Jacob jerked his gaze away from Sunny's quickly and he looked down at his feet, his fists clenching and unclenching slowly.
"You gonna tell her?" Quil asked with a slight smirk as he looked between his best friend and Sunny.
"I was ordered to remember?" Jacob replied drily without looking up from his bare feet.
"Don't worry, man." Embry said reassuringly and he clapped Jacob on the back, "I'm sure it'll turn out fine."
Jacob snorted and rolled his eyes, "I'm not worried, I don't care how she reacts."
"Whatever you say, man." Quil scoffed mockingly as he shook his head in disbelief.
Jacob scowled at both of his best friends for a moment then he stood and walked over to where Sunny was talking animatedly with Paul and Seth. Both young men were watching her in amusement as she gestured widely with her hands, her Irish brogue making it slightly difficult for them to understand her rapid speech. Jacob cleared his throat when he reached the trio, ignoring the dark look Paul sent his way.
Sunny looked up at him with a bright smile, "Hey, Jacob."
"Hey, can I talk to you?" Jacob asked carefully then he glanced at Paul and Seth, "Privately?"
The redhead tilted her head slightly with a curious expression on her face, but after a moment she smiled and nodded.
"Sure." She said and she held a hand out to him, "Help me up, we can walk an' talk."
Jacob grabbed her smaller hand and pulled her to her feet easily. He dropped her hand as soon as she was upright then he turned and started walking off, away from the bonfire. Sunny rolled her eyes heavenward and sent an exasperated look towards Emily and Kim, who was watching the interaction with interested expression. Both women sent her reassuring smiles in return and Emily gestured with hand to follow the moody teen. Sunny rolled her eyes again and waved to Paul and Seth then she jogged after Jacob.
Jacob glanced at Sunny out of the corner of his eye when she caught up to him and he noticed her hands were shoved into the pockets of the oversized hoodie she was wearing. He turned his gaze forward again and the two walked in down the beach in a semi-comfortable silence, the light of the bonfire slowly fading behind them the further they walked.
After a few more minutes of walking, they came to a large log that had been bleached bone-white from the salty ocean water. Sunny hummed quietly to herself as she hopped up onto the log then she crossed her legs and looked out at the ocean that was illuminated by the almost full moon, her hands clasped loosely in her lap. Jacob leaned against the log beside her, his thick arms crossed over his bare, muscular chest and he, too, stared out at the ocean.
Sunny didn't mind the silence between them, it was surprising comfortable and she felt her shoulders relax as she enjoyed the light sea breeze. She was admittedly curious about what Jacob wanted to talk about, but she knew he would start when he was ready, she just had to be patient. Her patience was finally rewarded when Jacob cleared his throat after a few more minutes of silence.
"What did you think of the legends?" He asked nonchalantly as he subtly glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.
Sunny shrugged and a smile appeared on her face as she thought about the legends.
"They were amazin'." She replied and her grin widened slightly, "Billy an' Old Quil 're gifted storytellers."
Another silence fell after she finished speaking, but a few moments later Jacob spoke again.
"What would you do if someone told you they were real?"
"The legends?" Sunny questioned then continued when Jacob nodded, "Run away screamin' my head off, like any sane person."
Jacob gave her a disbelieving look and she laughed loudly at him. Realizing she was messing with him, Jacob rolled his eyes and scowled at her slightly.
"Can you be serious for one minute?" He demanded, sounding harsher than he had intended too, "How would you really react?"
"Oh, lighten up, Black." Sunny stated and she made a face at him then she turned to look at the ocean again, contemplating her answer.
"Honestly, if someone told me tha' th' Quileute legends were real, I'd believe 'em."
Jacob scowled at her, "I'm not joking-"
"Neither am I." Sunny broke in and she looked at him with sincere green eyes, "I'd really believe 'em."
"You're serious." Jacob stated in surprise and Sunny rolled her eyes.
"Aye." She responded and she flashed him a bright smile, "If I can believe in faeries an' such exist, then vampires an' shapeshifters aren't tha' much o' a stretch o' th' imagination."
Her brow furrowed and her stare become intense as she looked at Jacob, "Wait, 're ye tellin' me tha' th' legends 're true?"
Jacob glanced at her then he looked down at his feet. He cleared his throat then nodded his head once.
