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.

Thank you to my lovely beta willowbae, the best beta ever :)

Chapter 25.

Nessie – restless

I had been on a number of hunting trips with Katherine, but I still found her speed slightly awe-inspiring. Having just spent a sedate day with her in Seattle, it was especially strange to watch her moving through the forest at such a staggering pace. She could easily outrun all the women in my family; she was more than match for the men. For instance, I would have liked to see her racing against my dad.

After hearing about her athletic past, it made more sense, and I noticed that she still used her hurdling technique when leaping over obstacles in her path. With this degree of natural coordination it was unsurprising that she was lethal on the hunt.

On the Sunday after her trip to the city, Jake and I went hunting with her in the afternoon. By the time we had spent several hours tearing through the forest at breakneck speed, I was more than happy to call it a day. Katherine waved a cheery goodbye and headed back to the cottage, while Jake and I made our way towards the wolves territory.

I was in a happy mood, it had been a good week and I was starting to feel excited about our forthcoming trip to Mavericks. It was only a couple of weeks away and I had already got everything ready. Two new wetsuits, new underwear, a visit to the student health centre… I was prepared!

Of course, I had to play down my enthusiasm to Jake; I didn't want him to get suspicious and change his mind about taking me. I wanted him to view the vacation in the same way that he would a mundane camping trip. By the time I made my moves, it would be too late for him to back out.

I had even resisted being quite as physical with him as I usually was. I wasn't cold or unfriendly, but I wasn't all over him either. I thought that if I seemed capable of controlling myself, then he would feel even less suspicious of my motives for our trip. I found it tough though, because when Jake was around, I was automatically drawn to him. But I managed to be extraordinarily restrained as our vacation approached.

The side effect of this strategy was that Jacob had started to grow restless in my presence. I suppose that he was used to a certain amount of contact between us and he began to miss it. At first I was unaware of this, but by the end of the weekend it was starting to show.

As we strolled through the forest and crossed the treaty line, I glanced at Jake and noticed that he seemed edgy. This surprised me; I had burned off all my energy on the hunt.

"Are you ok?"

"Sure, sure." He nodded absently, putting his arm around my shoulders.

I caught hold of his arm and manoeuvred it from around me, so that I ended up holding his hand instead. Looking vaguely frustrated, he let go of my fingers and tried to put his arm around me again. But at that precise moment, I noticed that there was a stone in my shoe and started hopping on one foot.

"Nessie, what are you doing?"

"There's something in my shoe." I caught hold of him and poked out my foot expectantly.

"What are you, like, five years old?" He sighed and leaned down to help pull off my shoe.

In fairness to me, when Jake tipped my shoe upside-down, a massive pebble fell out. The ground was covered in mud and, taking my sock into consideration, he picked me up and carried me to a nearby boulder – not the one that had been in my shoe, but another one – and gently set me down.

I waited happily on the mossy rock, watching him re-tie my shoelaces. When he was done, he glanced at me with a smile. "Is that better?" His dark eyes were very inviting as they met mine.

"Yes, thank you." I leaned forward to give him a kiss of gratitude.

In spite of my plan, I couldn't resist letting my short peck turn into something more lingering. As my tongue skimmed along his bottom lip, Jacob caught me in his arms and pulled me close. I was surprised by how enthusiastic he was being, but he felt so good that I was happy to go with it, even when he pressed me back against the boulder.

"You feel great," he murmured into my ear, letting one of his hands edge underneath my shirt. I could feel the rough surface of the rock against my skin as he slid his fingers up my back. His body felt very warm, compared with the cold stone beneath me.

"You feel better," I whispered, running my palms across his powerful shoulders and breathing in his amazing scent. I moved my mouth back to his and let my arms tighten around his neck, pulling him down as our lips parted.

I didn't know if this should be part of my plan, but at that moment I really didn't care. Apparently, Jake was also feeling pretty sure of what he was doing. With his free hand, he caught hold of my leg and wrapped it around him. As he began to unbutton my shirt, I wondered if all my careful plotting would be rendered unnecessary.

At that moment, we couldn't see anything beyond each other. This might have explained why we were caught so off-guard when, a second later, we were interrupted by a cheerful voice.

"Hi, guys!"

