Epilogue! I am so amazed at how far this story has gone. I know I slack on updates but I am very grateful for all of you who have stuck with me 'till the end. I am most likely going to rewrite a lot of the beginning chapters and re-post it just because I am not pleased with the beginning. Once again thank you sooooo much. I hope I get better at updating because I know it sucks when you want to know what happens next but the author won't update. One more thing there are some pretty hot scenes in this chapter but they aren't full blown sex scenes. I marked them (there are three marks) with bold notices so if you don't want to read my lemonette then skip down to the last one. By the way UDub is a nickname for The University of Washington.
Keep in mind that Jacob and Bella are imprinted; it may seem a bit over dramatic when they say goodbye (you'll see why) but I figured it would be over dramatic because their imprint bond is so strong. Okay, here we go…
Epilogue
Bella's POV
Jacob and I walked down the beach, away from the fire pit and the noise. I knew it was late at night, and I knew Charlie would be expecting me home soon, but I really didn't care. I was on a cloud. I couldn't believe all of the events that had taken place in such a short amount of time. I looked up at Jacob. He was looking at me, the moon light making his skin look silvery. The wind was blowing his short black hair back slightly. He looked at me and smiled, and I smiled back. We found our piece of driftwood and sat down. The silence was comfortable, everything was comfortable with Jacob. Finally I looked at Jacob again to find him looking back at me. No words were exchanged, they didn't need to be. I knew we were feeling the same happiness.
"Hey Bells." Jake said with a smile on his face.
"Yeah?" I replied.
"We're getting married." He said.
"I know. It's crazy right. I mean I never thought I would get married so young. But then I never thought I would fall in love with a vampire, turn into a zombie, and fall in love with my werewolf best friend. Forks is just full of surprises." I said. It was so true. I remember dreading coming to Forks and now I couldn't bear to leave it. Jacob laughed at my statement and kissed me gently.
"I always knew I was going to marry you." he said when we pulled away.
"Really, how? Better yet, when?" I asked.
"I knew when we were five and you agreed to play with me in the mud. I had asked every girl I knew at school if they wanted to play in the mud and they would always say it was gross and they didn't want to get dirty. So when you said yes I just knew that you were one of a kind and that I had to have you. You were beautiful too, and funny. I remember I was so happy when you laughed at one of my jokes. And then when you went away and my mom died I was so sad. But I would just think of you and I would cheer myself right up. When you came back I was extremely happy. I tried not to show it though, I didn't want you think I was creepy. I don't think I did a very good job though." he said smiling at me.
"You did pretty well. You seemed like you were interested in being my friend. Not at all desperate or creepy." I said playfully.
"Really because I was desperate. I wanted you to like me so much. I yearned for you to accept me in your life and I hoped that even after all this time you would still feel close to me, trust me like you had before you left. When you started to ask about the Cullens I figured it was harmless curiosity. When you started going out with him and stopped coming to see me I kinda freaked out. I had these crazy mood swings and I always felt angry. I think I might have closer to phasing. Quil and Embry said I had PMS." he said and I laughed and then gave him a gentle rub on his bicep.
"I'm sorry. I didn't even realize I hadn't seen you. But then again, I didn't realize anything when I was with Edward. It was just him and me. I couldn't see past him for some reason. I was obsessed." I said.
"It's fine." he said. I could tell that he was absorbing what I said. He waited a few seconds before continuing.
"Any way, when he left you and I heard from Billy that you were missing I was so scared. I didn't know what had happened to you, I didn't know if you had been taken or killed. I was going crazy. When they found you and I saw that you were so pale. You had tears on your cheeks and your eyes were red from crying. You leaned into Sam and then into Charlie as he took you in the house. When I found out that that Edward had left you and he was the cause of all of your pain I wanted to kill him for hurting you. I was ready to go and comfort you that night but Billy told me to wait until you were ready and came to me, so I did. And after hearing what seemed like hundreds of horror stories from Charlie, you came."
"You looked so broken Bella. It hurt me to see you so weak. But you started to get better and you began to smile again. I thought I was finally going to have you and then he called and next thing I know he's going to kill himself and you're already gone. You went back to him and I was so angry with you. When you called me in tears I was ready to tell you off, but when I noticed you were crying I had to ask what was wrong. He had hurt you again and you needed me again to help you. I was more than happy to. Now look at us. After everything you are here with me, and I'm getting married. I feel like the dream I had when I was a little kid is finally coming true." he said all of this while looking out into the waves.
"I'm sorry." he said turning to me.
"I sound like a fucking sap."
"Hey, hey," I pulled his eyes up to meet mine and gave him a kiss on his lips. "You don't sound like a sap. It was so sweet what you said. I like knowing what your feelings were, are when it comes to that time in my life. Even if I'm ashamed of some of my actions. Thank you for sharing that with me." I said.
"It was nothing but the truth." He replied. "Come on Bells, it's getting late, Charlie will have my ass if I don't have you home soon." Jake said.
"Is he going to have your ass or are you going to give it to him?" I asked. He looked at me with wide eyes and I gave him a sly smirk at his surprised expressions.
"Oh now you're going to get it." he said with that gleam in his eye. I began to back up.
