a/n: I sorta proofread this.
Jacob is a man who needs evidence to back up his theories no matter how insignificant they may seem. He could speculate all he wanted, but he'd feel a whole lot better if he had something concrete to verify what he was thinking.
That's how he finds himself standing in front of Angela and Eric as they crowd back into the same room to debrief. He doesn't even bother with pleasantries, leaning down to whisper in Angela's ear.
"Do you have a recording of the Christmas party from last year?" he mutters and watches as she processes the question before nodding quickly.
"Get it to me by the end of the day."
Then, he's plopping down in his seat while Eric looks over at Angela, hoping to find out whatever she knows.
Angela ignores him in favor of handing each of her team members the list of previous members from the Uley pack. They'd have some kind of answers by tomorrow.
Edward's got his hands full with a disgruntled Bear who's clearly ready for the day to be over so Jacob unlocks the car before they can even get to it. While Edward attends to her, he heads around to Angela's window to get the footage. She rolls down her window when she spots him and as he leans down to get the USB, he's greeted by Eric on the passenger's seat.
"Trying to relive your youth, Boss?" Eric asks, teasing smirk in place, clearly happy to know what Jacob's up to.
Jacob scowls at him before grabbing for the USB, thanking Angela. He's about to head back to his car when a thought strikes him and has him leaning back into Angela's window.
"Do you have the footage from the Edward's neighbor's cameras?" They would've gotten a warrant after his house got broken into.
Angela nods her head, fishing around in one of her bags for another one of her USBs. She fishes out two separate USBs and hands them over. One of them is labeled "pre-break in" and the other is labeled "break in".
He heads over to his car, peeking inside and sees Edward slouching in the passenger's seat with his eyes closed.
"You better not be dead." Jacob hisses as he tugs the door open.
Edward opens one eye before rolling both of them.
"I've been dead for over a hundred years."
"Yeah, whatever, old man. Drink your sippy cup."
When they make it home, Edward fixes Bear a bottle and takes her directly upstairs. Jacob plops down at the island, tugs his laptop out of his bag, and shoves the USB into the port. He scans over the five files that Angela had left for him before clicking on the first one in the lineup. The video starts playing and at first, it's just Angela, Jessica, Eric, and Mike talking loudly at one another. Then, Jacob crosses in front of the camera and the frame pans with him to show him standing in front of the refreshments table. He sees himself look down, then he looks over his shoulder for a moment, eyes just to the left of where the camera is. In those couple of seconds, Edward sidles up to the table.
Jacob expects to grab for the drink like he remembers doing. Instead, he watches himself turn to look at Edward. Jacob watches him as he reaches for whatever he intends to get off of the table, their hands brush, Edward looks over like he intends to apologize, but they just end up staring at one another. So long, that he hears an audible wolf whistle from someone surrounding the camera.
Something must snap him out of the trance because he picks the drink up and moves back to his group like nothing had happened. The camera doesn't pan over to follow him though, instead it captures Edward looking confused by the entire interaction. The camera then decides to pan back to where Jacob's standing, sipping at his drink as if nothing's happened, and Mike's looking his way before looks back towards the people holding the camera.
He looks upset.
The clip ends on that frame.
The next video is a recording from a camera that's set up where the Chief was standing. Even then, it's pointed towards where the team is huddled together, so he can still see Angela, Eric, Jessica, Mike and past him in the frame. From this angle, he can see the Chief pulling Edward over to introduce him to Uley and Young. They cheerfully talk for a moment and at the end of the conversation, the Chief hands them a small, folded piece of paper. He can some of the conversation.
"In case you need anything, Dr. Cullen should be able to help." He watches her hand over a scrap of paper.
He could see them nervously looking around. He could see himself, staring in their direction. He can see the back of Uley's head as he turns to give Jacob that look, he can see Uley lean down and whisper something to Young. She glances over at him as well.
He's still staring.
The clip ends.
The next video is back to Angela's perspective. The camera is still pointed at Uley and Young, but it quickly pans to Jacob. Honestly, he can barely recognize himself. He's zoned out, but he's clearly tracking Edward. It's a jealous gesture. He's seen it before from his own cousin. He's seen Quil just watch Embry with someone, but it was never quite like this. He's sure, despite not being able to stop himself, that Quil would remember glaring. There isn't even a reason for him to be jealous. Young had the mark in her autopsy photos and so did Uley. Though, the logical part of his brain had clearly stopped working about two clips ago. He'd just casually ogled the man in public while glaring at Uley and then went home without remembering it.
The camera pans back over to Uley, Young, and Edward.
Uley leans over to say something to Edward and Jacob can feel his nose flare despite himself. Edward looks confused by whatever it is, before his head turns to look towards the Jacob's team.
