Moving Forward - J. Black

x.

EDITED

Eliza picked Bella up from her house in an attempt to ease Charlie's annoyance with Edward's constant presence. Edward was impatiently waiting outside his Volvo when the two girls pulled into the parking spot next to him. Eliza could feel the vampire's nerves and a familiar figure told her everything she needed. "Loverboy's here." Eliza grinned sarcastically when she took notice of the shifter glaring at her. Bella looked at Eliza in confusion until she noted Jacob's standing in front of the school entrance. Edward glared at Eliza when he heard her comment and the blonde just shrugged as Bella basically ran out of the car, Edward calling out after her.

Eliza took her time to get herself and her school bag out of the car, striding over to the 3. "Look, I'm here to warn you." Jacob started off, giving a small glance to the approaching blonde. Eliza narrowed her eyes as she realized why he was there, it wasn't to see Bella, but her. "If your kind comes on our land again-" Jacob began his threat, but Eliza was not having it. "You'll what?" Eliza quirked her head at the shifter as she stopped only a few feet away from him.

"Wait, what?" Bella pulled Jacob's attention before he even glanced at the blonde. "You didn't tell her?" Jacob almost scoffed at the information. "He shouldn't be the one telling her." Eliza sized the shifter. "Tell me, what?" Bella was fed up with being out of the loop. "Eliza and Paul had a misunderstanding, it's nothing to worry about." Edward brushed off Bella's concern. "Misunderstanding my as-" Eliza let out a scoff of her own, amused until Jacob cut her off.

"Shut it, Blondie!" Jacob looked away from Bella for once. "Why? Bella has the right to know you're the reason her stalker is still alive and killing." Eliza stared Jacob directly in the eyes and Bella suddenly knew what the three supernaturals were talking about. Jacob opened his mouth to retort in anger when his vision blurred out of focus. Both Bella and Eliza got confused when Jacob's body went relaxed and his face lost all expression. "Uh, Edward?" Eliza looked over at the vampire for some input, but anger washed over Edward's expressions as he looked into Jacob's mind.

Multiple images flashed through the shifter's mind, but it was one that struck Edward. Jacob Black was sitting on the Cullen's living room couch, his face scrunched up in discomfort, Eliza laughing as she took a swaddled baby girl from his arms. The scene changed to Jacob laying with his legs across the couch cushions watching Eliza, who was leaning back against him with a sleeping baby girl in her arms, with complete adoration.

"Impossible." Edward pulled out of Jacob's mind in disbelief. "Uh hello! Whose withholding information now?" Eliza waved her hand in front of the two supernaturals. "Eliza, you should get to class." Edward ignored the girl's request for answers. "What? No, why?" Eliza furrowed her eyebrows as she looked between Edward and Jacob. Jacob seemed to snap out of his trance and he took a step closer to Eliza, but Edward cut him off.

"You can't tell her what to do." Jacob looked away from Eliza to glare at Edward, who was now in his face. "What do you care?" Eliza looked at Jacob confused by his sudden interest in her. Hurt flashed through Jacob's eyes and Eliza immediately realized why she never picked up on his stench like she did with most shifters. "Oh fuck." Eliza's eyes widened in disbelief. "I think Angela and I have a science project." Eliza immediately moved to escape the unusual situation but Jacob just managed to gently grab her wrist. Eliza paused at the force pulling her back and she looked between Jacob and Edward completely bewildered.

"Let go." Edward warned Jacob, but the shifter wasn't looking at him. Eliza looked into the shifter's eyes and her body suddenly felt warmer. "It's okay." Eliza told Edward as she gently wrapped her hand around Jacob's, pulling his hand from her wrist. "You came here to talk to Bella, that's what you should do." Eliza dismissed herself and this time Jacob didn't object when she walked away.

Bella disappeared with Jacob for the rest of the day, putting Edward in more of a sour mood than normal. The worst part of the day, however, wasn't until Bella finally came home. The Cullen family stood in the living room with the couple waiting for Emmet and Jasper to get back from investigating Bella's home. "Who was it? Someone we know?" Carlisle tried to get some insight into the scent that Edward had picked up on only an hour ago.

"A stranger, I didn't recognize his scent." Edward denied the possibility. "A nomad passing through?" Esme suggested another theory. "What nomad would leave Charlie alive?" Eliza furrowed her eyebrows at the idea. "The scent disappeared about 5 miles south of Bella's house." Jasper entered the room first. "Someone is orchestrating this." Carlisle thought over all the information, which wasn't much.

"Victoria?" Bella offered the name of a possible culprit. "I would have seen her decide." Alice shook her head at the proposition. "It has to be the Volturi." Edward declared next. "I don't think it's the Volturi either. I've been watching Aro's decisions too." Alice didn't see the possibility. "So we keep looking, who else have you pissed off Bella?" Eliza sent a sarcastic grin toward the brunette. "We'll take shifts guarding Bella at her house." Carlisle proposed as he ignored the blonde vampire.

"Another protection detail?" Rosalie didn't try to hide her annoyance. "Rosalie." Carlisle gave the vampire a warning look. "No, she's right." Bella shook her head as she took a deep breath. "I mean, you can't protect me, watch my dad and search for the intruder." Bella felt guilty about outing so much pressure on the family. "And for Victoria." Eliza added to the list pointedly. "And keep yourselves fed." Bella obviously wasn't finished with the never-ending list.

"I'm not leaving you here defenseless." Edward began an argument with the human. "Well, I'm not going to let you starve." Bella retorted with just as much attitude. "And I wouldn't be unprotected. I have-" Bella stopped when she thought back to the events from earlier in the morning. "She has Jacob." Eliza showed no emotions when she finished Bella's sentence, however, Edward clenched his jaw at the reminder of the shifter.