I was practically buzzing as we drove onto the street. Jacob chuckled as we approached and the pressure I was applying to his hand increased. My dad eyed us in the rear-view mirror skeptically. I stuck my tongue out at him and looked around. Living in Massachusetts would be so much fun!
We got out of the car, and my dad gave me the keys to my Mustang. He Pulled me away from Jacob and pulled me into a hug.
"Jeez dad, we're barely out of the car yet," I said, hugging him back. He kissed my forehead.
"Quiet you. Now, here, new phone," he said, passing me a flip-texting phone.
"I really don't need a new phone. Mine works just fine," I told him, pulling out my current one, only really about a year old.
"Nope, I insist. And here are the key's to the house, and Jacob, an extra key to the Mustang," he said, handing us each and envelope. Then he took a step back as my mom gave me a hug, and a kiss on the cheek.
"Are you sure you don't want us to stay on the continent? We could always go to Europe another time…I'm really not comfortable leaving you…"
"No Mom, go. Have fun -- a month, a year whatever, we'll be fine," I said, wrapping myself around Jacob's arm, and looked at her.
"About that. You two -- you can't…Just don't…No sex got it?"
"DAD!" I said, blushing like mad.
"I don't care about anything else, but just, please, spare me. I know, you're in the same house, alone, and you have separate rooms (although one probably won't get used often) just…you get it," he said, pointing at me, then Jacob, then back to me, before putting his hand down, and nodding.
"Dad, I think you know Jacob a little better than that," I told him, kissing Jake's cheek. My dad looked at us, almost like a glare, then turned away and got in the car with Emmet, who was behind our car in his Jeep. I felt my mom hug me again, blocking just our thoughts.
"But just in case you decide not to listen to him…check the bottom of the box of pictures when you were little in the back of the closet. I don't care -- its not like you'd be doing that with anyone else, and I trust him," she said, in my ear, so fast that only I could hear it. I felt blood run into my cheeks, then I had to block my thoughts myself as she pulled away and winked at me. My dad shot her a look, and she shrugged, blowing him a kiss. "I love you guys, okay? Call us if you need us, we'll be just a plane ride away."
"Love you, too, mom. Bye! Have fun, and bring me back something cute!" I said as she got into the car. Uncle Emmet waved to me like a goof, and did a K-turn out of the spot he was in and left.
"You're awfully quiet," I said, throwing my purse over my shoulder, and taking him by the hand.
"Eh…," he said, and just looked ahead.
"What's the matter with you?" I asked.
"I've never been out of the Pacific Northwest before. I'm just getting used to it. I worried about my dad, and my family -- and Rebecca is due any day now," he said, running a hand through his hair. I knew he was stressed about leaving. Rebecca had lost a child at about 6 months pregnant before, and everyone was really on edge this time about keeping her off her feet, and giving her everything she craved.
"She'll be fine, Jacob. She's got the entire pack there, and Charlie & Sue. And your dad is good. My grandparents will be home if her needs them, for him or Rebecca or anything. Everything will be okay," I told him, wrapping my arms around his chest.
"You're right, but I'm still worried. Rebecca couldn't handle it if she lost another kid," he told me, dropping his hands down to my waist and entwining his hands behind my back. I stood up on my toes and gave him a quick peck on the lips.
"I'm worried about her too, but she's far enough along that if she went into labor, they'd both be okay. And my grandpa is there for her," I said, unwrapping myself from him. "Let's change this gloom and doom attitude. We're all unpacked, so after we get inside, let's go have dinner somewhere, and go home…watch a movie?"
"Whatever you want, Nessie," he said, taking my hand and leading me into our new house. I transferred my phone numbers to my new phone while I waited for Jake to change out of his "plane clothes" that he claimed smelled like airplane.
We went into town and ate at a little friendly diner. I could tell that seeing all the little kids there, coloring and laughing made Jacob kind of on edge. Rebecca had lost the little boy about two years ago after having a hard time getting pregnant. Jacob loved both of his sisters and hated seeing Becca so distraught like that. She locked herself up in her room all day, barely ate, and cried all day. She only let Rachel in, not even her husband or Jacob or Billy.
