Author's note: Thanks so much to everyone who commented, voted and added 'Trust me' to their library. I really, really appreciate it, and am so glad so many of you are loving the story so far. This chapter is dedicated to booksquim for being the first to comment and vote on my previous chapter (and of course for being an awesome fan!) Thank you! I hope you all really enjoy this chapter. Please remember to vote and comment when you're done!
Chapter 2- Resistance
Edward's POV
Much to my surprise, Jacob was given respite from the fiery pain far sooner than I would have expected. When he was able to breathe again, the sound of his gasps filling my ears, I slowly lowered him back to the ground in the hope he would feel more comfortable that way. When Jacob's heart beat had slowed down from its previously alarmingly high rate, I moved away from him to give him some cleaner air to breathe (which did not reek of vampire) and began.
"Do you know the effect vampire venom has on werewolves?" I asked slowly, but in an urgent tone. Given Jacob's current state, I knew I couldn't speak too quickly, but I hoped he could sense the urgency of my questioning.
"No," Jacob replied, looking away from me. "It has never happened before as far as we know... I can't believe I was so stupid!"
I was more than ready to ask the next question, but was momentarily distracted by Jacob's thoughts as I saw him running straight into Victoria's path, his head filled with Bella and nothing else. Despite being a natural at the 'wolf thing', I realised that Jacob must be unable to focus on multiple stimuli which was why he couldn't smell Victoria's scent. I suppose that is something he will learn over time.
I shook myself out of my reverie and reassured Jacob: "We all make mistakes."
"Well this one will cost me my life!" he shouted. Even though I was standing up, I could feel a low tremor in the ground which I knew was caused by Jacob's suppressed sobs.
"You don't know that," I said gently.
"Of course I do! One of those sick, twisted karmic facts of life as a wolf- we fight the 'cold ones' to protect humans, but if we fail, then the tables turn and we become one ourselves! I would prefer death!"
"Please, calm down Jacob."
For a moment it looked like Jacob would object, but then I saw him push his palms against his forehead; his head was aching too. But I would ask him about that later.
"What happened to Victoria?"
"I don't know," he winced, impatiently rubbing his head. "She probably just evaded us again. Paul and Embry chased her that way," Jacob indicated pointing behind him.
"How did they know she was here?"
"Must have heard me howl. They came running, but they didn't see me- she made sure of that," Jacob answered bitterly.
"Surely they continued to search for you?"
"Ha! See where I'm lying, Bloodsucker? Not allowed over here are they? And I'm not strong enough to phase back- I'm completely fucking useless!" Jacob yelled, yet underneath the anger, there was a great sense of hopelessness there- I couldn't help but feel for the boy.
"It is good you didn't phase; it may have made things worse. It was lucky Bella asked me to look for you." I attempted to shift Jacob's perspective, but I was unsuccessful.
"The only thing worse than you finding me would be Victoria. You are not my saviour."
I decided to ignore this and continue with my questioning; I may not be his saviour, but I knew I could help him, if only he would let me.
"About how long ago were you bitten?"
"No problem, let me just whip out the watch I keep tied to my ankle," Jacob hissed sarcastically.
But I was patient. "About how long?"
"There was no sun to guide me, so I have no bloody idea."
"Had you eaten dinner already?"
It looked like Jacob was about to form some other smart arse retort, but then he paused. He remembered that Embry and Paul were to join him at nine- perhaps it was close to then that the incident took place?
I looked at my watch to see it was almost ten thirty, and was about to suggest that it had been a couple of hours since Victoria was here when my phone rang.
I had no problem guessing who it would be. In fact, I was surprised she hadn't called sooner. I wrenched the phone out of my pocket, saw Alice's name pop up on the screen and sighed.
"Excuse me," I said to Jacob as politely as I could, not wanting my annoyance to seep into my tone.
Jake snorted, but his thoughts indicated that he was interested to hear who was calling. Unfortunately for him, I was not about to let that happen as I planned to talk quickly; time had never been so important for Jacob as it was now.
"Alice," I said calmly as I picked up the phone and turned my back on Jacob.
"Edward, where are you? I called Bella and she said you were-" I cut her off.
"Alice, calm down. I am perfectly fine," I asserted in a somewhat tired voice as a hint to her that she had nothing to worry about.
