Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the authors. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended. This is just a tribute.

A huge thanks to willowbae for being a lovely beta, and for being prepared to exchange numerous Breaking Dawn movie review links. Those stinging reviews have had me in stitches, and I get the strong impression that the reviews are significantly more entertaining than the movie (I haven't seen it quite yet, though my morbidly curious side still - sort of - wants to go). I think some of my favourite comments so far are:

They're also not particularly easy to take seriously thanks to the wolves speaking with bizarre half-human, half-canine voices that put me in mind of Scooby Doo.

and:

Mr Lautner has plenty of reasons to strip angry: he can turn into a wolf, for starters, and Jacob's musculature has long been one of the most special of the movies' effects.

and finally:

It should be noted that Jacob removes his shirt inexplicably only once, right in the beginning, and it's brief. After that he's forced to rely strictly on his pure instincts as a thespian.

Anyway, enough of these digressions, time to get on with the story...

Chapter 11.

Nessie – coming home

I was so excited at the thought of seeing Jacob again, that I couldn't keep still. The old lady, sitting next to me on the plane, was starting to look a little irritated. I'd been in tears when my parents said goodbye at the airport, but now I was nearly home, I could only feel happy; I was going to see Jake.

I was used to the fact that when Jacob and I were apart, there would be a small, but constant, ache in my heart. It was just a part of imprinting which I had grown accustomed to. There were some imprinted couples on the reservation that really were unable to go for a day without seeing one another, and if they tried to, they would suffer acutely.

But Jake and I had had years to acclimatise ourselves to the separation. I knew how much he missed me when we were apart – because I felt it too – but we were both capable of getting on with our daily lives, without falling into a state of despair. But I had to admit that my heart always breathed a sigh of relief when we came together again, I just couldn't feel complete without him.

My week without him in New Hampshire had been tough, because the distance between us was so great. But it could have been worse. The days had passed much quicker than I was expecting, mainly due to our entertaining visitors. I was looking forward to telling Jake a little more about them, and hearing what he had been doing in my absence. And – thanks to Leo – I also had my new plan to put into action.

We landed at Sea Tac in the afternoon, after what seemed like an eternity in the air. Then there was the interminable messing around, getting off the plane and collecting my luggage.

I found myself hopping from foot to foot, waiting for my bag. It was agonising to be so close to Jake and not be able to see him. For one crazy moment I considered just dumping the stupid thing and picking it up from unclaimed property later. But, hooray, it finally crawled along the conveyor belt – I could have sworn it was the very last one out – and I was free to go. I grabbed the bag and hurried to the exit.

Passing through the gates, my heart leapt as I caught sight of Jacob, towering over everyone else. His face brightened as soon as he saw me, and he moved forward quickly. Sprinting across the airport lounge, I reached him first and flung myself into his open arms.

He squeezed me tightly. "I missed you so…" But he was unable to finish the sentence because my mouth was in the way. Fortunately, he didn't seem to mind, he just lifted me to his level and kissed me back. As I breathed in his scent, the ache in my heart disappeared and I wondered how on earth I had survived so long without him.

A minute or two later, Jake set me back on my feet and took my bag. He threw it over his shoulder and caught hold of my hand. With a warm smile, he slipped his tanned fingers between mine and led me to the exit. As we left the terminal, he reminded me that I should be wearing one of Aunt Alice's presents.

"Why aren't you in a cocktail dress? I was looking forward to it," he joked.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but I didn't want you to get overexcited and have a heart attack; after all, you are old," I said innocently, hoping to get a rise out of him.

It worked.

"Being in my thirties isn't old," he protested.

"Compared to me it is," I replied with a smug smile.

Jacob looked slightly irritated. "Actually, I'm in my prime."

"That's what old men always say," I helpfully pointed out.

He was looking decidedly disgruntled as we crossed the parking lot, and I had to supress a smile. I never knew why it was so much more fun to tease Jacob than anyone else; I found it irresistible. It was only when we got into his car that I slid my arms around his neck and whispered.

"I was only kidding."

Jake's eyes held a very fond expression as he wrapped me in a snug hold. "I'm really glad you're home, honey."

Placing a soft kiss onto his waiting lips, I sent him a little message. Metoo.

"Even if you are making my nose burn." He pulled a face.

This was my punishment for calling him old. I just laughed and pulled away, shaking my head, as he started the car.

"You know, you're as bad as Aunt Rose."