I almost jumped out of my skin and Jake growled as he turned his head. Peering around Jacob, I caught sight of two members of his pack, Quil and Steve, the young apprentice from the garage. Of course, it was Quil who had spoken. If Steve had discovered us, I'm sure that he would have hurried away before being noticed.

I unwound my leg from around Jacob's waist. He stood up and pulled me into a sitting position. I blushed furiously, whilst trying to do up my half-unbuttoned shirt, and Jake fired them an angry glance.

"What do you want?"

I climbed to my feet and caught hold of Jacob's arm. I noticed his muscles tightening, and all of a sudden I was really worried that he was going to lose his temper. Steve seemed embarrassed, but Quil looked positively gleeful as he answered.

"We were just running the border and we heard something…"

I gave Jake's arm a squeeze, silently telling him, calm down. Jacob glanced at me, and as his eyes met mine, he managed to reign in his annoyance. He was already in control before he turned back to his stocky friend.

"Well, that's very interesting… you'd better go and find out what it was," he replied calmly.

"We already did," smirked Quil, and I went a slightly deeper shade of pink. Seeing that Jake wasn't going to take the bait, Quil added mischievously. "You know it's nice to see that you two really are dating after all, you're so guarded with your thoughts about her, Jake; we were all starting to wonder if you were making the whole thing up."

I was relieved to hear that Jacob had such good mental control; I did sometimes worry about what the pack might have seen. I noticed Steve watching me with an uneasy expression.

Quil then added, with an infuriating grin. "I should have guessed you'd be the outdoor type, Jake."

Keeping me well behind him, Jacob crossed his arms. "You'd know all about that, wouldn't you, Quil," he said in a smooth tone. "Have you ever considered that Claire might appreciate it, if you'd learn to guard your thoughts, too?"

This comment instantly wiped the smirk off Quil's face and Steve smothered a laugh. I suddenly felt very sorry for Claire. This shared pack mind was a nightmare for the wives and girlfriends. Knowing how obsessed the wolves often became with their imprints, it was a miracle if they ever thought of anything else.

I suddenly wondered why Jake found it so easy not to think of me. He was still standing with his back to me, so he didn't catch my frown. By the time he looked in my direction, my features were carefully wiped of expression. He gently took my hand and began to lead me away.

"Let's go."

Jacob threw a stern glance at the others when we passed them, and once we were some distance away, I heard Steve grumble resentfully to Quil.

"Nice going, man. You know he hates us talking about her… and I have to work with him on Monday."

I gave Jake a sideways glance. "Is that true?" I wondered if he was trying to play down his relationship with me, to the rest of the pack.

He looked down at me with a puzzled expression. "Of course it is."

"Ok." I nodded with acceptance.

I had to admit that it made sense. I hadn't forgotten the looks that I'd received from the young pack members on a number of occasions. However Jacob felt about me, to the rest of the wolves I was still a half-leech. I gently eased my fingers out of his hold and slipped my hand into my pocket. Jake reached over and recaptured my hand. Keeping a tight hold on my fingers, he gazed down at me.

"I'm not ashamed of us, if that's what you're thinking."

"I know you're not ashamed." I met his eyes. "But I do understand that they probably don't like me very much."

He snorted with laughter and I instantly felt hurt. This time I wrenched my hand away and started walking at a faster pace. He didn't let me get far; he caught my arm and held me fast.

"Hey, wait. Let me explain…"

I spun around and scowled at him.

Jacob rolled his eyes. "God, Nessie, could you try not being so touchy, just this once?" My eyes narrowed and he sighed. "Ok, I can see that's impossible. But if you'd let me finish, honey, there would be less need for the drama."

"Well?" I said sharply. "What's so funny?"

"I know you don't understand the way that other people see you. But take it from me; most men really notice you – even the wolves." I threw him an incredulous look and he raised his eyebrows. "I'm telling you, you don't even smell like a vampire to them, you smell great. And to make matters worse, you've got that whole 'superpower' thing going on."

I pulled an extremely sour face. "So?"

"So, it's ok for the guys who've imprinted – they don't really see anything beyond their mates – but hardly any of the new pack members have. Most of them really struggle not to let me know how attracted they are to you, and I don't want to make things worse; they find it hard enough to control their thoughts anyway. And quite frankly, I'm getting tired of their teen fantasies. So I try not to talk, or think, about you when I'm with the younger ones."