"Calm down?!" she shrieked. "I cannot see you! I know what that means- and don't try to deny it- you're with them aren't you?" she demanded.
I looked at Jacob briefly before answering. "It's a long story and we are running out of time- I need to go."
"Edward Cullen!" Alice screamed. "If you do not tell me what is happening, our family will come searching for you! We've been worried! It drives me crazy when I cannot see!"
"Alice," I said sternly. "I am on our side of the boundary, and I am safe. I promise to tell you everything that has happened. Please inform everyone that I am fine. Also, could you please call Bella for me and tell her that I found the person that she wanted me to find, but I will not be able to see her again tonight. Tell her that I say goodnight, I will call her tomorrow morning and I'm sorry for not being there with her," and I truly was sorry; this would be the first night since Italy that we would not be together.
"I am not going to say anything to Bella until you tell what you are doing that is so important! I demand you tell me!" my sister shrieked.
"You will tell Bella my message as I have more pressing matters to deal with; the person I am with needs my help. I will likely be eliciting Carlisle's assistance later, so please prepare him and make sure he does not go hunting tonight. Consequently, do not freak out if Carlisle's future disappears too-"
"You are not bringing the creature here!" her cries were deafening me and I could tell by Jacob's face that he could hear her tone.
"Trust me, I do not want to consider the consequences that will arise if I do not. I must go now Alice. Call me in an hour, and I should be able to talk then. Don't forget to call Bella for me and make sure Carlisle stays home when he finishes his shift. Do NOT try to find me."
"Edward-"
But I hung up on her and shook my head. I did not know which would be worse, Alice not being able to see which allowed her imagination to run wild, or being able to see and thus able to predict what I was about to do. She was impossible sometimes; I could only hope that she listened to what I said and ensures Carlisle remains at home and tells Bella my message. Nevertheless, Alice was a wonderful sibling and I felt terrible for hanging up on her- but I had more urgent matters to attend to.
"Is this the first time you have experienced pain?" I resumed my questioning as if nothing happened, my mind now primarily focused on the wolf before me.
Jacob stared blankly at me. "Not happy are they?" he asked sharply as if expecting me to flee.
"My sister is..." I tried to find the appropriate word. "Afraid because she cannot see my future- she knows I am with a werewolf."
I saw in Jacob's mind his memory of Alice and I tried to block out the reason why Alice looked so terrified, and Bella was racing out the door despite Jacob's begging and protests.
But then Jake became rather arrogant, satisfied that he had caused my family some discomfort.
"If you do not answer my questions, they may not be the only ones," I responded to his thought in a mildly threatening way. It was my attempt to keep us both on track.
Jacob sighed impatiently. "This is the first time I have experienced pain, other than my head. Is that a problem?"
"No, it is interesting though; humans normally feel the pain immediately, but yours was delayed," I replied thoughtfully; Carlisle would be very interested to hear this.
"People who are turned into vampires experience this agony before they change?" Jacob asked in disbelief.
"Yes, for roughly three days-"
"Three days?"
"Without respite."
Jacob cursed.
I nodded in recognition of his outburst- it was hard to believe that anyone could endure such pain for so long, especially those who do it alone- at least I had Carlisle.
"How do you feel at the moment?" I asked Jacob, looking at his face for hints of pain or emotion.
"Why does it matter? Nothing can be done," Jacob hissed.
"That is not entirely true," I started, giving him a bit of suspense. "Now please tell me how you feel."
Jacob sighed. "Head is killing me... and a dull pain all over but nothing like before. It comes and goes." My plan worked- in Jacob's mind he was thinking about what I could possibly mean- a possible way that I could help, but sadly none of his guesses came close to reality.
My disappointment must have been evident on my face, for Jacob asked, sounding tired now:
"I'm not even close?"
"No, and we've wasted so much time already."
"You're wasting time now by not telling me," came his retort, clouded with frustration.
I chuckled. It wasn't the telling, but the convincing that I was worried about.
"Get on with it Bloodsucker," Jacob insisted bitterly, evidently not liking the mystery.
I took a deep breath, hoping that this would be easy... thank goodness it was a Friday night and no one was expected at school tomorrow. This would be a long night.
