a/n: In this chp. you get some more info on what is going on but the real details unfold in later chps. The chp also bounces between filler and actual importance. BTW thanks to those who review it means a lot and makes me get these chps up faster! So Enjoy....
7) Holes
"We put a dent in the roof!" Lindsay went on about her sex life with Seth. I really didn't need to hear it but I was glad she figured out her issues about imprinting.
Glad to hear someone was having better luck then I. I tried to show some interest instead of just the pure adrenaline, when I saw a glimpse of what Sam was talking about, pulsing through me. The thing that was out there looked to be an actual figment of darkness as it moved stealthy through the woods. Maybe the smoke from the fire was hiding some of the figure but it certainly looked like a ghost moving through the air. A ghost? Could there be such a thing and did they smell like…lavender…yeah that's what Jake's clothes smelled like.
For all I knew and watching some horror flicks ghosts and undead things always smelled like rotting flesh and dried blood, at least that's what they told us. They certainly never came across as smelling like a field of lavender bushes or else they wouldn't be scary and would be more like…us. The words shook my brain like an earthquake; smelled like lavender, moved stealthy, and the eyes. Only if for a nanosecond I could see they were definitely not human eyes you know the normal colors like blue, green or brown, they were somewhere between black and red. I shivered as goose bumps formed on my skin.
"Are you cold?" Lindsay asked noticing me rubbing my hands on my skin.
"I guess I am." I said lamely. She put her hand on my forehead and I breathed in her scent as the flowy sleeves on her top moved towards me. Her scent had an underlying lavender scent but it was diluted with the scent of Seth on her clothes.
"You're still as warm as you normally are." She said pulling her hand away pushing even more of her flowery scent towards me confirming the thing in the woods was not a ghost but a vampire.
"Oh well umm I'm going to sit back by the fire." I stumbled trying to regain some thoughts besides vampires in the forest?
"Did you even hear what I was saying?" she asked as I tired spotting Jacob.
"Yeah." I said.
"So what do you think?" She asked.
"Huh?"
"See you weren't." She accused me.
"Sorry I just didn't catch the last part." Still looking for Jacob.
"Do you think I should spend the night here like he offered?" She repeated the question that I never heard before.
"Sure, sure."
"Nessie! What's up with you? You seem so dazed." She said stopping me from walking any further.
"Sorry. Umm yeah go for it." I said dismissively.
"Really?" She asked still not convinced I was paying attention.
"Well do you want to?" I asked giving up on finding him.
"Of course but what if I get preggo?" I started to laugh.
"Has no one told you vampires can't get pregnant?"
"Well you did." She said pointing to where Helena was playing with Embry. Maybe he wasn't joking.
"I'm not exactly a normal vampire am I?" She shook her head.
"So it doesn't really matter?" She asked.
"No, even though that's the point of imprinting it seems if you were human you'd be a good candidate but your not." I said.
"Oh." She said putting her hand on her stomach.
"No worries though, Seth still loves you." I said putting my hand on her shoulder. We stood there for a while as I watched many emotions play over her face. Then as I felt another cold breeze bring a familiar, as in vampire, yet very strange scent, as in some other creature, towards me I felt hands grip on my shoulders causing me to jump and scream.
"Its just me." Jake said laughing turning me around in his arms. Though when I turned to meet his eyes he lost the smile. I waved bye to Lindsay and dragged Jacob towards the water and showed him what I figured out.
"And I thought Bella was a danger magnet." He said after I dropped my hand.
"Shut up! This is serious." I whispered hastily.
"I know but I'll keep in contact with Sam and if he sees anything else then we'll worry about it." I saw his eyes shift unintentionally towards the woods.
"Fine." I said between gritted teeth. You think after what just happened people would be a little bit keener on the danger vs. action front.
"Now can we try to enjoy ourselves?" He asked pulling me into a hug.
"Yeah I guess." I gave in standing on my tippy toes to kiss him. As soon as our lips touched everything I was worrying about just left my mind and it was just Jacob and I. He lifted me up like I was a feather and I wrapped my legs around his waist.
"I should get you worried more often." He whispered into my ear causing me to groan because he just had to bring that up didn't he?
"Do you want me to bite you for ruining a very hot moment?" I whispered back.
"Sounds kinky." I could hear him smiling. So I nuzzled against his neck pressing my teeth closer towards his neck feeling the pulse and then as my razor sharp teeth glided over I could almost taste the blood. So I pressed a little harder and just like butter his neck opened and deep ruby liquid came out. Then instead of just letting it heal I actually put my lips to it and drank.
"Ness…stop…it…it…uhhhh." He moaned relaxing his body. I could hear someone in the distance clear their throat and then,
"Mommy!" That made me jump right off of him. I watched him put his hand up to where blood was leaking turning his hands red.
"Mommy! What'd you do to daddy?" She asked looking all puppy-dog like.
"Nothing sweet heart." I cooed walking over and bending down to her level.
"Why did you bite daddy?" She asked.
