Ch 10

Pebbles snd dust shifted beneath Jacob's bare feet as he paused to stare at the rippling waves of First Beach. Soon enough, the sun would rise. He could only just discern the silhouette of the moon as it drifted below the horizon. Whenever he behelf a sight like this, Jacob inexplicably thought of a pale face and luminous brown eyes; they belonged to the woman who was integral to his happiness. If she were the moon, then Jacob was content to be the ocean, tethered to her whims and reflecting her light for the rest of eternity.

"Why does your face look like that?" called a voice off to his left.

"Like what?" Jacob asked, dark eyes still trained on the retreating moon.

"All soft and dreamy-eyed, like Bambi or something. It's disgusting. Really, I might actually puke."

"Did someone forget to change your diaper, old man?" He said, irritation tightening his voice. Jacob gritted his teeth and turned to face the man who ambled toward him, hands tucked into the pockets of his sweatpants. He met the gaze of his former pack mate, brother in-law, and eternal thorn in his side. "Damn, you got old, Paul."

"Your sister doesn't seem to mind. In fact, just last night, we were—"

But Jacob raised a hand before Paul could finish. "I don't need to hear this. That's just—ugh!" He grimaced. "You guys have kids."

Paul chuckled, his tone rife with condescension. "How do you think they go here, Jake?" He widened his eyes in mock-surprise.

Jacob scrubbed the heel of one hand into his squinted eyes, forcing a long, restrained breath from his tight lungs. "Look, not that I haven't enjoyed our little chat, but when are you going to tell me why I'm here? I've got better things to do than have a battle of wits with an idiot."

Paul paced closer, arms folding across the faded logo emblazoned on the tee-shirt he wore. "Better things, huh? What, your vampire girlfriend can't fend for herself for a few days?"

Jacob tensed, knuckles tightening around the brim of the helmet he clutched. "Renesmee doesn't need me around to protect her; don't you worry about that, Paul."

A single, graying brow lifted. "Whatever you say, Jake." His palms may have splayed in placation, but his amused half-grin told a different story.

"I'll ask again, Paul: why am I here? Adam's text was cryptic as hell. I don't handle your crap very well, if you remember." His eyes narrowed on the other man, brows lowering. "And for that matter, did you show up instead? Uley was annoyingly specific when he called to arrange this little meeting." As he spoke, Jacob was loathed to realize that his tone was increasing both in ferocity and volume. Paul had always brought out the worst in him. Even after the last few decades, no one riled him quite like Paul.

"Adam was.. held up," Paul replied vaguely, scratching the back of his neck. "He meant to be here, but Emily needed him. He thought I'd be the beat choice, seeing as we're family now." Paul's lips twisted wryly. "Adam should know better."

Jacob understood at once what Paul wouldn't say: Emily was dying and every one of the Res' residents knew it. "How bad has it gotten?"Jacob managed to ask, his tone barely remaining level.

Blowing out a tired breath, Paul met Jacob's eyes. For once, his expression was devoid of its most practiced expressions—those of rage, or challenge, or derision. Not even the briefest hint of menace darkened his brown eyes. On the contrary, Paul's eyes held a resonant knowledge Jacob once attributed to his father, alone. In his prime no longer, Paul stepped willingly aside as time passed by him, weathering away the sharp edges and broken pieces. All at once, Jake realized that, while something had begun for his old friend when he married Rachel, some things were now coming to a close, as well: lives were winding doen, their children were growing older—La Push had moved on without him. "Bad," paul replied simply.

"And Sam?"

Paul just shook his head. "He's going our of his mind, Jake. He wants to be strong for her, but even Sam's not strong enough to care for her, their kids, the pack, and other responsibility he loads onto himself. That's one of the main reasons why Adam has taken up Sam's mantle as head of the pack."

"But wait," Jake interrupted, "shouldn't a more senior member be taking charge? Adam Uley is barely twenty-five. He's just a kid."

Snorting, Paul gave him a dismissive gesture gesture. "Says the guy who looks about eighteen."

