The Voice of Reason

From Seth to Bella

Disclaimer: They aren't mine.

Summary: "Seth speaks! Who knew he could be the voice of reason?" Seth Clearwater writes a letter to Bella trying to persuade her otherwise, because he knows that time is running out. I thought Seth could take his experience with losing someone who was close to him and use that to persuade Bella she's making the wrong decision. He tries, but it might not be as effective as he'd hoped...

Bella,

I know that this is probably weird for you. It's kind of weird for me, too.

I know we aren't the best of friends, and maybe you'll just disregard this letter and everything I've written. If you throw this away without even getting this far, then that's okay.

But, see, the reason I'm writing this is because I know what Jacob's feeling, and maybe I'm a little biased, but I just felt like I needed to tell you some things before you're decision is final.

Plus, I got your wedding invitation in the mail. Fancy.

As you would have assumed, I know a whole lot, if not all, of your story from Jacob. Even if he tried to hide it, because it's pretty inevitable that we'd find out anyway.

And I understand, well as best as I can, that you love Edward. I mean, I like him too, and you know him exponentially more than I do.

I haven't gotten anywhere with this, so I'm just going to jump in because I know you're busy. Wedding plans and all.

Okay, so I know you've been weighing your options for a while now, and I know you realize you're going to lose pretty much everyone you have right now except for the Cullens.

But, apparently, that's all you think you need.

You're being selfish, though. I know, I know, you're probably thinking 'what the heck is this?', but just hear me out. I'm not just doing this for Jacob, I'm doing it for you too.

It doesn't seem like you're taking into consideration just how much this is affecting EVERYONE around you.

You know my dad died a while ago, and that just left me, my mom, and Leah to fend for ourselves. He pretty much took care of everything around here, and we've all had to really step up so that we could keep going on.

Despite the circumstances.

Well, I'm going to try my best to explain this but I don't know how it'll come out. I've never been good with words.

I'm going to pretend you're my dad. No, that sounded terrible. I mean, you're like my dad in this situation.

Like, okay, so you're going to die and leave everyone else, all of these people that need you, to fend for themselves.

But it isn't only that, because I don't know if you've ever lost anyone close to you, but it is hard to deal with.

The guilt, for one, is crippling.

My father died from heart problems, and my mom had put him on a strict diet those last couple of months. But, he would get Leah and me to sneak in some 'real food' the whole time. So it was like he wasn't even on a diet at all. He would eat the healthy stuff, but the second mom turned her back he'd get the bad stuff.

Then, just like that, he was dead. Because we hadn't considered that this was affecting him a lot more than he had let on. So, it seems like it was mine and Leah's fault that he died.

Also, Leah thinks that her transformation was just the last straw for him, and he snapped. That's a lot of why she's so bitter all the time.

My father left everyone when we needed him. No matter if it was for his authority, or for nurturing and looking after, or for being a friend, or just having him fill a place in our lives that we don't know why it was there, but now it's empty.

There are a lot of ways you can need someone, and when they're gone you discover a lot about yourself.

So think of it. Think of Charlie. You are all that he has. You are everything to him. When you came to live with him, he was so excited. He was ecstatic, he was talking about you all the time.

I think it might have been because he was finally being needed. I mean, I know he's police chief and we need that Charlie, but it's a deeper thing to be really needed and he was finally getting that. I guess it made him feel more...vital.

Then again, I don't know you or your father extremely well, so I could just be blowing smoke.

But if you leave him, he will go back to the way it was. Granted, I'm sure he'll be able to manage, but he'll have to live without the one thing that made it all different for him.

I realize I might be sounding lame, but I'm just trying to get it all through to you.

And Jacob. Well, you know about Jacob because he's the type of person who just lays it all out for you.

Especially now since he's getting desperate and everything's cutting so close.

But he loooooves you. I know, I'm fourteen and I don't know much about that kind of thing, but I've known him for my entire life and he just acts differently about you.

If you leave him, there's no doubt in my mind that he will keep on living. He'll move on and he'll be just fine. It may take a little while, but he'll be alright.

BUT he's given you a part of him, I think, that he could never ever get back, or give to anyone else. And even though he will move on, it might be that he doesn't want to.

And when Jacob doesn't want to do something, he doesn't do it.

I don't think I can explain what he would feel if he knew he had really, really lost you. But I think you might can imagine.

Maybe when Edward left you? I think Jacob would handle it completely differently, but maybe sometimes, in those agonizing moments, what you felt, could be what he will feel.

What I'm trying to say is, if I haven't conveyed it well enough, just don't be selfish about this.

I know what it's like to lose someone you love so much, Jacob knows, a lot of people know, but I think you've been lucky enough not to have to experience that.

Your decision to give your life just to be with Edward forever is epic, and it's something you will never be able to change.

Everything you have in your life right now, will be gone, except for the Cullens.

That is a HUGE ratio of things. And I know you know that, and I'm not trying to storm in on you because I know I have no right to do that.

But think about everyone who is going to lose you. From your friends at school, to your parents, to yourself.

And Jacob. He is giving everything just so that you won't die. It's not his main priority to make you fall in love with him and to separate you and Edward, I don't think Jacob could ever be that selfish. His main priority is to save your life and he's doing everything he can to make that happen.

So just think about it. By taking your own life, you might be taking someone else's, too.

Jacob would kill me if he knew I was doing this.. So don't mention it to him.

I'm sure he'll find out anyway.

No matter what your final decision is, I really do wish you the best of luck. Which is clichéd, but what else can I say? If you stay with Cullen, and let him turn you into a vampire, I think we've all done everything we could to convince you that it's not a good idea.

But if you're that in love, then I hope you'll be happy forever.

I'll still come to the wedding.

Seth

A/N: I just had to get this out before Breaking Dawn. How 'bout that? It's gonna be intense.