Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me. Song by Mumford and Sons.

Author's Note: I've been missing Jacob for a while now, so let's get back to him. Due to sheer length, I'm splitting this chapter in half. Read and enjoy, lovely readers!

Tremble for yourself, my man

You know you have seen this all before

Tremble, Little Lion Man

You'll never settle any of your scores

Your grace is wasted in your face

Your boldness stands alone among the wreck

Now learn from your mother

Or else spending your days

Biting your own neck

Nessie giggled, the sound strained and stressed. "Okay. You caught me. I would do anything for you."

"Because you love me," Jacob offered. "Stupid girl."

"Were you even going to say goodbye?" the halfing asked, though she already knew the answer. Perhaps she was hanging on to false hope that she could still somehow convince him to stay.

"Closure is over-rated," Jacob replied, shaking his head, "but here we are. If it's anything you and I were meant to do, it's say goodbye. I'm not coming back. Move on with your life, Nessie. Don't wait around for me. . ."

"I'll take that as a friendly suggestion," Nessie smiled, a warm illumination extending into the jade specks of her flawless eyes, reminding him of the world he was leaving behind.

"Goodbye."

"Sure, sure."

Nessie turned away as Jacob did, their individual steps perfectly in sync, with the sounds of walking forward. Jacob inhaled the rainy wind, closing his eyelids to listen—to listen of Renesmee's light footfalls, to the quickening, thunderous beats of her beautiful heart, his mind seeking shelter from the chill from the rest of the world in the noises, though he was committed to not looking back. He wouldn't, for fear that all of his control would disintegrate as he drowned in the warm, chocolate oceans of Nessie's amazing eyes, his imprint's soul.

One more time. . .

But with another hesitant step, Jacob let go of a breath and paused, unsure. He turned around at the same as she did. In the same second, Nessie and Jacob were engulfed in each others arms. His hand cupped the back of her head, their lips laced tenaciously, as though for the last time. This time, Jacob moaned, savoring the strawberry-fruit taste of her tongue over his. They could have gone on forever like that, until Jacob felt a salty liquid roll down his cheek; he had no clue if it was from his eyes or Nessie's.

"I have to go now," Jacob informed her, pulling away. "I really do, Nessie."

"I know," Nessie sniffled, nodding, "but I have to tell you one last thing, Jacob."

"What?" he asked.

"I don't care about what distances I have to cross. I will never stop reaching for you."

Nodding at Renesmee's statement, Jacob could hear the sound of his heart crashing on the pavement. If only he could rewind back to just three seconds ago and plead with her not to say something like that to him. She was trying to give him hope and that was something he could no longer have, because it would be false. False hope. Jacob refused to hope that he would survive through the pain; he didn't want to hope that he would ever see Renesmee's face ever again. Because that just wouldn't not happen, and he didn't want to cope with that knowledge.

"Goodbye. . . Nessie."

"See you later, Jake."

Jacob hopped back into the Volkswagen, in a big rush to get away from Nessie as she stood off to the side of the road. As miniature water droplets dropped against the cold ground, the would-have-been Alpha swallowed back a knot that had been swelling up in his dry throat since the moment she began reaching out to him. Denying her was one of the hardest things he would ever had to do. He didn't want to see the broken-hearted tears staining her perfect cheeks cherry-pink, but he caught sight of them in his rear-view mirror all the same. Like glass shattering against tile floor, his heart slipped into the earth's volcanic core—how it burned with the liquid-hot magma inflaming the valves, how it melted into a gray dust of nothing; yet Jacob felt his body grow cold, the hellish flesh sprouting frost—as Nessie embraced herself within the soft, trickling rain.

Oh, god.

He didn't want to leave her.

He loved her.

Of course, he did.

Why did she have to be there?

Why did she have to ruin his clean getaway?

Why did she have to cry?

