"Jacob! Phone!"
Jacob stumbled out of his room, only somewhat awake. It was the first day of winter break, and instead of spending it in bed, Jacob had plans with Quil and Leah to go look at some car she found on Craigslist in Hoquiam. Jacob was skeptical, he couldn't lie, but Leah had asked him and he didn't want to turn her down. And Rachel had splurged for a car that needed nothing more than a tire rotation and an oil change, so it would be nice to have a car to work on again, assuming Leah bought this one.
Despite the early hour (okay, it was already ten, but it felt early. Quil, Embry, and Jacob had celebrated the first night of break with a night of Call of Duty and enough beer to kill the average person. They recently discovered that the guy at the 7-11 in Forks was new in town and didn't even think to card them. Regrettably, due to their high metabolism, they didn't even get buzzed, so it was just a waste of money), Paul was already sitting on the Black's couch, Rachel beside him. He had his arm around her, and she was looking at him adoringly.
"It's Quil," Billy glared at Paul as he handed Jacob the phone.
"Wazzup?" Jacob never bothered with formalities when talking to Quil or Embry.
"Yo, Jake, I got some bad news."
"What is it?"
"Emily just called. She's watching Claire and her sister today and they both have a cold and Claire won't stop crying. Emily wants me to come over and help babysit," Quil explained. Jacob could hear the worry in his voice, "So I can't make it. Sorry, man."
"Yeah, don't worry about it. Hope Claire feels better." By now, being ditched for imprints was nothing new. Jacob had been happy when Quil hung out with him and Embry last night instead of with a literal child like Seth had done.
"Thanks, Jake. You're a good guy. You should stop by afterward, I'll probably still be hanging out at Emily's. She hasn't seen you in a while, last time I spoke to her she mentioned that she missed you and Embry."
"Yeah, maybe I will." Jacob was sure not to make any promises, lest he end up breaking one. But he hadn't seen Emily in a while and she was sure to have muffins...
"Have fun, Jake!" Quil said cheerfully, although Jacob could still sense a hint of worry in his voice.
"You too," Jacob echoed before he realized what he saying. Babysitting a sick toddler couldn't possibly be much fun.
"I will!" Quil was just as cheery as before; he would have a good day with Claire, even if she was snotty and cranky.
The dial tone filled Jacob's ear. Jacob placed the phone back in the cradle and looked at Billy, who had moved to the table but was still glaring at Paul.
"Quil cancel?" Billy guessed.
"Yep. Claire's sick and I guess he feels bad leaving her."
"What a loser," Paul muttered. Paul said it, but Jacob was thinking it.
"Hey! You're spending the day hanging out with me!" Rachel protested.
"Yeah, but you're a hot, older woman, not some toddler." Paul reached over to kiss Rachel in a less than PG way.
Billy cleared his throat loudly and Paul and Rachel moved apart, "But Leah's still going, isn't she?"
"Yeah, she's the one who's thinking about buying a car."
"Great, then you can drop me off at the Clearwaters when you pick her up," Billy said with a sly grin.
Jacob laughed, "If you're lucky, old man."
Thirty minutes later, though, Jacob was trading Billy for Leah, who was surprisingly happy, even after she learned that Quil had ditched them to hang out with Emily and Claire.
The Rabbit hummed along as Jacob drove off of the reservation, honking when he passed Jared who had Kim sitting in the front seat next to him. Even Leah waved, a true testament to her good mood.
"So what are we looking at today?" Jacob asked as he turned on to the highway. Running as a wolf would be much faster, but Leah had complained that she needed a purse to carry her checkbook and pointed out that she would need to drive back if she ended up buying the car. Jacob had argued that just because she would have to drive back, didn't mean he should have to, but the look she gave him was enough to convince him to drive both ways.
"It's a 1995 Ford Taurus," Leah told him, "I found it on Craigslist and I emailed the man and he said it's in good condition. But I warned him I was bringing a mechanic friend to check it out. You'll be able to tell if he's lying, won't you?"
"Should be able to."
