Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction

Intensity

By Mama4Dukes

Chapter 19:

Jacob’s POV

On Monday night, Angela finally walked into the house armed with shopping bags. I was sitting on the sofa, having a beer, aimlessly surfing channels on the TV. My mind just couldn’t tune into anything, but the state of my marriage and my life. I was miserable. I’d lied to myself for years that Angela was a good woman, but in all honesty, I knew she was a selfish person and a terrible mother. Maybe we were too young when we got married and had kids? I don’t know. What I do know is that she truly has no love for the kids or for me. At this point, I was questioning the validity of the imprint.

“Where are the kids?”

“They’re staying at Dad’s.”

“On a school night?”

“Yeah.”

“Lovely,” she snipped with sarcasm. “I needed help bringing the bags in from the car.”

“I’ll get them,” I offered like an idiot.

Without even thanking me, Angela huffed that she had to go to the bathroom and remained there until I brought all of her crap in the house. She started going through her purchases immediately. Apparently, she’d purchased a whole new wardrobe for herself.

“Angela? How much did all of this cost?”

“I don’t know. By the way, there’s something wrong with our Visa card. The card was declined when I tried to buy the Jimmy Choo shoes I wanted. Have you been making the payments?”

“I always make the payments on time.”

“Yeah, well, there’s something wrong with it. It was embarrassing.”

Wunderbar! I bet she ran the credit card up again. I’ll have to look into it tomorrow morning.

“I’m going to bed,” I told her.

“Fine. I’ll be awhile. I have some stuff to take care of.”

When did our marriage become so cold and lifeless? It was as if we didn’t give a shit about each other anymore. This wasn’t the only thing bothering me though. Angela had just spent a weekend away from the kids and she didn’t ask how they were doing. Instead, she was upset that they weren’t in the house to help her with her fucking bags. What kind of a monster was she? In any case, it was already ten pm, and the kids were all hopefully tucked into bed at Dad’s house by now. I tried to sleep but my mind was spinning. I was angry-angrier than I’d ever been in my life. My wife was an unfeeling bitch, and I was saddled with her for life because of some ridiculous supernatural intervention that happened when we were teenagers! Damn, my life sure sucks.

I had finally managed to close my eyes when Angela burst into the room and turned the lights on. She started putting her crap away in the closet.

“Do you have to do this now? I’m trying to get some sleep. I’ve got work tomorrow.”

“You know I hate it when things are left out.” She rolled her eyes at me and continued what she was doing. I could hear her high heels clicking on the wood floor. Why the hell does she wear heels in the house? It’s not like she needs heels anyway. She’s already tall.

“Fine!” I stormed out of the house and went to Dad’s place. The lights were out, and everyone was sleeping. I quietly crept inside and knocked out on the sofa.

I woke up in the morning to find my father looking at me with a concerned expression. He held out a mug of coffee for me. “Thanks, Dad,” I mumbled.

“Everything okay, son?”

“Yeah.”

“You don’t usually spend the night on my sofa.”

“I know.”

My father looked as if he were working up the courage to say something to me. He looked intently into my eyes and finally said, “You know, you’re still very young.”

“Yes, Dad.”

“You were so young when Willy was born. You weren’t ready.”

“Dad, just say whatever you want to say, I can take it.”

“Alright, well, I just want you to know that there’s always room for you and the babies here.”

“Dad…”

“Jacob, listen to me. I know things aren’t going well between you and Angela. In fact, I can’t think of a time when things were ever well between the two of you. The point is, some marriages don’t last forever and staying together for the sake of the kids isn’t always the best choice.”

“I can handle my own marriage, Dad.”

“Quite frankly, son, I don’t think you can. I think you’re blinded by the imprint, but I want you to put that aside and think about your babies-my grandbabies. I want you to look me in the eyes now and tell me that Angela is a good mother.”

I tried, I really did, but I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t lie to my father.

“Look at me, Jacob, and tell me the truth,” he prompted.

I lifted my eyes to his and whimpered, “What am I going to do, Dad?” I dropped into his arms and started crying. I just couldn’t think anymore.

“I’m here for you. I’ve always been here for you. We’re going to figure this out together. I promise, I’m not going anywhere. You’re still my son. You’ll always be my son,” he soothed. He had no idea how grateful I was to have him as a father.

---

I managed to take my kids to school and haul my ass to work. I couldn’t stop thinking about how miserable my marriage was and I was snapping left and right at everyone. Collin finally told me to head home early and take it easy. After thanking him, I went to the tribal school and the daycare to pick up the kids. When we came home, I noticed a strange man in a suit standing on our doorstep.

