Disclaimer – This is Stephenie Meyer's universe. I'm just playing in her world for a bit. Any names and characters not found in Stephenie Meyer's books could be my creation or Liljen's though.
Please remember to check out Liljenrock's Love you for Always and A Love the Defies all Logic. You'll get different points of view set within this same time frame. I love these stories so you will too. Plus she's so patient and understanding coz I keep delaying my chapters and indirectly holding her back. Thanks Jen for the patience and the beta-ing.
And to everyone who's read and reviewed Chapter 20, thank you!! I'm sorry I didn't reply, but I read all of them as they pop up in my mailbox. It's the reviews that keep me feeling good enough to function through my horrible job.
How Wonderful Life is, Now You're in the World.
Chapter 21
Nessie
I rushed through the house, packing a few bottles of milk and Griffin's teething ring, and then stood in the middle of the hallway looking around worriedly. I'd forgotten something, I just knew it.
"Look at Mommy, Griffin. Mommy's gone bananas."
I turned around at the sound of Jake's voice and found both my husband and my son grinning at me from the doorway. My breath caught at the picture they made, both of them dressed in matching suits. Father and son, both with identical hair styles which were currently gelled into a stylish mess.
"You gelled his hair?" I asked as I walked over to them.
"Uh-huh," Jake grinned.
I smiled as I spiked up Griffin's hair a little more to match Jake's exactly, and then I pulled Jake's tie out of Griffin's hold, just before he could bring it to his mouth and gave him his teething ring to gnaw on instead.
"You about ready to leave, babe?" Jake asked.
I turned away from him to walk around the room distractedly. "I feel like I forgot something. What did I forget?"
My grandfather was getting married today. And although it was going to be a very small and simple wedding in a park, the closest friends and family only, it was still a rushed preparation that Aunt Alice arranged, throwing tasks to all of us. Our fault really, since everything that had been happening, preparations for the wedding had just slipped everyone's minds until September rolled along. Only then had we realized that even Sue's attention had been centered around AJ's coma and Seth's pain. With such a short notice, I was impressed at the beauty of the setting that we had accomplished. After the wedding we were all going for dinner at one of the upscale restaurants in Forks, Jake's contribution to the wedding. We'd booked the entire restaurant for the night.
Things had been pretty crazy around here in the last few days. AJ, who had been in a coma for the past seven months, had suddenly woken up yesterday, just in time too, to wish Shana a Happy Birthday. The wolves were all still on high alert though, expecting another attack at any time. And Seth, my soon-to-be 'step-uncle' was suffering from a broken heart, while at the same time, my eight-month old baby was teething and becoming a little cranky. Everything was adding up at the same time and I found myself becoming stressed.
"You forgot to kiss me today," Jake grinned, causing me to laugh as he came up to me and pressed his lips gently to mine, Griffin reached out to grab a handful of my hair, gurgling happily and saying something to me in his baby talk.
"Oh? I forgot to kiss you too huh, my darling?" I asked him before I kissed his round cheeks.
We stayed like that for a little while, Jake and I cuddling Griffin between us until the little tyke got restless and started fidgeting.
"Griffin!" Jake sighed as I giggled. He needed a diaper change. As Jake walked off with Griffin, it occurred to me just what I had forgotten. Diapers!
Soon, we had him strapped into his baby seat in the car and after making one small stop to collect Billy, we were on our way.
The wedding was short and simple with Seth walking his mom down the aisle. He was here for his mom, as were Leah and her beau Alex, but I could tell that Seth's heart wasn't here. His hand kept coming up to pinch the bridge of his nose and then rub his forehead. I looked up at Jake, intending to say something about Seth but I held my tongue when I realized that he was watching Seth too, his expression troubled yet fierce.
Mom came by and took Griffin from me, and I leaned into Jacob and wrapped both my arms around his, resting my chin on Jacob's shoulder, I asked, "What are you thinking?"
"Seth," Jake sighed. "And the duties and responsibilities that come with being a wolf." Jake was silent for a while as he pulled his arm free from my hold to wrap it around my shoulders and pull me close. I cuddled into his chest as he continued, "When your parents took you away, I went along with you guys. The pack let me go. It was the imprinting that made me want to go with you. I wasn't in love with you back then. Seth's imprinted and he's in love with Abby, but I can't give Seth that chance to go after Abby. It's probably killing him, babe."