"Good. I don't want to be swindled into getting some lemon from a stranger off the internet."
"I'll make sure you don't get a lemon," Jacob assured her, "And besides, girls can't go meet strangers from the internet alone."
Leah hit his arm and scowled. Unlike the average person, Leah could hit hard enough to hurt, and there was a pulsing sting where her fist had connected to his arm.
"I'm not being sexist!" Jacob protested, "It's true! Girls should not go off and meet up with people in real life that they only know from the internet! It's dangerous! There are predators out there!"
"It worked out fine for your sister."
"We don't know that. Other than Rachel, none of us have ever met his Solomon guy. For all we know he beats her and they're homeless and live on the beach. That's why we're going to Hawaii, remember? So Becca can show Billy that she has a nice life there."
After Rachel and Rebecca had pulled off scholarships to their respective schools, Billy had consented to them blowing a bunch of money on a senior trip to Hawaii. They spent five whole days there, and only Rachel came back. Rebecca had eloped with her internet boyfriend after meeting him in person and falling deeply in love, something that no one, not even Rachel, had seen coming ("I knew she was meeting some internet boyfriend she had," Rachel had wailed, "but I didn't think she would marry him!"). Everyone had waited for their inevitable divorce or annulment, but it had been nearly three years now and Rebecca and Solomon were still going strong.
"Well I can go meet people off the internet if I want," Leah shot back, "I don't need you or anyone else to go protect me."
"Yeah you can, cause you'd go fucking postal on them if they even look at you funny." Jacob had to admit that he wouldn't be opposed to seeing Leah kick some guys' ass if he tried to flirt with her. It might even be kinda hot, watching Leah beat some poor schmuck up, if she could figure out a way to do it without revealing her superhuman strength, "But that's why I'm here. To make sure you don't go postal and reveal our secret to a bunch of pale faces."
"Whatever." Jacob could hear the displeasure in Leah's voice, but he could tell she wasn't truly upset. Surely she had to realize that most women could not really meet a stranger off the internet in person without fearing for their life.
Nearly an hour later, after a ride full of pleasant conversation, Jacob pulled into a parking lot of an abandoned warehouse on the north side of Hoquiam. No one else was there; the parking lot was empty save for the Rabbit.
"This is the place?" he asked skeptically.
"This is the place," Leah confirmed nervously.
They both sat in the car in an awkward silence, their jovial conversation halted as they waited for the seller and the car to arrive.
"We agreed to meet at two," Leah muttered, breaking the silence for the first time. The clock read 2:13.
By 2:24, the pair was starting to get a bit restless. Neither had said a word since Leah had spoken earlier, although Jacob had turned off the Rabbit shortly after they realized that they would be waiting for a while. There was no radio, no noise whatsoever, except the sound of their breathing and the traffic on the road behind them.
At 2:27, two cars pulled up to the parking lot, including a black Ford Taurus. Both Jacob and Leah immediately unbuckled. Leah muttered under her breath about timeliness and how rude the sellers were as they got out of the Rabbit. After walking across the parking lot, they introduced themselves to the pair of drivers, two guys in their thirties or forties named Steve and Mark. It was Mark who owned the car, and after Leah took a good look at the car, inspecting it for aesthetic purposes, she put Jacob to work, inspecting it for safety and mechanical purposes.
As he popped the hood and began to ask questions about the engine and the history of the vehicle, Leah stood back and made small talk with Steve. Their conversation started innocently enough, but it wasn't long before it took a turn for the worse.
"Your boyfriend knows quite a bit about cars," Jacob heard the man remark to Leah as Jacob examined the brakes.
"He's not my boyfriend," Leah scoffed.
"Oh really? Just a friend then?" It was impossible to miss the interest in his voice. Jacob looked up over his shoulder; Leah was scowling openly and had her arms crossed against her chest, but she wasn't shaking or trembling. He tried to refocus on the engine, but he couldn't help but listen in on the conversation that Leah was having with Steve.
"Just a friend," Leah confirmed.
"Are you from around here?" the man asked.
"No."
