Life's Little Storms Ch. 16
~ Jacob~
I quietly closed the door to the guest bedroom, and shed my t-shirt. Melody's small form was laying in the middle of the bed. I couldn't help but smile as I stepped closer to the bed. Her face was wiped clear of the angst and fear that had somehow made itself comfortable on her face over the past few weeks.
Slowly, I slid into the bed beside her. Her breathing hitched and a groan moved past her lips. Melody squinted her eyes at me. "Jacob?"
I hushed her. "Sh, baby. It's me."
She hummed and rolled into me. "You're here."
"Yes, ma'am, I am." I pressed a small kiss to the top of her head.
"Any news?"
"Nothing besides the usual."
A line formed between her eyebrows. "I can't remember if that is good or bad."
I smoothed it out with my thumb. "Me neither."
I shifted so that I was situated with her tucked into my side. I felt the slight pressure of Melody's lips on my neck. The three words that I've only said to a select group of people danced on my lips.
"I love..." I cleared my throat. You."I love it when you do that."
A light giggle left Melody's lips before she pressed another kiss to my neck. She snuggled closer to my body.
"I'll keep that in mind, handsome."
I didn't reply. Instead, I let Melody's breathing even back out before I let my own eyes drift close.
,*.
Blood. I was surrounded by puddles of blood. All around me there were bodies scattered around. I recognized faces of my friends and the Cullen's on the ground. A chill ran through my body as I began sprinting around in the snow. Melody. That is who I wanted to see.
The longer I ran, the longer the path to the end of the clearing seemed to be. The path in front of me began to narrow towards the end. My footsteps slowed when a scream pitched out from somewhere in the woods. I had heard this scream before, but I couldn't quite place it. Bella? Leah?
I picked up my pace until the trees around me became a blur of brown and tree line broke off, and I burst through them as though I were on fire. And in someway, I guess I was. What was before me, was shocking.
A line of people in black cloaks stood in the center of the field. My eyes were trained on the gap where a girl stood. Her dark curls were elegantly pinned to the side with white roses thread among them. She had on a black ball gown. It was tight around her delicate torso, but flowed out once it reached her hips. Dangling from her hand, was a single black rose. I could smell the fresh blood from where one of the thorns had pricked her skin. Even with the dark aura around her, she seemed to shine like a goddess. Her beauty put me in a daze that was broken the moment a black wolf walked behind her.
The goddess' voice cracked when she spoke, "Jacob."
My body froze as the earth shattered around me. Melody was the woman standing before me. A tremor went through me, but it was almost as if the wolf inside of me refused to come out. My body refused to shift. A surge of panic went through me.
"Jacob, please." Her voice became more frantic as the wolf got closer. "Jacob, please!"
It was directly behind her now. I tried to move, but my feet were frozen to the ground below me. Melody's cries turned into frantic screams.
"Jacob! Help me, please, help me, Jacob!" Salty tears began to fall from my imprint's
eyes. "I need you, Jake! Help me!"
"It's going to be okay, Melody." I tried to say, but the words seemed to fall before they could reach her ears. I screamed, "I'm going to help you!"
The black wolf seemed to grin at my words, knowing that Melody couldn't hear me over her own cries. It raised on it's fore legs before swinging its head down. Its jaws clamped around Melody's neck, instantly silencing her. Blood poured down her neck, and her eyes were stuck with fear in them. Despair ripped itself through my chest.
"No!"
My feet tore through the icy hold it had on me, and I sprinted to where Melody was laying in the snow. I scooped her up into my lap, cradling her to my chest. Her body was freezing. I ran a hand through her hair.
"C'mon, Mel." I sobbed, tilting my head forward. "Please, wake up. I need you to wake up. I love you!"
No matter how many times I pleaded, everything about Melody remained motionless. After minutes of sobbing over my imprint, my gaze traced her arm to where her hand laid curled up in the snow. A few inches away from her fingers was the black rose. The only place where someone saw constant black was a funeral. And there was only one thing that called for a funeral.
Death.
,*.
I jerked awake. A deep breath rattled through me once I realized I was no longer in the middle of the snow covered field. I turned my face away from the tear soaked pillow underneath me, and reached out for my Melody. My fingers came up with empty space. After a few minutes of looking, I turned around. The space beside me was empty. My heart stuttered, but stopped once I heard the tinkling laugh of Melody from downstairs.
I quickly changed into different clothes then made my way down the stairs. Melody was standing in the middle of the kitchen was her long hair pulled back into a messy ponytail covered in flower. Dangling from her right hand was a pan that carried a black pancake. Carlisle stood beside her swatting a newspaper around the black cloud above them. Melody continued to giggle while Carlisle had a smile on his face. She must have sensed my presence because she spun around. Her face lit up even further when she saw that it really was me.
"Hey!" She gasped loudly. I didn't say a word as I walked to her. I grasped her flour covered body in my arms and held her against me, ignoring the pan that had clattered to the floor, but I didn't care. I took comfort in the warmth her body gave off, and the heart that steadily beat against my chest. My eyes fluttered closed, and I rested my head in the crook of her neck. The smell of brown sugar and vanilla filled my nose. Melody seemed shock and this time, softly said, "Hey."
