Okay, new story…something different. Well, for me. This is about Skateward and Bladella (that's lame…). It's about figure skating and the artistry and beauty of it. Wrapped in a Twilight bow.

As always, I own nothing. Stephenie Meyer does. Lucky wench…

So, on with it!

Figure Eight

Chapter One: Nationals and Knees

BPOV

"Damn it, Jacob! Stop touching my boobs as you're lifting me," I growled.

"Come on, you love it," Jacob purred as he batted his eyes.

"No. I don't. Come on, we have only three minutes left in the warm up skate before we perform for the United States Nationals," I seethed. "Star lift and don't touch the tatas."

"Fine," he said as he adjusted his stance. We built up speed and Jacob lifted me into a flawless star lift, soaring over his six foot tall frame. He may be a pain in the ass, but he was strong and he has never dropped me. I flipped down and landed softly on my skates. "See? I can play nice, Isabella."

"When you want to," I said as I jabbed in the ribs. "Do you want to win?"

"Yes, I do," he said. "Let's do this shit, babe."

"Don't call me babe."

We finished doing some basic lifts and spot checked a few places in the choreography. Before we knew it, warm up skate was done and we got off the ice. We were the favorites for the National Championship. We coasted through the short program and now we were last to skate for the long program. It was our third year together as a pair. Jacob and I hated each other off the ice, but he was an amazing partner. He was strong, confident and driven. Everything I looked for in a pairs partner.

We'd been foisted together by my mother and his father. I was trying to hack it as a singles skater but couldn't nail the needed triples. Jacob was on his fourth partner in six months. He'd slept with all of them. Two of them got pregnant and the other two were so repulsed that they left him. We met on the ice. It was hate at first sight. However, my coach, the esteemed Carlisle Cullen, insisted I try working with him. I sighed and went with it. Jacob taught me the basics for pairs skating and by the end of our first practice, we'd nailed the star lift and a death drop. I hesitantly agreed to work with Jacob. However, it was a strictly business relationship. No funny business. I wanted Olympic Gold and that means that I do NOT sleep around.

Besides, Jacob probably has the clap. Or something.

Ewwww!

Six months after our initial meeting, we'd perform at several regional competitions. We were gaining notoriety and experience. Carlisle felt that we were ready for several international Grand Prix events and we enrolled in two competitions. We won gold at both events. Easily. The only other pair that was close to us in the way of scores was Edward Masen and Tanya Juneau.

Edward was a class act. Tanya, not so much. Her mouth got them into trouble and they lost points because she dissed several judges. I felt sorry for Edward. Honestly. It's a shame such a strong skater had a bitch for a partner.

I bet he was thinking the same about me. It's a shame that I have to put up with Jacob. He's such a prick. A bad boy. A baby daddy to two little girls who will never know their father. Bastard.

"Bella?" Carlisle asked. "Are you okay, sweetie?"

"I'm fine. Just trying to focus on the program," I said as smiled at my coach. "I don't want a repeat from rehearsal yesterday. I can't fall on the throw triple salchow."

"That wasn't you, Bella. That was Jake. He threw you too hard. How's the knee?" Carlisle asked.

"Fine. I may have Jasper take a look at it after this competition. I think I need some rehab on it," I said as I bent my knee. Yesterday in practice, I fell funny on one of our throws. My knee gave out and it was slightly swollen. Emmett McCarty who was the trainer that I worked with taped me up so I could have some extra support for today. He also gave me some stim and ice last night. Also a stern talking to Jacob.

"I hope that it's nothing serious," Carlisle said with a frown. "We have the Worlds in March."

"I'll be fine. Jacob just needs to not toss me like I'm a rag doll," I said with an eye roll.

I went into the woman's room to adjust my makeup. Normally I don't like to wear makeup but when I'm on the ice, I piled it on. My eyes were smoky and my lips were a deep blood red. My brown curly hair was pinned back in a tight bun with a red swatch of fabric that matched my dress. Alice, Carlisle's daughter, was my best friend and costume designer for Jacob and me. The outfit she chose for us for the compilation of songs from Mask of Zorro was red dress with laser cut outs and a chiffon skirt. Jacob wore black pants and a shirt that matched my dress. Alice wanted him to wear a mask, but he abjectly refused.

