I'm alive! It's been over a month since my last update and I'm so terribly sorry for that, but a lot has happened in my real life that I just haven't had time to write. I can't even remember if I responded to everyone's reviews and I'm too lazy to look, but if I didn't THANK YOU. Life has just been super busy and crazy. My boyfriend and I are looking for a place because we're moving in together and family obligations have been keeping me away from my laptop, but this chapter is over eight thousand words, so, I hope it makes up for my absence. However, I'm sure you are all going to hate me when you get to the end. Anyway, thank you all for reading and reviewing; and as I always ask, please let me know what you think!
Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Twilight.
Chapter Fifty
The days progressed rather slowly, at least for me, since that night at the Cullens' place and after spending a lovely Christmas Eve with Jacob and Billy, I was tucked away in my room. However, I wasn't alone because Leah was with me because she was staying the night along with Seth and Sue. Seth was already snoring away in the guest room, at least Leah said he was snoring, and Sue and Charlie were watching the evening news together on the sofa downstairs before they would call it a night and go to bed themselves.
It wasn't really late, only quarter pass ten, but Seth was tired after a day of running around the woods hunting with Reneseme, Edward, and Bella. Jacob was with Billy, who was now doing much better and had taken the last bit of his antibiotics, which had put Jacob at ease and allowed the boy to relax a little bit more and not worry so much about his dad. The day had been a good one, much like the other day when I'd made Billy soup, but Billy was no longer coughing and his brown eyes were bright and happy to have Jacob and me with him once again. I had invited Billy to spend Christmas Day with us as well since Jacob was going to be there, but Billy had politely declined saying that he was going to spend the day with Old Quil and his family; which was where he was going to stay for a few days. Jacob was going to be taking Billy there in the morning before he came to the house to spend the day with the rest of us.
I hadn't given Jacob his present yet and he hadn't given me mine yet either since we'd promised to exchange them on Christmas Day. I still wasn't convinced that Jacob was going to like what I'd gotten him, especially since it wasn't that mind blowing 'best present ever' gift that I was going for, but it was a nice gift and I really wanted him to like it. I had no clue what Jacob got me, especially since I don't think he'd even had a chance to go out and get me something; however, I didn't care what he got me because I was sure that whatever it was I was going to like it.
"Damn it," Leah whispered and I held back a smirk, but kept my eyes on the book in my hands. Leah was presently sitting on the floor at the foot of my bed tying and retying the bow she had put around the wrapped box that contained Liam's Christmas gift while I was sitting on my bed attempting to complete at least one of the three chapters of the book we were reading in English we were assigned over winter break. However, with Leah's quiet grumbling about how her bow looked like 'shit' and other muttered curses I wasn't having an easy time going about it.
"You know, I'm pretty sure that Liam's not the kind of guy to judge the quality of the present by the bow wrapped around it," I said as I looked up from my book and over the footboard of my bed where I could just see Leah's head. Leah lifted her head and turned her brown eyes my way and glared slightly at me before she sighed and ran her fingers through her hair as she looked down at Liam's present.
"I know, but I want it to look perfect," she said dejectedly and my smile grew as I slipped my bookmark in between the pages of my book before I sat it down on my nightstand and climbed out of my bed. I joined Leah on the floor, sitting cross legged across from her, before I pulled the package closer to me and the long ribbons from Leah's hands. I said nothing to her as I tied the ribbons around the box the way my mom had taught me, and when I was done the strips of the ribbon were in the center of each side of the small box and the loose loops of the double bow were settled in the middle of the top. I smiled as I picked up the really light box and held it out to Leah who let out a huff but smiled back at me as she took the box.
"How in the hell do you know how to do that?" she asked as she looked at me and I laughed quietly.
"My mom was one of those crafty people that loved to make wrapped presents look like they'd been wrapped at the wrapping counter at Macy's or something," I said with a shrug. "She made sure I knew how to make the presents I wrapped to look just as pretty." Leah scoffed a quiet laugh before she shook her head and looked down at her gift to Liam. The box was wrapped in dark green paper that had pretty small white snowflakes on it and the ribbons she had selected were white and silver, so, it was indeed a pretty package. "What did you get him anyway?" I asked, genuinely curious, and she sighed as she sat Liam's gift next to my gift to Jacob, which rested on the hope chest that now rested at the foot of my bed. The pretty cedar chest had been my present from Esme and Carlisle, and I really loved it.
"It's stupid," she said and I rolled my eyes.
