A/N: Hullo! So I'm pretty sure we all know what's going on with the Mayan's right? Yeah, they're dead and their calendar stopped and that means we're all gonna die. Or not. Personally, I don't believe it, but I know people who do.

Anyway. I got this idea when I should have been sleeping and/or writing a multitude of other things. Hopefully y'all like it :) I've done the basic Armageddon research, but of course I'm no scientist. Physics math scares me as much as it fascinates me. So don't go all technical on me if I get some details wrong, k? K. It's rated T for language and some sexual references.

Thank you to WolfGirl1335, ReneeFF, and Nat_Gis for pre-reading. Love you girls!

Countdown to the End of the World

Jacob
Monday, December 3rd, 2012

My fingers thrummed against the counter top as I waited for the lady in the financial aid office to finish what she had to do and tell me I was fine to continue my classes. Each rapid thump from my fingertips seemed to echo in the almost hollow wood structure. I hated this. I hated waiting while my entire future hung on whatever she would say when she finally finished clicking the mouse and looked at me. I hadn't even done anything wrong. Both my performance and my attendance were impeccable. How could I, of all people, get a letter telling me something might be wrong with the only reason I was able to take classes in the first place? It wasn't like I could afford any of this on my own.

My stomach continued to tie itself into tighter knots, somehow expecting the lady with the graying hair and grandmotherly spectacles to tell me I was completely and utterly screwed.

I almost asked her if she'd found anything yet when she finally looked at me and smiled. "I don't see anything wrong, Mr. Black," she said with a shockingly sturdy voice. It was always that way. She looked old and frail, but her voice didn't match. "Your financial aid looks fine. In fact, you should receive your letter within the next few weeks."

I almost hugged her. Instead, I held out my hand and shook hers gently. "Thank you so much."

She smiled again and nodded. "You're welcome."

Goddammit, I hated dealing with the government. Such was life. It wasn't like I was in my third year, past the halfway point, and getting closer to the finish line or anything. Jesus.

I shook my head and walked out of the office. On my way out of the building, my eye caught on a girl I'd seen many times. She was sitting at the corner table by the window closest to the door. I'd seen her wandering around campus as well, carting her gigantic, army green messenger bag slung over her shoulder. Most of the time, she was sitting right where she was now, in the same position. It seemed any time I went in into the student building for whatever I needed, she'd be there.

She was pretty with her curly, copper hair and elegant features. I never saw the color of her eyes, because they were always downcast. She was either staring at the ground or her hands or the screen of her laptop if she was at her table. She was usually alone. A few times she had a small group of two or three other girls with her, but even with them she seemed aloof. Once or twice I thought about sitting next to her or striking up a conversation, but I always talked myself out of it. If she really wanted to talk to people, she'd mingle with the multitude of other students all around her.

I sighed to myself and walked on past her, pretending to ignore her the way she seemed to ignore the world outside her laptop, and left the building.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't dying to know who she was. It wasn't like I went into that place every day, but it still bugged me for some reason that I saw her almost every time I did. It wasn't normal for a person to appear in the same spot more than a few times. It was even less normal for them to be in the exact same position every time. She always sat with her feet on the second chair at the table, lounging back in her chair, one hand on the laptop with her finger on the track pad, and the other hand resting on the armrest. It just wasn't natural.

I went home and sighed as I put my stuff on the table. I'd put it away later. My roommate came in the room and groaned.

"Come on, Jacob; quit leaving your shit all over the place."

I glared at him and snatched up my bag. "Jesus, Emmett, can't I leave it there for two minutes?"

Emmett shook his head. "No, because two minutes to you is like two days to the rest of the world."

"Shut up." I grumbled and took my bag to my bed. Emmett had been my best friend for a long time, since junior high. We did a lot together, and I liked to think we were good for each other. I kept him smart and he kept me from becoming one of the scary sociopathic weirdos.

I unloaded my laptop and school books and went back to the table start studying for the test the next Friday.

"Rose is coming over with her sister in a few," Emmett said a while later. I grimaced but nodded. Rosalie Hale was a nice girl and all, but her sister was a royal pain in the ass. Not only was their family filthy rich, Jessica had to go and rub it in everyone's face. In the last two years I'd known her, I couldn't count how many times she told me how she didn't have to worry about financial aid.

I continued to ignore everything when the girls got there. It was hard to block out Jessica's whiney voice when she complained about how small our place was. I took a deep breath and re-read the problem I'd been working on for the past twenty minutes.

I managed to finish three of the problems before Emmett interrupted me again. "I'm ordering pizza, Jake; want some?"

I just nodded and turned the page.

"Why doesn't he ever say anything?" Jessica complained. I furrowed my brow and tried again to block her out. This was hard shit and I needed to concentrate.

Emmett chuckled. "He's in physics mode. Unless you want him to start spouting off Newton's law of gravity in complicated math terms, just leave him alone."

