The last chapter. Sniffle, sniffle, sigh. But, to brighten this sad occasion, I'm happy to announce that I'll be writing a sequel! WOOT! Just like to say THANK YOU to everyone who read and reviewed and all that other stuffs. I appreciate it and am really glad you liked it. Like.. really happy. It gives me warm, tingly feelings inside. Haha… so, awkwarrrd. On with chapter 23. Enjoy.

Disclaimer(since I don't think I ever actually put one of these up): I do not own anything in or around or about Twilight. Except a copy of the book. Which is now so worn down I'm afraid to open it in case it falls apart. Yeah.

Cara:

It was going to be a good day. Without even opening my eyes, I could tell. I felt the sun that filtered through my window, heard the buzz of the world outside easily blending into spring. And then I remembered what was going to happen at five o'clock and the day got that much better.

Until I realized what time it was. 10 a.m. Seven hours I'd have to wait. Seven hours that would feel like a lifetime until Jake knocked on my door, smiling like always with his brown eyes almost hidden behind his hair. I sighed. It was going to be a long day.

So, to pass that time, I took a long shower- 30 minutes long, actually. I then straightened my hair until there wasn't even a crease and took an hour picking out what to wear. It was hard, let me tell you. I've never cared about what I wore, what clothes I put on but for some reason, I knew that today would be different. I needed to dress up a little bit- just a little bit. And yet, after all that, it was only 1:00.

Dad was no help in the distraction area. He barely noticed that I looked remotely like a teenage girl, let alone in the same room- though I did noticed a small smile when I left in search of other time consumers.

By 4:30, I had done laundry for a week, decided what we'd have for dinner up to Thursday, cleaned most of the house, and even done that stupid history paper due on Friday. The last half hour, I just sat and glared at the sun, silently willing it to hurry up and move across the sky. It barely moved an inch.

All day, I kept glancing at the clock, checking the time in the vain hope that it would five already- though it never was- and yet I still somehow managed to completely loose track and before I knew it, the bell rang.

I jumped in my seat, my heart already fluttering in my chest, my blood already rushing through my veins. Glancing at the microwave as I ran past, I realized I was nervous. Really and truly nervous. My legs had turned to Jell-O and it was a little harder for me to breathe. But when I finally opened my front door in the moment I had waiting for, I couldn't breathe at all.

Jacob Black stood on the front porch looking a million times better than any vampire ever could. He'd chosen dark jeans and a button down shirt instead of his usual grease monkey gear. Sleeves rolled up to the elbows, top buttons undone, he'd even cut his hair for the occasion which I'm not altogether sure is a good thing because it gave me full view of his eyes and the way he looked at me… well, let's just say it is possible for someone to die from love.

"What?" He glanced down at himself self-consciously; his grin faltered and he looked incredibly cute doing it. Jake ran a hand through his newly shorter hair and mine itched to do the same. My heart completely melted at the sight of him.

"Nothing" I smiled. Why had I been so nervous? What was I thinking about a second ago? It didn't really matter cause I couldn't remember anyway and when Jake's hand wrapped around mine, his touch sent electric shocks all throughout my body.

The sun was setting as we walked through the forest that was so familiar now. I knew the narrow paths by heart just like I knew the Quileute werewolf next to me. We didn't talk, didn't really need to. Everything I wanted to say he just seemed to know, before I even opened my mouth. Whenever I looked up, he was looking down. We just sort of work that way.

"You look beautiful, Cara" Jake said, sending a whole new wave of blushes across my cheeks.

"So do you… well, I mean not beautiful cause that would be weird to describe a guy that way, but you're… you know, you loo-" He cut off my psycho babble with a kiss. He was probably embarrassed for me because I definitely was. I think the blush might be permanent. His hand cupped my face and he pulled away, looking into my eyes with a gleam in his own.

"Close your eyes, okay?" He whispered and how could I not do what he says? With a smile, I closed them and his fingers interlocked with mine as he guided me along. I could hear the waves now, crashing along the shore like my heart crashed against my ribcage.

Strong arms wound around my waist and for a second, my feet left the ground, just to be carefully planted down again. The hard packed ground of the forest gave way to the soft sand of the beach. It felt like forever that Jake was pulling me along and the longer it took, the more anxious and excited I became. Where was he taking me? When would we get there?

