Intensity
By Mama4Dukes
Chapter 26:
Twenty-three hours ago…
Angela’s POV
I pulled into the parking lot of the church and waited. He was late, and I was seriously annoyed. I hated to be kept waiting.
His Mercedes slipped into the stall next to mine. He got out of his car and knocked on my window. “Sorry, it took so long to get here. For some reason, traffic is crawling. Are you ready to go?”
I looked behind me onto the road. He was right, the traffic was moving slowly. Maybe there was an accident or something? I got out of the car and allowed him to kiss me.
“I need to talk to you first.”
“What is it you need to talk to me about?” he asked.
I might as well get straight to the point. I took a deep breath before giving him the bad news. “Tony, I’m pregnant.”
“Pregnant? Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure.”
“I’m assuming it’s mine.”
“Of course, it’s yours! Jake and I have been legally separated since December and everyone in Forks and La Push knows it, thanks to that bitch Linda Littlesea freaking out on me in front of my father’s congregation.”
I remembered the day clearly. Linda, who had once been a loyal friend, decided to turn on me. She was waiting outside of the church after services when she confronted me about the little incident I had with Sarah, and slapped me in front of all of my father’s parishioners. It was embarrassing to say the least. After that, my parents had the nerve to throw me out of the house. They declared they were embarrassed about me, and that I was an unfit mother. Apparently, their grandkids were more important to them than me-their own daughter. Ugh! I just couldn’t understand their reasoning! In any case, I had nowhere to go. I called Tony and he paid for a hotel room in Port Angeles for me. I stayed there until he was able to find housing for me. Unfortunately, I ended up becoming pregnant again. Normally, this wouldn’t be a bad thing, but the timing was bad. I wanted custody of the kids so Jake would be responsible for child support, alimony, and housing. There was also the fact that Tony was still living with that simpering wife of his! When was he going to leave her?
“This is going to be a major problem.”
“Oh, really? I’m glad you think so Tony because I agree. I’m going to schedule an abortion”
“An abortion? This is our child, Angela. I love you. I want you to have my baby. This baby is a token of our love.”
“Tony, this will cause a major scandal. Besides, I’m still married to Jake and you’re still married to Brenda. You’ve been promising to leave her for two and a half years!”
“It’s a minor technicality that can be easily resolved.” Tony plastered me up against my car and kissed me. I moaned as he played with my nipple over my blouse. “I’ll support the baby. I’ll be a good father.”
“You said the same thing to Tiffany Call over thirty years ago and didn’t give her one red cent except for a home on the reservation. In fact, Embry doesn’t even know you’re his father.”
“I was much younger then and I didn’t have the resources that I do now. Besides, Tiffany Call was just some Makah bitch I fucked after the prom. It wasn’t my problem she got knocked up.”
“I’m not so sure I can trust you.”
“Of course you can trust me, darling. I paid that credit card bill off for you, didn’t I? And I paid your car off, and set you up in your own townhouse.”
“Yes, but still, your track record isn’t that great.”
“I know it isn’t, but this time it’ll be different.” He put his hands on my abdomen. “This baby will be loved and cherished because I love the mother more than life itself. You know something else?”
“What?”
“I’m going to buy you an engagement ring this weekend.”
“Oh, Tony!” I kissed him deeply on the lips. He understood me unlike Jacob. He also felt that we both deserved better than the hellhole that’s the Olympic Peninsula, and was working hard to get us out of here. He felt I should be pampered and spoiled instead of being Jacob’s damned breeding machine. Sure, he was sixteen years older than I was, but age wasn’t issue. He grabbed my overnight bag and put it into the trunk of his Mercedes. He helped me into the passenger seat. We locked up my Volvo and waited for the traffic to start moving again before heading off to spend the weekend together in Vancouver.
Paul’s POV
“Embry is my half-brother?” Brady questioned after Collin finished telling his story. Embry and he kept staring at each other. Finally, the older brother opened up his arms to his younger half-sibling and they hugged each other.
