Edward, that's fine. You're completely right, you should hunt as much as you're able. It's just, well, I miss you for one and I was really looking forward to discussing some things but it's nothing that can't wait."
"Are you sure, love? I can come back…"
She smiled wanly. "No, go, enjoy today and come back to me when you're ready. It's fine, really."
She could hear the smile in his voice when he answered, "Thank you, love. I'll see you tomorrow, I promise."
"Okay."
"I love you, Bella."
"I love you too, Edward."
The call disconnected and she placed her phone on the night stand as she rolled over to try to go back to sleep.
It seemed like she'd just closed her eyes when the sound of Hound Dog by Elvis jolted her awake once again. The realization that that was Jake's ring tone made her breath hitch and she grappled for the phone, now instantly awake. "Jake?!"
"Yeah Bells, it's me," he said, his tone subdued. "How are you?"
She sat up, one hand running through the nest that was her hair. "I'm—I'm pretty good, Jake. How are you?"
"All right, I guess."
She blew out a breath. "Look, don't take this the wrong way, but I'm surprised you're calling. I mean, the last time we spoke, you basically said I was dead to you."
The sound of a heavy breath gusted over the speaker. "I know Bells, and I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. Hell, there's a lot of things I shouldn't have said and I hope you can forgive me. I—I miss you."
Tears filled her eyes. "God, I miss you too, Jake."
She heard him chuckle sadly. "So, you got any plans for the day? How about coming to the rez to hang out? We'll drink warm sodas and just…be Jake and Bells…you know, like we used to."
A bright smile bloomed on her face as a tear ran down her cheek. "That sounds great. I mean, I was supposed to meet with Alice, but that can wait till tomorrow. What time you want me there?" she asked with a quick glance at the clock. She was shocked to see it was already nine a.m.
"As soon as you wanna get here. I'm up and I'll be in the garage."
"All right. I need to grab a shower and stuff, but I'll be there right after that."
"Sounds good," he said.
"Thanks for calling, Jake," she murmured. "I missed this…missed you."
"Yeah," he said quietly. "Me too, Bells."
As soon as the call disconnected, she sent a text to Alice, letting her know she'd be going to the rez to see Jake for the day. Alice immediately sent back a sad face, but told her to be careful and have a good time. After responding back, she hopped out of bed and got ready for the day, quickly tugging her damp hair into a pony tail before rushing down stairs to grab a cereal bar.
With that clutched in her teeth, she climbed in her old truck and cranked the key, praying to every deity it would start. When it did, she grinned, took a huge bite of cereal bar and took off.
When she pulled up at Jake's, her eyes widened and a low whistle left her lips at the sight of a brand new, sleek, black Ford Mustang parked just outside his ramshackle garage. She hopped out, closed the door of her truck and laughed when Jake grabbed her and spun her around. "'Bout time you got here Swan."
She laughed as he set her down. "Hey, I'm lucky the old tank started. I didn't wanna push it, you know?"
He glanced at the truck. "Yeah, it didn't sound too good. I think you're gonna need new wheels soon."
She waved off the statement. "Let's not talk about that." She motioned to the Mustang. "Whose ride is that?"
He looked sheepish while running a hand over his hair. "It's mine."
Her brows rose. "Wow. You hit the lotto or something?"
He glanced away before looking back at her. "Since when were you all into cars? Come on," he said, grabbing her hand. Let's grab a soda and maybe head to the beach."
She gave him a wide smile and fell into step next to him as he led her to the garage. "Sounds perfect."
When they entered, he dropped her hand and headed over to the work bench at the side while motioning to the little fridge in the opposite corner. "Grab the sodas, will you? I need to put away a couple tools and I'll be ready to go."
"Sure." She walked over to the fridge, opened it and bent down, but before she could grab the sodas, she felt a cloth cover her nose and mouth while a thickly muscled arm circled her waist to pull her back against a hard body.
Her eyes went wide, her screams muffled as she struggled against her captor, all the while trying to breathe past the slightly sweet, chemical smell on the cloth. "I'm sorry Bells," a familiar voice whispered in her ear, "but this is for your own good. I promise, sweetheart. I promise."
'Jake?!' her mental voice screamed as her vision slowly narrowed while the strength drained from her limbs. 'Jake's doing this?! But…why?!'
Those were the last coherent thoughts she had before everything faded to black.