"Do you want to go somewhere else?" I said, putting my menu down on the table.
"No, I'm fine," he said bluntly, reading the menu with such a ferocity you would think it had bitten him.
I was a little taken aback by his attitude. He had been in kind of a funk all day. I reached across the table and pressed my hand to his cheek, showing him to first time we kissed, the day before my 13th birthday, four years ago -- what an awkward moment that had been. I could see his eyes get softer as he read and he looked up to me and smiled.
My parents had just left for the weekend, and everyone was out, doing their own thing. I was alone at home, sitting on the couch reading with the news on in the background. I heard the front door click open and a familiar scent hit my nose. Jacob, and flowers. He always brought wildflowers when he came to see me, which was everyday but that's besides the point. He came in an sat down next to me, making the couch shake, and I dropped my book, losing my place.
"Good job, Jake," I joked with him as I leaned down to pick it up and continue reading.
We went in for it at the same time, and knocked heads. I ended up on the floor. Jacob was sitting on the couch, chuckling as he pulled me up with one hand, and my book with his other. I sat down close to him and put my book next to me.
"You not gonna read anymore?" he asked, confused.
"I can't see straight because of your hard head. I just want to regain some brain cells before I try to do anything else," I said, smiling at him. He pouted and I patted him on the head. "Oh, did I hurt your ego? Don't worry you'll live."
"That's it," he said, and he threw me down onto the couch and started tickling my sides. I was laughing so hard it was difficult to breathe. Only he could tickle me and get away with his arms intact. We knew we were meant for each other, but my family still thought we were too young for anything…and I was, only almost thirteen at the time. Sure, I looked seventeen (I had stopped aging a while ago), but I wasn't.
"Stop! You're going to suffocate me!" I giggle, swatting at his hands.
"Don't worry, you'll live," he said, and laughed.
"Hey! Sto…Knock it off! Come on! I'm sorry, I won't say that again," I yelled with amusement in my voice. He didn't stop though. I didn't know how else to get his attention, so I just reached up and pulled his head down to mine, and kissed him. Sure enough, that distracted him long enough for me to escape, and run across the room, only to hide behind the couch.
"No more tickling," was all I could say, as I looked at him, everything but my nose up, hidden by the couch.
"No more tickling," he repeated, standing and walking over to where I was. "Nope. No more tickling." He pulled my to a standing position and kissed me again. This time, I actually realized what was going on, and I almost fainted. He held me up, and pulled me into a very warm and tight hug. I had the dumbest looking grin on my face when he pulled away from me.
"No more tickling?" I asked, in a squeak Jacob laughed.
"No more," he said, chuckling.
"What can I get for ya?" The waitress interrupted our private little show and we both snapped out of it and looked up at her. Jake looked at me and smiled.
"You go first, I'm still looking," he said.
"Uhm…okay. Can I have…Clam chowder?"
"Bowl?" I nodded to the waitress. "Anything else?"
"Sure, a grilled chicken sandwich with ranch dressing on the side?" She nodded, writing down my order.
"Oh, you know what, that sounds good. Two of that order please?" Jake said. The waitress smiled, and made a little note on her paper, and walked away. The kids at the table in the corner were making noise again, playing with each other and laughing loudly. They were the only other people in the room. The mother looked at me apologetically.
"Sorry, we're having a sleepover tonight. They're just excited," she said.
"Don't worry about it," I answered. I looked to Jacob, who was on his phone now.
"I knew it. I knew something was up. I had a feeling…No, we just got here like, two hours ago. Just hold her hand for me, Dan. And send pictures, and tell her I love her," he said. I cocked my head to one side. "Rebecca."
"Oh, is she okay?" I asked.
"She's fine, so far. But apparently, she's having twins. Carlisle's there with her, and Dan is too, but Carlisle said he looked about to faint," Jacob said with a smile.
