Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction

Venom

By BetterInTexas

Chapter 23:

Rachel Black had finally finished unpacking her bags. It was good to be home. Better than she imagined it would be.

She was unsure how she would feel coming back. She had managed to avoid returning on holidays. Big events, tribal days came and went and Rachel did not return. The memories of her mother lingered in this place. Rachel knew if she came back for any length of time, she would have to deal with the pain those memories brought with them. The pain of being a young girl without a mother to guide her through the changes in life. The fear of taking her mother’s place as the caretaker of her father. The fear of being stuck in La Push.

But when Jacob called and practically begged her to come visit, she could not turn him down. Her little brother, her funny Jake. He never asked her for anything. Suddenly he was asking. He simply wanted to see her.

She couldn’t tell him no. Then to be picked up at the airport by her brother who was no longer little and the great love of his life since he knew what love was, Bella Swan, had knocked her for another loop.

Things were different in La Push. Her brother seemed to have matured emotionally along with his physical maturation. Her father… her father seemed preoccupied. She knew he was glad to see her. The tears in his eyes told her as much.

Despite that joy he was quiet last night. She expected an interrogation on every aspect of her life. Her work, her school, her friends, her love life, or lack of one. Instead he was distant, staring out the window most of the night. This morning he was gone. Jacob was gone. She supposed the two must have gone to Port Angeles or Forks. Perhaps Dad had a doctor’s appointment. Nothing was mentioned.

Rachel watched TV for three hours. The entire reservation seemed dead. Where was everyone? Jake’s friends had not been around. She called Leah’s house and was told by Sue that Leah and Seth would be gone for the day. No offer of where they were.

Tired of watching, Rachel stepped out onto the porch in time to see a caravan of vehicles driving at a high rate of speed to Old Quil’s home. One was her father’s truck. Men were in the back. A large Chevy followed at a high rate of speed. Two more trucks and Charlie Swan’s police car were following the large truck.

Rachel ran towards Old Quil’s and then stopped cold at the site before her.

Her father just stepped out of the driver’s side of his truck.

Her father was standing.

“Daddy?” Rachel whispered.

He didn’t answer. Instead he ran around to the passenger side and opened the door. Her brother stepped out with Bella Swan in his arms. She was covered by his shirt. Her face was covered in dry blood and she was unconscious.

“Daddy? Jacob?”

Chaos.

Embry Call was helping Leah walk inside. She was limping, her lower left leg twisted. Sam was carrying a young boy who couldn’t have been more than thirteen. She thought his name might be Brady. Despite his size she recognized his face. He was convulsing. Colin, another boy who must have been Brady’s age was shirtless. He had dried blood across his ribs. Scars that looked like finger scrapes.

The party rushed into Old Quil’s house. Rachel hesitantly followed. Before she could step inside, Sue Clearwater ran in front of her, carrying a medical bag.

Rachel observed the chaos inside. Jake had Bella on the floor. Sam carried Brady to a back room where Old Quil and Sue followed. Leah lay on the floor next to Bella. Embry snapped Leah’s leg.

Rachel and Leah screamed at the same time.

“Seth I need a splint so I can set her leg. Grab one from your Mom’s bag.” Embry said, while Leah gritted her teeth.

“Hey you! Go to the bathroom and get some warm wet rags.” Rachel turned towards the demanding voice that had spoken to her.

“I’m not doing a damn thing until someone tells me what the hell is going on!” Rachel screamed, turning and meeting the eyes of Paul Lahote for the first time.

Rachel Black was lost.

Billy Black knew the look he was seeing on Paul’s face. He was present the first time Sam saw Emily.

“Paul?”

Paul said nothing, but continued to stare at his daughter.

“Paul!” Billy called once again.

“Yeah? Yeah Billy?”

“We have this. Please take Rachel to my house and explain to her what is going on.”

“Explain?” Paul questioned.

“Yes. Rachel go with Paul He will explain everything. Go.”

Paul nodded. Rachel finally looked away from him and met her father’s eyes.

“Daddy?”

“It will be okay Rachel. Go with Paul. Believe everything he tells you and then come back. It will be okay.”

Paul grabbed Rachel’s hand gently and walked her out the door.

Jake POV

“How is Brady, Quil?”

