herumtreiber

Title: Accompanied sonata
Author:

herumtreiber
Rating: R
Warnings: Angst and violence
Characters: Edward/Jacob
Chapter length: 4,698 words
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, Stephenie Meyer does, nor do I make any money from this writing.
Summary: After the events of Eclipse, Edward mulls over his upcoming marriage. A relationship slowly develops between him and Jake. But they face opposition from the pack and some members of Edward's family. What will happen to Bella and how will the Volturi react?
Notes: Since this ends in a cliffhanger, I'll try to update next week.

Table of contents

Chapter seven

In the distance, I heard a wolf howling.

I was startled from my sleep. I'd stayed up late the other night, staring at the stars with Edward. The last day was pretty busy, seeing how we had final tests at school. Wasn't too worried about physics and math, but the lit teacher had it in for me. I had to read some sea novel with old words I didn't know.

The wolf howled again. I recognized Seth, he seemed to be distressed. As I put on my cutoff jeans I wondered what bothered him. At school he had seemed all right. Maybe he was stressed by the exams, too? Not bothering with a t-shirt or shoes, I walked out of my bedroom, pausing at the threshold when I smelled eggs and bacon.

"Come on, Jake! Breakfast's ready."

Shaking my head, I went to the kitchen. Dad shouldn't have bothered. He insisted on doing all kind of things by himself which worried me when I left him alone. On the other hand he didn't like to be bossed around, in that, I took after him.

The smell of the food made my stomach rumble. Grabbing a slice of crisp bacon, I greeted Billy. "Dad, I should've made dinner."

Waving his yellow plastic spatula, he smiled. "When? You've been busy, Jacob. I know school and patrols take their toll on you. Not to mention your… vampire."

I sat down to eat, observing that the eggs were kind of burnt. Obviously Dad had been watching TV while he prepared them. I fell to, devouring the bacon first. He pushed a big glass of milk towards me.

"Thanks, Dad." I saluted him with the glass, looking away. "I'm sorry about staying late with Cullen."

My father rolled the wheelchair until he was the perfect distance from the table. "Doesn't matter, Jacob. You're young; enjoy life a little."

I grinned, taking a big gulp from the milk. "Does that mean I can skip classes?"

"No way!" Dad frowned as he mashed his egg yolks. "Jacob, you need to study harder. I know with the pack and all that--"

I held up my hands. "Just kidding, dad, just kidding!"

The wolf howled again, more insistently. Billy pointed to the open window. "I guess they need you, Jacob."

I wolfed down the eggs and the lonely strip of bacon left. Wiping my lips with the paper napkin, I nodded to Billy.

oOoOo

I ran to the clearing where I smelled the pack, shaking my head. There was an odd scent of nervousness clinging to them.

'I'm sorry, Jake.' Seth's mental voice sounded unusually timid, his head pointed to the ground. His sandy-colored fur bristled in agitation.

Seeing Sam's bright eyes fixed on me almost predatorily made me fear the worst. 'What happened?'

The huge black wolf shook his muzzle, growling at me. 'Seth let slip a secret, Jake. CARE TO KNOW WHAT IT IS?'

My hind legs trembled as I realized the moment I dreaded had arrived. Around Seth, Embry and Quil held their muzzles low to the ground. Looking sideways to the other members of the pack present: Jared, Paul and Leah.

Paul growled at me, his dark eyes menacing as he pawed the ground restlessly. His fur bristled, which I knew to be silver but appeared washed out to my wolf eyes. 'Never knew you were bent, Jake. Should've known that's the reason you couldn't get Bella, she prefers a real man.'

'Shut up, leave Jake…'

'SILENCE, SETH!' Sam gave an Alpha order so Seth had to comply.

I shook my head, snarling fiercely at the black wolf. So this was the way then. He would shut up my defenders and allow the others to bully me! I looked at Paul with betrayed eyes, hating the fact that he was the first man I liked that way.

'Well, what do you have to say for yourself?' Sam advanced on me, baring his teeth. 'I'll let it pass as a kind of… infatuation, Jake. After all, we all make mistakes. I'll expect you to stop seeing Cullen of course.'

Recalling my father's words, I roared in anger, baring my teeth at the Alpha. 'Who I see is no business of yours!'

'It is when it concerns the pack's safety.' Sam stopped about four feet from me, leaning his head forward in the attack pose. He was ready to pounce on me, but I was so mad I didn't care.

'Lies! You're a homophobe, Sam! I saw you looking at those two guys who were holding hands that time we went to Seattle--'

'Shut up, bitch!' Paul turned to growl at Leah. 'You've no bone in this fight.'