"Twins? How could the doctor have missed that for 7 months?" I asked.
"Because he's not your family. He can't hear the separate heartbeats. Plus, she's only known for 4 months anyway. How she missed that is beyond me, but whatever. Esme's there too, helping I guess. I wish your grandparents had been her doctors instead, I trust them much more…" he trailed off. I smiled at him.
"You're gonna be an uncle. Twice," I said to him. He smiled at me. "You want to get everything to go, so you can go home and be on the phone with someone?"
"Yes, let me go pay, you go tell the waitress," he said, springing up out of his seat.
I got up, and waved to all the little kids and the mother and walked up to the kitchen door, peaking in the window, and catching the attention of our waitress.
"Your order should be out in a sec, chef's just finishing them up now," she told me.
"Actually, can we have them wrapped up? My boyfriend's sister just went into labor and he wants to go home so he can be on the phone with her husband," I said.
"Oh, sure. Of course. They'll be out in a minute if you want to wait by the counter," she said smiling.
"Sorry about that," I said.
"Don't worry about it, honey."
I walked out to the register on the counter where Jacob was standing, with his hands nervously shoved into his coat pockets.
"Go start the car. I'll get the food and be out in a minute," I told him, giving him a kiss on the cheek.
Dinner was a little cold when we got home so I popped them both in the toaster oven, and turned on the tv, very low while Jake was on the phone. It was around 8:30 now, and we both sat on the couch, eating our dinner over the coffee table in the living room. It was 14 long hours before there was a cry in the background, followed by two smaller voices making the same noise. Jacob was smiling, ear to ear, just completely elated. Gradma sent two pictures of them to my new phone, and I handed it over two Jacob. One was of both of them, Kayla and Eric, in the little cart thing, and the other was of Rebecca with her two babies, smiling a very tired but happy smile. It was another two hours that Jake and Rebecca's husband Dan were on the phone, then they said their goodbyes and hung up.
"Did you tell Esme to give her the baby shower gift we got for her? She might need it. I mean, we only thought to get her one of everything but she can take my old crib too, if she needs it," I said, standing and stretching. It was light outside, and despite how much I longed to go explore our new town, I needed my sleep.
"Yeah, Carlisle said he would bring over a bunch of baby stuff, that way its all set up for them when they get home," he said, standing too, and taking my hand.
"Do you want me to make you something, before I got to sleep?" I asked him as he looked to the kitchen.
"No, I can fend for myself. You go to sleep, I'll be up in a little while," he said. I kissed his cheek and walked out into the hallway.
"Night…uh…Morning Uncle Jacob!" I called to him as I went up the stairs. I changed into sweats and promptly fell asleep. About two hours later, I felt the mattress shift, and heat flooded the bed, which was actually his, but I didn't care. I rolled over and snuggled into Jacob's chest.
"You have your own bed you know…" he said, kissing the top of my head, and pulling me to his chest.
"But it's warmer here," I told him.
"I love you, Nessie," he said in a whisper.
"Mm. I love you, too," I said as I fell asleep.
*JPOV*
I felt her fall asleep in my arms and her heartbeat and breathing evened out. I was too excited to sleep, but too tired to stay up, so I just laid there and thought about everything. I wanted what my sister had -- a family of her own. I wanted to marry my Nessie, and have children, and travel the world with her and live together for the rest of eternity. I had always wanted that…well, since she was fully matured, anyway. Although, I love that we can be together without really…you get it….I just wanted us to have a completely full relationship, when she was ready for it of course.
Her dad was the one completely object to that though. He wanted his little girl to do everything she ever wanted to without the burden of me, or kids. He knew that I loved her, he'd told me, but he also knew that he didn't want her to run off and get married, and end up stuck with me before she wanted to be. Edward always wanted people to live their lives to the fullest. And I wasn't exactly sure he'd be thrilled if I knocked his baby up for she went to college or before we were married for that matter. I understood though, Nessie was the only chance he would ever get at giving life back, besides her being his only child for the rest of eternity, and he only wanted the best for her.