All Jacob wanted to do was stand at her side and comfort her distress—the thumb away the crystal colored tears from her beautiful, porcelain expression. God, his Nessie was so beautiful, even in all her forbidden sorrow—no wonder with the wintering sky cried along with her. Jacob wanted to assure his former wife that everything would be all right soon; and he wanted her in his arms right away with the intention of never letting her go and promised that he would never ever leave her. He had no desire to hurt Nessie, not like this—but he would simply be hurting her more if he stayed. And he couldn't—he couldn't stay.

Forcing himself a sharp, strained smile, Nessie waved at Jacob; and as he glanced out the driver's seat window, Jacob waved goodbye to Nessie, but he didn't fake a smile. He didn't have the strength to. With a sigh as heavy and as long as the Great Wall of China, Jacob stepped his foot down on the gas petal and drove off. But he couldn't resist looking out the rearview mirror, and thus looked at the most beautiful woman, his imprint. Jacob knew what Nessie wanted, what she was waiting for. She was praying that Jacob would change his mind and turn around because she had no idea that she would die if he did, and that's why he didn't.

This was their finale of a moment—their last goodbye.

It wasn't long before Nessie was out of view. The clear water drops poured harder outside of the Rabbit, smashing against the ground, as Jacob continued on with his drive to Seattle in a state of total, inconsolable depression. After an hour of driving through the rain, the windshield wipers weren't doing a splendid job of keeping Jacob's vision of the road steady—despite the rain having already stopped. Eventually, Jacob pulled over to the side and attempted to collect his thoughts, which kept leading back to the day of Nessie's death.

Why did doing the right thing have to be such a destructive obligation?

Why did Nessie have to listen to him this time?

She didn't follow him.

He would never see Nessie again.

Finally, Jacob returned to Seattle in the late hours of the morning and went to see his old friend, Lizzie Nesam. He sat at his typical table and waited for her.

She was just as bright and chipper as he remembered.

"Back so soon?" she inquired.

"Yeah," came his rough answer. He wasn't the happiest of campers.

"I knew La Push would get boring after awhile," Lizzie teased, sticking a pencil over the shell of her ear and sat across from him at the table.

"The plan always was to stay for two weeks only," Jacob replied, exhaustively rubbing his eyes to stay awake.

"Two weeks is an adequate amount of time to get into an adventure," Lizzie pointed out, combing her nimble fingers through her strawberry blonde hair. There was a brown tint in Lizzie's curls that reminded him immensely of Nessie.

"Sure is," Jacob muttered ironically.

"So, come on, Jakey-poo," Lizzie started, her smile brilliant and happy. "Tell me all about it. Give me details."

"What do you want to know?" Jacob questioned, managing a strained smile.

Yes, his body was extremely drained of all its energy, but he wasn't ready to go back to his apartment for sleep. Sleep meant dreaming, and dreaming meant that his mind would be with Nessie again. Then, waking up would be such a disappointment.

Lizzie arched an eyebrow, tapping her chin. "Well, how was the wedding?"

"It was all right," the shape-shifter answered, tilting his hand in a so-so gesture. "Monkey suits, teary-eyed bridesmaids, an awesome cake, and a corny ceremony. It was pretty cool to be around old buddies."

"Knowing you, Jacob, you probably got one of those teary-eyed bridesmaids out of her dress," Lizzie jested half-heartedly, the left side of her mouth curved upward into a tight, forced smirk. The expression didn't appear to look right on her face. If anything, she looked more reluctant. "Hmmm? Did you?"

"Nope."

"Oh! Yeah, right!"

"She wasn't that big of a deal," Jacob lied, the words causing his stomach to churn with self-detestation.

Nessie was everything.

"Great!" Lizzie exclaimed, patting her palm on the table. "You'll have no trouble talking about her then. Was she pretty?"

"The girl was mildly attractive," Jacob retorted, inwardly punching himself in the balls, but it was difficult to think of Nessie and not feel torn.

Already, Jacob missed the delicious, liquid chocolate pudding color of her irises; he longed to feel the smooth, alabaster surface of her beautiful skin; he eternally desired to run his fingers through Nessie's auburn tresses; but if everything else was lost, Jacob wanted to see the sweet light of Renesmee's stunning smile.