"If I were to suck the venom-"
"Hell no!"
"Would you let me finish?" Jacob stared daggers at me, but remained silent. "If you let me, I can eliminate the venom from your system which will hopefully make it impossible for you to become a vampire," I said seriously.
Jacob was considering this in his mind, pondering over what he would gain if what I was saying were true. But then, he suddenly remembered who I was, which changed his entire perspective.
Or he drains me of all my blood.
"I would not do that," I said seriously. But as the words left my mouth, my throat burned with thirst- I hadn't fed in weeks.
"Oh sure, it would be a very convenient way to get me out of the picture- you'd have Bella all to yourself!" Jake spat.
I walked back towards Jacob's lying body, knelt down next to the boy and leant over him a bit so he could see me.
"Firstly, I would never do that to Bella- you are her best friend and she loves you."
Jacob just stared at me; he did not believe my reasoning.
"And secondly, your blood does not smell very good," I smiled a little. "No offense."
Jacob snorted, but was apparently not offended. A second later, I saw why- it was for that reason that Victoria didn't return to feast on him; she was too used to human blood, whereas Jacob's was more animalistic than human.
"What if it doesn't work?" Jacob challenged, as if trying to find some excuse to not have to trust me.
"It will."
"How can you be so sure?" he demanded.
I froze, wondering whether Bella had ever told Jake what happened at the end of the previous year when she was in hospital as a consequence of 'falling down the stairs'.
"Personal experience," I replied carefully.
Jake took a double take and sputtering asked: "With who? Bella!?"
God this was a bad idea. I ran my hand through my hair in distress before replying with a nod.
But instead of yelling, Jacob began searching through his memory until he saw the silver-white bite mark on Bella's hand. The image made my stomach churn, and I cringed- thankfully the boy didn't notice.
"As you know, she is still human."
That was too close you idiot! What if it didn't work?!
Answering Jacob's thoughts, I said quietly but seriously, for nothing matters more to me than Bella's safety. "I cannot begin to tell you how terrified I was when I realised what had happened- and no matter what you may think of me, I have never, nor will I ever want Bella to become a vampire. I know you would like nothing more than to lecture me further, but at the moment I am concerned about your condition, so can we get back to that?" I said rather harshly, as I realised once again how much time we were wasting- why oh why didn't I just do the job without his permission?
Jacob moved uncomfortably and dragged his eyes away from me to stare at the sky again. Rubbing his forehead with his palms, Jacob began taking deep breaths again and I knew I was running out of time before the pain returned.
"Jacob, I need you to trust me."
No.
"I can tell this entire encounter is completely against your every instinct. To trust a vampire may seem impossible, but if you don't, the alternatives could be far worse than that."
Jacob looked at me again- I could tell he was listening.
"You have nothing to lose, Jacob- except perhaps some of your dignity- but that would be a small price to pay, wouldn't it?"
Jacob's thoughts were momentarily side tracked as he thought of his family- his father and how he would react if Jacob told him that Dr. Cullen's son sucked his blood- with permission.
"Do you think your father believes you deserve a life as a vampire over trusting one? I am sure he loves you more than that," I asserted, surprised that Jacob would consider his father's disapproval to be more important than his life.
Jake was contemplative, his eyebrows close together as if wondering which was worse; disappointing his father or becoming a vampire. But I knew the answer and thus asserted:
"No one deserves this life Jacob, not even you. Please, trust me."
I knew that that statement had worked, as Jake's thoughts had resigned to my help, but they were also becoming overcome with pain.
I moved behind Jacob and helped him sit up. He was resistant, not wanting to move- his head was pounding. I nevertheless encouraged him because I needed access to the bite.
With my left arm around his torso and my right rubbing his back firmly, my tough cold skin grazing roughly against his, I spoke into his ear.
Jacob immediately cringed away from my breath, but I didn't let him out of my grip.
"Trust me," I whispered.
Jake shuddered, and made an indistinct noise.
Fear invaded his every thought.
"If we act quickly, I may be able to stop the pain from getting worse, but you need to listen to me, okay Jacob?"
" 'Kay," he breathed out in between ragged breaths.