"Someday," I muttered into her hair, as I drifted off.
****************************************************************************************************************************************************************
I woke up the next day, I had practically slept for a day - maybe 18 hours. She wasn't there. My arms felt empty, but I smiled when I smelled bacon. I looked to the clock next to my bed. 7:30 in the morning. I had a niece and a nephew, and I lived with the love of my life in Massachusetts, and she was making me breakfast. I stood up, and grabbed a plain white t-shirt, and tried to pull it on as I walked down stairs.
"Morning, love," she said as I walked into the kitchen, still struggling to put my shirt on. I finally got it, and I smiled at her, moving to give her a hug. "I can't hug you like that," she said, pointing to my chest. I looked down, and saw the tag of my shirt was sticking out of the front, underneath my chin. She snorted at me when I scoffed. Nessie reached down and started to pull the shirt up over my head. I felt her hand slip past my skin as she went, making me shiver from such a foreign touch. She pulled it from my body and passed it to me in a manner that I could not screw up putting on.
"Thank you," I said, pulling it on the right way.
"No problem, its just my job to help those who are incapable, such as yourself," she told me, walking past me, and smacking my ass as she went.
"Hey, hey, hey! Someone's either keeping a secret or taunting me for her own personal gain," I said, running to grab her.
"No you don't!" she said, running through the house, screaming. I caught up with her quickly and wrapped her up to me.
"You don't think you could escape me do you? All those years to find you, don't think I'll let you go that easily -- especially considering your dad would have me hung if I lost you in Massa-fricken-chusetts," I told her, giving her a wet, sloppy kiss on the temple.
"Ugh, go brush your teeth before you come back for food, or I'll have to hurt you," she said, wiping her temple with her sleeve. "And then get dressed and meet me in town. Just call me, I'm going to go up by the woods and climb the rocks on the water."
"Aww, you're going to leave me here all alone, in your grandfather's creepy "extra" house?" I whined.
"Yes, and it's not that creepy, its small, and cozy," she said taking a light windbreaker and pulling it over her hoodie and long-sleeve shirt. "I printed some pictures of Kayla and Eric for you, they're in the office. I love you," she said, kissing me quickly, and walking out the door, starting to jog at the end of the block.
I smiled to myself and scratched my head. I went into the kitchen to devour the breakfast she had made.
*NPOV*
I started to jog down the third street yet that morning when a light blue Mazda pulled up next to me, pacing itself with me. The driver honked the horn, and yelled out the window at me.
"Hey, gorgeous! New here?" he asked.
"Yes," I said, speeding up, and I heard his engine pick up.
"Need a ride? You know, show you around?" he said.
"No," I replied.
"How about just…" I turned and looked at him, stopping the jog. He skidded to a halt, then back up a little bit to meet me. I glared at him. I had to say, he was good looking. "Whoa."
"What?" I snapped, crossing my arms, and sucking my teeth.
"You're just, really pretty," he said. I rolled my eyes.
"What do you want?" I snapped again.
"I could name a few things…" he faded off.
"Hey, baby," I heard from behind me, and I felt a familiar warm arm around my waist.
"Hey, honey," I said, wrapping my arms around his neck, and kissing him on the lips. "You were saying?" I said, turning to the guy in the car.
"Aw, dude tough luck. Too bad, she's a little bit taken," Jacob said, smirking.
They guy in the car just shook his head and drove off. I took Jake's hand and we started walking. Then I finally looked at him, and snorted.
"A ponytail?" I questioned.
"You wouldn't understand. It's just easier, plus, I need it cut. Alice normally does it but she and Jazz are off with your family," he tried to explain.
"I'll cut it then, later, Samson," I told him. (Samson and Delilah)
"Oh, getting biblical are we? I don't understand why you don't you go to school? Study theology, or history…you'd be really good at it," he said to me, swinging our hands.
"Because I have the rest of eternity to learn about the past. I would much rather spend my time with you…then I'll be sucked into it all when I'm bored, later. I want to live now," she said. "I want us to travel everywhere, do everything…eventually. We can be calm and content when we're old. It's not like our years are slipping by."
