Vanilla Twilight

Genre: Hurt/Comfort/Friendship
Character/s: Jacob

Lyrics:
The stars lean down to kiss you
And I lie awake and miss you
Pour me a heavy dose of atmosphere
'Coz I'll doze off safe and soundly
But I'll miss your arms around me
I send a postcard to you, dear
'Coz I wish you were here
I'll watch the night turn light blue
But it's not the same without you
Because it takes two to whisper quietly
The silence isn't so bad
'Till I look at my hands and feel sad
'Coz the spaces between my fingers
Are right where yours fit perfectly
I'll find repose in new ways
'Though I haven't slept in two days
'Coz cold nostalgia chills me to the bone
But drenched in vanilla twilight
I'll sit on the front porch all night
Waist deep in thought
Because when I think of you
I don't feel so alone
I don't feel so alone
I don't feel so alone
As many times as I blink
I'll think of you
Tonight
I'll think of you tonight
When violet eyes get brighter
And heavy wings grow lighter
I'll taste the sky and feel alive again
And I'll forget the world that I knew
But I swear I won't forget you
Oh, if my voice could reach back to the past
I'd whisper in your ear:
'Oh, darling; I wish you were here'

I just kept driving, not looking where I was going. Why must I be so unfortunate? The virtually deserted roads just made me feel worse - they looked like I felt: empty. An uncomfortable feeling clutched at my stomach as I thought of Bella. Bella, who was dying at this very moment - I had no way to save her, only her 'loving' leech could help her now. If only she hadn't jumped off that cliff things might have been so different… The bloodsucker's sister wouldn't have seen anything and he wouldn't have gone to try and get himself killed. She wouldn't have gone to save him - she wouldn't have left me. We could have been happy together. Maybe Alice would have seen us though, and Edward would have interfered. And maybe 'maybe' is too light a word: he would have come anyway. He 'couldn't stay away from her'. Surely, if their love was real, they would have wanted the best for each other and not stopped each other's happiness.

Now, Bella was being ripped apart from the inside by the monster - the demon - that had made her its host. Said host was the woman I loved. Anger, remorse and sadness shot through me at the thought and I pushed the pedal down as hard as possible, the Aston Martin shooting forward silently as I did so. Not caring anymore about the beautiful car, I drove recklessly as far as I could go. I raced past beaches and cities, tears streaking down my face. Past fields and farmhouses, past roads and bridges until I reached the Atlantic Ocean. Throwing myself out of the silky leather seat, I jumped into the water and let go of my breath as I did so. Swimming down as deep as I could, my lungs were on fire almost instantaneously. I wanted to drown, and this seemed the easiest way. Slowly, I opened my mouth and let the water lungs were filling with more of the salty water every second, and I felt myself sink slowly before a small voice sounded in the back of my groggy mind. "Jacob… don't do this… please." Only that one voice could have persuaded me, but it was too late. Still sinking, I saw a dark form come towards me before I passed out underneath the water.

An unfamiliar, but friendly and… beautiful, voice woke me form my slumber. My eyes fluttered open unwillingly, and I was met with the most beautiful eyes I had ever seen. Including Bella's. The nurse was hovering over me, her dark blue sapphire eyes contrasting perfectly with her pale skin (though it was pinker than Bella's was normally). Lightly curled golden brown hair trailed down her back gracefully, the waves gently reflecting the glare of the bright light above me. Her face was square, with soft features. Nothing like Bella's. Though she was more beautiful than even Rosalie, I still loved the dying woman in Forks. "Where am I?" I asked hesitantly. The nurse's lovely voice replied:
"An infirmary you've probably never heard of in Orlando," she said jokingly.
"I'm in Florida?" I repeated incredulously.
"Yes."
"Infirmary?"
"Here was nearer than the hospital. Now, I know it'll be a touchy subject but seriously… Why were you trying to commit suicide?" she inquired. The question broke me.
"She's dying…" I gasped, and her face was suddenly sympathetic.
"I'm so sorry. I didn't realise it would be… Can we help her - whoever she is - at all?" she asked earnestly.
"No. She already has a doctor. And she's in Washington. I drove here." Her eyes widened.
"No wonder you're tired. You've been out for three days!" she said, and I froze.
"NO!" I shouted. She leapt back suddenly.
"What's the matter?"
"She's dead… she'll be dead by now… there was only four days… and…" Tears began to flow silently down my cheek as I stuttered. Guilt waved across the nurse's gorgeous face.
"I just keep making you feel worse," she murmured quietly. Frowning, she sat down in the chair beside my bed. Having not paid any attention to my surroundings previously, I now noted the small 'hospital ward' I was in. Two other patients were in beds down across the way, and I was next to the window at the end of the long room.