I smiled to myself and continued working. Two equations later, a plate with a slice of pizza fell on my book, right where I was reading. I looked up at Emmett with a scowl. "Excuse you."

He smirked. "You know you'd never eat if it weren't for me. So do it." He pointed to the pizza.

I sighed right as my stomach growled. Maybe he was right. "Yeah, well, you'd never pass a test if it weren't for me, so we're even."

"Isn't that kind of mean?" Jessica asked. Her voice was a permanent whine.

"It's probably true, though," Emmett said. "He keeps me smart, I keep him sane. It's how it works."

Rosalie cooed. "You two are like brothers. I think it's sweet."

There wasn't really any 'like' about it; as far as we were concerned, we were brothers.

Jessica sighed. "Anyway. What was I saying? Oh, right; that weird chick in my English class was at it again today. 'The world's going to explode in a fiery ball of death' and all that. God, she's annoying."

I didn't bother to look, but I could hear the confusion in Rosalie's voice. "Who?"

"Nessie Cullen. The girl with the rabid orange hair."

Her description caught my attention. I looked up and turned to see them all sitting on the couch, Rose on Emmett's lap. "The girl with the twenty-pound messenger bag? Pretty, about this tall?" I held my hand up at about how tall I thought the girl was. "Tiny?"

Jessica smiled a wicked smile. "So it can talk? Miracle of miracles."

Not anymore it won't. I huffed and turned back around. "Never mind."

"No, not never mind. That's the girl I was talking about. How could you think she's pretty? Have you got a crush on her?"

I rolled my eyes. "No."

"That what guys always say when they have a crush on a girl. Do you have a crush on me?"

If no meant yes, there was really only one answer to that. "Yes, a major one. Leave me alone."

Jessica laughed but didn't bug me anymore. I couldn't help but listen a little when Jessica kept talking about the girl. Nessie. Odd name. I had to wonder if Jessica was saying everything just for my benefit or if she really had to talk that much. I decided it was the latter. That girl lived to hear her own voice, and she'd never do anything just to make someone else happy. I didn't mind it so much this time. Because of her, I learned that Nessie was twenty years old, studying English and Literature to pass the time until everyone died, her parents had sent her out here to Seattle for school because they couldn't stand her preaching about the end of days, she has very few friends, she smells weird, and she doesn't brush her hair.

It seemed the more Jessica talked the more curious about Nessie I became. As I finished the last few problems in the book, I made a plan. If she was still there, which she would most likely be, I wouldn't let myself talk me out of sitting next to her.

Wednesday, December 5th, 2012

There she was. Sitting in her same spot in the same position. There was one big difference, though. Her hair, usually up in a messy bun with curly tendrils flying everywhere in a cute and even kinda sexy way, was down around her shoulders. It looked longer than I had first thought it would be. It flowed down the back of the chair with a few strands hanging in front of her.

As I stood in the middle of the room and stared at her, she sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. She still didn't look up. I noticed an empty chair at the table right next to hers where a group of guys were discussing something apparently funny. They were all snickering. I swallowed, took a deep breath for courage, and made my move.

I didn't bother to explain as I walked up and took the empty chair. If they were waiting for one more, they could find another chair somewhere. They all looked at me funny but didn't protest. I dragged it the few feet to the girl's table and sat down.

She still didn't look up. I put my bag down and licked my lips as I got my book out and set it on the table. I stared at her eyes, willing her to see me. Nothing.

I sighed in frustration and opened my book to the chapter I'd finished studying two days earlier. There really wasn't such a thing as too much studying, right?

Fifteen minutes of silence passed before I heard a delicate sound like someone clearing their throat but trying to be nice about it. I almost smirked to myself. It sounded like it came from the girl. I waited to see if she'd do it again. She did two minutes later.

I looked up to see her staring right at me. Her eyes were wide, light brown, and beautiful. She pursed her pink lips and raised a perfectly trimmed eyebrow.

"Can I help you?" she asked. Her voice was soft and elegant, just like her features.

I smiled, but suddenly I had no idea what to say. It seemed awkward to just jump right into the reason I was here in the first place. So instead of asking her why she sat here all alone all the time, I said, "No, I'm just studying. Big test this weekend."

She hummed. It was pretty. "Couldn't you study somewhere else? I kinda like my privacy."

"If it's privacy you want, wouldn't your house be better?" I didn't realize it sounded like I was telling her to leave until after I'd said it. I almost winced.

"That's none of your business. I'll sit where I want to sit."

I nodded. "Me too. I won't bug you if you let me study."

She sighed. "Whatever."

She turned her attention back to her computer, but she was anything but still and quiet. She was actually very distracting as she shifted every few seconds, sighed, tapped away at the keyboard, snorted once or twice, tapped her fingers on the table, and ran her fingers through her hair a few more times.

I gave up trying to make any more sense of the book and looked up at her. "What are you looking up?" I asked.

She looked at me with what I could only describe as a glare. "You said you wouldn't bug me."

