Black Nebula

A Meeting of Sorts

Charlie had insisted on taking me out to dinner for my graduation, but my strange string of luck helped me out on that as well. Billy "convinced" my dad that I'd probably want to hang out with my friends at their graduation parties anyway, so they might as well get a head start on some football game that happened to be on later. I was eternally grateful to Billy for getting me out of spending an hour trying to figure out new ways to hide food.

Charlie dropped me and the cruiser off at the house, and climbed into the truck that Jacob was driving Billy around in. Edward soon pulled up once they left, and practically ran out the car to the house. Once in his arms, it felt like his lips were pulsating against mine. The kiss was so urgent that I was glad I didn't need to breathe because I didn't want to pull out of the kiss yet.

"Have I told you that I loved you?" He asked. I opened my eyes to his and started to answer him, but he promptly interrupted me. "Why was Alice blocking me?"

Agghh, he's evil. He knew I'd be dazzled. "Victoria is the one that is behind the newborns in Seattle and they're coming here." I took a step back from him, unsure how he was going to react. "She's hell bent on killing me because you killed James."

"No, Bella I don't think it's her." He said, even though the worry was written across his face.

"Edward stop being stupid. Think about it. If the wolves had stopped Laurent in time, I'd still be a human, that was constantly with the wolves. You say you were about to come back, but what if you hadn't? I'd still be just as well protected with a bunch of wolves as if I'd been with your family the whole time. Victoria tried getting at me directly, but it didn't work. An army of newborn vampires makes a whole lot of sense. Victoria saw it as the only way to get around the werewolves and get to me at the same time."

"But you're not human anymore." The more he tried to argue the more I knew I was right. Having someone argue a different point, just made me surer of myself.

"She didn't know that until after she started the army, until she went to see Irina. Irina saw me as a vampire and said she wasn't mad at me for what happened to Laurent. If she joined forces with Victoria, she would have shared that information. The only thing that neither of them counted on is that you'd all come back.

Edward looked at the clock and saw that there wasn't much time before Jacob arrived. Carlisle and Alice would be arriving soon as well. I was glad that Jacob was agreeing to this, I also prayed that eventually Jacob would see that there was no need for any animosity between the Cullen's and the pack.

I came out of my thoughts as I heard the door open. Jacob's massive body engulfed the frame of the door, and I couldn't even see past him. "You should really lock the door."

"Why? Whatever's out there to get me wouldn't be stopped from a locked door." I realized how nonchalantly I said that, and I was sorry that I was a danger magnet.

"Hmph." Jake said as he walked into the house completely. Embry, Seth, and Quil took turns walking in, following their leader with no reservations. They undoubtedly knew what I was, but like Jacob, they saw my house, no Charlie's house, as neutral ground. "Why do we need to do this again?" Jacob asked.

"No matter where we live, we always consider Forks to be our home, and in the future we would like to return. Your tribe has a long memory, and though we respect your terms of the current treaty, there are a few amendments that we'd like to see happen." Edward paused, "My father and sister are on their way, but first, Jacob there is something I would like to say to you."

I looked up at Edward, since I had no idea what he was going to say, or do for that matter. Jacob and the others tensed up.

"No, Jacob. Bella is free to choose who she wants to be with. I know in my," he looked at me, then back to Jacob, "in my absence, you filed the holes that I left in Bella. And while it's hard for my pride, I accept the consequences. As you were piecing her back together, you fell in love with her, and I suspect that maybe one day, she may have returned those feelings, had Laurent not changed her in the meadow. But nonetheless, I want to thank you. I did what I did because I thought I was protecting her, keeping Bella, out of my world seemed to be the most logical option that I had to keep her safe. But my world had already collided with her and it wasn't going to stop. You protected her when I should have stayed. And I will always be grateful to you."