“Hey, you and I are the best things to come from Tony Fuller. Now we have to get custody of that kid that Angela is giving birth to because neither of them are fit to be parents, and like it or not, that kid is our brother.”
Brady nodded his head in agreement.
“Do you realize how fucked up this is?” I asked. “What the hell are we going to tell Jake?”
“I don’t know. I’m just the messenger. You figure it out, you’re the alpha!” Collin stated.
Screw that! This is too messed up for me to delve into. I’m passing the buck. “Crispy! You figure it out. You’re my lawyer!”
“It’s easy. You have him run up here and we all tell him.”
“Why all of us?”
“Because we want to show him that we’re behind him one hundred percent.”
“Good idea!”
“Bella, do you have…” My eyes bulged. “What the hell are you doing to my tennis racquet?”
“I’m cutting the strings. I want to restring it for you.”
“How are you planning on restringing it?”
“On our new stringing machine.”
“When did we purchase a racquet stringing machine?”
“It arrived yesterday. I need to practice.”
“So you’re practicing on my racquet instead of yours?”
“I use mine more than yours. Plus I just got mine restrung at the pro shop by the certified racquet stringer.”
“Bella, get a fucking job!” Babs snapped. “You’re doing all of this frivolous shit when you should be out there delivering babies and taking care of patients.”
“Hey, I resent that. Paul said that I make a great housewife. Didn’t you?”
My entire pack glared at me as I replied, “You do, honey. I really love how you knit me a wool scarf.”
“Paul, we live in the desert. When the hell are you ever going to wear wool?”
“I’ll wear it the next time I go to Washington in the winter, Babs.”
“You’re a goddamned wolf with elevated temperatures.” She turned to Bella. “You need to get back to work. You spend three hours a day at the gym, two hours at the country club, and the rest of the time cleaning out all of your closets and labeling shit that doesn’t need to be labeled. You are bored-plain and simple, Bella. Now get it through your thick skull that you are not meant to be a housewife!”
“I’m sorry you feel that way.” Bella marched upstairs and slammed the door to our room. A few minutes later, she came back down the stairs dressed in her tennis gear. “I’ll be at the club working on my serve!”
“Man, I shudder when I think about your country club bill,” Jeff noted.
“Lately, it hasn’t been a very pleasant thing to look at,” I admitted. It really hasn’t been. Between court fees, green fees, and pro fees-our bill has been astronomical.
God, I can’t believe Babs and my wife lost it like that . “Alright, I’ll call Jake, and then go after Bella. You guys keep the party going.”
“Bella will eventually come to her senses, Babs. You have to let her work through this alone. She’s probably still mourning the loss of Dr. Blanchard. He was her mentor,” Randy told her.
“I just hate seeing her like this.”
“I know you do. She just needs time. Give her time, Babs. She’ll be back to her old self soon enough.”
After calling Jake, I hopped into my truck and headed to the club. Bella was sitting outside by the pool sipping on an iced tea.
“Can I sit with you?”
“It’s your membership, Paul. I’m just a useless housewife.”
“You’re being ridiculous. It’s our membership. What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know. I’m bored, but I’m not bored. I like working, but the thought of those long hours terrify me. I like playing tennis and golf, but I really don’t feel comfortable hanging out with these hoity-toity society types because they’re so damned snobby. It’s why I take so many lessons-so I don’t have to socialize with the housewives from hell.”
“They terrify me, too.”
“And you like having a housewife.”
“No, I like having a happy wife and you aren’t happy, Bella. I want you to be happy again.”
“I’m so confused.”
“Maybe you should talk to a counselor.”
She shrugged her shoulders. “Maybe.”
I wrapped my arms around her and held her. “I love you, Bella. We’ll get through this. It’s just a minor bump in the road.”
“I know. At least we don’t have Jake’s problems.”
“This is true. We’ve got a major issue here. We have a new pack baby coming, and with it, all sorts of bloodline issues, and parents who are unfit to raise a child. On top of that, Tony and Angela’s baby will be Jenny Cameron’s baby’s uncle. Do you see how screwed up this is?”