Soon, apparently, because he pulled to a stop, his hand leaving mine to slide behind my neck. He never said to open my eyes so I didn't, even as he kissed me. It was dizzying, that kiss, and I barely had time to catch my breath when he whispered the "open them". I swear, I think the boy is trying to kill me.

I went from one breathless thing to another in too quick a time and when I opened my eyes, my head spun. My feet swayed under me and Jake chuckled, slinking an arm around my waist.

Tide pools covered almost every inch of the beach, mini coral reefs swirling at our feet. They all reflected the glowing red from the sun, like pieces of the sky spread on the ground. Beyond them, the ocean rushed the shore, but never quite reached the furthest pools. And at the center of them all, like a staircase, the sand and rock and tide pools rose into a dune, sticking out above it all as if it were a stage for the world. Just under, tucked away like a secret, was possibly the only dry place in this part of the beach where a blanket had been spread out and a bonfire made out of driftwood started- blue flames and everything.

"Did you do that?" I asked, finally tearing my gaze away to look at Jake. While I had been looking at the scene in front of me, he had been watching my reaction. A faint smile touched his lips as he looked me and he shrugged. Was that a blush?

"Come on" He said and grabbed my hand again, making our way between the pools. I stared into them as we passed, mesmerized. I've never seen tide pools, never lived near a beach actually, and I kind of regretted that fact because up until that moment, I didn't realize what I had been missing.

My heart just would not slow down, no matter how hard I tried to make it. Something was going to change tonight. I could just feel it somehow. Jacob and I were going to change and I wasn't sure if I wanted that to happen. Not yet anyway. I loved us the way we were and who knows if a change would be for the better or worse.

"Stay right here" I sat down by the fire, instantly warmer than I had been but I didn't mind- it's a good thing I wore a tank top. Jake leaned down to kiss me once, twice, smiled and disappeared somewhere.

How did I end up with someone so sweet? How could I have been so lucky? For the first time in my life, I didn't consider being a werewolf a curse or a burden. Without it, I never would have moved around, ended up in La Push, met Jake and imprinted on him. I wouldn't be the person I was so I guess, in the long run, it was a good thing. A very good thing, though it's taken me a lifetime to realize that.

Jake showed up a second later, noticeably awkward and nervous. He kept running his hand through his short hair and I smiled, reaching up and taking that hand in mine.

"So… you gonna tell me why we're here?" I asked. I was so anxious to know. It had been at the front of my thoughts all day and here I was, about to find out. I could hardly keep the excitement out of my voice while I tried to play casual.

And what does Jacob do? Nothing. He just looks at me, studying my face and my body- which of course made me squirm. He opened his mouth, and then closed it. Did it again before sighing and moving to run his hand- still locked in mine- through his hair, pulling mine with it. He looked at our hands and smiled.

"When you were a kid, what did your dream life look like?" Jake asked. What was he talking about? Was that why we were there? To talk about our dreams and what we wanted when we were younger? I had no idea why he would want to know but I answered anyway.

"Um… I don't know. Stationary, living in one place and never having to move unless it was for vacation. I wanted to live in a house with neighbors I actually knew for more than two months-"

"Married to Mr. Right?" Married? My heart started going a million miles a minute. I stared at Jake, who wasn't looking at me but still at our hands, and thought about it for a minute.

"Actually… no. I never thought I would be married because I never thought anyone would want to- marry me, I mean. Nobody knew me so who would anyone want to marry me?" I said, blushing at how honest I had been. Sure, I was talking to Jake, the one person I can be the most honest with, but still. Embarrassing is embarrassing.

"I want to marry you" He said, and my heart swelled out of my chest. I couldn't stop myself from smiling. "Do you want to marry me?" Jake asked and I blanched.

Well. If there's ever a question to throw someone off, it's that one. Not that it threw me for a loop exactly, I knew the answer. Of course I wanted to marry him, I would eventually. We were going to spend the rest of our lives together so I was surprised at how hurt I felt that he needed to ask.

"Of course, Jake" I said, my smile slowly dissolving. My mind was twelve steps behind my ears and my eyes, still turning over what was happening. Jake suddenly looked up and in the red light from the sunset, his eyes glowed even brighter, taking my breath away.

"Cara… will you marry me?"

