Holy fuck is this actually an update? After what, a month? God I am so sorry guys! I stayed up super late to finish this chapter, which has just been sitting in my laptop, half finished, since I last updated. I know, I know. I suck. I would totally love it if I still had anybody out there reading this! If you are still reading, please review so I know people are still interested! My term is over in a week, so by like the 18th of April (when my exams are over) I will be able to concentrate on updating more frequently! That is, if I get any reviews saying there really is a point in still writing... You guys all rock! Thanks for the reviews on the last chapter! I hope you enjoy!


Chapter Seven: The Surprise

So get out, get out, get out of my head,
and fall into my arms instead.
I don't, I don't, don't know what it is,
but I need that one thing,
yeah, you've got that one thing.


I wasn't sure what it was that Jacob had in store for me tonight, but I was perfectly happy with letting him take charge. I just snuggled back into the comfy seat of his Volkswagen and listened to his deep baritone as he talked about nothing. I closed my eyes, Jacob seemed satisfied with the mumbled agreements I offered every time he paused long enough. This must be what peace feels like. I thought as Jacob's voice whirled through my head. I hadn't been this content since before Wilder had disappeared. It seemed like my worries, anxieties, my anger from the morning had all faded away once I had folded myself into his car. I don't know exactly what it was about Jacob that made me this blissful, but I was determined to keep it like this for as long as possible. As long as Jacob wanted me around. God, I hope he wants me around forever.

"What time do you have to be home?" Jacob asked as his car trundled along the road that would eventually take us into the heart of the Quileute reserve. I opened my eyes and rolled my head in his direction, our eyes meeting for a split second before he reverted them back to the road. The weird swooping feeling came back, and I squirmed a little as it faded away again.

"My curfew is usually ten thirty." I replied, my eyes trailing over his long, dark, muscular arm to his hand that was gripping the steering wheel. "What are we going to do tonight, anyway?"

Jacob grinned without looking at me. "It's a surprise."

"That's what people say when they don't know what they're going to do, and they're just making it up as they go along." Jacob glanced at me with an eyebrow raised.

"You think so?"

"I know so, actually."

Jacob laughed his loud, barking laugh and shook his head. "You just know everything, don't you, smart-ass?"

I grinned and closed my eyes again. "You're right, you're right." He chuckled and I could tell he was shaking his head at me. I felt like I had known Jacob for my whole life, and just a few days ago I had been certain he was stalking me, or that he was at least a drug-dealer. Weird how your feelings for someone can just change in an instant. I mused as Jacob turned the stereo up louder. I had no idea what station he was playing, but a Mayday Parade song was now belting out of the speakers. It reminded me of happier times, back when I had been into mellow music and staying out much later than my parents deemed acceptable.

We had been driving for probably twenty minutes when I suddenly remembered what Isabella had wanted me to tell Jacob. "Hey, I forgot to tell you," I started out, looking over at him. "Isabella told me to tell you that she's sorry, and something about how you know how she feels now." I shook my head. "She's a whack-job in my opinion. What is it about her that everybody loves anyway?" Jacob looked pained at this comment, so I shut my mouth. It was just a question.

"Thanks," he answered after a minute of silence. "For telling me, I mean. Bella and I were really good friends for a while, but we're not really..." He searched for a term to use, as I puzzled over his words. "Seeing eye-to-eye, I guess you could say." They were just friends? I mused to myself. She doesn't seem like the "just friends" type. The way he says her name... it's like a caress. I resumed my staring out of the window, watching as a lake swam into view for a moment, then was hidden once again by trees. The looks on his face when he's around her, or when she's mentioned, remind me of Lydia. She used to look like that around Wilder. I brushed the thought off. It didn't matter. None of it mattered. Lydia was home, probably drinking her sorrows away, and I was here with Jacob, not Isabella.

We didn't say much for the rest of the drive to wherever it was that Jacob was taking me. He let me doze, and occasionally he would murmur along to the lyrics of whatever song the radio played. It made me feel light inside, just listening to his voice, being able to enjoy the silence without having to fill it up with nonsense. I hadn't had this level of comfort with anyone for such a long time. I had forgotten what it was like.

