A/N:
This is one of my favorite chapters in the story.
I don't own Twilight or anything related to it.
Chapter 8. - Magnified
JPOV
"Okay, you ready?" I called to Nessie as I stepped back another ten yards, making the distance between us roughly fifty yards. The hot July sun beamed down on us from above, providing a perfect day for practice.
She took several slow deliberate breaths. "I think so." Her eyes focused intently on mine and she froze. Three seconds later, I saw it. A crystal clear image of me, opening my Christmas gift from last year.
"Holy crow, Ness! You did it!" I shouted back to her excitedly.
My feet were firmly planted into the grass, preparing for her to come charging into me. I would not let her knock me to the ground this time. My arms were open and I was crouched down. When she reached me, I lifted her into the air and twirled her around above me. Normally she'd have caught me off guard, but I was getting good at this. We'd been practicing on expanding her gift ever since we got back from the island. Zafrina and Bella inspired her with talks of how amazing it was that Bella's shield became so exceedingly strong almost spontaneously.
At first, it was very slow going. She didn't have a life-or-death situation to provoke immediate magnification of her talent. It was much like when Bella was trying to expand her shield, we had to find something for her to focus on, something to stimulate the need for it. Anything potentially life threatening was absolutely out of the question.
The first time took days to accomplish. I sat in front of her cross legged, our knees just an inch apart. The house proved to be too distracting after the first hour. Hearing every tiny sound had its advantages, but being able to hear what everyone in the house was saying made it difficult for Nessie to concentrate.
First she tried focusing with her eyes on various parts of my face. If it were physically possible, the veins in her head may have popped out from the way her face nearly bored holes into mine intensely. Then, since her talent originated from the touch of her hand, she tried holding her hands very close to my bare skin without touching. That, too, was ineffective.
After spending three days trying everything that came to mind, it finally happened. She and I were alone deep in the forest. We had just spent the entire morning trying to find something that would spark anything, a tiny glimmer of an image.
"Want to take a break, Jacob? It's about lunch time, isn't it?" Renesmee asked me.
"Sure, if you want to. We can come back in a little while. Maybe we could send the family out first to scare off the animals." I chuckled.
"That's actually not a bad idea." She paused, staring off in space deep in thought. "I want to try something."
I sat back down on the ground in front of her. "Let's see it," I replied, flashing her favorite smile.
"I want to go to China. With Rosalie and Emmett," She said flatly, clearly implying that I wasn't on the guest list. It felt like my heart hit the ground in front of me.
"O-kay" I couldn't help that the words came out stressed, revealing the pain that ripped me apart inside. Not another trip to China. "What for?"
"I don't know, maybe if we were apart for a couple of weeks it'd help clear my head. It can't hurt to try."
HA! Couldn't hurt? Two weeks?! Maybe it wouldn't hurt her, but I would most likely feel like I'd died and gone to hell.
I stood up and began to pace. Though we weren't more than seven feet apart at any moment, I still felt my heart pulling me back to her side. I didn't want to show her just how wholly her words had ripped me up inside. Two days with her in China felt like one hundred. The pain left me feeling broken and deeply depressed. I knew she was safe and would return very shortly, but my subconscious didn't care for logic. Anguish rolled over me in waves as I stood there trying to think of a way to convince her not to go.
My eyes widened as my mind filled with a fuzzy image, foreign to me. It was from her previous trip to China. She was cuddling the small stuffed wolf I gave to her the morning she left. My torment was overcome by the joy that filled me when I realized what was happening.
"You did it! You did it!!" I yelled loudly as I ran back to her and scooped her into my arms, feverishly kissing the top of her head repeatedly. "But— "
She cut me off. "First – I'm not going to China, nor do I ever want to go anywhere that far away without you. Now I'll explain what happened."
We resumed our previous positions, sitting in front of each other cross legged on the quilt we brought.
"When you said something about the others, it reminded me that Rosalie mentioned wanting to go to China for a few days this morning. For a split second, I thought of going with her, but then I remembered the agonizing pain I felt when I hopped off the boat at the island and how my heart and soul has had this gravitational pull to you ever since that moment. I wasn't sure how to make it happen, but then you just got up and paced all on your own. The farther you stood, the more I could feel the pull. The fact that you were so upset intensified it considerably. I'm so sorry about that, by the way." I tried to interject, but she continued. "I focused assiduously on the pain in my chest while I looked at you standing there. I wasn't even sure if you could see it or not, because you stood there motionless before and after I had tried."
