CHAPTER 26
A HARMLESS CULLEN

ALICE stood, cocking a brow upward as the smell of dog invaded her nostrils. Margo watched the vampire's face twist in disgust. Bella leaned forward in her seat, staring at Jacob with a mixture of shock and awkwardness. Margo looked to her boyfriend as well, who met her eyes quickly when she asked, "What are you doing here?"

"You didn't answer my texts or call," he replied, almost out of breath. Margo stood and eyed him, crossing her arms over her chest. "My tribe's treaty says that I can't protect you on these grounds, but I guess I don't care." Jacob sighed, which caused Margo's eyes to soften. "I had to see you were safe, Mar."

Margo exhaled softly. It was wrong of her to ignore Jacob's call, especially because she hadn't fully realized how deep she was within his life now. Emily told her that them being apart could cause Jacob to have physical pain, and she was also meant to be a part of his inner soul. She had been ignorant. If anything were to happen to her without his protection, god – she was sure this imprinting would make him go insane. If he was upset after only scarring a small part of her chin, she didn't want to think what would happen when she died.

Pushing her thoughts away, Margo walked forward and placed her hand inside of her boyfriend's. She squeezed his fingers tightly, and just her touch alone set every worry he had at ease. Margo knew she had to be more conscientious of her relationship with Jacob, because she certainly never prepared to be an imprint. Jacob smiled quickly towards her, but it faded away once Alice began to speak.

"Well, I'm not gonna hurt her or Bella," she argued.

Jacob's eyes formed into slits when he turned to Alice, standing in the middle of the living room. "No, you're just a harmless Cullen," he spat. "I'm talking about the other bloodsucker, who tried to kill Bella because of you."

Margo frowned, pushing a lock of hair behind her ear.

Alice furrowed her brow and turned to Bella. "Victoria?"

"Yeah, Victoria's been around," Bella replied nonchalantly. Her tone confused Margo.

"I didn't see her. I didn't see you get pulled out of the water either," Alice said with a muddled expression. She stared at the ground for a few moments, contemplating why she had never seen any visions of Victoria around Forks. She shook her head, looking up at Jacob with narrowed eyes. "I can't see anything past you and your pack of mutts!"

Margo's eyes went wide. "Whoa there –"

"Don't get me upset, Cullen," Jacob threatened, moving closer to Alice. Margo shoved her way in between them, holding Jacob back by her arm, but even she couldn't stop him. "Things are gonna get very ugly –"

"Stop, stop, stop!" Bella exclaimed, pushing Alice away from Jacob. Both her and Margo exchanged stares, and they wondered how they could relieve the tension. Bella raised her brow towards Margo, which was returned with a shrug. Bella then glanced to Alice and asked, "Can you – um ..."

Margo scoffed, "Can you leave and give us a few minutes?"

Alice sighed, glaring at Jacob for a second more and stepping away. She moved fast towards the back door, causing Bella to turn her head. "Hey, you're not going anywhere, right? You're gonna come back?"

"As soon as you put the dog out," Alice smirked.

Margo rolled her eyes as the vampire exited the household. Jacob pulled her closer, his chin just hovering over her head as he turned to Bella. "Are there others? How many Cullens are here and how long are they staying?" He asked. "I have people to protect and others that need to know."

Bella frowned for a moment and shook her head. "No, it's just Alice," she replied. Bella then moved towards the coffee table and picked up the half-full mugs. "And she can stay as long as she likes."

"Well, are the rest coming back?" Jacob questioned, and Margo felt his grip of her hands grow tight.

"I don't know, Jacob!" Bella exclaimed in a frustrated tone. "Not that I know of. Anything else you want to interrogate me about today?"

Jacob groaned annoyingly, causing Bella to shake her head and go right back to the couch. She slammed the half-full mugs, allowing lukewarm tea to spill over the edges for a moment, as she leaned back into the cushions. Bella was angry, and Margo knew she needed a moment to chill out. Even she could agree that Jacob was being harsh, which was her reason for stating, "I'm gonna talk with Jacob in the kitchen."

Bella didn't answer. She only grabbed the remote and turned on the flat screen, watching a baseball game she clearly didn't care for. Jacob replied, "What? What did I –"

He didn't have enough time to finish his sentence, because Margo was already dragging him to the other room. Jacob was huge now, but Margo sometimes found the strength to pull him away when she caught him off guard. Once they were inside the kitchen, she ripped her hands away from his and placed them on her hips. "Could you be anymore difficult?!" She whispered loudly.

"Why am I the bad guy in this situation?" Jacob asked, his arms extending out. "I'm not a bloodsucker killing humans!"

"The Cullens are her friends," Margo replied. "Regardless how close we are with her, the Cullens come first. They've never hurt her, and you know they would suffer numerous consequences if they did. Let her have this moment with Alice."

Jacob rolled his dark eyes. "You don't get it. It's in my nature to be wary of all vampires, Mar. They're not to be trusted."

"Someone could say the same about werewolves too," she added, lifting her brow. "As much as you want to do something, you can't change Bella's feelings. Let it go."

"Why are you fighting with me on this?"

