Chapter 23 has arrived! I love this chapter. Aunt Alice...gotta love her.

So, I've gotten some reviews that have made me feel super awesome. Now, I don't want to brag or seem totally self-absorbed, but some of you have told me that I've inspired you to become better writers or to start writing again in general...WOW. I have never been told that I am someone's inspiration, so I humbly say thank you. This story wouldn't have continued past chapter one without you guys, so you're such a motivation for me.

I also want to say that I am working on a second story and also a compilation of one shots for both couples: Jacob/Nessie and Seth/Shelby. Just in case you're curious.

I own nothing. :(

But please enjoy!

RPOV

The end to the date was perfect. Jacob and I had started making out when Billy had rolled in and cleared his throat. We'd jumped apart at first, but then Jacob had wrapped his arms around my waist and had pressed a gentle kiss just under my jaw, which made me weak.

Billy had let me pick out some photos to take home with me, telling me that he had copies of all of them that he could put back up. I'd picked a few of my favorites. Before we left, I kissed him on the cheek and said thank you. He'd told me that I was as much a part of the Black family as Jacob was and then he'd winked at Jake, who'd blushed furiously. Jacob had all but pushed me out the door.

When we got back to the house, Jacob had kissed me and then gone to raid the kitchen. Shaking my head, I plopped down on the couch next to Aunt Alice while Uncle Jasper played chess with Aunt Rosalie. I put my head on Aunt Alice's shoulder.

"Who's winning?" I asked.

"Jasper's winning this game but Rosalie has won a few."

"Impressive," came Jake's voice from the kitchen.

"Not as dumb as I look, huh, mutt?" Aunt Rose called from the floor.

When Jacob poked his head around the door frame to scowl at her, she smiled at him. What was a surprise was that it wasn't a sarcastic or mean smile. It was a smile that said she was joking. After his moment of shock, Jake grinned at her.

"I guess not, Blondie." Then he was gone to raid the pantry.

From the kitchen, we heard, "Jacob Black, you're going to ruin your dinner." That was Mom.

"Chill, Bells. It's just a sandwich. I'll be hungry again in thirty minutes."

Mom huffed. "I swear, you wolves. It's a surprise that you haven't eaten yourselves out of house and home."

"Well, don't you worry, Bells. We're working on it." There was a smack followed by, "Ow!"

I shook my head. "That boy," I mumbled. "Anyway, so, Aunt Alice, I doubt that you've seen this, but you have a wedding to plan." When her eyes flicked to my hands and the entire house went quiet, even Jacob in the kitchen, I hurried on. "Rachel. She's decided that she could use some super quick help."

The house started moving and breathing again, and I no longer feared for Jacob's life. I heard a relieved sigh come from the piano room just before it started up. I let down my mental shield and said a silent apology to my father.

Jacob walked back in to the living room with a sandwich in his hand and gave me a look. I shrugged apologetically as he sat down at my feet and put his back to my knees. Absently watching the chess game, I ran my fingers through his hair. There was an appreciative rumble that echoed from him chest.

Aunt Alice had run to get her box of wedding planning materials. When she plopped back onto the couch, she threw the box on Jacob's unsuspecting lap, making him grunt.

"Thanks, Shortie. What do you have in there? Bricks?"

She made a face at the back of his head. "You should be so lucky." Then she turned to me. "Now, I'm trying to see around all the wolves and you. What I'm getting is red. Why am I seeing red?"

I shrugged. "All the bridesmaids have picked their style of dress. The red is going to match the groomsmen's vests. We were hoping that you'd be able to make them. Emily's would have to wait closer to the wedding because she's pregnant, but we were thinking that you could go ahead and get ours done."

"Hmmm. Have we figured out the order of the bridesmaids and groomsmen?"

"Well, I'm Maid of Honor and Jake is Best Man. I think it's going to be Sam and Emily next. Then, Seth and Shelby."

Aunt Alice tapped Jake on the head hard. "Hey, see that binder? Get it for me."