"AJ's awake now," I murmured. "And we moved him back to his house this afternoon." Jacob turned to look down at me and I shrugged. "He's not going to need round the clock monitoring anymore and Grandpa Carlisle can be there to check up on him."
"I don't know when the next attack could be. How long would he be gone?"
"Abby's in Oklahoma," I turned to look at Abby's sisters. Ava was filling a plate for Ashley. "The girls are leaving today with Scar. Let Seth go with them, Jakey. He needs to, for his soul."
Jake's arm tightened around me. "How could she have left like that? She didn't accept us for what we are, Nessie."
"Oh, Jakey, Seth bungled up telling her. This whole thing was a misunderstanding."
"I know, I know. But I can't help thinking how you took the news and how she didn't."
"I grew up knowing the legends and what you were and what I am. I wanted to be your imprint." I pinched his side, "I was in love with you long before you realized that I was a female."
"I—I'm not with you because of the imprint. You know that, don't you?" Jake asked.
I nodded. "I know, but I'm still thrilled to be your imprint."
"I love you, babe."
"I love you too, babe," I grinned as I dropped a kiss on his nose.
"And when we get home, I'll show you just how much I realize that you're female."
I could only giggle at that.
A few nights later, I was just falling asleep in Jacob's arms when his mobile rang. He stuck a long arm out and snagged his phone. "'Lo?" he answered sleepily, not bothering to look at the Caller ID. Whatever he heard on the other end brought him awake instantly, causing him to sit up so abruptly that I rolled off his chest and on to my side of the bed before I even realized what happened. I slowly sat up, pulling up the sheet to cover myself, my attention focused solely on Jake as he got out of bed and started pacing around. Something was happening, I just knew it. I could feel it in the pit of my stomach, a churning feeling. I didn't like this feeling.
Jacob
Never did I expect, when I picked up the phone that night that I would hear from a vampire I had met once before. One that had scarlet eyes, one that I let leave La Push and Forks in one piece. It was Terrance Howard, the pedophile hunting tracker vampire.
"Mr. Black? This is Terrance Howard. We've met before. I bought a custom bike from you a while back."
"Yes, Mr. Howard, I remember you," I was wide awake in an instant and talking just like he was, without even thinking about it.
"What I am about to do sir, is something out of the usual for me. My first instinct was to go about with my own concerns. You do understand that I am under no obligation to you."
"Why don't you get straight to the point, Mr. Howard?"
"I'm in Seattle at the moment, I was tracking this person, but someone else got to him before I did. I found his corpse sir, completely drained and partially burned," Howard paused at this.
"And you're telling me this because?"
"I am telling you this because I was intrigued enough to track the person who got to my prey before I did. I tracked this person all the way to an old abandoned warehouse in…" Howard droned on but the words 'abandoned warehouse' caught my attention.
"Warehouse?" I asked.
He must've sensed something in my voice. "Yes, sir. A warehouse. One that stands abandoned in the South Industrial area. I do believe that you may have an indication towards what I am referring to here."
"You've found a warehouse full of newborns?" I asked flatly.
There was a pause, Howard was either collecting his thoughts or was surprised that I'd hit the nail so accurately. "Yes, and I've also overheard some talk where Forks, Washington was repeated numerous times."
"What do you hope to gain by sharing this information with me, Mr. Howard?" I just had to ask.
"Nothing, sir. I just feel that what I have witnessed here today is wrong. And my conscience will never permit me to keep this information to myself."
I remained silent, my mind already sprinting forward, making plans and strategies.
"Mr. Black, I want no part in this sir, but I could not keep this information to myself. My job here is done. What you choose to do with this information, is up to you. I hope you understand that."
"Sure, sure," I was no longer interested in talking to him, but I remembered my manners. "Thank you for your help, Mr. Howard. I won't forget this."
By the time morning rolled around, I had Paul on the phone. Being the closest wolf to the location that Howard had shared, I set Paul up to snoop around, warning him against getting too close for fear of having one of the vamps follow him back home. But what he had to say surprised me just a little bit.
"Hang on, I'm putting you on speaker. Embry's here with me," I pressed the speaker button on my phone.
