Disclaimer: Twilight is the property of Stephenie Meyer, my OCs belong to me.
This chapter is dedicated to Alphabloodwolf and Anonymous Guest
Billie
I woke to the sound of Kekipi's alarm and groaned a little.
"You ok?" He asked.
"No." I said. "Your alarm means we have to get up and head to the Island. We can't just stay here all day swaying in the breeze."
"Don't tempt me." He said as he kissed my forehead.
"I guess we'd better get up." I said and sat up before getting off the hammock.
"Yeah." Kekipi grumbled a little as he got down too.
"Hopefully nothing comes up and we can head home early tonight. Do something special?" I suggested as I put my arms around his waist and looked up into his eyes.
"That would be ono." Kekipi said softly as he kissed me on the lips and I melted into him for a moment before I remembered we still had a day in between.
"Go have your shower and I'll make us some breakfast." I said smoothly and Kekipi grinned.
"Keep talking like that and we won't be going anywhere today."
"I'll treat you tonight." I said and kissed him before I stepped away, grabbed his hand and led him inside.
Half an hour later we were heading to the Big Island and I was planning my day. To be honest it was boring not having a job, maybe more boring than being locked up in a farm. At least there was some structure to the day and I was doing something constructive.
I needed to find something to do, but after thinking about it I realised I couldn't get a job yet because it would be kinda crummy demanding a vacation in a few weeks. I guess I'd have to find something to do in the meantime to ride out the wave of boredom.
First things first, I borrowed Kekipi's car to go do some shopping. Then I decided to borrow his boat to sail back out to our island so I could clean a little and set the hot tub up for us again. I could even start on our food and head back in time to get Kekipi.
I'd just got all the ingredients prepped when my phone beeped. I frowned as I checked it; I had a message from Isla. She wanted to know if I could pick her up from Honomu.
I checked the time. I had an hour before Kekipi finished work. That wasn't enough time to sail to Hilo then make the return trip to Honomu and back. Of course if I sailed to Honomu then back to Hilo I might save some time.
I text Isla back to let her know I would pick her, but it would be by boat, then I text Kekipi to let him know I might be a little late. I went down to the boat and climbed in and sailed out to Honomu. I found the public harbour Kekipi had used before and moored the boat near one of the parking meters. I fed the meter than made my way up to Drogo's apartment.
It was Marlin who answered the door and she invited me in. I made my way through to the back yard where Drogo and Isla were sat at the metal table.
"My rides here." Isla said as she got to her feet.
"See you tomorrow." Drogo replied.
"Kay." Isla said a little sadly.
"I would stay and chat but I got plans with Kekipi after he finishes work." I said.
"Yeah. Say hi from me." Drogo replied.
"I will." I promised as I put a comforting hand on Isla's shoulder as she stopped beside me.
We shared goodbyes and left the apartment. Isla was really quiet on our walk down to the harbour, not her usual chatty self at all. By the time we reached the boat I decided I had to talk to her.
"What's up?" I asked.
"Nothing." She muttered as she went to sit in the prow.
"Nope, sit up here next to me so we can talk." I said firmly.
"I don't wanna talk."
"But you need to. Come on, I'm your sister now so you can tell me anything. You can ask me anything as well." I offered.
"Drogo's going home tomorrow." She said sadly.
"Oh, I'm sorry." I said as she sat in the seat next to me and I started the engine.
"It was gonna happen." She said flatly.
"But it still came as unexpected?" I asked as I pulled away from the dock.
"Yeah." She said as she played with a dolphin necklace I hadn't seen her wear before.
"Pretty dolphin." I said.
"Drogo gave it me to remember him. I need to get him something back." She said with a little more life in her voice.
"How about a promise band?" I asked.
"A what?" She asked.
"Kind of like a friendship band, but you can add things into it, natural things you've found and stuff you've made yourself. If you want ideas for patterns it's all on the Quileute Nation website." I explained.
"Yeah. And a neat little bracelet would be better for him." Isla mused.
"Yep." I said.
"I'll check it out. Cause I can put more work into a band and that'll make it more special." She said, sounding happier.
"That's the whole idea." I stated.
"Has Kekipi made you one yet?"
"No. But I haven't told him about them and the ring he got me is so me that I don't wanna seem ungrateful by asking for more. Besides I can't make him one back, and I don't think he's the type of guy to wear necklaces."
"Not really." Isla conceded.
"And any other jewellery would just get damaged whenever he phases."
"That's why Drogo made sure this was long." She said as she held up the dolphin on its chain.
"That's how my mom wears her wedding ring mostly." I said.
"Cool."
"Will you need me to come with you tomorrow?" I offered.
"I don't know. I want to spend as much time with Drogo as I can, but I guess I won't wanna travel back from the airport on my own." She reasoned.
"Well how about you let me know what time you're heading out to the airport tomorrow and I'll drive out to meet you? That way you can travel in the hire car with Drogo and I'll bring you back once they're through security."
"Ok." Isla said with a nod.
Then we fell silent as I steered the boat into Kekipi's usual spot. Isla jumped out and moored the boat for me. I climbed out then went to see how long Kekipi was gonna be. Isla said goodbye cause she wanted to go make a start on her band for Drogo. I didn't mind so much since it meant that me and Kekipi could head out as soon as he was ready.