Jacob snorted. "Ruff, ruff." And then he handed her the binder.

"Good boy." She started flipping through it. "Has she planned anything in the way of the Maid of Honor somehow matching the bride? Some people like that tradition."

I thought about it. "Well, her wedding dress is going to be white with black accents. My dress will be red and black. The rest of the bridesmaids' will just be red."

She nodded. "Well, I'm assuming that there are pictures of these dresses. Now, I'm also assuming that this will be an outside wedding?"

I nodded. "Yeah. She wants it on the rez for obvious reasons. But she doesn't know exactly where because she doesn't really have a vision of how she wants it decorated. That's where she was hoping you'd come in and save the day."

"Of course I will. I'm more than useless on the invading pack front." Now that she mentioned it, I was surprised that I hadn't thought of asking her before. I guess I just sort of assumed that since she couldn't our werewolves then she couldn't see the others.

"You can't see them either?"

She shook her head. "If I could, you wouldn't have had those two scares. And this Caden character wouldn't have to play both sides. I'd know his motives and all that good stuff. But no." She sighed. "Anyway…" She leaned forward and flicked Jacob hard in the neck.

He jumped forward, hand going to the spot. "Ow! What the hell was that for?"

"Give me your sister's number," she demanded.

Jacob scowled at her. "Did you really have to flick me that hard? Geez. For a number?"

Aunt Alice got a dangerous look in her eyes as she readied her fingers again. "Don't make me flick you again. Number. Now."

"Ok, ok, ok," he said and quickly rattled off the numbers.

Aunt Alice got up and went off in the direction of the dining room with the phone to her ear and her box of wedding planning stuff. Jacob was glaring after her still rubbing his neck.

"That little pixie…" he grumbled.

I gently moved his hand so that I could lean forward and press a gentle kiss to the spot that was darker than the rest of his tan skin. His shoulders relaxed and his back fell against my knees once more.

"Better?" I asked against his skin.

"Much," he whispered hoarsely.

He turned into me and pressed our lips together. As the kiss got hotter, the music coming from the piano became more intense and louder.

When we broke apart, I laughed. "Sorry, Dad, but if we have to watch you and Mom make out, then you can deal with us. Not to mention that you don't get that way with Shelby and Seth." And I know they get much hotter than we do, I added in my head where he couldn't hear.

Jacob chuckled and pressed his lips to mine again. I could honestly say that I could hear Dad's teeth grind.

At that moment, Aunt Alice came back in, clapping her hands and a wide grin on her face. It was like a whole different person. Jacob shoved himself between my legs for protection. I wrapped my arms around him, my hands smoothing down his chest, and rested my cheek on the top of his head. He lifted one of my hands to his lips so that he could kiss my wrist. It felt so good to be this comfortable with him.

"Ok, who wants to go shopping? Rachel's on her way up here."

Shelby darted out of the kitchen. "I do! Let me go change."

"What you're wearing is fine," Aunt Alice said. When Shelby just stared at her, Aunt Alice threw her hands in the air. "Oh, fine."

When my best friend darted up the stairs, my aunt turned to me. "I am never buying her clothes again."

I nodded. "That's probably best."

She glared at me and turned away.

Jacob stroked my cheek. "You wanna go with them?"

"What about you?"

He shrugged under my arms. "I've gotta get back down to the garage. We kinda left in a hurry yesterday. Had an imprint to take care of."

"Sorry."

He shook his head. "Don't be. I also need to check in with the patrol shifts." He twisted one of my curls that had fallen around us around one of his fingers. "Go with them. You need some normal girl time. Buy things, laugh, and talk about the wedding and us guys. Go get a dose of normal while I deal with the weird stuff, ok?"

I looked at him suspiciously. "Is this your way of taking care of me again?"

He pressed a kiss to my lips. "Maybe," he whispered and kissed me again, making my head spin and my stomach tighten. "Is it working?"

I'd closed my eyes. "Maybe," I whispered back against his lips.