"Leah, come on. You know what I got Jacob," I said and it was Leah's turn to roll her eyes. "What did you get Liam?" I asked again and she sighed once more as she turned her eyes to mine.
"You can't laugh," she said and I shook my head.
"I won't laugh," I said.
"I had no idea what to get him, since he didn't give me much to work with. He said he just wanted to spend the afternoon with my family and me after sending the morning with his. He said he just wants to get to know me better; so, since he doesn't really need anything and since I really couldn't think of anything good enough to get him I . . . improvised."
"Okay, what does that mean?" I asked after a few beats of silent staring at each other.
"I . . . I made him something," she said, her cheeks turning pink as she averted her dark eyes away from me.
"What'd you make him?" I asked and she sighed heavily before she once again ran her hand through her hair and her eyes flickered to the bracelet that rested around my wrist. "Wow," I whispered and her eyes returned her hand to my face, her cheeks tinting pink. "That's . . . Liam's not going to really understand the meaning behind it unless you tell him," I said and she nodded as she looked down at her hands and started picking at her fingernails.
"I know," she said before she raised her eyes back to mine. "I've been thinking about telling him everything tomorrow."
"Really?" I asked, my eyebrows raising in surprise, and Leah nodded her head.
"I've been trying to figure out a way to ask him to stay around here for a few days because, well, you know why," she said and I nodded my head as I felt my throat tighten up a bit. Snow was presently falling outside my bedroom window, just like it had been doing for the better part of the day. However, as night fell the snow was actually starting to stick to the ground and accumulating; which meant only one thing: the Volturi would be here soon. "I'd feel better knowing he was close by," Leah said, "but I probably should have told him sooner because I . . . I don't know how he's going to take everything."
"It'll be okay, Leah," I said as I reached out and covered her hands with mine, stopping her from picking her cuticles raw even though they'd be healed in less than five minutes. "I think he might be a little overwhelmed at first, but I think that Liam will take things in stride. Especially since I think he's already head over heels for you." I pulled my hands away from her as I sat up straight and Leah's face flushed yet again before she sighed and ran her right hand through her hair.
"You sure about that?" she asked, her brown eyes meeting my blue, and I couldn't help but give her a smug smile.
"Am I ever wrong about anything?" I asked, jokingly of course because I wanted to ease Leah's tension, and thankfully it worked. Leah's answer was to scoff at me before she smirked, rolled her eyes, and stood. I laughed quietly at her reaction before I stood as well and the two of us moved to my bed, both of us were obviously tired for no real reason since neither one of us had done anything tiring that day. I'd been at Billy's while Leah had been with Sue and Seth at Sam and Emily's with their visiting family. We climbed into my bed, the two of us settling on our respected sides of my bed, before I turned off my light. I sighed quietly as I snuggled up with my pillow, my back to Leah as I relaxed into the mattress and closed my eyes.
"I hope you're right, Aurora," Leah whispered and I opened my eyes before I looked over my right shoulder. I couldn't see Leah's face in the dark, but I knew she was looking at me. "I really hope you're right because I don't know what I'll do if he wants nothing to do with me."
"That's not going to happen, Leah," I assured her. "I'm sure everything will work out. You'll see." Leah didn't say anything in response. She simply sighed quietly before I felt the bed jostle a bit as she shifted.
"Night, Aurora," she said quietly.
"Good night, Leah," I said back before I turned my head and relaxed against my pillow once more, my eyes closing. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.
I was humming along to the Christmas music I had insisted on putting on as I helped Leah in Sue in the kitchen the following morning as we worked on getting the rather large turkey in the oven and everything else in order for dinner. Liam would be at the house very soon, as would Bella, Edward, and Renesmee. Jacob was already there, but he had yet to come inside because he was outside shoveling the driveway and walkway for Charlie with Seth lending a hand.
There was a good thick layer of snow covering everything and after a few anxiety filled tears in the shower that morning, I didn't let myself think about what tomorrow was likely going to bring. We all, with the exception of Charlie, knew that the Volturi would probably arrive tomorrow and we would either succeed in swaying them to see that no law had been broken or the worst case scenario could happen. However, I refused to let myself think about it on one of my favorite holidays and I was determined to enjoy the day with my family and some of the people I cared about most in the world.
"You know, those boys come in pretty handy when it snows," Charlie said as he appeared in the doorway of the kitchen and I laughed softly as I looked up from the potatoes I was washing and readying to peel later to boil and at Charlie who was leaning against the small archway.
"Because they're saving your back, right?" I asked teasingly and Charlie grinned before he gave me a 'duh' look before he nodded his head.