“I do, Paul. How could she do this to him? To Jake? He has a heart of gold, and she took advantage of him. How could she hurt him like that?”
“I don’t know. Something went wrong with that imprint. We’re going to have to consult with the elders.”
“Yeah.” She looked towards the tennis court. “Ooh, my court is ready. Do you want to play with me?”
“I didn’t bring a racquet.”
“You could get a loaner from the clubhouse.” She looked up at me with pleading eyes. Have I been neglecting her that much?
“Alright, you win. I’ll get a loaner.”
Within ten minutes, we were smacking tennis balls back and forth to each other on the court. It reminded me of the first days of our relationship, before we were married, and as happy as clams-before I became so busy. It occurred to me that maybe I wasn’t spending enough time with my wife because she seemed really happy to be hanging out with me.
When we returned to the house, Emily was sitting on the front porch waiting for us. “What’s up, Em?” I asked.
“I was just worried about Bella.” She turned to my wife. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I just have a lot of thinking to do,” she replied, while picking up Emily’s wrist and taking her pulse. Being a great friend, Emily just took it in stride. In fact, no one batted an eyelash whenever Bella took their pulse anymore because they understood it was something she just needed to do.
“You know I’m here for you, right?”
“Always, Emily.”
Babs came rushing out of the house. “Bella, I’m sorry for being a bitch.”
“It’s okay. I’ve probably been annoying.”
“No, it’s not that. It’s just that you seem so unhappy.”
“I’m not unhappy. I guess I’m just confused.”
“You’ll figure it out. I know you will. And I’m here for you, even though I’m a harsh bitch.”
“Oh, don’t worry, Bella can be a harsh bitch, too,” Emily joked.
I was happy to see that my wife had such a great support system. Babs and Emily were both close to Bella, and it was good for her to be with such caring women.
“Here, take my pulse,” Babs offered, handing Bella her wrist.
We walked into the house and sat with everyone. Linda was manning the blender and making margaritas. She had discovered my liquor cabinet because the bottle of tequila she’d brought was long gone and half of the imprints were tipsy.
“I never knew Linda was such a party animal,” Kim commented.
“We discovered that she was over Thanksgiving. She has a particular affinity for tequila.”
“Huh, you learn new things everyday. I like the new Linda.”
“I think she’s grown up,” I commented.
Four hours later, an exhausted Jacob appeared along with Seth.
“What? What is it that is so important that I needed to go furry and run all the way here?”
“Why is Seth with you?”
“Duh… I didn’t want to run all the way here by myself. What if a vampire attacked me? Besides, he knew the way. Can I have a beer? I’m parched.” He looked around the living room. “Why is everyone here? What’s going on?”
“Jake, it’s about Angela.”
“Yeah? What has the bitch done now?”
“She…” God, how am I supposed to tell him that his wife has been cuckolding him and she’s knocked up with someone else’s kid? “Jake… uh…”
Thankfully, Barry decided to save me at that moment.
“Jake, your wife has been having an illicit affair with Tony Fuller for two and a half years. She is now expecting his child, and we also found out that Embry is Tony’s son.”
“Say that again, Barry.”
“You heard me the first time. Collin came to us with the news.”
“This is just great, isn’t it?” Jake replied-shaking his head before he sat down and guzzled down a bottle of Scotch, which was sitting on the coffee table. He started laughing. In fact, he couldn’t stop laughing. He suddenly grabbed my imprint and twirled her around happily before hugging her.
“Jacob, are you okay?” Bella asked, worried. She, of course, immediately took his pulse.
“Are you kidding me? I’m more than okay. I’m happy!”
“Happy? Why?”
“The truth-it can be liberating, don’t you think?
“That’s one way of looking at it.”
“Think about it, Bells! Angela has screwed herself into a hole-literally. There isn’t any way that she’s going to get custody of my kids now especially since she’s carrying evidence of her affair inside of her.”
“This is very true. It’ll definitely come into play in a court of law. Have you filed for divorce yet?” Jeff asked.
