Chapter – 22
To say Lil was taken by surprise is an understatement. Her glorious eyes popped wide open for a second, and then got watery as the biggest most gorgeous smile imaginable crossed her face.
"Yes" she nodded "Yes, yes, yes, a thousand times yes" she smiled as Jake took her in his arms, howling out of joy. "Shut up" she laughed "People are gonna think your howling for another reason"
The little punks knew very well why he was howling. Before they knew it, Jess and Seth were laughing, jumping up and down on the bed, as Collin and Brady smiled from the doorway.
"How long have you been listening?" Lil accused with a smile, his arms still wrapped around her.
"Ten years" Jess laughed "I'm getting good at it, ha?"
"Long enough to hear Jake's unplanned proposal" Collin smiled
"We didn't mean to eavesdrop" Seth added
"Well we didn't" Brady added "I can't say that about everyone"
"It's ok" Jake smiled
"Congratulations to the both of you" Jess said hugging his sister "So where's the ring?" he asked taking Lil's left hand
"I didn't really plan this" Jake admitted "I'll get her the ring a little later"
Jake's dad had saved his mom's engagement ring for him to give the woman he was gonna spend the rest of his life with. It had been discussed many times during his 16 years; he just had to ask his dad for it. Of course he had to give him the news first. I wonder how he's gonna take his sixteen year old son getting engaged.
"I'm glad you guys are happy and in a good mood" Jess said, getting serious and backing away from Lil. Something she noticed immediately.
"What's wrong?"
"I need to talk to you guys about something" Jess said is in a tone just a bit louder than a whisper.
"Don't scare me, Jessie" Her heart began pounding faster, she was worried.
"Well" Jess said shifting his eyes from Lil to the floor "Ever since I found out about the guys" he paused, biting his lip, suddenly looking more like 6 year old rather than 16. Lil might only be 11 months older than him but there was no doubt that to him it was more like 11 years "I've been looking for a way to… not be left out"
"Oh" Lily said in a tone that made it obvious shed been waiting a while for that conversation.
"You were expecting this" Jess said bringing his eyes to hers.
"For a while now" Lil nodded. Jess cocked his brow causing her to smile. "I know my brother" she shrugged.
"I wanna do this, Lil" she said filled with enthusiasm
Collin and Brady were looking at them with the same puzzled look Jake was. They had no clue what Jess and Lil were talking about, but by the way Seth was staring at the floor, not only did he know, he had something to do with it.
"You know you'll lose your powers"
"Heaven forbid I lose the ability to tell when you're gonna spill the milk" Jess answered sarcastically "It's not like I have your powers. That would be a different story"
"Just how do you plan on doing this?" Lil asked, causing Jess to perk up. He'd obviously had been expecting a different reaction out of her.
"Seth volunteered" he answered, causing everybody to turn to Seth as he turned every shade of red imaginable. I knew Seth had something to do with it.
"Are you insane?" Lil snapped. Jess winced. That was the reaction he was expecting. "Seth is nowhere near strong enough" she looked at his crushed face and took a deep breath "If you're gonna do this, you're gonna do it right" Jess smiled as Lil turned to Jake "You trust me?"
*****
Jake still couldn't understand how the night took such a turn. One moment he's proposing, the next everyone is happy and celebrating and the one after that he's standing at the kitchen sink waiting for Lil to slice his hand with a butcher knife. He still didn't know what the hell was going on. All he knew was that Jess needed his blood, Lil asked him for it and he would give her his life if that's what she asked for.
"Neither one of you will bleed for long" Lil informed Jess "We need to do this at the same time, ok?" Jess nodded "You guys might get a bit dizzy or disoriented for a minute, so Seth" she said turning to him, who had yet to say a word "You hold on to Jess, just in case, don't want him dropping like a sack of potatoes" she then turned to Collin and Brady "You two grab a hold on Jake"
Jess did the countdown and then sliced his palm at the same moment Lil sliced Jake's. Immediately Lil brought their palms together and the moment their blood mixed, Jake felt a tingle go through him from head to toe. She was right, he felt a little dizzy, not enough to fall but Collin and Brady held onto his elbows anyways. Jess got the worst of it though, he immediately went limp and Seth and Lil had to carry him to the couch. Lil knelt by Jess's side, holding onto his hand. Everyone was too stunned and worried to say or ask a thing.