'You shut up, Paul. Don't treat my sister like this!' Seth advanced towards Paul; his body looked small next to Paul's big frame, but I knew the kid would attack if he felt his sister was at risk.

Instead of dealing with hot-tempered Paul, Sam turned to look at me with disgust visible in his golden eyes. 'This is all your fault, Jake. If you had been less of a coward and more of a man, we wouldn't be fighting.'

I was sick and tired of Sam's condescending attitude. I was ready to stand my ground, and if he didn't like it, he could go fuck himself with a sharpened baseball bat.

'It's your fault, Sam. You're hardly a leader. Haven't dealt with Leah's grief, you pushed her away. You didn't leave her space to grieve. You call yourself a man? You couldn't deal with a fucking imprint. You caved in just like that!'

'DON'T… JUST DON'T!' Sam was taken aback by my fierce answer. Surely he expected me to follow him like a little dog. Well, the fucker was wrong!

Trying to sound more conciliatory and failing miserably, he went on, 'Of course you have no idea how strong the imprint's pull is--'

He trailed off, his eyes squinting in concentration. 'Is that it? You're with Cullen because you imprinted on him?'

I knew I had an easy way out. I could lie and say it was the imprint that made me like Edward, but I couldn't hide behind a lie. I wouldn't cheapen my feelings for Edward by cowering like a baby. Besides they would soon know it wasn't the imprint acting.

I shook my head. 'I've not imprinted on him. If I did, I would handle it way better than you. You kept a secret from Leah, your fiancée! Talk about cowardice.'

Paul laughed. 'You dare speak of cowardice, you faggot!'

Leah's slim grey body pounced on Paul. But before she could reach him she was attacked by Sam. Hearing her yelping made me lose whatever cool I still had. I jumped on Sam.

When I hit the black wolf we fell to the grass. He twisted sideways, trying to get away from me but my jaws held his shoulder in a vise-like grip. Sam shook his body violently trying to dislodge me but I held on. My vision was cloudy; I kept seeing stars as my anger grew uncontrollably. This was what I was afraid of, the one moment the wolf would take over my body and soul and wreak havoc. Just then though? I didn't mind, I let the wolf have free rein. He perceived a threat, and he was damned right. Fucking Sam was out of his fucking mind, he and his stupid gay-hating.

I was aware of snarls and grunts coming from all sides of the clearing. My tongue tasted Sam's blood and I finally understood in my guts why it held such power over the vampires. It was my enemy's blood, mine to spill, mine to savor.

I was so angry I honestly didn't know what would happen. It was Leah's voice that shook me out of my bloodthirsty fog. She had shifted and was calling to me, "Don't do it, Jake! He's not worth it, I should know."

The trouble was my wolf. He demanded retribution, he was so angry that I couldn't control it. In my mind I pushed against him, trying to shift back to human but he wouldn't let me do it.

I despaired.

Would I become a murderer? Then I was no better than the newborns we fought against. I remembered how Leah valiantly fought alone with the newborn and I had to push her away. That made me realize she had shifted in the middle of the guys. Leah hated to be seen naked, she always tried to preserve her modesty. Strangely, that thin thread was what allowed me to overcome the wolf, to retain whatever shred of humanity I still possessed. Letting go of Sam, I took several steps back and shifted.

Feeling out of danger, Sam changed back. He grimaced in pain and clutched his shoulder which was shining with blood. One by one the other members of the pack shifted and dressed. Jared handed him a strip of cloth so he wouldn't hemorrhage. I knew he wouldn't bleed to death because of our fast healing.

Paul pushed my shoulders. "Are you happy with what you've done, heh?"

Embry and Quil grabbed Paul by his arms. Quil shouted, "Leave him alone, for chrissakes!"

Jared fumbled with the leather strap which held Sam's cutoffs. I realized I was naked and rapidly put on my own cutoffs. The smell of blood was everywhere, it was sickening. The coppery scent was unbearable because it belonged to my pack, to my Alpha whom I had attacked.

I tried to control my breathing and my trembling body. The rush of the fight had left me dizzy. The air, the woods, the pack around me, they all seemed insubstantial like they weren't there. It was surreal. I wanted to empty my stomach.

Leah came up to me. She stopped and crouched, motioning for me to do the same.

"Breathe in, Jake. Now breathe out." Her voice soothed me. It was strange, she was usually so sarcastic and a real pain in the ass but now she was grounding me. Following her advice, I felt a bit better. I looked at her frowning face, her black, shining hair, her concerned expression and slowly I relaxed.

It was a difficult thing though, because in the background I could hear Paul and Jared arguing with my friends.

