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Whispers in the Dark	By : greenwizard11 Category: Twilight Series > Slash Views: 12226 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or make any money from this story.

Chapter List
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The weeks dragged on for Jacob Black. Not only had he basically lost his best friend to vampires, but his very soul was urging him to leap into the arms of one of those vampires. As Liam had predicted, the universe was pretty much leaving him alone, but every so often a love song would come on the radio when he was feeling particularly weak.
Every day was the same. He came home from school and went straight to his room. Eventually he’d eat a few bites of something to keep Billy from worrying too much. He suddenly understood exactly how Bella had felt when Edward left, and wondered how she’d kept it together as well as she had.
Victoria hadn’t shown up in quite some time, but they still watched out for her. If everything Bella said was true, it wasn’t likely she’d give up so easily.
But one evening he’d received quite a surprise. Embry had caught Liam’s scent near the Black home, and it was fresh. Jacob couldn’t help but wonder what his supposed soul mate had been doing at his house, and why he hadn’t noticed.
The pack assembled and they followed the trail. Liam only had permission to step on Quileute land when Bella was in immediate danger, and she hadn’t even been on the reservation in nearly two months. They found Liam standing in a small clearing a few miles away, waving a white washcloth tied to a stick. “I come in peace,” he laughed.
Sam shifted back into human form and the others followed suit. Jacob felt very uneasy about the whole thing. He knew this particular leech a lot better than he would have liked. “What do you want?” Sam asked with hostility in his tone. “And make it quick.”
Liam pulled a laminated piece of paper from his pocket and cleared his throat. “I have here a photocopy of the treaty signed by Ephraim Black, Carlisle Cullen, and Liam Cullen. My name is on an important document, isn’t that awesome? Anyway….” He held up the paper while standing in a very official-looking pose. “Paragraph seven clearly states that if at any time there is a threat to both clans, an alliance shall be formed and the original territory boundaries shall be dissolved, creating one shared territory. Naturally, all previous provisions shall be kept in place—such as, but not limited to, mutually agreed-upon civility within shared territory.”
In the blink of an eye he was standing right in front of Sam holding out the piece of paper. “Read it yourself if you don’t believe me.”
Sam took it and read paragraph seven. “You’re right, but I don’t see what this changes. There isn’t a mutual threat.”
“Yes, there is. Victoria,” Liam pointed out. “She hasn’t been here in a while, but she is still at large. She hates my family for killing her mate. She’s a threat to your people just for being a vampire that kept coming onto your land. In such a case as this the current territory restrictions are counterproductive. And of course, if you really don’t trust me, the second copy of the original treaty is in the possession of one Billy Black. I can guarantee that if you go look at it, paragraph seven will be there. I know about it because, well, I wrote it. Feel free to consult with your elders.”
He moved again to stand in front of Jacob. “You know what else this means?” he said, looking Jacob in the eye. “There is absolutely nothing keeping you away from Bella Swan at the moment. You’re welcome, sugarplum,” Liam said. He reached out to lightly run his finger along Jacob’s jawline.
A shiver ran down Jacob’s spine at the touch. Liam’s finger was cold, but Jacob had never felt anything more heavenly in his life. A dozen thoughts ran through his mind, but he ignored each and every one of them. “Why are you doing this?” he asked, his voice cracking.
Liam gave him a soft smile. “Shouldn’t it be obvious? I want you to be happy.” He took a few steps back and turned his attention to the rest of the pack. “Now that I’ve delivered my message, I think I’ll take my leave. Goodnight.” He was gone again before anyone had time to react.
All eyes turned to Jacob. “What was that?” Sam asked.
“I’ll explain later,” Jacob promised. “It’s nothing major, just a personal complication.”
They returned to the Black home, and Sam asked Billy to see the original treaty. Sure enough, paragraph seven was there at the bottom, just above the three signatures. When Sam told Billy about what had happened he agreed that it didn’t seem like they had much of a choice. Ignoring the treaty was not an option. Zachariah Black had once warned his brother Ephraim that if the treaty was ever broken by their side, there would be hell to pay.