I didn't even get in the door before Kekipi stepped out and he grinned at me in greeting and kissed me before he pulled the door closed.
"I thought I heard the boat." He said as he locked the door, "And I don't wanna waste any more time."
"Then lets get going." I said, taking his hand and leading him to the boat.
It was actually good handing over the sailing to Kekipi, it meant I could lean into him as he put his arm around me and enjoy the ride. Of course it would be even better once we were on our island, enjoying food together and then some time in the hot tub.
We got back to our island and I led him up to the house.
"I got to cook the food, but I prepped it all so it won't take that long."
"You give me the instructions and I'll cook it if you want." Kekipi offered.
"We could cook it together." I pointed out.
"Ono." Kekipi said as he kissed me.
"Then we can go for a run before messing about in the hot tub."
"Even better." Kekipi said happily as we got to the top of the path and stepped onto the plateau of hale.
We got in the house and made food together, and had a lot of fun doing it. The food was good, and we let the dishes soak when we went for a run. It was good to just let go again, with Kekipi running wolf form at my side. It was good to feel the wind in my hair again and to think I'd come so close to never feeling it again?
I pushed the thoughts away, determined not to let them ruin my time with Kekipi. I was having fun and I wanted to keep it that way. I picked up speed, my muscles stretching and contracting as I covered so much ground I had to circle around on myself just to stay in the trees.
Kekipi was keeping pace with me and I giggled as I glanced at him. Then I fell back onto some leaves, cushioned and laughing. Kekipi trotted up to me and started sniffing at my face. I scratched behind his ears and rubbed my nose against his. All warm and wet at first, then hot and dry as he phased back. I looked up into his dark eyes and pressed my lips to his.
The kiss was nice to begin with, but then it turned into a real make out session that left me breathless by the time we realised it was getting dark. Kekipi pulled away chuckling.
"Guess we got a little carried away." He said, looking a little embarrassed.
"Nothing wrong with that." I said as I brushed his hair behind his ear, then kissed the bridge of his nose before I started to get up. "Shall we continue this in the hot tub?"
"Try and stop me." He said as he got to his feet and pulled me up too.
What a difference a month made. Before he would have been blushing from head to toe, but now he didn't even seem to think about it. He just pulled me to my feet, kissed me, and pulled me toward the path up to hale.
When we reached the top I realised there was something I had to do.
"I'm gonna put on my bikini." I said as I headed toward the house.
Kekipi grabbed my hand and pulled me back to him. "Not shy are you?" He asked as he pulled me in close.
He was teasing me, and I liked this new side of him.
"Not really." I replied as I hovered my lips near his. "But if I got a layer of cloth between us you might just behave."
"We can hope." He said and closed the kiss before pulling away and directing me toward the house. "Go get changed. I guess I should wear shorts too."
"You should." I said as I took his hand and pulled him to the house.
"Throw me some shorts over the rail then get in your bikini. I'll go heat up the tub for you." He said, being deliberately cheesy with his tones.
"With you in there is bound to be plenny hot." I cheesed back with a wink as I headed up the stairs.
Kekipi laughed as I threw his shorts down to him. I changed into my bikini, and sure enough Kekipi was in the hot tub when I got down stairs. I climbed in next to him and settled beside him. Kekipi put his arm around me and pulled me closer.
"You know what, there is something ono about soaking in warm water. I forgot about it all those years I was here on my own." Kekipi said, and he sounded totally relaxed.
"Yep." I agreed, letting the waters relax my own body. "The only thing that would make this better is some cold drinks."
"Good idea." Kekipi said as he took his arm from around me and stood up.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"Getting us a cold drink." He replied as leapt out of the tub and landed on the grass. "Only POG, but it'll be cold and there'll be ice and straws."
"Sounds great." I said as he went back into the house.
He came out a minuet later carrying two tall glasses of juice that clinked with ice and each of them had a bendy straw. I reached out for the glasses and held them while Kekipi climbed back in. Then he took his glass as he settled beside me and I started sipping the juice.
"Yeah. This is choke better." Kekipi said as he pulled me in close again.
"I love just being here with you." I whispered as I leant my head against his shoulder. "And it also gives us a nice relaxing place to talk."
"About what?"
"Anything. Everything. But right at the moment I need the car tomorrow." I stated.
"You planning another shopping trip?" He asked, just being curious, not judgemental.
"No. Drogo's leaving tomorrow so I promised Isla I'd go pick her up from the airport once they're gone."
"Oh?"
"Yeah. I was gonna pick her up on my bike, but I don't think Elise would like that." I joked.
"Hell no. Mom would kill you. She's bad enough with Isla on the scooter, I'd hate to think what she'll say about a bike." Kekipi said, sounding alarmed.
"Yep." I said, not wanting to imagine it, I'd rather face Jane.
"So you think Isla'll be upset?" Kekipi asked.
"Yeah. But She'll cope."
"I don't know. I don't think she's ever had a serious boyfriend so I don't know how this will affect her. Also, I couldn't handle being away from you, and Isla's got the same deal with Drogo." Kekipi worried.
"I was in danger. Drogo won't be. Imprinting does bind us together, but it would be pretty stupid if we couldn't spend time apart without ceasing to function." I pointed out.
"That makes sense." Kekipi conceded.
"That's not to say it's gonna be easy for her, but she's not gonna keel over and die as soon as he steps on the plane."