"It's ok. I would've been upset anyway," I reassured her. "What's your… name?" She looked up sadly.
"Catherine."
"Nice."
"What's yours?"
"Jacob." I reached my arm - shaking with the effects of crying (a feat vampires couldn't even attempt) across so as to shake her hand. Extending hers, which was also trembling, she took it gently. "Thank you, for saving me. As soon as I jumped in the water I decided against it, but it was…"
"Too late," she finished. I nodded. At that moment, a woman stepped through the pair of double doors that led into the ward and my heart leapt. She looked somewhat like a healthy Bella, only leaner and less clumsy. A little makeup covered her normally-coloured skin, but apart from that and the fact her eyes were hazel instead of the chocolate brown I loved so much, she looked almost identical.

"I see our John Doe is awake!" she gushed happily. Her voice was different to Bella's - higher. Nodding, I smiled. "Well, that saves a lot of trouble! What's your name?"
"Jacob Black," I said, extending my hand yet again. She took it with, her grasp firm but not tight.
"Isabella Marshall, but you can call me Izzy. I see you've met Cathy here," she smiled. It took all my effort to keep breathing.
"I knew someone called Isabella…" I trailed off. Catherine's expression fell into one of sympathy again.
"What a coincidence!" Izzy smiled, unaware.
"Izzy, she just died apparently," Catherine whispered so that if I hadn't had my super-werewolf hearing powers I would have struggled to hear.
"Oh." Izzy's expression fell too. "Sorry, I didn't know. My sympathies," she said. She seemed selfless like Bella too. The similarities were striking. Maybe I could stop hurting for Bella so much if I hung around Izzy. Of course, I didn't want to use her. It was just she might help me recover if I became friends with her - there were huge differences, obviously, but that would mean I would be able to settle into life without Bella more easily… Maybe…

Two Years Later

Izzy, Cathy, Karl and I were laughing over our plates of spaghetti and pizza carelessly. "You must be joking, Jake!" Karl snorted after my retelling of Bella and I's motorcycling exploits.
"Nope! 100% true!" I claimed truthfully. Cathy's eyes widened.
"You are CRAZY!" she accused playfully. Nodding patronisingly, I replied:
"Yes, but not as crazy as you!" Everyone burst into new fits of laughter. A new waitress approached us curiously.
"Do I get to hear the joke?"
"It's not a very good one!" I replied. Rolling her eyes, she asked if we would like some more drinks. We all nodded, our laughter bringing tears to our eyes. The wound losing Bella had opened was slowly beginning to heal, and sitting here with my new friends was helping so much.

"Jacob!" I heard a familiar voice call excitedly. Spinning around instinctively, I saw Renée peering through the glass. Signalling to my confused companions that I wouldn't be long, I stepped outside to meet Bella's mother herself.
"What are you doing here?" I inquired.
"Phil and I drove up here for the weekend, and anyway, I could ask the same of you! You've grown so big! How's Bella by the way? Have you seen her lately?" she asked. My stomach tied into an uncomfortable knot as she questioned me.
"I haven't seen her for months - I moved here months ago." Renée's eyebrows rose.
"Is that where you went? The whole of Forks was searching high and low for you before the wedding! Oh, did you hear by the way? Bella and Edward got married!" she gushed. Remembering my cameo appearance, I tried not to shudder and instead shook my head.
"That's… nice…" I lied. Renée smiled.
"Well, see you around!" she laughed. Nodding, I walked back into the restaurant to meet back up with my friends.

