A/N: Okay, so I like this chapter. Let's see if y'all agree. A lot of people from HoM were shocked when it turned out Jake thought Nessie loved Seth, but I had been dropping hints all along. It'd all been planned out since the beginning, so now I think you'll get to see the extent of Jake's side of things. On everything.

Also, someone nominated Hands on Me for the Best Romance award at The Sparkle Awards. Voting hasn't started yet - I'll alert everyone with an extra chapter and note when it does - but please if you think HoM is worth the honor, take the time to go vote.

And yes, I know how lame I am for using the term 'Little Jake'. I don't care. I couldn't come up with anything else I liked more.

Disclaimer: I don't own Believer by Smash Mouth, just the sense to see how it fits here. Or Twilight. Or Jacob. *sniff* I do own the chapter title, though, which is completely unoriginal but that's all right I guess.

Dedication: To whoever nominated me for The Sparkle Awards. And to MoonstruckManda and Shorty6692 for their awesome reviews. It's the first time I've been called epic.

Little Jake

i'm in love
i'm a believer
i couldn't leave her if i tried

- smash mouth, believer

-

"Seth - what are you doing here?"

Yeah, Seth. What the fuck are you doing here?

Okay, so that wasn't exactly fair. Since he was kind of helping me save Nessie's life. Still, she didn't know that. There was no need for her to be so happy about him being here.

And there was definitely no need for her to jump into his arms like that.

And there was absolutely no need for him to hold her so tight, spin her around like that. There was no need for him to be fucking touching her at all.

I took my hand off Momma Vamp's table since I'm sure it was pretty expensive and I liked her a little and didn't want to break it. I forced myself to reel my jealousy in, telling myself it was only the over-protectiveness of the imprint.

But seriously, his hands didn't need to be on her waist. That was just too close. That wasn't a friend hug.

And it wasn't just jealousy either. That shit kinda hurt.

Seth, you got about three seconds to get your hands off my girl before you lose them.

He set her down then, which was good, since it wouldn't look too great if I maimed my beta. She turned back to me, all bright and smiley and my stomach hurt both ways. The good way and the bad one.

"Hey, man," Seth said, acting like he just wasn't all over my imprint. He knew the deal. He knew how it was. And why the fuck was he grinning so big? "Can I talk to you for a minute? I tried to get you but you had your phone off."

And then I looked. I really looked.

I'd seen that look before. In the mirror.

I had this really selfish moment where I experienced this huge surge of relief, followed quickly by anxiety. I did not need to be getting anywhere near this subject with Nessie around.

"Sure, sure," I told him quickly, turning back to Nessie. Panic was overwhelming jealousy and even hurt right now. Please God let Seth keep his mouth shut until I could get him alone. "I'll be back in a minute, all right, Nessie?"

"Yeah, sure," she said, but then she cocked her head and got this concerned look. "Is everything okay?"

"Everything's great," Seth interrupted and I really wanted to punch him in the gut. Shut up, Seth.

"It's just pack stuff," I told her, which wasn't a lie. I nodded Seth in the direction I wanted him to walk and he went ahead of me. Thank God. "It'll only be a second, and then we can go if you want to."

Nessie didn't seem to think any thing was up – thank my lucky stars for that piece of luck. I walked a good hundred yards past where I knew she wouldn't be able to hear just in case.

"Congrats, man," I said once I was sure we were out of half-vampire hearing range.

"H-how did you know?"

"It's all over your face," I told him, managing to smile a little. I knew how good it felt. "Who is she?"

"She's the most amazing thing ever!" He burst out. I controlled the little burst of defensiveness – Nessie was the best thing ever – because I knew how the imprint was. God, did I know. "She's eighteen and she lives on the Makah rez with her mom and step-dad. And she's not Native."

That threw me. The only imprint I'd ever heard of not being Native was . . . well, mine.

"That's really great, Seth . . . did it just happen today?"

"This morning," he said, still in his imprint-induced daze. "I – I almost freaked out and – but I didn't, and I asked her . . . out. And she said yes!"

"So no . . . complications?"

We all knew what that meant. Sam/Leah-like complications.