I agreed with him.

One of the rare times that I did.

Just because I agreed with him, Jacob wanted to grab my ass. He got a toe pick in the shin for that one.

"Yo, Bells. We're up next," Jacob called into the bathroom. I blew out a breath and went out into the backstage area of the ice arena. I slipped off my jacket and did some brief stretches to loosen up my muscles. Once I did my stretches, Carlisle rubbed my shoulders and told me that I would kick ass.

I hope so.

I hated relying on another person to win but I wasn't strong enough as a singles skater to cut it. I needed Jacob. He needed me. We were a team. Despite the fact that I hated him, we needed to work together to win Nationals.

The pair before us finished their piece. Jessica Stanley and Mike Newton skated off the ice. I could tell by Jessica's tears that they did not do well. Mike had a posture of defeat. He gave me a slight smile as they went to the kiss and cry. Jacob and I stepped onto the ice and faced Carlisle.

"This is it. You both can nail this. Just be confident and don't let the standings faze you. You both worked so hard for this and I'm proud of you," Carlisle said. "Let's say a brief prayer and you both can kick some ass."

We bowed our heads and said our silent thanks to God and prayers that neither one of us would get hurt or fall. Carlisle squeezed our hands and gave us a smile as our names were called. Jacob grasped my hand and we did a loop around the arena before reaching our mark for the opening of our routine. We got into our positions and waited for music to start.

It did and we both flew into action. Like perfectly synchronized dancers, we moved and flowed with each other. I was only 5'3", easily dwarfed by Jacob. However, we fit together perfectly when we skated. Jacob had the strength that I lacked and I had the artistry that he struggled with.

We were halfway through our routine when we got to the throw salchow that caused me issues in practice. "Don't toss me like I'm a sack of potatoes, Jake," I hissed as we built up speed.

"Got it, Swan," he said as he pulled close to his body. He twisted and turned, launching me into the air. I crossed my arms and prayed that my knee would hold up. I did my three revolutions and landed on my blade. I smiled as I didn't fall. We worked into our footwork sequence. It was tight and intricate and hard. I had no problem with it, but Jacob was bigger than me and struggled with the moves. Like I said, I had the artistry, Jacob had the strength.

We got through the footwork and did our spin sequence before the end of the routine. We had one more jump left and it was the bane of my existence. Side by side triple loops. Gah! I hated the fact that we put a triple at the end of the routine, but in order to get bonus points, we needed to do it. We readied our jumps and took off simultaneously. Thankfully, we landed at the same time but I noticed that Jake doubled his. I was pissed as it meant that we would not get the bonus points.

We finished the routine and landed our final pose. The crowd roared and we bowed for the audience. Flowers and stuffed animals were being thrown onto the ice and we waved at the audience before we exited the ice. We both slipped on our blade guards and went to the kiss and cry. Carlisle hugged both of us, exclaiming his pride and joy that we did so well. I was already mentally deconstructing the entire performance in my head. Each mistake, each nuance, each fumble. I knew that I wanted to address several places before we performed this routine for the world competition in a few months.

"Bella, stop obsessing," Jacob laughed. "Enjoy our adoring fans."

"Okay," I said with a smile. We both waved and waited for the scores. A few moments later, the scores were posted and like we had been favored to do, we won our third National championship. Jacob pulled me into a tight hug, lifting me off the ground. I squealed excitedly and returned his embrace. As we were the last pair to skate, the medal ceremony was being set up on the ice as we were hugging.

A camera was thrust in our faces and we had several interviews until we were beckoned on the ice to receive our medals. We skated around the arena and waved until we got onto the top rung of the podium. Scott Hamilton put the medals around our necks, shaking our hands and giving us bouquets of flowers. Jessica and Mike got the bronze medal and some new pair, James and Victoria Hunter, a brother/sister act got the silver.