Finally she let me speak. "Honey, don't apologize. If it means you figuring out how to develop your gift, rip a hole in my heart every day. Just promise you won't ever leave me for two whole weeks. I wouldn't doubt it if one of the elders told me I could actually die from it." I embraced her again, this time with more love than excitement.
"Promise."
After practicing for a few weeks, we discovered that with the right amount of focus and distance, the heartbreaking words weren't necessary. Thank God. Without her hurtful words, the images were a bit fuzzy, not quite as clear as when she touched someone. She just had to focus on the feeling the distance between us provided her. It was great that she was improving, but I hated to see the strain she had to put herself through in order to do so.
We tested her abilities as to how far I could be before the images would disappear. With time, the distance increased. What started out as seven feet was now about 150 feet. Two months after we began, she was able to show me images within twenty feet with great ease.
The second trick she picked up shocked us both. The Cullen's, Charlie, and I all went on a Mediterranean cruise - which never went near Italy - over the Christmas holiday; Carlisle and Esme's gift to the rest of us. I insisted that they not spend anything else on me after they spilled the beans about the trip.
Naturally, we all had balcony suites. Edward, Bella, Nessie and I shared one suite. This was my idea; there was no sense in booking a separate suite for me alone since Edward and Bella didn't need a bed, and the booking said it was a six person cabin so there would be plenty of closet space. Surely they wouldn't risk demolishing a ship full of innocent witnesses just to satisfy their lust for one another, one week wouldn't kill them.
The second night of the cruise was one of the two formal nights. I walked out of my room wearing a new three piece suit – Ralph Lauren this time, black with pinstripes. My button down shirt was blood red, a color Nessie liked on me, and my tie was striped shades of gray. Bella was standing on a stool adjusting my tie when Nessie walked into the room twirling, showing off her latest custom gown – a blood red floor length satin dress with a poufy ruched skirt, black satin sash around the waist, and straps instead of sleeves. Very grown up for her age, but not revealing at all. I wondered if there would ever be an event we attended where we didn't match. I picked the suit myself only a week ago; no way would they have had time to order a custom dress in a week. This must have been coincidental. Or was it?
Bella stepped down to admire Nessie's elegant attire. I caught her eye as she danced around all of us. That's when I heard it – My my my Jacob. You look gorgeous. Smell nice, too.
I heard it clear as day. It was her melodic voice; she spoke it as though she had been quite taken by me. Her lips hadn't moved though. My brows furrowed as I didn't understand what had just happened.
Then I heard her voice again – What? she asked, she was still dancing and yet again I didn't see her lips move.
Edward cut his eyes to me, then back to her. I wasn't the only one who noticed something strange.
"Nessie, you look absolutely gorgeous," I said to her. She finally stopped dancing in front of me.
She did a curtsey. "You look rather handsome yourself, Jacob," she replied, though her voice was much more reserved this time.
Edward opened his mouth to speak, but I held my hand up to cut him off. "Do you know what just happened?"
She looked confused. "What are you talking about?" Nessie replied, taking my hand and twirling herself around my arm.
"Focus. This is important. You said something to me when you first came in the room, didn't you? I heard you."
Nessie's eyes locked with her father's. "The truth, Ness," Edward said to her sternly.
She bit her lip. "I-- I don't know what happened. I was just thinking it, in my mind. I was speaking to you, but only in my thoughts, nothing I intended to say aloud." She paused, taking a deep breath. "May I please be excused? This is humiliating." She stared at Edward with pleading eyes while she resumed biting her lip.
He kissed the top of her head and muttered "Yes. Take your wrap and be back in half an hour." Good, she had a wrap to cover her bare shoulders.
She didn't speak a word to me or Bella as she gracefully draped a black satin wrap around her shoulders and stomped out of the cabin, the delicate pile of curls atop her head bounced with every step. My heart longed for her already. Half an hour; with great effort, I could handle half an hour. Not knowing where she was just made it that much worse. Maybe I should go talk to her?
"Give her some privacy, Jake," Edward insisted. Bella had returned to her bathroom to finish getting ready.
I let out a painful half-chuckle. "It's hardly as easy as you think."
"That heart of yours is a very strange thing." We sat across from each other in the small living room.
"No kidding," I muttered. "Where is she going?"