Leah glanced back at the guys and turned to me. "Pay them no mind, Jake. Keep on breathing. Slow does it."

Taking a deep breath, I asked her, "How do you know… what to do?"

She shrugged nonchalantly. "Easy, I learned the hard way. I had panic attacks after Sam left me for Emily."

"We didn't know."

"No one bothered to ask."

I shuddered, the thought of Leah going through all that by herself helped me understand her bitterness. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be, you had enough on your shoulders."

Leah's clipped remarks helped me. I swore that if she had sounded sympathetic and patted my back, I probably would've burst into tears. Instead, she was like a teacher. Calm and collected, her gaze fixed firmly in my face, her hands on her knees. It felt like she was my sports coach. It grounded me.

But the moment didn't last. Sam lurched towards me, leaning on Paul. His face twisting in a grimace of distaste, the Alpha growled. "You're just a kid, Jake. You don't think about consequences!"

I swiped the sweat that was running down my forehead with my left hand. "What d'you mean?"

"You and the leech, stuck in your little…" Sam spit the last word. "Paradise. Have you thought about Bella, the girl you said you loved?"

Leah turned to look at Sam beseechingly. "Don't. Sam… just don't."

Quil let go of Paul, taking a step forward. "Bella will just have to find someone else. She's pretty enough!"

"Fools!" Sam swung his left arm, clutching the blood-soaked cloth to his shoulder. "Bella won't be turned by Cullen. Guess what the vampire head honcho will do?"

Paul smirked. Savoring the words, he said, "The vampires will kill her! She's a threat to their secret if she's not turned!"

I lurched backwards and stumbled to the ground. Their words hit me like a hammer. I was barely aware of the slapping sound of Leah's hand connecting with Sam's face.

Sam was right. What the hell was I thinking? Bella had told me about the Volturi threat to kill her if she was not turned.

I shifted, not caring that my jeans would be torn to pieces for my heart was breaking. If I stayed with Edward, Bella would die. If I left Edward she'd live. It was that simple, her life for my love.

oOoOo

I ran through the woods, I didn't care where I went. I recalled I stopped by a cedar. In despair I lifted my muzzle to the sky and howled as if my very soul was leaving me.

Pawing the ground, I shifted restlessly, turning to the east where the sun peeked from behind a tree. I was tempted to walk that way, to keep on running until I left Washington. The temptation was so great I started to run until I remembered dad and Edward. I couldn't leave them without at least explaining. Dad I had to take care of, and Edward… he held a piece of my soul. I couldn't give him up that easily.

I followed the meandering Quillayute for a while, without direction. I remembered stopping and howling several times. Nothing much from those hours would stick in my mind.

The rivers and trees that used to make me smile only brought me despair. I recalled fording the river, uncaring if the sharp stones beneath the roiling water cut my paws. It was so easy to pierce a heart with a few well-chosen words. At least the water washed away the scent of Sam's blood. How could he be so cruel?

Nevertheless what he said was sadly true. I'd been so caught up in my growing attraction for Edward that I'd forgotten about frail Bella. Despite her attitude, a part of me still loved her. I remembered the beautiful girl who leaned on me when her boyfriend deserted her. I recalled helping her pick herself up, guiding her through her recovery from the broken shell she was.

The wolf felt very protective towards her as did my human part. I just couldn't think of her lying dead at the hands of the Italian vampires. I didn't want her heart to stop beating. Never!

Sam was right. I'd been blind to think only of myself and my vampire.

After a long while, I shuffled my paws towards a meadow. I thought it fitting that the once vibrant flowers would look like pale version of themselves to my wolf eyes. It fit my mood.

I'd been crazy to think that my leech and I could work together. Sure, he had shown a different side to me, caring and sensual and… loving. I couldn't forget his face as he looked at me the time we met in the forest when our life changed. But the world was against us.

I looked at the overcast sky, feeling the heavy weight of my loneliness as I howled. The sound ran hollow, like a lonely, weeping guitar in the forest. I was so immersed in the thoughts that kept running around like a whirlwind in my mind that I didn't hear his soft steps until Edward's scent hit my nostrils.

I looked up and saw his tousled dark hair. The wolf's vision robbed me of its bronzed hue and the rich honey of his eyes.

Edward's cold hand rested on my head, he rubbed my fur and the spot behind my ears which he knew was very sensitive. He caressed my muzzle, his fingers resting on a spot behind my left eye. He wiped the lonely teardrop that ran down my fur.

"I'm sorry, Jake." His voice was forced and raw. It sounded like he choked back a sob. "I destroy everything I touch. It would seem I have ruined your life."