The clip ends.
The next clip is the camera right behind Uley, Young, and Edward. Uley leans over again in this clip. Jacob assumes is just the same thing at a different angle.
"Can you tell your mate we mean no harm?" He hears as clear as day.
Edward pulls back looking visibly confused before he turns towards the team.
The clip ends.
The last clip he can hear the loud teasing of his teammates in the background, but Jacob on the screen only barely seems to register what's going on around him. Current Jacob can see it ever so slowly waning. Just as he's coming back to himself, Darlene pops into the frame. She's talking to him.
"What's gotten into you?" She asks, frown clear on her face as she shakes him.
"Jake's got a thing for the Doc."
Jacob stares at the screen as it goes black. He can see his own stunned face staring back at him.
"What the fuck?" He hears himself whisper.
"Something happen?" Quil almost scares him off of his stool as he closes the fridge door, lifting an eyebrow as he sauntered around the counter to get a peek at what Jacob was watching.
"I, uh, got some footage from a Christmas party," he explains without really explaining anything.
"A Christmas party?" Quil asks, peering at the black screen.
"Yeah, the one from last year. Sam and Emily went and...I thought it would be helpful." He mumbles.
"Okay, so why do you seem so freaked out?" Quil asks, reaching over to hit replay on the last video.
Jacob doesn't even bother answering, he just stares at past him, staring at Edward until Darlene pops into the frame.
"Woah, what - who are you staring at?" Quil asks, as he stares at the screen.
Jacob clicks out of the current clip and clicks into a previous one that shows Uley, Young and Edward together.
"You never thought to mention this?" Quil says, eyebrows raised as he looks over at Jacob, "You said that party was boring."
He looks like he's been betrayed.
"I don't even remember doing any of this. I didn't even talk to him." Jacob admits.
Quil looks from the screen then back to him and then back to the screen.
"That's not the usual response for two people who aren't bonded," Quil points out, peeking over at Jacob, "Y'know unless..."
Jacob pulls out the USB and replaces it with the one labeled "pre-break in". The files are hours long, but there is a particular section that's clearly been edited and placed into the file. It's about two minutes long and is ominously labeled "Uley".
He opens this particular file and watches as Uley's car pulls up about three seconds into the video. He climbs out before going for the backseat. He's clearly in a hurry, almost stumbling over his own feet as he rushes up to the house. Bear's car seat, the one with the yellow dots is in his hand as he heads towards Edward's front door and drops her off. He's looking over his shoulder almost every other second, but he takes some time to squat down and kiss her before he's off back to the car and speeding away. Just as Jacob thinks the videos about to end, another car pulls up in the same spot Uley's was in two seconds prior. Jacob can feel his heart beat faster in his chest at the sight, even knowing what he knows now. He thinks someone is about to step out of the vehicle, but then Edward's whipping the door open and the car speeds off.
He can hear Quil breathe a sigh of relief behind him.
Edward's curled up in a ball when he gets upstairs. He's curled into a ball and he's got three pillows poking out from under him. Jacob can hear the sound of a video quietly playing, papers being turned, and the sound of a straw reaching the bottom of a cup. He climbs onto the bed, tugging him over by his waist, before perching his chin on the man's shoulder. Edward only acknowledges his presence with a quiet, content hum.
"Got enough pillows?" Jacob asks him and gets something unintelligible as a response.
He's about to lean back and lay his head on his own pillow only to realize that it's gone.
"Don't get too comfortable. We still have to make a trip to the diner."
He gets quiet grumbles in response and listens as the volume of whatever the man is watching is raised a bit more.
The videos bug him. All through dinner. They reaffirm his beliefs, but he still feels as if he's missing something. If Uley was dropping Bear off on Edward's doorstep with the hopes of her getting to Jacob, maybe he left him some kind of clue. If he hadn't, maybe there was something that wasn't caught on camera...
"Hey, do you remember that Christmas party?" He asks Bailey after catching her in the usual corner by the juke box.
"Christmas party?" She asks, tucking her tray under her arm.
"The one from last year." He explains and watches as understanding dawns on her face.
"The one where you met him?" She asks, a smile blooming on her face, eyes finding Edward who's sucking on a straw jabbed into the top of a styrofoam cup.
"Yes, do you remember Emily Young being there?" He redirects, trying to keep her focused.
"Well, yeah. I remember she was talking to your husband. They were talking about babies, I think," Her smile drops at the thought of it, "sad she didn't get to have hers."
"Do you remember anything else?" Jacob asks, seeing that she was itching to get back to her tables as she lifted her head to look around.
"Yeah, I don't think I was meant to hear this, but Uley was talking to the Chief and mentioned a guy following them. Said he'd been following them for a while, something about 'turmoil in the family'. They were trying to keep Emily safe." Then, she was off to ask a table if they needed anything.