"How hard will it be?" He asked, and he was a concerned big brother in that moment.
"About as hard as it is for anyone to say goodbye to their first boyfriend. But once some time has past she'll come to appreciate the imprint bond." I replied.
"Why's that?"
"It means he's not gonna stray when they got their long distance relationship going."
"That's good. I'd have to kill him if he hurt my baby sister." Kekipi said in serious tones.
"Not if I got there first." I replied.
"I thought he's your friend?" Kekipi asked.
"Yeah. But Isla's my little sister now too, so she's at the head of the line." I said firmly.
"Even ahead of me?" Kekipi asked.
"Sorry, but it's sisters before misters." I teased.
"In all aspects of life?" He asked his thumb stroking beneath the strap of my bikini.
"Well not every aspect." I said, like I was conceding a point to him.
"Well I'm glad Isla has someone else looking out for her." Kekipi said. "Especially a sister. She always wanted one, but by the time she came along there were four of us and we were a handful."
"You mean Lim and Odell were a handful." I said.
"What do you know about that?"
"It was something that came up in my chat with Elise. Um…how much do you know about?" I wasn't sure how to frame it because as I started talking about Elise's past I realised I wasn't sure how much Kekipi knew since he was eighteen when he left home and fifteen when he stopped interacting with his family so much.
"About how Lim and Odell's father was a kolohe who left her with two kids at nineteen cause he couldn't cope? I know about that. I don't think there's much Mom would tell you that I don't already know." Kekipi explained.
"Ok. Well she told me all about that, and how Isla was a surprise."
"That explains the gap." Kekipi said.
"Sorry." I said, hoping I hadn't caused problems there.
"It makes sense, and at least you said surprise not accident." Kekipi conceded.
"Yeah. Although random pregnancy just don't really happen in my family. It's all planned because, well we live an awful long time." I explained.
"What about Hani?"
"What about him?" I asked with a frown.
"He told me his oldest was an accident, and you're family, right?"
"Only in the sense that his grandparents are friends with my parents. Besides I was talking about my immediate family. Since Granny Ness the only kids who have been a surprise in our family were Tony and Liza, and that was cause my parents were in a weird state of amnesia at the time."
"Fo' real?"
"Yeah." I confirmed.
"That's weird." He said.
"Why?" I asked, frowning a little.
"That it can be like that."
"Thousands of humans do it all the time." I pointed out.
"I know, but no matter how careful they are, accidents happen."
"True, but there's usually a reason." I said authoritively.
"It's something to think about."
"Yeah." I said as I snuggled closer to him. "But at least you know you wont have fatherhood thrust on you until you're ready."
"Kay." He said as he pulled me even closer and kissed my temple. "But I wouldn't care as long as you're ready."
"That's good to know." I said as I tried to imagine it. "But if we did have kids we'd either have to move or build an extension."
"I got used to my island." Kekipi said. "We'd have to expand hale for our bigger ohana."
"Yeah." I said, trying to picture it.
"But how?"
"That's easy. First we'd get Edward to come up with blueprints. Then we'd get Jasper and Emmett to pitch in with the actual building, Esme's good at finding materials at a cut-price rate. They're also good at getting things places without it being noticed. We'd work it somehow."
"Yeah. And maybe we could get Lim to install the a/c." Kekipi said with a grin.
"If you wanna." I said with a shrug.
Kekipi sighed happily.
"You know what? This is shaka." He said, sounding uber relaxed.
"What is?" I asked.
"Sitting here. Local style. Talking about our future together. I like it." He said with a smile. "Never had to think much about it before, but I love having you to have a future with."
"I know what you mean." I said, leaning further into him. "You are my future, and together we can expand it."
"Aye." Kekipi agreed before he sighed happily.
"But it's getting late now. Shall we head up to bed?" I asked.
"Yeah. You got a long day ahead if you're helping Isla tomorrow."
"Yep." I said as I stood up and pulled Kekipi up too.
We got out of the tub and we went inside. After towelling dry, we dressed in nightclothes before heading to bed. We made out for a while before we settled to sleep.
I actually had a nice dream of me and Kekipi with a brood of kids. It was so tranquil, and I woke up feeling happy and content. I sat up and stretched as Kekipi stirred beside me.
"Time to rise and shine." I sang as I got to my feet.
"Yeah." Kekipi said as he sat up rubbing his eyes.
"I'll shower first." I said, and kissed him before I grabbed my clothes for the day and made my way down to the bathroom.
I showered and got dressed. Kekipi had started on breakfast so I snuck up behind him, hugged him and kissed his shoulder.
"You go shower and I'll finish up here." I whispered.
Kekipi turned and hugged me. He kissed me and I kissed him back for a long moment before I pulled away and directed him toward the bathroom.
"Ok, ok, I'm getting." He said, holding up his hands, grinning at me as he walked backwards toward the bathroom.
"Be sure you do." I said firmly.
Kekipi chuckled as he stepped into the bathroom. I blew him a kiss just before he shut the door then turned to continue with breakfast. He'd been cutting fruit ready. I finished with the fruit then made up some batter for waffles. I was just serving it up when Kekipi came out of the bathroom.
We sat down to eat breakfast and Kekipi washed the dishes before we headed outside. We both stopped at the same time.
"Smells like rain." I said.
"Yep."