"I said I wouldn't bug you if you let me study. I can't study with you being so noisy."

She scoffed in disbelief. "Noisy? How have I been noisy?"

"You keep fidgeting. It's very distracting." Not to mention it wasn't easy trying to ignore a beautiful girl no matter where I was.

"Oh, well excuse me for not being eerily quiet like you. You're not even studying. Nobody studies like that."

I raised an eyebrow. Did that mean she was paying attention to me? "Like what?"

She waved her hand at me. "Like that. You don't even have a notebook to write notes on. And physics? I mean, I'm no expert, but don't people usually talk to themselves when they're being all geeky?"

I laughed and shook my head. She was cute. "I've been known to, I guess. But I do the problems in my head, so I don't need a notebook."

She pursed her lips. "That's scary."

"Why?" I asked. I tilted my head to the side.

"Nobody should be able to do physics in their head. Nobody." She shuddered like that really bothered her. "Who are you, like the next Einstein?"

"No, I doubt that. I'm just Jacob." I held out my hand. "Jacob Black. What's your name?"

She stared at my hand for a second before she shook it. "Nessie Cullen."

"Nice to meet you, Nessie."

"You too, I guess."

I pulled my hand back and held it over my heart. "You guess? That hurts my feelings." I fake pouted.

She smiled, and it was beautiful. "I just meant I'm a little wary of human computers who do physics in their head and study like they're not studying."

"But I'm not a human computer. I'm just human. And I read this chapter the day before yesterday, so really I was just brushing up." I shrugged.

She narrowed her eyes at me. "Then why are you studying it again?"

"I told you, I have a big test this weekend." I tapped the book.

"What kind of test," she asked skeptically. "Normal people don't have tests on the weekend."

"Well, if you want to get technical, it's on Friday. But since Friday is the last day of the week, it's still part of the weekend. I plan to get an A."

She snorted. "You really are a geek."

"Proud of it, too."

She looked at me for a few minutes before she sighed again. It sounded a little whimsical. "I wouldn't have guessed. You don't look half as smart as you say you are."

I couldn't help but laugh. "Gee, thanks."

"No, I didn't mean it like that. When I think of geeks, I think of plaid shirts and suspenders and thick, black-rimmed glasses taped in the middle. I don't think of . . ." she gestured to me with one hand. "That."

I raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, 'that'?"

She gave me a look. "You. Geeks don't usually work out."

I realized what she was saying and smiled widely. She blushed. "Well, my best friend was a wrestler in high school but he couldn't do anything by himself, so I'd go work out with him in between studying. We both reaped the benefits." I flexed an arm just to prove the point. Her cheeks got a little redder.

"That's nice of you. Does he study with you, or does that just go one way?"

I frowned. "No, it doesn't go one way. He used to study with me back before I got into chemistry and physics. Now he makes sure I eat and don't commit social suicide by wearing plaid shirts and suspenders."

She snorted. "I hate to tell you this, Jacob, but sitting here talking to me is committing social suicide."

"No, it's not." I shook my head.

"You'll see. There's a reason I sit here alone, and that's because nobody wants to sit with me. I mean, I have friends, but they're all in class right now."

I leaned forward on the table, resting my forearms on my open book. "I just can't believe that. I think they're all just afraid to talk to a pretty girl like you."

Her eyes widened a little bit and her cheeks got red again. She licked her lips and looked down at the table. "So, what? You're saying you're braver than the rest of them?"

I shrugged. "Maybe. Or maybe I know how little status actually matters and just wanted to talk to you."

She quirked her lips. "I thought you just needed a place to study."

"Yeah, about that . . . I kinda did maybe, but I also kinda lied."

She laughed quietly, a soft sound that made me happy to hear it. "I figured."

"You're not going to throw a fit and demand that I leave?"

She shrugged. "Why should I? Besides, it's kinda nice to talk to someone of the opposite sex every now and then."

I felt my cheeks flame. She said sex. Goddammit, I felt like a teenager. I cleared my throat. "Yeah, I know what you mean."

She looked at me. "You can't tell me girls don't fall over you."

"Sure I can. If guys don't trip over their tongues following you, then why is it such a surprise that I'm a loner too?"

"Because I'm not pretty, no matter what you say. And I scare people away."

I remembered what Jessica had said about Nessie and doomsday. I snorted. "Me too. I guess girls are afraid of science."

She laughed. "Girls are afraid of heavy science talk and advanced math equations. Not to mention guys who do physics in their head. Me, I just repel people. A few guys have asked me out here and there, but then they realize I'm a little crazy and run in the opposite direction."

I hummed. "A little crazy can be fun, though."

She snorted. "Don't you go turning what I say into innuendos."

I blushed again. "Wouldn't dream of it."

She closed her laptop and sat up, putting it on the table before she reached under the table to get her bag. "It's time for my English class. I'll see you later maybe." She smiled and shoved the laptop in her bag before she stood up and slung it over her shoulders. I watched with admiration as she gathered up massive amounts of curls and pulled them out from under the strap.