"I – I don't think so," he told me, shaking his head that way only Seth could. "But I'm not really sure. I can't even concentrate on anything but her. I . . . actually came to ask if I could have about a week off. To adjust to everything."

A week off, Seth? Now?

"Can we do four days?"

Seth looked like he remembered something. Way to catch up, man. "Oh yeah, Jake, four is fine. I completely forgot – I'm so sorry, I just – "

"Don't worry about it," I said, since I didn't want to be talking about that right now. The little pixie said this morning that she thought she was close to figuring something out. "I know how it is."

"I thought I did too!" Wow – I didn't do this much exclaiming and gesturing when I imprinted, did I? "I – I saw it through all of your thoughts so I thought I knew, but I had no idea. I want to marry her. I just met her this morning and I don't know her middle name and I want to marry her."

"Take it easy with all that, Seth," I warned him, trying to balance the tone between best friend and Alpha. "You might scare her. You have to take it slow. And you don't – want to tell her about everything straight away."

"I know, I know," he said, bobbing his head up and down but I wasn't sure that he did. I wasn't sure that he even heard me. "Do I have to ask first?"

Man, I didn't want to be that guy. The one who made rules and regulations for everything, but shit, this was important.

"No, but only if you're really sure, Seth," I told him seriously. He did the bob-nod again. "You have to remember your pack. I'm not going to command you, but I'm telling you now, as brothers, remember your pack."

"Yeah, yeah." Yeah, I don't think he heard me. "I will, Jake. Call me if you need anything and I'll probably run into you before then, but if not then I'll see you at the wedding. Tell Nessie I said bye."

He had already started jogging away from me when he stopped. He turned around to look at me as if he just realized something.

"How – how's that working out for you, Jake?" He asked me, and my stomach seriously plummeted. I did not want to have this conversation. "Is she - ?"

"No," I told him, cutting him off with a firm shake of my head. "It's not like that."

Seth reached back and rubbed the back of his neck while he looked like he was trying to think of something to say. I hoped he didn't try to hug me.

"But it is for you?"

I did not want to talk about this.

"Of course it is."

"Is it . . . really hard?"

"Yes."

"How do you do it?"

Oh yeah, that's right. My situation suddenly took on a new reality for Seth. A new, very possible reality.

"Wouldn't you?" I settled for an old rule number sixteen. "If you had no choice?"

I, of course, already knew the answer.

The little pixie about knocked me down as she came barreling towards as I walked into the house. I almost threw my arms out to catch her but then I remembered she was a full vampire, not half like Ness and had much better reflexes.

"The wedding," she breathed, and my heart stopped.

"What?"

"The wedding," she said again, just as helpfully as before. I listened for Nessie's heartbeat and located it somewhere upstairs. "She's studying with Carlisle, Jacob, she's fine. Listen – the wedding. That's when they'll send him, the tracker. You – you're going to have to run with her."

"There – that's the only option?"

I looked around to see Bella and Edward standing behind her, looking . . . I don't even have words to explain it. Alice screwed her eyes shut really tight and exhaled heavily for a second.

"Nothing else works. I keep changing my mind, taking into account all plans and it's the only thing that ever changes anything. It's the only thing that ever works."

"How can you tell?"

"She's blurry for me," Alice explained, stating the obvious. "Normally. And I can't see her at all when she's with you, which is most of the time. With any other plan – any other one – she flickers into sight and the tracker blurs out. Tell me why, Jacob?"

"They get her," Bella said then. Her voice was barely a whisper but it cut through the room. "We don't know how or where or what or when, but with any other plan they get her. It's the only way."

Edward took a step towards me. "Will – will you do it, Jacob?"

What the fuck kind of question was that? What did he expect me to say? No, actually, I'm busy that day. Can you find someone else? Like I was even going to contemplate anyone but me running with her

"Of course I'll do it," I almost-spat at him. "I am doing it. You couldn't stop me if you wanted to."

"Okay," Alice said, her gaze on us but not really on us. She was still trying to see things. "Yeah, that's good. Better. I still can't see, but in this case that's the best we can hope for. We'll start getting things ready."