"Oh, I thought you were gonna get it. I mean I don't want to take that experience from you. You should have told me sooner that was what you wanted. I have a feeling that Mike wouldn't be opposed to helping you out as long as I told him I would kiss him after. Then again I want you all to myself, so I'll have to get a dildo or something and we can just make it work." I said and Jake growled and slowly made his way towards me.
"Okay, okay fine, Charlie can have your ass, but I get everything else... Jake stop it. Come on I was just kidding." I said, but he was still stalking closer.
"It's a little late for that Bells." He said.
"Jake, come on! It's night time, it will be cold!" I said. He was backing me up closer and closer to the water's edge.
"Jake… Jacob… JACOB!" I screamed and started to run. He caught me and lifted me up into a fireman's lift and made his way back towards the water edge.
"Do not throw me in there Jake." I said.
"What's the magic word?" he asked.
"Please?" I said and before I knew it I was soaking wet and freezing.
"JACOB EPHRAIM BLACK!" I screeched. I looked around to find him laughing above me.
"You need to say pretty please to make up for something like that." He said with a shit eating grin on his face. I got up and quickly jumped onto his back. It threw him off balance and we both ended up soaked. When I was coherent again I looked at Jake and he looked at me for a long moment before we just busted out laughing. He got up and helped me out of the water before we started walking to our car. Everyone had long gone by now and it was 12:30 in the morning. Jake and I walked hand in hand for a little while until he noticed my teeth were chattering.
"Shit Bells, I'm sorry. You told me you would be cold. Hold on." We stopped for a moment and he took off his shirt and tucked the neck hole into his back jean pocket before picking me up and crushing me to his chest.
"Better?" he whispered in my ear.
"Much." I replied, and he walked us back to the car. He turned the heater on blast the whole way home. We got out of the truck and he walked me toward the door.
"Could you just go up to my room right now? I'll be there in a sec." I asked.
"Sure, I don't have patrols tonight so it should be fine." he said before giving me a kiss and walking to the side of the house. I unlocked the door as silently as possible and tiptoed into the house only to find Charlie in his recliner.
"You were supposed to be in 45 minutes ago Bella." he said. Shit!
"Sorry about that dad, Jake and I kinda got lost. W-We were driving to this... this place and it was a picnic but on the way back we took a wrong turn." I stumbled out. Charlie didn't look like he bought it at all.
"Jake has been pretty good about getting you in on time so I'll drop it this once, don't let it happen again. You may be eighteen now but this is still my house." He said before turning out the lights and walking up the stairs.
"Goodnight, Bella." he said before entering his room. I let out a sigh of relief and went up to my room to find Jake on my bed laughing.
"Shut up Jake!" I said going up to my dresser to get my usual tank and sweats.
"Oh my god Bells, we really need to work on your lying. You sounded like you were choking!" He said, quietly laughing still.
"Oh like you could do much better mister PMS." I retorted.
"Hey, it's not my fault you suck at lying. And that wasn't my fault either, Bella withdrawal is not healthy." he said with a grin. I had to giggle at that. He was too cute to stay mad at so with a smile over my shoulder I walked out of the room. When I came back in my tank and sweats I put my dirty wet clothes in the hamper to wash in the morning but he noticed that my bra was on top of the pile. Stupid, stupid Bella! He cocked an eyebrow at me and that smirk came across his face.
"Oh shut up." I said and threw a pillow at him. He caught it and put it down next to him on the bed for me. I smiled and climbed into bed. Jacob put his arms around me and I closed my eyes. Just as I was about to fall asleep I heard Jacob whisper, "Hey Bells?"
"What?" I whispered back.
"I told you so." he said and I couldn't help but smile. He told me that everything would be alright, and it was.
I laughed softy before drifting off into a peaceful sleep.
~Epilogue~
I awoke in the morning with Jacob's arms around me. I was currently drawn into his chest, one of his big arms around my waist and my arms drawn into my chest. I looked up at his face from my position. He looked so peaceful as he slept, like the 16 almost 17 year old he really is. I reached up and traced my index finger up his chest, around his pecks, up his arm, up his cheeks to his hairline, down his nose, and around his perfect lips.
I was so entranced by Jacob that I didn't notice he was awake. As my finger was tracing his lips he gently kissed it and I gasped. He took advantage of my slightly open mouth and took the opportunity to kiss me. Without missing a beat he pushed his tongue into my mouth and I moaned. He brought me closer to his body until there was no space between us and kissed me with force. I felt the tip of his tongue gently but assertively wrestle with mine. I let him win and then sucked his bottom lip into my mouth and he moaned.
"No fair." he said against my lips and I gently laughed. I rolled us slightly so I was on top of him. Our kisses got more heated and I felt his hand cautiously sneak its way under and up my shirt but at the moment I didn't care. When his hand came to my breast he was hesitant at first so I massaged my tongue with his to let him know it was okay.
(A.N. Things start to get pretty hot. It's pretty close to inappropriate.)
I felt his hand move over my breast and I gasped. He paused but kept going after some persuasion. He started kneading my breast over the bra before dipping under and pinching my nipple. I gasped again and moaned pushing my breast into his hand. He took his lips away from mine and began to kiss and suck on my neck as he snuck his other hand up and paid some attention to my other breast. I moaned again and reached behind me taking off the bra. It was my favorite one but right now it was just getting in the way. Noticing the absence of my bra he pulled away from my neck and looked me in the eye.