A growl resonated from deep in the chest of the russet wolf as his supernaturally massive form melted back into the night-shrouded tree line behind Chief Swan's house. He'd been there for the better part of the last three days, patiently listening for any information that would back up the mind-reader's claims.
Today, he'd hit pay dirt; first with the psychic leech's visit earlier and just now with Bella's somewhat cryptic phone call.
He'd been beyond shocked when, two weeks earlier, the hated bloodsucker had called him wanting to meet. Now, he was damn glad he'd finally agreed, despite his earlier misgivings.
To Jake's everlasting shock, the bastard had been telling the truth. Isabella was determined to be turned into a leech while her bloodsucker—Edward—was dead set against it.
The mighty wolf huffed at his unintentional pun as he continued making his way toward the rez.
Once back on Quileute lands, he phased and pulled on his shorts before fishing his phone from the pocket to make a call.
"Well? Did you hear what you needed to hear, mutt?"
His lip curled in revulsion at the sound of his most hated enemy's voice. "Yeah leech, I did. She even called the Italian's."
"When?" Edward snapped sharply.
"About ten minutes ago. She talked to a bloodsucker she called Uncle Vittorio and told him what was going on—in a round-about way, anyway."
"Hmm, that was most likely Aro. So, what did he say?"
"He said he'd send her cousin Demetri to take care of it and that he'd be arriving sometime late tomorrow."
"Shit!" the mind-reader cursed before breathing out a frustrated sigh. "This means we need to act sooner than expected. You okay with that?"
Jacob scoffed. "Yeah man, everything's set and I've got nothing better to do."
"Good, so you'll call her early tomorrow and get things started?"
"Yeah, I will." Jake ran a hand over his shaggy hair, mumbling as he paced, "I can't believe I'm going along with a leech."
He could hear the sneer in Edward's voice as he responded. "Yeah well, this leech is trying to prevent her from becoming what I am, mutt. Be grateful."
"Grateful," Jacob sneered. "Sure, sure."
"Whatever, mutt," Edward spat back. "Just follow the plan."
Jacob bit back a growl. "You swear you're not gonna hurt her, right? I mean, I don't see why she can't just stay here on the rez. We would protect her!"
"Oh, for the love of… How many times must I tell you? I'm the one that's going to prevent her change and eternal damnation! What part of that aren't you getting? And we've been over this. You keep her on the reservation, you risk the safety of not only your pack, but all of your people. The Volturi don't play games and they're nothing like Victoria and her rag-tag newborns. Make no mistake, they'd slaughter every last one of you, even if you had our help!
"But fine Jacob…fine! You need further reassurance? Here it is. I'm only doing this so I can get her away long enough to convince her not to throw away her human life—her family, her friends! When that's done, I'll bring her back, safe and sound, and most important of all - human! By that time, the Volturi will have lost interest, I'll leave her with you, and my family and I will pack up and disappear for the rest of your natural lives. Good enough for you?"
Jacob bristled at the mind-reader's tone, his hand tightening dangerously on his fragile phone as he breathed through the tremors that wracked his body. When his jaw loosened enough to speak, he answered. "Yeah leech, that's good enough for me."
"Good, I'll see you tomorrow."
~o0o~
The barest hints of a grey dawn were just beginning to filter through her window when the shrill, tinny tones of Madonna's 'Like a Virgin' woke Bella from a dead sleep. Snorting yet again at Emmett's choices of ring tones, she groped her night stand for the offending gadget and answered. "Hello Edward."
"Hello love. You sound sleepy. Did I wake you?"
She cracked an eye and glanced at the alarm clock. "Yeah, you did," she croaked. "It's five a.m. Edward, I'm human, I've graduated and I'm currently unemployed. Aside from chronic insomnia, a screaming kid, or a passion for fishing—none of which I'm plagued with—why would I be up?"
"No need for sarcasm, love. I just wanted to hear your lovely voice and couldn't wait any longer. Also, I wanted to let you know that I won't be back today after all. I'm tracking a mountain lion. It's the first one I've found on this trip, and I can't resist." She rubbed her forehead in frustration but said nothing. When the silence stretched to awkwardness, he spoke. "Bella? Are you upset with me, love? If you are, I guess I can head home. I just thought, since there are no threats and with the wedding, and...you know, the honeymoon being so close, I should hunt as much as possible."
She sighed, her hand flopping back on the mattress as sudden guilt flooded her. "No Edward, that's fine. You're completely right, you should hunt as much as you're able. It's just, well, I miss you for one and I was really looking forward to discussing some things but it's nothing that can't wait."