"Well, she only had to put up with one wolf this vacation, but I have to sit in a car with someone who smells like they fell into a barrel of vampires."

Unlike him, I refused to take the bait and answered in a matter-of-fact voice.

"I suppose it is worse than usual, ten instead of eight. Don't worry, I'll shower and change when I get to Grandpa's."

We turned onto the main road and Jake caught hold of the sleeve of my travelling jacket and sniffed the cuff.

"Did you wear this yesterday?"

He must have noticed the unfamiliar scent. I'd already told him on the phone that I'd been hunting with Leo, though I had kept the details of the conversation to myself.

"Yeah, do you like it?"

"It looks good on you. It smells of one of the new guys."

"Leo." I reminded him of the name, and showed him a memory of my new friend.

"Sure, sure." Jake breezed over these details. "So, you liked them then?"

Jake had reacted rather badly to the news that I had been tracked. It was my fault; I should have broken it to him more gently. At least he had calmed down once I explained the situation. In our following conversations I had made a number of references to the brothers, but I hadn't told him a huge amount about them. Jacob wasn't overly into vampires, and I didn't want to bore him with lengthy stories of my time spent in their company.

"Yeah, I really liked them." I nodded enthusiastically. "I can't believe that the family had never encountered them before, I mean, considering that they're vegetarians."

"I wish all vampires were," was Jake's cryptic reply. He then smiled at me and asked. "So did they tell you why they stopped hunting humans?"

Thinking of Hal's explanation made me smile. "Hal stopped feeding on human blood because he found it distracting. Apparently, it stopped him from thinking clearly; he says he can't understand why any vampires bother with humans."

Jake laughed. "You're kidding, right?"

"No, it's true." I assured him. "He really doesn't seem to miss it at all. Dad says that it's because Hal's interests are purely intellectual and not physical, so he doesn't really get much pleasure from drinking blood. He said that Hal is the most cerebral person he's ever encountered." I mulled this idea over for a moment and added thoughtfully. "He certainly is unusual."

I touched Jacob's arm and sent him a couple of memories of the snow-white vampire. He seemed taken aback by Hal's strange appearance. "Is that guy for real?"

"He does look a little strange, but he's so gentle, Jake, I couldn't help liking him. But that's nothing to Grandpa Carlisle. He's waited his whole life to find a vampire who is more interested in academics than he is, and that person has finally arrived. Hal is his new 'Best Friend Forever!'"

I had to smile at Grandpa Carlisle's enthusiasm; he clearly hadn't been getting enough intellectual stimulation from the rest of the family. Jake continued with the questions.

"So what about this Leo guy, why is he on the wagon?"

Remembering the drama that had arisen on this subject, I grimaced.

Jake caught the look. "What?"

I smiled ruefully. "I didn't want to talk about it on the phone, with everyone listening, but Dad got really upset when he found out why Leo stopped feeding on human blood."

Jake looked confused. "How come? I thought he'd approve whatever the reason."

I shook my head. "Wait until I tell you what it was."

"This should be good."

I hardly knew where to start. "When he was asked about it, Leo said that it was a hassle burying the bodies, and moving after he killed. He said he had more freedom this way, but Dad read his mind and found out that he was hiding the real reason."

I almost felt as if I was betraying a confidence by speaking of it. "I don't think Dad would have told anyone, except that he was so unhappy, he got angry with Mom and the whole thing came out."

"Edward got angry with Bella?" Jake exclaimed in surprise.

"Yes, he stormed out of the house and Grandpa Carlisle had to go and talk to him."

"Really?" Jake raised his eyebrows. "So what happened?"

"It was ok in the end; he came back and explained everything. What he'd seen had touched a nerve. It seemed that Leo had fallen in love with a human girl." I took a deep breath and Jake threw me a curious look.

"And?"

"And… and he accidentally killed her," I whispered.

Jake gave a sharp intake of breath. "Are you serious?

I nodded. "Yes." I remembered the expression on my father's face and winced. "It was awful."

Touching Jake's arm, I showed him Leo's reaction to meeting me, and everything that my dad and Uncle Jasper had said on the subject. When I lifted my hand away, Jake looked unusually grim. He was lost in contemplation for a minute before saying.

"No wonder Edward took it badly. I'm not sure if anyone thought your mom was going to survive those early days with your dad… including him."

This was not what I wanted to hear and I refused to believe it. "He would never have bitten her," I said stubbornly. I didn't care what anyone said, it couldn't be true. It just couldn't.