"Of course," he said and Sue, Leah, and I laughed while Charlie's grin turned into a full smile before he pushed off the doorway and walked into the kitchen. "How are you ladies doing in here? Do you need an extra set of hands?"
"We've all seen you in the kitchen, Charlie," Sue said lightly as she dried her hands on a towel after securing the turkey in the oven to start roasting. "I think it's best you leave the cooking to us." She'd walked over to him as she spoke and put her left arm around his lower back and Charlie smiled at Sue as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and nodded his head.
"Yeah, you're probably right," Charlie said and Leah and I looked at each other, small smiles on our faces, before we returned our eyes to Charlie and Sue. "So, are we doing presents before or after dinner? I don't think we decided on how to proceed with that yet," he said as he looked at Sue and then at Leah and me.
"Maybe we should exchange them before we eat," I suggested. "That way we're not all comatose when the time comes."
"Probably a good idea," Leah said as she moved to stand beside me and Charlie nodded his head.
"All right," he said, but before he could say much else the front door opening and rumbling laughter echoed throughout the house. Leah gasped quietly and stood a little straighter, which to me meant that it wasn't only Jacob and Seth that were coming inside the house. With nervous hands she fussed with the blue blouse she was wearing before she rubbed her palms on her thighs.
"Leah, Liam's here!" Seth called and Sue, Charlie, and I looked at Leah who took a deep breath and quickly walked around Sue and Charlie and into the foyer.
"So, I finally get to meet this Liam," Charlie said as he looked at Sue and then at me with raised eyebrows. Of course, Charlie knew all about Liam. Both Sue and I had filled him in on Leah's boyfriend/imprint. He knew everything that we knew about Liam, he just hadn't met him yet.
"You'll like him, Charlie," I said with a smile. "He really is a great guy."
"Does he know about . . .," Charlie trailed off, eyebrows raised, and I shook my head negatively since I knew exactly what he was asking. He was wondering if Liam knew about Leah's ability to turn into a giant wolf.
"Not yet," I said and Charlie nodded in understanding.
"You know," Sue said before she moved away from Charlie and took the potato that I had in my right hand from me, "maybe it's time Charlie learns his way around the kitchen a little better. Why don't you go and join the rest of the kids in the living room. We can handle everything from here," she said more than asked and I smiled at her before I wiped my damp hands on my jeans.
"You sure?" I asked and she nodded.
"Yeah," she said with a warm smile. "Go join your friends."
"Thanks," I said and she laughed lightly before she nodded once more and after shooting a smile at a chuckling Charlie I jogged around him and out into the foyer. Liam, Leah, and Seth were already in the living room (Leah offering Liam some of the snacks that were laid out on the coffee table) and Jacob was still in the foyer and stepping out of his boots. "Hey," I said and he lifted his eyes to look at me, but kept his head turned down slightly as he finished removing his boots. He smiled at me as I came to a stop in front of him and he smiled back as he righted himself just in time for me to throw my arms around his neck and pull his lips to mine. The kiss was short and chaste and as Jacob's hands settled on my hips brought the kiss to an end. "Merry Christmas," I whispered and he chuckled as he slid his hands up and down my sides.
"Merry Christmas, Rory," he said back just as quietly before he closed the small distance between our faces and kissed me again, his right hand sliding up along my spine until his hand settled on the back of my neck and under my hair, which I had left down that day.
I wasn't worried about Liam, Leah, or Seth spotting us because we were hidden against one of the walls, and I sighed into our kiss as Jacob's left arm wrapped around my lower back completely before he pulled my body flush against his while my right hand slid into the back of his hair. Since the heavy make out session we'd had on his couch on Saturday we'd kept our physical contact as innocent as possible. However, that kiss was anything but innocent. It was not the time and/or place for what was going down, but I could have cared less as Jacob deepened the kiss and turned so my back was pressed up against the foyer closet door. His left hand settled on my upper waist, his thumb brushing along the underside of my right breast while his right hand slid around the back of my neck to cup my left cheek in his warm palm.
Sadly, Jacob slowly pulled his mouth from mine after a few more beats of heated kissing and he sighed softly as I opened my eyes to look up at him. However disappointed I was that he had brought our kiss to an end, I was also grateful because I seriously did not need for Charlie to wander into the hall and find us making out. Jacob ran his thumb along my left cheek, his dark eyes sweeping across my face like they did all the time, and I couldn't help but laugh softly as I looked at him with my heart racing away in my chest.