"Yeah."
Sunny didn't say anything and her silence unnerved Jacob slightly. He looked up over at her and saw that she had pursed her lips and her nose was scrunched up in thought.
"Sunny?" He asked and mentally cursed himself for how anxious he sounded.
She finally looked at him and her brow furrowed again, "Who?"
"Sam, Jared, Paul, Embry, Quil, Seth, Leah, and me." He answered immediately and she nodded her head slowly.
"Wait, Leah?" She asked confusedly, "Thought 'twas only a male thing."
Jacob nodded his head, "Yeah, we're not sure why she phased but she did."
"Alrigh'." Sunny stated, accepting the whole thing with remarkable ease, "Tha's not all ye wanted t'talk 'bout, is it? There's somethin' else."
Jacob mentally cursed her perceptiveness then he sighed.
"Yeah," He replied slowly, "You remember how in the legend, the Third Wife was said to be Taha Aki's true spirit wife?"
"Aye." Sunny said with small nod.
"Yeah, well, we call that imprinting." He explained with another sigh as he stared blankly at the ocean, "Imprinting is when a wolf finds his other half. His soulmate."
Jacob noticed Sunny's whole body tense from his peripherals but he continued speaking.
"It's kind of like love at first sight, only stronger. It's more like gravity shifts suddenly, the earth isn't holding the wolf in place anymore, she is. And a wolf becomes whatever the imprint needs him to be—protector, brother, friend, or lover."
"Why 're ye tellin' me this?" The redhead asked in a whisper, her voice cracking a small amount.
Jacob winced slightly and turned his head to look at her, "I imprinted on you."
She stared at him silently, her expression blank and Jacob began to ramble nervously.
"It's not something I wanted this to happen. If I could go back and stop it from happening, I would. I didn't and still don't want this."
He sighed and ran his hand through his hair, "I'm sorry, I know you're a great girl but I wouldn't have even looked twice at you if it wasn't for the imprint. I love someone else and I've been trying to find a way to break it since it happened."
"Wha'?" She demanded suddenly, seeming to finally come out of her stupor, "Ye wha'?"
He looked at her like she'd grown a second head, "I've been trying to break the imprint. Sunny, we're not meant to be together. I love Bella more than anything and I'm not gonna let the imprint get in the way, so I'm going to break it."
Sunny stared at him incredulously before she hopped off the log and stood in front of him, pointing an accusing finger at him.
"Yer a dick!" The Irish girl yelled and she jabbed him in the chest with her finger, "Did ye even think fer a minute 'bout how this would affect me? Wha' it I don' want ye t'break th' imprint? Did ye even think o' tha'?"
Jacob clenched his jaw and glared down at her, his silence an answer in and of itself. The young Irish woman shook her head in utter amazement then she took a step away from him.
"Mother o' God, I didn' even think 'twas possible t'reach th' level or assholery ye jus' reached, Jacob Black." Sunny said then she pointed a finger at his face, her green eyes harsh, "Ye have t'be th' most selfish, childish, an' inconsiderate bastard I have ever met an' tha' is sayin' somethin'!"
The redhead ran her hand through her short hair and tugged slightly on the strands, letting out a small scream of frustration.
"I-I can't deal wit' this shit righ' now." She muttered then she spun on her heel and began walking away.
A large, hot hand suddenly wrapped around her bicep and pulled her to a stop. Sunny turned and glared at the hand then up at Jacob, her green eyes blazing.
"Where are you going?" Jacob demanded as he glared right back at her.
"'M goin' home!" Sunny snarled aggressively as she tried to yank her arm from his grasp, "I need t'think 'bout all this crap. Don' bother followin' or comin' by either, Black!"
"You can't just walk away!" He protested firmly, "Because of the imprint I have to at least see you."
"Well tha' jus' too fuckin' bad!" The redhead yelled angrily, "Ye don' get t'do tha' when ye jus' told me ye don' even want th' fuckin' imprint! Christ, ye 're such an arse!"
Jacob stared at her in stunned silence, his grip on her arm loosening enough for her to wrench her arm free.
"Stay th' hell away from me, Black." Sunny snarled, "When I want t'talk t'ye, I'll find ye."