"I know it seems impossible, but try to remain calm. The venom is in your blood, so the faster your heart beats, the faster the venom travels towards your heart. If it reaches a human's heart, there is no way to reverse the transformation. The effect seems much slower with you though, but nevertheless, try to stay calm."
Jacob didn't reply, but I knew he heard me and I could feel his heart rate slow, if only by a minute amount.
"I am going to place my mouth over the bite Victoria made-" Moving away from Jake's ear for a split second, I looked at the boy's neck again just to make sure that the mark was still there. Jacob wondered the same thing as myself. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, the wolves' accelerated healing did not work with venom infected injuries.
"I am not going to use my teeth because I do not want to risk adding more venom into your blood stream," I resumed, whispering in his ear again.
"But even so, you need to stay as still as you can. I do not want my grip on you to slip. I do not want to tear your skin or make new bite marks. Do you think you can do that for me?"
Jake was feeling doubtful, but knew he had no other choice but to try.
I placed my right hand gently on Jacob's shoulder. "You can do this."
Jake's reply was an ear-piercing scream which, if it were possible, would have deafened me. He writhed in my arms and although I had no problem maintaining my grip on him, I was fearful of Jacob hurting himself against my granite skin.
I was too late to prevent this recent bout of pain, but now that I had Jacob's permission, I braced myself behind the boy again, in preparation for what I was about to do.
When the pain had lessened, albeit only a little, and Jacob was no longer writhing, I snatched up this opportunity- this was my chance.
"I will be as quick as I can, Jacob. Remember what I told you."
Careful. His thought was full of fear and although he was not visibly crying, I knew his body was reacting as if he were.
"I will only drink what I must to eliminate the venom from your system- nothing more."
Uh huh.
"Stay still and relax," I whispered. I moved Jake's head down so the skin around the bite was taut. I tightened my arm around Jacob's torso and felt him cringe under my force. I grabbed his shoulder and ran my thumb along it in what I hoped was a reassuring way as I moved my head towards his bite.
The moment my lips touched his warm skin, Jacob's immediate instinct was to leap away and phase. Sensing this, I squeezed him to me which made the boy yelp out in fear and helplessness. Judging by his erratic thoughts, I was hesitant to begin, but I didn't remove my lips. Instead, I slid my hand up and down his arm. My hands, I knew, would be freezing against his skin, but I was trying to soothe him.
"You're okay, Jacob," I mumbled, my lips moving against his skin. Then bracing myself once again, I began to suck the infected blood out of the bite Victoria had left on Jacob's skin.
Jacob gasped but did his best not to move away from me. I continued to rub his arm as I drank. I was right in thinking werewolf blood didn't taste that pure- the smell definitely was reflective of the taste. But it wasn't bad and it quenched my thirst a little. Of course, the venom made it taste bitter, which greatly reduced the usefulness of his blood for my thirst.
The venom was finally thinning, which was a relief, because I felt I was drinking for much longer than I should have been- I was concerned Jacob was losing too much blood. But the boy was still very much alive for I could hear his heart beating strongly. As if sensing my uncertainty, Jacob wondered how much longer I would be drinking for. I didn't reply (obviously), but I squeezed his shoulder and ensured I had a strong grip on him, should he decide to pull away.
Finally, I could no longer taste the venom in Jacob's blood, so stopped immediately and carefully pulled my mouth away from the wound Victoria left him. Before letting him go, I removed my right hand from his arm and wiped my mouth, just incase there was some of his blood there, which would not have been a good look.
"Well done," I whispered in relief, more than anything else, and gave Jacob's back one final rub before letting him go.
Upon being set free from my grasp, Jacob remained sitting... he was completely rigid.
He was in shock.
But why? Because he thought I would kill him? Because there was no more pain?
No, I was wrong.
Before I could fully comprehend the flow of erratic thoughts that flew through Jacob's mind, the boy was half laughing and half... crying?
I had one word to describe his emotions: Relief.
I let the boy be for a moment, standing to the side, but further away so I wasn't impeding on his privacy.
Thank god. Jake thought to himself as he rested his head in his hands.
Then as if suddenly remembering that his being free of venom did not happen by magic, he turned to me and swallowed. Although I knew the following words were the last he ever would have wanted to say to me, I was very glad to hear them.
Thank you.
