Trust Me (A Jacob/Edward friendship story)

Chapter 16- What happens in the tent, stays in the tent...

Author’s note: This chapter is dedicated to 1sweetmoment for reasons I am sure she already knows :) I had to honour at least one of my chapters to her because she provides such amazing feedback, and has a deep insight into Jacob and Edward’s personalities. Thank you for being such an amazing reader and fan!

Thank you to everyone who voted and commented on the previous chapter, I really appreciate it and am glad most of you thought it right that Rose should apologise to Jacob, and that Jake and Edward’s farewell outside was a nice way to end Jake’s stay :)

So as I said at the end of the previous chapter, from here on in (unless otherwise stated), you can assume that everything that occurred during Eclipse and Breaking Dawn happened almost exactly as they did in canon. In a generic sense, Jacob would have focused a majority of his time on winning Bella’s love, which would not (as it did in canon) have involved insulting Edward to her face. I also feel that any confrontations between the rivals would have been less intense than in canon. Essentially, they both have more respect for one another, and focus on developing Bella’s love for them, rather than openly warring with one another. But to be clear, they are still rivals and they are still competing, just in a more respectful, less subtle way. For example, I do not envision my ‘new’ Edward kidnapping Bella to prevent her from seeing Jacob. I actually re-read moments in Eclipse and am horrified by the extent both of them went to keep Bella away from the other! I see my Edward and Jacob as being fair- Edward keeping true to his word that he wants Bella to be happy (knowing that Jake is a decent guy), and Jacob respecting Edward too much to insult/intentionally hurt him. I hope you find these slight alterations plausible given what had developed to date in ‘Trust me’.

So, the scenes I have re-written are ones I feel would have changed significantly (given the alterations Jake being bitten by Victoria caused), or ones I simply wanted to rewrite from another character’s perspective :) Most of the chapters from here on in are favourites of mine; the scenes created by Stephenie Meyer with a ‘Trust me’ twist! On a more serious note, this chapter (and many of those following) contain some direct quotes from Eclipse/Breaking Dawn. So please note that these lines were not of my creation, but were taken directly from the corresponding scenes in the novels to which they refer.

I really hope you enjoy this chapter- I am sure the name of this chapter gives away which Eclipse moment this is J Enjoy!

‘Trust me’

Chapter 16- What happens in the tent stays in the tent…

Edward’s POV

It was nights like this that I would give anything to have a body temperature higher than freezing. I was pushed up against the far corner of the tent. My Bella was on the other opposite side, huddled in a thousand blankets, yet still dangerously freezing. I couldn’t feel the chill, but the sound of the wind, and Bella’s incessant shivering was enough to tell me that humans were not created to live up here. What I would have given to be able to hug Bella close to me and share one another’s warmth, I cannot express. Instead I felt isolated from her as I kept the largest gap possible between us. I could tell she missed my touch and I hers- it sickened me that in this weather, my skin would only function to kill her faster.

As I watched Bella rock back and forth, her entire body shaking, I knew I needed to think of some way- any way to keep her warm. Blankets were not enough- Bella had little warmth left to heat them up. She needed another heat source… a heater? Even if I could run home and back, she could be seriously ill by the time I returned. Bella jumped a little when I spoke aloud for the first time in five minutes, and my words were not even directed at her, though of course, everything I did that night was for her.

“Jacob?” I called, knowing that he was just outside the tent. Although he was sitting in the freezing cold, Jacob was quite happily warm in his long red-brown fur.