He brought his hand up to the back of my head to press me closer to him. My hands were clutching his shoulders. Since yesterday at the cabin, we'd gotten used to using our tongues. And boy, did we use them now. A low rumble started in Jake's chest as the kisses got hotter. My nails dug into him through his shirt.

His lips were soft but demanding, like I was water and he had been in the desert for a year. I felt his teeth nip at my bottom lip, and I let out a small groan.

And then came the interrupting cough from the doorway leading to the piano room.

We broke apart, still breathing hard. I knew my eyes were slightly unfocused. But I could still see Dad standing there with his arms crossed and an eyebrow raised.

Instead of saying anything about what he'd just walked in on, Dad let an icy smile slide over his lips. "Are you going to make Adam and Derek go with her?" I realized the question was for Jacob.

Jacob had opened his mouth to answer, but stopped when a whirlwind in the form of Aunt Alice stormed into the room.

"No, no, no! I will not have two male werewolves come with us on this shopping trip."

Jacob grinned at her, sensing his revenge for the flick was near. "If I ordered them to go, you wouldn't have a choice, Alice."

She glared at him. "You and your freakish wolfy ways are about to get on my last nerve." Her eyes turned pleading. "Come on, Jake. I was the only one other than Bella that has liked you from the very beginning. Esme doesn't count. She likes everybody."

He sighed as he thought about it. "Ok, but if anything happens-,"

"I will get you on the phone immediately. I promise."

He also made sure that she had Derek and Adam's numbers. He'd keep them on call here at the house.

"You sure you'll be ok?" he asked as we were all getting ready to leave.

I hugged his waist and looked up at him. "Yes, Jake. Remember, normal? I doubt they'd attack in the city. Plus I have vampires surrounding me."

"Don't forget me," Shelby said. "I may not look it, but I pack a mean sucker punch."

I laughed. "She really does. You should have seen her freshman year."

"It won't come to that," Momma said from the stairs. "We wouldn't let it."

"We'll take care of her, Jacob," Aunt Rosalie said, poking her head into the living room. She'd gone into the dining room to help Aunt Alice sort through things.

"And Shelby," Seth said as he came through the front door, followed by Rachel.

"Of course," Aunt Rose said.

Rachel was standing in the middle of the living room just staring at everything. It occurred to me that this was the first time that she'd ever been in the Cullen house.

"Wow," she whispered. "This place is amazing."

Jacob put his hands on her shoulders. "It gets old after a while, but it also starts to feel like home." He looked at me and Aunt Rose where she'd come to stand next to me. "That could be because of the people though," he finished, winking at us.

We both smiled at him. Aunt Rose put an arm around me and leaned into my ear. "I'm sorry, Nessie. Now that I actually see him, he's a total keeper."

She'd said it loud enough that Jacob could hear her. A moment later he was standing in front of us with his hand held out for a handshake.

"Truce?" he asked.

She stared at his hand for a moment. Jake glanced at me, and I shrugged. A second later, Aunt Rose flung herself at him, wrapping her arms around his waist. Jacob's moment of shock was totally picture worthy. Quickly, I pulled my phone out. After putting it back together, we'd found that it worked. I snapped a picture as I tried to hold back my laugh. When Jacob got over his shock enough to move, he gently wrapped his arms around her.

"Family," she whispered.

"What?" I said.

"Not a truce. Families don't have truces." She pulled back out of Jacob's arms and looked up at him. "Jacob, I owe you the deepest apology. I was rude and downright mean to you when you've done nothing to deserve it. Nessie was right. All those years ago, you didn't have to leave Sam and the pack to protect us, even though you were only there for Bella. You and the packs didn't have stand with us against the Volturi or the newborn army before that. You've helped to save our family so many times, and I've never thanked you for it." She took a deep breath. "So this is my apology and thanks all in one."

Jacob just stood there with his mouth slightly open staring at her. I looked around to find that everybody had silently entered the room or was watching from the stairs. This was truly an epic moment in the family story because everyone knew that she felt cheated out of life, and this was her letting go of that hatred of fate that she'd been carrying around.

