Adieu – Modern Mozart
The subject of Emma's uncle wasn't brought up again. The memories of the death of her uncle seemed to disturb her more than the topic of Ethan. Jake quickly moved on to something lighter just as a black Mercedes pulled into the dirt drive way. Emma was on her feet as she sensed Carlisle making his way up the porch and she stared at the doorway like a lonely puppy. The elder vampire maneuvered himself into the bedroom that the witch was housed in and set a leather suitcase down in front of her, barely missing her toes. Her eyebrows rose at the new development.
"You want me to what?" Emma's voice was shrill with the excitement from Carlisle's idea.
"We've all agreed that you would be much safer here with Billy and Jake and the rest of the pack." In all the years that Emma had known Carlisle, she had never known him to be so eager to let her stay with a man that looked like Jacob Black. In fact, Carlisle Cullen had despised Ethan and disowned her for all of five minutes before apologizing. The amend was only half hearted for the Cajun man had received a look that the very depths of Hades could not produce.
"Are you mental?" The half breed wasn't trying to insult the man but she didn't understand the logic behind his decision. Jake seemed to be just as surprised when Sam and Billy came in shortly thereafter and confirmed the agreement. Carlisle snapped his fingers in front of Emma to catch her attention once again. His voice was low, which always meant that something serious was going on.
"Emma, the attack made on you was planned out. Someone had made a threat at the party last night which caused for all of us to be locked inside for hours. It gave the Volturi hunters the perfect window of opportunity to seize you. We can't afford another attack like that. Until I find out what they're up to, you're safest here amongst Jake and his pack." He stood up to shake hands with the men surrounding him as Emma finally spoke up.
"I could just run again, Carlisle. It would throw them off." He smiled sadly at the woman he had helped raise through the years.
"It's time to end this. No more running." Something was bothering the half breed and she knew she had to tell her adoptive father.
"Carlisle…last night…something was different about the attack. They had me cornered but none of the hunters came at me. It's like they were waiting for something. It's a little cliché, but I think they had something else up their sleeves." Carlisle nodded his understanding.
"I'll look into it. Stay alert and keep safe. I'll stay in contact." Emma stared at the vampire. This was the man who had taken her in when news of her uncle's death caught up to her. He was the one who promised her father that nothing bad would ever come to her as long as he could help it. This was the man who had saved her ass on numerous occasions and she didn't have to think twice about crossing the empty space between them and embracing him with a giant hug. He gently kissed her on the forehead, which he had done since she was a little girl, and hid his tears that were threatening to fall. All of the Cullen children had come under his protection as young adults but he was given the privilege to watch Emma grow into the woman she was now. He hastily said his goodbyes and left the Black household.
During the next week or so, Emma adjusted to life under Billy Black's roof. She would help out with chores without being told and politely asked if she could cook dinner for them on weeknights. It was something she had done since she had been old enough to read recipes and although she claimed she was just a modest chef, Jacob soon learned that it was the understatement of the century. She introduced foods of the Southern coast into Billy's kitchen and neither Jake nor his father complained. When she entered the kitchen, a symphony began. It started on Monday with a dazzling performance that consisted of boiled Cajun crawfish with a medley of steamed potatoes. On Tuesday, she bedazzled them with shrimp gumbo and homemade cornbread. Smells of crawfish etouffee and fresh French bread made Jake weak in the knees when he walked through the front door on Wednesday. Thursday was greeted with a small meal of red beans and rice. And on Friday, a special package was delivered from one of the members of the 'Hello There' house band who just happened to have connections to some of the best frog's legs north of New Orleans. Both Billy and Jake were reluctant to try the eccentric food but Emma assured them that it tasted like chicken. It must have been an acquired taste. The weekend was spent exploring the world of Tex-mex as Emma recalled her days living in San Antonio. While munching on a tostada chip covered in homemade salsa one night, Billy turned to Jacob and exclaimed, "I could get used to this cooking. Not so much the frogs…but everything else? Let's just say I would die a happy man if I had this as my last meal." When it came to food, Emma was the modern Mozart of the culinary world.
Every night, Jake would convene with the rest of the pack and scour the woods for signs of the Volturi hunters. Sometimes Emma would entertain Billy with a game of cards and share stories with the Native American. He, in turn, would share embarrassing memories of Jake that included the usual baby pictures. They would always be put up before the wolf returned and Emma would snicker under her breath as she would try to have a serious conversation with him. As the weeks turned into a full month, the half breed found that she enjoyed living with the Black family and she silently hoped that it would never end.
On the last weekend of the month, Billy would meet up with Bella's father and have their own down time. Sometimes it meant camping with the included fishing expeditions, and other times it meant a weekend of football complete with beer and the occasional cookout. A member of the Cullen clan would always watch over them and keep in constant contact with Edward in case of emergency.
On this particular weekend, Emma felt a stir of change. It was something that happened all the time and she usually had it under control but she wasn't quite sure of herself today. Like every other human girl on the planet, Emma had hormones. However, they were elevated because of other attributions in her gene makeup. She figured that it would hit later that night and went ahead with her plans anyway which consisted of a little scavenger hunt throughout Jake's home.
Jake, on the other hand, had just stepped out of the shower when he noticed that the witch wasn't in the house. It didn't take much these days for the werewolf to notice if Emma wasn't within a 10 foot radius. He quickly dressed and set forth to finding the little she-devil. He had just turned the corner on his long porch when he noticed the half breed sitting underneath a large tree wearing a white sundress. Her long hair was pulled up in to a loose bun even though the air was still chilly and the clouds threatened of another snow fall. But Emma was radiant and walked barefoot through the grass towards Jake as if it were spring. She calmly grabbed his hand and led him towards a blanket laid out with numerous fruits and foods.