"Well, that's one way to say hello," I said breathlessly with a small smile and Jacob chuckled quietly before he pressed his lips to my forehead and slowly stepped away from me. My hands fell to my sides as he let me go, but he was quick to take hold of my right hand with his left, lacing his fingers with mine as he pulled me away from the closet door with a soft tug.
"You look nice," he said after giving me a quick once over and I laughed softly as I ran my hand over the front of the knee length v-neck emerald green sweater dress I was wearing over a pair of black ankle leggings and I had black wool socks on my feet.
"Thanks. You look nice too," I said with a smile as I raised my free hand and played with the collar of his army green button up shirt and he grinned before he kissed my forehead.
"Thanks," he whispered when he pulled back slightly. I continue to smile at him and I really couldn't help the fact that my eyes fluttered to his lips. Those things were rather addicting and Jacob let out a breathy laugh before he started to lean into me once again when the front door opening on my right, his left, made him stop short. He took half a step back, his hand still holding onto mine, as Renesmee walked inside the house with Bella and Edward right behind her.
"Hi guys," I said, my smile widening as I urged my heated face to cool off. "Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas, Rory," Renesmee said with a bright smile as she looked up at me and after stepping out of her boots and handing her coat off to Bella she rushed towards me. Jacob let go of my hand at just the right moment and Renesmee wrapped her arms around my waist in a tight, yet not crushing, hug. I laughed softly and hugged her back as she rested her head on my upper stomach/lower part of my chest. She pulled back and smiled at me before she turned her smiling face up to Jacob. "Merry Christmas, Jake," she said and Jacob gave her a small smile before he reached out and patted her head in an affectionate manner.
"Merry Christmas, Ness," Jacob said and Renesmee giggled before she headed into the living room, her long curly hair bouncing around her head as she went.
"I know you're like one of the most coordinated drivers in the world, but how bad are the roads?" I asked and Edward shrugged as he helped Bella out of her jacket and hung all three of their coats into the closet.
"A little slippery, but not too bad; however, at the rate the snow is falling I do think that Leah will be able to use the condition of the roads later tonight to get Liam to stay. So, you can tell her to use that as a way to get him to stay here," Edward said, his voice quiet, and I once again laughed under my breath. Obviously, Leah was already thinking about ways to try and get Liam to stay so she could talk to him, and I nodded my head as I looked at Edward.
"I'll tell her," I said quietly before I took a deep breath and looked at Bella and then Jacob. Jacob smiled at me as he took my left hand into his right before he turned and led me into the living room with Bella and Edward following behind us.
A few hours later Liam had managed to carve his own little spot in our mishmash family, and he was presently sitting on the sofa with his right arm securely around Leah as she sat tucked into his side, a content smile on her face as the two of them talked quietly with each other. I smiled at the pair from where I sat on the floor in front of the fireplace sitting in between Jacob's legs and beside Charlie's chair. My back was resting against Jacob's chest while his knees were drawn up beside me. His right arm was wrapped around my waist and his left forearm was resting on his left knee, and even though I was a little warm I had no plans on moving. I was far too comfortable and I doubted Jacob would let me get far if I tried to move unless I told him that I was too hot or had to go to the bathroom.
Seth was sitting on Jacob's left with Renesmee settled next to him and in front of the brightly lit tree, paging through a book that Renesmee had gotten out of my room (after asking of course). Sue and Charlie were in the kitchen, getting everything ready to serve dinner and Bella and Edward were in the other room, looking outside, and I knew what they were talking about without having super hearing like the vampires or shape shifters. However, I mentally shook the thoughts from my head before I too could go down that path and sighed quietly as I turned my head to look at Jacob. He looked at me just as I looked at him and I smiled at him before I placed a soft kiss on the right side of his jaw. He grinned before he kissed my forehead in return, and after giving him another smile I returned my attention back to the room at large as Charlie walked into the room and clapped his hands.
"All right, present time," he said. "Let's go." He gestured Bella and Edward into the room and after sharing a look and small smiles, the two of them started to make their way into the living room with the rest of us. "Jake, you start," Charlie said as he looked at Jacob and me. I felt Jacob nod before he kissed the side of my head and pushed me forward slightly so he could get up. I watched him curiously as he walked over to the tree and picked up a package wrapped in pastel yellow sparkly paper that fell more on the side of Easter rather than Christmas and I laughed softly knowing that he had purposefully picked that paper because pale yellow was my favorite color. He grinned at me as he righted himself and looked towards the empty seat at the end of the sofa. I nodded and stood up, moving to sit on the sofa just as Edward and Bella entered the room.
