Author's Note:

So I am horribly late with this update...I mean, I realize that I must have updated about half a year ago? Close to...

Still, this chapter has been in the making for quite a while, and I had a difficult time writing the end of it, which would account for the delay (apart from me sheer laziness/busy life).

Anyways, enough with the rambling, hope you enjoy the chapter! Thank you all for the reviews I have received! They are the only thing that reminded me to come back to this story!


Chapter Four. Fairytale

:Jacob:

Who knew that imprinting turned you into a Disney-freaking-princess?

Birds could be flittering around my head. Squirrels could be dressing me in the morning (if I bothered dressing).

I even caught myself whistling.

What kind of tool whistles?

Me, apparently.

I had practically lost the ability to be irritated. My jaw hurt from smiling, and, of course, I didn't care.

I gravitated towards her, constantly. Even if I had wanted to, I couldn't bring myself to walk away (and why would I want to?). Not after the first time I had run away, which had been painful in itself.

It was difficult not to assault her every time I saw her. And, of course, I mean that in the most gentlemanly way possible (after all, I'm not Embry-the-walking-erection).

She didn't know anything, and I couldn't bring myself to telling her.

Comments like you're a moron and wuss were thrown at me by the pack and myself in equal increments, with reason. I should tell her. I could tell her. But I didn't.

One: not many people can accept the idea of a man turning into a large furry dog (with a formidable diet of elk and deer) at will. I didn't blame them.

Two: if Addison is anything like the person I was – am, she wouldn't take kindly to the idea of imprinting. After all, before I imprinted, I perceived it as some venomous bond that took away your will to love by choice.

I know better now. I realized that this was more than love. It was gravity. And I wasn't being controlled, I was just complete. It was as natural as breathing.

"Why don't you tell her that?" was Quil's query when I described the revelation.

Again, I knew that if I were on the other side of the fence, some random acquaintance informing me that they were born to be my so-called soul mate would seem crazy, very Disney-freaking-princess-ish.

"So you're just going to let her… fall in love with you?" Embry had asked me, guffawing.

That was exactly my plan (my stupid, idiotic, bound-to-fail, naïve plan).

Again, insults like idiot and putz were thrown around. Because, realistically, why should she love me? A relatively lazy, future-less, rampant, stuck-as-a-16-year-old (with the body of a twenty-something) boy was not much of a match for a college-bound, city-faring, and I-don't-know-much-else-about-her girl.

That quickly became my greatest fear. She'd see me as the creepy stalker (which, Quil informed me, I was on my way of becoming) and then go off to college. Probably meet lots of men. Probably be with lots of men. Well, I'd be sure to break their necks before they touched her, but still.

And she didn't have to love me back. I wouldn't force her to. I simply needed to be with her. Anything less left an ache deep inside me that, on bad days, could drive me to near insanity (as if I wasn't borderline mental to begin with).

One thing was for certain. I was not letting her walk away. Not without a fight.

Not ever.

--

:Addison:

It was impossible to hide from them.

At first I used excuses (lame, pointless excuses). I was busy (doing what, exactly?). I had books to read (not really), things to bake (yea, if I wanted to get fatter), places to go (get real).

And despite my fantastic lying skills (sure, sure), they didn't believe me. Or, they didn't care.

We went shopping. Well, to be honest, we went "shopping for women" as Embry put it. We went hiking. This mostly consisted of me feeling winded, the rest of them rolling their eyes, and Jacob eventually offering a piggy-back ride while I grudgingly agreed.

Kim was usually the only other girl with us, which made my life more awkward, because if her face wasn't glued to Jared's, then they were constantly whispering to each other, as if no one else existed. We may as well not have.

Occasionally, I convinced Leah to come out with us. This made the rest uneasy, but it was easier to have her around, because then I wasn't the only one who looked onto the shirt-less, rambunctious (endearing, hilarious) group of boys with (mock) disdain. From her anti-social behavior and cynicism (traits familiar to myself) I could tell she needed to get out. Whether by choice or not.

But this time, I was not going out. No way. No. I was already in my pajamas for goodness' sake! My make-up was long ago washed off. For once I had a good book in which to get lost. My night was called for.

I was not going out.

"You're going out," Seth grinned at me through the screen door.

I stared back from the other side, arms crossed, gritting my teeth and shaking my head.

"It'll be fun. We're having a bonfire! You said yourself you've never been to one," Seth stepped closer to the screen door, as I took a step back, "Well, now you get to go to one!"