"Should we go to the Big Island today?" I asked.
Kekipi took a deep breath through his nose.
"We'll be ok. It's only rain, not a big storm." He assured me.
"Ok. I just don't want us to get stuck."
"We could stay at a hotel again." Kekipi said as he hugged me into his side and I giggled as I remembered our last stay at a hotel.
"Well, at least we got a contingency plan." I said as we started walking down toward the dock.
"Yep." Kekipi agreed.
The sea was a little rougher than usual, but nowhere near as bad as the big storm that had led to Kekipi and me finally getting together.
When we reached shore I realised I didn't know what to do for the morning. We didn't really need any shopping, but I couldn't really think of anything to do since it was gonna rain. I found myself scanning the shelves of a bookstore. It had been a while since I sat down with a book and Dad was a big proponent of reading print media as opposed to a tablet. I picked out a few books, some of them new vampire ones in case Dad hadn't got a hold of them yet. He had a thing for reading every vampire fiction ever.
I had a boxful of books by the time I left, and it must have been the biggest sale the shop had in a while because I got a free bookmark out of it. It was a metal one with a dangly wolf that looked a lot like the design for the Stark dire wolf in A Song of Ice and Fire. The running dire wolf of the books rather than the head of the old TV series.
So I had a box full of books and now the rain was coming down, so reading on the beach was out of the question. I decided to go to the Diner. I could get cake and coffee and buy lunch later. If I got a quiet corner and continually bought stuff I was pretty sure Elise wouldn't mind me being there. I was in a mind to offer my services, but I knew Kala was more than up to the job and covered Bonnie's ineptitude.
I made my way to the Diner and ordered a muffin and a coffee before I found a small table to sit at that was mostly out of the way. I picked out a book and started reading, sipping coffee and eating my muffin.
When I finished my coffee I got up to buy another and sat down to read some more of my book. It was the lull before lunch rush when Elise sat down opposite me with two cups of coffee. One she slid across the table to me.
"Isla rushed out this morning." She said.
"She did?" I asked, feeling concerned.
"Do you know why?"
I considered for a moment to lie, but then overruled it. Even if Isla wanted to avoid her mother earlier, she'd need her later. Not to mention she hadn't told me not to say anything to her mother, so she couldn't accuse me of betraying her trust.
"It might have something to do with the fact that Drogo's returning to Wyoming today." I whispered.
"She didn't say anything." Elise said, looking concerned.
"Maybe she was hoping to avoid a scene. You know, wanting this last day to be a happy one." I reasoned.
"Then how do you know?"
"Drogo's my friend too." I replied, figuring it was a better reason for me to know.
"But you don't wanna spend this last day with him?"
"They don't need me there cramping their style." I said with a shrug. "And I can say my goodbyes at the airport."
"Airport?"
"I'm going to the airport so I can bring Isla back after she says goodbye." I explained.
"Then I'm coming with you."
"Ok." I said immediately.
"No arguments. Isla is my daughter so I should be there for her." Elise continued on a tangent.
"Yeah." I agreed. "They're heading out at four, so if we leave at quarter to, we should get to the airport around the same time."
"Ok. How we getting there?"
"Kekipi's car."
"Then we leave here at three. You can come back to the house with me so I can get presentable, and then we head to the airport."
"However you wanna play it." I said.
I was ready to go back to my book but Elise gave me a thoughtful look.
"You here for the day?" She asked.
"I wanted somewhere quiet to read out of the rain." I admitted.
Elise gave me another thoughtful look before she held her finger up to me.
"Wait here." She said and disappeared into the kitchen.
Well I didn't plan on going anywhere so I gulped back some coffee while I waited. A moment later Elise came back holding a ring of keys. She held one out to me.
"This is the key to the side door. Let yourself in and you can spend time in the family room, but if you want you can go in Kekipi's old room."
"His old room?" I asked as I took the keys off her.
"Yep. Top of the stairs, second on the right."
"But…" I began, but was cut off.
"Haven't changed it since the day he left. I couldn't in case he came back." Elise said, looking sad.
"He had his own room?" I asked, to try and draw the attention away from the fact that Elise still kept his room.
"Four bed house. It made more sense for Lim and Odell to share since they were closer in age. Lim had moved out by the time Kekipi left so I could keep the room for him."
"Ok." I said as I put my books back in the box and stood up.
"And if you're hungry, help yourself to whatever's in the kitchen."
"Mahalo." I said.
Elise smiled, gave me a quick hug, then shoed me from the Diner.
I stepped out into the rain, feeling a little like I was at home with the squall. I arrived at the in-laws' house and let myself in through the front door. I paused at the bottom of the stairs, then decided to hell with it, I was curious to see Kekipi's childhood room.
I dropped my box of books in the passage and made my way slowly up the creaking stairs. I made my way to the door Elise had told me and opened it. The room was dark so I felt around for the switch. I turned on the light and the room was illuminated before me. And it made me feel sad.
I didn't know why, not at first. It just looked like the type of room any teenage boy would like. But then it hit me. It was the smell of musk and the light dust over everything. This was the room of a boy who had died. A shrine to a child who would never return. I collapsed in the doorway crying in heaving sobs that hurt my chest. This was the room of Little Jimmy Silva who'd died the night of the storm and given birth to Kekipi Kahamoku. Kekipi was my wolf, but he'd once been Little Jimmy and it was that part I was grieving for now. His innocence. This room was the last time he was human and mostly safe from the creatures like me.
