Disclaimer; I own nothing sadly. Everything is copyright Stephenie Meyer.
Rating: PG-13; Language, minor sexual references.
Warning: This is a Bella/Jacob story, so please be aware of this.
--Story takes place a couple weeks after she starts hanging out with Jake. Very AU obviously.
PS: Reviews are greatly appreciated! (And this is one of my first fanfics, so sorry if anything is off about formatting etc.) + Sorry it is not Beta'ed.
Chapter 3: Whispering Stream
I pulled the truck into the gravel parking lot of the La Push convenient store. Jacob used to avoid this place all the time before he figured out Sam's gang was actually a pack. Outside the shop I noticed Embry and Quil putting quarters in the soda machine. I pulled the key out of the ignition and the extra loud engine was silenced. Hopping out of the truck, I waved to Jacob's two closest friends. Embry smiled and waved, but Quil could not resist making a face and wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. Jacob reached around and wrapped his arm around my waist "Hey man, you better keep your eyes where they belong. I know your jealous and all…." Jacob's sarcastic comment was cut off by Quil's groan and rolling eyes. "Please Jake, I can get my own women. Plus I know Bella at least had a thing for me before." He winked at me, and I just shrugged my shoulders, no way was I getting in the middle of this.
"C'mon Jake lets go" I said, grabbing his hand and dragging him behind the store. I could hear his friends, now joined by Jared as well, hooting and hollering behind us. Jacob sighed and quickly caught up with me. "Sorry about those goons. They're just not as mature as me." I rolled my eyes and responded "Oh yeah, I forgot your like double my age right? I don't know if I can be seen with an old man." I smiled and then we continued on into the woods behind the store. I had no idea why Jacob picked the woods here, maybe just in case someone spotted him he would not have to worry as much.
We walked for awhile, probably about forty minutes which included me tripping twice, before Jacob stopped. "Are we far enough out now?" I asked, unable to hide the hint of excitement in my voice. "Yes" Jake looked like he was already concentrating, I automatically started backing away. When I was a good ten yards back, he pulled his black t-shirt off over his head. From here I could easily appreciate his lean muscles rolling beneath his russet skin as he moved. His hands began to shake, then the tremors seemed to grow up his arms and down his spine. It continued until Jacob was a blur of motion, then it looked more like and explosion of reddish brown fur as he landed with a thud on all fours.
It was easy to see Jacob's familiar, and loving dark eyes in the wolf's face. The large canine loped gracefully over the moss covered forest floor over to me, his pants clamped between his jaws. I reached over and grabbed them, then folded them up small as I could and shoved them into my coat pocket. "There" I said, reaching over and scratching behind his ears like I would to a family pet. He tossed his head back and growled, but his tails swaying behind him. "See. I told you it would be okay Jake. I have to admit though, this is still a little weird. Maybe I should take advantage of the fact that you can't talk back though….."
But I found he did not need to be able to talk. Before I knew what had happened, Jacob had used his oversized head to flip me up into the air, then ran beneath me so I landed awkwardly sprawled over his shoulders. "Ugh, thanks for that." I said, trying to regain my breath. I swung my leg over his other side so I was sitting on him more like horse, rather than a dead body tossed on a pack mule. I was going to yell at him for not warning me, but now he was taking off!
I grabbed two handfuls of his thick rust colored fur and held on for dear life as Jacob flew through the rainy forest. It was not quite as fast as Edward, but I remembered he was even faster than other vampires…. So Jacob had to be running pretty damn fast. The trees turned into a green and black blur on each side, like blobs of paint splattered across a canvas. I felt my stomach turn, and quickly decided to shut my eyes, and lean forward to rest my head safely on his thick neck.