She then stormed away, leaving Jacob once again by himself with only his conflicting thoughts for company.
Sunny stomped back into the light of the bonfire with a thunderous expression, which she tried to clear as she made a beeline towards Lily, who was sitting with Claire, Embry, and Quil. She was almost there when she paused in her tracks, Jacob's words coming back to her.
'A wolf becomes whatever the imprint needs him to be—protector, brother, friend, or lover.'
The words circulated through her head as she stared at Embry, who had Lily on his shoulders as she squealed with laughter.
"Oh fuck no." she said out loud and stormed towards them, "Embry!"
Embry spun around, causing Lily to scream slightly. Seeing the dark look on the redhead's face, he quickly handed Lily over to Emily, who had walked over with Sam.
"Embry fuckin' Call, ye have some explainin' t'do!" Sunny yelled, not even caring that she was drawing attention to herself.
"H-hey, Sunny." Embry stuttered and he nervously looked down at the fuming Irish girl, "So, I guess Jake told you?"
Sunny's nostrils flared slightly with her anger and she quickly closed her eyes. She took a deep, calming breath and held for a count of ten then she slowly exhaled, letting her anger go with it. She opened her eyes and looked Embry right in the eye.
"Ye hurt her an' I'll shove me foot so damn far up yer arse, you'll be tastin' leather for months, got it?" Sunny demanded firmly as she pointed her finger right at his nose, causing him to go cross-eyed for a moment.
Embry blinked and nodded his head dumbly in response. Sunny nodded her head jerkily in return, satisfied that he understood then she took Lily from Emily's arms and hugged her tight, pressing an affectionate kiss to her short, reddish-gold hair. Lily happily wrapped her arms around her sister's neck and pressed a kiss to Sunny's cheek.
The four year old allowed her sister to hold her for a few more minutes then she began to wiggle, stretching her arms out towards Embry in a silent demand. Sunny sighed gently and handed Lily over to Embry, not even bothering to comment on the way he cradled her younger sister protectively in his arms or the way he was gazing at her adoringly. Sunny stared at them for a moment then she turned to face Sam and Emily, who were watching her with wary concern.
"Are you okay, Sunny?" Emily asked in a maternal tone and she placed a gentle hand on the redhead's arm.
The younger woman gave her a small, strained smile and shook her head.
"No, 'm not, nut I'll be fine." Sunny replied honestly then she looked at Sam with a serious expression on her face, "Could ye keep everyone away from me fer a few days while I process everthin', Boss Man?"
Sam looked at her carefully,, silently judging if he should then he nodded slowly in acquiescence.
"Alright, just don't take too long."
"I won't." Sunny promised then she turned back to Lily and pressed a quick, loving kiss to her forehead, "Ye be a good little lass for Emily an' Sam, okay? I'll pick ye up t'morrow afternoon, aye? Enjoy yer sleepover, love."
Lily nodded and gave her older sister, who was more like a mother to her, a shrewd look.
"You're going to visit Mama aren't you?" The four year old asked, her perceptiveness causing Sunny to chuckle quietly and ruffle her hair affectionately.
"Aye, I am. How 'bout I take ye t'visit her over th' weekened?" Sunny offered then she glanced up at Embry, "We can even take Embry along if ye'd like."
Lily frowned slightly and thought it over then she nodded, "Okay."
Sunny kissed her forehead again then she pressed a sisterly kiss to Embry's cheek.
"Thank ye fer takin' care o' her." Sunny said quietly and Embry gave her a small smile.
Sunny smiled tiredly back, ruffled Lily's hair once last time and waved to the others then she began the short trek towards her car. She paused briefly when she caught sight of Jacob standing on the other side of the bonfire. He was watching her through narrowed black eyes, apparently not even paying attention to Sam, who was talking to him. The redhead scowled slightly and shook her head then she continued on her way to her car as if she hadn't seen him at all.
"Bastard." She mumbled to herself as she climbed into her van, intent on going home and sleeping.
The next morning, Sunny slowly pulled into the parking lot of St. Patrick Cemetery. She let her van idle in the parking spot for several moments then she killed the engine and grabbed the bouquet of lilies and daffodils from the passenger seat. Taking a deep, steadying breath, Sunny climbed out of the car and looked the doors, pocketing her keys.