“Sick. Very, very sick. His system is fighting the venom. I am trying different remedies. One of them is the same one I used on Bella to try to draw the venom out of her system. I don’t know if it will work.”

I nodded. I suspected as much.

We won the battle. But the cost may be high.

Bella moaned in her sleep. She had not woken up since she collapsed at the Cullen’s. I listened to her ribs mend themselves on both sides. Pieces slowly fusing back together. Her skull was most likely cracked in a few places. If I listened closely I could hear her bones fusing back together. Her pulse was still low. Her breast plate had been cracked. Her Jaw had just recently straightened back up.

That bitch beat the hell out of her. If Chris and Quil hadn’t distracted the leech she would be dead now. I wondered if her injuries were too great when she first collapsed. Seeing her land from the sky, wrapped in that black armor… her eyes were like pits of darkness. She sliced through the leeches in the yard so easily I figured she was fine. Unstoppable. Until the armor came off. Blood had pooled inside her stomach.

Sue said it would take surgery to repair the damage. Surgery she couldn’t have. She would heal quicker than a surgeon could operate. Maybe.

Truthfully we would not be able to explain to a surgeon how someone with her injuries was still alive.

Sue gave her fluids through an IV. I kept her legs elevated to keep her blood pressure up. And I waited.

Leah’s leg healed. Sam’s bones mended. Collin’s bleeding stopped. Only Bella and Brady remained injured.

Dad sat down next to me on the floor.

“Doing alright son?”

“Yeah. How’s Charlie?” Chris had taken Charlie for a walk when he broke down over Bella. He could hardly breathe. Chris and Dad had to pull him out of the house.

“He is getting it together.”

“What about you?”

“Jacob, it is not fair considering the situation but I have never felt better.”

He had a sad smile on his face when he said it. I knew what he meant. What an unexpected turn of events.

I really looked at him. He was slimmer. A bit more muscular. I looked at Quil. He seemed younger. Not young but younger. More fit. Both seemed a bit taller.

“I suppose this makes you Alpha huh?” I asked, half jokingly.

“No. You are the Alpha. Just look at Quil and I as the retired reserve.” He chuckled.

I didn’t.

“She will be fine Jake. She made it through the worst of the injuries.”

“And Brady?”

Dad said nothing. Nothing needed to be said. It was in the Spirits hands now.

Charlie walked in and sat down.

“Has she woken up at all?”

“No Charlie. But I can hear her healing.”

He nodded and continued watching her. It was all any of us could do.

One hour later the stone on her bracelet lit up.

Thirty seconds later her eyes opened.

“Bella?”

“Jake?”

“Yeah baby.”

“It’s over?”

“Irkalla is dead. You killed her.” I confirmed.

Charlie crawled on the ground next to her and gathered her in his arms.

“Bells. Thank God Bella.” He whispered, fresh tears falling.

“How are you…” I started.

“How is everyone?” she finished.

My face must have betrayed me.

“Who?”

“Brady. He’s alive but he was bit. He’s sick Bella. Everyone else has healed but…”

“Take me too him.”

Bella sat up quickly. Then she practically rose to her feet, no help needed. Quil led her to the bedroom where Brady lay.

Bella knelt down beside the bed. Pulling back the covers she placed her right hand over the bite mark on Brady’s rib cage.

“Back away from the bed, please.”

Quil, Dad, Charlie and I stepped into the hallway, leaving her in the room with Brady. None of us said a word. Bella was wearing my tee shirt. Blood caked her face and the top of the shirt. Her hair seemed even darker. Nearly black now. Her eyes seemed darker. But her bracelet shown brighter. Armor wrapped around her arm.

Blue light curled over Brady’s body. His back arched and he began to rise from the bed.

Bella was chanting. It was a language I was not familiar with.

She continued chanting for thirty or so seconds when a blue light filled the room and Brady jerked in the air. He crashed onto the bed and Bella stumbled back. I caught her before she hit the ground.

“Baby?”

“I’m okay Jake. So is he. The venom is gone.”

I gathered her in my arms and carried her outside. Setting her on the couch, Emily brought her a glass of water.

Walking back to the bedroom I was unsurprised to see Old Quil and Dad laughing with Brady. He was awake. He looked good. He waved at me when I walked in. I hugged him and walked back out.

