DISCLAIMER: I own nothing. I've been stranded on this deserted island for over ten years, with no one but this volleyball to keep me company. I am Tom Hanks.
Before I begin, I must thank NeedMoreZzz's for reading through this chapter for me! Your input was highly valuable. As well as everyone who has read/reviewed/created a shrine in their home, I owe you all my life. Please let me know what you think as the story progresses, I read each and every review and take everything into consideration.
This is a lot of filler, with a little heat towards the end (I hope y'all like horny Jake, because he makes an appearance. He's a teenage boy, after all.) Basically, we're done with New Moon, and we've moved onto Eclipse. I for one hated Jacob's character in Eclipse. This is where I think the Mormon jumped out and Jake was done dirty by smeyer. My happy sunshine boy was replaced by this spiteful, manipulative, terribly written racist archetype. It was a complete one-eighty, and I do not stand for it. Des-gus-teng.
This is what I wish had happened instead. I hope you like it. If you have any insights/epiphanies/jokes, leave a review. I could use a laugh after sitting down and going through the tent scene. Seriously, what was smeyer smoking when she wrote that? In what world is any of that okay? Not to mention afterwards, when they kiss. Just… what a mess.
But I digress. Without further ado, here's the first chapter of Eclipse.
XXIV
The next few weeks passed by in a blur.
Bella and I fell easily into a new routine. I would wake up around noon, shift to check in with the pack and run patrol for a while, then pick Bella up from school. Sam had us running at night, since that was when people were going missing. I spent my nights as a wolf, making sure things were safe in both La Push and Forks. With so many wolves, there was no way another bloodsucker would make it past us, but I worried anyway.
Sometimes we hung out in the garage while I tinkered with the Rabbit or Bella's bike, which had been dinged up enough times that there was always something to fix. Other days I tagged along while she did chores around Charlie's house. When I brought over a bag of laundry from my place, she stole another one of my sweatshirts.
On drier days, we rode the bikes over to Emily's and spent time with the pack. Bella and I did homework there three times a week, which now included college applications. Well, one college application.
"I can't afford anything but Peninsula, and all the other enrollment deadlines passed a couple months ago," she admitted with a sheepish grin. We were sitting at Emily's kitchen table, papers sprawled around us. "And with my track record, I don't think any other school would take me."
I laughed. "Same here," I replied, twirling a lock of her hair between my fingers. "'Cept I'm not the college type. I'll probably get a job in a garage, or something." I shrugged, unconcerned with my future as long as Bella was in it.
Emily whacked me over the head with a wooden spoon. "You're going to college, young man, whether you want to or not. You need an education."
"Fine, jeez!" I exclaimed, rubbing the back of my head even though it didn't hurt. Bella laughed at my expression, but I could tell her mind was elsewhere.
"I need to get a new job soon," she murmured thoughtfully, pen still moving across the application.
I hadn't forgotten she worked with Mike at his parents' store, but I was studiously ignoring it. Since their bodies were found in the woods the building had stood closed and empty on the corner of the ramp to get onto the highway. Every time we passed it, she winced. Bella had been hit hard by Mike's death – or undeath, as luck would have it. Her eyes went hollow whenever it came up, and it reminded me of when she first came to me with the bikes, and the look in Sue's eyes after Harry died. I'd started calling it, "the death look," in my head.
I was tired of death. I wanted to focus on the living, the ones we could save, but Charlie was right about Bella. She was stubborn, and refused to move on.
Sam wouldn't move on, either. He insisted on training the new members during any spare moment, pushing us so hard our muscles ached for days after. It was a necessity. With hikers going missing left and right, we were sure it was the leeches, though we were always too late.
The afternoons were never long enough. Bella had to make Charlie dinner before he got home, so I usually tagged along. She had started teaching me a few things in the kitchen, though I preferred sampling more than cooking. She would slap my hands away when they got too close to the food, but smiled indulgently whenever I was successful in taking a piece and throwing it in my mouth.
Her smile was a drug to me. Every time it flashed across her face, I nearly burst with glee. Like the sun bursting through dark gray clouds after a thunderstorm, her lips would turn up in a grin, and I would gawk at how bright it made her features. Her pale skin glowed like the moon, and I was the ocean, pushed and pulled by her gravity. I made it my job to ensure her grin stayed affixed as much as possible. After seeing her frown and sulk for months over Edward, every smile felt like a confirmation that, like all things, her love for him would pass.
I was a glutton when it came to her smiles. I could eat them up like candy, and sometimes I did. Once in a while, a particularly delectable grin would spread her lips, and I was powerless to stop my body as it leaned down and kissed her cheek, her eyelids, her mouth… It got awkward one night at dinner when she flashed me a quick, shy smile from under Charlie's watching gaze, and I pecked her cheek. She blushed beet red, then got up and put her plate in the sink despite having a few more bites left, leaving Charlie sitting across from me, eyebrows so high they nearly touched his receding hairline.
I laughed nervously, my face heating up, so I stuck my fork into a piece of meatloaf on my plate. Bella had wanted to tell Charlie about us after Harry's funeral, but we still hadn't gotten around to it. Luckily, there was a big game on that night, so Charlie was in a rush. Otherwise, I probably would have gotten an earful.
The next night, when his boots clamored in through the front door, he found me carefully on the other side of the kitchen, cutting up a mushroom into tiny bits. He slapped me on the shoulder as he passed on his way to Bella.
Spending dinner at Charlie's was also a strategic move, or so I explained to Billy. Every night, Bella would ask how the search was going for Mike, and Charlie usually shook his head, looking tired. But one night, he finally shared some information.
"I don't think this was wolves," he said, after Bella inquired about how the hunt for the wild animals was going. "They eat the whole carcass, especially in a big pack. The Newton's weren't eaten, though, it was like something had ripped their throats out." Charlie shivered, then glanced nervously over at Bella, who looked slightly green.
"Sorry, Bells. I guess I shouldn't share the gory details."
"What do you think it was, then?" I asked, leaning forward. I needed to keep him talking about the investigation, now that he was mentioning it at all.
He seemed surprised by my sudden, intense interest. "I don't know. But I don't want you two hiking out there anymore," he warned, waving his fork between Bella and me. "It's not just the Newtons who are getting attacked. We've lost five hikers this week," he grumbled.
"'Course not, Chief." I replied, turning back to my plate.
At night, when dinner was over, and I had no more excuses to stay, Bella would walk me out to my car and pause next to the driver's side door. The spruce sheltered us from most of the rain, but a few drops made it through here and there, sticking to her hair and dripping down my nose. I tried not to focus on how good she smelled in the rain, like a flower dipped in dew.
And every night, I offered to climb in through her window.
"Jake…" She sighed, shaking her head. "We shouldn't. Charlie's right down the hall…" She trailed off, biting her lip.
I kissed her forehead. "Okay," I chirped, unbothered.
I was more than willing to take things slow. In a lot of ways, I wasn't ready either. I needed to ask for a few tips from the guys, and maybe Leah, if she was in a good mood, which was exceedingly rare.
I had only seen Leah smile twice; the first time was when Seth gave her a friendship bracelet he made with Sue on their ancient loom, and the second time was at Emily's kitchen table while we did homework. She had been held back last year after spending most of it distracted by Sam's issues, so she worked with Bella on math, her worst subject. Leah laughed at a joke Bella made about common denominators, and before I knew it, they were friends.
When I shifted that night, Leah's protective thoughts about Bella bugged me. She thought it was inevitable that I would leave her after imprinting on someone else, but she was alone in that category. Even Seth tried to talk her out of it, but Leah was just as stubborn as Bella, if not more. She planned for the day when I would break her heart as if stockpiling for the apocalypse.
It doesn't matter what she thinks, I tried to reason with myself. I would never hurt Bella.
And it was true. Bella's pain was mine, and so was her joy. I focused on making her smile to keep from thinking about Victoria plotting to kill her, or Mike lurking in the forest, or the love she still had for Edward.
My sabbatical ended, as they always do, and I had to go back to school. Being cooped up in the tiny building was worse than any hell I could imagine. I had never really been studious; I learned mostly by doing, not by sitting in a classroom and listening to a teacher drone on about numbers. I fell asleep in my first three classes, then shifted during lunch and skipped the rest of the day.
Sam did not approve. It was just him and I, though, and I knew he liked having more than one wolf standing guard. I started thinking about dropping out, but Sam wouldn't hear it.
It's almost summer, he argued, school will be over soon. Stick it out just a little bit longer.
We spent more time at Billy's as the weeks progressed, pouring over homework. Her senior exams were coming up and Bella needed to study, but we spent a considerable amount of time going over all the material I had missed. She was determined to get me to pass my finals, and I was willing to play along to make her happy. It didn't matter how much she tutored me; I could only focus on her lips as she spoke.
Billy spent most of his time at Sue's place, helping her cope with two new werewolf children, so we had the house to ourselves. We ended up taking advantage of the alone time more than once, after being sprawled out on the floor with our schoolwork fanned around us for a little too long. We came together like magnets, and we were just as hard to tear apart.
We spent a Friday afternoon at Charlie's, on Bella's request. She wanted to tell him about the new development in our relationship, but we got sidetracked – Charlie was moping around the house with his shoulders slumped in defeat.
The search parties never found any evidence of Mike Newton, and after a few weeks, they finally gave up and declared him dead. Not only that, but the new bout of missing hikers had attracted the state troopers, and they were taking over the case. I was relieved we wouldn't have to tip-toe around the hunters anymore, but Charlie's sour mood didn't make him anymore fond of me.
I hoped he would be more cheerful after spending a weekend fishing with Billy. I knew I would be, because I planned to make Bella smile the whole time he was away.
That Saturday was a balmy seventy-two degrees, and only partly-cloudy, so Bella and I trekked down to the beach with freshly-washed towels and lunch in a brown paper bag. I was prepared for a day of lounging by the water, but Bella had other plans.
We spread out our towels next to each other. She laid on hers, closing her eyes and basking in the sun, so I figured she wouldn't mind if I went for a swim. It was too cold for a normal human, but for a walking space heater it was refreshing. I dunked my head under, then tossed my hair back as I came up for air.
I loped back over to the towels. Bella's reaction would have made me laugh if it didn't turn me on. She sat bolt upright, sizing me up with wide eyes, mouth open in shock. When I landed on the towel next to her and shook out my wet hair in her direction, she barely even shrieked. Instead, she locked her arms around my neck and attacked me with kisses, sprinkling them on my chest and up my throat, finally settling on my lips.
It took me two seconds to get over the shock. I reacted with the same enthusiasm she seemed to have. Our bodies clicked together, and I quickly found myself getting carried away. I was hovering over her with my hands pulling up her tank top to reveal the bra she wore last Wednesday, my lips starting to travel south of her collarbone.
I usually relied on her to keep us from going too far; she was always the first to pull away, the first to pop the bubble with a reminder of our responsibilities. Today, though, her hands held me possessively, creeping lower until her fingers rested on the band of my swim trunks.
I paused, drawing in a ragged breath. "Bella…" I groaned, opening my eyes to see her face.
Bella looked up at me through her eyelashes, cheeks blazing. She moved her hands to my hips, fingers curling underneath the elastic there. She arched her back, pressing us closer together, then kissed the scruff on my chin sweetly.
I kissed her back, slower this time, skin crackling like coals being blown on. Her hands kept going lower, and my heart hammered harder in my chest. I reached up to the clasp on her bra, my fingers trying to undo the hooks with little success.
Bella smiled and reached up with one hand to help, and soon the bra had gone slack. Her wrists locked behind my neck as I slipped my hands underneath the thin cotton undergarment, spreading my fingers out until they covered her entire chest.