When I finally noticed Jacob's car slowing down, forty-five minutes had passed since he had picked me up from school. I looked around, wondering where we could possibly be as he turned down a long, dirt driveway. His house maybe? I thought as I sat up straighter.

"Where are we?" I asked as a small white house came into view. There were several cars parked outside it. I noticed a boy, one of the ones from the bonfire – Seth, I think – stick his head out of the door set in the enclosed deck area. Seth waved exuberantly and then vanished back inside the house. I quirked my eyebrow at Jacob, waiting for him to answer as he parked the car.

"This is Sam and Emily's house – you met them at the bonfire." He seemed to have failed to remember I had met him at the bonfire too. "I hope you don't mind, but we always come here and hang out. Emily makes the best food ever. You'll get to meet everyone again and get to know them."

Why is it that they all seem to think I am going to need to meet and get to know everyone? They all think I'm going to be around a lot. Why is that?

Jacob jumped out of the car with an inhuman speed and was opening my door before I could even protest. He grinned at me, reassuring me, and held out his hand. The awkward moment from before fled my mind. I unbuckled my seat belt and hesitantly took his proffered hand. It felt strange to have Jacob's huge hand envelope mine, when nobody had held my hand in over a year. I didn't think it would happen this soon, but God it just felt so right. His hand was so warm, it sent thrills through my system. He tugged me toward the house, absolutely humming with joy.

Jacob's attitude was infectious. Though I was nervous to be entering a house full of strangers, I was reassured by Jacob's presence. I couldn't stop myself from grinning like an idiot at the fact that I was holding a boys hand; a boy that wasn't Wilder, that hadn't hurt me, that hadn't pressured me into anything. Jacob was just so... so... there's no word, no word at all that can describe what he is. He's happiness embodied in the sexiest person I've ever laid eyes on. He's perfect.

As we climbed up the stairs to the porch, I could hear loud, raucous voices from inside. The nervousness I had been feeling came back tenfold and I glanced up Jacob, wondering what I was possibly going to have to say to a bunch of Jacob's rather large, intimidating friends. I gulped and dropped my gaze to the door handle as Jacob twisted it and pushed it open, calling out a greeting as he did so.

Jacob looked down at me and smiled, squeezing my hand. "Don't be so nervous, they're really not that bad." He gently tugged me into the house and slipped off his sneakers. I pulled my boots off and set them neatly on the mat, close to where Jacob had thrown his. Jacob took my hand again and led me deeper into the house, where I could smell frying sausages, eggs, and a medley of other delicious scents.

We emerged from the hallway into a kitchen that doubled as the dining room to find a crowd of people milling about, spilling into the attached living room. My heart pounding, I surveyed the group. It seemed like the house was full to bursting, but it was probably just because they were all so huge. The whole pack of boys from the beach were here, including their girlfriends.

I stood awkwardly at Jacob's side as he greeted everyone and tried to re-introduce me to the room in general. I could barely understand what was being said as they all tried to talk over one another. I managed to catch a few names here and there - "You remember me, I'm Seth!" - but it was mostly just jumbled up nonsense.

After a minute or so, they managed to quiet down enough that I could understand what was being said. Jacob had his arm wrapped around my waist, which made me feel slightly more protected. Though it was still an odd feeling, having so many people staring at me at once. The only other time I'd experienced something like this was in third grade when we had done a production of The Nutcracker for the school Christmas concert. I had thrown up.

I think Jacob could maybe tell that I was freaking out a little, because he guided me away from the pack of boys, who didn't seem to mind. They went back to whatever it was that they had been doing before, and most of them filtered into the living room. I let Jacob tug me into the kitchen, where Emily and Kim were tending to the food.

"Finally, I was beginning to worry that you two weren't going to make it." Emily's exclaimed, her good-natured smile plastered on her face. She was turning sausages over on a frying pan, and the smell emanating from them was intoxicating. Kim was chopping peppers and onions on a cutting board across from her, on the opposite counter.

"Work ran late," Jacob answered, his arm still wrapped around my waist. "Then I went home to change, and I got held up a bit. Dad needed some help with his truck. He needs his bearing replaced, so hopefully he went in town to get one and not just to visit Charlie."