"A picnic?" He didn't think of Emma as the romantic picnic in the front yard type but he was willing to humor her as she shot him a warning glance glazed with a smile from over her bare shoulder.
"It's a thank you lunch. It's my way of saying that I appreciated you putting up with me."
The couple ate for a bit as they cracked a few jokes and warmed their meal with fond stories. Jake learned that Emma was a worldly woman who had vacationed France when her life was semi-normal and traveled all over the United States while on the run. He also learned that her areas of living were limited since her skin held an uncanny glow.
"I tried living in Hawaii at one point and had most of my neighbors convinced that the glow was from a special blend of suntan oil. But it was more work than I thought it was worth so I moved back to the west coast and tried to stay in the less sunny parts of the world." Her favorite place had been Ireland since that was her mother's homeland. Jake retold the stories he knew of his own mom before digging into a bowl of vanilla yogurt with a slice of apple. The byproduct of the indulgence was a large glop of the creamy snack taking residence on the corner of the wolf's mouth. Emma giggled and motioned for him to wipe his mouth to which he missed entirely. Finally, the witch used her thumb to wipe it off and continued on with the conversation at hand. Unsettled by the action, Jacob interrupted her.
"Emma, about that night I told you all that stuff…" Emma shook her head and fished for another slice of apple.
"It's forgotten, Mr. Black." Truth be told, Emma had relived that night over and over again in her head. It wasn't forgotten but she didn't want it to become an issue either. It was enough for right now for her to just sit with the man beside her and eat their picnic.
"It was a lie, Emma. Most of it was, anyway." She figured that he was still confused over his feelings for Bella and she was okay with that. It wasn't imperative at the moment that he had to make a choice between her and the human so why force it from him? She shushed him with her index finger and grinned, signaling that at this moment in time, he should be content and just eat his apples.
Two of his fellow wolves came by later that evening just as Emma's hormones kicked in. It didn't help that Jake had thrown on a shirt that accentuated his lean muscles or that he smelled heavenly. But the heat was already ablaze when the werewolf say down next to the vixen. He surfed the television for a bit before submitting the idea of bed. Emma's clover colored eyes thinned into small slits as she became a bit braver.
"Bed sounds absolutely wonderful. But there's a tiny little problem. We have company and I happen to sleep naked." Everyone else's jaw dropped except Jake's, who saw right through the charade. He crossed his arms over his chest in a daring manner and grinned defiantly. An unspoken battle began between the duo as Emma's smirk grew larger until she finally turned to head towards the bedroom. A few moments later, she emerged with nothing on as far as the eye could see except a red kimono style robe. She sat down on the far side of the couch and crossed her smooth legs as if that were the period to the end of a very seductive sentence. The other two males didn't hesitate to make their way over to the same couch, only to have Jake's arm stop them as he took up residence beside the witch.
Every so often, Emma would uncross her legs and shift positions to get more comfortable in a very Sharon Stone-esque style. The younger of the men on the couch would lean forward, hoping to catch a glimpse of something they hadn't seen before. But Jake's head would always block their view and after a death glare was delivered, the boys would go back to their original place. Emma tried to not giggle as Jacob Black's jealousy rained over the group.
"You've made your point, Emma." His voice was low and the half breed through she heard the wonderful rumble of a growl from deep inside the man. She lightly tapped her fingernails on her thigh and turned to look at the wolf.
"You were the one who didn't believe me…"
"Go put some clothes on." His chocolate colored eyes were almost pleading with her.
"No," she said sternly. He then stood and slipped from her sight. Before she knew what was happening, an unmarked DVD case was hanging in front of her face.
"It's 'Zombie Apocalypse'." Emma eyes narrowed as she contemplated the temptation swinging in front of her. A good horror movie was something hard to come by these days and the specific title at hand was one she had wanted to see. But a question was laid before her: would she rather continue to make Jake a steaming pile of green eyed jealousy, or watch mediocre zombies ravage Los Angeles? "It's the British version." Her mind was made up for her as she jumped to her feet and scavenged her bags for her more modest pajamas. An American horror movie made with talent and a gift for catching gore at its best was one thing, but a British zombie movie was a diamond in the rough.
After an hour and a half of watching animated corpses decapitate stupid actors and feasting upon their insides, Jake called it a night. He said his goodbyes to his friends and locked the door behind them. When he turned, he found a still wide awake Emma perched on the back of the couch like a singing canary contemplating its next song. Her loose braid was hanging over her shoulder and a few wisps of hair were flowing freely, creating a natural beauty about her. Jake couldn't deny that Emma was an attractive woman but she was half vampire which made her an enemy by definition. She slid down the furniture until her feet made contact with the floor and she slinked towards the werewolf as if she were stalking her prey. She nonchalantly traced her collar bone with her finger tips and let them fall down to her hips as she reached Jacob Black.
"Why don't we have our own slumber party," she asked as her index finger traveled an invisible path down his stomach. He visibly gulped as the aura around them changed. He grabbed her wrist and led her back to her bedroom. She giggled incredulously as he shut the door behind them. Emma sat on her knees upon the mattress and reached for the edges of his shirt. Jake quickly shook her off, not quite understanding what was going on with her personality change.
"What's gotten into you, Emma?" She smiled devilishly and tried to tug at the belt buckle that hung over the wolf's jeans.
"You, as soon as I get these jeans off of you." He pushed her hands away and stood by the old chest of drawers, his eyes searching for the Emma he knew inside of the succubus at hand. He feared that if he sat down, then the vixen would straddle his lap and have her way with him.
