A/N: Chapter 4- please let me know what you think!
I eagerly told my family about each of the new people I met in detail (omitting Alex and the blatant flirting, though I knew Daddy probably heard it flash through my mind). Esme gushed at my description of Will and our budding friendship, squeezing me affectionately. Mom agreed that Will would make a great friend for me and also added if I liked him that much already, I would probably gravitate to Selena as well when I finally met her. I was excited at the thought, not just of meeting Selena, but I dared to hope it would make Gwen and I closer, since they were best friends. Aunt Rose seemed to like Gwen from my description and I tried to suppress a laugh at their obvious similarities; stunning, tough as nails and fiercely loyal to the people they care about.
Uncle Em let out booming laughter that reverberated off the walls when I described the dynamic between the twins and nudged Jasper playfully. Aunt Alice pretty clearly favored Derek over Danny, though I suspected that had to do with his similar demeanor to her mate's. I told them about Danny's secret artistic talents despite his severe lack of emotional maturity and I felt my father shake with silent laughter beside me.
"So Will intends to go into medicine?" Carlisle asked and I nodded with unreasonable pride in my talented friend. "Neurosurgery," I added with a big smile. Carlisle pondered that for a moment and offered his assistance, "Well, please tell him he can shadow at the hospital anytime." I beamed at my grandfather and told him I would pass on the invitation to Will tomorrow.
"Is that everyone?" Aunt Alice asked with a knowing gleam in her eye. Crap, Alice could see him in her visions. I shot her a look to quench this topic indefinitely, but I saw its effect as the other members of my family became curious.
"Yup," I said with resounding emphasis on the 'p' to stress that I would not be discussing it any further. I think Aunt Rose caught on first because her whole face lit up and she gasped in excitement, "Aww honey, it's a boy right?"
I grimaced as the rest of my family absorbed that knowledge and likely drew several far-fetched conclusions. Emmett roared with laughter and I recoiled into my father's chest in mortification, "Fast work, Ness."
I knew I was turning scarlet again which accidentally reminded me of our exchange at the diner and the way his hand rested lightly on my waist for entire car ride home. My father stiffened a little and I felt nauseous. "Fast, indeed." he murmured disapprovingly. Emmett practically howled as I marched upstairs and muttered "monsters" under my breath.
I buried my face in my pillow and attempted to block out the past four minutes, to no avail. I knew my Mom had come in, but she sat on the bed silently and eventually, I lifted my head to peer up at her. She smiled lovingly and scooped me into her arms, rubbing my back in a distinctly 'mom' way. It calmed my nerves a little and I tried to release the tension in my chest at my humiliation.
"Don't mind Emmett and your father," she crooned to me, kissing my cheek. I relaxed in her embrace and let my anger ebb modestly.
"They should try being a six year old half-vampire in highschool." I grumbled and she laughed softly, brushing my hair back behind my shoulders.
"So," she began daintily. "Is he cute?" I felt the confirmatory redness on my face and pressed it firmly into her shoulder. She stroked my hair gently and continued to pry.
"Come on, baby. I promise I won't make fun of you." Her tone was pleading and I hated to deny my mother anything, so I pushed up into a sitting position and sighed heavily. There was a radiant twinkle in her eyes, sensing she had won.
"Yeah, he's - he's pretty cute." I couldn't meet her eyes as I spoke, but a tingle ran through my stomach. "I guess," I added hastily to preserve some degree of nonchalance. My mother's expression told me I had failed epically to convey disinterest.
"Does he like you too?" her tone wasn't truly questioning, as if she already knew the answer. I mentally scrolled through each of my encounters with him thus far and concluded with a thrilling, "Yes, I think so."
We talked for at least another hour about him and Mom concurred that our attraction was mutual, especially after I held her hand and sent her a few glimpses of our interactions. Her perspective filled me with a sense of validation I didn't know I'd been seeking; it was nerve wracking to feel unsure about a guy and this was my first taste of that uncertainty.
When she finally left, I started working on the English project and enveloped myself in British works from the romantic period. I had already read most of the classics quite a few times over, but I was eager to revisit my favorites. My phone buzzed after I'd been pouring over Little Women for the umpteenth time, with my eyes starting to cross. The small screen read 'Will' and I answered happily, eager for the distraction.
"Hey, Will. What's up?"
"Hey, Renesmee. Are you working on the English project right now?" His tone was light and carefree, warming me to him even more. It would be nice to have a fixture in my life who was chronically uncomplicated and enjoyable.
"Yes, I'm working my way through Little Women. What about you?"
"I'm just finishing up Dracula." I almost dropped the phone. It shouldn't have been that big of a deal to me, but apprehension clouded my brain. I tried to recall if any of Stoker's descriptions were even faintly realistic to me and my family, but I came up empty. I forced myself to calm down and continue the conversation.
"Oh, that's really cool. Are you enjoying it?" My voice was a little squeaky, but other than that, it was relatively aloof. He thought nothing of it and answered normally, "Yeah, it's awesome. Way better than the sappy girl stuff you're reading, I'm sure."
I laughed and felt my body relax as the topic lightened considerably. He explained his approach for the literary analysis and I offered mild critiques, then we repeated the process for my approach. I liked having someone to run this stuff by and I liked that he trusted my opinion too. We agreed to continue updating one another on our progress and acting as informal peer editors for the final product.
I was struck by the normalcy I was quickly establishing. The swirling sense of pride in my brain didn't keep me from noting how Will's voice began to trail a little.
"And I just wanted to give you a… uh… heads up, I guess." His tone was almost nervous and I immediately ran through the list of horrific scenarios which would prompt his anxiety. He put them all to shame with his next guilt-ridden statement.
"Alex kinda asked me for your number and I didn't really think you'd mind, so I gave it to him." I let his declaration ruminate in my brain and tried to decide if I was annoyed or elated. It was silly to feel special that he asked for my number when he was obviously an occupational womanizer, but I couldn't shake my initial surge in self-confidence.
Will took my silent, pathetically pleased thoughts to mean I was angry and scrambled to fix the situation. "I guess I should've asked you first. Sorry."
"No, no. It's fine, I guess I was just a little surprised. But I'm not mad or anything," I smiled at his loud exhale of relief. He eagerly jumped back to formulating a 'revision schedule' for our projects and we settled on meeting every other Sunday afternoon at the library near school. I wanted to offer up my house as the study spot but I knew I should clear it with my parents first before I started inviting a bunch of humans over.
I jolted up in my bed nearly dropping the phone when Jake slid through my window and landed heavily on my bedroom floor. His eyes were clouded with stress and he automatically came to sit beside me, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me into him. I was floored by his actions and raised my hand to his cheek, conveying with my confusion and concern. He didn't acknowledge me beyond burrowing his face into my neck and squeezing my shoulders.
"Will, I'm sorry to cut you off but I have to- uh- help my Mom with something. See you tomorrow," I heard only half of his good-natured response before abruptly hanging up and focusing my attention on Jake.
I tried to pry his head from my neck, but he wouldn't budge and I became a little frustrated until I felt the moisture on my skin. Jake was crying? My chest tightened painfully as I realized how much he was hurting. I stopped forcing him to look at me, understanding that he was probably uncomfortable with me seeing him cry- as absurd and unnecessary as it was.
I felt frantic to ease his pain somehow and I squeezed him tighter to me, placing my hand on his face and bombarding him with the pure emotion of love I felt for him. He seemed to relax a little in my arms, but he maintained a firm hold around my waist. Jake, honey please, talk to me. What can I do? What happened?
He winced and reached a hand up almost mindlessly to stroke through my curls. I felt my own body relax at his touch, though my mind still raced in pursuit of what was upsetting him. We sat silently for awhile and I listened to his breathing even out in the crook of my neck. If it wasn't for his persistent fingers in my hair, I would have thought he fell asleep.
After an immeasurable period of time, he gently detached his face from my body and pulled his frame upward to look at me. His eyes were usually warm and alight with the joy I always associated with him, but now they were glassy and radiated the agony he felt. "Oh, Jake," I exhaled sharply. It was like I could feel his pain as my own and I became desperate to take it away. I instinctively rose onto my knees with the intention of pressing my forehead to his, but I had to settle for my cheek against his chin given his height.
He let me stay there for a moment, before cupping my face in his warm hands and pulling me just far enough away to hold my gaze. His voice was low and raw as he delivered the horrifying explanation for his sadness, "Billy has cancer."
His words sent a tremor through my body and I felt my own eyes welling up. I couldn't fathom how someone as kind-hearted as Billy was resigned to this fate. My vision became blurry with tears and I bit my lip forcefully, trying to regain control of myself. This isn't about me. This is about Jacob.
I put my palms on his chest and gently pushed him into a lying position on my bed. He complied easily, his actions seemed almost numb and I ached to relieve his pain but I knew there was truly nothing I could do to help the situation. I decided I would simply be there for him and do my best not to add to his hurt with my own. I laid down next to him and pulled the covers up around us. It seemed a little silly since I knew Jake didn't really get cold, but I thought the texture might be comforting.
I wrapped my arms around him and rested my head on his shoulder blade, curling my legs around his. He looped an arm around my back, securing me to him and made lazy patterns with his fingers along my spine. I shivered mildly at the sensation, but forced myself to focus on him. "What can I- is there anything I can do?" I fumbled in my effort, but he squeezed me gratefully.
"This," he breathed in an aching tone. "You have no idea how much this helps, Ness." I snuggled into his side, encouraged by his words. His heartbeat thudded steadily beneath my ear and it lulled me into a false sense of calm. I knew how painful the days and months ahead would be for him, but I was determined to keep him here if only for a minute in our little bubble. He was always defending me from the rest of the world and for the first time in my life, I felt the responsibility of protecting him. I knew from his breathing and his softened limbs that he had fallen asleep and I allowed myself to succumb as well, feeling that my job was fulfilled for now.
When I drowsily opened my eyes again, I was met with my father's blazing rage staring down at us. I tightened my hold on Jacob and struggled to reorient myself with my surroundings. A gentle ray of sunlight was peeking in through my window, telling me it was probably just after dawn. My father was practically shaking with fury and glowering at Jake as he snored softly. I knew my next role as protector would be defending him from the very angry vampire above us.
A/N: What will Edward do?