"Charlie?" I asked, looking up at him. "As in, police chief Charlie? Isabella Swan's father?"

"Yup, that's the one. You know him?"

I grunted in response. All of the times I had met him hadn't exactly been under ideal circumstances. Especially his last few visits to my house; I'm sure he thinks I had Wilder kidnapped and killed, the way he questioned me.

Jacob furrowed his brow at me, but I looked away. That was the kind of conversation I was not having in front of two girls I didn't know. Actually, it was a conversation I didn't ever plan on having even with Jacob. There are a lot of things I plan on never telling him... I mused to myself. He's more of a distraction, a distraction from the real world than anything concrete. No matter how much I enjoy his company, he won't ever be more than that.

"Do you need help with anything?" I spoke up, determined to lead the topic away from my past police dealings. "I would love to help you two. You seem to have your hands full."

"Actually, that would be great. Can you keep an eye on those eggs for me?" Emily indicated a pan of eggs that needed scrambling. "You can go and talk with the boys now Jake, we can take care of Cassidy. I think they're discussing work." Jacob hesitated for a moment, but I smiled up at him, letting him know that I felt perfectly comfortable here. Definitely more comfortable than with all of those boys. Jacob pulled his arm away from me, though with a somewhat regretful look on his face and gave me a smile.

"I'll just be in the living room." I nodded, unsure why I needed to know exactly where he would be, and watched as he turned and walked out. I shook my head and went to the stove, positioned myself beside Emily and grabbed a spatula out of the dish on the counter and began to work on the eggs.

"Jacob's a great guy." Emily commented as she flipped the sausages again. "He's had a rough year though, what with Bella and all." I quirked an eyebrow and scrambled the eggs.

"What about Bella?"

"Oh, well I'm not really sure I should be the one telling you. Suffice it to say, I'm glad he's met someone else."

"Oh, no, we're... we're not together or anything. Just friends." I said hastily, feeling my face heating up. That's exactly what Jacob said about him and Bella. Oh, great, that's wonderful. They'll never believe me. I couldn't help but wonder what it was that went on between them that Jacob was so loath to talk about. It's not like you don't know that feeling. I reminded myself. "I only just met him and all... we don't really know each other that well." Emily gave me a knowing smile.

"Of course, of course..." She didn't mention our relationship again, but I could still see the sparkle in her eye when she looked at me. The three of us finished the food and loaded it all onto plates so that the boys could pick and choose what they wanted. There was enough food to surely feed an army, but after supper was finished there wasn't a scrap left.

Emily stood and began clearing off the dishes, kissing the top of Sam's head. I had been watching the two of them together. They were so in love, so deeply in love, that it almost felt like an intrusion, but I couldn't help myself. It was what I wanted, what I had always wanted. I used to picture what it would be like if Wilder and I had ever let our relationship grow to such heights. I had always wondered what it would be like, to know that someone loves you so unconditionally.

Kim and Jared were the exact same, though you could tell they hadn't been together nearly as long. Kim still blushed tomato red whenever Jared kissed her, like she couldn't believe it was actually happening. She had told me, while we had been cooking, that she'd had a crush on Jared for years before he had finally noticed her. I asked her what she thought it had been, that had made him finally notice her, but she had been vague about it. She said that he had just come into class one morning and really seen her. I still couldn't figure out what she meant by it.

Throughout the meal, the boys had been just as rowdy as before. This time, I had found myself enjoying it and laughing with them. It was like my time with Emily and Kim had helped me ease into the atmosphere here. It was great, Quil and Embry had to be some of the funniest people I had ever met. It was especially amusing that they had targeted Jacob for the evening.

Jacob draped his arm over the back of my chair as everyone fell into a sort of content quiet that only comes after your belly has been filled with good food. I leaned my head back and rested it on Jacob's arm, thinking about how nice it would be if I could just fall asleep right now and not wake up for another week or so.