Margo's mouth dropped. "Because you're being insensitive!"

Jacob looked away. It was at this time that Margo noticed how heavy he was breathing, trying to keep himself calm. Margo stepped back out of instinct, and her back hit the edge of Bella's kitchen cabinets. A few spices from a rack fell to the floor and Margo picked them up with a groan. When she stood back up, she noticed Jacob was staring.

Margo huffed and ran a hand through her hair. "I'm just saying – if you're going to complain about Bella's relationship with the Cullens yet again, you might as well run back to Sam and the pack." She paused, lifting her chin high enough for Jacob to see the scar. "But if you want to stay and play nice with Alice, then I suggest that this is not worth getting worked up over."

Jacob rubbed at his eyes as Margo swallowed hard. He shook his head, sighing yet again at his actions. "I made a promise to myself – even before the imprint – that I wouldn't hurt you, or Bella, or my dad. Anyone in my life really, but especially, you." He tugged his hand away from his eyes, and Margo noticed the glossiness of them. "I feel like I'm breaking that promise. I don't like fighting with you. It hurts me, and I don't want to hurt you."

Margo closed her eyes for a moment, and then walked over to her boyfriend. She let her hand graze the back of his neck before allowing it to hover over his cheek. She smiled sadly as she replied, "You're not gonna hurt me, Jake. It's not possible."

Jacob didn't answer. He only reached up and let his thumb brush over her scar. Margo swatted his hand away.

"Forget about that."

"I can't."

Margo raised her brow, as if to implore him further. This expression made Jacob heave annoyingly.

"I'll let it go – all of it," he finally agreed. "I can't do anything to these bloodsuckers on this ground anyways. I just don't want us fighting. I can't –"

"It's okay, Jake," Margo interrupted. Jacob leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead, which warmed her from the inside out. "We're not gonna lose each other."

Jacob nodded, bringing her close. Margo's relished in the heat her boyfriend's new body gave her, and she closed her eyes willingly. Her head rested on his chest, but she could feel his warmth rise from outside his clothes. His grip was strong around her small frame, and it was almost a shock to remember that he had been only a few inches taller when they first met.

The phone rang suddenly, causing Margo to jolt away. Jacob groaned, glancing at the phone with disgust. Margo reached out to retrieve it, but Jacob put out his hand. The blue phone hanging on the wall continued it's shrill ring, until Jacob eventually picked it up. Bella appeared at the doorway of the kitchen.

"Swan residence," Jacob greeted.

Margo stared upwards at her boyfriend, watching his face contort in a mix of anger and shock. "Who is it?" She whispered, not noticing Bella walking into the kitchen.

Jacob blinked, ignoring Margo's question. "Chief Swan isn't here right now," he spoke into the speaker. "He's arranging a funeral."

Margo furrowed her brow as Jacob slammed the phone back in it's place. "You seem angry," she muttered, watching his jaw set. "Who called?"

"Filthy bloodsucker," Jacob mumbled under his breath.

"Jacob Black," Bella called from behind. Her eyes formed into slits, and Margo watched her hands clench when she noticed Jacob's sudden expression. "Who was on the phone?"

Jacob rolled his eyes.

"Hey!" Margo shouted, hitting her boyfriend's arm before gesturing to the other girl in the room. "Tell Bella who was on the phone, Jacob, or so help me God –"

"Bella!"

The three teenagers turned when Alice arrived in the kitchen. The vampire sped into the room quickly, her scarf blowing in the sudden air that followed her feet. Alice was at Bella's side immediately, staring at her with wide, golden eyes. "Bella, it's Edward," she explained, mouth wobbling with worry. "He thinks you're dead. Rosalie told him why I came here."

All eyes were on Jacob now, who looked at his feet. Bella's teeth grit as she dug her nails into the palms of her hands. Her body shook with anger. "Why –" She paused and tried to collect herself, but it was no use. "Why didn't you let me speak to him?! Why didn't you hand the phone to me?!"

"He didn't ask for you!" Jacob retaliated.

"I DON'T CARE!"

The room came to utter silence as Alice pulled Bella back. Breathing was only heard between the four, and that was terribly uncomfortable. Margo's head moved back and forth between parties, realizing she was stuck in the middle. "So, just for clarification," she muttered into the silence, "because Jacob said Bella's dad was arranging a funeral, that made him think Bella was dead?"

"Rosalie must've told him that I came here after finding out about Bella's cliff jumping accident," Alice whispered, shaking her head. "Oh, gosh – why did I tell her?"

"Alice," Bella turned on her heel to look at the vampire, "focus. What can we do to contact him? Redial the number? Contact Carlisle?"

Alice blinked away a fresh set of tears. Despite Margo's slight anger towards Jacob's meddling, she still gripped his arm then, wondering what they could do in this situation. Alice sighed heavily, sucking down her sob. "I don't know if there's anything we can do," she muttered. "I've seen his decision. He's going to the Volturi. He wants to die too."

Margo blinked. She looked to Jacob for a moment, before her confused eyes flashed back to Alice and Bella. "What the hell is a Volturi?"