*JPOV*
It was true. The imprintee and their wolf age at the same rate once they meet each other. Normally, that means they grow old and eventually die together. With Nessie, I was almost as immortal as she was, and remained at the developmental stated of 18. I could probably pass with 22 or 23 though.
"You know it would make your father happy, though," I said.
"It would also make him happy if we were both to undergo a sterilization process and join a clergy, but you don't see that happening," she told me sternly. It made me smile -- she wanted a family too, someday. "We can settle down once we're done living."
We walked out to the rocks behind the woods, and sat there for a while, until she got bored, and went to climb all over the rocks. Then we went deeper into the woods, and back out into town. There were a ton of little jewelry stores, and a bunch of these stores that sold rocks, fossils and sterling silver everything. Nessie suggested something for my niece and nephew. She picked out a little silver name-plate chain bracelet for Kayla that could be extended as she grew, and I found a dogtag-esque charm on a masculine chain. I had an E with his birthday put on his, and the same with Kayla's name on her's. I knew they wouldn't wear them until they were older, but it was nice to give them. Both said Love Uncle Jacob and Aunt Nessie on the back, because she would be their aunt someday. She objected at first, until I just had the girl behind the counter fire up the machine and engrave it anyway.
We stopped in a candy shop, and got some chocolate, and fudge and stuffed animals and things to send to my sister and the babies. Nessie stopped in an art gallery and quick bought an original painting of the ocean for her parents. It probably cost upwards of three thousand. We took it all to the post office and had it shipped out. We went for lunch on the one main road at a little café then went back to the house in the afternoon.
"So what are we doing tonight Jacob? First night here…well, not on the phone that is…" she called from inside the bathroom after her shower. I sat on the bed in our room right next to it on the laptop. I actually had an idea. I had bought her earrings today, a surprise pair of moonstones in silver -- when I had the kids' stuff made -- but she didn't have her ears pierced. I wanted to take her to do it I just didn't know where. I clicked away on the computer until I found something.
"Let's go to Salem," I called in to her.
"Sounds good. What are we doing?" she questioned.
"Dinner and a surprise…and maybe a ghost tour or something," I told her, cancelling out of the window I had up and deleting the history so she couldn't figure it out.
"We driving in?" she asked, coming out of the bathroom. I looked up her and was completely in shock…She was wrapped in a small white towel, and her wet hair was dripping little circles of water to the floor. The towel showed off her ridiculously long and smooth. Her green eyes were sparkling in the late afternoon light leaking in through the window behind her.
"Now, like that, I don't know if we're going to make it into Salem," I told her, standing and going over to her, and engulfing her in my arms. I trailed kisses down her neck and back up the other side. Her head rolled back, and I supported it with my hand, as I kissed her jawbone and her cheek. She turned her head and caught me on the lips. She reached up and laced her fingers in my hair. I put my arm under her back and the other under the back of her knees and scooped her up into my arms. I carried her into our room and laid her down on the bed. I kissed along her exposed collarbone, and nipped at her neck.
"Jacob," she whispered, passionately. I went back up the her face, and kissed her lips with fire. "Jake," she said again, pulling her lips from mine.
"Yes, love?" I said, kissing up to her ear and temple. She looked into my eyes with love.
"Not yet," she mumbled. I understood immediately.
"Oh, no. Baby, I would never make you do that if you didn't want to. I couldn't do that to you," I told her, pulling her up into my arms and hugging her. "I love you too much too much to…hurt you like that."
"I'm sorry, Jacob. I love you too -- exponentially. I just don't think I'm ready for that yet," she said sadly.
"Don't worry about that, okay? I promise, whenever you're ready, then we'll be together …You just go get ready. Plus, your dad would have our…well, my head if we even thought about that," I replied. She kissed me, softly then stood from the bed and went out into the hall to go to her room.
