His Butterfly

xxxvi. decisions, decisions

Mariposa sighs as she stands close to Edward, her shoulder barely grazing him. His posture becomes tense, the sound of a motorcycle nearing closer to the glass home where they reside. She gives his arm a gentle squeeze with a smile to match but it does nothing as her best friend ignores her like he has been for the past two weeks since he found out she was supporting Bella's decision to keep the baby. She frowns but says nothing instead goes over to Rosalie's side, giving Bella a barely noticeable smile. The new member of the Cullen family can see that Edward's neglect towards Mariposa was hurting her and their bond. Bella was so close to bursting out in anger towards her husband, she guesses it's probably her hormones affecting her but she doesn't care.

Carlisle departs from the living and heads downstairs to greet a rather nervous and worrisome Jacob. Mariposa blocks their short conversion out as she glances over her shoulder to see Sophia gently placing her hand on Bella's stomach, a happy expression on her childlike face. The little brunette is quite attached to the pregnant girl's side ever since she found out about the baby inside of her new aunt.

Soon Carlisle and Jacob step into the quiet living room, the doctor heading back to Esme's side as Jacob stands still, staring at the two defensive best friends. Jasper and Emmett take a small step away from the wall they leaned on, and creep closer to their mates when the Black boy starts walking towards them.

"I'm glad you came." Bella says as she peeks out of Rosalie's side, her face now has a pale glow to it rather than the tan she had before she came back to Forks. Sophia is also peeking out of her mother's side, staring curiously at Jacob.

"Close enough." Rosalie warns him as Jacob decides to take another step closer.

"What's your problem?" Jacob demands, not backing down from her stare or Mariposa's.

"Rose, Mari, it's okay." Bella tells them, her voice cracking just the slightless bit.

Mariposa stays in her place even after Rosalie moves away, a warning glare on her face as she walks closer to the shapeshifter. "If you say anything that will hurt Bella or Sophia, or do anything drastic, I will hurt you." Her voice drops to a whisper. She stares at him for another second before walking away, going to stand on the side of the couch where her daughter sits.

Jacob rolls his eyes at her as he sits down on the coffee table, staring intently at Bella, relieved that she's still human, though there is some hesitation in his body language when he sees how bad Bella looks. He gives Sophia a smile, one that she returns. "You look terrible." He states with a small smile.

"Yeah," Bella nods, her hands playing with the loose thread on her blanket. "It's nice to see you too."

"So, you gonna tell me what's wrong with you?" Jacob asks.

There's a stillness in the air and Mariposa begins to tread closer to Jacob, hoping his reaction won't be as bad as she hopes. But even with that, Bella still asks Rosalie to help her up, and the blonde does so with careful and gentle gestures. Bella stands and her shirt rises a bit exposing the bruised and battered stomach.

Jacob slowly rises from where he sat, looking all types of shocked. He stares at her stomach before Bella quickly pulls her shirt down with a sheepish smile on her face. His shocked face turns into one of anger as he glares at Edward, who just stood there in the corner quietly and dispirited.

"You did this," Jacob seethes, marching towards Edward but Emmett gets in his way, his arm shooting out and holding him in place.

Bella flinches at Jacob's sharp tone that's aimed at her husband. Edward says nothing in his defense as he already drowns himself, and evidently Mariposa, in self-hatred and agony.

"Jacob, do not make me go over there and straighten you out the way I did for the rest of your brothers and sisters." Mariposa raises her brow threateningly. Her threat proves to have worked as he takes a deep breath, reeling back his emotions all while he stares Edward down.

"I didn't even know it was even possible." Carlisle admits quietly, his angelic face in a frown.

"What is it?" Jacob asks as he turns to look at the doctor.

"I'm not sure." Carlisle also admits, and his frown deepens. "Ultrasounds and needles won't penetrate the embryonic sac."

"I can't see it either." Alice speaks up, adding her last sentence hesitantly. "And I can't see Bella's future anymore."

"We've been researching legends, but there isn't much to go on. What we do now is that it's strong and fast-growing."

"Why haven't you done anything? Take it out of her!" Jacob exclaims, ignoring the way Bella looks at him with hurt all over her face, and this time it's not from the baby.

"Back off, Jacob." Mariposa warns him.

"You back off, Mariposa." Jacob turns to her, his body shaking in slight tremors but she doesn't back down from his stare or when Jasper flashes to her side. "And since when did you like Bella?" He asks her, his eyes full with fury as he notices Mariposa's protectiveness over the girl. "You hated her up until she got pregnant with that thing. You're probably doing this for your own selfishness. You want her to go through the pregnancy you couldn't have with Adrian."

A switch flips inside Mariposa and before anyone could stop her, she has grabbed Jacob and slams him against the wall, a deathly glare on her face as her eyes were empty without emotions. The Black boy winces at the harsh impact that he felt at the back of his head but makes no moves to hurt the brunette, only continues glaring at her. Jasper is being restrained by Emmett, a furious look on his face at the mention of his deceased infant.

Edward walks over to where Mariposa was about to yell at Jacob, and picks her up effortlessly, bringing her back to the corner where he spends most of his time. She fights against his hold but stops when she feels a sense of calmness soaring through her. She knows this isn't Jasper's doing since he's still being held back by Emmett. Her honey brown eyes soften when she realizes it's Edward, the mind reader no longer ignoring the bond. Jacob shoots Edward a thankful look as he rubs the back of his head, which the mind reader just rolls his eyes at.

"This is none of your business, dog!" Rosalie snarls protectively, glancing at Mariposa and Bella, both who are rightly upset by Jacob's words.

"Rose!" Esme calls out to her daughter warningly. "All this fighting isn't good for Bella. Or Mariposa." She looks over at the sickly pale girl before turning her eyes to the brunette who was glaring holes into the shapeshifter's head.

Alice scoffs lightly at her mother's words. "The fetus isn't good for Bella." She corrects.

Rosalie faces her sister with a glare, one that she once projected towards Jacob. "Say the word, Alice. Baby. It's just a little baby." She gestures to Bella's stomach.

"Possibly." Sebastian retorts.

"Carlisle, you gotta do something." Jacob practically begs the patriarch, and that only adds more fuel to Mariposa's anger.

"No." Bella interjects sharply. "It's not his decision. It's not any of yours."

Edward softly pushes his best friend over to Jasper, the empath no longer angry but he still glares at Jacob with discontent. "Jacob, I need to talk to you."

Jacob wordlessly follows Edward out the back door. Mariposa watches them go, and after a minute, she closes her eyes and tries to use the perspective gift but her bonded shut her out. She sighs, opening her eyelids before turning to Jasper, shaking her head in a subtle gesture.

"It's alright, darling." Jasper whispers in her ear quietly. "Don't force through it. I don't want you to hurt yourself."

His wife nods in response, leaving his arms to pick up Sophia. The young girl frowns at the spot where Jacob once stood with his dramatics as both her and her mother disappear upstairs, Jasper following after them closely.

Kinda shit chapter, got writer's block halfway through it. Uhhhhhh, see you bitches next week.