……… His hands held mine so tightly, his eyes never wavered from my own. I saw him, but I didn't really see him. My heart was beating a crazy rhythm, one I couldn't follow and my mouth was so dry I couldn't swallow. What did he just say? His voice echoed in my ears but the words... had I heard him right?

"W-what?" I managed to strangle out. Was he serious? Of course he was serious, you don't joke about something like that. So why wasn't my mind fully processing it, why could I not understand what he saying?

Jake bit his lip, fighting a smile and reached into his pocket. No box or anything pointless like that. You couldn't put something so beautiful in a stupid box. He held a perfect band of silver in his hand. An oval of some beautiful, clear blue diamond surrounded by onyx sparkled in front of me and I could barely draw enough breath to speak.

"Did you buy that?!" I asked. It looked so expensive- probably twice as much as my house and the furniture inside. I would have a heart attack if he did. Jake snorted and rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, right. My grandmother gave it to me a few years ago. Figured that since I'm the only boy in the family, I'd be the only one proposing to someone. I never actually thought I would use it till now" His smile was stunning. "The blue matches your eyes"

"Can I try it on?" Maybe he wouldn't realize I hadn't actually answered that big question. Or maybe I'm just delusional.

"You know the rule about an engagement ring. You have to be engaged to wear it" Jake said with a wicked grin. My stomach dropped to my feet. Engaged was such a big word, especially for someone as small as me. I doubted whether he had thought this through fully- he was more the kind of person to act now, think later.

"I'm sixteen, Jacob" I quietly reminded him. I wanted to say yes, scream it actually, but I knew my father would never allow anything like that. I'd be in Hawaii before I could say Aloha! And that couldn't happen. I could never leave La Push now. My heart ached just thinking about it.

"I know. We wouldn't get married any time soon, we don't have to tell anybody. I just want… to be able to call you something more than just my girlfriend if I want to. That word seems so… I don't know, plain. Any guy can have a girlfriend, but not any guy can have you, Cara. And yeah, fiancé doesn't come anywhere near what you are to me, but its sounds better than just 'girlfriend'... so what do you say?"

So, he had thought it through. He'd thought it through a lot and I suddenly didn't need high body heat or a fire to stay warm. If I love him so much why would it matter if I wore some ring? It wouldn't change anything between us, just a title, but those didn't really matter with us. Dating, engaged, married. None of them really seem describe what we are- soul mates, imprints. So what's wrong with wearing a ring?

"Okay" I said breathlessly, my heart growing until I thought it would burst form my chest. I looked from the ring to Jake's face, to my hands and back to his eyes, not really believing what had just happened. I don't know if he heard me because he just sort of stared at me, like my mouth had moved but there was no sound.

"Okay?" He asked, confused. I laughed at the switch. Now he was the one speechless, for once.

"Yes, Jacob. Yes" I saw it click in his mind right before my eyes. Slowly, his eyes got brighter and brighter as the sky did the opposite. That big, goofy grin I loved spread across his face and I was glad he'd cut his hair. I could see him completely.

"Can I try it on, now?" I asked and without a word, he slipped it onto the ring finger of my left hand. It's weird, but it felt right there. Not too heavy but not so light that I didn't know it was there. It was a perfect fit. Like it was made just for me.

Before I could say a word- not even a breath to say a word- he was kissing me. Sweetly at first, then with a bit more passion. My left hand came up with my engagement ring shining and cupped the back of his neck and slowly, we eased down onto our backs. Jake hovered over me, kissing me so intensely it was enough to make me forget where I was, who I was, my name.

And then he was whispering "I love you" and I just whispered his name. The sun shone in one last burst of color before it went completely below the horizon, leaving the world to glow in the blue light from the fire. I gasped as Jake's warm hand slipped under my shirt but I didn't stop him, just pulled him closer so his body touched mine.

Finally, there was nothing between us- no secrets, no lies, nightmares, pain or sorrow. Just Jacob and I, forgetting the world and that we were two separate people. Finally, there was nothing between us.

Clothes included.

Hmm… wonder what happened next? So there it is. Last chapter of A Lasting Impression- my first EVER Twilight fic. So you know what I would really like? If you reviewed this last chapter. Just for old time's sake. Just click that little button to tell me if you liked or hated it. Tell me anything. Just review it for me, please. And I'll get working on that sequel.

Thanks, Me.