"Yeah, see you."

"Hey, good luck on your test."

I smiled. "Thanks."

She waved and walked away, the bag hitting the backs of her legs as they moved. I took a deep breath and smiled when I caught what I assumed was her scent. It was a little strange. Maybe tangy. Soft undertones. But it wasn't bad. I wondered what it was. Maybe a lotion or a perfume. I kinda liked it.

Monday, December 10th, 2012

I scowled at a couple in the library making out two tables away from me. I wasn't at home for the exact same reason. Emmett had Rosalie over, and I was pretty sure they weren't going to stop at just making out regardless of whether or not I was there. At least this couple couldn't start undressing without getting arrested.

I tried to ignore them and continue studying. With the physics test out of the way, it was time to start worrying about biochem.

"Well, well," a familiar voice said. I looked up to see Nessie standing next to my table. "Are you stalking me?" she asked, narrowing her eyes. She was dressed in a pleated skirt and a t-shirt that seemed a little tight—not that I was complaining—and her hair was pulled up in the bun she usually wore.

I swallowed. "I don't think so. Besides, I was here first."

She smiled and sat down across from me. "You don't mind if I sit here, do you? Not that you asked me last time, but still."

"No, of course I don't mind."

She dug out her laptop and set it on the table. "Good." She opened it up and started tapping away. "By the way, how did your test go?"

I smiled, happy that she remembered that detail. "It was the hardest thing I think I've ever done, but I'm pretty sure I nailed it."

"What class are you even in? I thought you were a genius."

I smirked. "I'm no genius. I'm in biochem and physics."

She scoffed. "You can't do physics in your head if you're not a genius, Jacob. I hate to break it to you, but it's true."

I laughed. "Well, I guess I am a genius then. How're your classes going?"

She sighed and clicked on the computer for a second. "They're going okay. I'm sad I won't be able to get very far, though."

My brow furrowed. "Why not? Problems with financial aid?" I remembered too late that Jessica said her family was also filthy rich. Her grandfather was the plastic surgeon who had worked on Jessica's chest. Poor guy.

"No, not that. It's just that there won't be any classes to take after the twenty-first. Y'know, the Mayans and all that?"

I scrunched my nose. "You really believe all that?"

Her eyes widened. "Oh, yes." She nodded fervently, causing her bun to shake and the loose tendrils to dance. It was cute. "There's so much evidence to support it. And the Mayans aren't the only ones who say that. I mean, there are the I-Ching prophecies, and even the Bible!"

She was really into this. I made sure I didn't laugh. Instead, I just nodded slowly. "Yeah, I see your point. But I still don't see how any of that is physical proof. Do you know how many times the world has been doomed to end? Over a hundred and fifty times. And yet here we are, still talking about it."

She narrowed her eyes. "How do I know that's true?"

"What, that we're still here?"

"No," she giggled. "That the number you just told me is right."

"Do a little research," I said, waving my hand at her laptop. "You'll see."

She looked at me for a minute. I just stared back, daring her to do the research and realize our little planet was going to keep on kicking for several thousand more years.

"You know," she said a few moments later, "It's not just the prophecies. There's evidence worldwide that something big is going down. I mean, all the earthquakes, the terrible storms, animals dying by the thousands. I don't think the world's going to end just because some ancient calendar stopped. I think it will because of everything that is going on. Besides, isn't it a group of physicists who say the world's due for a major catastrophe?"

I nodded. "Yeah, it is, but don't you consider all those things you just said a catastrophe? The world doesn't need to blow up to be considered a major one."

She sighed. "See? This is why I don't talk to people. You will never believe me until it's too late and we're all dead." She shut her laptop and started to put it away.

"Hey," I said, reaching out to her. "Wait a second. I didn't say you were crazy. You're not the only person in the world who thinks the Mayans were right. All I'm saying is that I have a different point of view. So what if there really will be an apocalypse? It's not like we can do anything about it now. We've got eleven days to save the world? No. If we die, we die. But we won't."

She sat back down and stared at the closed lid of her computer for a second. "It scares me, Jacob. I mean, it really scares me. I don't want to die."

I reached out and took her hand. "Look at me." She peeked up at me through her lashes. "If you're right, and all this is going to go to shit, don't you think the best thing you can do is live the rest of your time and try to be happy? Not mope around and be scared?"

The corners of her lips turned up in a small smile. "Yeah, I guess." She squeezed my fingers. "But what do I even do? The rest of the world is acting like nothing's wrong; I feel weird when I think about doing all those things I've always wanted to do like set fire to a grocery store or drive a really expensive car."

I snorted. "Why would you want to set fire to a grocery store?"

She smiled sheepishly. "Because I like fire. Nobody would be inside, of course. And it would be controlled. Really I just want to hear all the popcorn on the snack isle start popping all at once."

I laughed. "That would be fun. Why don't you spend time with your friends instead? Go out to movies and get makeovers and do other girly stuff?"

