No Return by crystalnicoleyo

Chapter 13: Devastation

Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended.

A/N: I realize that it has been forty eternities since I last updated this story and I left off the last chapter with a cliffhanger. I am the embodiment of evil, I know. I actually typed up a whole paragraph of excuses, some of them viable, but none of them are important. Truth is I lost my mojo for this story, and I'm having a hard time getting it back. If any of you have some ideas or encouragement I'm listening. In my absence I have been trying to write. I've visited this chapter at least a thousand times. I have a great amount of the next few chapters written and outlined but I just can't seem to get there. Alas, I hope that some of you (if anyone is still around) will enjoy this chapter and will have some ideas as to where I need to go with this. Thanks, love you all!

Jacob's POV

The sky showed very little promise of a beautiful day with thick, layered clouds stretching across the horizon and covering the earth in absolute smoke gray. If my watch hadn't said differently, I'd swear that nightfall was near. As it was, it was not yet noon. I sighed looking out the second story window of my contracting office, noting that even in the depressing darkness of cloud cover Astoria was a picture perfect town. It was the type of place that people dreamed of raising families: quiet, humble, almost motionless. Sundays were slow here as evidenced by the vacant street outside. The only movement came from the massive Oaks as the wind passed through the branches. Other than the church bells, no other sounds had penetrated into my tiny office from the outside world. This office was my sanctuary most days. It seemed odd to me that I had come to find haven here among the plastered walls of this old building.

As my troubles seemed to envelop me and the sun refused to cooperate, I began thinking past my immediate problems. I had always found it easier for me to clear my head in the sunshine. Everything seemed to make better sense when the sky was bright. Part of the allure of living in Oregon was the pleasant weather. I hadn't really missed the rain in Washington. In fact, the only thing I missed about Washington was Bella's smile. She seemed to have left it behind when we moved. Of course, my family and friends were there, but I hadn't lost touch with them and they were just a car ride away. I truly felt like I personally hadn't sacrificed anything by moving. But Bella, I was certain, felt differently.

I knew she was only patronizing me by moving here. The idea hadn't appealed to her but she saw how important this endeavor was to me and it was her nature to be supportive. I had hoped that she would be won over by the charm of this place, and that her life here could be just as happy as it was in La Push. Unfortunately, she still had yet to find our new home redeemable. Of course she kept up the facade but I knew her far too well.

We seemed to be drifting, and I could only blame myself. It was too hard to be near her and know how miserable she was, and even still to know I was the underlying source of that misery. It was easier to throw myself into my work and do something good, and not feel like the failure I felt when I was home. Her disappointment never came out in words, but her unintentional signals of unhappiness were clear, destroying me every second that I had to endure her false cheerfulness.

I propped my elbows on my desk and rested my face in my palms. I had hoped that a quiet office would benefit me but the silence was maddening. Time seemed to crawl by and I was no closer to the answers I needed. The decisions I was continually faced with seemed to be a vicious undercurrent pulling me below the surface no matter which way I turned. I had to admit that Councilman Black had a nice ring to it. The challenge, the prestige, the opportunity….it was all very enticing. It was a challenge that I certainly wanted to take on. But the truth of my resolution to stay in Astoria had more to do with protecting Bella and Arden and our unborn baby.

Bella didn't want to stay any longer than necessary, and with my contract soon expiring I knew she was eager to return to La Push. She had been unhappy here since day one. I was definitely conflicted as my wife's happiness, and my family's needs were overwhelming reasons to move back. I wanted to be there for my father and Sue, and as time passed by I knew they would soon need me to be closer. Billy's health had always been a grave concern, and perhaps under different circumstances, I would have gladly moved home to be with my father in his last years, maybe even months. But my mind was set on staying in Astoria. My decision, no matter how selfish it seemed, was based on keeping my family together and not my own personal gain. The timing of the offer was perfect fate. I could risk appearing self-centered and insensitive to save my family. I had no choice but to push myself away from Washington. I needed distance from my heritage, my lineage and my perfect excuse to do so just fell into place.