"Someday though," she said, turning back and looking at me before going into her room across the hall. I got up and went to my dresser, looking in the mirror above it.
"Eventually," I said to myself, and started to change for our night out. It was whatever Nessie felt was right…even though Edward would prefer us married, or better yet not to go there at all.
We drove into Salem, and parked on the street. I put about four hours in the meter, and helped her out of the car. I had blindfolded her, I wanted the ear piercing place to be a surprise. I remembered the first time I ever really though about bringing her to have her ears pierced.
"Daddy said no. He said he wouldn't take me because I'm too young. I may be 7, but I go to high school. Everyone has their bloody ears pierced! Even twice in most cases. Piercing is like a phenomenon I'm not allowed to be involved in!" she growled. I chuckled at her and she shot me a glare…then she got this evil smirk on her face. "Jacob…Jake, you could bring me," she said.
"No way, I am not going to feel the wrath of Edward later. Not going to happen," I assured her. She pouted.
"But I could tell him that I did them myself! He would never have to know…Mommy said she doesn't care, that she never got to get her ears pierced and she wishes she had," she said. They were away for Garret and Kate's wedding, and that gave us the time to create a story about how she did it herself, and they had already healed, because they would have completely healed by the time they got back in two weeks anyway. Rose had given me a pair of white gold earrings with diamonds in them once, for a gift to Nessie, when Bella almost took her but she ended up not doing it because of Edward. She looked at me, she knew I was thinking about it.
"I can't do that Nessie, your dad can see right through me, and then he'll set Emmet and Jasper on me and kill me. Do you want your uncles to tear me limb from limb just so you can wear earrings?" She smiled at me and shrugged.
"Worth the risk…"
"I don't think so," I told her. She proceeded to pout, snarl at me, and storm up to her room. It had taken two of her favorite pizzas, 4 pounds of chocolate, a bouquet of white and pink roses and three trips to Blockbuster to get her to stop frowning at me.
I turned the corner, guiding Nessie in front of me, with one of my ties around her eyes, tied behind her head.
"Where the hell are we going?" she asked, excitedly.
"To do something that you've wanted to do for a long time," was all I kept telling her.
"Jacob!" she said, with playful frustration in her voice. I opened the door to the Purple Scorpion Piercing Salon. Thankfully, the smell of human blood didn't really bother her, being half human, because it was definitely present.
"Um, Jacob…" Nessie said, slightly concerned about the smell of blood I guess.
"I know, don't worry, its not a crime scene or a doctor's office or anything," I whispered into her ear. The girl behind the counter looked at me, and I put my finger to my lips, telling her not to say anything -- she knew it was me, I had made an appointment while Nessie was getting dressed. She directed us into a room, and shut the door behind her as she left. I undid the knot in the tie around Nessie's head. She looked around, then got confused.
"I thought you said it wasn't a doctor's office? What have I wanted to do in a doctor's office…"
"Hi, I'm David. You want to pick a pair of earrings, or should I just guess?" The piercer asked, as he walked into the room. Nessie's breathing stopped for a second, then she looked at me.
"JAKE! Ah, I'm so excited!" she said, ecstatically, jumping up from her chair, and pulling herself against me. David laughed, and passed her a plastic stand full of different samples of the earrings they had.
"We recommend picking something that's not going to make you bored for a month and a half while they're healing," he said to her.
"Oh, I'm not worried. What do you think Jake?" she said, turning to me.
"Doesn't really matter…" I said to her. "Not my decision…plus, you're beautiful no matter what."
"I love you, you know that?" she said, kissing my cheek. "Um, I guess…Ugh! I don't know!" She ended up picking a pair of cubic zirconium white gold studs. They'd probably only take a week to heal on her anyway, so she wouldn't be wearing those fake stones for long.
The process only took about 15 minutes. She was smiling ridiculously as we walked out, hand in hand. She looked up at me grinning.
"My dad's gonna flip," she said, laughing.
"Yes, he is. Not before ripping my head off, of course," I informed her. She laughed again, it sounded like music.
