Synchronous Rotation: Always Facing

Chapter 10

Dela, Johnney Cleg, Jacob/Edward

One day I looked up and there you were, like a simple question looking for an answer.

"Where were you leading me?"

Jacob smiled, something he hadn't stopped doing for the past four hours. "North Dakota, of course," He furrowed his brow, trying to imagine it. "Somewhere near a place called Towner?" 'I have a map somewhere.'

Edward raised an eyebrow. "And I'm guess that's where you are taking me now?"

"Well, yeah. She'd kill me otherwise," He suddenly looked like he swallowed a lemon.

Edward rolled his eyes to the sky. "Alice. I see."

Jacob was sheepish. "I was halfway out of Washington when she called. She said there would be no point in me finding you, because unless I brought you to your family, she would murder me while I slept," He paused. "I don't know how she got my phone number."

Edward snorted. "She might be the most dangerous of us all."

"I didn't know what I was going to do anyway, but after she threatened me, I got the idea of luring you into North Dakota," He gave a small grin. "She also told me about how far away I should be with you noticing, but not really hearing," He shook his head. "I would never have believed that you could read my mind from five miles away. But she kept calling me to tell me where you were."

Edward nudged his shoulder. "But you didn't exactly lead me home."

"I wanted to talk to you alone first."

It reminded Edward. "Oh, I should ask how it went with your father."

Jacob shrugged, looking down. "It was…fine. I can't really expect things to go back to the way they were used to. But, he did ask me to call him when I found you," His words were soft and Edward could tell he was pleased to find his father still cared.

"We'll have to go back soon, then."

The shifter didn't look at Edward, but smiled to the ground. He nudged his hand in Edwards. 'If that's alright.'

The vampire gripped it tightly. "Of course," He'd have to still get used to it. Jacob was almost more eager than Bella to be close. But Edward wasn't in the habit of having people touch him, especially Jacob. With him and Bella, it was always Edward who put an arm around her, or took her hand, or kissed her. He supposed he would have many years to get used to receiving affection as well as giving it. He grinned at the thought.

"What is it?"

"I'm just glad you're immortal."

Jacob flushed, but smiled back. "Whatever makes you happy."

"But what about me? What about my happiness!" They both were startled at the new voice and Edward winced as Alice came charging towards them. Instinctively, Edward pushed Jacob behind himself and braced for an impact.

He was surprised when Alice stopped just in front of him, pulled out his cell phone from his pocket, and switched it on. Still glaring coldly, she handed it back. He took it, looking at her warily. With a strange calmness, she dialed on her phone and pressed it to her ear.

Edward's phone, naturally, began to ring. He stared at it, wondering if it would explode or otherwise harm him. But Alice was still glaring and it was still ringing. Hesitantly, Edward answered. "Alice?"

"You are a big fat jerk! And if you ever consider turning off this phone again and I will personally install one in your brain!" She flipped off her phone and gave him a satisfied smirk.

Edward was pretty sure there wasn't the technology for that and he was pretty sure that wouldn't stop Alice from trying. "I'm sorry?"

She turned up her nose at him and instead turned to Jacob, who had crept out from behind Edward. Swiftly she kissed him on both cheeks and he flinched, unaccustomed to affection from other vampires. "Thank you for being such a nice, considerate person who listens and cares and brings back a lying, annoying, insufferable brother to his family."

Jacob grinned, appreciating that her callous tone wasn't directed towards him. "Any time."

She smiled sweetly and turned around, leading them forward. Jacob smirked at Edward and the vampire wondered if he should fear the two of them in the future. He settled for rolling his eyes, then paused. "But haven't I come back in fifteen days? So I didn't delay any more than you said I would."

She scoffed. "But you were only going to come back if I called Jacob. It's still seriously inconsiderate!"

Edward stepped up to walk beside her. "So you knew all along you would have to call Jacob?"

"Of course not, I saw only darkness," She glanced back at the werewolf, still following behind. "But I made an educated guess," 'Especially when most of our future kept blacking out. I figured he'd be around for awhile.'

"I suppose that makes sense."

"Hey, just because you can read minds doesn't mean you should use it to talk about me secretly!" Jacob was only half serious, but Edward stepped back to nudge his shoulder. He was beginning to wonder if he got the habit from Jacob.