"Where are you from?" Jacob couldn't tell if this Steve fellow was suicidal or just plain stupid.
"La Push."
"Where?"
"La Push. Small town a few hours away from here."
"Come down here often?"
"No." There was no mistaking the virulence in Leah's voice.
"You should stay for dinner. My treat. You can send your friend back with his old beater and we can take your new car for a test ride."
"No."
"There's a great steakhouse not too far from here. A pretty girl like deserves a nice dinner." The man had a death wish, Jacob decided.
"Come on, Jacob!" Leah called, "We're leaving!"
"You don't want the car?" Steve asked, sounding genuinely surprised. It hardly seemed possible that he had missed the conversation his friend was having with Leah.
"No, I don't want your stupid car!" Leah cried mockingly. Jacob jogged across the parking lot. Mark, the owner of the car, was following him, huffing that he didn't understand what was wrong and arguing that the car was in perfect shape.
"Let's go," she hissed, and Jacob could see that she was shaking. Not enough to be in danger of phasing, but enough that he could tell she was pissed. Jacob unlocked the Rabbit and they both slid into their respective seats. Steve and Mark were still yelling, Mark that Leah shouldn't be offended and Steve for wasting his time.
The ride back was dangerously quiet. The same radio station as before was playing in the background, but once it faded into static, Leah shut it off angrily.
"You were right, I guess," Leah said as Jacob passed the halfway mark.
"About?"
"Girls really can't meet random people off the internet."
Jacob let out a hearty laugh and he glanced over at Leah. She had a thin smile on her face, but the anger hadn't fully faded from her eyes. Jacob reached over and turned back on the radio, which was able to pick up the same stations as he could back in La Push now. With the music playing in the background, Leah's mood lightened. Within a few minutes, they were both singing off-key to 80s hits; the time flew by as Jacob drove them back to La Push.
After Jacob dropped Leah back off at the Clearwater's, he headed straight over to Emily's, not bothering to check and see if Paul and Rachel were still at his house. Jacob was happy that Rachel was happy, but it didn't mean he wanted to spend any time with them.
"Jacob!" Emily called cheerily as he entered their house fifteen minutes later. She was sitting on the counter, talking animatedly to Quil, who was sitting at the table. Sure enough, a large plate of muffins was on the table, ready to be devoured. Claire and her sister, Marissa, were nowhere to be seen.
"Hey, Emily!" Jacob gave her an awkward side hug as she jumped down from her perch on the counter, "Long time no see."
"You haven't come by in such a long time! You should stop by more often, Jacob," Emily said in her friendly way. She gestured towards the muffins. Lemon poppy seed this time, "It's good to see you."
Jacob grabbed an oversized muffin and immediately began to unwrap it, "Where's Claire and Marissa?" he asked before taking a bite.
"They're both sleeping upstairs," Emily answered, "I know Marissa's sick because now that she's five she normally refuses to take a nap, but today she went down without a problem, Claire with her."
"They're both exhausted," Quil agreed, "It's awful to see."
"They'll be fine," Emily remarked, "Getting sick is just part of growing up. But it was nice of you to come by, Quil. It made the whole day easier."
"Always happy to help out." There was a strange look on Quil's face. Pain? Or maybe guilt? Jacob wasn't sure, but Quil seemed to focus for a second and turned to face Jacob, "Did you get the car?"
"Nah," Jacob shook his head and grabbed another muffin.
"Why?" Quil asked, "Was there something wrong with it?"
"There was nothing wrong with the car… but there was something wrong with the guy selling it. He kept trying to flirt with Leah and we left before I even had a chance to finish my inspection."
Quil chuckled, "I can see where from far away someone might think that Leah is a catch… but man, they couldn't be more mistaken."
"There's nothing wrong with Leah," Emily said with a hint of warning in her voice, "She's had a rough time. She's a perfectly nice person - when she wants to be."
"Yeah, Leah's fine," Quil backtracked quickly, "But she can be scary when she wants to be. I can't imagine flirting with her."
"Can you imagine flirting with anyone?" Jacob looked pointedly at Quil.
Quil stared at him, "I guess not."
"Well, I hope that Leah finds someone," Emily said.
"This guy wouldn't have been any good for her," Jacob took another muffin from the table and started unwrapping it, "He was forty at least and a total scumbag."
"I just want her to be happy," Emily fretted, "It'd be nice if she could find someone. I hope she imprints, I think it would make her so happy."
Quil and Jacob exchanged a glance. Jacob liked Emily, he really did, but after spending the last few months stuck inside Leah's head, some of her less than kind thoughts about her cousin had worn off on Jacob. And this was one of the times that he could see why Leah thought Emily could be annoyingly out of touch.
"I don't think that Leah wants to imprint," Jacob said quietly, as he tried to imagine Leah with an imprint. The thought made his gut turn in an unfamiliar way.
"Well, I hope she finds someone that makes her happy, then," Emily said, "Or that she learns to be happy on her own."
"I think that's what we all want," Quil said quietly, "Just to be happy."
"Yeah," Jacob agreed, trying to imagine a cheerful Leah and realizing he'd seen one only earlier that day, "We all just want to be happy."
New Year's Eve in La Push was always an event. After spending the week of Christmas cooped up with family, everyone was out and about mingling with friends. Kids would come in from Forks to shoot off fireworks on the beach, alcohol would flow freely and there were parties all over the reservation. It had always been one of Jacob's favorite holidays.
The council had decreed that there wasn't any need to have a full patrol on New Year's Eve, but Leah had insisted that she would patrol anyway because "if I was a vampire, I would not be celebrating another year of my ungodly existence and would instead use New Year's Eve to attack a whole bunch of innocent humans." It was obviously an excuse, but everyone knew better than to say anything, and Jacob volunteered to patrol with her, seeing as he didn't have anything better to do.
Sam and Emily were having a party, which would be attended by Rachel and Paul and Jared and Kim and, surprisingly, even Charlie and Sue and Quil's mom. Quil had volunteered to babysit Claire and her sister so that Emily's brother and sister-in-law could have a date night. Seth had accepted invitations to no less than four different new years parties (including the Cullen's and Sam and Emily's) and had plans to make appearances at all four. And Embry was strangely insistent on staying up in Neah Bay with his family. That left Jacob and Leah to patrol.
Rowena Ascarrunz had made it excruciatingly clear that Jacob, Quil, and Embry were more than welcome at her New Year Party (she'd also made it clear that she wouldn't protest if they brought along Jared and Paul, which seemed inappropriate somehow, seeing as the whole reservation knew they were both basically engaged), but Jacob would almost rather hang out with the bloodsuckers than go to that. Almost. Ultimately Rowena's over perfumed self was still better than the leeches, but patrolling with Leah definitely beat attending Rowena's party alone. Or even going to Sam and Emily's party and seeing all the wolves with their imprints all coupled up together.
Last year, Quil's mom had had some boyfriend who invited her to some fancy event in Olympia, and Quil had taken the occasion to throw a party. Jacob had kissed Alyssa Morgan at midnight and then made it all the way to second base with her, but two weeks later she'd told him she'd rather just be friends. After nearly two months of awkward handholding and chaste kisses, it had been his longest relationship, but Jacob found that her request wasn't very upsetting. Four days after that, Bella had appeared with the bikes. And Bella was much more interesting and much prettier than Alyssa Morgan.
And so at nine pm, when all the parties all across the res were just getting started, Jacob went to the woods, stripped naked, and transformed into a giant wolf.
Patrol started without a hitch. Leah's uncharacteristic good mood had lasted all the way through the holiday season; Sue's insistence on a visit to the Cullens with Charlie on Christmas day was the only exception. And Jacob had only heard about that secondhand from Embry after Embry and Leah had ended up in the pack mind together and Embry had had to deal with Leah's sulking. Jacob had spent the holidays with his family, including Paul, who Rachel now insisted that they should consider part of the family, much to Jacob and Billy's displeasure. But tonight, Leah was pleasant (for her, Leah's version of pleasant could still be quite biting when she wanted to be) when Jacob phased. She greeted him with an offer to race before they eventually split up to patrol their own sections of their territory.
The time passed quickly as Jacob and Leah patrolled. Since taking down the leech in November, there had been no unusual activity to speak of during the patrols. Really, since they'd fought the newborns, nothing had happened the entire time they had been patrolling. Being a wolf was honestly rather boring.
Although Leah and Jacob kept mostly to themselves, it was impossible to keep their minds truly apart. While Jacob spent most of his time fuming about Embry forgetting to return his Call of Duty game before leaving for Neah Bay, Leah clearly had a lot more pressing issues on her mind. Mentally, she was busy trying to figure out her new schedule now that she would be returning to classes in just a few weeks, while still working and keeping up with her wolf duties.
Jacob had taken the opposite approach and attempted to block out everything about school, including the book he was supposed to read over break for his English class. But with the pack mind, it was impossible to keep from eavesdropping. And some things, he couldn't help but comment on.
You're planning on studying accounting?
Don't sound so incredulous. Yes, I'm going to study accounting.
Really? Why? It sounds so… boring. Jacob struggled to think anything more boring than accounting. Math, maybe, but who got degrees in math? Other than his sister, of course.
That's the whole point. It's boring. My entire life has been so crazy so if my career is boring, then so be it. And accountants make good money and… Leah hesitated, trying to avoid thinking too much about it, I could work anywhere. Atlanta, New York City, even La Push.
La Push? Jacob couldn't think of a single accountant in all of La Push, though he knew that there had to be some.
Kim's dad, Leah answered his unspoken question, And old Mrs. North does most of the accounting for the tribe, including at the Resort. Mr. Keyo said that he thinks Mrs. North will retire in the next five years and I could probably take her job as the accountant for the Resort.
That's great, Leah. Jake hesitated before continuing, trying to decide if his words were worth the risk that Leah might get mad, I thought you wanted to leave La Push, though.
Not really. Not like Rachel or Becca did. I wanted to leave and go to college but I think I always knew on some level that I'd come back. And now Seth's going to leave and my mom will be all alone. So I'll stay with her.
She'll have Billy and Charlie. They're not going anywhere. And Seth's fifteen. He doesn't know what he wants. You really think Seth will leave?
I think he'll follow the Cullens. They've already told him they'll pay for his college. Leah's thoughts were laced with disgust at the idea of taking money from the leeches, He's thinking about law school, and they'd told him they'd pay for that, too. Anywhere he wants to go. I think my mom's secretly thrilled. Now he'll definitely go to college and maybe he could even go somewhere fancy.
Well… I guess it's good for him, then. The thought was sickening to Jacob, as well. But he knew Seth would be happy about it.
Yeah. And now that my mom has been on the council, maybe I can take her seat. Especially if Seth is off rendezvousing with vampires. There's no real reason that the council seats have to go to the sons.
I'll vouch for you to take her seat, Jacob promised, You're a wolf, you have the bloodline, you're the Beta, you're loyal to the tribe. There's no reason you can't be on the council if that's what you want.
Thank you, Jacob. The gratitude in Leah's thoughts was genuine.
You know Sam and Jared are gonna be on the council, too, right? Leah wasn't an idiot, he was sure she had to know, but he had to double-check.
Yeah, Jacob, I know. But I can't let that bother me. No matter what I do I don't think I'll ever be able to get rid of them. Not unless I leave La Push forever, and really, I don't want to do that. And… Leah hesitated for a second, We're kinda stuck together. We'll always have this stupid wolf thing going on, even if we're not in the same pack. The rest of the world will never understand the wolf thing, but they will. So I might as well be friendly with them.
Jacob took a second to take in what Leah had said. Where had this changed attitude come from? Where was the bitchy girl that would have decked both Sam and Jared any chance she was given?
Leah laughed before responding, I would still deck Sam if I could, and maybe Jared too. Definitely Paul. But I've thought about it and I've decided to turn over a new leaf. A new Leah for the new year.
Leah really was in a healthier place than Jacob. That was one thing that Jacob didn't doubt, That's great, Leah.
I just can't let my anger consume me for the rest of my life, you know? I'll never be best friends with Emily or Sam but I can't let their betrayal rule my entire life.
Silence passed between them for a while, as Jacob considered what all Leah had told him. He tried to remember the happy Leah he'd known as a child, years ago. Or even the one he'd seen laughing with Sam at the Clearwaters house before Sam had grown tall and scary. That Leah was so separate from the one he knew that it felt like a stranger. That wasn't his Leah, the one he'd gotten to know so well over the past several months.
I know it's not going to be easy, she said, having read his thoughts again, But Jake, I gotta try. And I know I'll never be, like, the nicest person in the world. But I don't have to be so bitter.
I'm proud of you, Leah. It was the truth. He was proud of her, slightly in awe of her strength and her ability to grow and change. It was like Emily had said. Leah had been dealt a rough hand.
Have you thought about it at all, Jake? She asked after several moments had passed.
Have I thought about what?
Your future. What you might do after high school. Who you might want to be.
No. Jacob knew he hadn't made the progress that Leah had. He wasn't all about turning over a new leaf and becoming a new Jacob. Before Bella, before he turned into a wolf, before everything that had happened last year, Jacob was perfectly happy with who he was.
Bella didn't cross his mind as often as she once had. Mostly, he tried to keep everything about the Cullens and his former best friend far from his mind. Jacob knew that Seth saw Bella nearly every day and that Quil and Embry went with him occasionally, but he never asked for the details, and they never volunteered any. It was a compromise that worked for him. But beyond that compromise, beyond where he was at this moment, he hadn't thought about the future.
No, he admitted finally.
You should, Leah pressed, It's your junior year. An important one.
Who are you? My mother?
It doesn't have to be college. Leah ignored him, But you're smart enough to go college if you wanted to.
Sarah had always talked to Jacob, Rebecca, and Rachel about the importance of college. She was a teacher; she believed strongly in education. It didn't matter to her that Billy didn't go to college; she had always made it clear that she expected all three of her children to go. Rebecca hadn't gone, of course, and Jacob really hadn't made plans either way.
Long ago, Jacob had a dream of opening a garage in Forks with Quil, but they'd hadn't talked about that since before (they always knew that Embry would want to go to college and, of the three, Embry cared the least about cars). But Jacob had no idea if Quil would still want to do that. Quil had his family's store to fall back on, if nothing else, a luxury that Jacob and Embry did not have.
Have you thought about teaching? You know, since your mom was a teacher. You'd be good at it, Leah continued, Or plumbing? Or air conditioning repair? And I know you love your cars, you could still do the mechanic thing.
Leave me alone, Leah, Jacob begged, the options clouding his brain, taking away from the otherwise cheerful evening, I'll think about it. I'll figure it out, I promise.
I'm not trying to nag you, Jacob. But I think that figuring out something beyond just being a wolf in high school might help you. I think it helped me.
I promise that I'll think about it, okay?
I won't bug you any more about it, Leah promised, and, true to her word, she didn't speak again. Her thoughts went back to focusing on patrol and the landscape that was passing as she ran around the Quileute's territory, and they passed several hours in the comfortable silence they'd grown so used to.
In the distance, fireworks crackled. It was 2007.
Happy New Year, Jake.
Happy New Year, Leah.
It'll be a good year, Leah mused, I can feel it.
Jacob wasn't so sure. Last year had started off so well, but so much of it had been so bad.
The sound of the firecrackers and distant cheers continued for a while longer; it had always been a tradition to shoot off fireworks on First Beach every midnight. Jacob knew that nearly all the residents of La Push and their guests would have convened on the shore, with sparklers and glasses of champagne in their hands. He wondered if anyone noticed his and Leah's absence.
Leah? Seth's voice pierced into the pack mind after the sound of the firecrackers had died down quite a bit. Booms still pierced the air, but the frequency had slowed down from the steady stream that they had been in the beginning.
Seth? Leah and Jacob asked in unison.
Seth, what are you doing here? Don't you have a party or two to be at? Leah's thoughts had a touch of alarm; she wasn't sure what was causing Seth to give up his night of freedom.
Leah, I think you need to drive Mom home. An image of a surprisingly tipsy Sue Clearwater filled the pack mind. She looked like she was having a great time if Seth was to be believed. And most surprising of all, Charlie was right there with her, laughing too loudly and drinking too much. They were both clearly intoxicated, at least in Seth's thoughts.
Mom's drunk? Leah didn't bother to disguise the wonder in her thoughts.
Just tipsy, I think, but I don't think she should be driving.
Probably not, Leah admitted after Seth showed them a memory of Sue asking for a fifth glass of champagne. Jacob couldn't think of a time he'd seen Charlie or Sue drink any more than a beer or two. He almost regretted skipping the parties; he'd have liked to see them in this state, he thought.
I also need you to drive me and Nessie back to the Cullen's place. Or at least the treaty line, that's where Bella is supposed to meet us. Seth's thoughts came tumbling out sheepishly. When Seth had requested permission to let Nessie cross the treaty line, both the Elders and Sam were quick to say yes. It was Jacob and Leah who were more hesitant, but with the Elders and Sam and Seth's happiness on the line, they didn't feel like they could say no (especially since even if Bella and Edward agreed to let their precious little girl out of their sight for a night). So despite her young age, Nessie had crossed the treaty line to shoot off firecrackers at midnight on the beach with everyone else in La Push.
Seth, I'm on patrol. Who's with Nessie now? Leah asked, They couldn't take her to the treaty line?
Emily's watching her. Well, Emily and Sam. And I could ask but I think maybe it's better if you just did it.
Jacob could see that Leah's thoughts were circling everyone in else in the pack who could drive, even imagining Emily in the car with the little half vamp (as if Sam would ever let Emily volunteer to be alone with Nessie. Sam was okay with Seth bringing Nessie across the line, but Jacob had a feeling his generosity and trust of the little demon ended there).
It's fine, Leah, Jacob assured her, There's nothing that's going to happen anyway.
You don't know that! Leah hissed, her mind full of memories of the blonde bloodsucker she'd taken down only a few months ago.
I'll howl if I need any help. But really Leah, I think that blonde was a just a fluke. I really doubt anything will happen.
I can help you patrol if you want, Jake! Seth offered.
And leave me alone with your imprint?!
Seth, I'll be fine, Jacob promised him, Nothing's going to happen. Go with Leah and make sure Nessie and Charlie get home.
Leah, who had taken off towards her clothes once she'd seen Seth's memories of Sue, arrived at the edge of the forest.
I'll meet you at the beach, Leah said resignedly.
Thank you, Leah! Thank you, Jake! And then, silence in the bond as Seth phased back to human to join his sister.
Jacob continued to patrol, running through the forest and looking for anything unexpected. But there was nothing. Between the Cullens and the wolf packs, Jacob doubted any unfriendly vampire would ever set foot in their territory again. As Jacob continued his rounds, a sudden burst of wind blew something sickly sweet into his face, disrupting the pleasant smell of fireworks and the bonfire that he knew was currently going on at First Beach.
The smell was indistinct, but it wasn't one that Jacob knew well, but wasn't completely unfamiliar, either. It would be just his luck that there would be an unknown vamp would cross the treaty line on a night when everyone was out partying. At least wolves couldn't get intoxicated, unlike Seth was claiming the humans were. That meant they'd be ready to fight if needed, even if they'd be upset at Jacob for disrupting their celebrations.
Jacob hurried towards the source of the scent, but he quickly realized why it wasn't as familiar to him; the sickly sweet scent was Bella. Sure enough, in the distance, he could just make out the shape of a person standing by a silver car right at the border of the treaty line.
He didn't dare get too close, just close enough to confirm that that was the source of the sickly scent. But as he approached, he could see with his own eyes that it was nothing more than Bella leaning against the Cullens' trusty Volvo. He couldn't smell Edward, and the scent normally permeated through cars. Plus, he was sure that if Edward was there, Edward would read his mind and make his presence known. So it was just Bella, waiting outside of her car in the dark.
A year ago, none of this would have been happening, Jacob couldn't help but think bitterly.
Charlie's squad car pulled up past the treaty line, halting beside the silver Volvo. From where he stood, watching the exchange, Jacob could see that Leah was in the driver's seat, Charlie on the passenger's side, and Seth and Nessie in the backseat.
He hadn't seen Nessie since the day Seth imprinted, except in the thoughts of his pack mates. Seth was over at the Cullen's on almost a daily basis, and Embry and Quil tagged along occasionally, once a week or so. Leah went every so often when Seth requested her for some celebration or another that they had for Nessie (and from what Jacob understood, they were constantly celebrating something that Nessie was doing). Leah had confessed to Jacob that she never really enjoyed going, and instead just went to make sure that Bella didn't snap and kill Sue. But it seemed like Bella had enough control to be around humans regularly and so Leah had stopped her visits, preferring to spend her time doing whatever it was that Leah did. Reflect on her life decisions and decide to become a new person, apparently.
Still, seeing Nessie in person was something of a shock. She had grown quite a bit and looked to be the size of Claire – a three-year-old girl. But it wasn't Nessie that Jacob was studying, it was Bella. Bella, despite her stony face and too-perfect features, was visibly delighted as her daughter ran to her as soon as Seth unstrapped her from her car seat. Leah had gotten out of the car too, slamming the door shut.
"Did you have fun?" Bella's unfamiliar musical voice asked Nessie. Bella sounded happy, thrilled even, but Jacob didn't know her new voice well enough to tell for sure. She seemed so foreign, so unknown, that it was incredible to Jacob that he had once considered her his best friend.
Nessie nodded and placed her hand on Bella's beaming face, no doubt showing her the celebrations in that peculiar way that Jacob had heard so much about. It sounded freaky to him, but Seth thought it was an incredible talent.
"I'm glad you had fun. I always enjoyed visiting La Push, too. Now, let's get you home." Jacob could barely make out Bella's words, "It's way past your bedtime."
"But it's a holiday!" If he didn't know that Nessie could speak such perfect English, Jacob would have assumed that someone else had spoken.
"It's a holiday, but little girls still need their sleep!" The way Bella trilled reminded Jacob of his mother at that moment; despite the differences in their voices, it was the same maternal tone that Sarah had used with him so many times so long ago.
Jacob stayed still as Bella strapped Nessie into the car seat. Why they had a car seat for an immortal child, Jacob didn't know. The Cullens had always been overprotective like that. Leah, who had gotten out of the car to apparently facilitate the handover, stayed standing outside of the patrol car, her arms crossed. She scanned the woods around her, pausing as she looked directly at Jacob. Human vision, especially at night, was nothing compared to wolf vision at night, and Jacob wasn't sure that she could see him, except that her eyes lingered on his hiding spot just a second too long.
"Leah, why do you have Charlie's car?" Bella's voice, while still melodic, had certainly shifted to a harsher tone as she closed the door to the Volvo.
"Charlie had a little too much to drink. I'm just making sure he gets home safely," Jacob heard Leah say in her don't mess with me voice. Apparently, the whole new leaf thing didn't extend to Bella.
"Charlie had too much to drink?"
"I'll take care of it. I'm sure your husband is wondering where you are. I know he doesn't like to let you out of his sight for long," Leah sneered, "Have a good night."
Jacob couldn't make out Bella's response – or if she even had one – but he watched as Leah climbed back into the car, the slam of the door echoing through the forest. Seth was sitting in the backseat, and he waved to Nessie from her car seat in the Cullen's Volvo. Bella followed, her door shutting much more quietly than Leah's.
And Jacob watched as the two cars, one driven by Bella and one driven by Leah, traveled down the road to Forks. The headlights of the two cars faded into the distance, and he took off, ready to continue his patrol.