The theme song's a little different in this chapter. You have no idea how long I've had this idea and I've wanted to write this since I started this whole story. Check it out: Two Is Better Than One by Boys Like Girls and the awesome Taylor Swift. Open it up on youtube or grooveshark or something, just have it ready to play 'cos it's a beautiful song and I want it playing at my wedding.
Yes I am planning that far ahead. :P
Back to the story.
One last thing- I decided to include the scene. I tried writing from Jessie's point of view like as a flashback but then, you know the story, it just wrote itself.
Love,
Lena xo
Chapter XXV
"It's called imprinting."
I paused but couldn't find the words in me to continue. How does anybody break this to anyone?
It wasn't as if I could look back on anyone's experience, either. Sam told Emily by shipping her off to hospital. Kim spazzed out because she thought Jared was forced to love her. Jacob's got four years to write his "I'm-your-soulmate-speech" and Quil has sixteen. Rachel didn't even count, that woman might've blinked when Paul told her. From what I'd heard as soon as she found out she went off to bash up Jacob for not telling her that he was a werewolf.
Rachel Black has issues. And you do not think that while phased at the same time as Paul or we'll end up losing another member of the pack. Chase isn't with us anymore but we've all agreed to move on from that.
"So, what does that mean?" Jessie's gentle voice brought me back.
"It—it—God, Jessie," I spluttered. My head fell forward, resting on her shoulder for a moment as I tried to think. I gently pressed my lips against her collarbone and felt her shiver under my touch. Still haven't lost it, I couldn't help but think smugly as I sat back up. I swallowed the lump in my throat that had re-appeared as I tried to voice my thoughts.
"You have to know that it's not compulsory. Well, it is, for me. But you have a choice and you will always have a choice and I will always stand by whatever choice you make."
"Collin, you're confusing me," she mumbled, trying to move closer to me. She was already on his lap but that didn't matter, it still wasn't quite close enough. I pulled her in tighter.
"In our legends, the wolves had soul-mates. There's lots of theories, Sam and Billy have a few, about why it exists but all that matters is this imprinting thing happens when the wolf finds his soul mate. It's like a signal, so that he knows it's her."
"What do you mean? What signal?"
As I looked up at him, his eyes automatically closed. A small smile went on his face and his arms tightened around me.
"You know how you fall in love with someone, and at first they're a stranger, then they become a friend. Then you start spending more time with them. You jump for chances to talk to them or sit next to them, but try to act like you're not. Every time you hug them or accidentally brush hands or just something like that it sends fire racing up and down you and leaves you tingling for hours at end. And you're trying to fall asleep but all you can think of is them. Every little clue that they might like you leaves you thinking for hours afterwards. Then as you spend more and more time with them you realise how beautiful they are and how perfect they are. Everything they say or think or do. In the end whenever you're making plans for your future you're subconsciously trying to schedule in your wedding, or you see them talking to a little kid and you start thinking about what kind of parent they'd make. You don't admit it but they become the person who means most to you in the world. And you know that if they asked you to, you'd lay down your life from them. Do...do you know that feeling?"
"Yes," she mumbled after a moment. "I know that feeling."
"Imagine all of that crashing down onto you in one moment, hitting you like a truck. Everything just pulls into place and in one moment you can see their perfection and you know you can never tear your eyes from it again. Someone who was just a stranger a second ago becomes your everything in the next."
It was quiet, except for the rain falling lightly on us and her breathing.
And her heartbeat, in near perfect sync with mine. Both at hyper-active speeds – her as she contemplated her answer, and me as I waited for it.
"I think I can imagine it."
I took a deep breath. "That's what imprinting is. That's what happened the day I saw you."
I heard her breathing hitch and I started to panic. Was she going to believe me or would she run again? I didn't know if I could handle her leaving me again.
Hell, I knew I couldn't.
She wasn't speaking.
I moved my head closer to her ear and started talking softly.
"The wolf's sole purpose in life is to protect her and to keep her happy. If she asked him to put a gun to his chest and pull the trigger, he would do it, simply because he loves her more than he loves his own life."
"And-and you love me that way?" her voice was shaky and unsure as she stuttered again.
I turned her head so she was facing me and let my forehead rest on hers. Her wide grey eyes were straight on me, until she blushed and looked away.
I kissed her on the lips and felt her kiss me back.
"I have always loved you that way, and I always will."
When we went back to her room some hours later, she was wet and cold as I lifted her through her bedroom window.
I heard a wolf howl in the distance and I hesitated. Not a special signal, just a sign that the shift had ended and someone was late. Thankfully not me.
While my mind processed this Jessie's hand pulled on mine.
"Please, don't go," she whispered.
"Your wish is my command," I whispered back.