"That's different," Jacob countered. "I've been around just as long as the rest of you."

"True," Paul conceded with a shrug.

Silence fell between them. The sun had almost completely crested the white canvas of clouds that drifted above La Push, streaking delicate watercolor hues across the morning sky. Gulls cawed testily as they skimmed the ocean's surface, hoping to catch their breakfast. Renesmee loved the oceanic view from Astoria Manor's bay window because it offered her the chance to observe nature—not as a predator, but as a spectator; an observer of the uncomplicated majesty of their tiny infinity. If he knew her at all, she was probably staring out of that very bay window right at that moment, her eyes glued to the dolphins at play just below her.

Sand crunched beneath Paul's feet as he shuffled, his eyes cast down. "So, how—?"

"I'm still wondering why I'm here."

"Yeah, that," Paul sighed, straightening. "Do you remember how Sam and Leah talked about exploring the possibility that others like us exist? I mean after that little situation with the king bloodsucker and his buddies, we would have been stupid not to, right?"

Jacob nodded tensely. "Yeah, I remember. After the Volturi left, Leah practically tackled Sam to the ground. She was convinced there are others like us out there."

As he adjusted his footing on the rocky ground, Jake felt a shift in his pocket. The length of his cell phone pressed against his thigh. He took it out, examining the screen. A low battery warning flashed across it, as well as notifications of three missed calls from Bella and one from Rosalie, of all people—Renesmee would be livid when he finally called to check in.

"Right, right," Paul confirmed, flashing a brief a grin. "Well, here's the thing, Jake: Leah found them."

Jacob blinked. "Say that again?"

"Other shapeshifters. Leah actually found them." Paul sounded just as shocked as he felt. "There are at least three groups that we know of. One down in New Mexico, one over in California, and another in Minnesota."

Jacob felt his jaw go slack. "Good going, Leah. That's—wow. Are they at all similar to us? Are they wolves or—?"

"Hold up, Jake," Paul raised a silencing hand. "I can't tell you much." At Jacob's scowl, Paul continued, "not because I don't want to. I can't tell you because Leah, Adam and Sam have all of the information squirreled away between them. What I can tell you is that the wolves we located in Minnesota need our help."

"Our help? Since when did I agree to get involved?" He squared his shoulders, his forearms straining as be braced them on a large outcropping of rock and earth.

"We need you because you're our local vampire expert now that Billy and the other elders have passed. Sue knows some, but she's shared all she could. We need you, Jake. Sam needs you. And La Push needs you, too."

With his back turned away from Paul, the ocean, snd everything he had come to know, Jacob said: "Tell me what you know and I'll do what I can." He slipped his depleted cell phone back into his pocket and ushered Paul to take a seat on the outcropping as he, too, sat. "So, Minnesota, huh?"

Author's Note:

I am so sorry for the long wait on updates and edits. NaNoWriMo has occupied most of my feee time. It is no excuse foe neglecting you all, but I want us to have an honesty policy around here, so I am aiming for transparency here.

This chapter was told from Jacob Black's point of view. I don't usually tell a story from a more masculine perspective, but I want to change that. You can expect more chapters from Jacob, especially with his new development brought to us by the ever-charming Paul.

If you were left wondering why he left Renesmee in the dead of night—well, now you know... Sort of. I promise it will all be explained in time. How do you feel about my portrayal of Jake and Paul's relationship in this chapter?

As always, share your predictions. They are, by far, my favorite comments to read—though encouraging and motivational reviews can't be beat.

Just a reminder: I am still taking name suggestions for Felix and Danika's baby, as well as other baby names for your favorite Twilight Saga vampire. Not every canon character or couple will become parents, so if you don't see your favorite characters with children by the end of this, you can't say I didn't warn you. Still, keep those name suggestions coming, please. While I have some ideas—some more concrete than others—I have decided to keep an open mind on the baby name front. After all, I write this story, not just for myself, but also for those who enjoy reading it.

Until next time!

With love, Luna.