Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, I just like to write about it.
Seth's imprinting on someone who already had a child was unheard of and caused a major uproar within the tribe. As if Seth wasn't an exception to the rule by being the first of the younger pack members to phase, now he was under a microscope yet again. Jacob stood up for him whenever he heard of anyone speaking badly of Seth; he was taking his role as future Alpha seriously. It took a lot to scare Seth but Leah could tell that imprinting had shaken him to the core.
Sam and Jacob had decided that a pack meeting was in order and at that pack meeting Sam would announce that he was stepping down at the start of the summer. They wanted to give everyone time to adjust before it actually happened. Jacob was working on getting along better with Paul, if not for the packs sake than for Rachel's who had announced that she was pregnant just before Valentine's Day.
Jacob had very little time for Bella since the school year was winding down and he was making strides towards achieving his dreams. Since he was now eighteen he could do pretty much whatever he wanted. His dream was to open his own auto body shop on the reservation and save up enough money to buy himself and Bella a piece of land. He wanted Bella to have everything she ever wanted and he was going to be the one to give it to her.
Bella had been dodging Kourtney's insistent questions about what had happened the night of the bonfire. She didn't want to say anything without talking to Jacob first. It had been three weeks of changing the subject and Kourtney knew something had happened.
Jacob came into the shop on a Friday afternoon after checking with Bella to make sure that Kourtney would be there. His plan was to offer Kourtney a ride home since her roommate had borrowed her car and he would call Bella once he got home. Seth would be meeting Jacob at Kourtney's after school and they were going to tell her together and it would be Seth's first time seeing her since imprinting on her. It would give them a chance to meet Hudson and get a feeling for how he might be affected by what had happened.
It was decided that Jacob would do most of the talking since he knew more about the tribal history and knew more about imprinting than Seth did. Seth was beyond terrified of what might happen. Would she believe them? Would she be scared; or would she be open to the idea as Bella had been? Seth knew nothing about this girl who was only four years older than him but had more life experience than some people twice their age. What if she decided that she didn't want to put herself or her son in danger and that Seth wasn't worth the drama and worry that being an imprint entailed?
The Rabbit was in front of the house when Embry pulled up. Seth had to ask him for a ride since Leah had taken off with Sue's station wagon and he hadn't learned how to drive a stick shift before his dad died so Harry's Bronco was out of the question. Seth thanked him quietly before opening his door. Embry called out to him before he could completely get out of the car.
"You don't need to worry. If she chooses to ignore what has happened that's her loss," Embry encouraged him.
Seth smiled, a small, fleeting smile before closing the door with a muted thump. He shoved his hands into his pockets and his shoulders slumped forward as he trudged up the walkway. He felt like he was walking down execution row on his way to meet his fate. In a way he was because the next few hours could seal his fate or he would be among the first of the pack who's imprint had turned him down.
He could hear a child playing in the back yard and a voice he didn't recognize was warning the child not to play near the woods. He knocked on the door and half a minute later. Kourtney stood in front of him with her hair in a loose braid and her glasses precariously
sliding down her nose. She smiled slightly in greeting, opening the door wider to let him in.
She led him into the living room where Jacob sat before offering him something to drink. He declined then Jacob asked for her to sit down.
"The reason we're both here is because we have something to talk to you about," Jacob broached.
"Okay," she said with a conceding nod.
He didn't know where to start. Kourtney knew absolutely nothing about the history that had been the talk of not only La Push but it's surrounding counties for the past several decades. How do you summerize three hundred yeas of history that you barely understood? Maybe Jacob should have asked her to come over to his house so that his dad could help fill in the gaps that he knew he would skip over because he was still learning it all himself.
"Are either of you going to say anything or am I supposed to guess?" she asked, nervously after a few minutes of silence.
"Sorry, we're still trying to wrap our heads around things. There have been a lot of changes in the past year. We're trying to figure out the best way to describe it to you," Jacob said with an understanding smile.
"Take your time, I'm going to check on my son."
The back door could be heard opening and Kourtney talked with her friend who asked who Jacob and Seth were.
"They're friends of Bella's that I met a few weeks ago. They need to talk to me about something. Are you sure you don't mind watching him?"
The girl promised that she didn't mind before Kourtney shut the door and rummaged through the refrigerator and came back into the living room with a drink. She took the two of them in since neither would meet her gaze. Jacob looked conflicted, torn between telling her what he had came to tell her or just bolting out the front door. Seth looked nervous, ready to panic at any given second.
"Okay, one of you needs to tell me what's going on because you're starting to make me nervous," she said in trepidation.
Seth took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. He needed to be the one to tell her. If he forgot something or if she had a question that he couldn't answer than Jacob could step in.
"Our tribe has legends that go back to the start of the tribe. Up until a year ago I had heard of them but had never put any stock behind them being true. Something happened to make me see things differently. I should start at the beginning."
He launched into the story of Ephraim Black and the first pack and the story of the second wife. Which were stories that he knew by heart. He told her about the Cullen's who lived less than five miles from where they were right then. Kourtney looked ashen, her face not able to hide her nervousness, her eyes fearful.
"Are you serious? Shape shifting wolves and vampires? And these vampires roam the woods that my son likes to play in?" she asked, panicked.
"They're different from other vampires. They only eat animals," Jacob said with a shake of his head.
"Oh, that makes things so much better," she said with a frustrated sigh.
"I didn't tell you any of this to scare you," Seth said calmly.
"Then why did you tell me?" she asked, her eyes cold.
He finished his story by explaining imprinting the best way he could.
"So what you're saying is that I was chosen for you?" she asked evenly.
"That sounds about right," Seth said with a nod.
"How old are you?"
"Sixteen."
