A/N: Okay Ladies and Gents this is my new/old story I have been working on for several months now. I hope you enjoy it...Thank you Evieden for inspiring it. Thanks to Shadowlynx for reading it first...Thank you Mist for being the world's best Beta:) And Miss Kitty your banners are AMAZING
Jacob paced in wolf form on the edge of the Cullen property. He had told everyone that he was just doing it to make sure his dad was well protected but that was not the truth. He was really hoping for one last glimpse of his Bells because after today she wouldn't be his Bells anymore, she would be a dead soulless creature who feasted on the blood of others in order to exist. She was going to leave Charlie, Renee, and everyone else in her life behind in order to live forever with the Cullens. Jacob could feel his heart contracting against the pain. He just wished he could have made her see that one lifetime with him, Charlie, Renee, and Billy could be enough, but alas, it was not to be, with a sigh Jake started his loop all over again.
Bella was standing in front of the full-length mirror in Alice's room as Alice fussed over the dress again. Bella really did love the dress but that was just about all she loved about this wedding. The rest was all Alice; the shoes, the setting, the decorations, the cake, and most of all, the yard full of unsuspecting humans who would be mixing with vampires, all Alice. She didn't want this; she did not want to be married at 18. She did not want to die.
Shaking her head Bella brought herself out of her thoughts. Where had that come from all she ever wanted was to be with Edward forever so why the second thoughts now, besides it was too late to change her mind now. If she did, everyone she loved could die. Edward, Alice, the rest of the Cullen's, Charlie, Jacob, and the pack could all die and there would be nothing she could do to stop it. When she became a vampire, no one would ever hurt the ones she loved. Everybody would be safe, she thought as she sighed. Bella managed to get away from Alice's hands long enough to look out the window at the ceremony site that was about to become a circus and out behind the tree line on the edge of the Cullen's property she saw a glimpse of russet fur and she knew that meant one thing. Jacob had returned; he had come home. Bella put her hand against the glass.
"Jacob," she whispered. As if he heard her, the russet wolf looked up towards the window and locked eyes with her and once again, Bella saw what she had on the mountain that day, but she saw so much more than she had then and she knew her life would be forever changed after today.
Jacob saw Bella looking out the window and he looked up at her and his whole world shifted. The only thing that mattered at that point was Bella, not that this anything different than before the shift was tiny and it was more on her part than his. She let him in, really let him in, but would it change anything, could it change anything? Jacob wasn't sure, but there was only one way to find out as Jacob took off for home to get showered and changed before going back to the Cullen's to see Bella.
Bella sighed as Alice pulled her away from the window.
"Come on Bella we have to get you out of this dress and in the shower. You have a half an hour in there and then we have two hours for your hair and makeup."
"Alice," Bella grumbled as she was stripped, pushed towards the shower in record time. When all she really wanted to do, put her jeans and chucks on, and run, not stopping until she reached that little red house on La Push. She stripped the rest of the way and turned on the shower making it as hot as she could stand before stepping into it. In a few weeks, it wouldn't matter how hot it was, she would be forever cold, but for now she enjoyed the heat because it reminded her of Jacob and all those times he engulfed her with his heat. What she would not give for just one more bone-crushing Jacob Black hug to last her through all eternity, but instead she will forever be stuck in Edward's cold embrace forever. She had left herself with no other option, no other choice, she could not allow the Volturi to come back to Forks and find her unchanged and everyone who she loved would be in danger. Sighing Bella turned off the shower and stepped out. She put on the scrap of silk Alice called underwear and the silk robe and headed back into Alice's room.
While Bella was in the shower Alice busied herself getting everything ready. She set out the array of make-up and plugged in the curling iron. Just as Bella opened the bathroom door Alice got a vision.
"Alice, what is it, what did you see," Bella asked as she rushed to Alice's side.
"Nothing you need to worry yourself about on your wedding day Bella. Now why don't you sit here for a few minutes while I go make sure everything is going according to my plan, besides I left the hairdryer in Rose's room? Don't move from this spot. It wouldn't do for Edward to see you before the ceremony."
Bella watched Alice leave and she knew something was up and there was no way she was just going to sit by and let them discuss something that involved her without her anymore. She was about to give up everything to be part of this family and they were going to treat her like it, starting now. Bella waited until she was sure that Alice had taken off towards Edward's room and she ran as fast as she dared, grateful she was in bare feet. She got to the door just in time to hear.
"She deserves to know Edward. Let her make the choice of what to do with her own life," Rose said vehemently.
"She has already made her choice Rose, she chose me remember," Edward spit back at her.
"Edward, you know what will happen to him if she leaves don't you," Alice implored.
"So, he stays a wolf forever or he dies, it won't matter to her once she is changed."
Bella had heard enough. "What are you guys talking about? Is it about Jacob?" She asked hoping she had misunderstood Edward's cruel words.
"Bella, love, I am not supposed to see you yet," Edward said as he rushed to her side with vampire speed. "Why don't you run along back to Jasper and Alice's room like a good girl?"
Bella shuddered at his condescending tone before turning to look him in the face. "I am not a child Edward," she said. "And I am not going anywhere until one of you tells me what is going on with Jacob," she paused and waited for what seemed like an eternity.