She pulled me down to the bed and as I slipped under the covers next to her I wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her in tightly. She entangled my legs around mine and I kissed her neck softly.
"I love you," I mumbled into her skin.
"I love you too," she murmured sleepily.
We both fell asleep easily that night.
XxX
Knock. Knock-knock. Knock.
I heard it in my dreams first before my eyes cracked open like slits as sunlight burnt into them. I tried to shut my eyes but the persistent racket kept up.
Knock. Knock-knock. Knock.
I reached around, half-delirious, over the bed before finally tugging the pillow underneath my head and flinging it at the window.
"Piss off Brady," I muttered, burying my head into Jessie's hair. She murmured something and shifted restlessly.
The knocking continued. Finally I felt Jessie move against me as she sat up and yawned. I kept my arm possessively around her waist until she started to actually move out of the bed.
I tugged her hard so she fell against me. My arms went around her securely.
"Stay," I mumbled, my eyes still shut. I heard her giggle.
"Brady's at the window," she whispered. "Don't you wanna see why he's here?"
"Because everyone else is asleep so there's no one else for him to annoy. He's like a begging dog. If you ignore it, it gives up and leaves you alone. Although Brady has a shorter attention span than most dogs."
I must've fallen asleep again because the next thing I know, Jessie's small hands were gripping my shoulder and shaking me. I didn't move.
All of a sudden I felt an elbow being slammed straight into my lungs. I gasped, winded, and immediately sat up, bleary eyes half-open.
The first thing I noticed was that Jessie had had a shower. Her hair was wet and in one braid over one shoulder and she smelled like soap. She was in a pretty dress, I realised. It was white with a red tie around the middle and red trimmings down the bottom, plus red and yellow flowers scattered all over the torso.
I growled when something blocked my view of her, but stopped short when I realised that something was Brady.
"Come on, hurry up, have a shower or something, we have to go, and go now!" he was yelling.
"W-what time is it?"
"It's four o'clock!" I looked outside and sure enough the sun was low in the sky. A clear sky, I noted. Huh.
"How late were we up last night?" I turned to Jessie while rubbing my eyes. She was slipping a grey cardigan on.
"Late enough! Go, go, now!" harrassed Brady, pushing me out of the bed.
"Alright, alright! Dude, what's your rush?"
Brady stared at me. "I thought I mentioned it enough. Geez," he said, looking at Jessie. "You better not leave again. You should've seen him, locking himself in his room and yelling at inanimate objects and skipping patrols and bursting into tears at microwaves-" (was it just me or did Jessie blush a little at the last one?) "-it's like Leah at her time of the month."
"Leah doesn't have a time of the month," I pointed out.
"Oh, yes she does. All. Month. Long."
"That was mean." I liked Leah. She was alright to me (as in, she didn't talk to me) so I never had any issues with her.
In a sudden random act Brady extended his hand to Jessie.
"Shake it," he insisted, and she hesitantly shook the proffered hand. "I'm Brady, a teenage werewolf. Good to finally meet you without any cover-ups of the truth. Welcome to the pack."
I blinked and looked at him. "That was a surprisingly wise thing to say."
"I'll have that in writing, if you don't mind."
"Come on, we better go," said Jessie.
"Go where?" I asked exasperatedly.
Brady blinked. "What everybody's been talking about for the last few weeks. My wedding."
XxX
I brushed the imaginary dust from Brady's collar.
"Well? Are you ready to go down the aisle?"
I adjusted his tie before double checking mine.
Brady just smiled.
"Collin," he sighed dramatically, "She's the girl of my dreams. Out of all those guys, she chose me. When I place that ring on her finger and seal it with a kiss, she's mine forever. And tonight, we're gonna make babies like there's no tomorrow."
Brady turned to the figure on the ground. "And that, my friend, is how you act on your wedding day. Proud, secure and confident."
I looked at Seth, huddled in the corner of the room, his arms tucked around his knees and his eyes staring, unseeing, straight in front of him. I blinked.
"...dude, maybe we should get help."
"He's fine!" Brady insisted as Seth started to rock back and forth, muttering to himself.
"No, seriously. Sam, or Jared, or someone who's actually been married, or is likely to at some point in their lives-"
"Hey!" Brady huffed.
Brady and me both crouched down next to Seth as he started muttering coherent words.
"Not good enough she changes her mind finds someone better fail her hurt her she deserves better-"
"Dude!" Brady took Seth by the shoulders and shook him. "It's gonna be ok! She loves you, and you love her, and you're both perfect for each other, and—yeah!"
Brady seemed satisfied with that motivating speech but Seth looked no more relieved. I just looked at him as he started hyperventilating.