“May I help you?” I asked.

“Are you Mr. Jacob Black?”

“Yes.”

“My name is Roger Hasselthorne. I’m with Child Protective Services. I’m here to discuss an incident, which occurred with your son William a few weeks ago.”

Well, hell, and I thought the day couldn’t get any worse.

An hour later, I was completely on edge. Angela was nowhere to be found and I had to answer each and every question by myself. I answered honestly, though. I told the man that I had been in Phoenix with injuries sustained from a fall and that William had been under the care of my wife when he’d run away. I told him that Dr. Randall Kayani of Phoenix would be able to provide him with any sort of documentation proving that I was away. The man told me he’d be in touch, and asked that Angela call him tomorrow at his office so he could meet with her.

“Dad, are you okay?” William asked.

“I’m fine, son.”

“Are they going to take us away from you?”

“I won’t let them. Don’t worry.”

He nodded his head then looked up. He had a guilty expression on his face.

“What’s wrong, Willy?”

“It’s my fault, isn’t it? It’s my fault because I ran away to Aunty Bella’s house, isn’t it?”

“No, Willy, it’s not your fault. It’s your mom’s and my fault. We should have been better parents. We should have listened to you.”

“Yeah, but Dad-I ran away because I was scared.”

“William!” I grabbed hold of his shoulders and turned his face to look at me. “There never should have been cause for you to be frightened in the first place. Mom and I failed to protect you.”

“But…”

“No, you listen to me, son. The job of a parent is to protect his or her children. You gave both mom and me lots of warnings about being bullied, but we didn’t listen. It’s our fault.”

“I’m sorry, Dad.”

“Why are you apologizing? Can’t you see? I should be the one apologizing to you. And I’m sorry, Willy, I’m so sorry you were hurt. I love you.”

“I love you, too. I don’t want to have to go away from you, Dad.”

“I’ll do everything possible to make sure we’re together.”

He looked down at his feet-still nervous and scared.

“Hey, we’re going to be okay. We’re a family,” I reassured him. “And from now on, you can come to me about anything without ever being afraid. Okay?”

He nodded that he understood and I just sat and held him in my arms, trying to comfort him as best as I could. I contemplated my marriage to Angela and the conversation that I had with my father this morning. I tried, I really tried to be what Angela wanted, but at what cost? I wasn’t the best father that I could be because I was always catering to my imprint’s whims. It was going to change now. I cannot-absolutely cannot-sacrifice William, Sarah, Isaac, and Rebecca’s well-being for that of a selfish adult.

With Willy in my arms, I watched as Sarah, Isaac, and Rebecca quietly tiptoed around the house. I wanted to scream. My kids weren’t normal. They weren’t childlike at all. Each and every one of them were serious children. They didn’t run around the house, jump on the sofa, argue, and create general chaos like normal kids did. They were well-behaved and obedient. They never disturbed Angela or me. They never argued with us. They never asked us for anything. That in itself, was a problem. It was as if they were walking on eggshells around us. Shouldn’t they beg us to take them to the beach over the summers or maybe ask to see a movie? They don’t even argue over the last cookie. They probably have never made a god-damned mudpie in their entire lives. Oh my God! My kids are like little robots!

And just to prove the point that I was a fucked up parent, my cousin Collin stopped by to pick William up for his Boy Scout meeting. In fact, he took Isaac along with him, too. Apparently, he was starting the Cub Scouts along with his son Michael today. He told me not to worry about dinner because he’d feed them at the diner in Forks before returning them to me. I turned to look at my two girls who were quietly watching cartoons on the sofa. Sarah suddenly stood up and walked into the kitchen. She reached into the refrigerator and took some food out.

“Are you hungry, Sarah? I can make you something.”

“No, I have to get started on dinner before mom comes home. She’ll be mad if it’s not ready.”

“What did you just say?” I growled, unintentionally causing her to shift nervously on her feet.

My eleven-year old daughter shuddered at the sight of me. She shouldn’t be shuddering. An eleven-year old should never shudder! I took a few breaths to calm myself down. “I’m sorry, baby. Did you just say that mom will be angry at you if you don’t have dinner ready?” Sarah looked down at her feet. “Answer Daddy, Sarah.”

“My chore is to cook dinner every night,” she replied simply.

“Since when, honey?”

“Since about two years ago, but I’m not supposed to say anything to you.”

I put the food that Sarah got out back into the refrigerator, shutting the door a little harder than I intended to. “And why is that?”