“I did as soon as the three month legal separation was up. I cited irreconcilable differences, but she slapped me with a countersuit. She wants custody of the kids plus child support, alimony, the house, and half of my share of the business.”
“I highly doubt she’ll win, but Crispy and I will look over the case for you. Who is your lawyer?”
“I don’t have one yet.”
“I’ll find a top notch BIA family attorney for you. They’ll fight for custody of your kids for you. In any case, the Indian Child Welfare Act should work in your favor. We like to keep Native American kids on the reservation if at all possible, especially when the alternative is an unfit mother like Angela.”
“Thanks, Jeff.”
“No problem.”
Upon observing Jacob, I realized that he had made peace with the fact that his imprint had disappeared. He looked comfortable, happy, and serene. Later, after everyone had left and Seth, the Littleseas, and my imprint were safely tucked into their own beds, I asked him, “Hey, Jake? Do you feel any sort of pull towards Angela?”
“Nothing.”
“Nothing?”
“Scary, isn’t it? I didn’t realize that the pull had been gradually diminishing over the last couple of years. When I witnessed her hitting my kids, it was the last straw. I felt something snap. You know how when you first imprint, you feel as if you’re being bound together with your imprint by an invisible rope?”
“Yeah, I do. I still feel that way.”
“Well, that’s good. I think that’s how you’re supposed to feel. You see, when she hit my kids, she gave me an ultimatum. She told me to pick between the kids or her. I picked the kids, of course. That’s when it happened. It was like Quileute magic. As soon as I chose the kids, it felt like a giant pair of scissors cut the tie that bound us together and retied itself. It bound me to my kids instead, Paul. Does that even make sense? Can I imprint on my own children?”
“On the one hand, it makes sense; on the other hand, it goes against everything we’ve been taught about imprinting.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“We’re going to have to talk to one of the Coyote elders.”
“I agree. Can we do it tomorrow?”
“Yeah, it shouldn’t be a problem.”
I must have looked a bit upset because the next thing Jake asked was, “Are you okay, Paul? You look like you’re thinking about something.”
“It’s Bella. She hasn’t been herself since she stopped working.”
Jake rolled his eyes at me. “Well, duh.”
“Can you expand on that enlightening statement, please?”
“Paul, you’re the Great Protector, your mate is a healer. She’s not healing anyone if she’s not working. And if she’s not healing, she’s going to be unhappy. Besides, Bella has wanted to be a nurse from the time she was a little kid. It’s the only thing she’s ever wanted to do.”
“God, I feel stupid. I’m the one who suggested that she take a break from working.”
“Paul, believe it or not, aside from you, I’m the one who knows Bella-the real Bella-the best. We’ve known each other since we were in the playpen together. I know why you told her to take a break from working. It’s because she works and works and works and doesn’t know how to relax. Even when she was in high school, she worked about thirty hours a week at Newton’s on top of going to school. Crazy, if you ask me. And when she was a little kid, she used to follow my mother around so she could help her with chores. Bella doesn’t feel useful unless she works, but at the same time-she needs to find a happy medium because all of those hours could kill her. I think it’s good that she’s taking a break so she can figure out on her own what to do.”
“So you’re telling me that I shouldn’t suggest that she go back to work.”
“Let her figure it out for herself, Paul. She’s a big girl.”
I patted Jake on the back. “Thanks, man.”
“You’re welcome. You’re a lucky bastard, you know. Bella’s a great girl.”
“I know that.”
“I didn’t deserve her.” He looked wistfully into my eyes. “But you did, Paul. You deserved her more than any of us did.”
“Sometimes, I still don’t know why I was given Bella as an imprint.”
“Look around you, Paul. You earned this. You carved this out for yourself from nothing. You are the best; that’s why you have the best.”
“I wouldn’t say the best, you haven’t seen what my imprint did to the garage. Come with me, I’ll show you.”
I told him all about Bella trying to change the oil and then attempting to cover up the grease spots with pink spray paint. “You’re kidding me?”