"I don't like girly stuff. Not a lot of it, anyway. Makeovers are overrated. I would go out to movies, but none of my friends want to see the movies I want to watch." She sighed dejectedly.

"What kind of movies do you like?"

"Suspense. Scary stuff, but not the gory scary. Not the hack-n-slash; the good, old-fashioned scary story that makes the hair on the back of your neck stand on end."

"Nice. I've got a few of those. Maybe you could come over sometime and we could watch one together?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Are you asking me out?"

I sat back, a little surprised. "Um . . ." Was I? "I don't know. I don't think so. Maybe."

She laughed and shook her head slightly. "I'll take that as a 'no, not right now.' I'd like to come watch a movie with you, though."

I nodded. "Sounds great. I'm booked this week with classes, but maybe next weekend?"

"Yeah, that'll be perfect."

I gave her my address and told her to show up whenever on Saturday. She smiled brightly before she opened her laptop again, and I went back to studying biochem.

Saturday, December 15th, 2012

I spent all Friday night straightening up the small apartment to make sure it was clean enough for Nessie to come over. Emmett kept making jokes about me getting laid, but I ignored him. Saturday morning, he left to visit his parents while I agonized over every little detail until there was a knock on the door.

My heart rate spiked. I took a deep breath to calm down. It wasn't like she was coming over for a date. We weren't going to make out on the couch or anything. Although I really wouldn't mind that. She did have pretty, pink lips. And she was hot.

I shook my head. Hot or not, she wasn't here for me to seduce. I opened the door and smiled when I saw her standing there. Her hair was left in little spiral curls down her back. A few smaller tendrils fell in her face over her forehead.

"Hi," she said with an awkward wave. "I'm glad I found the right place. Can I come in, or are you just going to keep staring at me?"

I blinked a few times before I pulled back and let her in. "Yeah, I guess you can come in. It probably wouldn't be very effective trying to watch a movie from there."

She smiled. "No, probably not."

I helped her out of her jacket and hung in it in the small closet. "So how are you today?"

"I'm good. You?"

"Decent. Did you decide what you wanted to watch?"

She hummed. "Not really. I think maybe a good, suspenseful vampire movie."

I nodded. "All right. Let's see what we've got."

I took her to a bookshelf Emmett and I had put all our movies on. After looking over the selection, we decided on Let the Right One In. Once that was set up, we picked out some snacks and drinks and sat down on the couch to watch the show. I'd seen it before, but it was still pretty good. When it was over, we both made a few comments about the leading actors, then she leaned into my side.

I put my arm around her and couldn't help but lean in and sniff her hair. That scent was there again. A little tangy with a delicate undertone that I was beginning to think was actually pretty pleasant. "You smell good," I heard myself say.

She looked up at me. "You think so? Thank you." She smiled softly.

"What is it? I don't think I've ever smelled that before." I took another whiff. It was almost citrusy but not.

She smiled again. "Have you heard of Essential Oils?"

"I think so. Is it a fragrance?"

"Sort of. You can get all kinds of different oils. It's not like perfume where it's mixed with alcohol and you just have a few drops of the actual oil; it's the pure oil. My grandmother mixes them together to make her own stuff; this one is bergamot and lavender lotion she made for me."

"It's nice."

I took one last sniff and ended up having to pull strands of her hair out of my face. It was wild and everywhere. She sat up a little to gather it all up and pull it to her other side.

"I'm sorry, my hair is awful."

I shook my head. "I don't think so. I think it's pretty."

She looked at me skeptically. "No you don't. Nobody thinks that."

I reached up and tugged lightly on a stray curl. "I do. It's pretty."

She smiled again. "Well then thank you. I do my best to take care of it. It's such a mess, though. I've thought about shaving it, but then I don't want to have to deal with the afro I know I'll have when it starts to grow back."

I chuckled. "All the more reason to leave it long."

"Yeah, I guess." She snuggled into my side a little more. "So tell me about you, Jake," she said.

I shrugged. "What do you want to know?"

She sucked in a deep breath. "I don't know. Just whatever you want to share."

I thought about that for a second. There really wasn't much about me that was all that exciting. "I grew up with my dad and sisters in Seattle. My mom died when I was young. My sisters are both married and have families of their own. I graduated high school with honors and moved right on to college. I still don't really know what I want to do."

"Did you get a scholarship? It seems like you should have." Her fingers were playing with my hand as she spoke, just playing with my fingers and lightly running her nails over my skin. It felt nice.

"No. I almost did after my first year. But then my dad started having health problems and I really struggled through my second year. My grades weren't good enough for a scholarship, then he died and I took a month off."

She twisted around so she could see me better. "I'm really sorry to hear that, Jake. Really, I am." She squeezed my fingers lightly.

I gave her a small smile. "Thanks. So that's pretty much my life. This year I'm determined to ace all of my classes and make my dad proud."

"I'm sure he is whether you get straight A's or not."