"It was nothing offensive."

Alice snorted. "Yeah right! You do realize what a favor I'm doing, Edward," She whirled around, walking backwards gracefully. "While you have your pet, I can't see anything!"

Jacob was both insulted by her choice of words, and somewhat pleased. The contrasting emotions gave his face an odd grimace. Edward simply addressed his sister, "You know you like him, Alice. I mean, look at all this hair you can play with," Jacob looked ready to die when Edward flicked a couple of strands and Alice's eyes lit up brighter than any child's.

"I suppose you have a point. He does need a good bath, but there is potential, definite potential."

'Oh God, what have I signed up for?'

Edward chuckled and Alice sent him a pleased look. He didn't know what she was so happy about, but they had arrived at the house and he was immediately enveloped in a hug from Esme.

He could barely see the large country home as his mother kissed his face with an excited fervor. "Oh, Edward! You're back!" He appreciated being greeted in such a manner, compared to Alice's greetings.

He held her back. "You've not changed, Esme."

She looked at him, her golden eyes critical, but loving. "You have. Just look at the state of you two!"

Edward glanced at Jacob, who hung back nervously. The werewolf looked much worse than Edward, but the vampire was in desperate need of a new change of clothes. "Esme, I'd like to introduce you to Jacob Black."

Without hesitation, she reached forward and pulled him into a hug. Edward could tell she didn't appreciate the werewolf scent, but her caring nature overrode any disgust. "I've heard so much about you, Jacob."

"Really?" Jacob was still nervous, being in the arms of a vampire he's never met before. But he kept himself still and polite.

Sensing this, Esme stepped back. "Yes, Alice can't see you very well, of course. But we've seen the changes in Edward."

"Changes?" Edward interjected.

Esme traced a finger along his cheek. "Of course, my dear." 'You are home, aren't you?'

Edward smiled and took her hand in his. "The house looks beautiful," It was magnificent against the open plains and farmland. It was larger than their home in Forks, as it didn't need to be constrained by trees, and it had more of the Southern plantation home style.

She looked back to it. "Yes, it's a shame we will be moving soon. We're considering keeping it, but Alice is threatening mutiny if we move back here again someday," Edward looked around, but Alice seemed to have trotted off behind the house in search of something.

"To Toronto?"

She nodded. "Rosie and Emmett are there now," She kept her eyes trained on the house. 'I think they still need to get used to the idea of living with a werewolf.'

"Perhaps they will live in a separate apartment?"

She smiled. "That sounds perfect, then we will have more space to get to know each other." 'I have a feeling they have already decided on that.' She looked to Jacob, standing awkwardly behind them. "It will be nice to have someone who can run errands for us during the day. It's so nice to be in a big city, but so tricky as a vampire."

"Errand dog! I like that!" Alice had returned and with the garden hose in tow.

To Jacob's credit, it took him the same amount of time as Edward to realize he was in serious danger. Still, he hadn't the time to run before Alice turned the hose on him. She must have tinkered with it, Edward thought, It's as powerful as a fire hose.

Jacob was trying to out sprint Alice around the house, not wishing to run completely off the borders without Edward, but also not enjoying being hosed down by a giggling vampire. Edward shouted to her as she tried to corner Jacob by the eves. "I thought you said you were going to be nice!"

She shrieked in laughter as she nailed him and he went running around the house. "I never promised that! And there is no way I'm letting a dog with muddy paws inside the house!"

They disappeared around the corner of the house and Edward watched as a variety of colored hoses followed. She must have connected them all. Perhaps he can't outrun her if she has a hundred yards of tubing.

Esme laughed quietly and began walking up the steps, Edward followed. "Where's Jasper?"

"Hunting, I believe," 'I think he's a bit nervous.' "He'll be back by this evening, Alice told me."

"And Carlisle?" Esme opened the door for him into the expansive entry hall.

"He's in his office. He'll be expecting you," She smiled and kissed him on the forehead. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to shut off the water supply."

"Thank you," He held on to her wrist. "I mean, really, thank you for understanding and being good to Jacob."

She stroked his knuckles. "Thank you for letting him bring you home, my Edward."