“Because Mom said that you would be very angry that she gave me the privilege of cooking.”

I wanted to slam my fist into the wall. I wanted to phase, but I couldn’t. My temper was hanging by a thread, but I had to stay in control. Ten minutes later there was a knock on my door. Seth was standing on the doorstep in his cutoffs. “Jake, are you okay?” Seth whispered while taking Sarah by the hand to keep her safe. He knew I was close to losing it. “I felt that weird connection. I phased and ran here.”

“We need to get out of here,” I whispered so only he could hear. “If I’m home when Angela gets home-wherever the fuck she is, I’m liable to phase and pummel her. I’ll tell you what happened later. I need you with me, man.”

Seth nodded to me and suddenly announced to the girls, “Dinner at Uncle Seth’s tonight! We’re having fried chicken!”

The girls squealed excitedly as we climbed into my truck. The girls didn’t question why Seth didn’t have his car with him. I sent a text message to Collin asking him to hang on to William and Isaac overnight due to an issue with Angela.

He texted me back stating it wouldn’t be a problem. Thank goodness for my cousin.

Twenty minutes later, we were in Seth’s living room. Kyla took the girls immediately and motioned with her chin that Seth and I should go out and phase. We went out into the forest where we phased and started running. I ran the conversations that I had with the social worker, and with Willy and Sarah through my brain as I darted through the woods.

“ Man, that’s harsh,” Seth noted.

“ I know. I just don’t know what to do. I don’t want to lose my kids, Seth.”

“ Well, if it helps any, I work with the social worker that has your case all the time. He’s a really decent guy. Another thing that you should know is that if-and that’s a big if; if you do get the kids taken from you, they would be placed with a relative first. In your case, your father would get precedence because he lives in La Push. They like to keep Native American children who live on reservations with their own tribe. In your case, Jake-I don’t think your kids are going to be taken from you because you have documentation that you were injured and out of state. They’ll be asking Angela a ton of questions though and I wouldn’t be surprised if you’re all required to attend family therapy together.”

“ I don’t mind going to therapy if that’s what it’s going to take. The problem is, I don’t know what to do about Angela.”

Seth closed his big wolf eyes and let out a deep sigh before looking into my eyes and speaking, “If I were in your shoes, I’d do whatever it takes to hold on to my kids.” He paused for a second. “Even if it meant having to divorce my imprint.” With that, he started running back to his house in human form-leaving me in the forest to consider his words.

---

The next day, I decided to cut out of work early. I returned home to find Angela yelling at William. Sarah had shuttled her brother and sister into her bedroom and was peering into the kitchen through the slightly cracked open door. I stood at the front door taking in what she had to say.

“Didn’t you hear me, William? Uncle Tony’s son has been arrested because you lied to the police in Arizona! Mark Cedro and Terrance Johnson have been arrested, too.”

“I didn’t lie! I never lie,” William stated.

“Yes, you did! Kurt said that he was only trying to give you a ride home.”

“No, he’s lying, I swear! He tried to make me take drugs, and he beat me up when I told him no!”

“Don’t you lie to me! Kurt would never lie! And your accusation that Kurt is doing drugs is reprehensible. Kurt is a good boy. He’d never do drugs! Maybe you’re the one doing drugs!”

Sarah burst out of her bedroom. “Willy isn’t lying! Kurt gave me a funny looking cigarette on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. I took it because other kids told me that he and his friends beat them up if they didn’t take it home with them.”

My eyes bulged in shock. I was about to say something when Angela took her hand and swiped it across Sarah’s cheek, knocking her to the ground. “Now you’re lying too! What kind of kids have I raised?”

“Don’t you hit her!” William screamed and attempted to shove Angela who grabbed my son and started shaking him.

“Stop it! Stop it!” Sarah yelled, standing up and hurling herself in between her mother and her brother.

Angrily, I approached the scene and put my two children behind me. “Pack your shit and get out!” I roared at Angela.

“But Jacob, they’re lying. Kurt would never do anything as heinous as selling drugs. He comes from a wealthy family. His father is a good person.”

“I can’t believe that you’re even doubting William’s word after his injuries. What kind of a mother are you?”

“I know my kids and they lie. Look at all the trouble William has been in.”

“William is a good boy. He’s probably the most well behaved kid on the reservation.”

“Well, then, I suppose we’ve reached an impasse. It’s either me-your chosen impri… wife-or them, Jacob. You choose.”