I could feel his muscles contracting and releasing in a steady rhythm beneath me, but other than that it was hard to tell he was moving at top speed. We continued this way for about fifteen minutes, until Jacob's quiet whine made me open one eyes carefully. He was walking now, so I decided it was safe to sit up. We ended up near a brook than ran quietly through the woods, weaving between the different trees. Jacob stopped on a large, flat rock that lay almost level with the water's edge. I took that as this was the stopping point, and slid off his back. I almost fell backwards when I landed on the damp rock, but caught my balance with Jacob's massive shoulder. He made a noise that sounded like a throaty cackle, and I punched him best I could. "Shut up Jake!" I gazed around now, taking it all in.
The land to my left was a slight slope, creating a small waterfall effect as the stream run down between roots over rocks worn smooth, then it fell into the glass smooth wide spot right in front of the rock I was standing on. In front of the rock the brook got a little wider, and the dark water ran silently down into the forest, turning left until I could see it no longer, as it was hidden by thick green ferns. When my eyes settled on the ferns, I noticed they were trembling with movement, and felt my heart leap into my throat. Part of me was expecting it to be a vampire thirsting for my blood, but I was relieved to see Jacob in his human form stepping out in his cutoff sweat pants. How did I not see him run off, or reach into my jacket to get those shorts? Jacob certainly had gotten a lot more graceful since I first met him.
"This is beautiful Jake, how'd you find it?" I asked, as he came to stand beside me at the water's edge. "It's called the Whispering Stream. It's another Quileute legend, except this was has yet to be proven true." He said, with an all too knowing smile. I could remember when he thought his tribe's legends of 'the cold ones' were absolutely ludicrous. "So what's supposed to happen?" I asked, already curious to learn more about the Quileute tribe and their history. "Well when you sit here in complete silence, and listen to the waterfall, your supposed to hear the spirits of old Quileute chiefs." Jacob said, sitting down on the smooth grey stone himself, and I followed suit. He continued with his story. "I used to come down here all the time when I was little. If got angry or just wanted to be alone. I figured if I listened hard enough, my Grandfather Ephraim my give me some much needed advice." I reached over, and intertwined my fingers with his. "What was bothering you?" I asked, and that's when Jacob's serious face turned into a smirk. "Oh, I was probably mad I ripped off by the old gumball machine at the store or something." He laughed, and I could not help but laugh with him.
I sat there in Jake's arms for about an hour, both of us listening to the bubbling sounds the stream made. We did not hear any wise voices, but I still felt like I left with a little bit more of Jacob in my heart. It was a tiny detail about him, but I was glad he had shared it with me. Now it felt like we could share that special place together.
Hours later I had finished my homework and was getting ready to crawl into bed for the night. I was still cursing myself for not bringing my camera today to get some pictures of the stream. As I turned around to pull the covers back off the bed, a let out a startled gasp. There was Edward Cullen, standing in the corner of my room like he had for so long, as if nothing had changed. I could only stare at him, speechless, at a loss for words. He looked as perfect as the day he left, well except his eyes darker. Not in the sense that he had not eaten, just gloomy, and pained. Part of me wanted to step closer, and ask him what was wrong…. But then I remembered he did not love me, he did not want me.
"Bella" His smooth voice was soft, a hush whisper moving over the coarse air in my room. He took a very slow step towards, as if he thought I was going to runaway screaming. I took in a shaky breath, trying to focus. Was this real? Or just another dream I was having? That was odd though, since I had not dreamt of Edward since a few days before Jacob and I had become a couple. Jacob. His face was the brightest things in my mind now, and I almost felt guilty for being a little bit happy to see Edward. I did not feel the rush of excitement I used to feel around the cold skinned teen, or the urge to just jump on him, but I still felt like it was an old friend coming back. His voice slithered across the room once more. "Bella, I am terribly sorry for dropping in like this. It is just…. I came to make sure you were okay, and I realized, that I can not stay away from you. I should not have even tried to leave. I love you Bella Swan, I always have and I always will." I could only stare at him, the shock evident in my eyes. This was the moment I had dreamt about for weeks upon weeks, yet now I was speechless.
R&R please! What'd ya think?