I wrinkled my brows, sniffing the air. My whiskers twitched when Edward's palm moved to my neck. What the hell was my leech talking about? His fault? It was Sam's fault and mine for thinking only about myself. I hated it when Edward took all the blame upon himself. This was different than when he ran out on Bella. He wasn't to blame, really.

"This all came about because I changed my mind. I left Bella and decided to follow my true orientation. I found you." He petted my shoulder. "I didn't think things through."

'So I had nothing to do with it, then? Quit thinking like that, Edward. We're in it together.'

Edward's lips quirked downward in a grimace. "So I shouldn't take all the blame?"

I nodded my head energetically. 'Sure, sure. It's the two of us.'

"Then why are you moping around like an emo wolf?"

I sat up on my haunches, dislodging his hand. Growling at him, I snarled in my mind. 'What the fuck? Emo wolf? The danger to Bella's life is real!'

Edward gripped my head, holding it between his cold hands. "I like you in your wolf form, Jake. But can you shift so we can talk like adults?"

I shrugged as I turned my head, my tongue lapping at his hand. 'Sure. But I don't have clothes.'

Standing up, the vampire took off his boots and black pants, leaving him clad only in his white shirt and beige briefs.

'Wait, how are you going to go back without pants?'

"The way back is deserted, Jake. Now could you please shift?"

I grabbed his pants with my jaws, inhaling his scent as I walked behind the tree. After I shifted, I put them on. They were a tight fit and the cuffs nearly covered my feet. Walking back to him, I couldn't suppress a shiver when I saw Edward licking his lips.

"I must say you look nice. Keep them; they hug you in the right places."

I was afraid I'd blush, so without another word I sat down beside him. "So let's talk."

He grabbed my hand, rubbing his thumb across my palm. "We will deal with the Volturi."

"But they're very powerful. Bella said--"

Cullen put his thumb on my mouth to shut me up. "Jasper will find a way to deal with them. I could persuade Bella to go away."

I licked his thumb and he took it off my mouth with regret, it seemed.

Knowing Bella, I knew she was pretty stubborn. "Don't think she would just obey."

"Or advice her to attend a university far away. Maybe in Canada." Edward put his arm around me and I leaned my head on his shoulder. I put my ear against his cold shirt. Of course I heard nothing, his heart didn't beat. The thought made me very sad. I wished I could've met him when he was young and alive. I was sure we would've hit it off, after a few fights of course. I couldn't think of Edward without thinking about our frequent spats. We would've had great adventures.

With a shudder, I realized that when my Edward was alive, people were even more homophobic than today. That gave me pause.

"Just don't leave me, Jake. I…" I felt Edward shuddering and I put my arm around his chest. "I love you."

His words called up deep emotions in me. After the day I'd had, to have found him and the fact that he listened to me - that he cared about me - it made me see what had been obvious all along.

I leaned towards him and whispered in his ear, "I love you too, Edward Cullen."

He reclined against the tree, breaking our contact. In a tentative voice he said, "You... do?"

Swatting his arm, I tried to smile. But the moment required seriousness and so I gave it up after a moment. Instead I looked at his amber eyes. "Course I do, leech. What made you think otherwise?"

Edward didn't answer me for a few seconds. He picked at the tall grass around his pale shins. Finally he murmured, "When your father asked you, you said you didn't know."

"How in hell did you know that?" Was he spying on me or something? After Edward pointed to his head I wanted to knock my head against the tree. I'd forgotten his powers.

At that moment something changed in my perception of him. I'd always thought that it would be cool, having that ability of his to read people's thoughts. It would've come in handy at school, not to mention with Bella. But seeing his forlorn expression, I realized that those powers came with a big price. It would be awful to read what people really thought of you. With the pack there was really no choice, we were aware of what the others thought, which I suspected was how Sam knew the information about me.

At least my packmates were few and the mental contact was intermittent. My vampire though, he was forced to suffer through this every hour, every day of his hundreds of years.

Edward pouted. "I'm not that old, mutt."

I felt a rush of tenderness towards the vampire, who always felt he had to take the weight of the world on his shoulders.

"Says the shifter who blames himself for things that haven't happened yet and can be prevented."

I held him in a grip, knowing he could easily break it. "Stop reading my thoughts."

"I can't, Jake."

Pressing my forehead against his, I looked into his amber eyes. "Stop invading my heart, you already own it!"

Edward smirked. "Aww, the poetic pup has spoken!"

I kissed the sarcastic leech to shut him up. The kiss wasn't that heated, it was soothing instead. Didn't lift me to the clouds but brought me back to Earth, to Edward.