I can’t fucking believe she’s stupid enough to offer me that outrageous choice. She asked for it. “Them, it’ll always be them before you, so you’d better get that through your thick skull, Angela. As their mother, I would expect you to put them ahead of me, but clearly you and I aren’t on the same page when it comes to parenting. Now pack your bags and get out of my house. I don’t care where you go, just go. I don’t want you near my kids.”

“They’re my kids, too. I’m going to go away until you calm down and can be reasonable. After that, we’ll talk.” Angela walked into our bedroom and slammed the door shut. I could hear her packing her belongings.

Sarah and William both jumped into my arms. I hugged them both tight. “I love you. You both know that, right?”

“Will you and Mom be getting a divorce?” Sarah asked in a whisper. She was so timid and shy.

“I don’t know, sweetie.”

“Because I don’t mind if you do-as long as we can stay with you.” It dawned on me that a child shouldn’t be sanctioning a divorce between her parents, but this is how low Angela and I have sunk.

“I’m never letting you go. Don’t worry.”

It took Angela an hour to pack four suitcases and leave the house. I didn’t know how to proceed from there so I called my father. Charlie and he stopped by along with Seth.

“Jacob, I’m going to question Sarah and William and take a police report from them. I want you to file charges against Angela for slapping Sarah and shaking William. I also want you to file a restraining order so she can’t legally approach the kids. I’ll make sure it’s approved.”

“Okay.” I looked over to see my father fiddling with the doorknob with a screwdriver. “What are you doing, Dad?”

“Oh, I’m changing the locks so she can’t get into the house. I don’t want her near my grandbabies. Not after what she just did.”

That was actually a good idea. I had to hand it to my dad. It was some smart thinking. “Um, Charlie, what should I do now?”

“It’s very important that you provide as much normalcy as possible for the kids. I’m going to file the restraining order through my department. Normally, you’d have to go through the tribal police, but because the tribal police chief’s son is involved in the case with Willy-I’ll be handling this. Now let me interrogate the kids. Seth, take a report from Jacob.”

And so, for the next hour or so we were questioned. Charlie took photos of bruises, which had developed on William’s shoulders and the handprint on Sarah’s face. She’d also skinned her knees and elbow when she hit the ground after being knocked down by Angela. Sarah and William both spoke of past incidents when they, and their siblings, had been hit by their mother.

“Uncle Charlie?”

“Yes, Sarah?”

“I almost forgot. I have to give you something.” Sarah ran into her room and came back out. “This is the funny looking cigarette that Kurt Fuller forced me to take with me. I kept it.”

It was a joint laced with something. I could smell it with my heightened wolf senses and I knew that Seth could too. My father noticed both of us shaking in anger. “Get outside. Now!” he whispered harshly to us.

Seth and I both burst out the back door and phased out of our clothes.

“ She’s just a baby! She’s eleven years old, Jake!” Seth hollered.

On the other hand, I was sobbing uncontrollably, running thoughts of what I’d witnessed through my brain.

“ That bitch!” a new voice joined us. It was Collin. “I’m glad you threw her out of the house, Jake. It must have taken everything you had in you to stay in control. I probably would have phased and destroyed her.”

“ No, you wouldn’t have. You would never stoop to her level. I still can’t believe she hit the kids.”

“ We’ll be here for you, Jacob. We’re not going anywhere,” Collin assured.

“ Yeah,” Seth agreed along with every single wolf and coyote in our extended pack. Apparently, they’d all checked in because they’d felt that odd connection that we’d inherited from the coyotes.

“ Hey, Leah? How are you doing?”

“ My tits hurt. I’m seeing Randy’s father tomorrow though. You’re coming with me, right Randy?”

“ Yeah, I am. Bella and Barry’s mom are going to be there, too.”

“ Why the hell is my wife going?” Paul asked.

“ For modesty’s sake. I’m a woman, you know!” Leah huffed.

“ Jake, we’re all here for you. You just make sure you keep your babies safe and call us if you need us for anything,” Paul said. He was phased on his patio. We could see his grill smoking in the background.

“ Paul! Um, maybe you should man your grill,” I suggested.

“ Shit, my steaks!” He phased out after seeing flames erupting out from his grill. Obviously, he had been in the middle of grilling when he felt the connection. He soon phased back in. “Guess, we’re going out to dinner tonight. Oh well.”

We all chuckled at Paul. At least he broke the tension. I soon phased back to human form and went back home with Seth and Collin so I could be with my babies. Charlie and my dad had ordered pizza in and were playing Monopoly with my kids. I had a lot of thinking to do-somehow, I didn’t think my marriage to Angela was going to survive, and the worst part about it was that I simply didn’t care.