"He wouldn't do that, it would hurt my feelings, and he'd never do that."
"You're probably right…he'll just break my legs, instead," I said, pulling her into a brewery restaurant. It was a big friendly restaurant, with lots of smiling wait-staff. "This place okay for an early dinner?" I asked. She nodded.
We sat pretty quickly, I guess it was a slow night. I got a pint and a steak. Nessie had a bottle of beer and some chicken dish, flashing a fake I.D.. Okay, she was sixteen, but she was half vampire, and she acted like a 25-year old, so we got away with it.
****************************************************************************************************************************************************************
*NPOV*
It was nice waking up in Jake's arms for the second time in a row -- at a reasonable hour this time. It was about 9 in the morning when I woke up to his loud, yet comforting snore. While we slept together, we had never actually "slept" together, if you get me. He had my heart, and he was my world, and he knew it. We didn't need to have sex just to prove that to each other. I kissed his nose, and pulled myself from his arms.
I went into my room, and got dressed in more running clothes, and I pulled on my sneakers. I wrote Jake a note, telling him I was going out for a run, and put it on the pillow next to him. I placed a kiss on his temple and went downstairs. I cleaned my ears with the piercing cleaner formula and pulled my messy red mane into a loose bun, and walked out, down the street, and started jogging towards town.
I had to run, everyday…most of the time, in the morning. It kept me at the energy level of a human (sort of) for the rest of the day. Also, it kept me fit because I still had to worry about that, being human. I didn't hunt as much as my family did either, I didn't need it. I had to actually work to keep myself in shape. Sometimes, I thought I was more human than vampire. I was glad of it though, because that meant I got to live forever, be virtually indestructible, and at the same time, have kids, and be warm like a human. I wanted kids too. Badly. I had pictured my little auburn haired, tan kids with dark gray eyes running around the house, and playing with the family, on both sides. The only problem was, unless one or both of us did something to prevent us from having children after we'd had however many we wanted, we might keep having children for the rest of eternity. And I was worried to find out if they aged and got old, and died or not. I wanted them to live long happy lives, but I don't think I could bear to watch them die around me, forever.
I shook the thought of my future children dying from my head and ran to the beach in town. From what my grandfather told me, the beach outside of town was nicer because it was longer, and it was cleaner. This one was okay for now though, just to sit and breathe before I start to run again. It was cold, I mean, duh, it's September and I like the cold, but it was unseasonable, like 45 degrees. I was glad I had my windbreaker on with my Under Armor. Breathing in the salty tasting air felt good. Everything was so clean…it was such a sleepy little town, with a little year-round population. I got up to run up in the woods again, when I saw a familiar car driving past the beach, a light blue Mazda. I could hear the engine slow before the car actually did. I pretended not to be paying attention, and instead picked up a piece of seaglass that I saw, and went on "looking for seaglass". But he couldn't just drive past without bothering me, of course.
"You again, red?" he called from his car. I looked up at him quickly, glaring. Then I pulled my iPod from my jacket pocket and put it on, blasting Cold Hard Bitch, by Jet, and kept walking. I walked to the other end of the beach, and I heard the engine follow me there. I ran up the ramp from the beach, and jumped over a granite rock-wall into a cemetery, and wove in an out of the gravestones, until I finally reached the end of it, stopping when I reached a large pond with ducks in it.
"Hey, where ya going?" he called from behind me.
"What do you want? Don't you get the hint? When a girl runs away from you, it tends to mean she doesn't want you. And in my case, I have a boyfriend," I said, not looking at him, but trying to find a way around the pond.
"It's obvious you have no idea how to get around. Can't I just help you out?" he said.
"No, I have excellent orienteering skills, and a distinct sense of direction, I can figure it out by myself," I told him, spotting a bridge up to a road. I jogged over to it at a human pace. He followed behind me, I could hear him. I ran up to the road, covered with tiny little houses, a few abandoned, or used only in summer. I still heard his feet behind me. "What do you want from me?" I asked, turning to look at him. It was really frustrating that he would not leave me alone, and it would really start to suck when I had to rip him apart.