Breaking the contact, I whispered against his cheek. "Can't help the feelings you inspire."

oOoOo

I was driving around Forks to clear my mind. I felt I was lucky that Leah was there during the fight or else things would have been bloodier than they were. And Edward had been very understanding, just what I needed.

Perhaps that was the reason Bella preferred him over me? I knew I was prone to strong emotions. Wasn't always like that but ever since I shifted, I'd had to try harder to control my temperament. I remembered when I threw the wrench at the wall after I tried to persuade Bella not to let herself become a vampire. I recalled her cowering.

That made me more determined to protect her. Despite everything, I didn't want Bella to come to harm. It was the Quileute's duty to protect the people of Forks. More than that, I had to protect the girl I remembered from way back when.

A song from OneRepublic blared out of the loudspeakers of my car as I was passing in front of the Forks Community Hospital. I shifted gears with care because the plastic handle had broken a while ago. The shop that sold them in Port Angeles didn't have that model last time I was there. A big black car rushed out of the corner before I could shift to third gear though. Thankfully the shiny new car lurched to a stop about ten feet from the Rabbit. The driver really needed to use more caution.

Studying the Benz, I recognized Bella's new car, the one she was driving the time I caught her with Edward and the pixie. Thinking of the pixie frowning at me, it was hard to think that Ed's family was divided over the issue of his sexuality. Edward seemed sad when he told me the big guy, Emmett, didn't take to him being gay. Apparently intolerance reigned in the living and the undead.

Bella opened the door of the Benz and walked towards me. Just what I needed to finish my day! She would probably hit me, or maybe not? After all, last time she did she broke her hand. Anyway she would surely scream at me.

But I had to face her. Whatever Bella dished out would be less than what the fucking traitor Sam had said!

I opened the car and got out, meeting her halfway. Thankfully I had gone back to my house and changed my clothes, else she would have been really mad when she saw I was wearing Edward's pants.

Bella didn't look that good; she had dark circles under her eyes. Leastways she was going out. I recalled the time after Edward left her when she wouldn't leave her house. Chief Swan told me she spent ours in her bedroom. When he peered through the door she was just sitting on the bed, staring at the windows.

She walked up to me awkwardly as I raised my hand in greeting.

Bella crossed her arms, hugging her slim figure. Taking a deep breath, she finally said, "I'm sorry, Jacob."

"What for?"

"What I said on the phone, it was wrong. When Jessica called me and told me the rumors about you--"

I held up my hands. "What rumors?"

"That you had a falling out with the pack. Of course she doesn't know about them, but she heard Sam and you fought and he called you names because you were seeing E…"

She didn't finish. It seemed as if Bella couldn't bring herself to say Edward's name.

I nodded and crossed my arms. "It's correct, you know. Sam and I fought. He doesn't like me being…"

"Gay, I know. I hope that homophobic rat burns in hell!" Bella scrunched up her face in that cute way she had while she balled up her fist.

It felt good, knowing that Bella was on my side. Frankly I didn't expect that from her but it reminded me of the reasons why I loved her, Bella's fierce spirit and independence. For a moment I wished things were as before, the time when Edward left her and Bella and I were all alone. Those were great days.

"Doesn't matter, Bells. I'll handle that."

"Did he kick you out of the pack?" Bella looked toward the big Mercedes. Following her gaze, I frowned.

"Nope. We just fought. Didn't have time to do it, I guess."

She took out her phone from the pocket of her jeans. "Well, I've been texting the bastard. Did you know he has a Facebook Wall plastered with his smug grin? Left some messages for him."

"Bella, don't. I don't want you involved." God, had Bella used her name? What if those Italian vamps kept track of the things happening around Forks and tracked her through the messages she left?

I grabbed her soft, pale hand. "Don't text him, Bella. And if you want to say something to him, use another name, please."

Her hand squeezed mine. "I just got so angry! And Jacob…"

"Yeah?"

"As I told you before, I love you. Just not as much as I love…"

I hugged her small frame, choking back a sob. I didn't know about the future, but I wanted Bella safe. If I didn't love her as my mate, I did love her as my best friend. I wanted her near me, always.

"Hush, Bells. I'm very, very sorry I hurt you. Believe me, it's the last thing I ever wanted."

She put her head on my shoulder. I could tell she was crying. "I think I could've handled it with him and anyone. But when I knew it was you… I just felt so betrayed…"

At that moment the music of the song 'Stop & stare' came from the pocket of my jeans. I shrugged as I let go of Bella. Taking out my phone, I took the call.

It was Seth. He sounded desperate. "Jake, you have to come. Sam has called a meeting of the elders to kick you out of the Rez!"

Chapter nine