A/N
Thanks for the great response I received after my last chapter. You guys rock! I also got an annonymous review that I couldn't reply to, so thanks to whoever that was too!
SqueakyZorro and batgirl8968 are the best betas a girl could have!
Back to Forks we go!
Nessie gasped at the pile of suitcases that were stacked in the back seat of the Hummer in the Cullen driveway. "Alice, I really don't think I'm going to need all of these clothes. We're going to be on the road the most of the time anyway."
"Since I can't see you, we must be prepared for anything. Besides, you never know. You could meet a cute boy when you're in West Virginia and you'll want to look your best," Alice said with a wink.
Hearing growling from behind her, Nessie turned to see both Edward and Jake giving Alice the evil eye.
Oh, please, Nessie thought, rolling her eyes at the overprotective pair. Boys aren't interested in me anyway.
"Jacob, may I speak to you for a second in private?" Edward asked, leading Jake away from the rest of the group.
"Sure, man. Everything okay?"
"Yes. I just wanted to talk to you about, uh, well, uh…" Edward stuttered, pinching the bridge of his nose.
Jake cocked an eyebrow at Edward. He'd never seen him so flustered before, and it was obvious he was up to something.
"Okay, look, I'm just going to say this straight out. I trust you with my daughter, probably more than I should, but the fact is I do. I also trust that if anything should…change…between you and Renesmee during this trip that you'll do the right thing, the honorable thing."
"Oh, God!" Jake gasped. "Is this really happening? I don't even think of her in that way, you know that!"
"Yes, I do, but Nessie is very much like her mother and, well, I know she can be very stubborn when it comes to getting what she wants. We also don't know how the imprint is going to work out as she gets closer to reaching full maturity. But, Jacob, I've seen the pull in the other imprinted adult wolves, and as much as I really don't want to be thinking of my daughter's, uh,…love life…I want you to know that it's extremely difficult to resist once it's there. I just want you to be aware in case, well, in case…"
"Okay, Edward, just stop. I get it. You don't have to say anymore." Jake held his hands up in front of him. "Thank you for the warning."
Turning to quickly escape the uncomfortable conversation, Jake stopped as he rounded the corner and saw Nessie standing by the Hummer in shock, her face red in embarrassment. Bella stood to her right, hands on her hips, glaring angrily at Edward, while Emmett stood to her left, shaking violently from laughter.
"I've seen some funny shit in my day, but that right there takes the cake!" Emmett exclaimed, putting his arm around Nessie's shoulder. "Edward giving Jake the sex talk. Classic!"
Nessie felt her face grow hotter. "I'm gonna die."
"Edward!" Bella said. "Have you lost your mind? You can't tell me you didn't know we were standing here."
"I'm sorry, Love. I'm a bit distracted. It's not every day I let my daughter go off unsupervised for two weeks with her boy…er…wolf."
Nessie hid her face in her hands, trying to hide her blush. "Ness, it's okay, really, no big deal," Jake reassured, but she pulled away from him.
Sensing the emotions outside, Jasper emerged from the house and sent calming waves across the front yard as he and Bella pulled Nessie inside to try to ease her embarrassment.
Jake felt the sting of rejection, deep in his chest, at Nessie's refusal to let him comfort her. His imprint wasn't happy, and she wouldn't let him make it better. He fought back the panic attack that was slowly building inside him. His sole purpose was to make her happy, but he really couldn't blame her. It was embarrassing.
"She's okay, Jacob." Edward reassured. "She's not upset with you. Now me, on the other hand-yep, not happy with me at all." Edward shook his head. "Teenagers."
Attempting to take his mind off of the entire incident, Jake walked over to the Hummer to help Seth and Leah finish loading the back. Carlisle carried over a large cooler of snacks and drinks Esme had prepared for them.
"Oh, awesome! Thanks, Esme," Seth replied, pulling her into a hug.
"You're very welcome, Seth. Don't eat it all at once, now."
After Nessie had regained her composure, she and Bella rejoined the family outside. She hugged them each goodbye and climbed into the passenger seat. Jake slammed shut the back door and made his way to the front.
"Hey, Jake, hold on a second. You forgot something," Rosalie shouted as she flashed out of the house. She was holding the dog bowl she made for him years ago.
"You might need this." She smirked. "Being on the road, you're probably going to be stopping for meals a lot, and most restaurants don't serve dogs."