"Well, Dad, we didn't have time to wrap yours," Bella said and I looked over my left shoulder as I sat down on the sofa to see Bella pull out a white envelope, "but here it is," she finished as she handed it over to Charlie who looked down at it curiously before he walked over to his black leather chair and sat down. Edward sat down on the arm of the sofa on my right and Bella settled up next to him, her left hand resting on Edward's right shoulder and Edward's right hand rested on her waist, while Jacob passed by the pair and sat down on my left, his thigh pressed up against mine. "It's a five day fishing trip to Frasier River. It's for you and Sue," Bella said.
"You leave tomorrow," Edward said.
"Wow, that's really nice," Charlie said before he furrowed his brow slightly as he gently shook his head. "Thank you, um, but tomorrow. I can't leave tomorrow." Ah, Charlie, how little you know us all. We were far sneakier than we appeared because Sue and I had already taken care of any issue he would have with leaving; that only real issue being work.
"Aurora and I already made arrangements for you at work," Sue said as she entered the living room and I did not hold back my laugh at the expression that graced Charlie's face as he looked between Sue and me.
"I've also already packed your bag and Jacob helped me get your fishing stuff together; so, no saying 'no thank you,' Charlie," I said with a smile and Charlie shook his head.
"Sneaky," he said as he looked at me before he turned his eyes to Edward and Bella, "and extravagant."
"And non-refundable I'm afraid," Edward said dryly.
"You guys trying to get rid of me?" Charlie asked with a serious expression on his face that made my shoulders tense for a fraction of a second as I looked at him, hoping that he wouldn't ask any more questions. However, I had no real reason to worry when he suddenly smiled. "Cause it's working!" he said and I let out a relieved laugh as I looked at Jacob, who let out a soft sigh as he looked at me with raised eyebrows and a grin on his lips. Charlie started talking about the kinds of fish Sue and him were going to have a chance to catch, but I didn't pay them any mind as Jacob put the box containing his present for me on my lap.
"Love the paper," I whispered and he grinned.
"I knew you would," he said and I laughed softly once more before I quickly started unwrapping my present. Taking off the paper revealed a lidded white box and I looked at Jacob as I crumpled the paper in my hands and he just smiled at me before he took the paper from me. "Go ahead, Rory," he said gently. "Open it."
"Okay, okay," I said before I returned my attention to my gift and pulled the lid off the box, only to have the lid slip from my fingers and fall to the floor at my feet when I saw what was inside and gasped. The room went quiet then, with all eyes moving to rest on me as I stared down at what rested in the box on my lap, and I felt my heart start to race as my mind spun with a million and one questions.
"Aurora?" Edward asked softly, his cool hand moving to rest on my right shoulder, but I just shook my head as I took a deep breath. Edward took his hand away from my shoulder after a beat and I blinked rapidly to try and keep the tears that prickled the corners of my eyes at bay.
"How . . . where did you . . . how did . . .," I said in a whisper, unable to get much more out than that, as I raised my slightly trembling right hand to rest on the weathered dark brown leather of the thick album that was resting inside the box. And it was a photo album that I knew all too well; however, for the last year I had thought it was lost to me for forever.
The last time I had seen it was two weeks after my mom's death and I had, to put it mildly, snapped. Melody, Karen, Gina, and Gina's mom Sofia were helping me pack the things that I wanted to keep as we sorted through the things that were either going to be donated or sold to clear out the house, which was in the process of being sold. I had picked up the album out of the chest at the foot of my mom's bed, and for an unknown reason I started paging through it. As I took in the various images of the smiling faces of my grandparents, my mom, and me growing up my anger at everything that had happened and my grief had finally gotten the best of me. I had gone crazy and tore at the pages before I'd threw it out of my mother's bedroom window on the second floor of our house.
It had not been my best moment and it was the first and last time I had cried about what had happened up until that day that I broke down and told Jacob everything. That day was the reason why I had started seeing a counselor because my social worker had deemed it necessary to help me deal with my grief and let out the emotions I was obviously holding back. I had never expected to see the album ever again. I'd thought I had literally destroyed it and all the photographs in it because I hadn't seen it since I'd tossed it out the window with a loud scream that had left me hoarse for the better part of a week afterwards.
I heard Edward let out a very heavy and unnecessary sigh from where he sat on my right and I felt Jacob get up from the couch before he squatted down in front of me, his warm hands settling on the outside of my jean clad thighs and his thumbs rubbing small circles to try and sooth my rush of emotions. I raised my eyes up from my hand that rested on the cover of the album that was still in the box and caught Jacob's concerned gaze.