We posed for pictures and then went our separate ways. I went into the locker room, changing into my jeans and t-shirt. I slipped on my comfortable Chuck Taylors and pulled my bag over my shoulder. Carlisle was driving me back to the hotel where I would have dinner with him and my parents. Jacob wanted to go out and drink to celebrate. He could have at it. I just want to crawl into bed and sleep. It had been a crazy few days and I needed the rest.

xx FE xx

"Bella! We need to change up your costumes for your short program. The colors don't go with the music," Alice said from her spot on the couch. I was doing yoga on the floor as we chattered on. "Here are my latest sketches that I came up for you and Jacob."

She tossed a pad of paper in front of me. We were doing routine to an expert from one of Tchaikovsky's symphonies. Our costumes currently were black and white. Very simple and sleek. The picture in front of me was more flowy and in Jake's terms 'faggy.' "Jacob would hate the poofy sleeves, Alice," I said. "I think the colors are pretty and I love it. Remember we need to cater to the dog."

"Asshole," Alice grumbled. "The piece you're skating to is so romantic and beautiful. The costumes don't match it."

"I know," I sighed. "God, can't I just get a new partner? It would be infinitely easier to do that than fight with Jacob over costumes. And reminding him to not touch my boobs or grope my ass."

"Let's check if anyone has had a breakdown and partners are available," Alice snickered. She pulled out her laptop and went to ESPN. She typed in figure skating into the search bar and squealed. "Shut the front door! BELLA! Come here and read this."

I got up from the floor and went to sit next to Alice on our shared couch. In addition to being my costume designer, she was also my best friend and roommate. "What am I reading?" I asked.

She thrust her Macbook onto my lap and on the website was a huge headline: Tanya Juneau Banned from Figuring Skating for the Remainder of her Career. "No way," I breathed as I read the article. Apparently she was on some heavy duty painkillers and steroids for a back injury she received from a recent car accident. She had a random drug test and had several banned drugs in her system. It was a few hours before the England National Championship. Tanya was disqualified and Edward Masen was forced to withdraw from the competition.

"You should go for him, Bella. He's a class act. His skating style is much more suited to yours," Alice pointed out.

"It only said the drugs were in Tanya's system. What if Edward is using? I don't want to be associated with that. Besides, he's British," I said. "I refuse to compete in England and I'm certain that Edward wouldn't want to become an American citizen to compete."

"There have been couples that were from two countries and competed. It's not normal, but there is a precedent," Alice said.

"I'll stick with Jake, for now. As much as I hate him, we have to stick it out until Worlds. We're working on a new lift today at practice," I grumbled. "That means that Jake is going to be a total bitch. Shit, do you have Edward's number?"

"You're funny, Bells," Alice snickered. I shoved her shoulder and went to get dressed for my practice with Jake and Carlisle. I changed into a pair of tight pants and matching hoodie. I grabbed my keys along with my huge bag filled with my skates. "Bye Bella! Have fun. Don't kill the dog!"

"I'll try," I said dejectedly. I gave Alice a wink and darted out of the condo. I slipped into my blue BMW. I sighed as I inhaled the leather and car smell. This was my present to myself after we won our first National Championship. My sponsorship check from Wheaties went to buy this baby.

As I drove to the arena, I contemplated my choices and my life. I'd always wanted to be a skater. It was the one place where I was graceful and beautiful. I pushed myself. Always. First when I started lessons at the age of four with my dad, Charlie, who had every dream of making me the first female hockey star on the lake behind our home in Forks, Washington. I took to the ice like a pro and my mom, Renee, saw something in me that she wanted to help grow. The next day, I was signed up in lessons at the local ice arena for beginners. I flew through the first set of lessons and quickly surpassed all of the teachers at that arena.

My mom then went to Port Angeles and I began lessons in their ice rink with more challenging routines and tougher teachers. I stayed with them until I reached the age of fifteen. I grew exponentially as a skater under their tutelage. However, I needed more. One day, as I was rehearsing my latest routine, a man was watching in the stands. I didn't recognize him at first, but that man was Carlisle Cullen. THE Carlisle Cullen. The only man to win a gold medal in Nationals, Worlds, and Olympics twice. He was sitting in the bleachers watching me skate. After I finished my practice, he approached my mom. The spoke briefly and phone numbers were exchanged.