You do that. Just tell me what I need to know and where I need to be and give me Nessie and we'll be just fine. Nothing will ever hurt her with me.

"So . . . how does this work?" I asked, remembering to keep my voice low on account of Nessie. "We just run and . . . and what?"

"We'll chase him," Edward told me, his arm around Bella like he was trying to warm her up. "Starting as soon as you leave. We don't know if he'll have others with him – Alice's visions are doing something weird. I think it's because Aro knows how to use them. He's really good at alluding too, but at the most we can throw him off your trail."

"So . . . so I'm running with her?"

"Yes." Bella again. "We trust you with her, Jacob."

You better. I only love her more than my own life. I only need her more than anything else.

"Thanks," I said instead, but I knew Edward would hear it anyway. Nessie's laughter rang down, loud and bright, from upstairs. "Are we going to tell her?"

"No," Edward said firmly, and his eyes flashed. I felt hostility start to build in me and saw him make and effort to calm back down. "No, Jacob, we're not telling her. She's too much like Bella – she won't make it any easier. She might try to pull something."

"Not if I ask her," I reasoned, but really I was glad. She was better off not knowing – I just hated lying to her. "She'll listen to me."

"Maybe so," Edward agreed. "But we're still not taking that chance. And you don't want to tell her either so it's settled."

Fuck. I hate it when he did that.

Edward smiled, just a little.

"We'll take care of everything," Bella said then, stepping forward as mediator. "Papers, money, the car, everything. We're gonna try and start gathering people too, when we can."

Hah. People. She called them people.

"But we'll . . . be gone a lot. Alice will be here, but she'll be preoccupied with Charlie's wedding and trying to see . . . anything. She doesn't see anything coming up, but still, stay with her, Jacob."

You don't have to tell me twice. Didn't have to tell me once really.

"He will."

Damn, I wouldn't miss that.

The little bastard smiled again.

"Fine," I said, shaking my head to try and get the annoyance out. There were too many thoughts there, spinning around. "Just – let me know what I need to know when I need to know it. Can I go get Nessie now? I thought she was off today?"

"She is," Edward said as the little pixie scampered off somewhere. "Carlisle's distracting her so we could talk to you."

Good.

I imagined for a second what it would be like to run with her, to have her with me twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week for an indefinite period of time. Even with psycho vamps chasing us, it sounded good.

I realized a second too late that I was still standing next to Edward and Bella.

"Jacob – "

"I know," I told him. "Don't even tell me because I know. And you know it's not like that and I'd never do anything she wasn't a thousand percent sure about. So don't even tell me."

Edward opened his mouth like he was going to say something else, but Bells put a hand on his arm and he closed it again.

"We know, Jacob," she said, giving me a small smile. It was strained, though.

"All right, well I'm going to get Ness now," I told them, already making my way up the stairs. "I'll make sure she has her phone."

I knocked lightly on the door of the study where I could here Doc and Nessie discussing something quietly and he called out for me to come in. I pushed the door open and stuck my head in and Nessie's eyes did this thing where they sort of lit up.

"Jake!" She said, like she hadn't just seen me ten minutes ago. "Are you ready?"

I nodded. I switched my gaze to the Doc while she was getting her stuff up and we shared a look that let me know he already knew what was coming. Of course they had filled him in already.

I noted that Nessie tucked her phone into her pocket and watched as she stacked some books up and put them back on the shelf a half-vamp speed. She kissed the Doc's cheek and then bounded over to me.

"Let's go," she said, smiling brightly and offering me her hand which I obviously took. I nodded bye to Carlisle just before Nessie tugged me out of the room. "Is everything okay with Seth?"

Shit, Nessie. Why do you care? Please let it be just because you're sweet and care about people. Please don't let it be anything else.

"Yeah, Ness. Seth is fine."

Okay, so here's the thing: imprinting on a kid fucks with you. I mean, don't get me wrong, I wouldn't change it for the world, but that doesn't change the fact that it does. I don't mean the imprinting phenomena in itself either, which is pretty awesome, but you just go through so many mental changes when you have to grow with the girl.

Especially when the girl shoots up into a full-grown sixteen year old in seven years.