She disappeared down the hall and Edward followed the cool scent of Carlisle to find his office. He didn't knock, he could hear his father's thoughts already thinking about him. But he hesitantly entered, anyway.

It was like walking back into Forks, Carlisle always decorated the same. The vampire himself sat comfortably in his chair, smiling as Edward entered the room. 'You look well, Edward.'

The younger vampire smiled, leaning on the desk. "I feel well."

Carlisle spent a moment, just looking at him. His eyes somehow of a proud parent. Edward could never pretend to understand how such a group of vampires could consider each other as blood family. "It's good to see you."

"It's good to hear you."

Carlisle chuckled. 'Somehow, I've missed you being able to read my mind.'

Edward walked over and sat on the desk in front of him. "I've missed reading your mind. It's hard to find someone so articulate."

The compatible silence was broken by the front door banging open and a brief scuffle before moving to another part of the house. 'I believe your friend is being taken care of.'

"Hmm? I can't believe how friendly Alice is being."

"I think she's been looking forward to having someone else she can pick on who isn't as delicate as…well," Carlisle looked somewhat embarrassed, it didn't suit him.

"Bella," Edward murmured. "It's okay to talk about her."

'Do you want to talk about her?'

Edward closed his eyes. "Maybe not today. It's exhausting and I've already had a confrontation with Jacob this morning," Though that suddenly seemed like an eternity ago. He could believe that just several hours before, he had only begun to come to terms with his feelings with the shifter.

"Do you want to talk about Jacob?"

Edward opened his eyes. "He's…unexpected."

Carlisle leaned forward, tilting his chin to keep eye contact. "Matters of the heart tend to be." 'Esme was unexpected. And I'm sure Alice was to Jasper.'

Edward smiled. "It'll probably take some time to get used to."

"For us to get used to him or for you?"

"Both."

Carlisle laughed softly and leaned back in his chair. "Tell me about him."

Edward absently straightened some paper's on the desk. "Do you know what an imprint is?"

'No, I don't think so,' "My knowledge of werewolves is limited at best," His eyes were bright with curiosity and Edward resisted a smile. Carlisle had an insatiable need for knowledge and he probably was more excited about having a new specimen in the house than anyone else.

"It's a compulsive thing. He saw me, I guess, and something clicked inside him. He wasn't attracted to me or anything, he just couldn't leave me alone," He traced a paperweight, a shell from a small island off the coast of Brazil. "It's like he suddenly noticed me, noticed anything about me."

'Do you think he fell in love with you because of the imprint?' Carlisle had a habit of asking more personal questions through his mind. Edward could never tell if he was trying to be discrete or just nervous of voicing it aloud.

"I don't know about love. But I don't think it was the imprint. It helped, of course," He paused. "Bella once described it as the same way I was attracted to her because of her scent and her…mind," He hated thinking about that. "So his imprint intrigued him towards me, I guess."

Carlisle was watching Edward's finger slowly trace the lines of the shell. "And what did you think of that?"

He forced his hand to lie still on his thigh, hating how fidgety he was. "It was annoying and I was really preoccupied with Bella. But we talked a lot and it was…nice," He looked back to Carlisle. "I haven't figured it all out."

He put his hand on Edward's. "But you have brought him here."

The younger vampire smiled slightly. "Yeah, I suppose I did."

Carlisle sighed, a sign that he knew Edward wanted to stop talking. "Well, you should go see to you imprinter," Edward winced at the word, which made Carlisle grinned. "I might talk to him about imprints later, if you don't mind. It sounds fascinating."

Edward hopped off the desk as Carlisle stood up. "I don't mind, but I'll give Jacob warning, all the same."

The older vampire, his father, smiled gently before pulling Edward into a close embrace. It was not often that Carlisle hugged his first son, but it was always the same. They bodies were cold, but it felt warm between them. Carlisle was put a hand on Edward's head, keeping him close. "Welcome home, Edward."

He didn't reply, not really needing to.

A distant commotion in the house separated them and Carlisle led him out of the office. "I think its time you comfort your imprinter."

He grimaced. "Stop saying that."

'But it has such a nice ring to it.'