I hugged her lightly. "Now you gotta tell me about you."

She sighed dramatically. "Oh, Jacob, you don't want to know about me and my petty little life."

I poked her side. "I told you, now it's your turn. You're not backing out."

She laughed. "Okay, okay. I also grew up in Seattle with my parents and my grandparents. My grandpa's a surgeon and my grandma's a freelance architect."

"Who likes to dabble in perfume," I added for her.

She smirked. "Nope, that's my grandma on my mom's side. The architect is my grandma on my dad's side. My dad's dad is the surgeon and my mom's dad is a cop. My mom works with my architect grandma and my dad's a teacher. My mom was really sad when I moved out to go to college, but I didn't want to live off them, y'know? I wanted to have the experience of being on my own and dealing with my own choices. So that's why I'm living on campus. I tried to get my mom to keep all my bank stuff at home, but she wasn't having any of that. I don't like to flaunt the money, though, so I try to live within the means of my neighbors. I don't want anyone to hate me just because I have money."

I immediately thought of Jessica and Rosalie and how they did like to show how well-off they were. Rose wasn't obnoxious about it the way Jessica was. I liked that Ness wasn't like that. "I bet if you did, though, you'd have a lot more friends."

She shrugged. "Maybe, but what would be the point of that? They'd only like me for my money anyway, and I'd probably still drive them away eventually."

"You could lay off the Armageddon talk; that would help, too."

She snorted. "Yeah, but I'm not going to. People should know and get prepared. I mean, I don't want to be preachy. I don't stand on the corner with a big 'THE END IS NEAR' sign around my neck. But I do tell people about it when it comes up in conversation."

"You really do believe the planet's going to explode on the twenty-first, don't you? You've got a lot of theories about how and why it's going to happen?"

She pulled back and glared at me. "You make it sound like I made it all up by myself. And they're not theories, really, they're signs."

I nodded slowly. "Signs. Okay; what have you got?"

"Well, first of all, all the weather anomalies going on. Europe had one of its coldest winters ever, the US is going through one of its worst droughts, and the last tornado season was one of the worst ever recorded."

I quirked my lips. "Yeah, all that's true, but I just don't see how they're signs of certain doom. It sounds to me more like a harsh winter, a bad tornado season and a drought. None of it is the worst ever seen; it's just the worst in a number of years."

"Are you going to explain away all of my signs?"

"If I can, sure."

She grumbled a little. "All right. How can you explain all the fish and birds and other animals that have just died by the hundreds or thousands? I mean, if that's not a sign of the apocalypse, I don't know what is."

I nodded. "It is a mystery. Although there are several theories about the birds. You know what else is a mystery? Fish raining from the sky."

She gave me a look that said she was clearly not impressed. "I don't like to be made fun of, Jacob."

"No, no. I'm not making fun of you. There have been several cases of fish actually falling from the sky. Frogs and snakes, too, in other instances. Sometimes there have been animal parts rather than full animals. There are a bunch of speculations running around, but there's no hard proof to explain it. One of the first I ever read about happened in the year 1555."

She sighed. "That is weird. I read about a swarm of spiders invading India, too."

"A new species, from what I read. It sounded pretty fascinating overall."

She looked almost alarmed. "Fascinating? Two people died."

I must've missed that part. "Yeah, that is sad."

She sighed. "What about the mysterious cosmic waves that have got scientists baffled? Or have you figured those out?"

"No, those are still puzzling. But so were radiation and micro waves when they were first discovered. That's the beauty of science, Ness. There's still a whole shitload of stuff we don't know about our planet."

She rolled her eyes. "Okay, Mr. Science Expert, explain the massive solar storms that have been going on? Are they not destroying satellites and wreaking havoc?"

I snorted. "No, they're not. Every eleven years, the sun goes through a sunspot cycle, which are the storms and the flares you're talking about. Yeah, this cycle is a lot stronger than the last one, but it's not the strongest on record, either."

Her jaw clenched. "The atom smasher?"

"It is physically impossible to create a black hole. Even if, for argument's sake, it were possible, the black hole created would be microscopic and would evaporate within milliseconds. I don't think that's long enough to destroy the planet."

"You have an answer for everything, don't you?"

I shrugged. "You're talking to a science major, Ness, bringing up scientific stuff that I've studied a lot about. I don't have an answer to everything, but I will dispute what I can."

Her eyes widened. "The Yellowstone volcano!"

I nodded. "It's the biggest volcano in the world, I'll give you that. And if it erupts, we're all barbecue. And a few geologists have said it's overdue. But, we have already learned several times over that the earth doesn't always stay on its own schedule. So it could just keep on building for another few thousand years or so."

"Ugh, you are impossible!"

"You know what I'm going to do, Nessie," I said, halfway annoyed.

"What's that?" It sounded like a challenge.

I met the dare in her voice. "I'm going to take you out on a date on Saturday. The twenty-second."

Her eyes widened. "Why?"