"Pretty eyes?" Lizzie asked, but the tone in her voice told Jacob that she already knew.

"Who knows?" Jacob knew. Nessie's eyes were immaculate. "I never looked into her eyes."

"You rascal!" Lizzie laughed.

"I try."

"If she meant nothing to you, why are you thinking about her?" Lizzie inquired, tilting her head. The question was uttered in a smug tone that made Jacob feel uneasy.

"I'm not," Jacob grumbled sternly under his breath.

"Yes, you are," Lizzie replied, scrunching her nose like a bunny—in a way that reminded Jacob of Nessie. "You're missing the heck out of her right now. It's written all over your face."

"Doesn't matter," Jacob shrugged nonchalantly, his eyelids feeling as heavy as a brick house. "She didn't keep my interest long enough to make me stay in that hell."

"But she was enough to at least make you almost reconsider your living arrangement," Lizzie said, somehow knowing that tidbit of truth. But how?

Almost being the operative word—Jacob and Renesmee almost had their well-deserved happily ever after, but that was never going to happen now—their story was meant to end more like a Shakespeare play, but without the benefit of a happy dagger or poison. They almost had a love that could have lasted forever, but time wasn't of the essence. Their love was temporary insanity. He almost forgot about the past he shared with Nessie—hell, he almost had forgotten all about her, or that's what he kidded himself into believing. After all, who could forget about Nessie? What they had was meant to end. He almost stayed in Forks, but if there was a chance he could insure Nessie's protection, he would do it no matter what the toll was on his heart.

"Who cares?" Jacob muttered.

"Obviously, you do," Lizzie jeered teasingly, getting slightly fed up with Jacob's grumpy mood. "What's her name?"

"Rumpelstiltskin," Jacob laughed, thinking back to a little while ago. He had been expecting to see a monster the day there were officially re-introduced, but that hadn't been the case.

"Attractive," Lizzie commented sarcastically. "But, no. Really?"

"Renesmee," Jacob answered in a low tone.

"Renesmee. . ." The waitress directed a warm smile in Jacob's position, a strong, brilliant twinkle sparkling in her cinammon-brown eyes. "That's an unusual name, but it's beautiful. Exotic."

Jacob huffed. "Sure, sure."

"What's with you?" Lizzie demanded, sharply glaring at her friend. "Normally, you're all chipper and grins after a nice romp in the sheets." She rested her chin in her hands.

"Maybe she was a bad fuck," Jacob offered as a response. Subsequently, he had grip the table to keep from gagging. Lizzie had never been this curious to learn about one of Jacob's girlfriends—ever. So, why now?

"Don't be so vulgar with me, Jacob Black. Just because you're in a rotten mood today does not mean you have any right to take it out on me," Lizzie huffed out in a single, agitated breath. Two emerald rings glimmered around the edge of her brown irises, a color that was never there before. Or at least he didn't think so. Then again, they had never really been angry at each other.

"If you weren't trying to interrogate me, maybe I wouldn't be so crabby," Jacob shot back, his nostrils flaring along with his anger.

Lizzie shrugged, arising from the table and was about ready to walk away. "Fine. I'm sorry for giving a crap about you. Remind me never do it again. See you around."

"No, wait. . ." Jacob exhaled flatly. "I'm sorry, Lizzie. You're right. I'm just tired and I haven't had any coffee yet."

"I don't think your awful disposition has anything to do with a lack of coffee," Lizzie said, tapping the pencil against her notepad. "You do look pretty brown, though."

"Did you just say that I look shitty?" Jacob quirked a dark eyebrow.

"I could always call you worse," Lizzie smirked, as if his question was a challenge.

"No, I'm good," Jacob retorted.

"Why did you come back?" Lizzie queried, kneeding her eyebrows together in curiosity.

"Why do you sound so disappointed?"

"Because I am."

"I thought you missed me. What reason do you have to be pissed?"

"Renesmee just seems special."

Jacob's tongue swished around nervously in his mouth before he answered, "Maybe for some other guy." Nahuel would care for her. . .

"You don't sound very enthusiastic about that," Lizzie commented, grimacing sympathetically.

