Summary: Nessie's reaction to learning about imprinting, five years after the end of BD. Major BD spoilers. One-shot. Jacob POV
Some random explanations: While Nessie was growing up, Jacob acted like your typical big brother, like Quil did with Claire. It has always been unspoken that they care for each other but that it's also deeper than that and this is the first time they ever really talked about it.
7 Score & 5 Years Later
I had been planning for some time to explain imprinting to her, after being granted permission by her overprotective parents first, of course. For five torturously long years, I had kept my promise to let Nessie decide for herself. The one condition that Bella and Edward had for letting me hang around so much was that I couldn't explain imprinting to her, allowing her to decide for herself. Stupid vampires and their idealistic views of free will. They could never understand the feelings we had for each other, no matter how deep their love with. This wasn't just love; it was a connection, those million steel cables that tied us together. I would never force Nessie to be with me, I just took it for granted that she would. I wasn't sure if there were ever an imprinted couple that was kept apart, but I certainly wasn't going to be part of the first. I had run with her far from Forks, getting us as lost as possible in the forests of Washington, or possibly Canada, I never really paid attention to border lines. I knew that her perfect memory could find our way home without hesitation. While I paced around nervously, she slid down a tree trunk to sit at its base, looking at me questioningly.
"Are you going to come right out and say it, or do I have to beat it out of you?" She was so confidant with herself, so headstrong, that I had to fight the urge to laugh out loud.
"I guess there would be no point to plead the fifth then, huh?" I muttered jokingly. She just glared before starting again.
"You're the one that practically dragged me out here, Jacob Black, and there had better be a good reason. I'm missing an afternoon of shopping with Alice." She was thoroughly disappointed, having not inherited Bella's adversity to spending long days traipsing through a mall. I took a deep breath, then launched straight into the explanation.
"I can't bite my tongue any longer, Nessie. There's something I need to tell you. You know that you are the best thing in my life, but it's more than that. This, uh, connection that we have, isn't just your average relationship. It's called imprinting and I don't really know how it works or why but I know that I'm supposed to be with you. Even before you were born, I was drawn to you, like some invisible force that has never let go. Wow, that sounds creepy. It's not just that I want to be with you, it's that I need you, with me, all the time. And I'm willing to do anything, I'd offer everything, I would give until there's nothing left. I don't expect you to understand all of this right away, just promise me that you'll think about it, ok?"
She surprised me by not once interrupting my entire spiel, keeping her eyes on mine and her hands to herself. I had no idea what she was thinking, and it was starting to worry me. I could only imagine how betrayed she must feel, to be lied to for so long. If our roles had been reversed, I would have been pissed. I winced at the thought of Nessie being mad at me, and she must have noticed. She calmly rose from the ground and strode gracefully to where I was standing, reaching up to put her hand on my cheek. Although she was now fully mature, I was still a good four inches taller. Images of a vaguely familiar meadow filled my mind, and I tried to pinpoint where I had seen it from. After years of running routes around Forks, you would think that I would remember a place as beautiful as this one. It was so peaceful, and I couldn't help but relax. That must have been her intention all along. I wondered how I could have ever thought she would be angry. Nessie never lost her cool, it was one of the innumerable things I loved about her. With a coy smile on her face, she settled into my arms, molding her slim frame perfectly against me, exactly where she was meant to be. Now the formalities were done, over with, and I could relax. Well, not quite yet.
"Does this mean I'm forgiven?" I whispered in her ear. Her shoulders shook with laughter and her head bobbed up and down a few times. I exhaled, not realizing that I had been holding my breath.
"My turn to talk?"
"Of course," I obliged, wondering what on earth she could have to say. Her hands moved to my shoulders, and she looked me in the eyes before speaking.
"I don't need an explanation to know how I feel about you, Jacob. I've always thought that I must have done something right, in a past life or something, to deserve you. I know that what we share isn't normal, by any stretch of the imagination, even for werewolves and human-vampire half-breeds." I had to smile at that one. "I guess, the first time I really thought about it was last year when Dad mentioned that it would be time to move soon. He asked me what we would do about you, but the answer was clear as day to me. I told him I'm taking you with me wherever we go, because I can't imagine existing without you. It would be like a lifelong crack addict suddenly checking into rehab."
"So you only hang out with me to get high?" I couldn't resist teasing.
"Up and up, higher every time," she joked back, not missing a beat.
"I am curious though," she bit her lip in hesitation, then launched into her question. "Why now? Why today, and not last month or next week?" I resisted the urge to snort, but still edited my answer.
"If I didn't do something soon, Paul was going to take matters into his own hands. A big, long, drawn out thing, completely unnecessary."
"What was the plan?" Damn her curiosity. If she really wanted the whole truth…
"Well, I would get your attention by faking my own suicide. I'm not sure if it's possible for wolves, but it wouldn't be real anyway. If all went as arranged, you would visit me on my supposed deathbed, confess your feelings, and we'd live happily every after."
"What is that, some kind of devastation and reform complex?" she wondered aloud, scoffing at Paul, just as I had. Before I realized he was serious.
"You only think you're kidding," I told her, eliciting from her a throaty chuckle. God, how I loved that sound.
"Either way, it sure took you long enough. What have you been doing for the past five years?" I stammered through a few incoherent syllables before she tightened her hold on me and pressed her lips to mine.
It's not like we had never kissed before. Seven times to be exact, but who's counting? The first few had been pecks on the cheek in reward for doing some favor or odd job, until I picked up the habit of kissing her forehead before saying good night. Those few stolen moments were hard to come by, especially with parents that had flawless hearing and mind reading capabilities. Edward never said anything about being uncomfortable with the relationship between me and Nessie, but he didn't have to. Bella had warmed up to the idea quite a bit after the initial shock wore off, but I still had to work to keep in her good graces.
I pulled her closer, if that was even possible at this point, and savored the feel of her touch. Her arms slid from around my neck up into my hair then down my back. Before I completely lost control, I pulled back and took a deep breath to attempt to clear my head. Not a good idea. The smell of her, like lilies with a hint of freesia, overwhelmed my senses for an instant, and in that moment I couldn't have told you my name or address.
"Are you sure this is what you want?" I managed to get out in a single breath, but she didn't even think before responding.
"Crayons can melt on us for all I care."
"Your dad could do a lot worse than hot wax."
"And I still wouldn't mind." God, how I loved that girl. And I would have told her, except that my lips were suddenly preoccupied, as were hers. Interesting how these things go together.
Aren't they just too cute? Even if you didn't like Breaking Dawn, which I know encompasses a lot of you, I think that SM did a fabulous job. It was exactly what everyone wasn't expecting and once the shock wore off I realized how completely ingenious it was. You don't have to agree with me, that's just my opinion.
For those of you who are Relient K fans, hopefully you noticed all of the song titles I worked so hard to fit in. Basically, it's every song from their latest album, Five Score and Seven Years Ago (sound familiar?) Love the CD, and this idea came to me a while ago that if you string the song titles together the right way they kind of make their own short story. So I wrote out this whole thing, and I've been debating whether or not to post it.
I want to challenge anyone who's up to it to try this for yourself. Pick any artist, any album, any genre, and see if you can write a one-shot that has all of the song titles in it. For me, I wanted them all to be in dialogue, but that's not necessarily a requirement. I don't want to call it a contest, because I have no idea how to pick a winner and I really just want to see what everyone else can come up with. Review or PM me when you post it, please.