Run to You

JacobxBella

Rated T

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the franchise, as it belongs to Steph Meyers

Run to You

Chapter 1

The days were ticking by faster than she would have liked, the days counting down to her wedding. Bella Swan never saw herself getting married, especially not at eighteen, yet here she was engaged and soon to be married in a matter of days. Ten days to be exact. If that wasn't already nerve-wrecking enough for her, she found herself believing that she was getting married for the wrong reasons. It wasn't as if she didn't love her fiancé Edward Cullen; they had promised each other forever after all. But they were only getting married so she could turned into a vampire like she wanted and the promise made to the Volturi. And though she wasn't into marriage, that was the stipulation Edward had given her in exchange for giving up her mortal life for one of immortality and spending eternity with Edward. But that wasn't the only reason she felt as if she was marrying him for the wrong reasons.

Bella also believed that she was marrying Edward and giving in to her already set fate because she didn't want to cause any more trouble for those around her. She had caused trouble for the Cullen family, for the Pack, for Charlie, and for the most important person in her life, Jacob. Jacob Black was her best friend and he didn't hide the romantic feelings he held for her. In fact, he had tried so many times to convince her that he could make her happy, that he could give her the life she deserved. However, Bella just couldn't let go of Edward or give up on what she wanted. And in doing so she had strung Jacob along, all the while denying the feelings she had developed for him as well. She finally admitted that she loved him the night following the newborn battle, but had told him that she couldn't love him enough. She had meant for that to be her 'goodbye' to him, to letting him go. After all, she would soon be his supernatural enemy. But she found that she couldn't let him go, especially with the way her heart raced in her chest when he told her that he would still love her when she was turned. Jacob had once said he'd love her as long as her heart was beating, and when asked about when she was turned into a vampire, he had simply said, "Even then."

Thinking of that memory had Bella thinking of not only Jacob, but also the day she found out Jacob had been sent a wedding invitation. She hadn't seen her best friend since that night and was missing him terribly, thus prompting a visit to La Push to see how he was doing. She had been confused and worried when Billy had told her that Jacob had run away from home and hadn't been scene or heard from since. Upon asking why he would run away, all Billy had done was hand her the dreaded wedding invitation that she knew had made her best friend leave without warning. She also knew she hadn't sent the invitation, not wanting to cause Jacob any more hurt than she already had. But she knew the one person that would, the same one that did a lot behind her back, and yet she kept forgiving him for it. That had been the most angry and disappointed in Edward she had ever been, refusing to talk to him for three days while worrying herself sick about Jacob. Even when she forgave Edward for what he had done she was still worried about Jacob, even going so far as to call Billy daily for any updates, as well as call poor Seth for any information regarding Jacob. And yet she still hadn't heard anything.

Sighing heavily, Bella stood up from her desk chair and walked over to her bed, pulling the covers back and climbing into it. She was exhausted from the constant wedding business and having sleepless nights due to worrying about Jacob. There were even times she couldn't help but cry about it, even when Edward was with her. She knew it hurt him to see her fretting, worrying, and thinking about Jacob, but she couldn't help it. He always said he understood, but she wondered if he really did. Like she loved Edward, she loved Jacob, and she felt as if half of her heart was missing. She missed him so much and was surprised to find that she missed him more than she had missed Edward and his family when they had abandoned her. It made her wonder more often then not how her life would have turned out had she not held onto Edward and had moved forward with Jacob, but she knew she wasn't strong enough to let Edward and his memory go, just like she wasn't strong enough to let Jacob go. Her head was telling her that she could love them both, love the two people that held a part of her heart. However, her heart was telling her otherwise. And not for the first time was she choosing to ignore it.

Charlie stared at his daughter from across the kitchen table the next morning, a look of concern on his face. Bella looked like she would pass out at any moment, sporting dark circles under her eyes and her long brown hair hanging in her face. She was holding a cup of hot coffee in her hands but wasn't actively drinking it. He knew she wasn't sleeping much anymore, as he could hear her crying from his bedroom. And he knew the reason behind it was Jacob.