"Oh, Blondie, always thinking ahead! Whatever would I do without you?" Jake asked sarcastically. "You know, as a reward for your quick thinking, I think I'll give you the honor of putting it up on the dash for me," he said, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning against the side of the Hummer.
"My pleasure, Spot." Rosalie snickered as she climbed into the driver seat and put the bowl above the dashboard.
"Hey, Blondie. What do you call a blonde in the front seat of a car? An air bag!" Jake laughed as Rosalie huffed in annoyance and jumped down from the seat.
Jake walked to the driver side door and sniffed the air around him. "Oh, just great. The driver's seat smells like bloodsucker now. I'll never be able to get the stench out."
"Whatever," Rosalie said, punching him in the stomach. "Just make sure you take care of my niece, dog."
Jake winced. "With my life."
Climbing into the driver seat, Jake pulled out of the driveway. Nessie watched in the rearview mirror as the image of her crazy family faded behind her. Though she loved them dearly, she couldn't help but feel grateful for the vacation she was about to have away from them.
The banter between Seth and Leah began as soon as they'd pulled out of the driveway, and eight hours later, it continued as evening approached.
"Did you know the last wolf was hunted in West Virginia in 1900?" Seth asked.
"How do you know that?"
"I googled West Virginia before we left. Got to know what we're walking into, ya know."
As soon as Carlisle told them he'd rented a cabin for them to stay in the Monongahela National Forest, Seth took it upon himself to learn about the area and was now schooling the others on the history and geography of West Virginia.
While the others chatted, Nessie watched the Idaho landscape pass by in silence. The monotonous drive through Washington seemed to last an eternity, and she was glad to now be somewhere new.
The mountains had always been a source of comfort for her, peaceful yet bursting with life. Though she'd been through the Cascades many times, she had never seen the Rocky Mountains before. But while similar in appearance, they felt eerily unfamiliar to her. She wondered if she would feel the same about the Appalachians and if she would ever adjust to living anywhere other than Forks.
"Hey, hey, Nessie. Earth to Ness." Jake waved his hand in front of her face, and she turned to look at him.
"Hungry? We're going to find somewhere to eat at the next exit."
She nodded her head, and after stopping at a diner and brushing off the odd stares they received from the locals, the group decided they would make better time by taking turns driving through the night. Seth took over the driving for the next few hours as Leah moved up front and Nessie and Jake moved back to the center seats.
While the clock only read ten o'clock, Nessie was surprised at how exhausted she was just from sitting in the car all day. She leaned her head back against the seat.
"Tired?" Jake asked.
"A little."
"Well, lie down and get some sleep then."
She looked around the car. "Uh, where, Jacob? The back seat is full of Alice's handiwork, and this seat is full of you." Nessie giggled.
"Ha ha," Jake replied, sarcastically. "Here," he said, reaching for a pillow in the back and placing it on the side of his leg.
"But, are you going to sleep sitting up? That won't be very comfortable."
"Uh, Ness, I've slept in a lot less comfortable places and positions than this. I'll be fine, now relax."
Nessie lay down on her side across the center seats, resting her head on the pillow that was propped on Jake's leg, her knees tucked in and feet stopping at the side of the door. It was a tight fit, but being able to sleep so close to Jake was worth it. Within minutes they were both asleep, Jake's snores cutting through the otherwise quiet car.
Leah looked back to see the pair sleeping comfortably, in what looked like the most uncomfortable positions imaginable.
"Look at them." She smirked. "So cute. I want to gag."
Seth looked into the rearview mirror and chuckled. "You'll find yours, sis."
Leah rested her head back and sighed. She wasn't so sure about that.
Nessie awoke with a start as she noticed the car had stopped and Jake was gone. Sitting up from the seat, she looked around to see they were pulled over on the side of the highway. A bright pink hue lit the dark sky in front of her as the sun slowly peeked above the horizon.
"Jake and Seth went to phase and check on everything at home," Leah said from the driver's seat. "Beautiful, isn't it?"
"Yeah." Nessie yawned and leaned forward between the two front sets to get a better view. "I never wake up early enough to see the sun rise. My family gets to see it every day though, I suppose. Where are we?"
"South Dakota." Leah paused. "Nessie, can I ask you something?"
She nodded her head, looking toward Leah.
"Do you ever wish you were something other than what you are? Like, do you wish you had been born either all human or all vamp?"
Nessie looked back at the sun rise. "No. I mean, I wonder sometimes what my life would be like if I was fully human or fully vampire, but in the long run, neither option would really end well for anyone."