"I'm just curious about you. We don't get too many people who just move into otherwise unused houses that often. The Cullen house has been empty for about forty years, now you just up and move in?" he said, as I came to a halt, and looked at him. I had to come up with something to cover my ass.
"I inherited the house. I am a Cullen," I told him, half truthfully.
"But the Cullen's were supposed to have all disappeared in the 70's and never came back. A cleaning crew went in every once in a while, and the roof has been redone a few times, but no one's lived there," he said.
"You really think they just dropped off the face of the earth? No. But I am the last Cullen there ever will be. And when I get married, there will be no more Cullens in the world," I lied quickly. Then I decided I didn't need to be telling him this, and started running back in the direction of my house. I left him just standing there, watching me go, and I bolted back to the house. I ran in the open door, and shut it behind me before a realization came to me. He knew where we lived - he must have followed us here. Then I heard that familiar engine again. I ran up to Jacob's and my room, and looked out the window to see that blue Mazda outside the house. Jacob walked in to the room, with his toothbrush hanging out of his mouth and looked at me funny.
"What's going on? I was just going to meet you in town…" he asked with a mouth full of foamy toothpaste.
"That guy knows where we live…and he stopped me and tried to talk to me, and he followed me here," I said quickly, peeking out the window again, spotting him leaning up against the car. "He knows that this is the Cullen house, or whatever and he keeps trying to talk to me, and its freaking me out." Jacob walked back into the bathroom, and I heard him spit out his toothpaste, then he came back into the room, taking a grey button down shirt from the closet and walking down the stairs in jeans, black sneakers, and an open shirt, looking very mad.
I followed him down the stairs, and watched from the door as it slammed behind him. He stalked out to the guy, and brandished a baseball bat dangerously…he must have grabbed it from the closet next to the door before I had gotten to the stairs.
"What is wrong with you?" Jacob yelled at the guy, who had smartly gotten back in his car. "Did you follow us home? How the hell do you know where we live?"
"Everyone in town does man, calm down," he said back.
"What the hell are you doing coming here then, following my girlfriend home?" he asked, hitting the bat into the palm of his hand.
"I was just trying to talk to her!" he said. I walked out the door, and stood on the covered part of the porch, and leaned on the pillar. "She just got all testy and ran away, so I came here to try to get to know her! We don't get a lot of new residents here, and I was just trying to be friendly."
"Well, obviously, she doesn't want to get to know you, so how about you get out of here?" Jacob said, waving the bat toward the main road, a block from the house.
"Listen, I get it, don't bother you or your girlfriend…but I'm just trying to be friendly," he defended.
"Look, I understand, but you're freaking her out, and I'm not just going to wave it off that she's creeped out by some guy who can't just leave her alone. We've only been here for two days, maybe she'll introduce herself in time. Don't push it, and I won't have to crush your skull in, got it?" Jacob told the guy.
The guy in the Mazda just shook his head, and started the engine, and drove off the street. I walked out to Jacob, and wrapped my arms around him, pressing my face into his chest.
"What am I going to do with you?" he asked, looking down into his arms, at me.
"Love me?" I said, in a high squeaky voice. He pointed at my face.
"You get a month to act like this, then you have to start being nice to people. I'm not going to walk around behind you with a bat, waving it at people who so much as look at you for the rest of time," he said.
"You actually want other men to look at me?" I questioned, hoping to play up on his jealous side to make him feel bad for me.
"Yes, actually I do," he said, taking me completely by shock. "I like to see the look on their faces when they see how beautiful you are, then realize that you're taken. It makes me feel better about myself." I gasped at him, and playfully hit his chest.
A/N : I just want to let you guys know that this is my new idea…Temperature is pretty much over, as the first of a series of "books", except for some closing up to do. Expect one or two more chapters in that book, then soon after, I'll start the next book. This story is completely different, taking place with a different Nessie and Jacob with different personalities. Thanks for the support with Temperature, I love you guys.