I threw my hands up. "Because I want to!" I almost shouted. Somehow I managed to keep a little bit of control. "Because we're not going to be dead and everything will be fine, and I just want to. So just say yes. You'll come to dinner with me next Saturday. I'll even take you to a nice-ish restaurant."

She smiled. I liked that my lack of funds didn't bother her even though she had pretty much unlimited. "Yes, I'll go out with you. I really wish you'd take me before the world ends."

I groaned. If I wasn't being so stubborn, I might have agreed to take her out before the twenty-second. But I was stubborn, and so was she, and I just wanted to prove to her that life would go on. It was only a week away. I could be patient until then.

Thursday, December 20th, 2012

"Nessie's coming over tonight," I told Emmett as soon as I walked in the door. He was sitting on the couch with Rosalie on his lap. "So do whatever you want, but she's staying the night."

Emmett whistled and I heard the distinct sound of Rose's hand slapping the back of his head. "That's rude, Emmett," she chided.

He snorted. "I'm sorry, babe." His tone made it clear he wasn't. "Mind if I crash at your place tonight?"

"I don't mind. I don't have anything going on tomorrow, so maybe you can stay until your evening class?"

I smirked to myself. Like she really thought he'd say no to that. Just as I'd thought, he agreed happily. They started getting ready a few minutes later and headed out.

I got my books out and did what little studying I needed to do for the day then I cleaned up the place as best as I could. I put all of Emmett's things on his bed. He talked about me leaving crap everywhere, but I wasn't the one with dirty socks stuck in between the couch cushions.

As I cleaned, I thought about my conversation with Nessie earlier that day. She was scared about the next day. The supposed last day of the planet Earth. It didn't matter how many arguments I came up with to prove all those doomsday theories wrong, she still kept on believing them. I supposed the only way to really prove it to her was to just shut up and let her realize it on her own when all the clocks were still ticking at the end of the week.

I didn't like seeing her so worried, though. She really wanted to spend the night with her family, but her parents were out of town and wouldn't be home until the next day. She'd made plans to go see them at noon and spend what she considered her last day with them. I invited her over mainly because I didn't want her to be alone and so scared. If I couldn't convince her everything was fine, then I could at least comfort her. She'd seemed nervous at first but then accepted happily.

Nessie showed up at half past six. I heard her timid knock on the door and took a moment to breathe to calm my irrational euphoria just from knowing she was there. When she came in, she pressed herself against me and wrapped her arms around my waist. Her hair was up in the bun again, and it brushed across my jaw as she shook her head against my chest. I hugged her lightly and gently rubbed her back.

"Hey, what's wrong?" I asked.

She took a deep breath and looked up at me. "You know what's wrong."

Oh. Right. I rubbed her back again and bent to kiss the top of her head. "Calm down, Ness. You're okay."

She took a few more breaths before she pulled back and nodded. "Yeah, I guess so. For now at least."

I reached out to touch her cheek. "Well, you're here. What would you like to do? Are you hungry?"

"No, not really. Can we watch a movie?"

"Sure. What do you want to watch?"

She wanted something funny, so I held up one of the best comedies I owned. I'd seen it a million times and still thought it was hilarious. She agreed.

"Oh, hey, that reminds me." I said excitedly. "I have something for you. Come with me." I tugged her hand and went into the kitchen area.

"What is it?" she asked with curious anticipation.

I reached into the cupboard and pulled out five boxes of popcorn. "Ta-da!"

She raised an eyebrow. "Wow. That's a lot of popcorn."

I smiled. "Yep. And we're going to pop it all tonight. I know it's not a whole aisle-full, but it's close enough."

Her smile grew wider. "Oh my gosh, Jacob, that's so sweet. We're not going to set them on fire, are we?"

I snorted. "No. We might be crazy, but we're not dumb. We're going to empty them all into a few pans and pop them on the stove."

She helped me open each of the boxes and each of the packages inside the boxes. I knew there was no way in hell we would eat all that popcorn, but the smile on her face made it all worth it. I set out all the pans Emmett and I had on the small stove and Nessie helped me get them all set up. The butter and oil already inside the package didn't seem like enough to soak the kernels, so we added a bit more to each pan.

"Okay, now I'll turn them on but we're going to stand back because when they start popping the oil's going to splatter everywhere."

She nodded and gave me a huge grin. It was pretty boring for the first few minutes. I could tell Ness wasn't overjoyed with the progress. I put my arm around her shoulders.

"What's taking it so long?" she asked.

I looked down at her. "Do you want the scientific answer or the boring one?"

"The boring one, please."

"The insides aren't hot enough yet. All the starch inside has to melt and the water has to boil before it can break the hard shell."

"That was the boring answer?"

I chuckled. "Yes. I can give you equations and theories and probabilities if you want."

She shook her head. "No thank you."

A minute later, the popcorn had started popping in earnest. Some kernels were flying out of the pan while others stayed inside. The sound was loud and it had both of us laughing as it continued to spread popcorn around the kitchen area.