"As far away from me as possible, likely the back of the sky deck. I heard more than you did." His voice was thick with implications. I raised my brow in question. "It's nothing I wouldn't expect out of a seven and a half year old little girl who spends every waking moment of her life with a... handsome... male who caters to her every whim."
I let my head fall back against the sofa as I stared aimlessly at the ceiling. "She's too young for this. Ugh. What am I going to do now?" I pulled my head up to look at Edward's face.
"Absolutely nothing. It's harmless. She thinks the same thing that every other little girl thinks when they see you... women, too. People gravitate to you. You're warm and inviting, it's almost like you're a vampire. Anyhow, if you do things differently now it won't be good. Trust me. Just keep things the way they've always been. Don't make it awkward."
I let out a deep breath. "Has she had enough privacy yet? This hole in my chest is pounding harder. I don't even know where she is. Well, that way-" I pointed in the direction which my heart was pulling me. "but you know what I mean."
"What are you going to say to her? You need to think about that first. Smooth this over as best you can. She's really embarrassed."
"Any ideas? What's she thinking?"
"I've been trying very hard not to hear her since she walked out of the room so she could have the privacy she needs, but lately it's just been little stuff here and there about how you look. She doesn't have any idea what a boyfriend is, obviously. She just thinks you're cute. You're her best friend, the person she confides in. She's getting older and human nature is just beginning to take its course. Jacob, you're the only person in her life she doesn't think of as being her uncle, aunt, grandparent, or parent."
"Well what does she think I am then?" I wanted to leave right away, but I had to figure all this out first.
"Like I said, her friend. You've got at least a year before she starts chasing you with intentions of anything more than beating you back to the house from the forest." He laughed, he was so comfortable with all of this. It felt odd. I would think he'd at least be as worried as I was, if not more concerned that his daughter was on the brink of boy-crazy.
I took another deep breath. "Okay, I think I've got it. I can handle this. I'm just going to pretend it never happened. Act natural. Whatever, I'll be fine." I got up and walked to the door.
"Just stay calm and collected."
"Thanks, man."
I found Nessie at the very back of the boat watching the wake fade in the distance. There was no one else around; she had her wrap hanging over a nearby chair. She must have heard me walking up behind her, but she didn't look. Standing beside her, I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and pulled her to me.
"If it didn't hurt us both, I'd just crawl into a hole and rot for all eternity," she said, still staring off into space.
"Naah, I wouldn't want you to do that. Don't sweat it, okay? Really. It's alright." Everything I practiced saying on my way here was useless.
She propped her elbow on the railing and her head on her hand. "It's going to be weird now. You're mad at me." I could hear the tears building in her throat.
"My Nessie, don't talk like that. You've got it all wrong. I'm not mad at you and nothing is going to be weird or different in any way. You're still my best friend and always will be. I'm sure one day when you're my age I'll think of you that way, too. Then will you get all weird?" A resentful chuckle escaped her. "If it's of any consolation, I think you're the most beautiful creature ever to exist. I truly mean that."
Finally, I broke her wall down. "You mean that? Everything you just said?"
I wiped the tears from her face. "Of course I do. You know what you mean to me. You do, don't you?"
"Sometimes I wonder, though. I can't help it. I mean, you're you and I'm me. Why am I so important to you? Why would you rather spend your days with me than find someone to be with like all the others?" Her deep brown eyes stared into the depths of my soul, did she really need to ask?
"That's just the way it is. You know that. I love you to death. You're the most important thing in the world to me." I made sure to keep my tone serious so she understood that I meant every single word I spoke. "Don't you remember all the times we've talked about this? I know most of the conversations were brief, but we've had a couple of long ones. Everything I've said is true." With the exception of my lying by default, leaving out bits and pieces she did not need to know about. "Can we go back to normal now? Please?" I knelt down and gave her a big hug.
"I'll try." Anxiety still lingered in the air. "Well, it looks like we've got something new to practice now. So, you just heard me, like I was speaking to you out loud?" Her voice was starting to level out.
"That's exactly what happened. I heard you clear as day." I gave her a moment to respond, but she didn't. "You about ready to go back? The clock's ticking. Let's just pretend this never happened. I'll forget all about it. Who knows, maybe your dad can wipe my memory clean of it or something. You're still my Nessie and I'm still your Jacob. That's all that matters."
I picked her up so I could give her a real hug. "Love you," she mumbled as she buried her head into my shoulder.
"I love you too, with my whole heart, with my entire existence."