"Your genes are very strong" Lil said looking over at Jake, who had been sat on another couch "The fever already set in"
It was then that Jake realized what was going on. "You mean he's gonna be"
"Yup" she nodded "He had just enough magic in him to go from witch to werewolf"
"You said he would lose his powers" Seth commented
"It's more like he traded one set of powers for another" she answered "Jake on the other hand" she said reaching over to take his hand "Well baby, don't be surprised if suddenly you develop a sixth sense"
"You mean he's gonna get powers???" Collin asked with eyes as big as saucers
"No" Lil laughed "Jess's powers were not strong enough for that. He just might know things are gonna happen just before they happen, or get really strong hunches"
Jess moaned and Lily sat on the couch, resting his head on her lap as she ran her fingers through his hair to sooth him. Jake felt a chill down his spine. Chill he knew the guys shared as they remembered the night they first phased.
Jake didn't know at what time he fell asleep but when he opened his eyes, it was morning. Collin and Brady were sitting on either side of him, still in la la land as they drooled on the cushions. Seth was lying in the couch across from him, feet up, head dangling. He turned to the other couch to see Lil sleeping on her stomach, then caught movement from the corner of his eye and turned to see Jess leaning on the doorway, drinking a bottle of orange juice. The kid looked great. He was obviously a few inches taller, gained about 20lbs of pure muscle and his eyes were a hazel so bright, they seemed to glow.
"How do you feel?"
"Good" he smiled "A little sore"
"Be thankful it's just a little" Jake laughed
"Did you change?" A drowsy Seth asked as he sat up and stretched
"Yeah, a little after dawn" Jess nodded "And guess what? I'm white"
"So much for brown pride" Lil laughed as she turned around to face Jess.
Jess's, Jake's, Seth's and Lily's laughter filled the room and woke up Brady and Collin.
"We should all go to Em's" Jake suggested
"For breakfast?" Collin beamed
"To let Sam and the rest of the pack know what's going on" Lil answered
"And then since we're already there, might as well eat breakfast" Jake smiled
Sam and the pack were speechless. At first the laughed in disbelief, completely sure they were being punked. They ran outside all laughs and smiles, giving their 'now what?' looks. That was until Jess turned into a giant white wolf. When some of the loudest mouths in the state of Washington are too shocked to say something, you know it's big. Everyone could tell Jess was nervous about their reaction, he was the first werewolf to become one, not be born one and that wasn't originally Quileute. But Jess wasn't just some random kid; he was brother to an imprintee and best friend to a third of the pack. Not to mention that with the huge fight a few hours away, his help was much needed and appreciated. He was welcomed with open arms.
But the fight was gonna be big, intense and in a very short time. Jess needed to learn a lot and there wasn't time left, they needed to get to work ASAP. After breakfast Sam gave Jake and hour to get Lil over to the Cullen house and then get back to get the pack ready.
It shouldn't have surprised Jake that Tink the psychic vamp would be waiting for them.
"Young love is so beautiful" Tink giggled as she yanked Lil away from him.
"Congratulations to the both of you" Doc added as Wifey smiled
There was no need to ask how they knew, Jake and Lil already knew the answer. Blondie, Emmett and Jasper walked into the room with big smiles.
"Spontaneous is very romantic" Jasper smiled "Quite unique, I might add"
"Okay, to the important details" Tink beamed "How long do I have?"
"Jake has to turn 18 first, so, eighteen months? Is that ok with you?" Lil asked Jake
"You can say tomorrow and it wouldn't be soon enough" he smiled
"Wonderful" Tink sang "With that amount of time I'll make your wedding the biggest event ever. It will be talked about for years to come"
"I see plenty of trips to New York and Milan" Blondie smiled
"What???"
"You get her the ring" Blondie answered "We'll take care of the rest"
"They're glad there's a happy bride looking forward to her wedding!!!" Emmett laughed
"A couple willing to shout they're engaged from the roof tops rather than hide it!!!" Tink yelled
Lil and Jake looked at Tink with confusion. They smiled as Edward hissed from the kitchen, catching on that there was another engaged couple, but unlike them, they wanted to keep it hidden.
The bloodsuckers ran off as Lil and Jake walked hand in hand into the kitchen where Edward was cooking Bella breakfast. Bells looked like the cat that swallowed the canary as Edward smiled knowing they knew. He also used their engagement to give Bella a little push.
"Congratulations" Edward smiled "I'm happy for you"
"Thanks" Lil and Jake chorused as Bella looked at Edward for an explanation
"They're engaged" Edward said giving Bella a face they weren't supposed to understand
"Engaged?" Bella said in shock "You're only 16"
"17 in a couple of months, Bells"
"We won't get married for another year and a half" Lil added "Once we're 18"
"Wow" Bella whispered "Don't you care what people will say"
"When have I ever cared what people think?" Jake laughed
"We love each other, we can't live without each other, and we will never want anyone else. Why wait?" Lil smiled "I'll be in the arms of the love of my life, with a smile from ear to ear, do you think the opinions of other people will even cross my mind?"