"Who's going to clean this up?" she asked.

"You are, of course."

She gave me a look. "Not by myself, I'm not."

I squeezed her shoulders. "No, I'll do it tomorrow."

After all the popcorn had popped itself out, we put some in a bowl to take to the couch while we watched our movie. It turned out pretty good.

"Why don't some of the kernels pop?" she asked. "The boring answer."

I smirked. "Because the shell is broken or damaged, so the pressure can't build enough to pop. It just kinda leaks out."

She nodded. "Oh. That makes sense."

We both laughed all the way through just because we knew which hilarious scenes were coming up. When it was over, we were both yawning.

"Are you tired?" I asked. It was probably a dumb question.

Nessie leaned into my arm and nodded. "Yes."

"Ready for bed?"

She seemed to hesitate for a moment on her answer. A few seconds later she nodded. "Yes, I think so." She sat up. "Where should I get changed?"

"Probably in the bathroom would be best." I pointed toward it. "It's over there."

"Okay. I'll grab my stuff and be out in a minute."

She got up and took her bag with her then shut the bathroom door behind her. While she was in there, I changed into some jersey shorts and a white t-shirt. Ness emerged ten minutes later in a knee-length, light purple silk nightgown with short sleeves and her hair down. She was really sexy. I cleared my throat.

"You look nice," I commented.

She blushed and looked down at her bare feet. "Thanks."

I laid down on the bed and held my arm out in an invitation for her to join me. She shifted her weight a few times before she put her bag in the corner and slowly got in beside me. I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and kissed her head.

"Are you okay?"

She took a deep breath and nodded. "Yeah. Just nervous, I guess."

I nodded. "That's okay. You can trust me, Ness."

She laughed tensely and inched a little closer. "It's not that. I do trust you." She stretched an arm across my chest and began to relax a little. Her hair was already going everywhere. I brushed it out of my face and smoothed it down. Her body tightened up again as she looked up at me. I could see hesitancy in her eyes. "Jake?"

I hummed. "What is it, Ness?"

She drew in a shuddering breath. "I . . . um . . ." She looked down at her hand on my shirt and her fingers began picking at the fabric. "I don't want to die a virgin."

Whatever I thought she might want to say, it wasn't that. I was a little shocked that she even was a virgin, but even more startling was the fact that she wanted to give it to me simply because she thought she was going to die tomorrow. I wouldn't lie and say I wasn't tempted. I was really tempted. How easy it would be to use her fear to my advantage. I could have her undressed and spread before me in a matter of seconds.

But I felt dirty even thinking about that. Nobody was going to die, and there was a damn good chance she'd regret every single moment of it when she realized that. I didn't want to lose her friendship, and I was being serious when I told her I was taking her out on a date on the twenty-second. I rubbed her arm and put my other hand over hers on my chest.

"Nessie . . ." I wasn't sure how to tell her that wasn't going to happen tonight.

She sat up quickly, pulling out of my arms. "I'm sorry. Oh, God, I'm so sorry. I just . . . I thought maybe you might want . . . Ugh!" She stood up and bent over to pick up her shoes.

I sat up and reached out to grab her arm. "Nessie, listen to me. I do want to. But I can't."

She looked at me with tears in her eyes. "Why can't you?"

I sighed and got off the bed. "I know you're scared about this whole end of the world thing, but I truly don't believe anything is ending tomorrow." I rubbed her arms gently. "Giving up your virginity isn't something you should do just because you're scared. Stay with me. Please."

She sniffled and closed her eyes. "But what if it does? What if I do die tomorrow?"

I shrugged. "Then you won't care anymore whether you're a virgin or not."

She looked at me skeptically for a moment before the corners of her lips twitched up. "You do have a point."

"So stay with me, okay? Trust me." I sat on the edge of the bed and pulled her up between my knees. "We can talk about that later after the world's fate isn't hanging by a thread."

She dropped her shoes and nodded. "Okay, but you just remember what you said. After this, there'll just be another apocalyptic prophecy."

"And another one after that, and another one after that. Yeah, eventually the world will end. Not even planets last forever. But it's probably not going anywhere in the next five hundred thousand years. I'm pretty sure we won't be around for that."

I felt her hands in my hair as she stood in front of me and looked into my eyes. She had calmed down quite a bit, and I was happy to see it. She leaned down and pressed her lips to mine for a quick second. "Thank you, Jake."

I squeezed her hips. "No need to thank me. Come on; let's go to bed."

I pushed myself back and laid down again. She crawled up, less nervous than she had been earlier, and fitted herself against me.

"Goodnight, Jake."

I kissed her forehead. "Goodnight, Ness."

A/N: Thanks so much for reading! Drop a review and let me know what you thought of it.

As long as inspiration goes my way, I will be posting a second part to this sometime later. I'm thinking about waiting until December 22nd to post it. We'll see. It'll be in Ness' POV, but won't be all the stuff you just read :)