Lapsing into silence, I watched the scenery flash past.

"Nessie, are you ok?"

I nodded stiffly. "Uh huh."

Jake remained silent for a couple more minutes and then pulled the car over. I glanced at him in surprise.

"Why are we stopping? What's wrong?"

His dark eyes met mine and he raised his hand, gently brushing my cheek as he held my gaze. "That's what I want to know."

I wanted to tell him, I really did. But something stopped me. It was impossible to talk about this issue with anyone. My feelings about the more murderous instincts of my family were too painful for me to touch. I was afraid to face them, just as I was afraid to face the darker side of my own nature. So I lied, to protect myself.

"Honestly, I'm fine. I guess I'm just tired from the flight."

I knew that Jacob didn't believe me, but instead of pressing me about it, he just lifted my chin and kissed me lightly. "Ok, just checking."

I felt very relieved for his understanding, and threw him a sideways smile as he restarted the car. "Thanks."

"Anytime."

I rolled down the car window and let the rain splatter onto my shoulder. Smelling the damp air made me feel happier; it reminded me that I was close to home. I took a deep breath, trying to clear my head, and then switched on the stereo. This seemed like a good way to block out any uncomfortable thoughts. It needed to be louder. I turned up the volume and Jake raised his eyebrows, but said nothing.

We didn't really say much until the music ended, just as we reached Forks. In an attempt to turn my thoughts away from my father's killer instincts, I told Jake about Aunt Rose's alternative plans for my love life.

"I swear that's why she wanted me to go hunting with Leo. She hoped we would find love over the freshly killed carcass of a moose." I laughed and shook my head. "Only a Cullen could see that as a potentially romantic situation."

Glancing at Jacob, I thought that he would be smiling, but he wasn't. Instead his face looked surprisingly tense, and I noticed his jaw clenching.

"Jake, what's wrong?" I asked anxiously, all the humour gone from my voice.

He didn't look at me, he just replied tersely. "Nothing."

Apparently, it was my turn for the evasive answers.

Jacob's anger took me by surprise; the most obvious reason for it was that he was jealous. I cursed myself. I was an insensitive idiot, why had I told him about Rosalie's plans? But then I tried to think of the last time he had shown jealousy over me and came up with a complete blank. He had never been resentful of my other unattached male friends. No wonder I had thought he wouldn't be bothered.

So what was different this time?

I had a sudden realisation. They were all human.

Did he think that because Leo was a vampire that I might actually be interested? Did this circumstance make Jacob doubt my feelings for him? This was an uncomfortable idea, to say the least, and it was unfortunate that before I'd had a chance to discover if my suspicions were right, we had arrived at Grandpa's house.

"Nessie!" Grandpa was outside before we had even parked. He hugged me as soon I was out of the car. "Happy New Year, sweetheart."

I squeezed him back. "Hey, Grandpa."

A second later I was being hugged by Sue, and then Seth.

"Hey, Nessie." Seth grabbed hold of me and leaned down to kiss my cheek. "I'm glad you're here, now we can stop trying to guess when you're going to arrive!"

I put my arm through his and let him lead me into the house. "So, how's the wedding planning? You've set a date, right?"

"We should be finalising it this week." He smiled cheerfully, but then added in a conspiratorial whisper. "To be honest, I just want to get married. The other stuff goes over my head, so I just agree to whatever Marie suggests."

"That sounds wise; you'll make a good husband with that attitude." I smiled and hoped that Marie knew how lucky she was to have found someone as kind as Seth. I really loved him; he'd always felt much more like a brother to me, than an uncle.

Just as I was about to head upstairs, Jake appeared through the front door, carrying my bag. "Do you want me to take this to your room?"

"That's ok, I'll do it." I said, stepping towards him.

His expression was reserved as he handed me the bag. I sighed and went upstairs, feeling worried. I'd only just got home and I had already upset Jacob.

Some homecoming.

Author's notes:

As you can see, Nessie is not skilled in the subtle art of diplomacy.

Thank you for reading and thanks to everyone who has reviewed (please keep it up, I really love reading them) and also a big thank you to everyone who has added this story to their favourites or their alerts list :) It always makes me feel really pleased to know that there are readers who want more.

And if anyone else has found a particularly funny BD review, please feel free to share it with me, I love them ;) This would even include their own personal review of the movie.

Have a wonderful week, Mad :)