He heads back over to his table.
She'd definitely known they were in trouble and still couldn't save them.
Jacob glances over at Edward, who's poking at some pastry that Bailey had brought him. She'd mentioned being determined to find something that he would like, but he could see the concern in her eyes at the man's lack of appetite.
She scuttles back over about five minutes later, frowns at the barely touched dessert, before fixing her face into a smile.
"Can I talk to you for a second, Dear?" she asks Edward, who looks surprised by the question.
It was understandable. Jacob usually ended up in the intervention corner, not little ol' saint Edward. Edward glances over at Jacob, who flashes him an encouraging, partially shit-eating grin before watching him be dragged over to the juke box.
Jacob tries his best not to be nosy, but he can see them talking in the metal paper towel holder if he angles it correctly. Edward's just standing there, looking a little sheepish, like he wants to take off back to the table. Bailey, on the other hand, is giving him her best doe eyes as she tries to convince him of something that Jacob can't hear with all of the conversations going on around him.
Eventually, Edward comes back to take his seat and Jacob waits, watching him. He says nothing, does nothing, he just sits there until Jacob stands to pay their bill. He follows behind Jacob, most likely cursing the lack of distraction with Bear being left at home, and stares down at the checkered floor until they finally step out of the restaurant. He climbs into the car, focuses on the random pedestrians the entire way home, and climbs into bed like a person who's run a marathon.
"Tell me." Jacob mutters into neck, only to have a hand attempt to swat him away.
"No." Edward mutters into one of his six pillows.
"C'mon, please." Jacob mumbles into his shoulder and gets his slap to the forehead for his troubles.
"No."
"Why not? I tell you what they said when they chew me out." He points out and gets an elbow near his head for nibbling at Edward's ear.
"C'mon..." he mumbles again, hands snaking under Edward's shirt, chuckling at the way the man squirms.
"Fine!" Edward huffs, attempting to push him off and failing royally. Jacob throws himself on the bed with an "oof", hoping to placate him. Edward lets out a sigh, crossing his arms, and pouting despite himself.
"She wants me to..." he mumbles the rest, looking over to his phone that is still playing some video.
"Wants you to?" Jacob asks, hand sneaking up Edward's back to grip the nape of his neck.
"She wants me to talk to Leah about a..." Edward huffs and Jacob thinks that if were human, he'd be beet red.
Though, all Jacob can see is a light flush rising up his neck as he all but turns to face the wall.
"About a?" Jacob keeps nudging.
"A pregnancy test, Jacob." He hisses and looks as if he's about to punch Jacob as he guffaws like it's the funniest thing he's heard all day.
"Shut up!" He hears Edward squeal and he's about to laugh even harder when something finally clicks.
Leah's the caretaker for Jacob's pack currently because he's not bonded to anyone. The caretaker would take on responsibilities that involved keeping the pack healthy. From preparing food for them to bandaging wounds and aiding them in childbirth. Emily would've been the caretaker of Uley's pack. She's the doctor.
"Said he'd been following them for a while, something about 'turmoil in the family'. They were trying to keep Emily safe."Â Bailey's words rung out in his ears.
Emily specifically.
Jacob reaches for his computer that he'd placed on the nightstand and cycled back through the videos from the first group. He looks through each crowd of familiar face at the Christmas party, scanning for an outlier, and finds himself looking at one lone figure who was staring just as intensely as he was. Their face is hidden, but he could see their head turn with every move Emily made. He's watching them. He's dressed in a cop's uniform and he's watching them, but Uley's not looking at the random man at a table that's almost at the back of the room, must not even know he was there. He's just looking at Jacob.
"That's not the usual response for two people who aren't bonded."
Turmoil in the family.
"Y'know unless..." Unless there was a perceived threat.
Maybe mystery man wasn't bonded. Maybe Jacob wasn't responding to Uley and Young, maybe it was him.
Maybe Jacob was overthinking this. Maybe the person's bond had just fallen apart. It happens sometimes, but what would that have to do with Young and Uley. Some kind of an affair? No, why would they be protecting one another? Maybe Young had caught the mystery man with someone else? Jacob wracks his brain conjuring up every scenario, but he keeps getting caught up on one.
"Family came up...I was telling them about how excited I was about...the baby. My ex was pregnant, she lost..."
He shoves his hand in his pocket and fishes out his phone to call Jessica.
"Hey can you get me some kind of record of miscarriages, stillborns, or babies who died shortly after childbirth within the Uley household that were reported to the hospital?"
Turmoil in the family.
"And can you get a list of mothers who died due to complications during a pregnancy or during childbirth?"