Melody softly ran her fingers through my hair. Our bodies swayed back and forth for a few minutes before I broke away. Mel looked at me with watery eyes. "What's wrong, handsome?"
"I just..." I scratched the back of my head. "I had a really bad dream last night."
Mel gave me a slightly guilty look. "I'm sorry, babe. I should have been there when you woke up, but I got hungry and I figured you would want some sleep."
I smiled at her. "The only thing you need to be sorry for is making awful pancakes."
She gasped. "Hey! It was an accident!"
"Sure, sure." I scooped up the pan from the floor and walked to the sink to wash it. "Now step back and watch the pro do it."
Melody dramatically swept her arms towards the stove. "Please do, but every pancake you burn, you owe me five bucks."
"You're on." I kissed her cheek swiftly. She tilted her head and laughed. All morning we stood by the stove, burning pancakes until Rosalie came in and bitched us out. In the end, Melody and I went to IHOP for their unlimited amount of pancakes. In the end, I ended up owing Melody forty bucks, which only made her laugh harder.
~Melody~
The pan from this morning clattered in the sink, and a surge of panic shot through me as Bella began calling my name. I shut the water off and ran into the living room where she and Edward were sitting.
"What?" I breathed. "What's wrong?"
Both of them grinned at me. Bella breathed a laugh. "We can hear him."
"Him?"
"The baby!" She smiled.
Edward smiled, too. "He likes Melody's voice as well."
"He's happy that we are all in here." He continued. I slowly walked over and knelt beside Edward. He took my hand and gently placed it on Bella's round belly. "Speak to him, Melody."
I grinned and looked at her stomach. "Hey, little guy. We're all excited to for you to be here. We love you, no matter what Alice or anyone else says."
Edward's eyes filled with happiness and hope. "He loves you, too."
Hope filled me too. Not only for them, but for my and Jake's future. Would we sit on the couch and giggle over my swollen stomach someday? Would Edward and Bella be around to tell my baby that they love him or her? I knew they would probably have to move on sooner or later, but in that moment I didn't even care.
I decided to leave the now happy couple to their giggling and baby talk to go find my own other half. He was standing with Esme and Carlisle at the bottom of the stairs. By the looks on their faces, I knew it wouldn't be good news.
"Carlisle, you're the enemy now." Jacob said, pacing away from them. My heart dropped to my stomach. "Sam won't hesitate. You will be slaughtered."
"Emmett will come with us." Esme nearly pleaded. I stepped further into the room.
"That won't be enough." I whispered. Jacob looked at me and held out his hand to me. He tucked me into his side and together we stared at the other couple.
"We have no choice, Melody. If there's anything we can do to save her, it has to be done."
Jacob spoke up in disbelief. "You'd risk your lives for her?"
"Of course we would! Just like you would risk your life for Melody. Both of them, and you, are a part of our family now." Esme stated with a motherly tone.
He looked down at me. "Yeah, I can see that. This really is a family." He looked out the
window. "As strong as the one I was born into."
There was a long pause before he spoke again. "I know what I have to do."
,*.
Nightfall came quickly. Too quickly for my own liking. I stood amongst the forest with my hand secured into Jacob's. Every now and then a breeze would blow by and a tremor would shake through me. If it was from the cold, or if it was from my fear, I didn't know.
"Jake, they're coming!" Seth said, sprinting up the hill.
"We should phase. We can't protect ourselves like this."
Jacob shook his head. "They'll see it as a threat. I want to talk. It'd be easier if I could hear you too."
Footsteps thudded around, and I moved behind Jacob. The whole point of me being here was that the other wolves by law couldn't hurt me. I shuddered. Laws get broken all the time.
Paul and Jared trotted forward; Paul spat on the forest floor before coming to a halt. Paul glared at him. "This isn't your territory anymore. How's the new family working out for you?"
"Are you done?" Jake rolled his eyes. Quil and Embry emerged behind them. I swallowed and looked at Jacob. His facial expression had not changed, but his jaw had visibly tightened. I placed a hand on his shoulder, softly rubbing it.
"Are you coming home yet, Jake?" Quil asked.
"Not until I finish this."
Paul glared harder. "What do you mean?"
"I want Sam to take back Leah and Seth."
"What?" Leah screeched from behind us.
"No way!" Seth protested.
"Quiet." Jacob snapped. "I want them safe, and I want this over. I don't want my imprint to live in fear of you."
Embry's gaze flicked to me. I knew on some level that had to hurt, considering he was the only one who tried to get to know me.
"I need Sam to wait until Bella is separated from the problem." I clenched my jaw, but stayed quiet.
"You mean when she's dead!" Paul spat. I flinched away once more, another shiver running through me.
"Ease up, Paul." Embry commented.
"Tell Sam that when the moment come's, I'll be the one to destroy it."
"Jake!" Seth and I gasped. "I'm the only one who can. They trust me."