Someone started clapping. "Well, hallelujah!" Looking up, I found it was Shelby.

Everybody in the room started laughing and clapping, too.

ShelbyPOV

The tension in the house dropped considerably after my outburst. But I just couldn't help it. The hatred that Rosalie had felt toward Jacob had been palpable since I came to live here. I didn't like that she hadn't liked him. Jacob was good for the family; he was good for Nessie. Anybody good for my best friend deserved more respect.

"Alright, Cullen women and Jacob's sister! Let's go shopping. We have work to do." I skipped down the stairs and into Seth's arms. I hadn't seen him all day, and I'd missed him.

"Hey, beautiful," he whispered against my bruised cheek. "You ok?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I'm much better," I said against his lips. "Do you want me to stay here with you since you just got off?"

He shook his head. "No. You go have fun with the girls. I'm going to catch some sleep." He squeezed my waist and pulled me closer to him. "Jake gave me the rest of the week off. Something tells me I'll need the sleep," he said suggestively.

I couldn't help but blush. We'd been talking about how our relationship was progressing. Even though we'd only been together a little over two months, we were so far in the grave with each other that there was no way I'd ever be with someone else. Like Jake was for Nessie, Seth was the rest of my life. And I didn't want to wait to "grow up" to be his in every way. I'd been contemplating how to get him alone and me in the green lingerie for him for a week now.

He kissed my nose. "That's what I thought. I'll take you to Port Angeles and Seattle."

"Seth, you don't have to do that."

He gave me a questioning look. "Don't you want to have some time alone? I've been getting the hints that that's what you want."

Ok, so he had been picking that up. I picked at a thread on his shirt. "I just want this if you want it, too."

He stroked the side of my neck. "I do want this. I want you, Shelby." He looked up and around the room. "Let's talk about this later, ok? We'll talk when you get back."

I nodded. He was right. There were too many people here to have that type of conversation. And he looked exhausted. He'd taken Jacob's shift as well so he'd basically taken a double.

I put my hand on his face. "Ok, I'll go shopping. You make sure to get some sleep, ok?"

When he nodded, I looked at the group in the room. They were talking amongst themselves.

"Hey, guys!" When they looked at me, I continued, "Be sure to let Seth sleep. He and I have business to take care of."

They all shared a look and then as one they all nodded. Some of them were snickering. Mr. Cullen's face was going through different emotions. Worry, amusement, irritation. But finally he just shook his head and laughed to himself.

Nessie was kissing Jacob goodbye for the trip. We'd be gone for a while, and since I was now an imprint, too, I knew how she felt. Watching them, I knew they were perfect for each other. It was amazing that they hadn't done more than make out yet, even though they'd only gotten together two days ago. I could see the tension in their bodies. No matter what Jacob said, his body wanted her. Every time she came into the room, his body would turn toward her. The same could be said for her. She always smiled and basked in the warmth of him. He kept her warm and safe. She kept him calm and sane. And they'd be that way forever.

It hit me right then that they really did have forever. She was half vampire and he was a werewolf that could choose to stop phasing and age or stay the way he was for as long as he wanted. Seth was the same way, but I was human. I'd start to grow old, and I'd die. Of course, Seth would stop phasing to be with me. But it wasn't the same. I'd be leaving Nessie. They'd mourn me. I didn't want that.

"Hey, you ok?" Seth asked, squeezing me.

I startled back to reality. Trying to play it off, I smiled. "Yeah, I'm fine."

He gave me that look that told me he didn't believe me. But I kissed him before he could ask again.

"Hey, guys, are we going or not?" I yelled to the girls.

I let go of Seth reluctantly and met everyone at the front door. Nessie took my hand with a giant smile. My smile, I knew, was just a little sad as I stared at her. She'd look this way forever.

One last look over my shoulder at Seth and I was dragged out the door.

JPOV

Once the girls left, Seth sank down on the couch. There was a frown on his face and his eyes were troubled.