"Jacob, how and where did you get this?" I asked as a few tears rolling down my cheeks while I locked my eyes with his.
"Karen. She sent it to me," he said gently, his brow furrowed as he looked at me with concern and worry etched across his face. My reaction was undoubtedly not the kind of reaction he had been expecting, but he didn't understand the significance of this photo album; it's significance to me anyway; and Karen obviously hadn't filled him in.
"Did you fix it?" I asked, my voice going to a whisper, and Jacob nodded.
"It was pretty beat up when I got it, but with Dad's help I was able to salvage the cover and the back, but we had to replace the binding and all the pages. Thankfully, the photos were still intact and we put them into order as best we could for you. Karen said if I was able to fix it for you, it would be the best present I could give you; but I'm starting to think she was wrong."
"No, she was right," I whispered as I shook my head and raised both of my hands to cup his face in my hands. "You have no idea how much this means to me, Jacob. Thank you," I said and he raised his hands to my wrists and gently held them as he looked at me. "Thank you," I whispered again before I closed the small distance between our faces and kissed him soundly. I pulled back and gave him a small smile, one he returned with a slightly confused yet happy smile of his own as he let go of my wrists. I let go of his face, sniffed quietly, wiped at my eyes, and sat back on the sofa before I carefully took out the album and opened it.
Everyone else, aside from Edward, probably thought I was crazy for getting so emotional over an old photo album but I really didn't care. I'd explain later, but right then all I really cared about was seeing the pictures that my mom, and I, loved to look at. It was my whole life from the time I was a newborn baby up until two months before the accident, when Mom had taken a photo of Gina, Melody, and me on our first day of junior year as cheesily posed outside Melody's Beetle. Thankfully, they let my little emotional breakdown slide and the present opening continued as I started paging through the album. I felt Jacob sit down beside me again, his right arm wrapping around my shoulders as he pulled me close and I looked up from the image of Mom holding my hands as I was learning to walk to Jacob.
"I really didn't realize that this was going to be so important to you," he whispered as he raised his right hand and gently played with a loose curl of my hair. "I would have given it to you sooner if I had."
"I'm glad you waited," I whispered back as I shook my head. "It just makes today all that more special." I looked back at the album and paged towards the end to see that he had added far more extra pages to it than there originally had been, and there were a lot of empty pages yet to be filled.
"When we were putting it back together," Jacob said quietly, drawing my eyes back up to him, "Dad and I realized that it was like a timeline, a scrapbook almost, of you growing up. I figured it would be a good idea to add a lot more empty pages because you've got a lot of life left to live." The tears were back as I looked at him and I gave him a teary eyed smile before I kissed his cheek.
"Thank you, Jacob. I really do love it," I said and he smiled at me. I sniffed again and shook my head as I closed the album and carefully sat it back inside the box. "Now I'm starting to think what I got you is stupid compared to this," I said as I turned my eyes to back to his and he shook his head negatively.
"No it's not," he assured me and I shook my head before I looked up at Edward, who had remained seated on the arm of the sofa beside me.
"Are you all right?" he asked quietly and I nodded my head.
"I'm fine. I was just surprised and I'm incredibly happy to have it back," I thought as I looked at him and he gave me a small smile. "Could you hand me Jacob's gift?" I asked and he nodded before he stood and easily grabbed the small package from where I had put it that morning when I got up. "Thanks," I said and he nodded before he moved to join Seth, Bella, and Renesmee on the floor. "Merry Christmas," I whispered as I handed him his gift and he smiled before he unwrapped his arm from around my shoulders and took his present from me.
The box that held Jacob's gift was the same size as the box that Leah had placed Liam's bracelet in, but where as that box was a simple black box the box that Jacob unwrapped was a dark blue velvet box. When he took off the ribbon and paper he looked at me curiously as he held the long but narrow box in his hands. I just gave him a nervous smile, both of my hands resting on top of my present. I kept my eyes on his face as he looked back at the box and opened it, the hinges squeaking quietly as he opened it. His eyes widened when he saw what was inside before he blinked slowly and then turned his eyes to mine.
"I thought that since you gave me the Quileute version of a promise ring that it would be fair to give you us pale faces' version," I said, answering the unspoken question I saw in his eyes. "It's on that beaded chain because I wasn't sure of your size, but I figured when things . . . slowed down, we could get it sized and fitted to you so that you can wear it. If you want to, I mean, because if you hate it or don't wa-," I didn't get a chance to continue because Jacob reached across with his left hand to cup my right cheek as he leaned in and silenced me by kissing me tenderly.