"Come on Bells, you should know love is the only thing that matters"
"She knows that" Lil smiled "She loves Edward, she'd give her life for him and in a way she will, she will spend eternity with him, all for love, all for him, she knows that other people and their opinions don't matter. If she's willing to do all that, she wouldn't be afraid to get married or ashamed to declare her love to the world, right?"
"N, n, no" Bella stuttered almost choking
Edward smiled and worded 'Thank You' behind Bella's back. Bella picked at her breakfast thoughtfully as Edward held in a smile. Jake ate, again, thanked Edward and kissed Lil goodbye. He had to get to organize with the pack before the campout. He also had to see his dad before he left. Just in case.
*****
"Is something wrong?" Lily asked Bella, well knowing what was bothering her.
"No" Bella lied "Just can't believe you really don't care about the rumors"
"A wedding is the last thing I can be embarrassed about" Lily smiled
Lily volunteered to clean up the kitchen, so Edward could run off with Bella and Jake was gone for the day so it wasn't like she had anything better to do. She cleaned the kitchen from top to bottom, as well as Edward's room, where he stuff remained, did her laundry, folding and putting everything away then watched movies with Alice and Japer.
Alice announced a big storm was headed their way and insisted on helping Lily choose the clothes she would need to stay warm. Lily showered and got ready, wearing jeans, double socks, boots, undershirt, t-shirt and hoodie. Alice was making her take a jacket as well, probably forgetting she had a personal space heater as a boyfriend, oops, fiancée. Alice was braiding her into two fashionable buns as Bella came in to hang out with them. Edward was in the garage packing up all the necessary stuff for the campout.
"Do you guys plan to go public about your engagement?" Bella asked Lily
"Jake wants to as soon as he gets me the ring" Lily answered
"Good idea" Alice commented "That's the first thing people will look for"
"Announcing it on Valentine's Day would be cute" Lily stated
"That's eight months away" Alice complained "Christmas would be better"
Lily was willing to wait, she didn't want to feel like she was stealing Bella's spotlight. Everyone deserves to enjoy their engagement properly and she would not rob Bella of that, even if Bella wasn't all that excited about it.
"Sounds good to me" Lily answered
"Alice is going to want to throw a big party for it" Bella laughed, playfully pushing Alice
"Why not?" Lily smiled "She's already doing the wedding"
"You've unleashed a monster" Bella laughed
"How long we suppose to pretend we don't know about your engagement?" Alice asked
"Alice!" Lily scolded smacking her leg
"You guys know?" Bella squeaked
"Everyone knows, Bella" Alice complained
"We were supposed to be giving you time to tell us on your own" Lily added
"Whatever" Alice mumbled as she rolled her eyes
"It's just that….I don't know" Bella breathed
Lily knew exactly what was running through Bella's mind and felt maybe talking to someone who understood might help.
"Can I be straight out with you?" Lily asked Bella
"Sure" she answered nodding
"As children of divorced parents, we program ourselves to believe that eternal love, marriage and everything it represents is like Santa Clause. Beautiful thought, but just a fantasy. As much as we hate to admit it, their failure has scarred us too, and the fear of repeating their mistakes is always gonna be there. We feel we need to be strong, independent women, the kind that are too smart to allow themselves to be love-struck teenagers, the kind that are too sensible to marry right out of high school. Right?"
"That's exactly how I feel" Bella admitted
"I made myself believe the same thing. But I've learned that a lot of things that I thought were fantasies and myths are quite real" she laughed pointing to herself and then Alice "So why can't eternal love be real? We are not our mothers; we are not even normal girls, Bella. As far as couples go, we are definitely not our parents. We are part of a supernatural world, soulmates to a vampire and a werewolf. Our friends will spend years trying to find true love; we've been blessed to have found ours. We know in our hearts that we will be with them forever. Why not declare to the world that we belong to them and that they belong to us?"
"Never thought about it that way" Bella said thoughtfully
"Would you give Edward up because of someone else's opinion?"
"Of course not!" Bella snapped
"Then why would you allow others to keep from enjoying your engagement? From having a beautiful wedding that you'll remember for all eternity? What the hell do you care what people are saying when you'll be the happiest woman in the world in the arms of the love of your existence?"
"She's right" Alice commented "You know she is"
"She is" Bella smiled
"Then please stop making it sound like it's a shotgun wedding, Bella" Lily laughed
"Do I have another wedding to plan?" Alice beamed
"2 months" Bella answered "It has to be before my birthday"
"Bella has a thing with birthdays" Edward smiled as he walked into the room
"Age is a sore subject for me" Bella said making a face "Edward will be 17 forever, while I age everyday"
"Oh yes" Lily laughed "We need to start buying you anti-aging cream by the case"
"Don't mock me" Bella smiled "You need to worry about it too, Jake doesn't age either"
"He does once he stops phasing, remember?" Lily pointed "Besides, he looks about 25 right now, so I have about 10 years before I start worrying"
"2 weddings to plan" Edward smiled at Alice "You must be on cloud nine?"