“Nope, it gets worse. After that, she hired a contractor to repair the damage. Of course, I’m the idiot who trusted her.”
“And?”
I opened the garage door. “Voila! This is the result.”
Jake started howling in laughter. “Paul! Your garage looks like Malibu Barbie’s Dream House!”
“Tell me about it. I have to park here everyday.”
“Paul, there are pink and silver floor tiles on your garage floor.”
“Yes, I see them everyday, too.”
“Paul, the floor tiles are sparkly.”
“Bella, likes sparkly.”
“This is true. She did date a sparkly vampire once.”
I arched an eyebrow at him, and then started laughing. “You’re right, maybe she was attracted to him because he looked like he bathed in glitter glue.”
“Bella can be a bit obsessive, but Paul, this is your man cave.”
“I know.”
“Paul, what happened to your balls?”
“She took them and hid them.”
“At least she kept your fridge and your tool chest.”
“Apparently, she matched the floor tiles to go with the stainless steel.”
“Sarah would love this garage.”
“I’m sure she would.”
“Paul, your garage is… cute.”
“Yep and I paid for this cute garage.”
“Hey, is that your new truck?” he asked, changing the subject.
“It is.”
“Let me check it out, man.”
“Sure, you want to take it for a spin?”
“Yeah, can I?” I threw the keys to him and hopped into the passenger side. He started up the engine, backed out of the garage, and started driving. We ended up sitting down at a bar and having drinks together. It occurred to me that Jacob was, for the first time in his adult life, content. It was a great thing. I realized something else, though. I finally understood why Bella and he got along so well. Jacob Black was actually a very cool guy.
The next morning, the pack phased by the Gila River, to try to figure out what happened with Jake’s imprint. We were able to see and hear through Collin’s mind, the entirety of what he had witnessed between Angela and Fuller; and through Jake’s mind, we were able to see the moment the imprint broke. Unfortunately, this also included Angela abusing her children. This had all of us in frenzied states for a good twenty minutes.
We were now back in our human forms, sitting in Crispy’s father’s living room. He was the Chief of the Wa-Ya Indian Nation as well as being a shifter. The senior elders, and by senior elders I mean the grandfathers and the great-grandfathers of the coyotes were all in conference with the elder shaman Kwatoko Whitefoot. His daughter Tolinka had just married Old Quil in a quickie ceremony in Reno and he was seriously unhappy that both his daughter and new son-in-law had shirked their responsibilities to both tribes. I just found it funny that he kept referring to Old Quil as ‘the little turd.’
Kwatoko approached Jacob. “This is only a guess because I have yet to fully study the Quileute legends and history, but I have a feeling that your bond broke because it was never able to fully form with Angela. How could it? A spirit warrior could never be bonded to someone with such a poisoned mind. I will need to return to La Push with you to give you a full answer.”
“There’s hope for me after all!” Quil joked. “Maybe I’m not stuck with Rachel for life.”
“Shut the hell up, Quil. You love Rachel,” Manny interjected.
“Yeah, I do. I’d love her more if she’d stop trying to poison the kids and me with her cooking.”
“I’m talking about morals and values, you goddamned idiot!” Kwatoko snapped. “Rachel is pretty solid in that department.”
“Yeah, she is. She has her head screwed on straight for the most part.”
“So, how are you going to be able to tell whether or not the bond fully formed or not?” I asked the old shaman.
“It’s actually just one of two theories.”
“What’s the other theory?”
“I don’t know yet. There’s always another theory to be discovered, though.”
I cracked up at Kwatoko’s answer. Basically, the guy had no idea what was going on with Jacob’s imprint situation, but he was willing to do some research to find out.
“Thanks,” I told him.
“You’re welcome.” He paused for a second before fixing his gaze upon me. “You worry too much, young Paul. Life always has an uncanny way of working itself out, even without your hand in it.”
With that statement, he left me to my thoughts. He was right; I worried too much about things that I really had no control over. I needed to concentrate more on my own issues; mainly on the fact that my wife seemed to be withdrawing into her own personally created hellhole.
Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction 
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