Seeing that I was still sceptical, he added with an exasperated laugh. "Do you know how hard I have to work, not to have you in my mind every second? But I want to keep things between us private; I don't want to turn you into a peep show for the other guys, Nessie."

I threw him a grudging smile. "Ok, fine."

He shook his head. "Of course, my good work will be undone, when Steve and Quil show everyone their memories of today. The next few days are going to be hell…" he added with a groan.

Flushing red, I looked away and tried to think of a distraction. I quickly came up with one and broke into a jog.

"Race you home," I called over my shoulder, giving Jake no time to react, before taking off through the trees.

He could easily outrun me as a wolf, but I was faster when he was in human form. He didn't bother to phase, so I reached the edge of the forest well before him.

I broke out of the trees just by the Hunter boys' back yard. The twins were outside on the scrubby grass, playing football with a few of the boys from both Sam and Jake's packs. As usual, they were all wearing just shorts and shoes, in spite of the cold, damp air.

As soon as I appeared, they all stopped what they were doing and turned towards me. I could hear their hearts racing as they gazed in my direction. I began to wonder if what Jake had told me was actually true and instantly felt very self-conscious. I hovered near the trees, hoping that he would arrive soon, and tried to be inconspicuous.

Unfortunately, Jamie foiled my attempt to blend into the background. "Hey, Nessie," he called out in a friendly voice. "Catch!"

A second later the football flew through the air towards me. My competitive streak won through, and I sprung up and plucked it out of the air. I felt that I'd won a small victory for my sex with such a nice move, and had to work hard not to look a little bit smug. Jamie jogged towards me, while the others hung back, watching him with curiosity.

"Nice catch." He halted a couple of feet away and gazed down at me with a very cocky smile. "You're fast."

I heard a couple of snickers from the others, as his brother commented loudly. "Nice going, man, that's real smooth."

Making a concerted effort to ignore our audience, I handed Jamie the football. "Um… thanks." I then turned towards the trees, still on the lookout for Jake.

But before I could move away, he stopped me. "Wait a second." I glanced up, with my eyebrows raised questioningly, and he reached out one of his long brown arms. "You've got something in your hair."

"Oh." I put my hand up to my hair, but Jamie beat me to it. He leaned in close and plucked a large twig out of my ponytail.

"There you go," he said, holding my gaze as a triumphant smile played on his lips. "You look much better now."

Before I could say anything, a roar from the forest interrupted me.

"What the hell's going on?"

I jumped and turned to see Jake storming out of the woods towards us. The look on his face startled me, and Jamie took several hasty steps back. Stepping between us, Jake caught hold of my arm and pushed me behind him.

"Jake…!" I started to speak, but he ignored me and rounded on Jamie.

"Don't you value your life? Or do you think it's ok to get so close to her?"

Jamie started to stammer an explanation. "Sorry… I'm sorry… I was just…"

But Jake cut him short. "How much temptation do you think she can stand?" He demanded angrily. "Don't you know that she craves young blood?"

I was too surprised to speak when I heard this wild assertion. My jaw dropped open. Jamie just shook his head in horror as Jacob towered over him menacingly.

"And if she bites you, there's nothing anyone can do. Her venom will spread and you'll die a slow and agonising death. Unless she drains you dry first, which," – he added darkly – "would probably be preferable."

Having rendered both of us speechless, Jake turned to me and said sternly. "How often have I told you to stay away from the pack? They're just kids...!"

"Jake…" I choked, but he just caught hold of my hand and started walking, pulling me along with him.

"Come on. Let's get out of here… before you lose control."

I looked back over my shoulder, to discover that Jamie was watching us with a shaken expression. As we crossed the yard towards the main road, we passed the other boys, who all stepped away fearfully. Jake pointedly ignored them and I was too shocked to manage a goodbye. When we reached the road, it was several minutes before I could speak.

I finally gasped. "I can't believe you said that!" I wasn't even angry. I was still too stunned.

Jake looked very pleased with himself. "Maybe he'll keep his hands to himself from now on."

I yanked Jacob to a standstill. "What? By telling him that I want to drink his blood! I'm not even venomous, damn it!" I yelled. The anger was finally surfacing. "Now everyone will be saying that I tried to eat Jamie Hunter!"