"Hey man," Embry said in greeting.
"Hey, Em, I was just about to tell Jake that I took a very close run past that warehouse last night—" Paul started.
"You what?" I blew up. "Are you fucking out of your mind? What if they'd seen you? Do you not remember what happened to AJ?"
"Relax, man. Geez. Do you think I'd take a damn risk like that?"
I growled and Paul sighed. "They don't know anything about us wolves and they are not the least bit interested in animals, no matter how thirsty they are. They took no notice of me even as I ran by and took a peek inside."
"Paul!" I yelled. "What the fuck, man? What if something had happened? You have a new baby. You remember that, don't you?"
"I do, man. I do. I hung around and kept my distance for quite some time. They took no notice of me. So I got closer and closer. Trust me dude, they are not the least bit interested in anything non-human and we don't exactly smell human, do we?"
"How close did you get?" Embry asked.
"I stuck my head into a broken window."
I slammed my hands on the top of my desk as I pushed myself up to stand and walk around the room. I couldn't believe Paul would take a risk like that. What if he had gotten attacked? How do I explain what happened to Rachel? Embry and Paul ignored me as Paul continued talking.
"The whole building is packed full of newborns, man. It looked like a damn mosh pit in there. And the walls are so flimsy, I don't understand why the newbies are staying in there instead of kicking the walls down and getting out."
"Are we talking like fifty, sixty—," Embry started to ask.
"Hundreds, man. We're talking hundreds. The only thing missing was a stage and a rock band, otherwise it's could be a wild concert."
"Hundreds? Jake's been in constant touch with Charlie and checking up on the missing people reports in Washington. The numbers don't seem that alarming as compared to what you say you saw."
"If you're involved in crime, would you report another criminal missing?" I asked.
Embry said no.
"How do we know if these newborns are not all shady characters? And nobody's reported them missing?" I asked.
The guys were silent for a moment, until Paul asked, "So what's the plan, Jake?"
"Nothing yet. Paul, I want you to keep your distance, but I need to think and I need to get the Cullens involved."
"Hey Jake?" Paul interjected.
"What?"
"I think I saw the 'hoodie.' He was talking to a couple of other vamps. I think I know what their plans are."
"Fuck Paul! It's like pulling teeth with you. Can't you just tell us everything instead of stretching it out like this? It's fucking annoying," Embry bit out.
"Okay, okay. It's the Volturi, man. These vamps want to be the next Volturi," Paul let that statement hang in the air for a moment before he asked a question. "Hey Jake, is it true that the Italian vamps will no longer step foot into Washington and they consider this part of the world out of their jurisdiction?"
I looked at Embry, the realization of just how huge this was, setting in. "Yeah."
"Yeah? Yeah? Dude! Why didn't you tell us?" Paul asked.
"What was there to tell? This decision was made when Sam was Alpha, right after the whole Nessie thing."
"How come?" Embry asked.
"Because of us. They don't want to fight us. They stay out of our territory and we stay out of theirs," I said.
"And the rest of the vampire existence knows this?" Embry asked.
I shrugged. "Word of mouth. I don't know how fast things spread in the vampire grapevine."
"Guys, the 'hoodie' was talking about world domination. They're starting small, taking over Forks. From there, to take over the Volturi and then world domination."
I snorted as I sat down. I couldn't help myself. World domination? Is there no end to these vampires stupidity?
"They still don't know about us," I chuckled.
"What are you talking about?" Embry asked.
"The vampire grapevine. The Volturi are staying away and that news is something these new vamps obviously know. But the reason why, is not something that is popular knowledge."
"They know about the Cullens. They think the Cullens hold this place," Paul offered.
"I know. We guessed that from the start."
"So what do we do now?" Paul asked.
"Nothing for now," I said. "Embry, round up the guys and the Elders. We need to have a council meeting."
"Where?"
"Here. Say four p.m. I'll gather the Cullens. They're going to have to hear this too." I waited for Embry's nod before continuing, "Paul, I'll call you when I have everyone gathered okay?"
"Okay."
"And I want you to stay away from the newborns till we come up with a plan. That's a direct order, Paul," I said sternly.
"Fuck! You're no fun, Jake!"
"Tough."