"Who was that, Jake?" Cathy asked as I sat down.
"A friend of a friend," I lied. Karl and Izzy nodded in unison. It was so obvious they liked each other, but neither of them would own up. It was also obvious that every other man in the restaurant was checking Cathy out, many glaring at me jealously. Right… just because I'm sitting next to her in an expensive Italian restaurant it means I'm with her. C'mon, she's paying for herself - we all are! The waitress from before returned with the drinks, but I stopped her before she could scurry away. "Please could we have the bill?" I asked. She nodded and dashed off to the kitchen, returning with a slip of paper. Karl glanced at the amount, and pulled out his iPhone. Dividing the cost by four, he announced:
"$59.19." We each pulled out our check books and wrote the amount - along with the other necessary information - on the first blank page, tearing it off and placing the checks in a pile.
"That's $236.76 altogether, Miss," Izzy clarified as the waitress stood there, stunned.
"Thank you! Our meals were lovely!" Cathy assured her. She nodded, dumbfounded, and picked up the checks so as to take them to the kitchen. Karl, as usual, smirked.

Then it happened. Outside the restaurant skipped an eight-year-old girl with heavy-looking bronze curls and a body with adult proportions. For some reason I was drawn to her. Then she spun around and looked through the thick glass, peering inside. Her eyes met mine and I saw then that her eyes were Bella's eyes, and this was the monster that killed her - the resemblance to Bella's bloodsucker was too great. But as I looked into those eyes - the eyes of both a murderer and her victim - everything that I was seemed to have been torn away from me. My friendships with the people around me, my slowly disappearing love for the monster's supposedly deceased mother, even my hatred for the creature standing before me was ripped form my grasp and replaced with a new feeling. I knew that I had just imprinted… on none less than Bella's child. The child I had once hated with all of my soul, which I now loved with all of my soul.

She ran inside the restaurant and up to me, arms extended. I got up and ran towards her too. We embraced while my friends watched, confusion again clouding their expressions. "Is your mother still alive?" I asked breathlessly. My imprint nodded. "Is she…" The child nodded again. At least she wasn't dead. "Name, quick!" I demanded, releasing her from the hug.
"Renesmee. Everybody calls me Nessie though."
"Right - Nessie. You know about imprinting, right?" I asked. Her jaw dropped open.
"Seriously?"
"Yeah. Now, I've got some confused friends who need some explanations. Play along!" The whole conversation had taken place too low for human ears, but our ears were sensitive enough to pick up everything. "Guys!" I called, human volume again. "You know Bella? This is her daughter, Vanessa. I didn't think she would be alive - Bella I mean. But she is!" Apparently the whole restaurant had been listening, because they then burst into elated applause. Whoops and cheers filled the large room and our table was smiling. "C'mon, Nessie. Let's go see your Mom!"

Waving to my friends, who understood completely my love for Bella (they'd listened patiently to a heavily-edited version of our story), we ran off into the street. I hailed a taxi, and Nessie told the driver where to go. After a silent conversation (I discovered Nessie had a power to show others what she was thinking, and I just spoke quietly) we both explained everything to each other. As soon as we reached the hotel where Nessie and Bella and Edward were staying (they had come to visit Renée, who apparently was now - along with Charlie - on a need to know basis about the whole vampire thing) we ran upstairs to their room."MOM! It's Nessie, and I've brought an old friend of yours!" she called. Remembering suddenly that Edward could read thoughts; I explained everything - right from when I left in the Aston Martin - quickly and mentally."Bella, love, it's fine. Open the door. It's a good surprise!" Edward chided. Wow. I'm a good surprise now? "YEAH YOU ARE!" he called, answering my thought. As he did so, Bella opened the door.
"JAKE!"

When violet eyes get brighter
And heavy wings grow lighter
I'll taste the sky and feel alive again
And I'll forget the world that I knew
But I swear I won't forget you
Oh, if my voice could reach back to the past
I'd whisper in your ear:

'Oh, darling; I wish you were here'