Jake rolled his eyes and looked infuriatingly unperturbed. "No way. One of the guys will set him straight, and everyone will think he's a dumbass for believing me – which he is!"

I considered this idea and had to admit that it was probably true. After a minute I said grudgingly. "You'd better be right, because if any rumours start spreading, I'll never come here again, and you'll only have yourself to blame!"

He gave a wide grin. "You need to lighten up, honey. Everything will be fine."

"I don't know why you had to say anything," I grumbled, as we continued along the muddy road.

"Listen, Nessie," he said, glancing at me with a semi-serious expression. "If I hadn't done that, I probably would have smacked him upside the head. And since I'm not actually psycho enough to attack a teenage boy, it seemed like the better option. No one gets to touch you, but me. Got it?"

I grimaced. "How wonderful."

He just looked smug. "You know you love it."

"Humph."

Jake laughed and kept a tight grip on my hand the whole way back to his house. My car was parked there, because I was planning to drive straight from La Push to Seattle that evening. As always, when it was time to go, I found it nearly impossible to leave.

Before climbing into my car, I turned to kiss Jacob goodbye. He trapped me between himself and the car door, by bracing his arms against the car roof on either side of me, and taking a step forward. I slid my hands around his waist and tugged him a little closer.

"Has anyone ever told you that you're irresistible?" He said, leaning towards me with a slow smile.

He then proceeded to sweep my hair away from my shoulder, before dipping his head and softly brushing his lips along my throat. I thought about his question and smirked. As a matter of fact, a number of guys had told me that very thing. Of course, I don't think any of them were actually sober at the time, so that rather devalued their compliments.

"Yes," I said bluntly.

"Was it Jamie Hunter?" he teased.

"No," I answered evasively, as his mouth continued its journey down my neck and along my collarbone. "It wasn't him…"

Jake pulled his head back and grinned. "Whoever it was, he was right."

"I think you mean they were right."

He raised his eyebrows and tried not to laugh. "I'm glad that so many people are in agreement."

"As long as you think it, that's the important thing." I smiled up at him.

He met my eyes for a long moment and his expression changed. "I'm thinking it more and more."

As he held my gaze, I could see the desire, which he had been trying so hard to conceal, smouldering behind his eyes. His words, and the longing expression which went with them, made me feel excited and nervous at the same time. I could suddenly feel butterflies in the pit of my stomach.

With a shy smile, I caught my arm around his neck and pulled him down to kiss me. "Good."

"Are you sure you don't want me to come and see you next weekend?" He used his most persuasive tone.

I was planning to spend the following weekend studying in Seattle. And Jake had a heap of work to finish at the garage, before our vacation, so we weren't going to be seeing each other for two weeks. I smiled and shook my head.

"You know I'd love you to. But if you visit, neither of us will get any work done."

"Fine." He gave a resigned sigh.

"But in two weeks, we'll be in California and we can see plenty of each other."

I ran my fingers along his neck and sent him an image of Half Moon Bay. I chose a picture that made it look very scenic and ever so slightly romantic. He cheered up instantly.

"I can't wait," he murmured, pressing soft kisses to my lips.

I don't know how I tore myself away that day. It wasn't easy, especially as I knew that I wouldn't be seeing Jacob for two whole weeks. I wasn't thrilled about being separated for so long, but I was sure that our trip would make up for it. A small part of me hoped that after so many days apart, Jacob would be putty in my hands.

I must admit that I was feeling very hopeful on the drive back to Seattle. In spite of the embarrassment of being caught in the woods by Quil and Steve, the day's events had made me feel extremely optimistic. It was obvious that Leo had been right. Jake wasn't going to hold out forever, in fact, I could already see large cracks appearing in his resolve.

It was also apparent that Leo's other advice – about getting far away from anyone who could get in the way – was spot on. Jake and I would never get anywhere if we were surrounded by wolves. Nothing could kill a romantic mood quicker than the appearance of one of those guys. The concept of privacy was entirely alien to the pack.

It was wonderful to know that in two weeks I would be free of them, my family, and everyone but Jacob.

I couldn't wait…

Author's notes:

So Nessie's plan is starting to come together...

Just a quick thank you for last weeks reviews and list additions. They were great :) And also a big thanks for reading!

Have a really nice week, Mad :)