I really wished Elise hadn't kept his room like this, but there wasn't much I could do about it. All I knew was that I couldn't stay up here. I pushed myself to my feet, shut off the lights, closed the door and made my way back downstairs. I wondered if I should tell Kekipi about his shrine room. How would he feel about it?
I picked up my box of books and realised I didn't actually know where the family room was from this part of the house. It took a little opening of doors, mostly they were closets, until I found a room that was at the front of the house. I sat down on the sofa and placed my box on the coffee table, but I couldn't bring myself to read. My mind was still wandering up to the shrine.
Then it hit me again, the second stage now I was over the shock of the situation. My curiosity was eating away at me and this was the only opportunity I might ever have to look into the boy my imprint was long ago. Elise must want me to look or she wouldn't have told me about the room in the first place.
I got up and leaving my box on the table I climbed the stairs once more. I took a deep breath before I opened the door and turned on the light. Bracing myself, it wasn't such a shock when I stepped inside and I actually forced myself to look around this time.
I'd dismissed it as typical teenage boy's room, and while that still stood, there was more to it than that. Like the ukulele which was laid haphazardly in a corner. He had a collection of shells on a shelf above his desk. There was an old laptop on the desk, definitely school issue, and this too had a coating of dust on it. There were a handful of books about boats and how they worked. They ranged from basic kid books to more technical manuals, which made it clear that Kekipi had always had an interest in fixing boats, it wasn't something he just fell into after the wolf. He'd even drawn a few pictures of boats that he'd pinned up on the wall.
As I looked around I was glad I'd forced myself to come up here. It cemented most of what I knew about Kekipi and in a way was reassuring. While the wolf may have taken him out to the island, it hadn't changed his ambitions in life, just how he got there.
Then I spotted a stuffed toy on his bed. It was a Humu humu nuku nuku apua'a that was mostly patterned authentically, but had a big goofy smile. I went to give it a little squeeze, but didn't take it. I wanted to, but I didn't think Elise would want me taking anything from the room. At least not without asking her first.
With my curiosity satisfied, I made my way back downstairs and checked the time. It was nearing lunch and I was feeling hungry. Elise said I could help myself to food so I went to the kitchen and looked around for something to eat. I settled on tuna sandwiches in the end and I cleaned up after myself. There was still a few hours before Elise was due back so I forced myself to pick out a book and read it.
Elise got back at three, just like she said she would, and went straight to have a shower. She came back to the room fifteen minuets later fully dressed and tying her thick dark hair into a knot on her head.
"What's the time?" She asked.
"Quarter past three." I replied.
"Shall we leave now?"
"Yeah. I guess it'll give us time to find a place to park in short stay. I know the others will be returning the hire car so they won't have to worry about that." I said as I got to my feet and picked up the box. "Oh and here's your keys."
"Mahalo." Elise said as she took them back. "I had to borrow Big Jim's to get back."
"Does he know what we're doing?" I asked.
"Yeah. I don't keep things from him." Elise said firmly as we headed for the door.
"And he's ok with it?" I asked as Elise got an umbrella down form one of the hooks by the door.
"I think he's glad Drogo's off the Island for a while. He knows about imprinting so he can't say nothing about it, but I won't lie, I'm relieved too. If he's not here they can't do anything." Elise said as we stepped out into the rain and she put up her umbrella.
"Yeah." I agreed. "Although they weren't doing anything."
"I know. But it's better for my old heart not to have any sudden surprises. I'm not ready to be a grandma." She said with a snort before she glanced up at me. "At least not from Isla."
"I'm not ready to be a mom yet either." I said.
"It's good to wait and plan these things." Elise observed as we reached the garage.
We stepped inside and Kekipi looked up from the boat he was working on. He smiled at me then looked shocked when he saw Elise.
"Mom?" He said, then came forward to greet her with a kiss to her cheek. "I wasn't expecting you."
"I think Isla might need me today." Elise said as I went to store my box of books in one of the lockers and I grabbed the keys for the car.
"And thinking about it, it's probably for the best if there's one to drive and one to comfort." I said.
"Good idea." Kekipi said as he put his arms around me trying not to touch me with his dirty hands and kissed me on the forehead. "Take care driving."
"I will." I promised.
"But the rain…"
"Is nothing." I said with a shrug and smiled up at him. "This is natural driving conditions for me."
"Is it really that bad in your part of the world?" He joked.
"Sure is." I said, and kissed his lips. "We need to get going."
"Kay." Kekipi said as I pulled away, then seemed to realise that Elise had witnessed the entire exchange and blushed.
"No need to blush Jimmy." Elise teased and gave his cheek a little squeeze. "I know Billie's your girlfriend."
"Yeah." Kekipi said still looking a little uncomfortable.
"I'll see you later." I said with a wave, then led Elise around to the back of the garage where the car was parked.
I let Elise climb in the car while it was still in the garage, then drove out to close the door. Then we were on the road.
"Can't remember the last time I went the other side of the Island." Elise said.
"Do you get out much?" I asked.
"Ain't really got the time with the Diner." She replied. "Having your own business is an ono dream, but it takes up a lot of your time."
"I guess it don't help that people want a Big Jim burger grilled by Big Jim." I replied.
