Moving Forward - J. Black

xxvi.

EDITED

Edward and Bella returned to the Cullen home the next morning as most of the Cullen sat in the dining room. "Wow, back already?" Emmett made his usual snide comment as Carlisle glanced over at the couple. "Where's Renesmee?" Bella looked around the room for her daughter. "Blondie stole her." Jacob motioned outside, where Rosalie was laying against a tree trunk with the baby girl. Bella smiled out the window at the sight of her daughter. "Break a lot of stuff?" Emmett continued his taunting and Eliza bit back a laugh. Jacob smirked as he ate the sandwich Esme made him and leaned against Eliza's chair. "Emmett, no." Bella looked horrified at Emmett discussing her sex life with Edward.

The phone rang and Carlisle shared a small glance with Edward when nobody answered. "Is that Charlie?" Bella stepped toward the table, glancing down at the landline. "He's been calling twice a day." Edward sighed as he informed Bella of her father's distress. "He's in pretty rough shape." Jacob gave Bella a sympathetic look, knowing firsthand how Charlie was doing. "Eventually we'll have to tell him you didn't make it." Carlisle tried to be supportive and understanding as the phone continued to ring.

"He needs to mourn, Bella." Edward reminded his wife of the secrecy that her new life came with. "Okay, we'll do it tomorrow." Bella gave a defeated nod as she walked over to Edward for comfort. "I'm going to miss this place." Emmett stood up and Eliza flinched at Emmett's words. "We'll come back, we always do." Carlisle promised as he continued to read the paper. "Wait, nobody said anything about leaving." Jacob looked over at Eliza with a bewildered look and the blonde suddenly felt guilty. Eliza was hoping she would have more time to bring the subject up with Jacob. Their relationship was just starting to take off and she hated to bring up the topic of moving away.

"Once people believe Bella's dead we can't risk anyone seeing her." Carlisle looked hesitant as he didn't realize that Eliza had been putting off the topic. "So you just disappear?" Jacob looked at Carlisle offended. "Jacob, we don't have another choice." Edward furrowed his eyebrows at Jacob's surprise. "Eliza." Jacob looked at the blonde for some input. "Why don't we go talk about this somewhere else?" Eliza sighed as she moved to get out of her chair, but Jacob was already heading out of the room. "I've got a better idea." Jacob left the house angrily.

Eliza paced around the living room for an hour after Edward shared with her the shifter's plan. "Jake, what the hell?" Eliza stormed down to the door and opened it before Jacob could. "I solved the problem." Jacob shrugged with no care in the world. "By outing yourself to the Sheriff?" Eliza looked at him in disbelief. "You were leaving, what did you expect me to do?" Jacob furrowed his eyebrows, not seeing any other choice. "Talk to me, help me find a different solution-" Eliza began to list more rational reactions. "What did you even tell him anyway?" Eliza questioned, unsure of how Charlie knowing about Jacob helped their coven's situation. "I just said that Bella was different." Jacob gave minimal details.

"And that we have a niece who we adopted." Edward interrupted as the couple came down the stairs and joined the conversation. "Seriously, Jake? He's not just going to let that go." Bella was angry that her dad was pulled into the supernatural world. "Did you consider the physical pain he'll put Bella through? It'll be like sticking a white-hot branding iron down her throat and that's assuming she can control her thirst!" Edward pointed out Bella's lack of exposure to humans since her rebirth. Eliza bit her lip as she thought over Jacob's decision.

Eliza was kind of annoyed that the newlywed couple hadn't let her handle the situation, they weren't the only ones this affected. Jacob was her mate and he did what he did to keep her from leaving Forks, that made it her responsibility to deal with Jacob and the repercussions of his actions. "Look, Charlie's been in hell, and I know you'll be much happier with him in your life." Jacob tried to appeal to Bella's pathos and convince her that what he did was right. "Jacob, don't try and pretend you're doing this for anyone but yourself." Edward glared at the shifter, not liking Jacob having a say in any of his family affairs. "Sorry you feel that way because he'll be here in ten minutes." Jacob shrugged and Eliza's eyes widened. "What?" Bella looked at Jacob in complete shock.