I don't know what set things into motion or when the magic moment was. I'm not sure if the catalyst was important. Perhaps it was the Cullen's return to Bella's life, after all those bloodsuckers were responsible for this problem the first time around and they had caused irreparable damage to our relationship. Even more than their return was Bella's insistence on accepting them back with open arms without giving it a second thought. I was terribly reserved by her foolish reception of them and anger doesn't begin to describe my feelings for her erratic behaviors. For the time now, I had bigger worries and I saw no immediate danger to Bella, considering Edward didn't seem to be among them. I owed a great debt of service to Carlisle, he saved Bella's life, my life.

I knew somewhere in the world they existed; I hadn't erased the possibility from my mind entirely. But perhaps it was just their proximity. Out of sight, out of mind. Either way, I was changing, my temperament at first and then the inability to control my anger, my outbursts. I could sense something was different yet oddly familiar. Denial has a way of fooling the mind, and logicality seemed to go out the window. I had rationalized that stress had me on edge, and it was a sound argument, given the events of the last few weeks. But at La Push, it happened. My father had me so upset with his stubborn, unwilling mindset and unwillingness to listen to reason. I was fighting a losing battle with him. Didn't he care if he lived? Didn't he care about his family? And then there was Bella, far away from me in the clutches of the vilest of creatures. I could no longer control the urge and barely kept the secret hidden from my reservation family. I barely got passed the trees before I had completely phased into my shape shifting form. It had been years since my body changed like that. How was it even possible? I was far past the age of transformation. But sure as the stars hung in the sky that night, I became a four legged beast with enough power to rip steal with my teeth.

As shocked as I was to be transformed into my giant wolf self, it all felt very natural. The way the ground moved beneath the pads of my feet, the way howls roared from inside me. But with the familiar beast from my past came responsibility. Something strange was happening, and I had no idea how to counter it. The person I wanted to be and the person I was had collided, and it was left up to fate to see which one would win. I didn't want to think of the ramifications of returning to a shape shifter. I'd quit aging for one and I'd really be no use as a father and husband because my duty would be to my tribe. I roamed the forests and mountains as if I was meant to be that creature, and I was truly grateful that my mind was silent. I was almost certain that I was the only one of my former pack to have a revival of my former gift. At least that night no one else was in beast form. My mind was set to stay as far away from the reservation as possible.

It all seemed so overwhelming and in addition to that our baby was coming and I remembered all too well the risk of losing my wife. I couldn't even allow my mind to resurrect the memories of the doctor's warning just after Arden was born. If something happened to my sweet wife, I wasn't sure I could exist. It was unbearable to go an entire day without her laugh or her touch. And then Arden, that precious perfect child could not grow up without her mother. If Bella were gone, Arden would be different. I had lost my own mother and I knew firsthand how much of a change it was. How much of myself I lost when my mother passed.

There were changes coming. I could feel it in the air. The water rapids raged and I had to remain focused to keep floating. My former being was creeping in on my current one, and as proud as I was of my past I needed for it to be just that….my past. The funny thing about our past is that it's always there, it's always a part of us and I wasn't sure how long I could outrun it or if I could outrun it at all.

I was futilely searching for answers and tired of coming up empty handed. I locked up my office and headed for the parking lot across the street. My mind was too clouded to process much and my search was simple-a change of scenery. No sooner had I stepped out of the glass doors in the front entrance than I heard the sirens. The noise was foreign and out of place. The world from outside my window was peaceful, tranquil. Moments ago this little town lie perfectly still. It seemed unfathomable that something would dare disrupt such serenity. A swarm of speeding emergency vehicles went by only adding to the urgency of the immediate situation. My ears picked a faint scream somewhere in the distance. My mind had been set to just drive, maybe down to the ocean, or the pier. I had wanted to regroup and think, but something else took control and I found myself downtown in complete bedlam. I stopped abruptly when the road before me was closed off with overturned vehicles and fallen trees. Although I had been less than a mile away I had not been aware of the madness happening. There was no warning. No alert. It was almost like a scene from a movie. Maybe any minute I'd wake up after falling asleep at my desk and realize that this destruction was a dream.