"Listen," I said quietly, "She's gonna walk down that aisle and she's gonna look gorgeous and you're gonna wonder what the hell you did to deserve her. And she's gonna be thinking the same thing about you. And then you're going to say your vows and you realise it doesn't matter 'cos she's picked you out of every other man walking this earth and you're going to be working 'till the day you die to deserve that honour. So get your ass into gear. You've got a wedding to get to." I offered my hand, and Seth clasped it and let me pull him up.
He was smiling. And breathing. Two good things.
As he walked out of the house and into the car, Brady eyed me.
"What?" I said. "I got him out of his mental breakdown, didn't I?"
"You basically just said what I said, but in a better way."
"It's an imprint thing," I said, readjusting my bow tie for the last time. I saw Brady roll his eyes.
"Come on, let's go. We've got a wedding to go to."
As we sat in the car- Seth in a dazed happy state and Leah frowning slightly as she drove the car – I looked at Brady.
"You scared the crap out of me back there, saying it was your wedding."
He grinned. "I didn't think you'd fall for it. I knew you were distracted, but I didn't think you were that distracted."
"Can't you just tell me what colour it is?" Seth said from the front. Wedding dress enquiries, kept secret from every wolf in the pack, considering the whole shared-mind thing.
"Can't. Women's orders. Rachel would probably stab me to death."
"Is it the same colour as the bride's maid's dress?" asked Seth, eyeing the simple light-blue dress that Leah donned.
"No, it's not, so stop prying because I won't tell you," huffed Leah. I saw the smile on her face though. For today at least, she was just acting grumpy out of habit.
"Wipe that grin off of your face, Collin."
"All month long," hissed Brady under his breath.
"What was that?"
"Nothing!"
XxX
I saw his eyes light up as soon as she stepped onto the 'aisle' in her pretty lime green dress. His eyes dropped to her feet then slowly back up to her and I saw him just marvelling in the beauty that was her.
She, meanwhile, looked ready to bolt straight down the aisle.
They were just fold-out chairs set up on the beach at La Push. An "aisle" was a clearing between the chairs and the whole ceremony was hardly traditional. Kaylie's dad led her down the aisle with a carefully composed gruff expression on his face. When he gave his daughter away, he sat next to his wife and Sue Clearwater (who were both bawling their eyes out) and a tear rolled down one cheek. Jessie was smiling as she looked at Kaylie. Kay's eyes were bright and her hands were tight around the red-and-gold flowers in her hands. Marigolds, weren't they?
I shuddered suddenly, trying to think if I had patrol with Seth any time soon after their Cullen-funded honeymoon ("A wedding present from all eight of us," Bella had insisted so Seth would feel less guilty about taking it). Certainly didn't want to share room in Seth's head so soon after the honeymoon. No guesses what would be on his mind.
The Cullens themselves sat in the back row. Then the very few humans who were actually unaware of the complete situation, then the wolves. Brady stood next to Seth as the best man while Leah stood next to Kaylie as the bridesmaid. Claire the flower girl had already gotten bored and run back to the audience to sit with "Quiw" and Billy sat as the MC.
Which left me.
I saw pixie-Cullen, aka the wedding planner, gesturing wildly at me from the back as the ceremony started. I edged out of my seat, dragging Jessie with me.
"Rings," pixie hissed, giving two boxes to me. "The red box is for Seth and the blue box is for Kaylie. Capiche?"
"Got it," I said, taking both boxes in my free hand while my other one pulled at Jessie's own hand.
Alice looked back at the couple at the front and a rare smile crossed her face. Even though no tears fell her hand raised up to brush her eyes and it occurred to me that if she could cry, she would.
I awkwardly cleared my throat and she turned to me. "You've done an awesome job today. We really appreciate it." Maybe Seth was onto something. The Cullens weren't too bad, as far as leeches went.
A row or two away, I heard a certain mind-reader chuckle.
"Thankyou Collin, that really means a lot to me," beamed the short, spiky-haired package. I heard Seth start talking from the front. "That's your cue! Go, round the side, go now!" Still pulling Jessie behind me, I went around the audience and at the front, standing to attention as Seth promised to love her and stuff like that.
What? I'm a guy, I don't talk about doing things, I just do them.
Huh. I sound like Brady.
"I give my vow to protect you with everything that I am-"
As Seth reached the end of his own vows (with a little help from Brady and yours truly)-
"I promise to love you now and forever until the day I die and beyond." I moved next to him and opened the red box. Seth reached in, taking the simple gold band – engraved with the Quileute braided pattern similar of a promise ring – and slipped it onto Kaylie's finger. I was ready when Kaylie finished her vows as she put the thicker gold ring, similarly marked to hers, on Seth's finger.
