He could feel her coming even before his wolf ears heard the car pulling down the road. His whole body strained to run to her, to give her everything he had, but at the same time he was angry he thought he might not be able to contain it. Finally he forced himself to get up and walk out the front door. She was standing by what he immediately recognized as Edward's Volvo (He felt his anger level rising as he knew that she hadn't first come home to him.) She was looking down at the ground shifting uncomfortably, if he hadn't been known it in his heart, he might have thought this was in fact Bella, come to check on him, again.
"Well look who finally decided to show up."
"Jacob I'm so..."
"DON'T" Jacob took a deep breath and tried to calm himself, "Don't apologize to me. You left me. Apparently because you were in a downward spiral of despair, which everyone but me knew about. You didn't leave a note, didn't call, gave me no sign that you were alright or even alive. Nothing you can say can make what you've done okay."
With this Jacob turned to walk back into his house and slam the door.
"Jacob, we have a son."
Jacob felt his breath catch in his chest and he turned to look at her with disbelief in his eyes.
"He's the reason I left. You didn't know I was depressed because I wasn't, as long as you were with me. But the minute you left me, all I could think about was the freedom and independence that was the cornerstone of my existence was gone. I felt like a prisoner here."
Jacob could feel the rage building inside him, "Everything I did, I did to protect you. I loved you."
The past tense hit Grace like a mack truck. Loved. Still she tried to explain, "I know you were trying to protect me, and I was trying to protect my son, our son. I knew for certain he would become the target if Victoria were to find out he existed. By leaving I took him out of the equation and out of danger, I knew that if you and Bella knew that you'd follow, and so would she. More than that, I thought if I left he'd never have to know the pain and anger that you do. That if we were far enough away he would never become aware of the wolf inside of him. I know now that we can't escape it, that what I did was wrong."
Grace was unable to hold her composure any longer. She felt the tears in her eyes and she fell to her knees, exhausted by trying to explain her actions, as if it could make what she did better.
"Please, you have to forgive me, you need to forgive me. I. Can't. Be. Without. You."
She felt him pull her to her feet, but still he held her away from himself. He wiped the tears from her cheeks with his calloused hands and sighed deeply.
"Grace?"
"Jake?" she managed to hiccup.
"Our son, what is his name."
She looked into his eyes and he was smiling. Breaking the gap between them she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply. He picked her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist. In a blur of movement she suddenly found herself beneath him on his bed. She looked deep into his eyes, "William Charles Black." And then they fit together like puzzle pieces that had never been broken apart.