"What do you mean?"
"Well," Nessie sighed, "I'm going to lose all of the humans in my life, eventually. If I was fully human, then I would die too. Though I doubt I would mind much, I'm quite positive my family wouldn't handle it well. I wouldn't want to cause them that pain. I've already caused enough pain by simply existing." Nessie shrugged her shoulders. "And being a full vampire would have been even worse."
"Why's that?"
"I wouldn't have Jacob, and he probably would have killed me." She let out a small, uneasy laugh. "It's not easy being what I am, but it's all I know. Sometimes it's just easier to accept what you are and work around it, than to deny it and try to be someone you're not."
Nessie sat back in the seat as Jake and Seth climbed back into the Hummer.
"Everything alright?" Leah asked, quickly changing the subject, though Nessie's words hung heavily with her.
"Yep," Seth replied.
Jake smiled at Nessie. "Morning. Sleep well?"
"Mmm hmm," she replied, twisting her bracelet. It had become slightly tighter on her wrist overnight.
"You grew again." Jake smiled. "If it bothers you, take it off and I can make it bigger when we get back home."
"It's okay, Jacob. I can deal with it. I'm not taking it off."
As Leah pulled back onto the highway, Seth's stomach growled. "Next stop, breakfast!"
A few hours after breakfast and just past the South Dakota-Minnesota state line, Leah pulled into a large gas station.
"Hey, Ness. I'm going to run to the restroom. Want to come in with me and stretch your legs some?"
Nessie didn't really need to stretch her legs like the rest of them, but she agreed and followed Leah into the store of the gas station as Jake and Seth filled the car with gas and checked the tires. As she waited for Leah, she wandered through the aisles, snickering at the variety of cheesy souvenirs the store had for tourists.
After shaking every Welcome to Minnesota snow globe on the shelf, Nessie walked to a counter display of three machines, each churning its own thick, brightly colored substance. What the heck is a Slurpee? Filling one of the striped cups that sat to the side of machines, she sniffed then sipped the strange red substance. Mmm, that's good! I bet Jacob would like one of these. I'll get him a blue one.
Preoccupied by her thoughts of Jake, Nessie didn't notice the man approaching her as she filled the cup.
"Well, hello there. Ain't you pretty."
Nessie looked at the man, whose white undershirt and unbuttoned flannel did nothing to hide the way his gut hung over the waist of his jeans. Smiling politely, she quickly turned her attention back to filling the cup.
"Hey now, don't need to be shy," he said, leaning next to her against the counter. "Where ya headed?"
Beginning to feel uneasy about the man next to her, she quickly snapped the dome-shaped tops onto the cups. "Just traveling cross country with some friends," she said, turning to walk toward the cashier. A tickle began to form in the back of her throat, and she knew had to get out of there before the vampire instincts kicked in.
"What's the rush?" he asked, grabbing her wrist, the blue Slurpee falling to the floor. "Whoops." The man laughed. "So, I got my truck parked around back. Whaddya say we go have a little fun?"
The tickle rapidly grew into a thirst. Though she wasn't venomous like her family, her mouth still watered before a kill. She gulped back the saliva that was pooling in her mouth. Humans rarely, if ever, tempted her, but this was the first time she'd been threatened by one, and the animalistic urge for self-preservation was taking over.
Trying to calm herself, Nessie debated the best way to get out of this situation. Jasper and Emmett had taught her how to defend herself, but that was from other vampires. If she used any of those moves on him, it would, at the very least, severely injure him, and she certainly didn't want the attention that would bring. She could agree to follow him without causing a scene inside; however, the scene that would surely transpire outside wouldn't bode well for him either. Fighting the urge to kill the man, she decided polite diplomacy was probably her best option for exiting the gas station with no bloodshed.
"I'm sorry, sir, I really have to go. My friends are waiting for me at the car. Please let go of me."
"Oh, come on," he said, gripping her wrist tighter. "A girl as pretty as you, you can't tell me you've never…"
"Did you not hear what she said?"
Nessie looked up at the owner of the familiar yet jarringly unsettling voice that sounded from behind the man. Meeting his dark brown eyes, she watched as they turned to onyx, his pupils dilating with rage. Oh crap.
"Let. Her. Go."
Well, he had to make an appearance sooner or later! Yum! :)
I know this chapter was a bit short, but the next is looking like its going to be a bit longer, so I hope that makes it up to you guys!
I'd love to hear what you all think!