Howls lifted through the air, and I visibly relaxed. They were safe. Everyone was safe. A look of betrayal passed over everyone's faces.
Paul shouted, "You played us!"
Before they all began stomping away. Jacob turned in my arms and I leaned against him. We stood together, not caring about the eyes that were watching us.
"I'm sorry you had to be out here for that."
I rolled my shoulders in a shrug. "I'm your imprint. It's somewhat my job to stand by your side."
He grinned, "I guess so."
Edward approached us once we got inside. The happiness from earlier was wiped from his face. He spoke gently, "Thank you."
"Did they get out all right?"
"Yeah."
"Good."
All of us walked into the living room to see Rosalie and Alice kneeling beside Bella. She smiled at us, and stood up.
"Hey, are you okay?"
"Yeah, it's not like I'm the one carrying a demon."
"This is pretty important, Bella. Why don't you tell Jacob what you've decided." Rosalie said with a smile.
"What now?"
Edward smiled at Jacob. "Rose is trying to talk Bella out of her baby names."
"She hates them." Bella smiled.
"Well then I'm on your side no matter what you picked."
"They're not that bad." She said, somewhat exasperated. "If it's a boy, Ej. Edward Jacob."
"Okay, that one's not awful." Rose rolled her eyes. "Why don't you tell him the girl's name?"
"I was playing around with our mom's names, Renee and Esme. And I was thinking Renesmee. "
There was silence. "Renesmee?"
Edward and I both laughed at how Jacob tried to form his lips around the word.
"Is it weird?"
"Um..." Jacob mumbled.
Edward jumped in. "It's not too weird. It's beautiful. It's unique. Certainly fits this
situation. I like Renesmee."
"I agree." I said, giving Bella a smile. She smiled back at me.
Rosalie grabbed Bella's cup and handed it to her. Bella whispered, "He likes it."
Which ended with a roll of Rosalie's eyes. The cup dropped and Bella gasped. A sickening crack echoed around the room. Bella's body bended backwards as though it were part of the Exorcism. She collapsed to her knees, and set us all into motion. We all jumped forward, Edward catching her head.
Edward carried her to the bed and sent me a look. "Melody, you don't need to see this."
Jacob's hands were clenched and he stared at me, almost as if he weren't really comprehending anything. I backed into the corner and watched as Edward gave Rosalie commands. Alice held the phone to her ear and tried to give Bella some type of comfort. The next thing I see is Jacob tackling Rosalie to the ground, and Edward giving Alice even more demands.
"Melody, I need you to come hold Bella's head."
Tears streamed down my face as I walked where Bella was. I caressed her hair and sent silent prayers.
"Keep your heart beating, please, Bella." I pleaded as she thrashed underneath my hands. I watched as a baby appeared in Edward's arms. A tiny cry filled the room.
"Renesmee." Edward murmured.
"Beautiful." She murmured back. She held Renesmee for a brief second before an uncomfortable shift went through her. Renesmee let out a high pitched squeal and Edward quickly placed her into my arms. I started walking out of the room when something in the air shifted.
"Bella?" Jacob called. "Bella?!"
I turned around to see Jacob attempting mouth to mouth on her, but it wasn't working. Rosalie walked in composed, unfazed at Bella laying motionless in the chair.
"Melody." She held her arms out. "I'll take her."
I crouched my body over Renesmee. "Like hell you will."
"I promise I'm okay now."
I turned my body away and trained my eyes on where Edward was pumping Bella's chest.
"I won't kill you. That'd be too easy." Jacob said, his voice cracking. "You deserve to live with this."
Rosalie scooped the baby out of my arms, and Jacob ran out of the house. I collapsed on the floor and drew my knees to my chest. Sobs wracked my body uncontrollably. I crawled out of the door. Somehow I managed to get from the stairs to Jacob, and I collapsed on him. I rested my cheek over his head and looked up. A large white wolf looked back at me.
Anger broke out in me like a hot fire. I picked up a rock and whipped it at whoever it was. The rock bounced off the top of the wolf's head.
"Leave!" I screamed, dropping to my knees. "Don't come back!"
"I'm going to see if I can do anything." Seth said quietly, moving inside the house. Jacob soon followed Seth after he had been gone for a while. I buried my face into my hands and continued to sobbed until a snapping noise caused me to look up. All of the wolves left from the Uley pack were in front of me, growling.
"Melody, get back." Jasper warned. But I was paralyzed in my spot.
It wasn't until they started charging that I stood up. Sam was coming right for me, but I stood my ground. He huffed once he stopped in front of me.
"It doesn't need to be this way!" I sobbed. "Everyone has already lost enough."
Edward began moving, but it was too late. Sam had launched himself straight into me. My body was propelled backwards, and when I finally hit the ground, stars exploded in my vision. Blood roared in my ears, causing it to be hard to hear anything except the fight and my own thoughts. I felt paralyzed on the ground. I couldn't even look at whoever called my name.
I closed my eyes and drifted. The pain in my head and back was too much. It just made me want to close my eyes and drift away.