St. Patrick Cemetery was located in Kent, Washington just twenty minutes away from Seattle. It had been established in the mid-nineteenth century when the Irish immigrants from Kent Valley had set aside four acres of land for a Catholic cemetery. Hence the reason Maire Finnegan was buried there on November 4th, 2004, three days after she had been killed by a drunk driver on her way home from work.
Sunny sucked in another deep breath and she closed her eyes for a moment then she began to slowly make her way through the cemetery, passing various plots and mausoleums as she went. Five minutes later and she had reached her mother's grave in the back corner of the center section of the cemetery. The grave was marked by a simple, rectangular gravestone and beside it was small hole with a black tube for flowers.
The Irish girl heaved a sigh and sat down cross-legged in front of the gravestone. She placed the flowers carefully beside her and pulled her black peacoat tighter around her frame. Bowing her head, Sunny prayed silently like she always did when she visited her mother's grave. When she was finished, Sunny lifted her head and reached a hand out, lightly tracing the engraving on the headstone then she let her hand fall in her lap limply.
"Hey Ma, been awhile." The redhead joked weakly then she cleared her throat, "Lily's doin' better, her hair's longer npw. She's made a new friend too, Claire Young, she's three an' is stayin' with her aunt on th' Quileute reservation near Forks. Lily an' her 're inseparable, 'tis absolutely adorable watchin' them get into all sorts o' mischief. Lily's goin' t'be so upset when Claire has t'go back to th' Makah reservation. Quil will be too, fer tha' matter, but at least Lily has Embry. Oh, I forgot t'mention tha' Embry is Lily's soulmate, imprint, whatever."
Sunny sighed again and rubbed her face with her hands, "Did I mention tha' Embry an' Quil 're werewolves? Not like th' full-moon, vicious, furry kind. They're more like shapeshifters, t'be honest, but they like bein' called werewolves instead. Guess it sounds more masculine or somethin'. Anyway, them along wit' Sam, Paul, Seth, and Jared, all th' guys I've become friends wit' turn into wolves. So does Seth's older sister, Leah, but she an' I haven't spoke much. Migh' have t'change tha' soon. She's apparently an oddity among the oddities 'cause she's th' only female in th' pack."
"O' course we can't forget Jacob fuckin' Black." Sunny commented with a sardonic laugh, "He's apparently my soulmate. An' he doesn' even want me 'cause he's too busy yearnin' after some girl tha's in love wit' some other guy. Anyway, he wants t'break th' imprint so tha' he can win over this chick. Now, I would have been completely fine wit' 'im breakin' th' fuckin' imprint, if he had bothered t'ask me fer my opinion on th' whole thing, but he didn'. He jus' decided tha' he was goin' t'do it wit'out any thought on how I would feel 'bout it. How fucked up is tha'?"
The Irish girl groaned and covered her face with her hands, hanging her head slightly in frustration.
"Fuckin' hell, when did me life become such a supernatural soap opera? I don' know wha' t'do, Ma. I mean, I can understand where he's comin' from in a way. He loves this lass, loved 'er so much tha' he thought she was th' one an' then I come in an' bam! He finds out tha' God, th' spirits, or whatever entity tha' created imprintin' decided tha' she wasn' good enough an' now he's stuck wit' me. Tha' has t'suck arse…"
"He's a nice lad and all, but I barely know 'im an' people expect me t'want a relationship wit' him?" Sunny continued then she flopped onto her back and spread her arms out wide as she stared up at the sky, "S'like seriously? We've only known each other fer a month at most an' ye want me t'jump into a relationship? Wha' th' hell is wrong wit' ye people?"
The Irish girl huffed and scratched at her idly, "O' course, Jacob explained tha' a wolf is whatever th' imprint needs him t'be, so maybe we can jus' be friends? I mean, imprintin' seems like a permanent thing, so I doubt it can be broken. But 'm sure we can compromise or somethin'."
"Aye, tha's what I'll do. We can compromise an' everythin' will be okay." Sunny stated as she quickly sat up and shook the grass from her hair, "Thanks fer listenin', Ma. I'll bring Lily up t'visit this weekend. If she can convince 'im t'come, maybe you'll even be able t'meet Embry."
