Judy visited the Cullen house every day after they first went, trailing after Rosalie who had become her new favourite person. Jacob Black developed a twitch near his eye whenever his daughter's location was mentioned, but the one time Leah had gone to pick up their daughter...well, Baxter ended up driving Judy around when she couldn't just run home because Rosalie had given her too many presents to carry back.

It wasn't really the presents. Rosalie knew as much about cars as Judy's beloved father (maybe more, but Baxter wasn't going to be the one to say it). Even more than that, Rosalie knew about a lot of things that Jacob Black probably never considered talking to his daughter about.

One Sunday, Rosalie took Judy with her to Seattle for the day. When he went to pick her up that night, Judy got out of the Ferrari more dressed up than he had ever seen her (Baxter was only a tiny bit jealous that she got to ride in a Ferrari because they had spent Saturday working on the car together and he could be happy having just gotten to touch the car).

It was strange seeing Judy with makeup—strange, but nice. Not that her eyes had needed help to be the most distracting eyes ever. Besides, Baxter was more interested in what she was wearing. It was...well, he wasn't sure what it was. It was navy blue shorts and a tube top all stuck together, with white piping and white buttons down the front. It would be impossible to get off her, really, but he didn't really care, just admired the way it barely clung to her chest and showed off all of her very long legs.

"You like?" she asked, practically hopping over. "We went...everywhere! It was so cool."

"I like," Baxter admitted. Seth was around somewhere, but not there, so he put his hands on her hips and maybe pulled her close.

"You're going to mess up my lipstick," she said. Before he could scowl (because he so had to be kissing her right then), she burst out laughing. Throwing her arms around his neck, she pulled him down for a hello kiss. Thankfully, she hadn't bothered with perfume. Whatever was on her lips was kind of nice, strawberry tasting and kind of sticky sweet.

When she pulled back, she told him, "It looks good on you, too."

He laughed and held her tighter. And maybe snuck another kiss.

"Don't forget your bags," Rosalie reminded her.

"Hold that thought," Judy said as she scampered back to the car. "Thank you again so much, Rosalie. This was totally the best epic awesome shopping trip of doom ever."

"You're welcome, sweetie. Maybe next time we can get you some heels."

Judy snorted. "Only if you want me to break my neck."

"If you can chase vampires, you can walk in heels. It's just about balance."

"If you say so."

Even with all the bags in her hands (so many bags—Will would be happy Judy wouldn't need new clothes for the rest of the decade), Judy managed to throw her arms around Rosalie.

Vampire, a voice that sounded like Levi supplied. Friendly vampire, Seth's voice answered. Baxter told them to shut up already—it was just Rosalie. The only bad thing about Rosalie was remembering to keep your eyes on her face.

And karma decided to reward Baxter because the next thing Rosalie said was probably the most beautiful thing Baxter had ever heard.

"How would you two like to borrow the Corvette tomorrow?"

"Seriously?" Judy squealed. "Really?"

"Really."

"Oh my god. Oh my—! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

"One is enough," Rosalie said, though she was trying to hide her smile. "Your welcome. Come pick up the keys tomorrow morning and it's all yours. For the day, of course. And I don't want a single scratch on her."

Judy would probably consider ritual suicide if that happened, though Baxter just promised he'd take good care of the car.

On the drive home, he did have to point out the obvious.

"We do have school tomorrow."

Judy just laughed. "You are a sucky actor, pinochle. There's no way you can make me believe you want us to go to school tomorrow. Stingray."

She even echoed the word a couple of times to make sure he understood the epic awesomeness of it all.

"I'm just saying," he admitted. But he hadn't wanted to take the chance that Rosalie would change her mind either. Sure, his father would flip but...well, it was a Corvette. He was going to get to borrow a Corvette. Absolutely nothing mattered compared to that. "If we're going to skip, we might as well take the whole day."

She didn't have anything too important and he was mostly done for the year anyway.

"Sounds perfect," she said happily as she played with his arm. "I'll talk to Levi about letting us out of patrols. He won't understand, but I think he'll let us."

Levi was a little too good about letting them cut class, but Baxter was not going to complain. Not just then.

"Call me when you wake up?"

"You call me," she decided. "That way we can have even more time."

"I don't want you cranky because I woke you up."

Judy laughed at the very idea. "Stingray, ray, ray..."

"All right, but no pouting because it's too early."

"Promise." She yawned and settled her head on his shoulder. "And you didn't want to meet the vampires."

Baxter laughed (quietly, she looked tired) and drove her home.

Baxter got to drive a vintage Corvette, so it was already the best day ever (at least until Rosalie let him drive the Maserati). They packed a picnic lunch and an old, thick red plaid blanket and drove off before their parents thought to stop them. They hadn't quite planned on a destination, but that didn't really matter.

The car handled like a dream.