"Oh, you're jailbait, perfect. You look like you traded bodies with a twenty-two year old," she said with a scoff.
"Twenty-five, actually," Jacob corrected her.
The back door opened and seconds later Hudson came barreling into the living room showing Kourtney a rock that he had found. She explained that it was past time for them to have dinner but that they were more than welcome to stay.
"We should go, we've taken up enough of your time. Bella has our numbers if you have anymore questions," Jacob said as the both stood from the couch.
"Seth can I talk to you for another minute?"
"Sure."
"Hudson, go to your room and play," she said, running her fingers through his hair.
"I'll wait for you in the car," Jacob said, opening the front door.
Kourtney crossed the short distance to Seth and put a hand on his arm.
"The fact that I'm a mom doesn't bother you? Be honest."
"My mom was only seventeen when she had my sister, so I can't say that it was okay for her and not for you. Truth be told I'm just as scared as you are," he said with a nervous laugh.
"That's good to know. I'm going to give you my number and maybe we can do something sometime; as long as your mom is okay with that," she said with a small smile.
He pulled his phone out of his pocket, nearly dropping it because his hands were sweating so much. She put her number in before handing it back to him.
"The last guy I trusted left me to take care of our six month old son and I haven't seen or heard from him since. Money gets put into my checking account ever couple of weeks for child support but I have no idea where he is. I want you to know what you're getting yourself into," she warned him.
"I wouldn't do that, I was raised better than that; plus, you're my imprint; that means that you're stuck with me," he said with a lazy smile.
"Can I get a hug since you didn't give me one when we met?"
He pulled her to him and she was enveloped in warmth. Not just the typical heat that permeated off of all the pack members but actual warmth that let her know that Seth wouldn't hurt her and that she didn't need to be scared of him. She pulled away with a sigh when Hudson called her name from down the hallway.
Seth walked to the car in a daze. He had worried over nothing. He knew that she would have fears of her own and for her son but he hadn't expected her to be so excepting. The Cullens would need to be warned to not come near her property line and that Hudson liked to play in the woods so that they wouldn't scare him but things were going to be fine. Jacob was relieved that they had gotten through it, hopefully it would be a while before anyone else imprinted. He was happy for Seth but was also worried that things were happening to soon for him to really grasp the severity of what had just happened.
XXXX
Jacob dropped Seth off at home before heading home. He was emotionally drained and all he wanted to do was call Bella so she could assure him that he was doing the right thing. Charlie's cruiser was parked on one side of Billy's truck making Jacob sigh. He had forgotten that Charlie was coming over to watch the basketball game tonight.
He smelled dinner cooking as soon as he opened his car door. The smell of hamburger and taco seasoning smacked him in the face making his mouth water. Bella was there, she had come without him having to ask her to.
He could hear the sounds of the game already in progress as he walked up the ramp but other than that the house was quiet. Apparently the Supersonics were winning and when they were on a hot streak, there was no noise permitted. His heaviness and weariness seemed to leave him as he crossed over the threshold but the tired feeling had latched on and refused to be shaken.
Bella busied herself in his small kitchen getting dinner ready. He leaned against the doorframe watching her. She felt his eyes on her and turned around after making sure to turn off the stove burner. Her eyes shown with the concern that she was feeling. He motioned down the hall, asking her silently to come to his room. She let her dad and Billy know that dinner was ready before heading back.
Jacob lay on his bed with his head buried beneath his pillows. Bella sat on the bed, placing a hand on his back. She straddled his back, pushing his shirt up to his shoulders. Her hands skimmed his back, feeling the tension beneath her fingers. She started at the small of his back, kneading the muscles gently at first, then putting all of her weight into it.
Jacob sighed heavily, relaxing beneath Bella's touch. He was slowly starting to realize that things could have gone a lot worse. Bella had a calming effect on him that no one else had. There were some days; like today, that he didn't know what he would do without her. He pulled his head from underneath the pillows, letting her know that he was ready to talk.
"What happened at Kourtney's?"
"She was fine at first until Seth mention that the Cullens lived close by."
"What else happened?"
"She was terrified Bells. Nothing Seth said could change her mind about not wanting anything to do with him. You should have seen her when he explained imprinting, her whole face lit up."
"She's okay now?"
"More than okay. She and Seth are making strides toward getting to know each other."
"She hasn't had much luck in the guy department. Finding out someone you've just met is completely devoted to you is a lot to take in."
He had never met anyone other than Leah who was so guarded with their emotions. Kourtney could loose everything if Sue had objections about Seth being with her but knowing Sue the way he did she wouldn't let their age difference get in the way.
"I heard your dad mention that the two of you have a appointment with a loan officer tomorrow. Why?"
"I'm taking out a loan so I can start a business. My dad is going to co-sign for me."
"What kind of business?" she asked, her hands moving to his shoulders.
"An auto body shop. I want to offer everything: body work, detailing, painting; you name it, we'll do it. I've already talked Quil and Embry into coming to work for me. Did you know that Emily went to college before meeting Sam?"
"No."
"She has a degree in accounting and she's going to manage the books for the shop and take care of our taxes."
"That's amazing," Bella said with a laugh.
"Sue's going to work up front and make appointments for everyone. This is going to happen," he said looking over his shoulder at her.
She climbed off of him to sit against the wall so that he could turn over.
"Don't you have a dream?"
"It's gonna sound stupid compared to starting your own business."
"Having a dream is never stupid," Jacob admonished.
"Do you promise that you won't laugh?"
"I promise," he said, drawing a cross over his heart.
"I've always wanted a little white house with a white picket fence."
He smiled because her dream tied into his second dream. He would give her the house that she wanted and anything else she asked for. He would move mountains, look death in the eye over and over again, anything to make her happy.