"I love it," he whispered before he lowered his hand from my face and smiled at me. I smiled back at him and he looked away as he lifted the ring that laid on the white satin interior of the velvet box and hung from a beaded platinum chain. "Silver?" he asked with a grin as he looked at me and I shook my head negatively as I laughed quietly under my breath.
"No, that would have been a really lame joke," I said and his grin turned into a smile. "It's platinum, and before you ask, yes, the small stone embedded in the middle of the band is a real diamond." Jacob sighed softly and shook his head before he looked at the ring once more, finally catching sight of the small words engraved on inside 'top' part of the simple band in a neat cursive script.
"Today, tomorrow, and always," he read, the words coming out as nothing more than a whisper, and he returned his eyes to my face.
"Cheesy, I know, but I thought it fit us," I said quietly and Jacob smiled at me before he quickly slipped the chain around his neck. Thankfully, I had gotten right length of chain where it wasn't too short or too long on him, but I didn't get to admire the promise ring I had gotten him as it hung around his neck for too long because Jacob leaned forward and pressed his lips to mine once more.
"It's not cheesy," he said when he pulled back and he shook his head as he smiled once again. "It's perfect because it does fit us." I smiled at him. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," I said and the two of us just looked at each other, stupid smiles on our faces.
"If you two wouldn't mind joining us, we're about to eat," came Charlie's humor filled voice and Jacob and I looked away from each other and towards Charlie's voice only to see that everyone had made their way into the dining room. Charlie was standing in the archway, a smile on his face, as his hands rested on his hips.
"We're coming," I said, my cheeks flushing and Charlie laughed quietly as he nodded his head and lowered his hands before he went into the dining room. I looked at Jacob who chuckled and shrugged his shoulders as he took the box from my lap and carefully sat it on the coffee table. "Did you even hear or notice them leave the room?" I asked as he stood and held out his hand to me, and as I placed my left hand in his right he shook his head negatively.
"No," he said as I stood and I laughed quietly.
"Some wolf warrior you are," I teased quietly and he snorted.
"Well, I was a little preoccupied," he said before he kissed my temple and took a few steps, tugging me along with him and leading me to the dining room where everyone was waiting for us.
Leah didn't follow through with her plan to tell Liam everything that night, afraid that if he were to take her secret badly that should be distracted come battle time tomorrow. However, he was staying the night thanks to the current road conditions. Charlie had been the one that had told Liam it would be a good idea for him to stay the night, and since Seth and Leah would be heading out that night to prepare for tomorrow Liam would be spending the night in the guest room. I was putting fresh sheets on the bed and the house was relatively quiet since only Sue, Charlie, Liam, Jacob, and Leah were downstairs. Seth had left with Bella, Edward, and Renesmee a few hours ago and all too soon Jacob and Leah would be joining them because we all knew that in less than twelve hours the Volturi would arrive.
I sighed heavily as I shook out the comforter and laid it out over the bed once I had the sheets in place before I ran my fingers through my hair and walked around the bed, making sure it was even on the sides. My back was to the open bedroom door when a soft knock on the doorframe startled me slightly. I righted myself and turned around, surprised to see Liam standing there and not Jacob like I had half expected.
"Hey," I said with a warm smile and the tall broad shouldered man smiled back at me.
"Hi," he said back.
"I hope you don't mind purple walls," I said with a light laugh as I gestured around the room. "This room used to be Bella's room and we haven't gotten around to repainting it yet."
"No worries," he said with a soft chuckle and I smiled at him before I moved to the other side of the bed and picked up the pillows I had tossed on the floor. "I was . . . I wanted to ask you something, Aurora," Liam said as I stood and turned back around to the bed and I nodded as I started piling them on the bed.
"Okay," I said as I finished putting the pillows in place and looked at him. "Shoot," I said and he smiled at me before he walked into the room and sat down on the foot of the bed.
"I noticed that you wear a bracelet a lot like this one," he said as he lifted his left forearm, showing off the bracelet that Leah had made him and that he had immediately fastened around his wrist after he opened it. I smiled and looked down at my own bracelet that was revealed thanks to my sleeves being pushed up. "And since Leah sort of danced around the question when I asked, I was hoping you could tell me the meaning behind it." I looked at him then and raised my eyebrow in question, which made him chuckle. "I know there is one because of the way Leah looked at me as I opened it and how anxious she was about me liking it or not." I took a deep breath before I walked around the corner of the bed and sat down next to him, about six inches of space between the two of us, and I gave him a small smile.
