Fighting Fate
Making Bella cry.
Sam's howl startled him from his sleep, wrenching him out of a nightmare that replayed the events of the night on the beach three weeks ago. Three weeks ago. It had really been three weeks since Hunter had left. Three weeks since she'd broken his heart. Three weeks. Thirty six days. Seventy two hours. Four thousand three hundred and twenty minutes. Two hundred and fifty nine thousand, two hundred seconds. And every last second of their separation was torture. It felt like, though he was here physically, his heart and soul were in New York.
Another howl made him get up and jump out the window, phasing as he hit the ground.
Come here, now, Sam ordered. Rolling his eyes, Jake headed in the direction of Emily's house, behind which was the clearing where they met. Everyone but Jared was waiting. He's at Kim's. Either he didn't hear the howl or he's going to be in trouble when he gets here.
What's going on? a sleepy sounding Leah asked.
They're coming. The day after tomorrow, Sam announced. Alice saw the decision made earlier this evening. Jake, tomorrow you have to help Edward hide Bella in the mountains. You'll stay there with them that night, as a link to the pack, and then we'll send Seth to replace you and you'll come join the fight. Jake listened to his orders and made no protest, even though he'd rather stay home and mope than fight a bunch of newborns out to destroy the girl he used to love. The rest of the meeting was a review of what they'd learned about the newborns, then everyone was sent home, except those sent on patrol, which included Seth and Jake. Jake was mopey, but Seth was remembering a conversation he'd had with Hunter the other day.
She doesn't sound good, Jake, Seth told the older boy, who would have frowned if it were physically possible. She doesn't sound sick or anything, but it was like she'd been crying. Jake didn't say anything, sinking deeper into his depression. I think she wants to come back, Jake. She doesn't seem happy to be there.
Just shut up, Jake growled, and the rest of their patrol was silent. After Jared and Paul had taken their places, Jake went home, collapsed onto his bed, and fell right back into his nightmares.
---
The next day, he met Edward and Bella in the clearing where the fight would take place. Jake was to carry Bella up to the hiding place in the mountains, where Edward would be waiting. He did his job silently, ignoring Bella's every attempt at conversation, because everything she was saying was about how Hunter had left. He was really getting sick of her.
"Look, shut up about my imprint, or I'll drop you here to be lost for the rest of tonight, where you'll either freeze to death or lose seven toes, in which case you'll definitely be stuck here, and those newborns will eat you and the Cullens will finally leave town," Jake snapped, effectively shutting the brunette girl up.
"What happened to us, Jake?" Bella asked sadly, looking away from him. "We used to be so close..."
"Hunter happened," Jake answered shortly. "I imprinted on someone that wasn't you and it pissed you off. Now stop talking. I was serious about dropping you." The rest of the climb to the mountain hideaway was silent, with the occasional sniffle as Bella cried about her hurt feelings. Edward was waiting in front of a tent, glaring in their direction. Once he saw Bella crying, he took his girlfriend from Jake's arms, set her in the tent, then came back out.
"What did you say to her?" he snarled angrily. "Why did you make her cry?" A moment later, he saw the answers in Jake's mind. "Oh." A beat later, he spoke again. "I'll have a talk with her. She's being kind of insensitive."
"I'll say," Jake muttered. "Can I borrow your phone for a minute? There's something I have to take care of before tomorrow." Nodding, Edward produced a small silver cell phone. Taking it, Jake strode away from the tent, going far enough away that Bella wouldn't hear him, but he could still hear what was going on in the tent. He dialed the now familiar number, heart dropping when the voicemail picked up.
"Hi, you've reached Hunter. I can't answer the phone right now, obviously, but leave a message and I'll try to get back to you!" Her cheerful voicemail message knocked a hole through his already damaged heart. It took a moment before he could speak.
"Hunter. Hi. It's Jake. The fight's tomorrow, and in case I don't make it, I want you to know that I love you."
Another howl made him get up and jump out the window, phasing as he hit the ground.
Come here, now, Sam ordered. Rolling his eyes, Jake headed in the direction of Emily's house, behind which was the clearing where they met. Everyone but Jared was waiting. He's at Kim's. Either he didn't hear the howl or he's going to be in trouble when he gets here.
What's going on? a sleepy sounding Leah asked.
They're coming. The day after tomorrow, Sam announced. Alice saw the decision made earlier this evening. Jake, tomorrow you have to help Edward hide Bella in the mountains. You'll stay there with them that night, as a link to the pack, and then we'll send Seth to replace you and you'll come join the fight. Jake listened to his orders and made no protest, even though he'd rather stay home and mope than fight a bunch of newborns out to destroy the girl he used to love. The rest of the meeting was a review of what they'd learned about the newborns, then everyone was sent home, except those sent on patrol, which included Seth and Jake. Jake was mopey, but Seth was remembering a conversation he'd had with Hunter the other day.
She doesn't sound good, Jake, Seth told the older boy, who would have frowned if it were physically possible. She doesn't sound sick or anything, but it was like she'd been crying. Jake didn't say anything, sinking deeper into his depression. I think she wants to come back, Jake. She doesn't seem happy to be there.
Just shut up, Jake growled, and the rest of their patrol was silent. After Jared and Paul had taken their places, Jake went home, collapsed onto his bed, and fell right back into his nightmares.
---
The next day, he met Edward and Bella in the clearing where the fight would take place. Jake was to carry Bella up to the hiding place in the mountains, where Edward would be waiting. He did his job silently, ignoring Bella's every attempt at conversation, because everything she was saying was about how Hunter had left. He was really getting sick of her.
"Look, shut up about my imprint, or I'll drop you here to be lost for the rest of tonight, where you'll either freeze to death or lose seven toes, in which case you'll definitely be stuck here, and those newborns will eat you and the Cullens will finally leave town," Jake snapped, effectively shutting the brunette girl up.
"What happened to us, Jake?" Bella asked sadly, looking away from him. "We used to be so close..."
"Hunter happened," Jake answered shortly. "I imprinted on someone that wasn't you and it pissed you off. Now stop talking. I was serious about dropping you." The rest of the climb to the mountain hideaway was silent, with the occasional sniffle as Bella cried about her hurt feelings. Edward was waiting in front of a tent, glaring in their direction. Once he saw Bella crying, he took his girlfriend from Jake's arms, set her in the tent, then came back out.
"What did you say to her?" he snarled angrily. "Why did you make her cry?" A moment later, he saw the answers in Jake's mind. "Oh." A beat later, he spoke again. "I'll have a talk with her. She's being kind of insensitive."
"I'll say," Jake muttered. "Can I borrow your phone for a minute? There's something I have to take care of before tomorrow." Nodding, Edward produced a small silver cell phone. Taking it, Jake strode away from the tent, going far enough away that Bella wouldn't hear him, but he could still hear what was going on in the tent. He dialed the now familiar number, heart dropping when the voicemail picked up.
"Hi, you've reached Hunter. I can't answer the phone right now, obviously, but leave a message and I'll try to get back to you!" Her cheerful voicemail message knocked a hole through his already damaged heart. It took a moment before he could speak.
"Hunter. Hi. It's Jake. The fight's tomorrow, and in case I don't make it, I want you to know that I love you."
♠ ♠ ♠
Heeeeyooooo! Next chapter will bounce back to Hunter. This story is drawing to a close, because a) I'm tired of it, b) there's not much else I can do plot-wise, and c) I want to get away from the realm of Twilight and focus on my Harry Potter story, because Harry Potter > Twilight. (:Comment/subscribe, you know the drill. (: