A/N: Now that this is finished we'll get back to the "Different Dictionaries, Same Language" + some small one-shots. The fourth part of this series is very much under construction because of the mere time it will take to organize the pieces, let alone write them. There are just so many factors in play, and now when catching up with SOTTR, I'm just like "But if Jacob...", and then I have to throw well-cherished story lines to the bin because of canon and plausibility, and of course any change is always a fickle starting point for a chain-reaction. But I hope to have the first chapter out before the year ends.

Guest: Thanks!

Also thank you to everyone who have kept up with this small fic!

It might have only been less than two weeks, but she has learned to spot the change when Jacob falls asleep. She doesn't put the book down but cranes her neck minutely to look at the calmly breathing man next to her, the one who is very much still holding onto her with his arm around her midsection, face very close to resting against her shoulder, his hair falling over his face.

She nibbles the inside of her lower lip, taking her gaze away from Jacob only long enough to not give his senses a reason to feel that she is staring and he should wake back up.

She suspects that on some level Jacob considers himself as ever young, the type of a person who has endless energy, and she has seen that too, the way he never tires and rarely has to stop to catch his breath when they train. However, the way he quickly relaxes when he has her in his arms speaks of a different type of age, the one that makes her ponder the centuries that he has witnessed, the feelings that seem to come from a very distant place.

She tries to correct her pose. It's a feat that she is becoming a bit better at. She has broken Jacob out of his light sleep way too many times already, leaving her to curse herself and apologize to him which has always resulted in Jacob shaking his head and kissing her to deny her worry before finding his spot again and looking at her when she continues to work. She is starting to suspect that it's the uncertain movements that wake him up. If she manages to be forceful and nonchalant enough, Jacob might just go on with his sleep.

She doesn't quite manage that level of confidence yet, though, so she simply stays still, turning her head to look at him again and pulling her right leg up to lean her book against it.

He looks so peaceful when sleeping, significantly older - and younger - something to analyze for a good time to come.

The last few weeks have been great, even if very difficult to come to terms with. It's been quite a while since she last dated anyone and then it had seemed ...different.

This was more of an adult relationship, one that she just fit better into.

She did feel anxious at times - had been a bit anxious about sex - but Jacob had managed to surprise her even when she thought that she had learned to know his patience and nonjudgementality.

Despite wanting him, she had not been eager to bring the chore into their otherwise unparalleled relationship. She would not have opposed it for Jacob's sake, but he had said that she needed to be on the same page, even seeming a bit reprimanding about it, and thus, puzzling her.

Her first reaction had been to question the norms that she had internalized during her Uni and Nine Bells years, but then she had been forced to face the larger question that she knew next to nothing of Jacob's outlook on relationships in general.

He had said that he was more interested in holding her than sex, but she wasn't dumb. He had a daughter. Which made her question if he was being courteous about other stuff as well.

However, the mere thoughtfulness of his words alone did ease her worries a bit and made her feel like the relationship was more about her, too. And maybe there was a point in approaching things through feelings instead of modern dating rules.

Maybe she could learn.

In fact, it was weird how Jacob's need for touch didn't bother her that much even if she had seen pregnant women treated with less tenderness. It was an epitome of something that she had always looked away from with a brief speck of nausea. She had even felt claustrophobic with her previous boyfriends while thinking that holding hands and sharing a chair were just another aspects that she needed to suck up if she wanted to be in a relationship.

Jacob's fingers twitch in his sleep from where they are holding her gently. Her eyes linger on the movement before turning to look at him again, trying to guess what he might dream about. His breathing is slow, nose slightly pressed where her hair meets the pillow as if sniffing her shampoo in his sleep. There isn't really an expression on his face, but his face isn't crunched up either. She hopes that it's a good sign. They have both managed to wake each other up with their nightmares and how unaccustomed they were to feeling anyone next to them while sleeping.

In the end, she cannot help but roll her eyes at the absurdity, before cracking a small smile, putting the book down, and placing the 140 years old volume spine up between her and the wall from a bad pose.

She'll rather wreck the book than Jacob's sleep.

After managing to fumble to reach the pull chain, she plunges them to rely on the stars and the moon. Against all odds, she even manages to turn to face Jacob without disturbing his sleep, pulling the pillow into a better position under her head.

He is quite handsome, so human looking, with a plethora of tiny scars when one gets close enough to spot them, rugged but surprisingly soft lips that she really wants to kiss but she bites her lower lip to keep herself from following the desire. She does inch her way a bit closer though, managing to wake Jacob up just a bit to pull her closer and move his arm upwards to cradle her thoracic spine. She replies by hooking her right leg over his.

He is dependent on her, that much she is starting to be sure about based on how he likes to seek her out just to hold her. Of course, he often breaks the hugs quickly, reading her reactions, but even then the lingering presence is always there, available and waiting for her.

She has never wanted anyone to depend on her. She is not trustworthy like that. She fails people. Not to mention that people demand too much from her, slow her down. But Jacob... he lets her have her space, manages to keep up and sometimes outrun her wit.

However, that means that he is also someone, who ...will go if they have no reason to stay.

And that scares her - as much as she allows it.

So, it's good. Good to be an anchor, good to be needed, because it means that she is useful, essential; Jacob cannot just leave her when he needs something from her, of her. Of course, he can change his mind and realize that she cannot provide him with anything too important after destroying Trinity, but she can try. She'll be the most huggable girlfriend in existence if need be and subconsciously stresses her point by seeking his warmth and burying her face in the crook of his neck

Even with the barely controlled fear that she'll never be enough, she wants to take the risk.

She'll make him stay.