"Bells, a-are you sure?" he asked.
"Not entirely." I said truthfully. I know that any other teenage girl would of had sex with a gorgeous man that had asked her to marry him, but for some reason I just couldn't.
"I understand." He said, sweetly kissing my lips, but I saw some of the light that had been in his eyes die out.
"Jacob, it has nothing to do with you. I love you and I trust you with my life, but my virginity is something I'm just not ready to give up yet. I'm sorry, I know that you having to wait for me is hard, I get it. But do you really want to take me in my small full size bed with my dad next door or in a nice private place where it's just you, me, and no distractions. A place where we can express what we feel without having to be quiet." I said looking into his eyes. He moved a piece of hair out of my face.
"Honey you don't have to explain anything to me, and waiting for you to feel comfortable is not a burden on me at all. When I said I understand I meant it. I will never push you. And I get where you're coming from, and you're right. This isn't where I want this to happen. Don't stress." He said with a gentle smile as he tried to get up but I pushed him back down.
(WARNING: May be a bit inappropriate.)
"Jake I said I wasn't ready for sex, I'm all for fooling around." I said. He gave me a full on Jacob grin as I brought my lips back to his. He flipped us so I was on bottom and wasted no time in bringing his arms back to their position on my breasts and mine roamed his broad chest.
"Jacob." I groaned quietly as he began to kiss down my neck and reached my chest. He ran his mouth over my covered nipple and I reached the hem of my shirt before pulling it off. I closed my eyes, waiting for Jacob to touch them, so when it didn't come I opened them and found him staring at them in awe.
"Fuck Bells, you're so beautiful." he said before taking a nipple in his mouth. We both groaned from the contact. He sucked and nipped my right breast while gently kneading the other before switching. I played with the hem of his shirt and he broke away from my chest to pull it off. I ran my hand down his chest pushed him back lightly so I was on top again. I kissed my way from his belly button and traced my tongue around his sculpted abs and he groaned.
"Shit Bells." he said and his breathing picked up. To think that I could have this effect on me made me feel empowered and I continued up his stomach, leaving trails of kisses as I made my way up his body.
When I got to his chest I found his nipples and traced my tongue around both and he gasped. I smiled and repeated the motion before making my way up to his neck. There I sucked the supple skin into my mouth. I kissed and nipped all of the skin there and made my way up to his ear before pulling his earlobe into my mouth and nibbling softly. I finally made my way down to his mouth and gave him a nice long kiss before I pulled away to look at him. His eyes were dark and filled with lust, his face contorted into an expression of pleasure. I felt so wound up after feasting on Jacob, and he noticed. He moved his hand down to my burning core and I grinded into his hand.
"We're not going to have sex, but I wanna try something." he said. I just nodded giving him the ok and he moved forward. I felt his warm hand creep down my exposed stomach and stopping at my panties giving me plenty of time to stop him. When I didn't he dipped his hands into my panties. I began to pant as his hand found my clit and he started to rub.
"Mmmm." I moaned as he picked up pace. I felt like everything was building up inside me was about to explode. Jacob seemed to know because he pulled my nipple into his mouth and I had to put my hand over my mouth as I moaned just in case Charlie was still here. He inserted a finger into my slit and I felt my body tremble as I rode out what I now know was my first orgasm. When I came down from my high I noticed Jacob's hand was still in my panties. When he brought it out his finger was wet with my cum.
"Bells, can I taste you?" he asked. I was surprised that he would even want to. It looked disgusting.
"Um, sure." I said and watched him bring his fingers to his mouth. He groaned upon tasting it.
"You taste so good honey." he said before cleaning his fingers off, and I have to admit the site of him eating my cum made me a little horny. Then there was a loud bang downstairs and we both stilled. It was Charlie. After a few seconds we heard the sound of the cruiser starting up and we relaxed.
(A.N. Ok it's done.)
"We should probably shower." I suggested.
"Yeah, you go first, I'll wait here." Jake said. I nodded and grabbed my clothes before hopping in the shower. In the shower I was immediately assaulted with images of Jacob and I in my room. His hands, his mouth on my breast. This no sex thing is going to be a hell of a lot harder than I thought it would be. I thought as I dried off and opened the door. After letting Jacob know that the bathroom was open I went downstairs to make us some breakfast. I was in the middle of the eggs when Jacob came downstairs and wrapped his arms around my waist from behind me.
"That smells amazing Bells." he said into my ear.
"Thanks." I said. The eggs were almost done so I turned the heat on low. I let out a shriek, surprised as Jacob turned me to face him.
"Jacob, I'm cooking!" I said smiling.
"I know, but I just wanted to tell you that what we just did was absolutely amazing." He said and took my lips in his sweetly before pulling back.
"I thought so too. Thank you again for being so understanding." I said. It was really hard to find a guy that would be okay with just fooling around. They don't come along that often, especially in my generation. Every guy thinks it's important to be a player and have sex with as many girls as he can with few exceptions. Jacob was one of those exceptions. I turned around and saved my eggs before they started burning and Jacob set the table.
We ate breakfast in a comfortable silence. When we were done Jacob helped me with the dishes.
"So, about this marriage thing. I think we should wait till we're both out of school. I know it's going to be a while but, it would be best for both of us." he said while we put the dishes in the dish drain to dry.
"Yeah, that makes sense." I said. Truthfully, I had completely forgotten that Jake was still in school. I was thinking about wedding plans already and I was a little disappointed, but I understood.
"So, how much time are we talkin' here?" I asked him as I handed him another dish.
"In two years. When I graduate from high school. It would make more sense to wait until we are both out of college but I can't wait that long." he said with a small smile.
"Alright." I said while handing him the last dish.
"So have you gotten accepted to any colleges?" he asked as we dried our hands and made our way to the couch.
"Yes, I was going to go to Washington State, but I got my acceptance to UDub a few days ago and that's a bit closer." I said, trying my best not look into his eyes. However, Jake wasn't having that. He pulled me into his lap and lifted my chin to make me look at him.
"Bella, what other universities did you get accepted to?" He asked seriously.
"The University of Florida, Dartmouth, Stanford, Georgia State University, Washington State, and a few other small colleges but it doesn't matter. I'm staying in Washington." I said definitely.
"No you're not Bella. Those are very good schools. I'm not going to let you give that up because you want to stay close." he said with the same tone.
"Look I never wanted to go to those schools. Edward just applied to them for me using my essay that I had already written. I planned on staying here in the first place. University of Washington is a good school. There are only three colleges I applied for on my own, Stanford, University of Florida, and U Dub, and I don't want to go to the others."
"Stanford is a good school and it's a fair distance away from here so I could visit if I really wanted to, but I only picked that one just in case something happened here and I couldn't bear to be in the state any longer. I applied to Florida because my mom practically begged me to but I don't really want to go. I'm going to U Dub, they have a good English program there and the tuition is cheaper than Stanford's. It's the best choice for me, especially considering that the drive from the university to Forks is only a few hours." I explained. Jacob looked away for a long moment and sighed, turning his head back to me.
"Are you positive that's what you want?" he asked with concern in his eyes.
"Completely." I said, giving him a small kiss to prove my point.
"Alright." he said in a dreary voice, but I knew he was happy inside.
"Come on. It's okay to be happy about this." I said in a teasing manner. He stuck his bottom lip out and shook his head back and forth.
"No." he said in a childish tone.
"Aww come on Jakey." I said and poked him in his side. He squirmed away and leapt off of the couch.
"No." he shouted again and took off running. I laughed and started chasing him. He went around the living room, through the kitchen, opened the door and went around the house, and came back in before I finally caught him. Well, he slowed down so I could catch him and I jumped on his back exhausted. He chuckled, swung me around so I was facing him and holding onto his neck, before lying down on the couch with me on top of him. After a few moments of silence Jacob finally said, "Yeah, I'm happy."
"You… couldn't have...told me... before I chased you around... the whole god damn house?" I asked out of breath.
He just smiled and said, "You know you liked it. Besides, you got to look at my ass the whole time." he joked.
"Mmmm, so true." I said smiling.
"So, we'll get married in two years?" I asked, wanting the time finalized.
"Two years." he confirmed. I smiled and kissed him on the lips when a new thought entered my mind and I pulled back.
"Wait, the only reason I'm not having sex with you is because I'm waiting for us to get married so we got caught somehow we would have a decent excuse. So I'm going to be waiting two years?" I said exasperated.
"Yep that seems about right." Jacob confirmed.
"Well fuck, I'm not waiting that long." I said in the same tone and Jacob laughed.
"Okay so what's your solution to our problem," Jake asked. I thought for a moment before answering him.
"Alright, if you can promise we won't get caught we can start." I said. My worst fear was that Charlie or Billy would catch us in the act. I know I'm an adult now, but that doesn't change the fact that Charlie would still be angry. The man got mad ate for coming home late last night.
"Alright. I, Jacob Ephraim Back hereby promise that when you, Isabella Marie Swan, and I are having sex I will do everything in my power to make sure we don't get caught." Jake said while holding his right hand up.
We both laughed because the oath was such an unusual one, but it satisfied me. There was a small silence before I pulled Jacob to his feet and led him upstairs.
"Where are we going?" he asked.
"To get started. Charlie's not home and all that fooling around has me all hot and bothered. You're going to fix that." I said in a casual tone. I couldn't see Jacob's face but I knew he had my smile on his face.
"Hot and bothered Bells, really?" he said as he walked into my room. He was in front of me with one eyebrow cocked and a smile on his face.
"Shut up," was all I got out before I felt Jacob's hot lips on mine and heard the door close.
~Epilogue~
Ever since that day Jacob and I had sex very often, and I would be lying if I said I didn't initiate it sometimes. Okay, I started it most of the time but what can I say, Jacob is very talented. We christened every room in my house, besides my dad's room, and every room in his house including his dad's room. I know it sounds nasty and disrespectful but I had just gotten out of the shower with nothing but a towel wrapped around me when bumped into each other near his room and just couldn't wait.
No matter what Jacob always made sure we didn't get caught. Even the few times we had sex while my father was asleep or downstairs he made sure we stayed quiet and listened for Charlie. Sure there were a few close calls, but that just made it more exciting. He always wore protection because we both agreed to wait on the kids until after we were married and out of college. In September I went off to U Dub. That was a bittersweet day.
Clouds covered the sky as I put the last things into my dorm. Jacob had started school already but he had taken the day off just to help me. I scolded him for missing school but he and I both knew I was happy that he came. He also brought Embry and Quil and then half of the pack just tagged along, as well as my dad. They all came in a line of cars to drive me down the the University of Washington. I had a small going away party earlier in the week but it seemed like too long ago. Once the last box was safely stowed in my dorm I turned to say my final goodbyes. I went slowly down the line of people.
I had tears in my eyes by the time I got to my dad.
"Well, you're all packed up and ready to go." he said. I could tell he was trying not to cry.
"Yeah." We stood there in silence before I felt him pull me in for a hug.
"I'm gonna miss you Bells. My baby girl's all grown up." I could tell he was losing his battle to the tears.
"I'll be back dad. It's not that far away. I'll come back for all of the major holidays and on a few weekends, promise." I said, my voice shaky. I felt Charlie's hands tighten around me before letting me go. He stepped to the side and I turned to look at Jacob. His eyes were sad but his lips still held a small smile. I could feel myself starting to tear up so I turned to the guys and my dad.
"Could you give us a minute?" I asked.
They all nodded and slowly exited the room.
"We'll be down at the car." Embry said before giving me one last hug. "I'm gonna miss you." he whispered into my ear before he pulled away.
"You too Em." I said. Quil came in for a hug too and then yelled, "Don't do anything I wouldn't do! That is, unless I'm here to do it with you" from the doorway. I laughed because only Quil would say that. Embry rolled his eyes and left yelling, "Bye Bella." as he shut the door. I turned to Jacob as soon as they left. Usually in the movies, this would be the part where I jump into his arms and ask him to stay with me or where we have a hot sex romp right on the floor. But this wasn't a movie, and that's not how Jacob and I were. I knew I'd see him again, and he knew he would be seeing me. Yes, there was sadness, but we both knew this was going to happen and we both knew that we were going to just deal with it. So instead of having hot sex on the carpet and probably getting a rug burn or asking him to stay with me when I knew he couldn't, I studied his face. I took in all of his features and committed them to memory, so that when he was busy and I couldn't reach him, or when I missed him so bad it hurt, I could conjure his face and smile. We stood there for what seemed like hours but in reality, was only a few moments and just memorized each other's faces.
"Jake I-" I stopped, not knowing what to say. I didn't want to make it sound like it was good bye forever because it wasn't, but that's what it felt like.
"I know," he said.
"I just don't know what to say. I'm going to miss you so much, but you already know that. I've told you a million times but it still doesn't seem like enough. Maybe I'm scared because the thought of being away from you for more than a month causes my heart to ache in the most painful way, but there's nothing I can do now. I just have to suck it up and deal with it I guess." I said as the tears finally came cascading down my face. Jacob brought his hands to my face and wiped my tears away with the pads of his thumbs, as he has done so many times before.
"I know you're sad, I am too, but that doesn't change the fact that I am proud of you for getting here. This is the first step in a new life, our new life. It's just two years Bells, and then I'll be with you and we will be married. But you know that I will think about you every day and I will call so much you will be sick of me, and when you do get sick of me calling, I'll call some more to apologize for being such a desperate pansy. But the truth is I'm in love with you, so in love with you that the thought of me being a desperate pansy doesn't scare me or embarrass me. As long as I'm desperate for you." He said in a gentle voice, his loving words only making my tears flow more.
"I love you too, so much." I whispered, fearing that my voice would be too shaky if I talked normally. He smiled sadly and kissed me. I let go in that moment and let everything I wanted to say and everything I was thinking go as his lips moved softly against mine. His tongue came into my mouth and stroked mine softly, comforting me in his own special way. He pulled back after a few moments before softly bring my lips back to his in three gentle kisses and putting his forehead on mine.
"Be safe, and remember that I will always love you." he said. We held each other's gaze for a long moment before he unwillingly turned and left.
My college years went by quickly. I worked hard and managed to maintain a 4.0 GPA. I missed Jacob terribly of course but he stopped by at least once a month and filled me in on what was going on back home. I came down every time I got some time off and surprised him on the weekends sometimes. The first time Jacob came down I introduced him to my roommate Zoë. She was an odd ball but not the scary kind. You know the ones that are really bi-polar and can be really nice one minute but want to kill you the next. She either had black hair but had put blonde streaks in it or had blonde hair with black streaks in it, I could never really tell. She was really into heavy metal and screamo bands and constantly painted her nails black.
She wore a different band T-shirt and jeans combo to class every day and played the electric guitar in a band. Apparently she was from Tacoma, Washington. She would talk to herself sometimes, but again it wasn't really scary. It was just something she did. She did have a few outrageous outfits that broke her band T-shirt and jeans look sometimes but those were really crazy and usually only worn for special occasions. I always told her she was like the heavy metal version of Lady Gaga when she wore them. The first time she met Jacob she gave him a quick once over before looking at me with one eyebrow raised as if to say, "Really?" I didn't know if I should be offended or excited so I just nodded.