"'Cuz they're kinky, that's why." Embry smirked and I smacked his leg. Was this everybody's favorite word?
"Sorry but that's what Jake said."
"Yeah I know but my daughter doesn't need to know." I whispered covering her ears.
"Well then do it in private." He said.
"Why don't you mind your own business?" Jacob said coming towards us as the blood already stopped.
"Whatever but this is a family function so keep it in your pants." Embry said before walking off.
"So how are you?" I asked my daughter who looked really confused.
"Wonderful!" She sang and then pointed to my lips.
"What is it?" I asked.
"You have something on them." She touched her little finger to my lip and then looked at the blood that came off. Embarrassed, I turned my head and licked my lips. I saw Jacob stifling a snicker.
"I'm thirsty." She said after I wiped off the blood from her finger.
"Sure. Do you want some juice?" I asked as we walked back towards the party.
"No. I want to go hunting." She said pulling my hand towards the forest.
"Umm. I guess we could." I said not sure how to respond when your daughter asks to drink blood.
"You're going to have to travel towards where you used to live. Sam doesn't want any one disturbing the whatever it is." Jacob informed us.
"Fine. We'll go for a run." I said.
"Yeah!" Helena jumped up and down towards the forest.
"Aren't you coming?" I asked seeing as Jake wasn't walking with us.
"Yeah, yeah." He said looking a tinsy bit worried.
"Now follow my lead." I said to Helena because she certainly didn't know the La Push/Forks area too well.
"Okie dokie." She said giving me a thumbs up. I took off on the familiar path I always took when I was younger. The trail was a little overgrown from not being run on for at least a year. I was leading the line and Jacob was close running along side, fully phased, Helena who was in human form yet could still run vampire speed. Then as we reached the dividing line the scent instantly changed from wolf to a very faint vampire. The path that leads towards the clearing of my old house brought back all fond memories. As I replayed the times I'd go hunting with Jacob and my parents, when I'd try and sneak around my father from knowing what I was doing, or even when I'd just go outside and near the river and let the trickling water relax my nerves. We passed by the cottage Esme built and I stopped dead in my tracks looking at how much I missed Forks. The familiar rain fell down onto the roof that was now overtaken by moss and pattered against the shutters. I walked around to the front and moved one of the shutters that hide a spare key. I didn't expect to find it but it was there and I inserted it into the doorknob.
"You can't go into somebody's house." Helena said when I stepped inside.
"This used to be my house." I said waving for her to come inside.
"Pretty." She complimented when she walked inside. Nothing was in the house besides some spider webs and the curtains we left up. I walked through the living room towards the cozy kitchen and then finally to the master bedroom. The bed frame was still in there covered in a white sheet along with a lone dresser. I made my way to the walk in closet that was about the size of the room and spotted one of my mom's things. It had a rip in the back and a little bit bloody on the blue silk yet I could tell there was something wrong. I knew this dress from the time my mom was just changed and Alice put her in a that dress before her first hunt. As I looked at the front I noticed that a patch of fabric had been cut out.
"That's odd." I said out loud.
"What is?" Jacob asked ducking his head into the closet.
"My moms dress has a hole in the front of it." I picked it up off the rack and when I moved a musky smell with an underlying tone of what my mom kind of smelled like came off of the fabric.
"I'm sure some moths have gotten to it." Jake responded. I shrugged taking it off the hanger and folding it up.
"What are you doing?" He asked.
"I'm taking it home. I wanna show my mother." I said.
"I think there is a reason she didn't take it with her."
"Well what is it?" I asked.
"I don't know but don't you think she would've taken that dress with her." He had a point it was the only clothing item left maybe she forgot about it or who knew what was going through my mothers mind?
"I guess your right." I said holding it up in front of me. "Too bad for the hole it is really pretty and I'm sure we could've gotten the stains out."
"Hmm." Jacob grunted walking towards what used to be my room. The crib was blanketed like the rest of the furniture.
"What are you doing in here?" I asked Helena who was looking towards the ceiling.
"I thought I heard something." She said.
"Heard what?" I asked walking over and running my fingers through her curls.
"Wind." She responded. I gulped looking towards Jacob who looked just about as nervous as I was.
"Should we get hunting or what?" He laughed but it wasn't sincere.
"Yeah!" She chirped and we went out towards where I would normally hunt. And as we ran through the woods nothing chilled my skin, smelt funny or rustled leaving me to actually spend some time with my baby.
I could hear birds in the distance chirping the morning's greeting song, keeping rhythm with the light patter of rain against the leaves that surrounded me. I realized the three of us had fell asleep on the forest floor somewhere after a tickle fight and tag. I could feel Jake pulling on my curls lightly and watching them as they recoiled. I didn't want to move from his warm chest and as it moved up and down in time with my breathing. After a couple of minutes I sighed and propped myself up to see his dark eyes staring down at me, and the blue dress used as a lame blanket for Lena.
"Did you sleep well, love?" He asked warmly.