"No one else can quite get em right. Not even me." Elise said with a chuckle.
"You'll find someone one day then you can have some vacation time."
"We can do that when we retire." Elise said waving it away.
"But what about when Kekipi and I get married? It'll have to be at Tregarran or my vampire family won't be able to come." I stated.
"Why not?" Elise asked.
"They can't go out in the sunlight." I replied, not thinking much of it, most people I know already know the sparkle thing.
"They burn?" Elise asked in alarm.
"No. I mean they can go out in the sun, just not where humans can see them. They sparkle. Carlisle and Marlin have been doing all they can to stay out of the sun while getting in and out of Drogo's apartment." I explained.
"They sparkle?" Elise asked in disbelief.
"I'll get Dad to show you when we're at Tregarran." I promised. "And Mom too. It's a little more effective when you see her go from human skin to diamond skin."
"Now I'm curious." Elise said.
"Of course you could check it out sooner." I said.
"How?"
"I think Isla might want to visit her pack sisters at some point."
"Pack sisters?" Elise asked.
"Although all the wolves on the Res are one big pack, some smaller groups have formed. My niece Magda is alpha to one that's made up entirely of girls. When we were in Mexico Isla locked onto Mags and became part of her pack. Mags is Isla's alpha and the rest are her pack sisters."
"I can remember Isla saying something about it. Does she need to go visit them?" Elise asked, clearly worried about another aspect of her daughter's wolf aspect and wanting to do everything she could to help her baby girl.
"It helps." I said.
"Do you know the girls?"
"Yeah. For the most part, but they're all ok, and Mags is a mother hen when it comes to protecting her pack." I assured her.
"What about Kekipi. Doesn't he have a pack?"
"No." I said with a shake of my head. "He hasn't really been around any wolves to make the link."
"Is that a bad thing?"
"He's done ok up till now, and pack is family anyway. So long as you got family you got pack." I said firmly, like I knew what I was talking about, and stayed clear of the whole abyss that was the lone wolf.
"Then why does Isla need to visit her pack sisters?" Elise asked, like she was trying to catch me out.
"Because she's linked to them now. So she will have to see them from time to time."
"When?"
"How about winter break? Isla will have just enough time off school for you to fly to Washington and spend about a week there. You can stop by my parents at Tregarran and get to meet them and then you can go on to the Res."
"Guess it wouldn't hurt for my girl to see her other ancestral land." Elise conceded.
"Yeah. And Mom and Dad would be happy to show you the way."
"Guess we wouldn't wanna get lost in the wilds of Washington."
"No." I agreed.
"As long as it's ok with your parents then sure." Elise said with a nod.
"I'll talk to them when I visit in two weeks."
"Why you going then?" Elise asked suspiciously.
"It's my brother and sister's birthday. The big four-oh, I have to be with them for that." I stated.
"And Kekipi?"
"Perfect time for him to visit the Res. We kill two birds with one stone."
"Yeah." Elise agreed.
"And he'll get to meet my parents under better circumstances. Not to mention the fact they haven't seen me in person since we got engaged."
"That's an even better reason for you to visit." Elise said with a nod.
I smiled, yeah it was and I couldn't wait for the attention it would get me. As long as we didn't pull focus from Tony and Liza of course. It was their birthday first and foremost.
"I can't wait for them to meet Kekipi properly. When we can just visit and relax and I'm not all set to leave ASAP." I said, skirting the abyss I didn't wanna think about, but it was the truth, last time I saw Mom and Dad face to face I wasn't in the best mental place.
"I know you'll have fun." Elise said firmly.
"Thanks." I replied with a smile.
Then we started talking about the music. Elise was surprised my tastes were quite old fashioned, but then I reminded her that my father is pretty old, and even Mom really.
When we reached the airport we had to circle the short stay parking lot a few times before I found a space. We parked up and made our way under the overcast sky, but it wasn't raining anymore. I didn't know if that was down to distance, it just happened to be clearing now, or if Marlin had arranged it so her, Will and Carlisle would have cover but the weather wouldn't be so bad they might delay the plane.
We went inside the airport but couldn't spot them at first, but then I caught Carlisle and Drogo's scent. I turned toward it and spotted them with Isla and Brianna, tucked out of the way. I led Elise over to them.
Carlisle noticed us first and he smiled in greeting as we got closer. Then Isla noticed us and she looked confused about Elise.
"We're not too late." I said, glad to think of something to say that would avoid the question of Elise for a moment.
"We're waiting for Marlin and Will to return from dropping off the car." Carlisle replied.
"I can't believe you're going so soon." I said and hugged him, realising how much I was gonna miss my grandpa now he was heading out.
"This was an unexpected trip and I've got other patients back in Wyoming." Carlisle said as he hugged me back.
"Does that mean you're gonna run Jane's hospital?" I asked in surprise.
"Not yet. But I can use the facilities to help Drogo and then I'll be at Tregarran to help you a few days before the big party." He whispered.
"I'm gonna book tickets for the nineteenth, so I'll be at Tregarran for the twentieth." I whispered back.
"Then your appointment is for the twenty first, which will give you four days of recovery before the party." Carlisle stated.
"Ok. I'll book the tickets later and let Mom know the dates." I assured him.
"And I'll see you soon." Carlisle said, tapping my back and we broke apart.