"Cool beans." Was all she said before she went to the cabinet and broke out the bottle of whiskey that she always seemed to have around. She drank constantly and was really good at holding her liquor but she could never get me to try. I was clumsy enough without the alcohol. After that first day she and Jacob began to warm up with each other, and while that probably should have made me nervous, it didn't. Zoë never looked at him like all the other girls did. She never ogled, she merely observed. The only guy I had ever seen her attracted to was the head singer of her band and the lead guitarist in the Foo Fighters. So that was how we lived for two years. Jacob would come down and, he, Zoë and I would all sit around and talk. Or I would go down there and we would go hang out like we used to do. Nothing really changed, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't happy when Jacob graduated.
I got out a few weeks ahead of him so I went back home and started planning my August wedding. I had never been much of a girly girl and didn't want some huge extravagant wedding, but it was still my wedding and I was excited about planning it myself, something I would have never been able to do had I married Edward because Alice would have taken complete control. Even though Alice was still one of my bride's maids, she understood that this was my wedding and I wanted to be a big part of the planning. Because the wedding was coming up on such short notice I got Emily, Kim, Alice, Angela, my mom, and even Leah to help me with everything. Since I didn't want a big wedding there was really no need to send out fancy invitations. The only people I really wanted there were the pack, Billy, Jacob's sisters, my parents, the Cullens, and Angela. They were the only people who were close to Jacob and me, even though I hadn't seen the Cullens since the newborn fight other than the day before I left for college. They said they didn't want to interfere to much in my life and moved to Alaska.
We got right to work on every detail you could think of. I decided to have our wedding at the beach by our drift wood log. It was where Jacob and I had spent so much time talking and just being together, it seemed like the perfect place. Leah actually brought it to my attention. Leah and I had been friends ever since I set her up with this guy on campus named Matt. He was a senior at UDub that had graduated that June and I thought they would be perfect for each other because he was quick with his words just like her. He owed me because I tutored him for free and helped him with all of his English papers and I somehow convinced Leah that it would be good for her. When they met it was like an instant connection. She didn't imprint on him, but you wouldn't know that with the way she talked about him. She had softened up a little since they had been dating.
The girls took me shopping, looking for decorations for the reception, which was going to be a bonfire. We got everything that we would need to set up and only spent about three hundred dollars. Next came the dress which was the hard part. I wanted to keep it simple and in my budget of about five hundred. When I told the woman at the bridal store this, her mouth popped open in shock. I asked her if she had anything that would fit my needs and she nodded and brought out the few dresses that were under my price limit. She thought that I was going to change my mind after seeing them, but there was one that caught my eye immediately. The first thing I noticed was the pattern. It was like there were a bunch of vines crawling up the dress and swirling around my chest area. They went all the way around the dress swirling and crossing beautifully. The only problem I had was that it was strapless, but the girls and convinced me that the dress would not fall down during the ceremony.
"That's what fittings are for." Angela said with all the certainty in the world so I got the dress for a mere three hundred dollars. We had gotten everything ready by the August first, which is a good thing because the wedding was supposed to be on August eighth. Since we were done early with all of the planning Jacob and I got to spend the days leading up to our wedding together. Most of the time we found ourselves at the beach or in his garage. Normally this would be the time when the anxiety cut through my happiness. When I would get cold feet because so much was about to change, but see that's the thing, nothing was going to change. I didn't have to give anyone or anything up; there was no immortality and giving up my own life to fit it with a select group of people. This was just Jake and Bells. That's how it's always been and how it always will be.
The wedding was beautiful. I had to admit that I had been so nervous , but once I got up there next to Jake, all of my butterflies flew away.
I was standing in the little corner of the room that was for the bride and the bride's maids. It was really just a large tent where I could get dressed. The brought in a few plastic mats to put on the ground so my dress wouldn't gather too much sand. I had gotten into my dress with the help of my bride's maids, Emily, Kim, Leah, Angela, and Alice. They all complained that I didn't have a maid of honor but I didn't want to have to choose between them, so I chose my mother. So there I was, in my little tent, with my simple white dress on and a small amount of make-up on my face. I had my hair curled and pinned up beautifully and suddenly I felt scared. I knew that things weren't going to change as drastically as they would have if I had been marrying Edward, but it just dawned on me that things could still change. Things between Jacob and I could change. He might not like married life, I might not like married life. I started hyperventilating; my breathing sped up along with my heart beat. My palms started to sweat and I felt like I was about to pass out any minute. Of course everyone noticed, who wouldn't notice a girl that's over in her own little world having a fit?
"Bella, sweetie you have to calm down." Emily said while rushing to my side. That helped a little bit but I was still having a mini panic attack.
"Bella, just calm down, everything will be fine." Leah said. Next thing I knew there was a huddle of girls around me all concerned for my well being. There was a litany of voices shouting, "Oh Bella honey just calm down," and, "Just breathe everything will be fine." I knew they were just trying to help but it was kind of making it worse so I closed my eyes. Finally my mother stepped in.
"Girls!" she shouted and all of the other voices stopped, the only sound to be heard was the rise and fall of the ocean waves.
"I think I know what's going on and I don't want you all to worry. Just give me a few moments alone with her and I promise she will be walking down that aisle with her father and I." There was a beat of silence and then everyone slowly filed out of the tent. Once everyone was gone my mother turned to me and I slowly opened my eyes. She was in one of the bride's maids dresses we had picked out. They were a pretty sea foam green color. I thought it was perfect seeing as we would be married at the beach. It cascaded down the body naturally and hugged every curve differently on every girl, making it a perfect fit for everyone. It was simple, like my dress. The only thing remotely fancy about the dress was the diamond embellishment around the rib cage a few inches below the breast. It was one of those dresses that tied around your neck like a bathing suit, of course I had complained that their dresses had straps and mine did not.