When I turned around after shutting the door behind Embry, I found Nessie standing at the doorway of her studio, watching me. I brought my eyebrows up in question and she silently walked across the room, breaking out into a run and throwing herself at me, to wrap her arms and legs around me and press her face into my neck. I hugged her back.
"Babe?" I asked.
"Sshh, just give me a minute okay? Please?" she asked.
I held her as she wanted. After a little while she raised her head and looked me in the eye. "What's wrong Nessie?" I asked.
"Things are going to change, aren't they?" she asked in a soft voice.
She'd heard my side of the conversation with Terrance Howard last night and then she had hovered around me when I'd called Paul. I should have talked to her, eased her mind a little instead of letting her mind run away with her.
"It'll be okay," I whispered.
"What are you going to do?"
I carried her upstairs and lay her down on our bed and then lay down beside her on my side, both of us face to face. "Where's Griffin?" I asked as I brushed her hair off her cheek and forehead.
"Asleep," she murmured as she moved her face into my hand like a cat. "I'm scared, Jakey."
"The pack is coming by at four. We need to make plans. I need to call your family too."
She nodded, clutching my hand and pressing her lips to my palm. "Jakey, I'd die without you."
"Hey. Who said anything about dying, huh?"
"I know, I know," she started crying. "I'm just…I'm just so scared suddenly. I've not stopped shaking since last night," she brought up a trembling hand.
I felt bad instantly. Last night I had been so consumed with the information that we had gained and all the plans that I had started making, having Nessie and Griffin just where I knew they were supposed to be was enough for me. I hadn't really checked to see if she was okay. I wanted to kick myself now.
"Babe, it's going to be okay," I murmured as I cupped her face in my hand and pressed my forehead to hers. But she was almost inconsolable and I kissed the tears off her eyes and cheeks, trailing my way down to her lips, kissing her lightly but the almost desperate way she clung to me and kissed me back made me deepen the kiss and roll her onto her back.
Much later, I tucked the sheets around a dozing Nessie and took a quick shower, stopping to check up on a still sleeping Griffin before making my way downstairs. I still had time before our council meeting started and sat down at my desk in my office. I could understand Nessie's worry. What we were about to face was something none of us had ever imagined. Based on what Paul had said about the number of newborns in that warehouse, I knew that we were severely outnumbered. How many of us were coming back if we took on these newborns? My eyes strayed to the framed photograph I had on my desk. It was one taken just minutes after Griffin was born. Our first family picture. Nessie was lying back propped up on a mound of pillows and I held a bundled up Griffin in the palms of my hands, both of us smiling down at him as he yawned. Rosalie had taken that black and white picture and it meant a lot to me because every time I looked at this picture, I realized again and again that this was my family. Mine. And they were the most precious treasure in the world to me. Keeping them safe and sound and happy and well provided for. It was my duty, wasn't it?
I called Carlisle first and filled him in on everything. The Cullens promised to come over at four. Next I called my lawyer. I had to make sure that all my papers were up to date. I came up with a 'to-do' list next, with things that I wanted to get done that week, before we went any further with the newborns. It was not only my wife and son that I had to think about. My responsibilities went further than that. There was my father to think of, my new little nephew and the pack, especially the younger wolves. And as much as I hated it, I had to do something for Rebecca too. There was this heaviness in my heart to have thoughts like this, but I had to face the facts. There was a very strong possibility that I may not come back although I wanted to, although I had so much to live for. Although there was so much I wanted to live for.
I was just closing that page on my phone when Nessie walked in and wrapped her arms around me from the back, pressing kisses to my cheek and neck. I took her hand in mine and pulled her into my lap. She ran her fingers through my hair, pushing herself back a little to look me in the eyes.
"Whatever happens, promise me that you'll come back to me," she whispered.
I didn't know how to answer her. How could I make a promise that I didn't know if I could keep? I didn't want to lie to her so I kissed her, knowing that I could most times kiss the thoughts out of her mind. I was almost relieved when the doorbell rang, signaling the arrival of the council. I stood up with Nessie in my arms and then lowered her onto the chair that I had just vacated. I pressed a last kiss to her lips before I cowardly hurried out of my office to get to the front door.
A/N : As you all know, I live for reviews. It's the reviews that get my creative juices churning. So please review!!