"When you leaving?" Elise asked, and I realised she'd been talking to Isla and Drogo while I spoke to Carlisle.
"As soon as Marlin and Will return. We left it as long as possible before coming here." Carlisle replied.
"Oh." Isla said, looking sad.
"You'll be ok." Drogo said gently, and that look he gave her, yep it was definitely imprinting, and although it was a few years before they could act on it, I was happy for my old friend.
I decided to tune them out a little and distract Elise when I realised they were saying their goodbyes.
"Marlin is my father's sister and Will is her husband." I explained to Elise, and speak of the devil.
"Billie, I didn't think I'd see you before we left." Marlin said as she gave me a tight hug. "You take care."
"I will Aunt Marlin." I said, then stepped back. "This is Kekipi's mom, Elise."
"Pleased to meet you." Marlin said as she shook hands with my future in-law.
"Howzit." Elise replied.
Then Carlisle stepped up to the handles of Drogo's chair. Isla and Drogo exchanged an, "Aloha au ia oe." Before Carlisle started wheeling Drogo away.
Drogo looked back the whole time waving as Isla waved back. Elise and me both put an arm around Isla as we watched the group leave. I knew Isla wouldn't budge until Drogo was out of sight, so we stood there ten minuets while they waited in line to get their bags checked and Drogo was transferred to an airport wheelchair.
By the time they'd all disappeared though the gate Isla was crying on Elise's shoulder.
"I'll bring the car to the door." I whispered to Elise and she nodded as she started to lead Isla toward the doors.
I moved as fast as I could without drawing attention then drove to the pick up spot. I got out and opened the back door. I helped Elise walk Isla the last few feet and got her into the back seat. Elise slid in beside her and I climbed back into the driver's seat and pulled away.
Elise was comforting Isla in the back seat and it was clear the girl just needed to get home, so I drove as fast as was legal. By the time we got back to Hilo Isla's sobs had quieted some, but she was still upset. I went ahead to open the house door so Elise and Isla wouldn't have to mess about with it themselves.
I made sure Isla was safely inside before I shut the door and took the car back to the garage. I checked my watch, it was almost time for Kekipi to finish, so I went to wait behind his desk for him to finish.
I picked out one of my books to pretend to read, but I wasn't really reading it. I was just giving myself an out from getting into a convo with Hani other than saying a goodbye to him.
"You ready to go?" Kekipi asked and I looked up to realise that Hani had gone and the garage was shut down for the night. All that was left was for me and Kekipi to leave.
"Oh." I said, putting the book on the desk.
"You was choke into that book." Kekipi said as he pulled me to my feet and placed his hands on my hips.
"No." I said as I placed my hands behind his neck. "I wasn't even reading it."
"You were out of it." He said, giving me a worried look.
"I guess I just zoned out." I conceded. "Let's get home and I'll tell you about my day."
"That bad huh?" Kekipi asked a little joking but mostly sympathetic.
"Nah, just heavy." I said and kissed him before I pulled away and took his hand.
"What about your box?" He asked.
"I'll be coming back tomorrow. Just in case Isla needs me." I replied before I led him outside where it was still a light rain.
Kekipi locked the door and we made our way to the boat. It wasn't so good crossing in the drizzle, there wasn't a roof on the boat and I was damp by the time we got back to our island.
Although it was a lot like home I was feeling down as I got slowly out of the boat. I pushed my wet hair back out of my face and sniffed a little, I hadn't felt this bad since I was a moody teen.
Suddenly Kekipi scooped me up in his arms and ran up to the house. He got me safely inside and placed me in a kitchen chair before he disappeared to the bathroom and came back with a towel and started to pat at my hair.
"Thanks." I said and took his hand and kissed it.
"Why you so sad?" He asked as he knelt behind me and hugged me.
"I don't know." I whispered as I leant my head against his shoulder.
"Anything I can do?" He asked, as he stroked my forehead and that felt soothing.
"Keep doing that." I whispered and closed my eyes for a moment. "Better still, I'm gonna shower and get into dry clothes. Then I'll make us something to eat while you shower. Once we're done, maybe we can bring the mattress down again. Sleep in the alcove like we did the last time it was raining."
"Whatever you wanna do." Kekipi said and kissed my neck.
"Yeah. That's what we'll do." I said as I stood up.
I turned and kissed his forehead before I rushed upstairs to grab some clothes. I went to shower and I felt a little better washing the rain out of my hair. I left the bathroom to the smell of cooking.
"I decided to start on dinner." Kekipi said.
"Smells good." I said as I went to inspect what he was cooking.
"No." Kekipi said as he stopped me with a kiss. "You go dry your hair and I'll take care of dinner."
"You should shower too." I said with a frown.
"I know. I stink, but I can leave the food for ten minuets while I get cleaned up." He said, smiling at me.
"You don't stink." I said, feeling sad.
"It was a joke. You're supposed to laugh." Kekipi said with a hopeful smile, which faltered and he sighed. "I'm failing at making you feel better."
"You are making me feel better, but I think my joke meter is broke. I'm just reading everything as serious." I said, sounding down to my own ears.
"Then no more jokes." Kekipi promised and kissed my forehead. "Now you go take it local style and I'll shower."
"Thanks." I said and gave him a tight hug before we broke apart and I went upstairs to dry my hair with the hairdryer.