Later that night, my parents got into a huge fight. Over me. Apparently Carlisle wanted to train me in Seattle with the best choreographers, best teachers and best that the sport had to offer. My dad was adamant that I stayed in Forks. My mom wanted me to perform at a national level. Carlisle felt that I could do it. It was a huge point of contention in the house for a long time. However, I was stagnating in Port Angeles and yearned to be challenged. My dad finally relented and we drove to Seattle to check out the facilities I'd be working in as a skater. It was absolutely beautiful. I bounced on my toes at the prospect of working here.

Carlisle greeted us and he instructed me to put on my skates. I did and went onto the ice. It was so smooth. I smiled and waited for further instruction. Carlisle said that he was going to put some music on. He wanted to see me move to the music. I smiled and skated to center ice. A delicate lullaby came on and I moved around the ice. I pulled out all my tricks. My spiral sequence, my split jump, my layback spin…

Carlisle came onto the ice and he cupped my face. He told me that we had a lot to work on but he would love the opportunity to see me grow. My father sighed and wrote a check to Carlisle. I grew as a skater but I could never get the strength to do consistent triples. I had a solid triple flip, triple loop and triple salchow. Everything else was shaky at best. I strength trained. I exercised. I did everything to make my jumps more solid.

But it didn't work.

After I had my tenth disappointing showing at a regional competition, Carlisle suggested that I work on becoming a pairs skater. I was so pissed at the suggestion. I wanted to make it on my own, but couldn't. So, at the age of eighteen, I was introduced to a twenty year old Jacob Black at the insistence of my coach, my mom and Jacob's father, Billy. We spent two years building my repertoire as a pairs skater and we finally competed.

The rest was history.

I just wished Jacob was history. He's so gross. I think he's on his 100th woman he's slept with. Hell if I know, as long as his dick stays far away from me. I don't want his cooties.

I parked my car next to Carlisle's Mercedes and got out of my BMW. I swiped my bag from the back of my car and went into the arena. I walked into the locker room and slipped on a pair of lucky socks. I laced up my skates and went to do some laps around the rink to warm up. I put my iPod in my pocket of my hoodie and set it to shuffle. I alternated with doing forward laps and twisting to do some backwards laps.

I saw Jacob and Carlisle come onto the ice. I skated over to them and tossed my iPod into my smaller bag that I carry with me to the arena. "Hi, guys," I said with a smile.

"How are you doing, Bella?" Carlisle asked.

"Good. Did you hear about Edward Masen and Tanya Juneau?" I asked.

"I nearly spit out my coffee when I read the article. Edward is such a beautiful skater. Tanya could have been if she got her head together," Carlisle said with a frown.

"What happened?" Jacob asked confusedly.

"Edward Masen's partner is banned from the sport for steroid and drug abuse," Carlisle explained. "It's a shame. They were your closest competition at the World Competition. Oh well, now you have a certain chance to medal at the World Competition in Munich. Let's get working on fixing some problem spots in your long program. Then we have to work on your side by side double axels and that quirky lift you wanted to add to the short program."

We both nodded and went to the center of the rink, taking our places for our long program. We fixed a few places that were rough. It was mainly the footwork section and the artistic aspects of the program that we struggled with. Or rather, Jacob struggled with. It was consistent in every judge's critique that Jacob needed to work on his flow and artistry. It was like his arms and legs were not attached to his body.

After we addressed the issues with the long program, we worked on our side by side double axels. We never landed in sync. Because I was so much smaller, I always landed first and we were docked points. It was always about being in sync. We were getting close to being done with our axel work when we prepared for our last jumps. We prepared and took off. I landed like normal but Jacob was crumpled on the ground, screaming in agony. I fell to my knees next to Jacob's head and looked for Carlisle. He was on his phone. He flipped it shut and skated over to us. He knelt down and looked at Jacob with concern.

"What happened?"

"I fell, Cullen," Jacob snapped.

"I know that, shithead," Carlisle spat back. "What hurts?"

"My right knee," he groaned. "It felt like it completely gave out before I fell."

"No injuries previous to this?" Carlisle asked. "To that knee?"

"No."