"It does have meaning, but it's really something Leah should talk to you about," I said and Liam sighed before he ran his right hand through his hair and looked to the window that was across from the foot of the bed, his gaze going distant and unfocused as he seemed to be thinking about something.
"She's hiding something from me, isn't she?" Liam asked after a beat and I blinked in surprise as he turned his eyes back to me.
"She does have something that she needs to tell you, but she's not hiding it from you," I said as I shook my head. "She's just trying to figure out the best time to talk to you about it, and she will tell you."
"Is it something I need to be worried about?"
"I don't think it is," I said, which earned me a raised eyebrow and I laughed under my breath. "It's not bad, Liam. I promise." He sighed softly once more before he nodded his head as he looked down at the carefully woven bracelet that rested around his wrist. "She really cares about you, you know," I said and he looked at me. "Like a lot." He smiled at my added sentence and nodded yet again.
"I know, and I care about her a lot too," he said.
"Good," I said as I stood, "because she's been through a lot the last couple of years, Liam, and she hasn't been truly happy until she met you." Liam looked at me curiously, but said nothing as I reached out and put my right hand on his left shoulder. "I can honestly say that in all the time I've known Leah, I've never seen her smile as much as she has been the last five weeks. And I want you to remember that when she tells you what she's working up the courage to tell you, okay?"
"Okay," Liam said quietly as he looked up at me.
"Promise?" I asked as I lowered my hand and Liam nodded without any sort of hesitation.
"I promise," he said back and I smiled at him because I absolutely believed him. I may not have known him as well as I knew the others, but I knew that Liam was a guy of his word and that when the time came he wouldn't disappoint me.
An hour later I was walking outside with Jacob and I was bundled up in my jacket and scarf to see him off. Leah had left already, under the guise of taking Sue home because that was where Sue's bags for her trip were, and where Charlie would be picking her up bright and early in the morning before they left. Liam was inside with Charlie, chatting in the living room while the evening news played on the TV and it wouldn't be long before we would all be heading off to bed while Jacob and the others were getting ready to face the Volturi.
The snow was still falling around us and while it melted the instant it landed anywhere on Jacob, the white fluffy flakes were all over my hair and jacket as I worried my lower lip and came to a stop in the driveway. Jacob looked down at me and sighed softly before he raised his hands to my face and leaned into me. The kiss was soft and sweet, much like the good bye kiss he'd given me before he'd gone off to fight the newborns before I'd told him I loved him, but it was different at the same time. There was a greater chance that should a fight break out, Jacob wouldn't come back, and that good bye that I felt in the kiss was real.
"I love you, Aurora," he said when he pulled away and our eyes met in the dark. I could see him thanks to the light shining on the driveway from the garage and even without the light he would have been able to see me just fine in the dark.
"I love you too, Jacob," I said, my voice thick from the tears that filled my eyes and rolled down my cheeks onto Jacob's hands.
"It's going to be okay," he promised as he ran his thumbs across my cheeks and wiped away my falling tears and I nodded as I sniffed quietly.
"Just come back to me, Jacob," I whispered as I gripped the open lapels of his jacket and I actually heard him swallow hard before he licked his lips. He let go of my face then and wrapped his arms around me as he pulled me into his chest. I wrapped my arms around him in return as I buried my face in his chest, taking in his scent and losing myself in his heat for a few blissful seconds.
"I've got to go," he said, his voice tight and heavy, and I closed my eyes tight as I squeezed my arms around him before I slowly let him go as I nodded. We let go of each other and with one final kiss and a caress of my cheek, Jacob turned away from me and walked with a determine stride down the driveway to his car. And I prayed, with every single ounce of my faith, that everything would go the way we hoped and that everyone I cared about would come out unscathed.
Third Person POV
It was complete chaos around him, but Jacob was focused and had already taken out several vampires on his own. Seth was running with Renesmee, getting her to safety while they fought and he was glad for it, but they had a leech on their tail. However, Seth was fast and just as skilled as any of the over wolves; so, if he needed to engage the lone vampire wouldn't be much trouble for him. Jacob had just disposed of two vamps that had gone after him and was shaking off the slight dizziness a blow to the head had given him when Leah's voice screamed in his head.
"Jacob on your right!" she screamed, but it was too late. The strong dark haired vampire that moved in had gotten his arms around Jacob's neck too fast and after a sickening crack echoed in his muddled mind the last thing Jacob heard as his world went dark was a scream from miles away.