She got to her knees and picked up the flowers, placing them carefully into the little tube then she pressed a kiss to the top of the headstone,
"Bye, Ma." Sunny whispered as she got to her feet, "I'll be back soon."
The redhead exhaled slowly and left the cemetery with a slight bounce to her step. She would still wait a few days before she talked to Jacob, just to give them both time to cool down fully and, hopefully, he'll be receptive to her compromise.
Three days. It had been three days since Jacob had told Sunny about being a werewolf and about imprinting. He had not seen or spoken to her in those three days and, as much as he hated to admit it, it was starting to drive him crazy. Of course, sort of helped to know that she had rarely spoke to anyone else in the pack with the exception of Emily and Kim, but they didn't technically count since they weren't wolves. Of course, Paul made it worse since, out of the entire pack, including Emily and Kim, Sunny had spoken to him the most in those three days. And the temperamental wolf liked rubbing that fact in Jacob's face on an hourly basis.
"Would you sit the fuck down already?!" Paul exploded after Jacob had paced past him for what had to be the twentieth time.
Jacob pinned him with a dark glare and a growl reverberated from deep within in chest. Paul snarled and growled right back. Both were itching for a fight, though for completely different reasons.
"Knock it off, both of you." Sam commanded in the alpha voice, "Sunny's going to be any minute and the last thing she needs to see is your furry asses ripping the shit out of each other. Now sit down Jacob."
Jacob growled again but took a seat on the arm of the couch next to Embry. The pack sat quietly in the living room as they waited for Sunny and Lily to arrive. The only noise was coming from the kitchen, where Emily and Kim were making lunch with Claire.
Seth suddenly perked up from where he was lounging beside the window and he excitedly exclaimed when he caught sight of Sunny's van pulling in beside Sam's truck.
"She's here!"
And just like that the living room was a flurry of movement. Embry had jumped to his feet and was rushing towards the door only for Sam to grab him by the back of the neck and hold his arm out to keep the others from rushing from the living room.
"Stop!" He commanded and the rest of the pack froze in place.
Jacob heard Emily shuffled out of the kitchen and towards the door, without sparing the group of large, frozen men in her living room a glance. Claire giggled when she glanced at the group as she followed after her aunt.
"Hullo Emily, Claire." Sunny's voice filled the air followed by Lily and Claire's squeals of excitement at seeing each other, even though they had spent all day yesterday together.
Jacob watched intensely as Emily passed them on her way back to the kitchen, a giggling Lily and Claire following after her. He and the rest of the pack waited tensely for a moment then Sunny appeared. She paused in front of the frozen group, her brow furrowed and her lips quirked in amusement.
"Wow Em," she called over her shoulder without removing her gaze from the group, "These statues are so life-like."
She reached over and pinched Embry's cheeks, pulling on them and making his mouth stretch.
"This is awesome, Boss Man." Sunny commented as she finally let go of Embry's face with a snicker, "Whipped all o' ye."
She turned away from the group of men and headed towards the kitchen, whistling a jaunty Irish tune to herself.
"Sam." Seth all but whined as he watched Sunny head into the kitchen where the smell of food was wafting from.
"Alright, go." Sam said with a sigh, "Calmly."
Embry wiggled out of his grab and darted in the kitchen, where the pack could here Lily's happy exclamations and Sunny loud laughter. Slowly the rest of the pack followed, with Sam leading the way. Jacob entered the kitchen last and his gaze subconsciously sought out Sunny's tall form. He had to repress an angry growl when he saw Seth squishing her in a hug before he passed her over to Paul.
"Don't ever do that again, princess." Paul snapped as soon as he let her go, his large hands on her shoulders.
The redhead laughed and patted his head, a coy smile on her lips, "What did the puppy miss me?"
The kitchen was filled with groans and Sunny laughed maniacally while Emily and Kim giggled. Jacob watched as Sunny looked around the kitchen and then her gaze settled on him. As soon as it did, her green eyes became determined and she quickly made her way towards him. Jacob felt the unmistakable fight-or-flight instinct, which he quickly squashed as he stood still and waited for to reach him. He could feel the pack's eyes on them but he didn't look away from Sunny's gaze to check if they were actually staring.
"Ye an' I have t'talk." The Irish girl stated firmly, her tone brooking no argument then she walked past him and towards the backdoor without waiting for a reply.