Of course I was going to have fun. I always did. But tonight I wanted to be a hermit. I wanted to read, watch TV aimlessly, and not care how I looked in front of a large group of fantastic looking men… boys.

"Come on, Addison! Jake's going to kill me if you don't come," Seth looked at me pleadingly and I felt myself faltering under his puppy-dog gaze.

Wait, what? "What do you mean, Jake's going to kill you? Did he ask you to drag me out of my own house?"

He looked around sheepishly, not meeting my eyes, "If I say no, will you come?"

Unbelievable. "Why couldn't he do it himself?"

"He was… uh," Seth began to blunder, still not meeting my gaze, "busy?"

"Great, then he'll understand when I say I'M BUSY." I began to step further back. I already had my hand on the doorknob when Seth swung open the screen door frantically.

"Addison, don't make me do this," he said warningly.

He was a foot taller than me. I knew that. He was much stronger. I knew that too. But I was not going out, damn it!

I grabbed the umbrella that hung on the wall next to the door and held it in front of me in what I perceived to be a threatening manner. Seth didn't seem to think so. "Do what?" In retrospect, I wish I hadn't asked.

In one swift movement, Seth had his arm wrapped around my thighs and flung me over his back, "It's either your wrath or his. And honestly, you're kind of puny, Addison."

I was too shocked to scream just yet, and settled with prodding him in the back with my umbrella. Of course, it was sweet, harmless, little (relative to the rest) Seth, and I couldn't possibly try to hurt him, though I doubt I would have made a dent.

"What is it with all of you La Push boys? How can you feel so entitled to just grab us and fling us over your backs like luggage?" It was very difficult to raise my voice while swaying side to side, partially upside down, but I did my best.

"And by us, you mean…" Seth trailed off, chuckling.

"Us!" The collective us. "Women kind! People of the female gender being discriminated against throughout the ages for being supposedly dainty. You try wearing a corset Seth!"

Seth began to bark with laughter and sped up when we reached the sand of the beach. I was bouncing around haphazardly when his laughter finally subsided, "I think there's a little too much blood in your head right now, try not to get dizzy."

Without warning, he set me right side up. I glimpsed a roaring fire with various logs strewn around it in a circle before I knocked into something very warm and hard.

"Expecting rain?" Jacob looked down at me with a bemused expression.

I blinked back until sparkles weren't popping in my peripheral vision. In an answer to his question I whacked him across his stomach with my umbrella and began to walk away.

Instead, he grabbed the other end of my umbrella and pulled me to his side, "Addison, I'd like you to meet my sister, Rachel. Rach, this is Addison."

A woman (twenty-something, I guessed) with Jacob's nose and eyes smiled at me, holding out her hand. "Jacob won't shut up about you. It's great to finally meet you!"

I shook her hand and smiled back, glancing up at Jacob with a raised eyebrow. He looked straight ahead.

Paul bounded up to our small gathering outside of the bonfire circle, grabbing Rachel's hand, "Hey, we're about to start now, come sit by me."

I was stunned. I never imagined Paul to sound so… tender. With a smile and a wave, they turned around and headed towards a log to take their seat by the fire.

"Your sister, she just got in town today?"

"Yesterday. She was on vacation," Jacob narrowed his eyes when Paul wrapped his arm around Rachel.

"That's… creepy." I heard a growl and whipped my head around to see who it was, and saw Jake, burning a hole into the back of Paul's head.

He blinked out of his reverie when I whacked him with my favorite weapon once again, "Why did you make me come out here?"

He seemed to be trying to contain his excitement, "Billy's going to tell us some of the old Quileute legends tonight."

Okay, so this was probably ten times better than staying at home and reading a book. But I wasn't about to admit to it.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to find a seat."

"But I saved a seat for you," he said a matter-of-factly.

"I know," I smirked and crossed the circle, settling on sitting next to Embry (hoping that he would attempt to be a decent human being tonight).

"Um, Addison?" Embry looked at me uncomfortably, shifting slightly away.

"Save it, I'm not moving. You're not making me move. Jacob is not making me move. Now shut up and listen to some damn Quileute legends!"

Shut up he did. And across the circle, Jacob glared back (at myself, or Embry, I couldn't tell) and settled into his seat against a lone log.