"Hey. You alright?" I asked sitting beside him.

He nodded and rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm fine, but something's up with Shelby. She was watching you and Nessie, and then this really sad look crossed her face. I don't wanna pry, but are you two ok?"

"We're fine other than the fact that Edward wants to dismember me."

"She's scared," Edward said from the corner of the room.

Seth was on immediate alert. "Scared of what?"

Edward sighed. "I would say death, but that's not exactly it. That would be a selfish thing, but Shelby's fear is more of leaving people behind. Leaving people to mourn for her." He looked pointedly at Seth. "The thought of you not living forever with your pack brothers like Jacob scares her. She doesn't want you to feel like you're giving something up just to be with her. She wants to stay, but she knows she's human."

Seth shook his head. "I won't mind growing old with her."

"Nessie is also a concern of hers. They're like sisters. And I do think that Nessie would be lost without her."

"But there's nothing we can do about that. Unless we turn her into a vampire."

The only thing I could do was stare at him. He'd actually consider that?

"I thought that the point of imprinting was to carry the gene? She can't do that if she's a vampire."

Seth sighed. "I don't care. I mean, yeah I want kids, but they aren't real to me. She is. If she wants that life, then I'd follow her. It would be just like you and Nessie. Except the two of you could have kids."

"Well, we don't know that for sure," I said. "Carlisle says that her body is resistant to some change just like a vampire's. I can remember the first time her cramps kicked in." Edward and I both flinched. "She was in so much pain that she passed out."

"So, what? You're suggesting that imprinting is not for that?"

Edward shrugged. "Not completely. It's a complete tie to a person. It has to be more than just mating. I figure it's the way that your kind can find a mate that completely understands you whether that mate can conceive or not."

We all three sat there in silence. It made perfect sense. It couldn't be just about mating. If it was, I'd never wonder and ask how Nessie felt about something. Instead, I'd always be trying to get her clothes off as fast as I could when the urge hit. But it wasn't like that. One, I valued my life too much. And two, I loved her. She came first. Always.

"Well, not to be rude or anything," I said, turning to Seth. "But have you found anything on patrols?"

He shook his head. "Nope. No scents. No sign of that one wolf, either. I think Nessie's right. It's going to take some time for him to get back in good with that pack. Especially knowing how tough we are. We might as well sit back and get comfy. I doubt we'll be seeing any action anytime soon."

I nodded. "Alright. Thanks. Why don't you go up and get some sleep? I'm gonna head down to the shop."

We both went in our separate directions. He was going to need the sleep if he was going to spend the rest of the week with Shelby. I had a strange feeling that they were about to consummate their relationship. Strangely, the thought didn't bother me or make me blush. It was a part of what we were at our very core.

She needed to know that he was going to be there for her no matter what. Her insecurity of the males in her life was crippling her, causing her not to trust the one man that would never let her down. If she needed Seth to make love to her, if that was her proof that he was going to be there, then he would do it.

And that's when I realized that I could learn from him. Seth had no qualms about what he was doing. Sure, he'd probably want to marry her and do things the traditional ways. But if what he wanted and what she needed were his two choices, he'd pick her every damn time.

"Jacob," Edward said in a warning tone.

"No, I know, Edward. I was just thinking about that and something Nessie said to me. You know I'd never force anything on her."

"What did she say?"

I played our conversation back to him from last night:

I pried her fingers open so that I could press her palm to my face. "Yes, I do want this. But at the right time."

"What do you mean?"

I sighed. "I love you, and I want to be with you like that. But right now, you're scared. You want comfort, to get lost in something." My hands gripped her waist. "However, I need to do right by you. And this isn't right to take advantage of you when you're vulnerable." Gripping her waist, I pulled her a little closer up my thighs as I sat up. "I don't want you to be angry with me. Maybe, I'm just not ready for this."

The look of hurt vanished, replaced by one of contemplation. "I never thought of it that way."