"Exceptionally well, and yourself?"
"Interesting not having my own dreams." I giggled because I figured I was to blame for that. That was the thing I loved about being with him not having to worry about editing my thoughts because no matter what went through my mind, even if it sounded a lot like meaningless babble, which most of the time it was, he still loved me.
"So what was I dreaming about?" I asked because I really couldn't remember.
"It was you in that blue dress and me back in La Push and you were sucking my blood and other things." I buried my face feeling it flame up from embarrassment.
"We could do some of those things you know." He waggled his eyebrows.
"Oh get over yourself." I laughed rubbing sleep away from my eyes.
"You're the one who dreams about it." He poked me in stomach.
"You're the one who can't keep their hands off of me." I poked his stomach back and he flung his arms around my waist yanking me up so I was now laying flat on his stomach.
"And that's the way I like it." He smirked lifting his lips to greet mine. Helena stirred next to us and we both broke away no need to have a repeat of what happened last night.
"Good morning darling." Jacob said rustling her hair up.
"Mmm." She groaned blinking like she just came up from a dive.
"Sleep well?" I asked.
"Yeah." She said groggily crawling closer to us and leaning her head on Jake's arm.
"My girls." He said pulling us both into a giant hug.
"We should probably be getting back to La Push." I said standing up.
"Why?" Jacob asked.
"Because my dad is probably going crazy right now wondering where we are."
"Fine, but you know you have leaves in your hair?" He pointed out.
"What? Oh." And sure enough I pulled out a couple of leaves from my hair. So as we ran all the way back to La Push I could hear some commotion going on.
"Hey what's going on?" I asked Lindsay who was linked arms with Seth, of course, and looking at something.
"Collin's shirt is…" She started and then her eyes caught sight of my moms dress.
"Is what?" I prompted.
"Like that."
"What are you talking about?" I asked and she pulled towards the middle of the circle and sure enough Collin was holding up two shirts that both had rectangular holes just like the one in the dress.
"Collin how did that happen?" I asked.
"I don't know I went to put on this shirt." He held up the black one. "And there was a hole, which I thought was weird but when I went to put on this one." Then he showed me the white one. "It had a hole in it as well. I immediately brought it down to Sam."
"Who called the rest of us down to see it." Brady finished.
"I found this last night." I said holding up the dress and every single person gasped. "It was my mothers and she left in it the cottage."
"Smells like a vampire." Brady wrinkled his nose.
"But not Bella." Jacob surprised me by saying. I tilted my head giving him a what-are-you-saying look.
"Bella doesn't smell like that. That dress is too sweet to be her smell. Did your room smell?" Jacob directed the question at Collin.
"A little but I figured it was because I let Lindsay and Seth go up there to get the latest DVD set of House." I took a sniff at the shirts then at Lindsay and they were certainly different but not the same as the dress or even the way Jacob's clothes smelled.
"They all smell different." I added which made everyone start smelling everybody and everything.
"So what do we do?" Brady asked looking a little bit more then worried.
"We don't do anything." Sam spoke up.
"But." Brady interrupted.
"No, let them come to us." Sam's eyes were fixated on something in the distance. I didn't like the sound of letting anything come to them because by the looks of it they already came close enough.
"No one talks about what happened here. To no one." Sam's voice was strong but if you listened close enough you could hear him taking pauses to steady it.
"Maybe we should get going?" Jacob said pulling at my hand.
"Shouldn't you run patrol?" I asked.
"This is his land he can do what he wants." Jacob's black eyes were like bottomless pits of…I couldn't even see an emotion in them.
"I'll see you tomorrow." I called back to Lindsay grabbing Helena's hand and we took to the road with a screech.
The little bit of sun that beat through my tinted windows as I neared my house felt reassuring against my skin. We had a very long and very silent ride home letting the unspoken words of fear tangle us in our own little worlds. Well at least Jacob and I, Helena was humming to her Ipod in the backseat. I pulled into the driveway and my mother ran outside pulling me into a giant hug.
"How was your party?" She asked. I hesitated trying to find the right words.
"Fun." I decided on.
"That's good to hear and what is this?" She asked pulling the dress out from my pocketbook.
"Why do you have it and why is there a giant hole in it?"
"I went to visit the cottage and it was there." I said watching her eyes move frantically.
"No. It was in my closet here." I looked up at her utterly confused.
"I thought it was." She murmured. "Well no harm done maybe I forgot I left it there." She smiled but we both knew there was no way a vampire could forget anything.
"Grandma!" Helena said jumping up into her arms. Both of them went off into the house gossiping about last night.
"Renesmee, what is going on?" My father greeted me.
"Something's out there." It was no use lying to him because he already saw the truth in my head.
"I won't say anything but I will be on the lookout." He said kissing my forehead.
"Thank you." I whispered and it was as if the woods were watching us go.
----so there is that chp. Is Nessie right about whats going on in the forest or is it something more? I guess u'll have to keep reading and reviewing!!----