Things slowly returned to normal as the evening progressed. The Cullen's skipped the formal dinner, for this I was grateful. I hadn't been to the formal dining room yet, so I had no idea that the furnishings matched my attire - red cushioned chairs with black wood trim, white linens on the table, black and red accents scattered about. Nessie, Charlie, and I went, she only ate fruit and dessert.
Afterward, we went to the Captain's Ball and danced for hours. She glided across the dance floor so gracefully, twirling from person to person but mostly dancing with me. All signs of awkwardness were gone after a few dances. We were back to ourselves - inseparable best friends.
All of the Cullen women commented on my suit, they were shocked I managed to pair everything together so well. I replied with a genuine smile and said "What can I say, I learned from the best." I had, and I wasn't referring to the Cullen men. They'd taught me everything I knew about fashion.
Christmas onboard was incomparable. At times, it was a bit too upscale for my taste, but pleasurable nonetheless. We exchanged gifts in the private courtyard that all of our cabins surrounded. The Mediterranean was between 50 and 60 degrees throughout our trip, so it didn't look too incredibly odd to the servers that we were doing this. The luxurious furniture had been arranged so that we could all sit in a circle, all of our gifts in the center already separated by recipient. The courtyard was covered in Christmas décor and even had a nine foot Christmas tree.
My third Christmas with the Cullen's was much more comfortable and tolerable than the first and even the second. The first Christmas, I still felt like a stranger, a squatter in their home. The second was easier, but I was still uncomfortable with receiving such lavish gifts.
Now, I felt like a true part of their family, like I belonged with them. Esme was my mom, and if it weren't for my ties to Billy, Carlisle would have probably filled the role of father figure. Finding time to spend with him was difficult, what with my being consumed with Nessie and him working long shifts, but he still offered a tremendous amount of guidance. Plus, he took me in as one of his own, I owed it to him. This made it much easier for me to accept their much unexpected Christmas gift. I told them the trip was enough, of course they didn't listen.
After all the gifts in front of us were opened, I was ready to give Nessie hers. I was saving it for last, or so I thought. The corners of the box in my pocket had been digging into my leg for over an hour – the Cullen's opened gifts person by person one at a time, a very lengthy process. I put a lot of time and thought into choosing the perfect gift for her. Edward saw my queue and began to distract Nessie, showing her the details of the watch Bella had given him. I pulled the small blue box out of my pocket and adjusted the satin bow. Hearing the sound, she turned back to face me.
Oh my gosh! Tiffany blue! She said to me mentally, something that still startled me at this point.
"I hope you like it," I said as I handed her the box.
She slowly pulled the white satin ribbon off, then the lid and shook the smaller box out. She took a deep breath and gazed at the smaller box for a moment, then gradually opened it. Her mouth fell open as she sat in silence, shocked.
"Oh my gosh, Jacob. It's absolutely gorgeous! I can't believe this is for me!" A piercing screech of excitement escaped her lips.
"It's your birthstone. The roundness in the cut reminded me of the crown Charlie gave you when you were little, the one you wear the most. The color matches pretty closely, too." I told her as she placed the most expensive piece of jewelry I'd ever touched on her tiny right hand middle finger. "Does it fit? I had to have it custom made, I guess Tiffany doesn't cater to seven year olds. Alice said it would fit."
She gasped again as she gazed at the ring on her hand. "It fits perfectly."
Alice leaned in to admire the gift she and Bella helped me pick. "The cushion cut sapphire is three carats; the surrounding diamonds total almost one, set in platinum of course." Alice took Nessie's hand to admire it closely.
She and Bella escorted me around Portland in search of the perfect jewel, something I definitely couldn't have done alone. They refused to let the jewelers clue me in on the prices. We brought the crown with us as a reference. I thought it might help if we could show it to the sales associates.
Finding the perfect piece took much less time than it had to figure out exactly what I wanted to give her. The first place we went, Tiffany & Co., pulled several sparkling sapphire pieces out and brought them to a viewing room for me to examine under intense light and magnification. It wasn't necessary though. As soon as I saw the ring – one large sapphire surrounded by a row of diamonds with smaller diamonds accenting the band – I knew it was the one. After we were in the car on our way back to our home, I convinced Bella to tell me the price; over thirty thousand dollars. Where did these Cullen's get such an insane amount of money?
"Oh Jacob, I love it. Thank you so much!" She squeezed my neck with all of her strength.