"Lizzie. . . Renesmee—her and I had a fling." The word she hated. Naturally, it had been more than that for the both of them.

"You fell in love with her," she stated without any doubt, because he couldn't easily hide that fact.

"Yeah," he confessed. Nessie had once been his wife. Of course, he didn't want to picture her in the arms of another man, but he couldn't expect her to wait forever to be happy.

"Then, you're not where you're supposed to be," Lizzie replied, shaking her head to and fro—again, much like his Nessie.

"Please, Lizzie, just drop it. You wouldn't understand," the shape-shifter told her.

"Fine, Jake," she humphed, clicking her tongue. "Lose out on the chance that only comes around once every lifetime. Be a coward. See if I care."

"This is my problem to work out for myself," Jacob responded with a yawn, rubbing his eyes.

Lizzie rolled her eyes, crossing her arms. "Mhmm."

"Stay out of it."

"I plan to."

"Lizzie, please don't be mad at me. You're the only friend I have."

"Then, here is a small token of friendly advice, Jake: when you love someone, you never give up," she told him in a sullen tone, wanting to sound dramatic and inspirational to him.

"And what would you know about it, Lizzie?" the Quileute snapped bitterly. "I have never seen you with a boyfriend! I have never seen you give a damn about some guy. I have never seen your heart get broken. So, don't you pretend to know anything about my problems." he roared ferociously, his glower like iron-fire.

"Whatever," Lizzie replied, her own face flushed from ire. "What will be your order, Sir?"

"Black coffee," he answered, trying to calm himself down before he phased right then and there.

"Will that be all, Sir?" she asked nonchalantly.

"For now," Jacob said.

"Don't look now, but you seem to have caught that girl's attention," Lizzie said, gesturing over to one of the rounder tables off to the side.

Now, there was a girl worth being called mildly attractive, although he was sure regular, non-imprinted guys (who have never laid their grubby eyes all over Renesmee Cullen) would describe her as hot, sexy, and maybe beautiful. The girl's features were narrow and brilliant. Her chin was kind of pointed, like an arrowhead; her eyes were the shade of a sharp, electric azure; her skin was the color of paled peach; but her hair, coiled in to lush tendrils, was golden—as if the strands had been spun from straw by Rumpelstiltskin himself. She was watching Jacob in fascination, a smile etched from cheek-to-cheek.

"She's pretty," Jacob commented, waving at the girl in acknowledgement.

"Mmhmm. Go for it," Lizzie muttered, being half-sarcastic and half-encouraging.

"I'm not interested," Jacob replied, sinking into his seat.

That news got Lizzie to lighten up. "Your coffee will be coming right up, Superman. Enjoy your solitude."

"Thanks."

The girl immediately got up from her seat once Lizzie had walked off, taking her breakfast muffin with her. "Hey," she greeted him brightly. "I couldn't help but notice you."

"Oh, really?" he raised an eyebrow, feigning interest. No, he wasn't exactly in the mood for playing the role of the strapping gentleman for a girl who wasn't even close to being Nessie, but he wasn't about to be a jerk to a complete stranger either.

"Yeah," Random Girl replied, extending her hand to him. "My name is Fedra."

"I'm Jacob," he said, shaking her hand.

She quickly invited herself to sit down. "It's nice to meet you, Jacob. I hope you don't take any offence, but you seem a little blue."

"Nah," Jacob grinned lightlessly, shaking his head. "Just a rough morning, you know."

"Is it okay if we sit and talk for a while?" Fedra inquired politely.

"Actually, not really," he retorted straightforwardly.

"Oh. . ." She trailed off in disappointment, momentarily shifting her gaze. "Why is that?"

"Because I happen to be hopelessly in love with someone else," Jacob answered, the words bolting out of his mouth like lightning.

"Well, I'm terribly sorry to hear that," the girl whispered, her voice emotionless.

"Don't be, Jacob shrugged. "It's not your fault. It's mine. I let her get away from me twice. Twice! You think I would have learned a lesson somewhere in there or something."