“You have no idea,” Jacob mumbled as he headed back to his room. He had a very strong inkling that if the Cullens were ever endangered, the one responsible would be dead meat—courtesy of Liam Cullen.
Even though his father and packmates were unhappy about the situation, Jacob couldn’t stop smiling once he was in the privacy of his own room. Liam was right: if both clans now shared territory, nothing was stopping him from seeing Bella. If they had to remain civil, then Edward couldn’t stop him, either. Jacob decided he would have to somehow thank Liam for bringing this to their attention, though he had no idea how.
That night he slipped into a peaceful sleep for the first time since this whole mess had begun. He found himself standing in the forest, bright sunlight streaming through holes in the canopy. It only took a moment to realize he was in the exact spot by the river where he’d run into Liam.
Suddenly he heard a rustle in the bushes. When he turned toward the noise, a massive snow-white wolf bounded toward him, stopping right in front of him. This wolf could easily have dwarfed Sam, and Jacob couldn’t help but notice its blazing blue eyes.
The wolf morphed into a young man that resembled Billy when he was younger, except for those eyes and his mischievous grin. “Who are you?” Jacob demanded.
“I’m the spirit of what could be,” the stranger answered.
“What do you want with me?”
The man didn’t answer. Instead he picked up a pebble and tossed it into the river. “Look at the ripples. See how they spread out?”
Jacob grabbed the man and turned him back to face him. “You know, I’m growing really tired of games.”
The man chuckled. “Sorry. I take after my father; I’m easily distracted.”
“Just tell me why you’re here.”
The man paused with a thoughtful expression on his face. “I bring the usual message. All this pain you’re putting yourself through really isn’t necessary. You refuse to listen to the message. The universe is about ready to give up on you, you know. Of course, I have a personal stake in this, so I’m not ready to throw in the towel just yet.”
Jacob crossed his arms. “Oh, and what’s your stake in this?”
The man smirked. “If I told you that, I’d be taking away your free will, and that’s a major no-no.”
“Really?” Jacob sighed. “Well, I’m glad the universe is giving up. You should, too. I’m not in love with a leech.”
The man winced. “Tell me, what do you know about this ‘leech’? I know he just did something very nice for you, even though it will cause discord in his own family.”
“Discord?”
The man nodded. “Do you really think Edward will be very happy to be told he can’t stop you from seeing Bella? And what makes it worse is that it’s his own uncle who’s stabbed him in the back, all for the sake of your happiness. He threw his own nephew to the wolves, so to speak, for you.”
“So for one good deed I should overlook everything else?”
“I didn’t say that. What I’m trying to tell you is that blind hate spreads like a poison. You don’t know anything about them, and yet you hate them for something they didn’t choose. He died killing vampires, you know.”
“I didn’t know that, but I don’t see how it matters. Don’t the words ‘mortal enemies’ mean anything to you?”
“They keep to the treaty, do they not?”
“Well, yes, but—”
“Carlisle has never harmed a human,” the man said, cutting Jacob off. “His brother has, but only those who harm the innocent. The others have fallen off the wagon from time to time, but they do their best. Why should they have to pay for the crimes of others?”
“You really aren’t getting this!” Jacob growled. “They’re still vampires!”
“But very different from the others that harmed your people. Your great-grandfather designed the treaty the way he did because he wasn’t quite willing to trust, not because there was a reason not to trust. I know some changes come easier than others, but they all have to start somewhere, much like that pebble I threw into the water. I bet the ripples are still traveling.”
“What if I’m not willing to trust, either?”
The man frowned. “That would be very unfortunate. If that is the case, then the poison will continue to spread until—”
“Until what?”
“Things can’t continue as they are much longer. There is too much tension. And I’ve already said too much, I fear. You have a choice, Jacob Black, and you need to make it soon. I do hope I’ll see you again, Dad.”
Before Jacob could say another word the strange young man morphed back into a wolf and darted away, leaving Jacob alone. Had the man just call him Dad?