"Jake," she moaned, grinding her hips into mine.
I gulped, my hands gripping tighter. I wanted her – needed her – more than I cared about anything else. At that moment, I was willing to risk it all just to hear her moan my name one more time. I would have gladly fought a million vampires if it meant I never had to let go. There was no beach, no water, no sky, no sun – nothing but us.
"Jake!" Someone yelled from down the beach.
My whole body flinched as if I'd been electrocuted. Bella jumped, too, turning her head to look in the direction of the intruder.
The voice was familiar, but through the fog of my distraction, I couldn't quite connect the dots when little Seth Clearwater – not so little anymore – came jogging over to us, an eager smile lighting up his face.
Bella clasped her bra back on while I adjusted my shorts, balling my fist in my lap to hide the damning evidence. Bella giggled at me when I shot her a dark look.
"We'll finish this later," I promised, grabbing her hand and squeezing.
Her smile widened as her eyes narrowed, and I had a hard time interpreting what kind of emotion she was conveying before Seth reclaimed my attention.
"Jake, it's Collin!" He enthused, throwing his arms up in the air to emphasize whatever point he was about to make, then got distracted by the murderous glare I had fixed him with.
"You good, bro?" Seth asked, eyes flickering over to Bella with a subtle worry marring his smile.
"Yeah, I'm fine," I said, clenching the fist in my lap as if to punch the sand. "What about Collin?"
Seth needed no more urging to launch into his story. "Billy came back early from fishing to call a council meeting, and they all met at our house since it's the biggest. I hid in the closet after Mom kicked Leah out because I wanted to hear what they were talking about. Like a spy."
His excitement was palpable, but so was my impatience. Bella sighed next to me and rested her head on my shoulder, watching Seth with a politely interested smile.
"So, when it started, Old Quil wanted to know what the big deal was, because Billy called this top-secret council meeting out of nowhere. I think his exact words were 'I nearly slipped in the shower when the phone rang! If I break a hip at this age, it's over.' Or something like that," Seth continued, either oblivious to our waning interest in the long-form story or blatantly ignoring it.
"So Billy starts explaining how he saw his sister's son today at the docks. I guess Collin was tagging along on his father's fishing trip or something, he didn't really go into that. But anyway, he shakes Collin's hand and it's hotter than if he had let it sit on the stovetop." Seth announced, throwing his arms up in excitement.
I was shocked out of my previous disinterest. My little cousin? He was too young. He was only thirteen…
"That squirt?" I scoffed, turning to share a look with Bella, when I remembered she didn't know him yet. She was mildly confused, staring at me like she was trying to memorize my face.
"Not anymore," Seth said, raising his eyebrows suggestively. "That was the next thing Billy talked about. The kid sprung up overnight. He's taller than I am," Seth added, cheeks going red. "But he's thirteen, which is the youngest they've ever heard of."
I understood his excitement now. He would no longer be the runt.
Good luck getting Leah off your back, though, I thought, glad he couldn't hear me.
"Someone else is going to turn into a wolf?" Bella clarified. "How many of you have the wolf gene?"
"My cousin, Collin," I explained. "We thought he was too young to get triggered into changing when the Cullens were here." I paused, waiting for her to flinch, but Bella fixed her stare on me and didn't seem moved by their name. I grinned, looking down at my lap and fantasizing about what we could have been doing if Seth hadn't interrupted.
"That's not all, though!" Seth cried, realizing he had lost our attention. "Billy called the meeting to tell them about it, but also to ask for permission to tell his dad."
"Oh?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.
"Yeah, he thinks because he's so young, it's necessary. Sam agreed. He thought it would be a fair warning, y'know…" Seth shrugged his arms uncomfortably, no doubt thinking of his father.
"But Old Quil disagreed," he continued, shaking his head. "He thought it would put us at unnecessary risk, since his dad is from the Makah rez."