"Bella, I think I know what's wrong. I think you're scared of walking down that aisle and finding that everything is different from what you thought it would be. You never liked change. Which was one of the reasons I was so surprised that you suggested moving yourself to Forks for your last two years of high school. I was even more surprised that you didn't get whip lash from the change of temperature and scenery, never mind the way people were around here compared to the people in Phoenix. Anyway, my point is, that even though you don't like change, I have seen you change so much in the time you've spent here. When you and Edward were together you had changed a lot, whether you noticed it or not. You moved around him like he was everything to you. Like if he ever disappeared you would just break, which was odd because you were never one to be completely dependent on someone else. Then when he left, sure enough, you broke down completely. I know you think that the time he was away was horrible, but in a way it was the best thing for you. Once he left, you grew stronger. You shredded that need to be dependent on him and grew independent again. And in the process you managed to find Jacob, who I believe is a much better choice for you. You don't act like you did with Edward, always stressing out over where Edward was and how you could get there to, you act like yourself. It's much more natural, which is why you have no reason to be scared. You and Jacob have something special, and I know that if you change, he will be supportive of you, just like you would be if the situation was reversed. Marriage can change things for people; sometimes in can stress the relationship because married life isn't all you thought it would be. That's what happened with your father and I, but with you two, something is different."
"How do you know?" I asked.
"I don't know for sure, but let's just call it a mother's intuition." I stood there with my head down, taking in everything she had said. She was right, nothing would change. There was no deadline hanging over my shoulders in which I would say goodbye to everyone I knew and loved. I was ready for this. I lifted my head up and smiled.
"That's my girl. Now come on, you're father is waiting for you." She smiled at me and we turned to walk out of the tent when she stopped me.
"One more thing. Now I'm not trying to make you nervous or anything, but please try not to trip." My face paled a bit as I remembered that I actually had to walk down the aisle. But Renee just laughed and patted my arm.
"Oh come on now, it won't be that bad, at least you'll be bare foot." she pointed out and I nodded. That was the best thing about the beach setting. No heels. Together we walked out of the tent towards another one that was set up right in front of our short aisle. We walked in through the back to find all of the bride's maids and Charlie there. They didn't say much but I could tell that they were all relieved that I as okay. Before I knew it the music was starting up and the tent was empting slowly. My head was filled with all of these horrible scenarios, most of them ending with me tripping and ending up in the ocean but then my music pulled me from the mini horror film going on in my mind.
My mother and father looped their arms around mine and we began to walk. Renee had insisted that because I was their child they should both be able to give me away and after a few days, Charlie finally gave in. So with my mother and father by my side to support me I began to relax and take in everything. The sun was peaking through the clouds causing the water to sparkle. The rows of seats were currently occupied by all of my friends and soon to be family who were all smiling up at me, some of them even crying. I looked straight forward and finally saw him. Jacob was standing under a beautiful white latticed arch, and in between the latticed wood were hydrangeas, lilies, orchids, and sweet peas leaving a beautiful aroma in the air. Jacob was standing at the altar with Mr. Weber, Angela's father, behind him smiling. Quil and Embry were standing beside Jacob with huge smiles on their faces as well. When I finally got up to the altar both my father and my mother let go of me and put my hand in Jacob's and I finally relaxed all the way.
The ceremony went quickly as Jacob and I exchanged vows his far more beautiful than mine, and then I heard Mr. Weber say, "I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss you're bride." I looked up at Jacob expectantly. He smiled and brought his lips to mine in a soft, closed mouth kiss, thank god. I thought he and I were about to get it on with the way he had been talking in the days leading up to our wedding. But he didn't push it, and everything was absolutely perfect.
The reception was great. Jacob and I danced, horribly I might add. We stuffed cake into each other's mouths and I tossed the bouquet. Angela caught it and blushed furiously. It was almost as bad as mine had been when Jacob sat me down, stuck his head under my dress, and pulled out the garner. While that may seem bad, the worst part was when Quil caught it and claimed that he was going to hang it up over his bed to help with his dreams. He got punched by Jacob of course but it didn't stop the blood from rushing into my cheeks. Shortly after that we went off on our honeymoon. I knew Jacob couldn't afford anything really nice, but I was okay with that. I was expecting us to take a short trip to Seattle, but instead we were driven to the airport by Embry.
I was confused for the whole flight, but Jacob refused to tell me where we were going. Then we finally made it to our destination, California. We picked up our bags and a rental car once we got off a plane at the Long Beach Airport. When arrived I was confused and excited, but when we pulled up to the Hyatt hotel I just about lost it. I was very excited but at the same time I was worried about how we were going to pay for it. Jake assured me that we would not be coming out of pocket. Apparently this was our wedding gift from both of our parents and Jake's sisters. With the worry gone and the room to ourselves, things got a little crazy. We attacked each other once we got behind closed doors. That night alone we had sex six times. We slept very, very late the next morning and had an early dinner before we were at it again. Apparently we were going to be there for a week, thanks to our generous families. We spent a full three days in bed with each other, talk about getting a head start on baby making.