Edward rolled his eyes, walking away as Carlisle went to go find Esme. It didn't take long, even in the massive house, to find Jacob. The wolf's scent stood out in the vampire household. The shifter was currently hiding in the bathroom, barricading the door as Alice tried to break it down.

"Come on, Jakey! I've got to make sure you are clean enough to be suitable for us! Not all of us can tolerate bad dog smell!" Alice was pounding on the door, making the walls groan.

"Stop calling me that! I'm clean, just leave me alone!"

Stiflingly any laughter, Edward approached the door. "I think you've had enough fun, Alice. Cut him some slack, he's had a harder journey than me."

She pouted. 'Did you see how much mud was in his hair?'

"Alice," He warned. "I'll make sure he doesn't leave any tracks. Besides, shouldn't you find Jasper?"

'You always cheat.' She did want to find Jasper and make sure he would be alright with their new guest. But messing with someone as naïve as Jacob was hard to resist. "Fine, take away my fun! Bring him to the room at the end of the hall." 'It's yours.'

Edward rolled his eyes as she skipped away, her mind happily trained on her lover. He turned to the door. "The monster is gone, you can come out now."

Jacob hesitated, smelling the cracks around the door to make sure Edward wasn't lying. He slowly opened the door, still looking wary. "I can't believe Bella named her daughter after her."

"Oh, I can believe it. You just can't see it yet because Alice Newton was still young," He paused. "And not a vampire," Edward opened the door further, noticing that Jacob looked remarkably better after a shower. His eyes were still dark with exhaustion. He only had a towel and his hair was still dripping. Edward took his hand and led him down the hallway.

"Yeah, the vampire thing makes a difference. She is so strong for being so tiny," His eyes were wide as he took in the house. He hadn't a good look at it before because Alice had dragged him to the bathroom to continue his 'bath'. He had been shocked by the size of the bathtub alone.

Edward opened the door to his room, distinguishable by the scent of Alice that permeated it. He probably could have found it even without her direction. "This is my room, there are probably clothes in here for you to wear."

Jacob had stopped at the door way, trying to comprehend that one room could fit such a massive bed and a closet as big as his father's kitchen. Edward could only guess that his family saw it fitting that he would get a larger room to accommodate two people. "Why would there be clothes for me?"

Edward walked into the giant closet, rooting around for something comfortable. "You will find that Alice has a habit of over preparing. If there was even the slightest hint that you could even just be visiting, she would have an entire wardrobe for you," He found some pajamas and another towel. When he came back into the man room, Jacob was still standing at the doorway.

The vampire grinned and threw the clothes on the bed and casually shut the door. "You're going to have to get used to this. Once you've lived for a couple hundred years, money has less significance."

Jacob was still shocked, staring at the bed that wouldn't be able to fit in his room. Edward sighed and threw the towel on him and began to vigorously dry his wet hair. 'Hey! Careful!'

Edward ceased, rather surprised that he enjoyed the view of a rumpled Jacob. "Pay more attention then."

Jacob glared at him for a moment, but he couldn't seem to hold it. "Just this morning I was sleeping on the ground." 'It's all so unreal.'

Edward only nodded and tugged his hand towards the bed. "You should rest then. I doubt you slept very well the past couple of days."

'I should call my dad.' But he was already easing himself on the bed, only pausing to pull on the pajama pants as Edward carefully averted his eyes. Jacob was obviously too exhausted to care.

"Call him when you wake," Edward pulled the blankets over the shifter. "Do you need anything to drink?"

"Hmm," 'No.' He shoved all the pillows out of the way and pushed the blankets back down before settling himself. He was lying on his stomach, looking up at Edward. "Well?" 'I get really hot when I sleep, werewolf thing.'

Edward leaned over on the mattress. "No, you just want to make sure I won't leave you again."

'That and if you leave me, I think Alice will do unspeakable things to me.' He rested his head down, savoring the soft mattress.

He grinned. "Can't have that."

Jacob reached over and grabbed his hand, yanking him down. He didn't pull the vampire towards him, but he held the hand and arm against his chest, cradling it. Edward watched Jacob slowly drift off to sleep; his thoughts shifting into pleasant blur and his warm heart steady beneath Edward's palm.