Deep in the Woods (A Twilight Imprint Story)

Chapter 12

(Author's note: Hiii I'm sorry, I know I've been gone for so long :') Long story short I had a Rough summer and a busy autumn but I'm back! I don't know yet how often I'll be updating. But this story makes me happy so I'm gonna stick it out until the end I swear <3)

~Harper~

After hugging Bella, asking her if she was alright, and stealthily checking her neck for bite marks, I stepped aside and let Dad do the whole parenting thing. He hugged her and doted on her for just a moment, until his Dad Instincts kicked in and he was ready to give her a stern talking to. Dad never really yelled, and this was no exception. He asked me to go upstairs so they could talk. I'm sure he didn't want me to put my two cents in while he questioned her and came up with a suitable punishment. Because they both knew I would have.

I understood why this was probably a good idea but I was just upset that I couldn't question her myself. Dad didn't know all the things he should be asking about. Are you hurt? Is Edward alive? Were you bitten by a vampire and now have to run away and fake your own death so as not to reveal your secret?  That was the information I was interested in.

After about 15 minutes I heard Bella's footsteps on the stairs and her bedroom door gently open and shut. No slamming, so she wasn't angry. I quietly made my way to her door and knocked.

"Hey Bells," I whispered, "can I come in?" There was no answer, but I could hear her loudly sobbing. Instead of waiting for an answer, I rushed through the door to find her curled into a ball on her bed, her face bright red and covered in tears. Without a word, I got into bed next to her and held her in my arms. I didn't need to ask, I just knew. Edward was gone.

~Bailey~

"Alice is still in town," Harper told us as she paced back and forth in the small space of her bedroom. Just a short while after dropping her off at home and phasing to keep watch outside with Jake, she called out her window for us to sneak in. 

"I know, I can smell her in the next room," Jake replied with a bit of an edge to his voice. "Now that he's gone, can't they all just leave?" I could tell the only reason he was keeping his voice low was because Charlie didn't know we were there.

"No Jake, this is good! She can help take down Victoria. She can see the future, that could be helpful. Our number one priority should be keeping Bella safe right now, and if Alice can help then I think we should let her." By this point she had stopped her pacing and was glaring in Jake's direction. The dynamic between them the past couple months was so different than it had been when I first came back from school. Neither of them would talk to me about it but I knew it was because of Bella. 

"No," I interjected. "Our first priority," I stated, gesturing between Jake and I, "is to keep all three of you safe." I reached out my hand to take hers. She accepted the gesture but looked away from me, obviously not thrilled with my response. "Alice doesn't seem so bad but I don't know if trying to get the pack to work with her would be such a good idea."

"She's always seemed nice to me. She's way less creepy and much more reasonable than the other Cullen kids have ever been, even you have to admit that Jake." It almost hurt my feelings that she was slightly ignoring my input and focusing on Jake. It was weird to think that they were closer than Harper and I, even if they weren't getting along at the moment. It made sense though. He had been there for her and gotten to know her before I even noticed her. It made me wish I had paid more attention when we were younger.

"I mean sure, I guess that's somewhat true but we still can't trust her," Jake replied. Harper let go of my hand and went to sit next to Jake on her bed. 

"Jake. I know it hurts that Bella is so involved with the Cullens. Not only because of Edward," Jake looked down at his hands as she said this, "but because your tribe has good reason not to trust vampires. But I know you care about Bella and want to keep her safe. And if Alice can help us, isn't it worth trying to play nice for a little while?" He lifted his head to meet her gaze.

"I want to keep you safe too yaknow. I'm sorry I've been so focused on Bella lately. I miss you. You're my best friend... And I guess my sister's girlfriend now too, which still feels kinda weird, not gonna lie," he said with a chuckle and a glance towards me.

"You're my best friend too. I'm sorry I shut you out the past month."

"It's okay. Can we just go back to how things were?" he asked, sounding hopeful.

"Well I don't know if things will be exactly the same," she replied with a smile and a nod in my direction. Which made me grin. I was glad she was including me in their plans. It felt amazing to know that the two people I cared about most in the world cared just as much about each other. They really were like siblings. "But I think we can try," she finished, and gave him a hug and a pat on the back. Then she turned and walked towards me. "I think the three of us should spend some time together. All I want is to get back to normal life, especially now that that includes you," she stated softly, and brushed a piece of hair behind my ear. This made me melt, I couldn't take my eyes off of her. It surprised me all the time how gentle and caring she was. No one had ever been this way with me before. "Which is why I think we should take all the help we can get in tracking down Victoria," she directed towards both of us.

Jake and I shared a glance and I could tell he knew she was right too. Then suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

"Come in," Harper called.

And as the door opened, Alice squeaked cheerfully, "Well finally!"