I can't believe I wrote this so fast! Thank you for reviewing, and for reading! This is the last chapter. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.
"Shh…" he said, drawing me close. He kissed the top of my head as I shivered. He was uncharacteristically calm, his voice tinged with a small amount of worry. "Would you like to go now, Nessie?"
I nodded silently. Alice must have seen me crying at some point; as I sobbed into Jacob's shoulder, no silver marred his dark tux. Water-proof make up.
Although this was supposed to be the happiest day of my life, I was weeping. I didn't understand. Was I stressed? I never cried like this.
Jacob gathered me into his arms, and kissed my forehead. "Everything'll be okay, Nessie. Just calm down."
After that, I didn't know if I fell asleep, or blacked out.
{Dreams}
"Carefully now, Nessie. Watch your step," Jacob cautioned, helping me balance on the stepping stones. The stream gurgled softly below us. Holding my hand, he lifted me onto the next rock.
As we slowly made our way across the river, one slick stepping stone at a time, he was patient. We could have been crossing the brook for a century, and he still would have been patient. He was always that way; he always gave me what I needed.
Reaching the other side, he held his arms out for me. I jumped into them, eager to tell him something. I was only comfortable speaking when I was talking to him. Not wanting anyone else to hear, I whispered in his ear. "Thank you, Jakie." I wrapped my little arms around his neck.
And suddenly, I was visiting another fond memory of my Jacob.
I rode a russet-furred, gigantic wolf as easily as I could have ridden a horse. My fingers were entangled in his fur, and I was laughing, adrenaline and happiness rushing through my blood stream. My cheeks were flushed from the wind nipping at them.
Jacob was running hard. His tongue was lolling at the side of his mouth, but he wasn't tired. He could run forever. Sprinting, especially, was exhilarating.
I was older in this memory; I looked seven. Letting go of his fur, I threw up my hands and let out a hoot before he could growl at me. In this memory, we were both filled with pure bliss.
{End Dreams}
When I woke up, I discovered that I had, in fact, fallen asleep in Jacob's arms. Jasper was standing silently at the other end of the hallway, looking down at the people below him. He was obviously the one who had made me fall asleep. "Jazz," I muttered.
Jasper fled down the stairs before I could say another word.
"Finally. I thought you were dead or something," Jacob teased, his warm brown eyes showing his smile.
"Sure you did, Jake. Are you going to tell me how long I was really out?"
"Um… Three minutes?"
I stared at him. "Three minutes? Seriously, that was it?" Maybe dreams do only last four seconds, good or otherwise.
"Yep. Why? Is something about that bad?" he asked, uncharacteristically concerned again, the worried look in his eyes making my heart crack.
"No, Jake. Everything is perfectly fine; more than fine, now that I think of it. We're married!" I tackled him playfully, but in the back of my mind, I was thinking of those dreams. And how horribly I might kill my dress if I wasn't cautious.
He laughed, absolutely ecstatic that I was happy. "Now…" he said, looking me in the eye. "I really wanted some of –
Jacob's stomach cut him off, rumbling with such force that I was surprised it didn't knock him off his feet. I burst into a fit of giggles, reminding myself of a little kid. It was just too easy to be myself when I was with him.
"You wanted some of that cake, right?" I confirmed.
"You got it."
We headed down the staircase again, laughing at each other. A squeal erupted from one of the women on the ground floor. "Nessie!"
I looked away from my Jacob for two seconds, and was surrounded by Claire, Quill, and their two year old daughter, Becka. Claire was gushing compliments, and Quill patted Jacob roughly on the back. I bent down to talk to Becka, who was hiding her face in her mother's dress.
"Hi, Becka. How have you been, sweetie?" I prompted, patting her dark hair.
"Good," she said, her huge eyes the size of quarters.
I smiled at her before straightening. Jacob was exchanging information on vacation spots with Quill and Claire. "Are we going on a vacation so soon?" I asked Jacob when there was a pause in the flow of their conversation.
"Well, sorry Nessie, but I can't really tell you that." He grinned.
I was reduced to begging. "Please, Jacob? Tell me!" I said, a broken note filling my voice. I was using his love, and it made me feel horrible. I could practically feel his heart tearing so slowly, so cruelly.
"I promised your parents I wouldn't. Sorry." I heard the longing to tell me in his voice, but I couldn't bring myself to push the point.
"We'd better start heading home," Quill said. "I think they're getting tired." He tilted his head in Claire's direction, who had her toddler balanced on her hip. Becka's eyelids were fighting to stay open.
Claire confirmed his words when she leaned on him for support. They went warily to the door, fussing over their sleepy child. "It's so funny to see Quill in love," Jacob mused.
"Uh… Jake, hasn't he been in love for a long time?" I asked, thoroughly confused.
"He's in a different kind of love this time," Jacob said. "The fatherly kind."
"Right," I said, figuring it out.
"Hmm…" he mumbled. "Now I'm really in the mood for some cake."
"Fine, Jacob, we can go eat now."
And with that, he vigilantly led me through the crowd, greeting people as he went. He'd become a real gentleman over the years, I'd noticed. My father had seen it too, and he was proud of my Jacob, no matter how wolfy he might be.
I would be satisfied, loved, and in love for the rest of my long life. I'd always have something to laugh at. I would have a happy ending.
My Jacob would make sure of that.
Thank you for reading! Please review! Tell me what you thought of the story, please.
~AL