I did take my time, mostly cause I was feeling slow anyway. I always did when I was on a low ebb, and it had been a heavy day. The weight of it making me feel like I was moving under water. I wanted nothing more than to curl up and sleep, but I had to eat and there were things I had to tell Kekipi.
I also had to record my low ebb for when I saw Mal. I got my laptop out and wrote down the basics. I wasn't in the mood to go into details, but I was pretty sure Mal would pick up on that anyway. I put my laptop away and went back down to the kitchen. Kekipi was just serving up pork and potatoes with salad.
"It smells good." I said as I sat down at the table, which was already set.
"I try." Kekipi said as he placed two plates on the table and sat down. He gave my hand a squeeze before we tucked into the food.
Eating made me feel a lot better, and I put part of my slow feeling down to being hungry. I hadn't eaten much apart from breakfast and that tuna sandwich at lunch, no wonder I was a little woozy.
"That was delicious." I said once I'd finished and grabbed my plate to stand up.
"What are you doing?" Kekipi asked.
"The dishes." I said as I slumped back into my chair.
"I'll do them." He said as he took my hand and kissed it.
"But the rules." I protested.
"Can be broken." Kekipi pointed out, giving me a rebellious look.
"I know. But you cooked such a lovely meal, and I should do something." I said, not willing to be swayed.
"How about you drop the mattress down to me and I'll put it under the overhang, then you can do the curtain thing again, make the bed and set up a movie." He suggested and that lifted my spirits. That he wanted to play into this nostalgia.
"You just wanna get out of making the bed don't you." I teased, and it felt good to feel my mood improve.
"You got me." Kekipi said like I'd caught him out.
"Fine." I said as I kissed him. "You do the dishes and I'll make us a cosy little bolthole for tonight."
I went back upstairs and threw the mattress over the side. While Kekipi put the mattress under the overhang I started making a curtain out of blankets like we had before. Kekipi was already elbow deep in suds by the time I fixed the curtain over the side. Then I tossed blankets and pillows over the side, as many as I could find so that it would be uber comfortable. I just wanted a nice little place to snuggle up with Kekipi and forget about the world.
Although, before we got all comfy I had to tell him about his room first. In case we had to have it out.
"Kekipi." I said as he pulled the plug and turned from the sink, wiping his hands.
"Something wrong?" He asked, looking at me with concern.
"I saw your room today." I said quickly.
"You see it every day." He said with a shrug.
"Not here. Your old room." I clarified.
He froze for a moment.
"Back at Mom's hale?" He asked.
I nodded.
"I still got a room?" He said with a frown.
"Yeah."
"Please tell me it's more or less an empty room, just a bed there if I ever wanted to stay?" He pleaded.
"I wish I could." I said sadly.
Kekipi let out a grunt of annoyance as he double face palmed.
"It's a shrine to little Jimmy Silva, right?" He asked, his mouth muffled by his hands.
"That's the vibe I got. It made me feel sad the first time I saw it. In fact I doubled over with grief and had to get out of there." I admitted.
"But you went back?" Kekipi asked.
"I had to face it, and I was curious." I admitted to the latter.
"Curious?" Kekipi asked, looking confused.
"I wanted to see what you were like as a kid." I said, giving him an embarrassed smile. "It's good to see the wolf didn't get in the way of what you always wanted to do."
"What was that?" Kekipi asked.
"Fixing boats." I said.
Kekipi laughed.
"That wasn't it?" I asked, feeling confused.
"It was part of what I wanted." Kekipi said, as he crossed the kitchen and hugged me. "Let's get comfortable and I'll tell you all about it."
"Ok." I said, still a little worried whether I should have brought it up.
"Lesgo." Kekipi said, and squeezed my hand and climbed into the bed nest.
I climbed in behind him and he held his arm out for me to snuggle down next to him. I pulled the blankets up to my chin and waited for him to begin.
"Relax." He crooned as he stroked my cheek. "Why you so tense?"
"I'm a little worried about the whole bedroom thing." I admitted.
"The way I see it? Mom wanted me to know or she wouldn't have said for you to go up there. You weren't the one who kept it like a shrine." He said.
"I guess." I muttered.
"I'm not angry about it. Especially with you." Kekipi said as he pulled me into his lap.
"Are you sure?" I asked as I lay my head on his shoulder.
"Yeah." Kekipi said as he stroked my hair. "Anyway, I was gonna tell you that my dream was to see the world. A boat would let me do that."
"You wanted to travel?" I asked with curiosity.
"Yep."
"But why? You live on Hawaii, the best place on Earth." I protested.
"As true as that is, I should see other places to appreciate just how much paradise Hawaii is."
"I'll give you that." I said as I stroked his cheek.
"Yeah. Course I'm grown up now and I know you need choke money to do something like that, but back then it was my dream." Kekipi said softly as he rubbed the back of my neck, and that felt good.
"You know, I'm choke rich." I said, trying not to rub it in his face, but so he'd know it was an option.
"Don't think I want it now. I got my garage and I got my girl, what more can the world give me?" He mused.
"I'm happy here if you are." I said and moved my lips up to his.
"Wherever you are, that's hale." He whispered and met my lips and the kiss led to making out before we settled to sleep in our warm little nest. Whatever happened in the outside world, it didn't matter, we had each other.
Thank you for reading
Reviews are welcome
Gemma x