I saw Bella speaking to Emily and Leah. They were laughing a bit. I think everyone was beginning to relax. We were beginning to relax. Nobody died.

“Jake?” Bella’s voice.

“Yeah baby?”

“Edward’s body? Was it taken care of?”

“Yeah. Jared did it.”

“Thank you. Are you okay?”

“Yeah. So long as you are good, so am I.” I told her honestly.

I noticed it was getting dark outside. What a fucking day.

“Bella lets go to my house for a bit. I think I really need to be with you alone right now.”

“Okay Jake.”

“Jake? She is sleeping at home tonight. You can sleep with her, I don’t even care. But I don’t… please?” Charlie said suddenly.

“How about you sleep at my place tonight Charlie? I would be more comfortable having everyone in my tribe in La Push tonight.” Dad suggested.

“Is there room? With Rachel home and…”

“You can have my bed. I won’t be sleeping tonight Charlie.”

“What do you mean Dad? You have to rest.”

“No. Your pack needs to rest. Quil and I are patrolling tonight.” He grinned.

Bella and I walked hand in hand towards my home. She was walking steady.

“How did you do that? Did it hurt you? What you did for Brady?”

She chuckled softly.

“No Jake. It didn’t hurt. I wish I had woken up sooner. I could have saved him some suffering.”

“Bella, are you okay?”

She stared off into the distance.

“I let go of some control Jake. I… every time I do that I am worried. Scared I’m going to become someone you don’t recognize. But I had to. I thought she was going to kill me Jake. I nearly… I… look I don’t really want to talk about it. Physically I’m fine. Emotionally my pride may have been wounded a bit. I mean she pretty much nearly killed me. I… look, I’m fine. The Pack is fine. We need to plan what our next moves are going to be. I’m sure she was going to instigate a global attack sometime after the Cullen’s. Vampires are somewhere waiting for that call. We still don’t know how this is going to go. Vampires may still go public. Either way, we have not fought our last leech. We are going to need better planning. Better… Jake we are going to need more wolves.”

That thought crossed my mind as well when we were surrounded by the leeches in the Cullen yard.

“We can’t exactly order wolves from the general store Bella.” I joked.

“I know. But your Dad and Quil. I’m sure wherever Sam Uley’s Dad is, if he comes across a leech he will have a similar reaction. We need to trace bloodlines. Find out who is where. I mean Jake, what if Leah isn’t the only female? What about Rachel? Rebecca?”

“Oh yeah. While you were out, Paul explained everything to Rachel. At least he was supposed to. We haven’t seen them since he left.”

“Why?”

“Yeah. Uh, apparently Rachel saw us all come to Quil’s after the battle.”

“I suppose that would have been hard to explain. But why now? Why Paul?”

I took a deep breath.

“Paul imprinted on Rachel.”

Bella was speechless.

Then she was laughing.

Now she was laughing hysterically.

“It’s not that funny.” I told her, slightly annoyed.

“Oh Jake…” Bella wiped her eyes… “That’s the first thing I have heard today that is funny.”

Rachel picked that moment to walk out of my house.

“Bella? You’re okay?” She looked relieved and surprised.

“Yeah Rachel. Sorry you had to find out about all this in this manner.”

“Yeah. This was a lot… and you are okay? Because you looked dead earlier?”

“Yeah, I’m good.”

I pulled Bella a little closer. The mention of her being dead…

“Jake I am so sorry.”

“About what Rachel?”

“That I left you here. To deal with this. I ran off and left you to take care of Dad. To take care of yourself. And then this. Jake I’m sorry.”

Damn.

Rachel wrapped me in a hug.

“But I’m not leaving you again.” She whispered in my ear.

“Paul told you everything?” I asked.

“You mean the imprint thing?”

“Yeah.”

Rachel nodded.

“I’m not sure what to say about that Jake. I mean it’s a lot to take. I told him no promises. But I won’t run. Whatever you are caught up in, I’m not running. I’m staying.”

I wiped a rain drop off my face. Then I realized it wasn’t raining.

“Thank you sis.”

“Why don’t you two go relax? I think Paul said Emily was cooking dinner or something and everyone was heading over there. I’m going to go see if I can help.”

