"I told you to let them finish, Seth."

Embry's rings out, but he can hear laughter bubbling up through his words.

"Really? The first time you talk to him in months and that's the moment you choose?"

Leah's voice growls out, but he can hear the lightheartedness peeking through the tough tone.

He wants to be angry with them. He knows he should want to shut them out, but it's the first time he's heard their voices, even just in his head, in months. It takes him a moment to even register that he feels furious around the relief.

The others must finally feel it too because they fall quiet, most likely waiting for him to speak.

They aren't the only ones to respond to it, Edward reaching over to squeeze his thigh.

"[Do you need something?]"

It comes out harsher than Jacob had intended. 

"No."

This time it was Quil who responded and fuck did he make it hard to stay upset.

"[Then, what is it?]"

"We've been asked to come and help guard you, Princess."

Seth again. His words seemed to be muffled to Jacob's ears as the anger flared up again. 

"Hey, maybe you should just..." Edward's sentence trailed off as he looked into Jacob's eyes, "talk to them later."

He could hear Leah telling Seth off and Seth trying to explain that he was just joking. Embry jumped into the mix mumbling about Jacob's "condition" and how it affects how he perceives things. The conversation ended there for Jacob as he tuned them out, closing his eyes and instead focusing on anything else.

He could hear clanging, could smell the grass, hear Esme and Carlisle talking to one another about metal types. He could hear his own heartbeat. He could hear Alice directing Emmett so that he didn't accidentally take someone's head off with the lumber he was carrying.

He could feel a light flutter in his stomach.

When his eyes flew open, there was no talking. At first, he thinks it's out of his own shock, but when he tries to feel for the voices, they're all quiet. They're waiting for him again. So is Edward, apparently, as he stares at him with his eyes just as wide in question. 

Jacob places his hand on that spot and tries to wait patiently. After about a minute, he thought maybe he'd imagined it. The shame and maybe a little disappointment was starting to wash over him before he felt it again, this time a little stronger.

When he finally glances up, Edward has that look in his eyes again. 

He removes his hand from his side, tries to pretend like nothing happened, but he can already see the hopeful look making its way onto Edward's face.

So, he blocks the others out for the time being and lays back on the bed, saying nothing as Edward carefully climbs up to place his hand in that same spot. They sit there for about two minutes before he feels it again and by the way Edward's face lights up, he must've felt it as well.

"See, and Seth said you couldn't do it, but Papa believed in you. He owes me twenty bucks."

He sees something appear across Edward's face, then he smiles. 

"You don't get to be godfather if you're doubting them and they aren't even out yet, Seth." 

There is a pause.

"You neither, Quil."

Jacob knows his gaze is piercing and yet it still takes Edward a minute to realize that Jacob's burning a hole through his skull with his eyes.

"They can hear you?" It comes out harsh. Good.

Apparently, one of them said something because Edwar eyes flicker to the side in acknowledgement, but he still has a nervous look on his face. 

"Well, it's new..."

"How new?" 

Edward looks like he would've started sweating if he could.

"A couple of days...maybe." He reels back before he can finish the sentence, face balled up like he's waiting to be punched.

Jacob feels another kick.

Fuck.

"Leah said it was because you imprinted on me," he blurts out," said it should've started a lot earlier but because..."

He unconsciously rubs his side looking anywhere but at Edward.

His mind flashes back to last night with Leah showing up, the look on her face like she already knew what was happening. 

He wants to be mad but the anger is giving way to exhaustion. He's sure Edward could see it in his eyes. 

"I thought it was just a fluke...I didn't want to..." He's staring at Jacob like he's going to explode.

"Didn't want to-?" Jacob's voice was barely a whisper. He finally looks at Edward again.

"Get your hopes up?" It's phrased like a question. Edward's shifting back and forth between Jacob's eyes trying to find the right answer.

"Get my hopes up?" 

Get his hopes up? What is that supposed to mean?

"Well, Leah said you'd be excited...," It's the first time Edward's actually sounded unsure of himself, even a little pissed off, "y'know, family and stuff."

Family and stuff.

It doesn't sound like what he'd intended to say. It sounded like a substitute. 

Leah...She's Jacob's right hand. If he goes to her, then...

Why'd Leah think he'd be excited? He'd spoken to her once. Granted, he'd been all red-faced and crying, confessing about love he wasn't even sure he had-

"Have you been talking to her?"

"Well, yeah, hun. How else am I supposed to know what you're thinking?" He looks like he's genuinely perplexed, upset even.

He wants to be so angry.

"You're an idiot."

And that was that.

Jacob slid past him and headed for the bathroom hoping to be left alone for at least thirty minutes.

He felt like a prune when he got out of the tub and he'd developed a headache. 

At least the room was empty and his head was clear. 

He just wanted to climb in bed, but instead he found himself maneuvering clothes and pants and underwear out of the nooks and crannies and tossing them into the hamper. He keeps going until he gets to the last item, tugging it from under one of the pillows. He's about to toss it over his shoulder, but he gets a whiff of it as it passes his nose.

Smells like blood, rain, dirt, ash...Edward. He looks around the room like there would be someone watching him before bringing it up to his noise and breathing it in. 

He can feel the fireplace as Edward adds new wood, can feel his eyes on him as looks over his shoulder at Jacob lying on the carpet. 

"Don't die on me now."

He folds it back up and sticks it back under the pillow where he'd kept it for two months.

The loud hammering in his head slows to a steady, low drumbeat. He can finally lay his head down.

He smells blood. It's thick and heavy, almost feels as if he's drowning in it as he opens his eyes. His hand immediately goes down to press against the side of his stomach.

He's so used to the gash bleeding through the bandages that he doesn't think twice about it.

There's no blood on his fingers when he brings them up to where his eyes can see, no blood on his shirt as he leans forward.

There's blood on the backs of his thighs soaking into his boxers and into the sheets.

He gets this sinking feeling before the pain starts.

"Have you ever thought that maybe you're wrong?" Edward's voice forces its way into his sleeping mind.

They're downstairs, clearly still working on something, but Jacob can hear the conversation loud and clear from the sweaty patch he's created on their mattress.

"Yes, but not about this." Leah's voice comes through just as strong.

"So, he comes running to you one day and says he loves me...or he thinks he loves me. But every time I bring it up-" Edward sounds wary.

"In due time." Leah tries to reassure him.

There is a quiet hum.

"Y'know, if you weren't constantly trying to drop down on one knee, maybe he would've said it already." Seth's tone is teasing.

"Easy for you to say, you've never been in love before." Edward huffs.

"But you have...twice?" It's Embry this time. It's phrased as a question, but there seems to be an underlying threat there.

"No, once. I've had two relationships." Edward doesn't sound like he takes the threat too seriously.

"Wait, so you didn't love her but you got her pregnant?" Seth sounds like it's the wildest thing he's ever heard.

They all start bickering at the same time and Jacob is finally forced awake.

He flies forward, frantically searching, expecting to see them standing at the foot of his bed. 

The room was empty. The miscarriage was a dream. He looks himself over, checking his boxers. Just a dream.

He reaches for the pillow, tossing it across the room before bringing the shirt to rest underneath his nose.

"Guys, I think he's awake." Embry informs everyone.

"Better get up there, Disco, before he starts freaking out." Seth calls to Edward.

He was distraught, they wanted Edward to calm him down. Though, for a vampire, it seemed to be taking him forever to make it upstairs.

They all paused for a second, clearly listening in on him as Jacob's heart rate skyrocketed.

"You might want to go a little faster, Eddy!" Quil urges.