Like, for instance, sex drive. Didn't have one for about six years. Didn't bother me. Probably the only guy in the world besides Quil who could say that, but that's how it was. Ness was a kid – I couldn't see her that way, and I definitely couldn't see anyone else that way so it was just nonexistent.

Now . . . not so much.

The first time . . . little Jake reappeared after his long absence, I, like a douche, didn't even realize at first. Nessie was sitting in my lap, which was normal at that time (I had to cut that out quick shortly after and you'll see why), and we were watching some stupid movie. I don't even remember what it was about.

Anyway, I had begun to notice Ness more and more in the past couple of weeks, but it was nothing like now. Just like, how her hair moved and how nice her laugh was. I mean, it had always been nice, but now it was nice, you know? But now she was sitting up against me, all leaned back on my chest and I was starting to notice other stuff too.

Like how good she felt against me. Good-good too, not sitting-with-your-sister-and-letting-her-lay-on-you-good either. I mean, Nessie was a girl now, not a kid, and she felt good against me like a girl did. All soft and warm and . . . and her hips pressed back into me felt really awesome.

Wait – hips? Yep, hips. How did I not notice them before? There they were, swelling out from her tiny waist and settled against me.

I knew I probably shouldn't have, but I wanted her closer, so I reached up and wrapped my arm around her waist, holding her against me. I know I should have known better, but I had honestly never experienced anything like that before. I mean, even with . . . with Bella I only kissed her twice and I hugged her a few times but nothing like this. She never sat in my lap. And she could never compare with Nessie.

Nessie didn't seem to mind, just kind of let her arms fall down over mine and snuggled back against me a little more. She was shorter than she is now, about like the little pixie, so her head rested against my shoulder.

Then something happened onscreen, I wasn't paying any attention at that point, and Nessie started cracking up. I felt a movement that shouldn't have really been there over my arm and my eyes flowed down, past her neck, down the slope of her shoulder and even further down.

Those were new too. And holy shit, they were moving.

"Oh my God, Jake," she'd said, still giggling. I still remember the exact words. "Did you see that?"

Then she wiggled in my lap, rubbing herself right up against me as she moved back to look at my face. Her eyes were gorgeous.

Then little Jake, uh . . . stuck his head up.

"Hop up, Ness," I'd said quickly, tapping her on the hip twice before I realized that wasn't really helping my situation. I needed to get up quick before it got any worse and she noticed. "I've gotta use the bathroom. Come on, Ness, hurry."

She rolled off of me and I barely noticed the annoyed look she shot me as I kinda bolted. Even once I was in the bathroom, it was like the monster had been unleashed. I couldn't reel my thoughts back in. Thank God we were at my house and Edward was nowhere around or I'd be dead.

I thought about kissing her. Really kissing her, not that forehead and cheek stuff we do now. I imagined how amazing it would feel to pull her up tight against me, how amazing she would feel, all small and soft and warm and kissing her. Gently at first, and then harder. I thought about hearing her sigh my name.

Little Jake liked that idea.

I imagined how sweet her lips would taste. They had to – every part of her was so perfect. Every part of her had always been so perfect but now it was a new kind of perfect that took perfection to a whole new level. I wanted to marry her.

Seriously, like now. I wanted to marry her. And she wasn't even full grown.

And little Jake was at full attention now. Hadn't felt that particular urge in awhile.

What the fuck was I gonna do?

No, not that. I was perverted, sure, but not that perverted. I wouldn't do that with Nessie in the house, so close. So close I could still smell her if I concentrated, could still hear her heartbeat – no. Bad Jake.

I took a cold-ass shower instead.

The first of many, I could already tell.

Coming up:

If she only knew how soon we would actually be running away, she probably wouldn't sound so eager. Didn't stop me from hoping she might.

"Come on, Nessie, it might not be so bad," I told her, even though I was sure it would be. "You're a girl, aren't you? Don't girls like that stuff?

Silence. Oh, shit. Did I say something?

"Whatever, Jake." Yeah, she was pissed. "I'll see you tonight then, I guess. Or tomorrow, it doesn't matter. Bye."

Ouch. That stung like hell.