Like Bella, he too was worried sick about the boy. Jacob was like a son to him and he had his face plastered on missing posters all over the place. Though he was concerned about his daughter and how she was dealing with her best friend's absence, he was glad that it wasn't like when that boy Cullen had left her in the woods. With his leaving, she had been a shell of herself, moving on autopilot and not really present mentally when she was physically. She hadn't cried in the months she was in that catatonic state, but had had multiple nightmares because of him, making Charlie believe he hadn't been good for his daughter. He didn't like him because of what he put his daughter through, and thus was shocked and disappointed when Bella had readily taken him back upon his and his family's return to Forks. And in finding out she was marrying that little creep, their relationship had become strained. However, he wasn't going to allow that to get in the way of getting to the root of Bella's current problem.

Charlie wasn't stupid, he knew Bella was the way she was because of Jacob's running away. He knew she cared about him more than she let on, and that was why she was the way she was now. If he didn't know better, he'd say Bella loved or was in love with Jacob and that was why she was as worried as she was, and not because he was just her best friend. But if that was the case, then why was she marrying Cullen? She couldn't love one and marry another, not unless she had convinced herself she could love them both. And if she had done that, then she needed to understand that it wasn't fair to either of them.

Clearing his throat to get Bella's attention, Charlie said, "Listen kiddo. I know things have been strained between us as of late, with this whole wedding business and all. But you should know that I'm always here for you; to talk, to have a listening ear, a shoulder to lean and cry on. You don't have to carry whatever is bothering you by yourself, especially if you feel you can't talk about it with Edward."

Bella looked up at her father in silence for a moment, allowing his words to sink in. Looking down into her coffee, Bella bit her lip for a moment before quietly saying, "I'm just going through some pre-wedding jitters, that's all."

"Don't lie to me, Bella. Tell me what's really going on. I promise I won't speak about it with anyone else. It'll be just between you and me."

The brunette stared at Charlie, wanting to believe she could completely confide in her father about her emotional predicament. However, she couldn't tell him the full extent of everything she had been through and the reason behind the choices she had made. But perhaps…perhaps he could help her sort out her conflicting feelings. Taking a deep breath she asked, "Do you think it's possible to love two people at once?"

The question surprised Charlie, his chocolate brown eyes that matched his daughter's widening in shock. Luckily he recovered quickly and asked in return, "Do you mean 'love' or 'in love'?"

"In love."

"Then no. It is possible to love one and be in love with the other, but you can't be in love with both." Charlie frowned. "Is that what's bothering you? Do you think you're in love with both Edward and Jacob?"

Bella blushed in embarrassment. "I didn't say it was Jake."

"You don't have to, kiddo. I've seen the way you would be with him and how happy you would be when with him. And the way you worry and cry over him being gone, it's different from when Edward left. When he had left, it was like you had just gone numb, completely catatonic and there was nothing I could do to help you through it. But with Jacob, you're actually feeling. You're feeling his absence and it hurts you. I would like to help you though this, but I know I'm not the one that can fix it."

Bella was silent for a moment before asking, "You think that maybe…that I might be in love with Jacob?"

Charlie raised an eyebrow. "Do you want my honest answer?"

Bella nodded.

"Honestly, yes I do. Because if you were as in love with Edward as you make yourself out to be around him, then you would be more invested in this wedding that's happening in nine days. Not once have I seen you bring in a wedding catalogue or talk about it willingly since before Jacob ran off. It seems to me that you don't even care to help plan this wedding and Alice is the one coordinating it."

The man wasn't wrong. Alice indeed was planning the wedding because she had already seen it set up a certain way. Shrugging slightly Bella replied, "But I still love Edward; it's why I'm marrying him."

"I didn't say you didn't, Bella. But I do want you to understand that though you may love them both, it's not fair to either of them. And if you love or are in love with Jacob, it's not fair to Edward to marry him when your heart isn't fully in it."

"But I don't have a choice about it anymore," Bella murmured to herself.

Charlie, having heard his daughter's murmur, frowned before saying, "You always have a choice. You just have to make the right one for you and not anyone else. You can't make everyone happy, kiddo. It took me a long time to realize that and I eventually made the decisions that were solely for me and made me happy. You can still make those choices too, Bells."

Bells. She hadn't heard that nickname in a long time, and tears sprung up in her eyes as she thought of the one person who had always called her that. She was so conflicted and she didn't know what to do anymore. Everything felt as if it was out of her control and she couldn't fix it unless she went through with the already set plans. Looking at her father with tear-filled eyes, Bella whispered, "I don't know what to do anymore, dad."

Charlie gave Bella a small smile and placed a gentle hand on her own before saying simply, "Just do what your heart is telling you."

What my heart is telling me, Bella thought. If only I really could.