Jacob glanced back at his pack and found that they were all silently staring at him then he quickly followed after the redhead. When he stepped out onto the back porch, Sunny was once again sitting on the porch railing with her back pressed against one of the awning's support beams while her legs dangled on either side of the rail.
The sky was cloudy and it was sprinkling lightly, but that didn't seem to bother Sunny in the least. Jacob moved to stand next to her, leaning his arms against the railing. They both stared out at the forest silently, watching the rain fall. Jacob kept glancing at Sunny out of the corner of his eye, waiting for her to start talking but she seemed content to just sit in silence. He wanted to say something, but he wasn't sure what he could say, so he remained silent.
"Tell me 'bout Bella."
Jacob jerked his head around so fast to look at her, he heard it crack. Sunny looked at him with a cocked brow, her eyes daring him to deny talking to her. He sighed and turned to look at the forest again when he realized that his glare wasn't going to deter her.
"Why do you want to know?" He asked, attempt to evade the question in a different way and he noticed her shrug one shoulder from his peripheral vision.
"I have me reasons." The redhead answered vaguely as she began picking at her nails, "Now tell me 'bout her."
"Fine." Jacob agreed with a sigh then he gave her a stern look, "But you can't talk or ask questions until I'm done, alright?"
"Sure, sure." Sunny responded without thought as she waved her hand in a gesture of agreement, "Silent as the dead."
Jacob rolled his eyes slightly then gestured towards one of the chairs, "You might want to sit in one of the chairs. This is going to take a while."
Sunny looked at him with a quirked brow then she pointedly pulled her left leg up and wrapped her arm around, resting her chin on her knee while her other leg continued to dangle over the rail. Jacob shook his head in slight amusement then he looked back at the tree line.
"I knew Bella back when we were kids." He started slowly and Sunny listened with rapt attention as he told her about all things Isabella Swan.
Author's Note: Decided to combine chapters 12 and 13 from the original version to make a single, longer chapter. I might actually start doing that more often, but only when two chapters coincide with each other (i.e. they either take place the same day or the next). I'm not gonna combine chapters if there's a major time-skip between them, say like a week or more. Anyhooties, I hope y'all liked this chapter. Next one we get to hear Sunny's, revised but not really, opinion on one Isabella Swan, so stay tuned for that.
PS - St. Patrick Cemetery is an actual cemetery in Kent, WA and yes, Sunny's mother was Catholic and Sunny sort of is. She's not extremely religious but she still sometimes goes to Mass and all that…Hmm…maybe I should do a chapter about that…What do you guys think?
Special THANKS to everyone that faved and/or alerted! You guys are absolutely awesome-sauce!
SPECIAL MENTIONS!
ForeverTeamEdward13: Thanks, I'm glad you liked the last chapter and I hope you liked this chapter too!
Nostalgic Child: Haha, thanks, I really can't take credit for the legends though since it's just a mishmash of using and other versions of the legend I've seen on this site, I just tweaked and blended things. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!
Woodshrew: Thanks, I'm glad you liked the last chapter! I hope you liked this one too!
Mira SeverusSirius Black Snape: Haha, I hope you liked the fight at the beginning of this chapter. XD
Miramisa90212: Oh my God, I know, Boo Boo Stewart is one yummy hunk-o'-man. Mmm, washboard abs…Annnyhooties, sexy abs aside, I hope you liked this chapter!
Anon Guest: Thanks, I hope you liked this chapter!
Geekchic8428: Thank you, I'm glad you liked the last chapter and the legends. Haha, I kinda feel bad for Jake sometimes too, but only sometimes. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!
Molly Grace 16: Thanks, I'm glad you liked the last chapter. Honestly, out of the entire Twilight series, I thought the legends were the most interesting thing. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!
Lmv16: Haha, I hope you liked this chapter!
Luli Cullen: Thanks, I hope you liked this chapter!
Tamani: Thanks, I'm glad you liked the last chapter. I did change the original version of this chapter a bit, plus I combined it with the original's chapter 13 to make it longer. Yeah, Caleb's babe and I were talking about the covenant, which is a freaking awesome movie. Who's your favorite Son of Ipswich? I'm tied between Pogue and Reid.