"What did Sue say?" I asked.
"She agreed with Billy," Sam answered. "Said that Colin was just a kid, he needs his father…" Seth's hands started shaking, even after he balled them into fists.
"Oh, Seth," Bella stood up suddenly, crossing over my legs and wrapping the young boy in her arms. I watched a tear drop from his cheek onto her tank top.
Bella pulled away. "Let me know if you guys need any food. There's tons of fish in our freezer, and I'm willing to make it for you if you give me Harry's Fish Fry recipe."
Seth laughed, wiping his nose on his arm. "You'll have to ask my mom," he replied, taking in a shaky breath.
I smiled and stood up to join them. "So, when are they telling Collin's Dad?" I asked, clapping Seth on the shoulder in a show of brotherly support.
"I don't know." Seth replied. "Old Quil was pretty against it. Said they might as well make an announcement in the newspaper while they're at it. But then I sneezed, 'cause of all the mothballs, so Mom dug me out of the closet and threw me out of the house. So I'm not sure. Sam will know, when they stop arguing about it."
Seth stuck around, hopping into the water to cool down. Bella and I sat on our towels, watching his head bob up and down in the water. I threw my arm around her automatically, and she rested her head on my shoulder.
"Why do you think there are more wolves?" She asked, looking up at me with curious eyes.
"Probably because there's still vampires around," I answered, shrugging.
We settled back into thoughtful silence until she asked me another question.
"Do you think the Cullens will ever come back?"
I hesitated. She'd never brought them up on her own before. "Why?"
"Maybe they could help," she replied innocently. "They killed James in Phoenix. Maybe they could kill Victoria, too."
My eyes narrowed as I looked down at her. "Do you want them to come back?"
She stared out at the ocean, a deeply contemplative look on her face. "I want you to be safe," she finally said. "I don't care how."
I lifted her chin up to look at me. "Stop worrying about me, Bella. I'm not going anywhere."
She shook me off and wrapped her arms around her knees, pulling them up against her chest. "It's not just you. Sam, Embry, Paul, Jared, Quil… the whole pack is risking their lives. Leah is my friend, and Seth is only fourteen…" She trailed off as her voice started edging into hysteria, staring out at the water.
"Hunting vampires is fun," I assured her. "We're good at it. It's what we're made for."
"Can you promise me something?" She asked suddenly, turning onto her side to face me and resting her hand on my cheek.
"Anything," I vowed.
"Run away with me," she begged, words coming out in a rush. "When all of this is over and Victoria is dead and gone, we'll pack up the Rabbit and drive until we don't recognize where we are. We can go anywhere you want, I don't care – as long as we're together."
How could I say no? "Of course," I promised, a smile dancing on my lips. "When Victoria is dead, I'll take you wherever you want to go."
"What about Billy?" She asked. "What about the rest of the pack – will they let you go?"
I rolled my eyes. "I'm not a prisoner, Bella. I can leave whenever I want."
A smile twitched up the edges of her lips. "Now?"
"I thought you didn't want to lead Victoria anywhere else," I reminded her.
She sighed. "A girl can dream."
I pecked her forehead. "We'll go to Vegas first and get married so we aren't living in sin," I said, half-joking.
"Oh, sure," she replied sarcastically. "And then we can become rocket scientists."
I laughed. "Seriously, though," I began, stroking her cheekbone with the back of my fingers. "Do you want to spend the rest of your life with me?"
"I can't imagine my life without you," she answered, eyes wide and honest.
"Then why not?" I insisted. "I'll get a fake I.D. that says I'm over eighteen, and we'll elope," I suggested.
She grimaced. "Married? Me? I'm only eighteen."
"I'm sixteen." I chuckled.
"Exactly!" She exclaimed. "We're too young to even think about it. Besides, Renee will kill me if I get married before I'm forty."
"According to our relative ages, you're already thirty, right?" I argued. "So we only have to wait ten more years."
She laughed. "In ten years, then," she agreed.