I smiled. "You're welcome." I waited to see if the boy would say anything further, but he continued to stare at me, and then suddenly turned away. Unfortunately for him, hiding his face did not prevent me from hearing his thoughts, and consequently, his emotions.
He was upset... I didn't understand his feelings at all and I don't think he did either- he couldn't rationalize why tears were pouring down his face. Half of him was relieved to know he would not be turning into a vampire (for now at least), but the other half wondered at the consequences of my rescuing him; was he indebted to me now? Or perhaps more importantly, was the worst over? What WAS the effect of the venom on werewolves? His thoughts were jumping between relief and confusion and I had to admit I felt similarly. Nevertheless, I wasn't about to judge his tears; if I were in his position and just escaped turning into a vampire, I would be pretty emotional too.
Oh perfect, crying in front of the Bloodsucker... if it weren't for him, you could be one of them by now. Shit...he can hear me.
I smiled a little at his thoughts, not in an arrogant way, only because his line of reasoning was very similar to mine.
"You hear that?" he asked, his back still turned to me as he aggressively wiped away his tears.
"Yes," I replied quietly not wanting my amusement to get away from me. Nevertheless, I hoped he could hear the smile in my voice.
Damn it.
"I don't blame you for your feelings. I pass no judgment on you. Though I am curious- has the pain gone? And how is your head feeling?"
"The fire has stopped, it felt like it was tearing my nerves to pieces!"
"I remember the feeling well," I said seriously and with empathy.
"My head is still pounding though, I think cry- what happened tonight made it worse."
I chuckled inwardly. Although I could not remember how it felt to cry, I have been told that crying can make headaches worse.
"That's good to hear, though I think you should see a doctor about your head-" I was about to suggest he see Carlisle, when he interrupted me.
"I'll go home and drive to the hospital," Jake insisted, standing up unsteadily and attempted to walk past me.
"Hang on," I insisted, blocking his way. Jacob was angry for my interference, but suddenly, he grabbed his head and a moan escaped his lips. I caught Jacob around his waist and supported his weight. He was still conscious, but very weak. I should have known that amount of blood loss would make him feel faint. But there was no time to berate myself for my stupidity.
"Jacob, I need to take you to my home. I think my father- Dr. Cullen should take a look at you and give you some donated blood," I said seriously, already walking in the direction of my house, not willing to run just yet until he had responded to me.
But my assertion seemed to wake him from his stupor.
"No, I am NOT going to see him! Are you insane? Do you think I am insane? A house filled with vampires? My father would never forgive me!" Jacob was frantic through his lightheadedness, because a part of him knew he may not have much of a choice.
"You think your father would approve of you going to a normal doctor who will feel your high temperature and see the bite on the back of your neck? They will notice," I said pointedly, hoping Jacob would realize quickly that my option was far better.
"Then I will go home and rest- the pain will go away."
"But you may have concussion, a blood clot, a small haemorahage- you hit your head very hard," I pointed out. "Not to mention the blood loss."
"Since when are you the doctor?" Jake demanded.
"You may still be in danger- we don't yet know exactly what vampire venom does to werewolves." I continued, ignoring his question. Of course, I knew a lot about medicine; I have lived over 100 years with a doctor, but I was not about to waste valuable time pointing this out to him.
"My dad will know-"
"You said it has never happened before-"
"Someone has to know!" Jacob shouted, grabbing his head again and rubbing his forehead vigorously. He was no longer able to support his weight.
I helped the boy stand upright and turned him to look at my face instead of focusing on the pain.
"You need to see Dr. Cullen," I said clearly and simply.
"No, I can't- I won't!"
"You don't have a choice, Jacob. A normal doctor would be suspicious. Without some help, you will not be able to rest, your pain is too intense, and you are lightheaded."
"I hate your stupid gift!" Jacob half yelled, half sobbed.
"Shhh," I soothed and quicker than I had intended, I wrapped my arms around Jacob, holding him to me, "calm down."
Despite his fear and panic, Jacob was intensely confused by my gesture, as was I. But he remained completely still, not even bothering to move his arms so they were no longer trapped between my body and his. It was becoming difficult for me to be inside his head through all of this- so I wanted to make it better for him if I could. As much as werewolves are my natural enemies, I could never forget that he was the reason that my Bella was still alive. Even though I knew the boy hated me for what I did to Bella (though not as much as I hated myself), and could never conceive any form of truce between our kinds, I could not help but comfort him through what I knew must have been the worst moment of his life.