"You may kiss the bride," said Billy proudly and as they leaned in to share their first kiss as husband and wife, I looked at Jessie. Her eyes were shining and she looked so happy.
"Do you want this?" I murmured, leaning down to kiss her neck.
"It's beautiful," she admitted in her soft voice. "I-I'm not ready yet, but it's what every girl dreams of, isn't it?"
I kissed her forehead, resting my head on top of hers.
XxX
No fancy reception for our newly-weds - a traditional Quileute bonfire and the re-telling of the legends – which Jessie listened to with rapt attention, absorbing everything. Afterwards the Cullens, the humans and both Seth and Kaylie's parents went home. Only the pack and their imprints lingered around the bonfire, roasting marshmallows and, well, still eating. As I finished off Jessie's hot dog for her, Leah came back from her car lugging a big black strangely-shaped bag.
Seth jumped to his feet, almost knocking Kaylie over in the process. "Lee, you didn't."
She smiled tentatively. "It's been so long though, I thought..."
Seth took the bag from her, gently lowering it to the ground as he started unzipping it.
"What is it?" asked Brady around two hot dogs in his mouth.
Seth lifted the aged instrument carefully out of its place. "It's dad's guitar."
His eyes were shining as Leah leaned forward and kissed his forehead. She ruffled his hair, looking down as she mumbled, "He should've been here." Seth went quiet for a moment, staring with unseeing eyes at the guitar- everyone went quiet. Simply being here right now felt like an intrusion. Shared minds or no, he was their father. That was their private memory and moment.
Eventually Leah hugged him again, joining the others around the bonfire. Seth sat back down next to Kaylie, tuning the guitar. He started strumming a few chords, smiling softly as he looked over the guitar.
"I didn't know he could play," whispered Jessie, who's eyes were locked on the guitar.
"He hasn't in years," I said. "What with patrolling and college and imprinting, I'm not so sure he had time for it."
Seth started playing a soft melody and I felt Jessie move instinctively closer. I moved with her, staying behind her so she leaned back and rested on me.
He started singing softly.
"I remember what you wore on the first day,
You came into my life and I thought hey,
You know, this could be something."
His eyes were locked on Kaylie, who was glowing in the firelight as she smiled.
"Cos everything you do and words you say,
You know that it all takes my breath away
And now I'm left with nothing."
As Seth started singing the next part of the song, I was surprised when Jessie's own voice, sweet and lilting, joined his.
"So maybe it's true that I can't live without you," Kaylie seemed surprised as she turned to look at Jessie, as did a few others. Seth, however, smiled and kept singing.
"And maybe two is better than one,
But there's so much time to figure out the rest of my life.
And you've already got me coming undone,
And I'm thinking two is better than one."
His fingers moved, strumming the strings instead of playing them. His lips stayed shut and I felt rather than heard Jessie take a breath. Her voice was sweet and clear as she sung.
"I remember every look upon your face-" She blushed and stopped abruptly as she realised that everyone was looking at her, but Seth took over.
"The way you roll your eyes,
The way you taste,
You make it hard for breathing."
They were both singing now and I realised that just as Seth's eyes were locked on Kaylie's, Jessie had turned to watch me as she sung.
"Cos when I close my eyes and drift away
I think of you and everything's ok
I'm finally now believing..."
Jessie was still blushing but I moved part of her hair out of my way and kissed her neck. Her voice was the most beautiful thing I'd ever heard.
That was how Seth's wedding night went. I don't think mine could top that. The whole pack were quiet around the warm bonfire while Seth and Jessie sung, just them and the guitar under the starlight. It was the perfect moment.
I will always treasure this memory.
There's so much time
To figure out the rest of my life
But I've figured out, when all is said and done
Two is better than one
Ok so I had to open up chapter one to write this and this chapter is three times the size of it. I've already written this even though I haven't actually started Chapter 24 yet, or even really thought about it. I only just realised how much I've missed reviews. Seriously I opened it up and there was just four in there and it seriously made my day. Or night. Or whatever you wanna call it.
Well anyways, I got a Doctor's appointment in four hours for a gaping wound in my leg so I'd best get some sleep I suppose. I'm writing this and it's four hours and twenty-six minutes into the last day of the year.
Wow. I feel old.
Love,
Lena xo
PS: I know. I'm sorry. I pick on Rachel a lot on this chapter (and therefore I'm picking on Paul). I was (re)reading the awesomest story about them in which Paul is mortally afraid of Rachel and in which well she is terrifying. But it's so sweet. (Check it out in my faves/in my community Bada Bing Bada Boom – I practically died from laughter) XD
PPS: Yes, a My Elemental reference was slipped in here:
www . Fanfiction . Net / s / 6098081 / 1 / XxMy_ElementalxX
Check it out while you wait for me to update? ;)