"Are you sure, love? I can come back…"
She smiled wanly. "No, go, enjoy today and come back to me when you're ready. It's fine, really."
She could hear the smile in his voice when he answered, "Thank you, love. I'll see you tomorrow, I promise."
"Okay."
"I love you, Bella."
"I love you too, Edward."
The call disconnected and she placed her phone on the night stand as she rolled over to try to go back to sleep.
It seemed like she'd just closed her eyes when the sound of Hound Dog by Elvis jolted her awake once again. The realization that that was Jake's ring tone made her breath hitch and she grappled for the phone, now instantly awake. "Jake?!"
"Yeah Bells, it's me," he said, his tone subdued. "How are you?"
She sat up, one hand running through the nest that was her hair. "I'm—I'm pretty good, Jake. How are you?"
"All right, I guess."
She blew out a breath. "Look, don't take this the wrong way, but I'm surprised you're calling. I mean, the last time we spoke, you basically said I was dead to you."
The sound of a heavy breath gusted over the speaker. "I know Bells, and I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. Hell, there's a lot of things I shouldn't have said and I hope you can forgive me. I—I miss you."
Tears filled her eyes. "God, I miss you too, Jake."
She heard him chuckle sadly. "So, you got any plans for the day? How about coming to the rez to hang out? We'll drink warm sodas and just…be Jake and Bells…you know, like we used to."
A bright smile bloomed on her face as a tear ran down her cheek. "That sounds great. I mean, I was supposed to meet with Alice, but that can wait till tomorrow. What time you want me there?" she asked with a quick glance at the clock. She was shocked to see it was already nine a.m.
"As soon as you wanna get here. I'm up and I'll be in the garage."
"All right. I need to grab a shower and stuff, but I'll be there right after that."
"Sounds good," he said.
"Thanks for calling, Jake," she murmured. "I missed this…missed you."
"Yeah," he said quietly. "Me too, Bells."
As soon as the call disconnected, she sent a text to Alice, letting her know she'd be going to the rez to see Jake for the day. Alice immediately sent back a sad face, but told her to be careful and have a good time. After responding back, she hopped out of bed and got ready for the day, quickly tugging her damp hair into a pony tail before rushing down stairs to grab a cereal bar.
With that clutched in her teeth, she climbed in her old truck and cranked the key, praying to every deity it would start. When it did, she grinned, took a huge bite of cereal bar and took off.
When she pulled up at Jake's, her eyes widened and a low whistle left her lips at the sight of a brand new, sleek, black Ford Mustang parked just outside his ramshackle garage. She hopped out, closed the door of her truck and laughed when Jake grabbed her and spun her around. "'Bout time you got here Swan."
She laughed as he set her down. "Hey, I'm lucky the old tank started. I didn't wanna push it, you know?"
He glanced at the truck. "Yeah, it didn't sound too good. I think you're gonna need new wheels soon."
She waved off the statement. "Let's not talk about that." She motioned to the Mustang. "Whose ride is that?"
He looked sheepish while running a hand over his hair. "It's mine."
Her brows rose. "Wow. You hit the lotto or something?"
He glanced away before looking back at her. "Since when were you all into cars? Come on," he said, grabbing her hand. Let's grab a soda and maybe head to the beach."
She gave him a wide smile and fell into step next to him as he led her to the garage. "Sounds perfect."
When they entered, he dropped her hand and headed over to the work bench at the side while motioning to the little fridge in the opposite corner. "Grab the sodas, will you? I need to put away a couple tools and I'll be ready to go."
"Sure." She walked over to the fridge, opened it and bent down, but before she could grab the sodas, she felt a cloth cover her nose and mouth while a thickly muscled arm circled her waist to pull her back against a hard body.
Her eyes went wide, her screams muffled as she struggled against her captor, all the while trying to breathe past the slightly sweet, chemical smell on the cloth. "I'm sorry Bells," a familiar voice whispered in her ear, "but this is for your own good. I promise, sweetheart. I promise."
'Jake?!' her mental voice screamed as her vision slowly narrowed while the strength drained from her limbs. 'Jake's doing this?! But…why?!'
Those were the last coherent thoughts she had before everything faded to black.
DISCLAIMER: Twilight and its inclusive material is copyright to Stephenie Meyer. Original creation, including but not limited to plot and characters, is copyright to the respective authors of each story. No copyright infringement is intended.