"I'm so glad you like it, hon. It suits you very well." I squeezed her back.
"Now it's your turn, Jake. This is from all of us." Carlisle handed me a thick manila envelope. It couldn't be anything too expensive; surely they couldn't afford to pass out thirty thousand dollar gifts to everyone. Another trip to Isle Esme would be awesome.
"Open it," Carlisle said to me, noticing my hesitation.
"I thought you guys weren't getting me anything else? This trip is more than enough." I pleaded with my eyes, I felt guilty for accepting so much.
"Please, son?" Esme spoke in her kind, maternal tone. How could I refuse?
I dumped the contents into my lap, one glossy black folder that looked like a presentation. The first page stunned me, a sleek image of a brand spanking new graphite Infiniti QX56 parked in front of our house with a big red bow on the top. Unbelieving, I flipped to the next few pages which displayed images of Nessie showcasing the plush black leather interior, navigation system, three rows of seats, and all of the other bells and whistles. Still skeptical, I flipped the page again; a letter.
Jacob,
We sold the old Volvo, so you can't refuse this gift. You do need transportation, don't you? Yes, the SUV in the images is now yours. Everyone else has a nice car; you deserve your own as well. Merry Christmas, we love you.
Esme, Carlisle, Edward, Bella, Renesmee, Alice, Jasper, Rose, and Emmett
"I—I don't know what to say." I took a moment to steady my breath. "Thank you. Thank you so much. This is unbelievable. You sh—"
"Don't say 'you shouldn't have.' We should have a long time ago," Esme said as she patted my hand which clenched a small envelope holding the key to a vehicle valued at more than my entire family's net worth.
It could have been much worse. An Infiniti QX56 is a luxury car, but not nearly as ostentatious as a Mercedes or a Porsche. This car suited me very well; not too fancy, appropriate and safe for a small – albeit invincible – child to ride in. I'm sure it was the least valuable car in the garage – the garage which was home to a small car lot of lavish vehicles.
The months following the cruise were spent fine tuning Nessie's two gifts. Her ability to speak with her mind came very naturally. All she had to do was speak to someone mentally just as though she were speaking aloud. The only thing we had to work on was constructing a way to differentiate when she was speaking audibly versus mentally.
There was no difference in the sound or volume of her voice. If she were going to be speaking to me on the rare occasions my back was turned to her, I'd need to know whether it was out loud or not if we were in a public place. I couldn't just go around answering questions no one else heard. That happened once and the people in line behind me at the gas station probably thought I'd lost my marbles.
As it turns out, I was the only one in the family who couldn't distinguish between her audible voice and her mental voice. The Cullen's could hear very slight differences they defined as sounding like she was speaking through a phone. It all sounded the same to me. Edward suggested she begin her statement with the name 'Jay Jay,' since it was something she never called me except for that once. And so it was, whenever she wanted to speak to me with her mind, she'd begin by thinking Jay Jay.
After eight months of practicing almost daily, she could now show me an image from half a football field away with ease. We had yet to figure out a way for her to show other people images when I was in close proximity; it only worked if there was space between us. She also hoped that she could eventually figure out how to use her gift on people she couldn't see, like a family member out in the forest while she was in the house. She was still only able to speak mentally to those who were within thirty feet or so of her, and she had to be able to see them.
When we came home from the cruise, Edward was interested to see what he could do if he tried to expand his gift. He'd been in numerous stressful positions where it would have been incredibly helpful for him to be able to read minds farther out than three miles; he tried but was unsuccessful on all occasions. It was clear that this avenue was as good as it could get for him.
Both of Nessie's abilities descended from Edward's, so he began to try speaking to people with his mind the way she could. Given that Edward could do practically anything he set his mind to, he succeeded at doing it within a few months. It took a few longer for him to get through my head, though, since he was so much more attuned to his own kind.
He, too, decided to acknowledge me by calling me 'Jay Jay' whenever he would speak to me mentally. Combined with his ability to read minds, he carried on silent conversations with people on a pretty regular basis. He tried to figure out a way to crack Bella's shield without her trying to push the shield away simultaneously, but he was still unsuccessful.
All of the Cullen's who possessed unusual powers were trying to see what else they could do. It's not like they had a long to-do list anyways, and I'm sure after hundreds of years of doing the same things, a challenge would be nice. Jasper's abilities didn't seem to change much at all, but he couldn't think of anything to expand it to. Alice's didn't change much either, after her breakthrough with being able to read my future. She was hoping her visions would progress into something more solid, she wanted to see things beyond someone's decisions, she wanted to be able to know exactly what decision would be made even before the person was ever presented with choice. Edward didn't have much faith in her success, but she persisted.