"Carlisle?" came a voice.

"On the ice, Jasper," Carlisle called. "Bella, go help him. He hates to walk on the ice."

I nodded and skated to the edge of the ice, offering Jasper Whitlock, our physician, my arm. "What happened, Bells?"

"Jacob and I were practicing our side by side double axels and he fell. Jacob is complaining about his knee," I said, furrowing my brow.

"Landing knee?"

I nodded and helped Jasper to Jacob. Jasper handed me his cell phone and told me to call 911. I did and the operator told me that they would have an ambulance brought out in ten minutes. I instructed them to come in the back way. Carlisle handed me a pair of blade guards and I went to the back where the Zamboni dumped the spare snow from the rink. I opened the garage door and waited for the ambulance. I heard the sirens and soon the ambulance was backed up to the arena. I led the EMTs to Jacob. They strapped him into a gurney and loaded him into the ambulance. Jasper rode with Jacob.

Once they pulled away, I looked over to Carlisle. "What do you think is going to happen?"

"I don't know, Bells," Carlisle sighed, running his hand through his blonde hair. He gave me a sad smile, his blue eyes darkened with frustration. "Come on, let's go to the hospital. I need to call Billy."

We skated off the ice and quickly pulled on our street shoes. I hastily dried my blades and threw them into my bag. We got into our respective cars. We went to University of Washington Center for Sports Medicine. Jasper was an attending physician there and had special privileges. We parked and went inside. Carlisle was on the phone, speaking to Jacob's father, Billy Black. We sat down in the waiting room. I pulled out my Nook and read as we waited for Jasper to come out and tell us what the deal was.

As we were waiting, Billy came rolling into the hospital. He had lost the use of his legs because of diabetes and he was in a wheel chair. He barked who he was and Carlisle went to comfort him. Billy wheeled himself next to me and held my hand, giving me a kind smile. An hour or so, Jasper came out with a look of despair.

"What is it?" Billy asked.

"He completely tore his ACL, MCL and meniscus," Jasper grimaced. "He's out for at least a year. If not permanently. It's a horrible injury."

"So, he can't skate at the World Competition?" I asked, tears filling my eyes.

"I'm sorry. No," Jasper said with a frown. "He's asking for you, Bells."

I nodded and went back to Jacob's room per Jasper's instructions. Jacob was in a gurney with his leg propped up with several pillows and a mountain of ice. "Hey, Jake," I said.

"Hi," he grumbled. "I'm certain that Dr. Hick told you what the hell is wrong with me."

"Yeah. You'll get over this, Jake. You'll rehab it and you'll be as good as new," I said as I sat down next to him.

"No, I won't," he growled. "I'm fucked, Bella. I saw the x-ray and the MRI. There is NO WAY that I'm going to get over this. My skating career is over. I'm done."

"Don't say that, Jake," I murmured. "I know you're frustrated but you'll get over this. You'll be…"

"Don't say 'fine,' Bella. I won't be fine. I know you hated me and you wanted a new partner. Well, now is your chance to get a new one. Perhaps Masen will be your dream partner. He's searching, too," Jacob snarled. "Get out, Bella. I can't handle your 'Pollyanna' cheerfulness. I've put up with you for long enough and I'm secretly glad that I got injured. I don't have to endure you teasing me."

"You don't mean that," I sniffled.

"I do. Get. Out," he roared.

I cowered and slipped out of his room. Tears were falling down my cheeks. I grabbed my things and said a quick good bye to Carlisle and Billy. I ran out to my car and sped home. Jake's words were so hurtful. I knew he was in pain but he shouldn't have taken it out on me. I managed to get to my condo without crashing and I went into my calming lavender and periwinkle bedroom, slamming the door shut. I fell onto my king-sized bed and sobbed for the words that Jake said to me. For Jake's injury. For the missed opportunity of the World Championships.

What am I going to do now?

A/N: And there we go. The first chapter for Figure Eight. Let me know what think of the story and if I should continue. I'm debating on whether or not to switch points of view. Right now, I'm leaning towards yes, but I'm not sure. Leave me some love. Love is good. Thanks for reading the ramblings from my brain!