I stroked her now loose hair from her face. "Nessie, I may be a twenty-five year old man, but I've been stuck in a teenage mentality for so long because I was waiting on you. But when you caught up with me, I didn't move forward with you. This scares me." She leaned into me, wrapping her arms loosely around my neck. "I've always been the type of guy that wasn't just about sex. Hell, I was really never about sex. I was more about protecting, and I still am. You're not the only one who's a virgin with their hormones raging. My wolf self is dying to be truly mated."

"So…you want to get married?"

The question caught me off guard. But of course it was going to come up what with us all hot and heavy.

I nodded anyway. "Well, yeah, eventually. I know your parents would appreciate it."

She laughed. "Of course they would." She stroked my face. "But, just so you know, those values aren't mine. I understand where you and they are coming from, but I love you. I know that we're going to spend the rest of our lives together. I don't need a piece of paper to tell me that." She lifted her leg and swung off my lap to kneel on the bed. "But ok, Jake. I'll respect your wishes." Leaning forward, she kissed my lips chastely. "I'll be right back."

To my complete surprise, Edward chuckled. "She sounds like Bella did. Bella hated the idea of getting married. It terrified her." His face became serious. "My relationship with Bella was never normal to begin with. I'd had different morals of how to court a lady. We didn't do any of that because of the century we live in now. That was the one aspect I had control over because it was part of our deal. That was the one thing I wanted to keep true to my past before we moved our relationship up." He sighed and closed his eyes tight as if he were about to say something that pained him. "Nessie was born in this century where traditional ways are rare. She understands them, but she's so sure of you and her feelings for you, that she doesn't need you to prove to her that you love her by marrying her first. These days, that's all marriage is. It's still special to some, and it is to her. That wedding would show the world that she wants you and nobody else. She wants to be Mrs. Black so bad, but the name isn't as important to her as being close to you does. In Nessie's mind, you belonging to her, and her belonging to you is astronomically more important. My little girl is now a woman who knows what she wants and who she wants. That piece of paper means nothing to her. The moment you slide that ring on her finger is the moment she becomes a Black no matter what."

I'd wanted to do right by her. But what exactly constituted what was right and what was wrong in this scenario? Especially if Edward was right in saying that she knew what she wanted from "us". Of course, I knew I wouldn't be able to go all the way with her. Not yet. But did I really have to be so shy about our reactions to each other? She knew I wanted her. Everybody knew I wanted her. And everybody, including her, also knew what I did in the shower to thoughts of her. Poor Edward had to tune me out hard for those fifteen minutes of shower time. I felt sorry for the poor bastard.

But we'd only just gotten together two days ago, and had just had our first date today. We had time to go through all this and talk it out. Why was I making this such a big deal right now?

Sighing, I got up from the couch and held my hand out to a silent Edward. "I'm sorry that I've put you through hell with all of this. I'm going to do my best, but if Nessie knows what she wants, I'll give it to her, especially if I feel right in the decision. All I ask is that you trust me on this. That you trust me with her."

His eyes met mine, a demand in them that I tell him the truth. I must have passed because he took my hand.

"I wish she was more traditional, but whatever the two of you decide as a couple, I think I can live with. Just make sure that it's what you want, too. I'm not worried just about her all the time, you know."

I nodded. "Thanks, Edward. You know I'll treat her right. That's the only way I know how."

It was his turn to nod. "I know. And if I hadn't messed up in the first place, neither of you would have had to go through the pain that you did."

"Edward, if you haven't learned by now that this family can be just plain stupid, then you haven't been paying attention. We all make mistakes. There will be many more to come." I leaned in to him. "But between you and me, we're both really happy that you did."

He grinned. "It did work out this time, didn't it?"

I nodded. "Well, so far, so good."

As I made my way out the door and down to the shop, I hoped like hell that it stayed that way.

So does anybody think Edward messed up again? I don't. In fact, many of you are going to speculate on anything happening to Shelby. *tee hee hee* Please review! I love themz! xoxoxoxoxoxo