"But unlike Lily, I aint giving her free reign" Bella shook her head
"Well unlike you, I actually enjoy all the girly stuff" Lily smiled
"Then you'll have no problem being my flower girl?" Bella asked with a smile
"I'd love to" Lily answered "I would complain about being the oldest flower girl in history but given the ages of the maid of honor and groom, I'm ok with it"
"Maid of honor?" Edward asked
"Alice" Bella and Lily chorused
"Me???" Alice jumped up and down with a huge smile on her face
"Come on, Alice" Lily laughed "You should've seen that one coming"
"Some psychic you are" Bella joked
"Alice is loving all this" Lily smiled
"The important this is that Bella loves all of this" Edward seriously said, his eyes on Bella
"More than anyone can imagine" she smiled at him, turning beet red before digging face in her jacket. Lily smiled at Edward, who looked like he was about to burst with joy when he worded 'thank you'.
"She just needed to hear it from someone who can relate"
Edward nodded with a smile.
"Can I give you my opinion on something?"
Edward's face got serious as he nodded.
"I know you're afraid to make love to Bella because you're terrified of hurting her, but you won't. It's not a matter of you can't cause obviously you can, but a matter of you wouldn't, so you won't. Jake can easily hurt me too, he can easily lose control, go wolf on me and shred me to pieces, but he loves me so much that his body would never betray him that way. Lots of growling, grunting, howling and a few hand print bruises, but no danger" Lily smiled "Giving yourself to the man you love is a very special and memorable moment in a woman's life. To me it was sweet, romantic, unforgettable and absolutely perfect. A memory that I will cherish forever. Bella should have that human moment too"
Edward looked at Lily thoughtfully but remained silent.
"Just think about it"
"You have an old soul in a 16 year old body" Edward whispered
"I'll pretend I didn't notice any of that" Alice smirked
"Any of what?" Bella asked
"Nothing" Edward and Lily chorused before the burst out in laughter.
Then came the time to head out to the clearing. Lily couldn't help it, as much as she wanted to hold in together, she lost it, tears streamed down her face. It is the scariest thing in the world to know all your loved ones are headed for a fight to the death. Alice hugged her as she had her little break down and waited until she managed to get a hold of herself before heading out.
Lily and Bella had to leave fake trails before their campout. They walked around in circles touching as much things as possible. Edward laughed as they rolled around on the grass and rubbed up against trees. Jake and Collin arrived as they were doing that and laughed right along with Edward.
"They're very dedicated" Edward laughed to the guys
"Didn't know you guys liked trees so much" Collin laughed
"Lucky trees" Jake laughed
Edward and the guys went over the location once again and then Edward took off. He would be going in Emmett's jeep to get everything set up before Collin arrived with Bella.
The Cullen's and the pack were in the usual circle around Jasper and Emmett who had intentions of doing an all night show. The confusion in the pack's eyes when Lily arrived with Jake was extremely obvious.
"Maybe you should phase and explain" Lily suggested
"Good idea" Jake answered, kissing her forehead before heading into the trees.
*****
"Can you explain what Lily is doing here?" Sam barked
"I know you don't wanna leave her, bro" Quil whined "We didn't, but you don't see any of our girls here"
"What the hell were you thinking?" Paul growled
"Sure" Leah snapped "Bring your little girlfriend so we're all forced to babysit her"
"His little girlfriend has the power to rip you to shreds so you better watch your tone!" Jess snapped
"Will you guys shut up and let me explain" Jake snapped back
The pack still didn't like the idea of Lil being there. Not because they didn't trust her powers, but because like Jake, they didn't like the idea of her fighting. Truth was Lil looked human, small, fragile, and vulnerable. It was hard for them to see her as a fierce fighter.
"Jacob?" Sam shook his head.
"Just wait until you see her" Jake interrupted "Then say what you gotta say"
"Sounds fair enough, Sam" Seth commented
"Shut it, kid" Sam ordered "If I'm not convinced, she leaves in the morning" he added to Jake
"Ok" Jake answered, knowing well what Lil was capable of.
Jake phased back behind the trees and walked over to Lil, who was lounging between Tink and Blondie as they watched Emmett and Jasper.
"How'd it go?" Lil asked as Jake sat, wrapping his arms around her
"Not too bad" he answered "They're not totally convinced though"
"They will be" Blondie smirked "Emmett?" she called "Wanna spar with Lil?"
"I promise to go easy on you" Lily laughed
"I will if you promise not to" he smiled, flashing his fangs
"You're on" Lily laughed as she got up. The pack did so too.
"You wanted to be convinced" Alice yelled out "Now sit down and let her do her thing"