It didn't look like Fedra was going anywhere, despite his specific rejection. "Maybe there is, Jacob. Whatever force is keeping you two away from each other is apparently very strong. It's a lost cause." Fedra doused her lips with a crimson shade of lipgloss, trying to make herself look more appealing to him. "You could always come back to my place. I could help you forget about her."

"Look, Fedra," Jacob began, disgust stirring in his stomach. The thought of being with this girl made him want to upchuck, "you're gorgeous, but Renesmee is the only I'll ever want to be with."

Fedra rolled her eyes, dropping her good girl charade. "Obviously, that is not going to happen, otherwise you two would be together."

Jacob nodded, ignoring the serious attitude he was getting from this stranger. It must have been National Women Hate Jacob Day and someone forgot to tell him. "True, that's very true, but I don't want to lead you on. I'm not that kind of guy."

"But I'm that kind of girl," Fedra started, a smirk adorning her red-painted lips.

"Good for you," Jacob coughed sardonically. "I couldn't be like that."

"It's not like you would be unfaithful," Fedra countered, the lines on her forehead pulling back.

"She's just the kind of girl you stay faithful to, even when there is no relationship."

"How quaint," Fedra pouted in fake sympathy. "Does your little girlfriend know that you love her to this degree?"

"Ha. No. I wish I could tell her, but no. I can't. Right before I left, my idiot mouth lied—told her that it was all just a game," Jacob elucidated, tilting his head in perplexity.

"Why would you go and do a crazy thing like that?" Fedra questioned, furrowing her eyebrows.

"Because I love her." More than his own life. "I wanted to protect her."

"Awww!" the golden-curled girl gushed, resting a hand over her chest. "How sickeningly noble of you!"

"Sickeningly?" Jacob repeated, blinking in confusion.

"I meant that as a compliment," Fedra said, wrinkling her nose, and offered him a kind smile.

"Oh."

"It's a shame she'll die one day without knowing of your love for her. That's really a tragedy." Fedra looked upon the flat surface of the table, one hand sliding across to grasp Jacob's in a comforting manner.

He gulped, and his hands retreated into his lap. "I'm sorry, but you're a total stranger. I don't know why I'm telling you all this."

"People do stupid things when they're in love." She shrugged casually, nibbling on her partially eaten muffin.

Lizzie came up just in time, delivering Jacob's coffee. "Here's your coffee, Jake."

He smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Lizzie."

"And who are you?" Lizzie questioned, perking a thin eyebrow at the blonde girl. Normally, she was a friendly and warm person, welcoming to any stranger, but Lizzie didn't appear to like Fedra.

"No one," Fedra answered, at last getting up. "I should get going."

"Yeah," Lizzie agreed flatly. "That would be a good idea."

"Bye, Jacob!" Fedra waved.

"Bye, Felicia."

"Fedra," she corrected him in a stern tone.

"That's a cool name," he commented, shrugging—because he didn't give a rat's ass.

Fedra ignored him and walked away.

"What was that all about?" Lizzie asked, placing a bowl of crème down on the table for his coffee.

Again, Jacob shrugged, taking a sip of his drink. "Beats me. I don't pretend to understand people with vaginas."

"Did you two exchange numbers?" she queried.

"No," he replied sorrowfully—not out of regret for not forcing himself to flirt with a slightly pretty girl, but because of the reason behind it. "I'm not the same man I used to be. I fell in love with Nessie."

"Nessie?" the waitress smiled in inquiry, cocking her head to the side.

"Renesmee. . ." Jacob whispered to clarify. "I called her Nessie."

"Did things really turn out that badly for you to give up?"

"Shouldn't you be working?"

"Answer the question, Jake."

"I have to get to work."

"But-"

"I'll drop by some time after work."

"Jake-"

"Lizzie," Jacob hissed, feeling his vision almost go red. "I'm not talking about this anymore. Stay out of my business," he cautioned her, growling. "It just hurts too much."

But it was not your fault

But mine

And it was your heart on the line

I really fucked it up this time

Didn't I, my dear?