Chapter Twenty-Two – Fire and Ice

Chapter Number:  22

Chapter Name: Fire and Ice

Page Numbers: 487-505

Date of Chapter: June 14, 2006

Summary:
Bella is in the tent with Edward, freezing from the storm, the night before the battle.  Jacob is outside the tent and very concerned about Bella freezing.  Jacob comes into the tent and offers to be Bella’s “space heater” and while Edward isn’t happy about it, he knows there is no other choice.  Jacob crawls into the sleeping bag beside Bella and she began to thaw.  Edward admits he is jealous that Jacob can warm Bella and he can’t.  

As Bella thaws she asks Jacob why he is so much furrier than the other wolves.  He responds because his hair is longer and only after Edward reads it in his mind adds because he thought Bella liked him better with longer hair.  Bella begins to fall asleep while the conversation continues around her.  Edward is frustrated by Jacob’s thoughts about being so close to Bella.  The two start a conversation on jealousy and Bella’s choice.  Edward admits that the jealousy at this point is eating at him so much he can barely control his voice and that he gets even more worries when she is away from him.  Edward also admits that he thinks about Jacob’s place in Bella’s life often and that he guesses Bella thinks about Jacob often, especially when she is quiet.
 
    The conversation continues by Jacob saying Bella is in love with him too even though she doesn’t know it, and Edward doesn’t respond.  As the wind rips at the tent again, Jacob holds Bella tighter and Edward thanks him for keeping her warm.  Jacob calls Edward on his jealousy and admits he doesn’t have as much patience as Edward.   Edward says that he decided to play the patient nice guy because it was hurting Bella to make her choose, and that there was a little fear that Bella may not choose him.  Jacob asks Edward what it is like to lose Bella and he responds by saying it is hard to talk about the two times he thought he lost her.  First when he left and it was almost bearable, although he would have come back to check on her and would have stayed because she was unhappy.  The second was when he though she had died.  There are no words to describe that feeling, although he understands that is how Jacob will feel when she is changed.  

Jacob reminds Edward that he left so Bella could be human.  Edward explains that from the time he realized he loved Bella there were only 4 options.  First, that she didn’t feel as strongly about him and moved on although he never would.  Bella made a permanent change in him.  Second, was Edward’s original choice to stay with her throughout her human life and when she died he would find a way to die too.  But then the danger of his world hung over her and he feared he wouldn’t get his sixty or seventy years with her.  Edward admits that he chose option three and it was the worst mistake of his very long life.  Leaving Bella did nothing but make things worse and almost got them both killed.  The only option left was option four.  Edward has been trying to delay her although she is persistent and fears getting older.  Jacob prefers option one.  

Jacob admits that he can see that Edward loves Bella.  He also tells Edward that if he had waited another six months to return, he would have found her happy because he had a plan.  Edward agrees that it might have worked, it was a well thought out plan.  Jacob asks Edward to give him a year to try and make her happy.  He even asks Edward if he is unselfish enough to have considered Jacob being better for Bella.  Edward admits that he even had Alice look into the future, but she can’t see Jacob.  He does point out that if Bella chose Jacob he would always be waiting in the wings for when Jacob imprinted and would have to leave Bella. Edward and Jacob agree that the truce is over at first light.  Edward begins to hum Bella’s lullaby in order to drown out Jacob’s thoughts.             

Characters Involved: Bella Swan, Edward Cullen, Jacob Black, Seth Clearwater

Character Mentioned: Charlie Swan, Renee Dwyer, Alice Cullen, Sam Uley, Emily Young

Places Visited: Tent

Memorable Quotes:
“Go fetch a space heater?  I’m not a St Bernard.”  ~ Jacob to Edward

“You have no idea how loud your little fantasies are.  It’s like you’re screaming them at me.”  ~ Edward to Jacob

“You know, Jacob, if it weren’t for the fact that we’re natural born enemies and that you’re also trying to steal away the reason for my existence, I might actually like you.”  ~ Edward to Jacob

Important Information learned:
Edward is jealous of Jacob and unsure of what Bella’s feelings are for him.

Jacob is growing his hair out because he thought Bella liked it longer.

Edward will never leave Bella again.

Jacob is going to continue to fight for Bella even though he knows it is almost pointless.

Jacob can see that Edward loves Bella.

Edward is grateful for Jacob’s presence in Bella’s life at the moment.

Chapter Prepared By: Be My Escape