I mostly ignored the talking around me, I couldn't exactly follow the conversation anyway. It was like they were using some sort of code, and something that had to do with jobs. It wasn't very interesting at any rate, and I could feel myself dozing off again. God I'm so tired today. I wonder what the hell that's about. I suppose it could be the rollercoaster ride that that my emotions have been lately, but it didn't really explain why I felt the need to sleep for weeks on end.

Finally, Jacob leaned over to me with a concerned look in his eyes. "Are you okay, Cassie?" My eyes met his and I couldn't even begin to articulate a response. Why are his eyes so beautiful? Shouldn't that be illegal?

"I'm... I'm fine... Just tired, really." I murmured as my eyes left his and slowly traced the outline of his face, and took in how soft his hair looked. I had a sudden urge to run my fingers through it.

"We should head home then." Jacob replied, and stood up. "We need to get going guys," he announced to the room. "Cassie needs to be home before too long anyway." There was booing and general unhappiness from the people still sitting at the table, but Jacob shook them off and helped me up.

We said our goodbyes, and I promised Emily that I would be back before too long. I shook hands with Embry, who had ended up making me laugh so hard that my sides had ached, and hugged both Kim and Emily before we could get our shoes on. We were still calling out goodbyes as we climbed into the car.

"Did you have a good time?" Jacob asked anxiously as we pulled out of the driveway and onto the road. "I know the guys can be really loud and annoying, but they liked you and wanted to see you again so I -"

I cut Jacob off with a laugh. "I had a great time, Jake." I answered, using the nickname that everyone else had given him. "They're all so funny, I would like to come back again." I don't think I've ever seen Jacob smile so big before.

"Good, that's awesome. I'm so glad you had a good time." I grinned up at him and he smiled right back. "You're not cold are you?" He asked, concern radiating from him once again. I guess he had noticed when I had pulled my jacket tighter around me.

"Just a little, but it is winter." I replied lightly. Jacob reached into the back seat and grabbed an enormous sweater and handed it to me. It was a simple black pullover, but it smelled amazing. I couldn't really describe it, but it smelled like the forest. Like trees. But it also smelled like home. "Thanks Jake." I whispered as I took off my jacket and pulled it on over my head. I warmed up almost instantly.

The ride home was filled with idle chitchat about the night, but it was just as comfortable as the drive down (excluding the short conversation about Bella). I found myself wishing that I lived farther away as we pulled into my driveway. I frowned as Jacob parked behind my little Hyundai and turned off the car. More than anything, I just wanted to curl up in his sweater and go to sleep. Preferably somewhere that he would be close by.

I sighed and began to pull the sweater off, but he stopped me. "Keep it. I don't need it. I'm never cold." I raised an eyebrow at him, but pulled the sweater back down.

"Never? That's not possible."

"Seriously, I could stand out in a snowstorm and the snow would just melt around me." I laughed at that, but didn't argue anymore.

"Thank you, again." I merely said as I reached into the backseat for my bag. "I really, really did have a good time tonight." I added as I put my hand on the door handle.

Jacob smiled at me in a shy sort of way, which was a little weird as I didn't peg him as a shy guy. "I'm glad you had a good time. I did too. I really... I really like being with you, Cassie." I felt my face heat up, and smiled at him. "I was wondering, if you wanted to go... to go to Port Angeles with me on Saturday? We can go see a movie and get something to eat."

A date. That's what he wanted. To go on a date. With me. On Saturday. Holy fucking hell, what do I say? When was the last time I was on a date? Did Wilder and I actually even go on a date? Oh Jesus am I even ready for this? What am I going to say? I have to say something, he's staring at me, he's waiting for my answer. Okay. Okay, just stay calm. Think about this. Jacob is the sweetest person I've ever met, no doubt about that. He's also gorgeous, and I don't think about Wilder like I do when he's not around. When he's around, I can let go of Wilder. I think of him, sure, but not as a boyfriend anymore. Just as someone I lost, a long time ago. He makes me feel good about myself, like maybe I'm not so much of a lost cause as I thought I was. He's good for me. He really is. Maybe he's the one that can help me put myself back together, once and for all. Wilder's not coming back, and why not move on? Especially with Jacob. Moving on with Jacob is the best thing I could do for myself.

"I would love to, Jake."


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