“Thanks Rachel.”

I watched her walk off and Bella moved closer.

“Weird day huh?”

“Yeah.” She agreed. Not much else could be said.

“Come on.”

Bella POV

I felt so alive. Every nerve in my body was wired. I was in so much pain, but now, I felt like flying. I was pretty sure I could if I wanted to.

Jake led me to the bathroom and started the shower. I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and turned away quickly. It wasn’t only the dried blood that covered my face, like a bad extra in a slasher film that caught me off guard.

My hair was nearly black. My eyes were as well.

I should have been relieved. I should have been ecstatic. I should have been thankful that the battle was won and no lives were lost.

Instead I was incredibly horny.

I wanted to fight and fuck. The order didn’t matter. I was on edge. I wanted to run Thunder through the forest. I wanted to jump from the cliffs and soar over the ocean, skimming the waves.

I wanted to draw lightning from the sky and wrap it around my body.

Jake lifted his tee shirt form my body. I unbuckled his shorts and watched them fall to his feet. He lifted me by my waist and placed me under the hot water.

I closed my eyes and stood still while he ran the soapy towel over my body. He ran the cloth slowly over my face, my chest, my stomach. Traveling further down…

I took the towel from him and began cleaning him. He turned and I washed his beautiful back. His muscles were rippling under his skin. I had strong urge to bite him. I ran my fingers over the mark on his neck. He ran his fingers over the mark on mine.

“I want to consume you.” I whispered in his ear.

“You already have.”

I grabbed his cock and squeezed. Wrapping one leg round his back I impaled myself on him. His hands cupped my ass and lifted me completely on top of him.

“I love you so damn much.” I breathed in his open mouth.

Jake growled, pressed me against the shower wall and drove into me hard. I bit down on his shoulder. My nails scraped his back, digging deep into his flesh. I didn’t want to hurt him but I felt like I could not get deep enough into him.

He walked me out of the shower, with my legs still wrapped around him. The taste of him in my mouth, I wanted to feed on him.

He lay me on my back and pressed his weight down on me. I couldn’t move. I could only lie still and try to rock my hips while he fucked me harder and faster than any normal human ever possibly could.

The bed broke underneath us. He still didn’t stop. Nothing would stop us.

“Bella?”

“Inside me. Fill me up. Don’t you dare come out.”

He exploded. The feel of his seed inside me, set me off. I came so hard I saw flashes of bright lights.

He continued laying on me, our bodies twitching while we came down. I felt him grow soft inside me. I missed the feel of him already.

“Again?” I asked.

“We need to check on everyone. Don’t you think?” he chuckled.

“Yeah.” Damn it. I was still wired.

“Why don’t you go to Sam’s and I go check on some things?” I suggested.

He popped his head up and glared at me.

“You are not leaving my sight.”

“Jake…”

“Where do you want to go?”

“I need to go back to the Cullen’s. I’m sure someone called the fire in by now. I need to make sure no evidence of bodies remain. I need to check on the site I fought Irkalla. I left in a hurry to get to you. I need to make sure nothing is left. Clothes, anything that could be found.”

“I’ll go with you.”

“Jake you need to check on the Pack.”

“We go together or we go tomorrow. Charlie can check on any fire reports.”

I needed to get out. I needed to ride. I needed to run.

“Okay. Come with me. We can run. I’ll grab Thunder and you can phase. We can be back in time for dinner.”

“Okay. I’m sorry Bella. I can’t be away from you right now. Not right now. Give me a bit of time. I watched your body fight to heal itself from some pretty severe injuries. Give me a day or so.”

He had a point. I stood up and armored up. Looking down I was relieved to see my armor was silver. Maybe I could contain it. Once the adrenalin wore down. It would be okay. I was still me. We were still just Jake and Bells. Right?

Narrator POV

Chris addressed the gathered men and Sue. The Pack and imprints had gone to Sam and Emily’s. Sue, Old Quil, Charlie, and Billy remained in Old Quil’s home.

“So we need to talk about what’s next.”

“It’s over. Bella killed the bitch. It worked.” Charlie said quickly.

“She changed a helluva lot of vampires on her way across the country. She had vampires waiting for her word to attack the human race. This isn’t over Charlie. Killing Irkalla was a great step, but battles still need to be fought.” Chris explained sadly.