Suddenly everything went black. Jacob’s eyes opened and he was staring at the ceiling of his bedroom, something he’d been doing a lot lately. Since he couldn’t sleep now he kept going over and over the strange and baffling conversation with the man in his dreams. Was he needlessly fighting his own destiny?
The next day Alice came home from school with something to tell her family. She’d had a vision of Victoria coming back sometime during the weekend. “Does Bella know?” Carlisle asked.
“No,” Alice answered. “And I don’t think Edward wants her to. I think he’s going to talk her into using those ticket vouchers you bought her for her birthday to go see her mom in Florida.”
“Such a rookie mistake.” Liam shook his head.
“And it’s his mistake to make,” Carlisle reminded his brother. “If she comes here, you aren’t going to say a word.”
“You might need a ball gag,” Jasper joked. “But then that would look suspicious, wouldn’t it?”
Carlisle chuckled. “And he’d enjoy it too much.”
Edward brought Bella to the house that very evening. Carlisle and Liam were in the living room playing chess. “Checkmate!” Liam cried as they came inside. “I win, you lose,” he chanted over and over again in a sing-song voice while he did a little victory dance.
“I can’t imagine why no one wants to play with you. You’re such a gracious winner,” Carlisle said sarcastically.
“I guess it will forever be a mystery,” Edward joked, but he didn’t look very happy. He and Bella had most likely been arguing about something. “Oh, we’re leaving for Florida this weekend.” Bella scowled, and the source of the tension soon became obvious.
“Don’t you want to go see your mother?” Liam asked.
“I do, but I had to argue with Charlie again. He doesn’t want Edward to go. I had to threaten to move out. I don’t like doing that to him.”
“Be happy your father cares,” Liam mumbled under his breath. “He’ll forgive you, and you might as well make use of those vouchers. They expire soon, don’t they? And then you can go see Jacob.” Liam could feel Edward’s gaze cut right through him and aimed a mild look at his nephew. “You can’t stop her. Paragraph seven of the treaty has been put into effect.”
“Paragraph seven?” Edward raised an eyebrow.
“I had almost forgotten about that,” Carlisle said. “Basically, Victoria is a threat to both sides, so we share territory until she’s dealt with. Of course, all the other rules still apply. We can’t attack each other.”
“Do the mongrels know?” Edward asked, doing his best to keep his anger under control.
“Yes,” Liam nodded. “I informed them last night.
Edward charged his uncle, who calmly stepped aside and let him crash into the piano. “How could you?” Edward shouted. “Things were fine just as they were. You know how I feel. Are you trying to get Bella killed?”
“Jacob won’t hurt her,” Liam assured Edward. “Trust me.”
“How can I trust you when you go and pull this behind our backs? You selfish son of a—”
“Easy, Edward,” Carlisle interrupted. “He wouldn’t knowingly put Bella in danger.”
“Of course, you would take his side! You always do.”
“Don’t I get a say in this?” Bella joined the conversation. “You just don’t want me to see Jacob because of what happened while you were gone. Well, I’m sorry, but you left, and he was there. Sorry or not, you can’t change what happened. Even Liam thinks I owe Jacob some closure, if nothing else.”
Edward laughed bitterly. “You don’t know Liam at all. His motives are almost always selfish; he just hides it well.”
“Can’t really argue with that,” Carlisle mumbled.
“Hey!” Liam protested. “I’m not always selfish. And I never let anything bad happen to any of you. Give me a little credit.”
“Let’s just change the subject,” Carlisle said with a tone of finality. “Bella, would you like to play a game of chess? “
“Sure,” Bella agreed, glaring at Edward as she moved over to take a seat at the little table.
The rest of the evening was quiet and uneventful. Edward occasionally shot a glare at Liam, but they didn’t argue any more. Liam kept his word and didn’t tell Bella about Victoria, even though the girl was clearly trying to drag information out of one of them. She knew something was up.
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Whispers in the Dark