Along the coast there weren't a lot of cars, so Judy climbed half out the window, playing with the wind. Baxter kept the car steady and tried not to laugh when she started howling.

"It's so fucking beautiful," she called. "Faster!"

They were so going to get pulled over.

Baxter still pressed down on the gas.

The water raced passed them, trees on one side, towering cliffs on the other, a few scattered houses along the way that threatened to fall into the water at any moment. Sort of the way Judy threatened to fall out of the car any second. She didn't though, just slipped back inside, her hair absolutely wild (possibly with wind burn, too).

"So awesome! Mmm..." she lay back in the seat, stroking the leather in a way that made him jealous.

Still, she offered him some of the chocolates he had brought and then leaned over and did really distracting things to his neck as he drove and fiddled with the radio and generally made a nuisance of herself.

"Oh look! Did you see that?"

"The giant tree sign?"

"We have to stop."

"Judy, we see giant trees all the time."

"Yes, but our giant trees don't have signs. Come on, Bax, where's your sense of adventure?"

So they saw the big tree—though they had a bit of trouble trying not to get dirt on the car while they drove into the forest. Oh well. They were good at walking.

She made them stop at every sign they passed, but Baxter didn't mind at all. They would still probably manage to hit Oregon before they had to go back. Besides, she might not have been as dressed up as she had been the other day, but Judy was glowing and gorgeous and very distracting.

When they got hungry, they pulled over at a tiny observation point, using the locks for the wheels and steering wheel that Emmett had given them. With those secure in place, they grabbed the picnic basket and crossed the road. They didn't have to talk about it. They had to eat surrounded by trees.

"I'm starving," Judy said collapsing on top of the picnic blanket she had made him spread out. She kicked off her shoes and beckoned him over; he shrugged off his shirt and shoes and lay down next to her. Sometimes she had good ideas. The woods had grown on him over the past while.

"So what did you pack me?" she asked as she looped her arms around his neck.

"You'll see."

"Tease." She brushed her nose against his, smiling happily. He snaked an arm around her waist, pulling her closer. Even without Rosalie to decorate her, she looked beautiful. And she kept wetting her lips, like she knew exactly what it did to him. Baxter pushed her hair out of her face, fingers brushing along her cheek. They kissed gently; unfortunately, her stomach had no appreciation for atmosphere.

It rumbled through the clearing.

"Told you I'm starving. You going to feed me or what?"

"If you want."

She just closed her eyes, opened her mouth and waited. He couldn't help laughing, kissing her nose before he reached over to the picnic basket. He pulled out the entire carton of strawberries.

"Mmm..." he said as he bit into one. Judy looked at him, pouting for a second. Just a second. Then she leaned up and kissed him solidly on the mouth. For a second he almost choked and then her warm lips and tongue and body distracted him from unimportant things like breathing and he kissed her back. Her shirt was riding up and her chest was rising and falling quickly, but when she pulled back she looked calm as she chewed her strawberry.

"We should do that more often," she said, laying back down.

"You want me to chew your food for you?"

"Maybe." It made her laugh, eyes sparkling. "I like it when we go hunting and you give me the best parts."

"That's just because I can't resist you and your pixie magic."

Judy brushed his hair back before reaching over for the berries; she knew they were his favourites, so she made sure she had the first bite, moaning as she went. But she fed him afterwards, if only so she could keep stealing the food right out of his mouth. Whatever amused her.

As soon as they had finished the strawberries, she decided they were full enough. She started nipping at his neck in a way that was very distracting. In the car, he had let her have her way, but now that he had both hands free he managed to trap her underneath him, so it was her neck that was getting sucked and licked on until she was the one making breathy little moans.

Why did she have to be that beautiful? And soft? The soft skin just under her shirt was making it very difficult to talk like he had wanted.

"Judy?"

Instead of answering she just made this whining noise that did very naughty things to his brain. And maybe made his hands slip further up her shirt.

"Good," she murmured, arching back.

He leaned over and bit her earlobe (gently...well, gently for a werewolf).

"I thought about what you said," he told her. "About your birthday present."

Underneath him, Judy went still.

"And?"

"Everyone's going to know."

"I know." They were still both panting, chest to chest, but her hands held him in front of her as she studied him with her too dark eyes. "It's just the way it is now. Everybody knows everything. I...I'll protect you from Dad."

Baxter snorted. "I'm not...Judy, I can handle a few death threats. You're family isn't as scary as they like to think. I'd be fine. But...just, you're sure?"

"Yeah."

"Okay."

She didn't smile and she didn't laugh, for maybe the first time ever. She just cocked her head, even as she started rolling the hem of her shirt up her stomach (which meant he had to lean over and give it a kiss).

"Baxter? Is this like our first date that I didn't even know was a date?"

He laughed against her stomach and when he looked up she was propping herself up and smiling back at him. "What?" he had to ask.

