All Bark, No Bite [Jacob & Edward]

24

Jacob's not sure why he's so anxious. The little, dinky plan he'd come up with while exhausted had worked for the most part. Company would be arriving soon. Maybe it was the fact that they were putting up a literal wall of people to protect him. Once he thought about it like that, he couldn't get it out of his brain, even as he watched Edward help with the planning. Or maybe it was because, despite many loud, exasperated protests, Edward had finally shown him a picture of Bella. She looked pale and haggard. Her cheek bones had completely sunken in and her eyes were barely open. He wasn't sure how she was even still alive. 

"We're debating whether or not she should get the bite." He whispers while retracting the phone.

Jacob is genuinely shocked that they'd even thought twice, what with the way they were so keen on killing her just a couple of weeks ago. 

"Debating?" He asks, wondering what changed their minds.

"Well, she's no longer a threat and she helped create this baby, Jacob," Edward says it from between gritted teeth and he looks prepared to stumble away at a moment's notice, "so maybe she should get to see them."

Maybe he was right to look afraid as Jacob glowers up at him. It's not that he doesn't remember being ripped open and having his organs shifted around, it's the way he says that he's already made up his mind without even including Jacob in the conversation.

He felt like a living incubator. 

He felt like a fucking idiot. 

Edward seems to sense that something is wrong because he goes to open his mouth.

"Okay." Jacob huffs out before tugging the duvet over himself.

He wanted to disappear. It felt like he was left out of something, like everyone knew about the plan but him. Edward must've just complied with whatever Jacob wanted because it was what was best for his kid. Then, when he got the chance, he'd find a way for Bella to be around again. Did everyone else know that he was just being used? 'Cause that's what it felt like was happening. No one who thinks that you're also a part of the equation makes that kind of decision without you. Sure, she conceived them, but she's also the one who ran off and their life in danger because she got caught up in being selfish. If there is ever a reason to rethink if someone deserves to see their own child, that seemed like a valid one.

Jacob can feel himself getting upset, but there is nothing he can really do about it except block everyone else from feeling it as well. He tries to shrink himself as small as someone who is 5'10 and carrying another human can. He's able to keep his tears at bay for about five minutes before he's sobbing which, eventually, turns to panicking. 

Edward's not listening. Carlisle and Alice are excitedly telling him about the plan that they'd worked up for the group that'd agreed to defend the family, but his mind was still upstairs. He honestly hadn't meant to upset Jacob. Truthfully, he'd thought he'd be fine with the decision. He was the one who'd said not to kill Bella before she was an iminent threat. Edward just thought it'd be cruel to kill her without her seeing the baby now that she was practically harmless. He remembers her excitement, the way her eyes lit up when she found out that they'd somehow conceived. He'd remembered how she'd run around trying to figure out how to tell her dad. She'd been itching to tell her mom. He'd told her to wait because they'd need to monitor the baby to make sure that it'd actually survive. While Jacob's body was the one carrying them to term, she'd actually created the baby in the first place. As much as he detested her right now, it just didn't sit right with him.

"Ed?" Edward looked around to see that Alice was no longer bouncing on her heels talking about living arrangements. 

He lets out what sounds like a grunt instead of an actual response.