“Why aren’t we having this discussion with Bella and Jake?” Billy asked.

“Because we also need to talk about Bella.” Quil said quietly.

“What about my daughter!?” Charlie practically screamed, standing up. Sue stood and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Please sit Charlie. Everyone here loves Bella. But there are some things we need to be aware of, to watch for.” Quil explained.

“Like what? Like she nearly died today fighting this bitch? That she flew over trees half dead to help you and Billy kill more vampires? Did you two even know you could phase? What the hell happened there? Why did you wait?” Charlie asked.

Billy answered.

“Charlie I didn’t know. Not until a second before we did. When Quil called on Taha Aki, I understood. I expected help. I didn’t know what kind until I felt the spirit of the wolf enter my body.” Billy explained.

“What about Bella?” Charlie asked Chris.

“Charlie, to defeat Irkalla, Bella had to reach deep into the source of her power. The bracelet is a powerful weapon. But it is only as powerful as the wearer. Bella has unlimited potential. But at times, she could get carried away with the power. During training and when we all visited the Cullen’s the first time. Every time Bella taps into the bracelet a bit more she opens herself up to change. The bracelet has the essence and experience of all the witches before her. It is possible to lose yourself. To become out of control. In the past it was never a big deal. The witches were strong and the bracelet matched their ability. But with the greater threat and Bella’s potential, it is possible for her to tap into more power than she is ready to handle. Bella’s current level of power was not enough to defeat Irkalla…”

“She wasn’t ready.” Charlie said accusingly.

Chris took a deep breath.

“I don’t know. But we were out of time. Bella knew this. Quil and I distracted Irkalla to buy Bella time. To perhaps allow her to heal. But as Irkalla tried to reach us, we could see…”

Chris stopped talking.

“See what?” Charlie pressed.

“We could see that she wasn’t going to heal.” Quil answered.

“But she did.” Billy pointed out.

“No. She allowed the bracelet to take control of her. Instead of using the bracelet as a weapon she allowed the bracelet to use her body. She gave up control.” Chris said.

“What the hell difference does it make?” Charlie asked, still very agitated.

“The more powerful Bella became, we noticed changes in her Charlie. Changes such as her hair, and her eyes. No major changes. Her personality changed a bit as well.” Chris answered.

“She is the same! She is still my daughter!”

“Yes. She is. But when we first started training, Bella was concerned about having to hurt the Cullen’s. As she grew stronger, she no longer was concerned. When she arrived back in Forks it took everything in her not to kill them on first site. She craved battle. Again, not a big deal, but a slight change in her personality. Now that she has allowed all this power to go through her, we aren’t sure how she will be changed once again.” Quil explained.

“So what? She is going to turn into a different person?” Billy asked, doubt coloring his voice.

“No. But we need to watch her carefully. She is 18. She should have been in Wyoming for a year at least. Then she should have been eased into it. In less than a year, she has gained a great amount of power and killed a great number of vampires. I know we all noticed her hair and eyes are nearly completely black now.” Chris mentioned.

That brought silence to the room. Charlie sat down.

“So what is going to happen?” he finally asked.

Quil shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know. Maybe nothing. All we are saying is everyone in this room loves her very much. We need to watch her behavior. Power is easy to lose control of. It can change a person. Just watch her. Try to keep things as normal as possible when we aren’t going after vampires.”

“Pay particular attention to any changes in habits…” Chris started.

“Like an 18 year old girl using smokeless tobacco?” Charlie practically growled.

“Yeah. Like that.” Chris whispered.

“So what now?” Sue asked.

“Now we eat.” Billy stood up. The feel of his legs under him was so strange. And he was hungry. Very, very hungry.

“I’m going to the Cullen’s. I’m sure it has been called in. The Fire Department is probably there. Questions will be asked. I have to figure out how to cover this up. Bodies won’t be found. Questions will be asked.”

“I’ll go with you Charlie.” Chris offered. He needed to make Charlie understand. He wanted what was best for Bella. She was the closet to having a daughter that Chris would ever have. He loved her. He saw her nearly die today. Then he saw her as something he did not recognize. And it frightened him more than he wanted to admit.