My feet carried me carefully through the street. The vehicles looked evacuated. The row of tall buildings that once looked like a scene from a postcard had fallen into shambles of debris on the ground. The entire block was covered in remnants of brick, concrete and metal. The devastation was apparent but the source I had yet to discover. Earthquake, tornado? Whatever had taken out main street Astoria had done so with a vengeance. City hall sat in ruin. My eyes even in their superhuman strength could not take in the entire scene. To my left were the ruined city hall had once sat in a glorious stature, was a line of police officers receiving instructions. Search and rescue, I thought.

On my right I could see past the tiny city park, the wooden benches that lined the sidewalk were gone. No doubt they were now mere splinters somewhere among the chaotic wreckage. Three fire trucks were lined up on the side street and the fireman hooked up a long hose to the fire hydrant, miraculously still standing. I hadn't even noticed a fire, and I looked past the trucks to see that an apartment complex was smoking in the distance a few streets over, were even more fire trucks sat with blaring lights. The devastation was not contained to this area and I took in the expanse of the city to see that destruction had hit everything within a few miles at least. In the few seconds that had passed something familiar triggered in my brain and immediate panic started to flood me. Bella. I had no idea where she was exactly. I reached into my pocket to grab my phone, but it wasn't there. I searched and the last place I recalled seeing it was on the kitchen counter this morning just before I left. I had no idea if she was alright or hurt. If she was somewhere among all of this she would no doubt be trying to reach me. I turned back to the spot where I had left my car, realizing that I'd never be able to make it back out. The file of emergency vehicles, and news crews had the only surviving street blocked off. I moved further west on foot, hoping to find a working phone. Utility lines seemed to be down everywhere and it was apparent that the power was out all over the town. The sky was still dark, just as it had been earlier. I cursed under my breath and kept walking.

"Sir," a voice from behind called out. It was faint, and it took a few seconds to register that it was calling to me. I turned abruptly, my eyes falling on a young boy about twelve. His face was black with debris and his right eye was swollen and blood stained. His lip trembled and tears escaped silently down his face. Immediately, I ran to his side.

"What's wrong?" I asked. The question seemed almost ridiculous given the state of emergency we were in, but I had no idea how else to ask it. It would seem that he had a greater problem than just the current crisis, a problem that no doubt was subjective to the destruction of the city, but a graver problem nonetheless.

"My mom and sister," he began explaining, his words hardly audible. I noticed the inside of his mouth was bloody, making it hard for him to speak.

"Where were you?"

"At the picnic table." He pointed into the general direction of nothing. Several uprooted trees and a massive wall of concrete sat in the spot he was pointing to. I recalled that a baseball field was located in the spot.

"I'll go look for them." I recalled an ambulance about a block over and I gave the boy general directions and told him to go get help. My mind went into hyper drive searching for the child's mother and sister. As I got closer to the spot where he had pointed my stomach was in knots. I had no idea what I might see. This stranger-child-was depending on me. With ease I pushed some bushes from the path and hopped over a large tree root. "Hello," I called out. Nothing. I pushed a few yards forward. A mound of bricks and shingles that had once been a restroom facility and concession stand now lined the grass. "Hello," I called out a little more anxious.

I listened carefully. Human ears could have never heard past the sirens and the sound of chaos, but I made out a faint moan. I moved closer by a few paces and the sound intensified from underneath a wall of metal siding and rubbish. I began quickly lifting the pieces of metal and digging until I found a human arm. It was warm. I gently moved closer to uncover the rest of what appeared to be the child's mother.