"Alice," she probed only to get a helpless look from the damn little pixie.
"Rose," she asked hopeful. Rose never wanted this life and she had made it her mission to remind her exactly she was giving up to be with Edward forever.
Before Bella realized what was happening she was ripped away from Edward's hold with break neck speed and she was in Emmett's big hulking arms and in Rose and Emmett's room. Emmett placed her ever so gently in the chair in front of Rose's dressing table and went to stand in front of the door with his arms crossed as Edward banged on the door. Both Rose and Alice were crouched in front of Bella; each holding her hands waiting for her to calm down before speaking to her. Jasper came out of the bathroom holding a glass of water. He pushed it into her shaking hands and stood close by sending her calm waves. She took several gulps from the water glass and a few calming breaths. After a few minutes Rose stood letting go of her hand and spoke.
"Bella, you have a difficult choice to make but you deserve all the facts before you make that choice. Something happened today and you need to know what it was and what will happen if you still choose to marry Edward or not. You need to think carefully before deciding as it affects everyone in your life one way or another." She paused a minute before speaking again. "You saw Jacob in wolf form beyond the tree line didn't you," she asked.
"Yes," Bella answered. "But I don't see what that has to do with my decision to marry Edward. I made my choice and I can't go back on it. There is too much at stake."
Rose pushed Alice out of the way and grabbed a hold of both of Bella's hands. "Tell me something Bella, and tell me the truth, if it wasn't for the threat of the Volturi hanging over all our heads, would you have agreed to marry Edward?"
"I honestly don't know Rose. I know I am tired of not being able to protect those I love from the evil that I seem to bring into their lives and the only way I can fix that is to be like you." Bella heard Alice sigh and looked up at her. Her friend had unshed tears in her eyes and Bella knew if she could cry she would be right now.
Rose broke her staring contest by pulling her attention back to her.
"Alice, we have to tell her all of it before Edward finds a way to get in here."
"But Rose, Edward is right, it will just make her feel guilty and after she is changed she won't even remember any of them anyway."
"Alice, you are supposed to be her best friend. What kind of shitty logic is that? She won't remember them so what does it matter if her father, her best friend, and his father die because she marries Edward. Maybe she should feel guilty because once the change happens and she is dead but she gets to go on and exist for all eternity, too bad Jacob, Billy, and Charlie won't have that option," Rose said as she began to pace around the room.
"What," Bella screamed. "What happens to Charlie, Billy, and Jacob?" And I swear Alice if you say one more time that it is not important or it won't matter once I have changed I will walk out of this house and never look back, do you understand me."
"Finally acquired some backbone where my brother and sister are concerned it is nice to see Bella," Rosalie stated simply.
Alice stood in the corner fretting between telling Bella about the imprint and having Edward mad at her for centuries or not telling her and have her leave them to their fate when Aro and Jane showed up a discover Bella was no longer with them. Her fear of Aro and Jane won out over the fear Edward's anger because she knew by the look on Bella's face that she was serious about leaving.
"Bella calm down and I will tell you what I know, because as you know your future gets hazy when it involves the wolves and I can't see Jacob's future really, so I am basing what happened to him on yours, Charlie's, and Billy's futures. Jacob's wolf imprinted on you today Bella, but I think in your heart you already knew that. Well when I saw that I went to Edward and he confirmed it, he heard Jacob thinking it, so of course I looked to see how it change your future and I saw two possibilities. One you leave here and live a long happy life with Jacob or you stay here, marry Edward and live with the regret for all eternity."
"What regret Alice?"
"The regret of losing Jacob, Billy, and Charlie."
"What happens to them Alice?"
"Jacob, I am not really sure, but my guess is the rejection of the imprint causes him to waste away from the look into Charlie's future. Billy as you can imagine grieves himself to death over the loss of his only son and for Charlie losing the three of you so close together is too much for him apparently."
"When," Bella manage to choke out around the tears caught in her throat.
"Jacob, within the next six months, Billy within the year, and Charlie within 2 years, I am sorry Bella I know they all mean a lot to you."
Bella didn't hear any of Alice's brand of sympathy after hearing what would happen to the three men she loved more than anyone else because of her stupid choices, the last thing she remembered hearing was the sound of a freight train in her ears and everything went black. Thanks to Rose's vampire speed and reflexes, she was caught before she hit the floor. Alice started fretting over her as soon as Rosalie laid her on the bed.
"Edward is going to murder me for causing her undue stress on her wedding day," Alice lamented as she flitted around the bed.
Rose went in the bathroom, got a cool cloth, and placed it on Bella's forehead.
"Alice, you don't have a clue. You have never had family or friends beyond us and you are so busy drinking Edward's Kool-Aid that you took her some place she never should have gone and now she has to choose to be like us and lose everything that came before we came into her life. You have lied to Charlie and to Bella to see your vision of a sister come true. It is sick and twisted and it has to stop."
"But Rose…"
"I know Alice, I know you have seen her as one of us, but let me ask this dear sister does that make it right? Does it make it fair when she has so much life yet to live? She deserves to have a life beyond anything she can even imagine and you know it."
The sisters sat in silence flanked by their husbands as they waited for Bella to wake and make her decision. Would she choose the life she believes she wanted or the life destiny had chosen for her?