"Listen to me," I said, my chin only just able to rest on his shoulder as I spoke away from him so my breath wouldn't agitate his ear. "Dr Cullen has been looking after humans for three hundred years. He has developed a resistance against the scent of human blood, and given his years of experience he is the best doctor there is. You could not be in better hands."
"My father-"
"Your father, I am sure, loves you. The ramifications that would arise if you went to a doctor who is human would be severe- it is safer for yourself and both of our races, if you see my father. I am sure your father will forgive you, but if not, I am happy for you to say I forced you to come," I added and I genuinely meant it.
"Your house-"
"Is filled with vampires, and it will smell highly unpleasant to you, I am sure. My family are controlled, and with Carlisle- my father, his wife Esme, and myself with you, the others will not touch you, I promise," I spoke sincerely.
Jacob pushed me away from him then; apparently he had regained some of his strength. I let him go, but when I realised he was doing some serious thinking, I spent my time patiently running through my head everything I needed to do before I arrived home with Jacob (the most important of which was to call Carlisle).
"I want to call my father before we go-"
"I do not think that is a good idea- your brothers will most likely stop us. I can run faster than them, but it seems like I will be forced to carry you and I do not want to make your injuries worse."
"I- I need clothes. I can run home and get some." I could tell Jacob was getting desperate to find an excuse to leave, but it was only then that I remembered he was naked; the leaf lay abandoned on the debris beneath our feet.
"You cannot run- you can barely walk, so it would not be a good idea for you to phase. My brother is about the same size as you, you can wear one of his pairs of shorts."
"They will stink-"
"We can wash them-"
"In a house filled with your stench?"
I was becoming impatient, but knew I had to remain the more rational and calm one in this situation. Knowing that Jacob would not be able to get far in his current state, I said:
"In that case, I will be back soon." I placed Jacob next to a tree, which he immediately leaned on and then raced to the nearest clothing store, found a pair of shorts I knew would fit Emmett and thus Jacob, asked the owner to wrap it, paid a good price and ran back with the clothing. I was gone for only three minutes and had never once touched the shorts. I placed them at Jacob's feet- he was staring at me in shock. I turned around so he could put them on.
When he was clothed (or at least, partially so), he once again made an attempt to go home. Of course, I was too fast for him.
"You need to trust me, Jacob."
Jacob shook his head.
"You gave me your trust before and it may well have saved your life. You need to try," I persisted firmly.
"You ask too much of me. This goes against everything I have been taught and everything I feel inside me. I cannot trust the one doctor my father always told me never to talk to no matter what," Jacob explained in a solemn tone as if he were caught in the middle of two evils.
Ignoring my disappointment that Carlisle was perceived so terribly by the wolves, I walked up to Jacob and said: "I know you are terrified, I would be too if my reasoning told me that I would be safest in a house of werewolves. It is okay to be frightened and to fight me all the way to my home. But in this situation, I believe I know what is best for you and I know that you know what is best for you, so I will force you, if I must, to do what we both know you must, even if every fibre in your body prevents you from walking away from your family," I said honestly, looking behind me at La Push.
"No... I- I can't."
"You must; I know my father can help you- who better to know about the effects of venom than he?"
"But my father will be wondering where I am- my brothers are probably still looking for me- they'll be worried," he protested, staring longingly towards his home and his family's side of the boundary.
"I promise you can call him when you are safely at my house-"
"Safe?" Jacob snapped in disbelief.
"Yes, safe." And I was serious.
Jacob stared at me for a long while. When the pain from his head interrupted his silence, replacing it with a scream of agony, rendering him incapable of speech, I grabbed the boy's shoulders in an effort to keep him grounded in reality.
"Jacob-"
Take me. I heard his thought only briefly through his screams of pain, but he didn't need to ask twice.
Author's note: Thanks to booksquim for letting me know that i forgot to write an author's note! Haha, anyway i hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Remember to comment and vote (i can see some of you have already done this!) and i will update the same time next week :) Thanks so much for reading everyone!