Judy nodded. Her smile was almost too big for her face. "You're totally trying to seduce me."

"Seduce you?" Maybe he was playing with the edge of her shorts and the very smooth skin just underneath.

"You totally are." She was ecstatic. Then she leaned back and hummed a bit, lifting her hips, trying to get him to remove her shorts. "This is so awesome."

Judy was...Judy was Judy. And even that didn't begin to describe...she was Judy. It was awesome.

"You okay?" he asked her, stroking the side of her face.

"Yeah." She nodded to emphasize the point. Eventually, she even looked up to meet his eyes. "I just...I don't feel any different."

He didn't really know what to say to that, so he just pulled her closer. It made her sigh happily; that was good. She even kissed him, just gently, but sweetly, slowly. Now that she was on top of him again, she stopped looking confused. Her finger was writing on his chest and he let her do whatever she wanted as he enjoyed the feel of her sweat covered body (and the way it smelled like him).

"Mine," Judy said, before she bit down on his collar.

It hurt—she went right through the skin, careful to leave very obvious marks. When she grinned at him there was blood on her teeth; Baxter leaned over and kissed her.

"All yours," he agreed.

She was heavy, on top of him, but not too heavy, and he liked the weight of her against him. They would go hunting after they rested up a bit. Her stomach rumbled soon afterwards, so they got up and set about exploring their new territory. It was similar to the forest back in La Push, but it wasn't their forest, even if they did have a nice game of hide and go seek. Back home, everyone knew every corner of the forest and when they saw each other's minds, it gave everything away. A different forest meant different places to hide.

There was a river nearby, deep enough that they could wash themselves off a bit. It wasn't enough to get the smell off either of them, but they didn't really care. Later...later they would care. Just then, they didn't bother. Afterwards, they curled together on the forest floor, keeping their fur on. She had a muzzle and nuzzling her muzzle always made her giggle. She was too adorable.

Besides, strawberries and condoms, what else did you have in that picnic basket? she asked.

Don't tell me you're still hungry, jelly bug. That deer was delicious.

I'm not hungry. I just want to know what else is in there. So far it's been like magic!

Some more fruit, a couple of granola bars and some bug spray.

She let out a few yips, werewolf laughter. You're silly. We don't need bug spray.

Which one of us kept saying she was itchy! itchy! itchy! all the time last week after she got bitten on patrol?

You don't have to be embarrassed by that, Baxter. The way you tried not to scratch was sweet.

All right, so she made him laugh. We should go, he said, not making any move to get off the forest floor.

We did leave the Corvette alone. That wasn't very nice. On the other hand, this is very nice. Too nice. Let's stay here.

Okay.

Should I be upset my first time was in a forest?

Are you?

I like forests. I like American cars. I like you. I like everything right now, she concluded.

I love you.

I know. I'm pretty awesome.

He nipped at her as she barked happily until she admitted, Okay, okay. I love you, too. I love you and your magic picnic basket.

Just for that, I'm taking my magic picnic basket and going home.

This time he did get to his feet; he even started walking towards the car. Judy followed along after a second—they did have to get back before people started wondering where they had disappeared to. Baxter ignored the way she was muttering Crankypants in his head.

They got dressed and Baxter rolled up the blanket, trying to shake the leaves and dirt off of it before he shoved it under the handle of the picnic basket. When he stood up with the basket in one hand, however, he found Judy right behind him.

She looked up at him with her big dark eyes.

"I've never..."

Baxter wrapped his free arm around her waist and she melted against him, her arms tight around his waist.

"I've never felt like...it's really nice—you're nice. But it's kind of scary, too. Like being in the Corvette, sort of. Except worse."

"How am I scary?" he asked softly.

"I..." She burrowed against him. "I don't care if everyone knows and freaks out and screams. I love you so much—I just don't want to lose you."

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Promise?" she demanded. It was like she was punching him in the stomach. It was just so hard to breathe—he felt terrifyingly powerful just then as she made it so obvious how much he could hurt her (without even trying).

"Promise."

"Good." She took a deep breath and shook it off. "Race you back to the car!"

She won and claimed as her prize the chance to drive back. They waited for a stretch of road that was usually deserted and she stayed just a couple miles over the speed limit, but she drove the Corvette. It was the hottest thing Baxter had ever seen.

Still, it was illegal. So after ten minutes they switched back again. Sometime on the trip back she fell asleep curled into the seat next to him, her hand still clutching at his.

When they dropped off the car, Rosalie came to check to make sure everything was all right. They promised to buffer it a bit the next morning and the vampire was satisfied. Before she let them leave, she asked Judy, "Are you all right? You look tired."

She could smell them (they had to head to the beach to wash up before they went home). Baxter tried not to look offended; it helped Judy started beaming.

"Today was, like, the best day ever."

And even if it was mostly because of the car, Baxter couldn't help grinning.