I raised my eyebrows challengingly, and he stared back, his face now smooth. Suddenly I felt as if my eyes were tethered to his, and we were stuck in some staring contest tango where I couldn't look away. Breathing became difficult and heat rushed to my face, suffocating me; I had an inkling that the fire had nothing to do with it.

It was only when Billy finally began to speak, his authoritative timber flowing through the circle, that I was able to rip my eyes away from Jacob and become riveted by the tales which Billy spun.

--

:Jacob:

It was unusually warm as I walked Addison home after the bonfire. As I glanced at her wide eyes (and I seriously could not remember having seen her blink since the bonfire) I began to wonder how close she was to running for the hills.

"Well?"

She took in a sharp intake of breath, startling me, "Amazing!"

I raised my eyebrows in surprise.

She continued, "Those stories were so…haunting!"

Oh. I became rigid, bracing myself for it.

"I can't believe I almost didn't come," Addison began laughing as she kicked a pebble. My stomach did a somersault.

"So you liked it?" She nodded her head vigorously. Good.

Of course she wasn't about to be horrified by stories of werewolves. That was it – they were just stories for her. Now if I were to change into a towering wolf right in front of her, she would probably have a different reaction.

Would she think I was a monster? Would she think I was a freak? Not much else seemed likely, and the realization sent a jolt of pain through me. I tried not to let her see me wince.

Suddenly, Addison turned to me and narrowed her eyes, "Serious question: why aren't there any girl werewolves in the stories?"

I tried not to role my eyes as Leah's scowl popped into my head, "Serious answer: I don't know."

She cocked her head to the side, raising an eyebrow. I sighed, "What do you want me to say? That humanity is out to get the female sex and the old legends are inherently misogynistic and therefore mistaken?"

Addison laughed and shoved me playfully (of course, I didn't budge), "That's more like it." She paused thoughtfully, "It was a good story though, like a twisted fairytale."

It was my turn to laugh, "Fairytale? In what world is that Disney?"

"You know - the whole imprinting thing." Addison rolled her eyes, and my stomach did a turn, "Love at first sight, soul mates, and all that jazz."

I bit my tongue as a voice in the far corner of my mind reminded me that this is exactly what I had been thinking about imprinting all along. The reminder didn't make her comment sting any less. "Is that what you think? I mean, Billy described it as more than that."

Addison chuckled lightly, looking serene, as if this conversation were merely a chat about the metaphysical aspects of life, something other. How could she know that the mere four inches between our shoulders were charged with more energy than what it took to power the city of Seattle? I faltered, wondering if she would ever reciprocate the undiluted adoration I felt.

She responded, bringing me back to the conversation at hand and out of my own muddled mind, "How could it be more? If it happens on sight, the only basis of the supposed love is whatever visual was received. It's a bit too Shakespeare for me. I mean, Romeo and Juliet, good for them, sure. But it's not like Romeo took the time to ask Juliet her favorite song, or learn about any morbidly annoying habits she may have had. He dismissed her as the Sun and they made pretty. Is that real love? Is that the kind of love that makes your heart ache? Or is it obsessive infatuation?"

For the first time since I had become a werewolf, all of the warmth seeped out of me. The slight wind left goose bumps on my arms, and I stared, slack jawed, into nothingness. "Sorry, I'm rambling," Addison turned back from her porch step, looking concerned, yet I didn't remember ever reaching her house. "Jacob? Are you okay?"

I turned back to her, avoiding her gaze and looking right over her head, I mumbled, "I gotta go."

I ran. Away. As far as I could get. As I ran, I didn't let her words get to me. I concentrated hard on the feel of the hard ground beneath my feet, the leaves and branches brushing my shoulders, and the whisper of the wind as I rushed past. When my legs finally gave out, miles from the homes of La Push, I knelt on the forest floor and slumped against a tree, letting the riot of thoughts flood my mind, extinguishing the numbness.

Addison was right, of course. I had no basis to loving her, and yet, I continued to. As my heart wrapped itself in a coat of despair, I gazed out onto the ocean. The stars. The vast, midnight sky. I gazed back at the universe that constantly seemed to be pitted against me.

Before you start throwing rocks at me, just know that I did not intend for the end to be angsty. And really, I will keep the angst to a minimum - but sometimes, the characters just kind of take over, you know? Jacob wanted to run, so I had to let him run!

Anyways, you know the drill, let me know what your favorite part was in this chapter, and leave any ideas or thoughts of what you'd like to see in the future! Thanks!