"My name is Jacob. I'm here to help you. Can you hear me?"

"Yes," she replied weakly. Her bloody face alternated between fear and relief. "What is your name?"

"Tracy," she whispered.

"Tracy, do you know what happened?" I asked. She hesitated as if she was struggling to think, to remember.

"The wind was so heavy. We were going to run back to the car." She stopped, out of breath, and I noticed a warm stream of blood coming from her nose.

"We were swept up and that's the last…" she trailed off again, unable to continue. It must have been a tornado, I determined. Where was the warning? No one had seen this coming? Normally, storms like this were tracked by meteorologists and experts. This tornado seemed to have hit without any caution.

I assessed Tracy and surmised that she seemed stable enough to be carried from the street. I moved her gently into my arms.

"Where's Addie?" she asked, her voice the loudest I had heard.

"Is that your daughter?"

"Yes, where is she?" She was overcome with panic now and began fidgeting.

"I'm going to find her. Be still."

I sprinted with Tracy in my arms. I didn't have any reason to be careful or remain undetected. This woman could possibly die from these injuries. As we made it back to the clearing in the street, the child and a paramedic were rounding the corner. The paramedic met us in the street and I gently positioned her onto the yellow board he was carrying and he got to work.

"I'm going to look for your sister, ok," I told the child.

I found a simpler route into the ball field and was back in the general area in just a few seconds. My emotions ranged from fear, to control, to anger, and to terror. I called out several times and heard nothing. At the far corner of the field, past the bricks and rubbish I could see an overturned metal picnic table dropped about fifty yards from its point of origin. I ran with bullet speed to discover a little girl, the same size as Arden, clutching to the metal post connecting the bench to the table.

"Honey, I'm here to help you," I called to her.

"I want my mommy." She was terrified but looked otherwise unharmed.

"It's okay. I know where she is. I'll take you."

Her sobs broke out and my heart seemed shattered at the catastrophe she had just gone through. I silently thanked God that my little girl was nowhere among this as she wasn't supposed to be home until later. The paramedic was still diligently attending to Tracy, she was bandaged and now hooked up to an IV, but by all indications was going to be fine. The family was reunited and for a moment I felt ecstatic. Although, the scars from the trauma of the day would remain with them forever they would have a happy ending.

"Sir, thank you," the little boy said. He let go of his mother's hand long enough to give me a hug.

"You're welcome."

The paramedic shook my hand. "Good work, you saved a life today."

I nodded. "I need to go. I've got to find my wife," I said.

"Thank you," Tracy said with a feeble voice. I touched her hand and she gave me a light squeeze. I waved goodbye to the family of strangers and hoped that they would soon be able to overcome this day.

The chaos was still raging, but the streets seemed to be filling with people being rescued and of course their brave rescuers. Not every scene was as happy as the one I had just left. It seemed that this storm had claimed its share of casualties as body after body was carried from the disaster in black bags. I passed a news reporter interviewing a survivor who was given a rather colorful description of the events. I walked with a different determination but was still on edge. I needed to know that Bella was safe. The damage was still undetermined I had heard someone say and shock seemed to be the biggest emotion flowing from the scene.

I couldn't get past the urgency of this storm. No warning, absolutely unpredicted and as quick as it came it disappeared. My mind was a whir of thoughts but as I walked-with no real destination in mind-the streets of destruction soon passed and a calmer, stiller Astoria was just ahead. I'm not sure what was leading me and then I stopped short, my feet like concrete to the ground. Behind me was the scene of devastation and before me was the scene of normalcy. The only thing out of place was the burning in my nose. The sensation of smell so strong, so sweet, that it was unmistakable. Vampire. I trembled as the assault lingered. My natural enemy was somewhere close by, and with that thought reprieve flooded me far greater than the stench of leech was the sweet scent of Bella. She was somewhere close by.