A few weeks before Nessie's third birthday, Edward came up with a new project.
"I need you to be a test dummy for me, are you interested?" Edward proposed.
"Sure, I can take you out. Can I change first? Nessie got me these jeans for my birthday; I'd hate to get grass stains on them."
I doubted my ability to defeat him without phasing, but playing arrogant with Edward was always fun. At least if I had to phase, I could do so wearing something a bit less costly… like one of my few remaining pairs of generic brand sweats. Every gift-giving occasion, I was graced with heaps of designer clothes. After I had more than enough outerwear, jeans, shirts, and dress clothes they made sure to replace all of my pajamas, loungewear, socks, and even underwear. At least Esme was discrete about the underwear replacement.
"While I'd love to take you up on the opportunity, I'm referring to something a bit more substantial. You see, there will come a day – and I fear it'll be sooner than later – that I will really want to stay out of yours and Renesmee's minds. I do try my best not to hear her most of the time, but even then it's nearly impossible if she's anywhere near me. Imagine trying to block out the sound of someone's voice that was standing right beside you speaking. You see what I'm saying?"
"Okay, but how can I help?" I didn't understand what he was getting at.
"I want to test it out on you. I want to figure out how to block myself out of your mind, but have the ability to get back in if need be. I'm incredibly worried that if I start blocking someone, I won't be able to get back in. Since I will eventually have a very logical reason for blocking you out, it only makes sense that it be you. Worst case scenario is I can never hear the potential vile things you will eventually think of my daughter." His face was sincere.
"I don't even want to have this conversation with you. We can continue, but don't bring that up. You know I can't think of her in that way anymore than you or your brothers could. It's sickening. Ugh, please…"
It was inevitable that yes, one day I would think that way about her, and I could understand exactly what Edward was getting at, but I couldn't even bare to imagine one day thinking like that.
A half smile crossed his face. "You know what I mean, Jacob. Everything's cool. I just can't risk losing the ability to get back in once I'm out. We, as a family and a coven, rely on my abilities far too much. So, are you up for it?"
The thought of Edward being out of my head didn't bother me at all. My mind probably wasn't an interesting thing for him to dissect, anyways. "Sure, do I need to do anything in particular to help?"
"No, just know that if there's ever an emergency, I may not be able to hear your thoughts. I'm going to see what Alice thinks of this, maybe she'll know whether I'll be successful or not. Some reassurance would be nice." He started to stand from his seat across from me, but I held my hand up.
"Edward, I don't want any details, but I would like to know. Has there been more reason for you to want to stop reading Nessie lately? Like what happened on the cruise? Don't tell me details; just… is she still thinking of me in… that way?" My fingers were crossed tightly as I thought to myself Please say no, please say no.
"To be honest with you, Jacob… Sometimes, yes. Not often, but if you wear a certain cologne or color, or fix your hair a certain way… well, it's just little harmless thoughts. Harmless little thoughts I'd really rather not hear, but still. Don't worry about it. She's only what, nine? A little over maybe? I'm telling you, you've got probably another year before the hormones kick in. Oh just you wait, that'll be fun." His face went from entertained to solemn. "God, I hope I figure this blocking out before then, I really don't want to be in her head for that."
I wasn't ready for Nessie to grow up. I wanted her to thoroughly enjoy her childhood; that, and I really wasn't prepared for the backlash of adolescence.
A/N:
What do you guys think of the way I've written Nessie and Jake's relationship thus far? Is it weird? I tried to write it like I thought it would happen if it were real. I've never read a Ness/Jake fic that went in depth in her childhood. I'm not making him out like some weirdo, am I?
Also, I forgot to post this on the previous chapters. As I write, I collect inspirational photos. I'm not the most imaginative person so having a little something to go by helps. When I have an idea, I dig around and find something that closely matches what I'm looking for. The photos aren't usually an exact representation of what I'm describing, but it'll help people like me who have a hard time visualizing some things. Most of the albums only contain a few pix, so it'll only take a second to flip through them :-)
This chapter's photo album: picasaweb dot google dot com/fairytalesfanfic930/Chapter8
I've never seen this done on any other fan fic. I collect the pics for my own use while writing but I figure why not share them with you folks!