On the fourth day, we decided to go look around Long Beach. It really was amazing down there. It had been the home of many artists back in the 60s and 70s so there were tons of museums and public works of art. We walked down to this secluded part of the beach in the evening and just sat there watching the sun set. Jacob had brought candles with him and set them up around us as we stared off into the water. The water had to be the most amazing thing about the beach; it was such a vivid shade of blue. It was almost like the water was glowing, and I couldn't help but wonder if some of the water from the underwater cave had followed us all the way to California. I looked at Jacob to see him smiling, as if he was greeting an old friend. It was strange to think he had been here before but before I could read into it too much Jacob kissed me and that started what was day five, us in bed together again. For the other half of day five Jacob surprised me and took me to Disneyland. I had always wanted to go when I was little but I never got the chance. It was one of three things we paid for ourselves on the vacation.
The park was so much fun. We went on all the major rides like Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, The Matterhorn, Thunder Mountain, Indiana Jones, Star Tours and so on. By the end of the day I was incredibly tired. We sat and watched the outstanding firework show before driving home. The next day I took Jacob to Knott's Berry Farm, the second thing we paid for ourselves. Jacob said that he had always wanted to go just like I had always wanted to go to Disneyland. I went in expecting the rides to be like Disneyland, but of course I had the wrong mind set. These rides were extreme compared to Disneyland. The first one we went on was Ghost Rider; it was one of the biggest wooden roller coasters. That ride definitely woke us both up. The next one we went on was Montezooma's Revenge, then Xcelertor, Silver Bullet, Boomerang, Pony Express, Sidewinder, Jaguar, La Revolucion, Rip Tide, and with a lot of persuasion from Jacob, Supreme Scream. By the end of the day I had so much adrenaline rushing though my body that I was shaking, but it was so much fun.
That evening after we went back to the hotel and showered, Jacob took me out to one of the many beach side restaurants in Long Beach which was the third thing we paid for. We had a romantic dinner and went home that night so tired we didn't have the energy to have sex but once. On the last day Jacob decided we should do something to leave a lasting impression. I sweetly reminded him that I would never forget our honeymoon, but he told me he just wanted to do one more thing. So that is how I ended up tied to the end of a bungee at some place I'd never even heard of, and jumping off of the edge of some ledge with Jacob. If that doesn't leave a lasting impression then I don't know what does.
Once we got back home we both got to work. I only had two more years of college left while Jacob had four. He was double majoring in business and mechanics so he could open his own shop while I was in for both my English and teaching degree. We made it through those stressful years somehow, sure we fought but we always made up and before I knew it we were out in the real world. I was teaching English at Forks High and Jacob was fixing up the shop that he had bought after saving for a few years in college. Once we were out of college and things were going well in the shop, Jacob proposed the idea of us building our house right by First Beach. It sounded so much better than where we were currently, in a one bedroom apartment just outside of Forks. So we got to work. We got all of the supplies we needed and put together a small fund to start building our home.
It took about a year to complete it, but when I was done it was beautiful. The dark wood it was made with almost blending into the forest. We had left the dark brown color and decided to accent a few parts with this deep green color. It sounded strange to me at first but the end product was perfect. The kitchen was updated with granite counter tops and stainless steel appliances that I had picked out. The furniture and electronics were all new as well. We had put in five bedrooms and two three bathrooms, one in our master and two in the halls. I asked Jacob why he wanted so many rooms and he said he just had a feeling we would be needing them, I was skeptical but I didn't question it. I wasn't the only one who was suspicious. When Jacob saw all of the new appliances I bought he asked me where I got the money and I told him that the Cullens had been generous enough to lend us a little bit. He cocked an eyebrow and asked me how much. When I told him that we had been given five hundred thousand dollars he freaked out.
He started yelling at me, telling me I couldn't take that money. He said he didn't want to use the Cullens' money and that he wanted to provide for me and his family. I said it was a nice gesture and I wasn't about to turn it down because he was too proud to accept it, thus starting the week long fight we had. In the end, I got to keep everything. I told him we would need the money later, especially if we were planning on filling all of the rooms he had made in the house. Sure enough we did fill them. Our first child was Sarah Renee Black. I thought we should give her the name of Jacob's mother because she was such an extraordinary woman, and that's the kind of person I wanted my daughter to grow up to be. To me, Sarah looked just like Jacob. Sure, she had my eyes and my lips but that was only two features. She had Jacob's hair, his nose, his smile, his complexion. She was a mini Jacob and Jacob was a mini Sarah, it only seemed right. Sarah was very loud and cried often, sending loud shrieks into the night and early morning. When she was two, and I was eight months pregnant with my second child, she started to show her creative streak. She would arrange things and make a picture, and when she was coloring she would look at the picture like an adult would instead of a child.
This surprised me but for some reason, it did not surprise Jacob. We had fixed up Sarah's room and the new baby's room with the left over money from the Cullens much to Jacob's displeasure. Alice came by and helped me pick out everything. Jacob still liked Alice. They had a few good conversations and sometimes I could hear them laughing over one thing or another. I was so glad that they got along now. Edward and Jacob however did not get along. While they could be civil toward one another, they still didn't like to be. Edward and Tanya had been dating since I went off to college and married four years after that. They were going to invite me to the wedding but neither Edward nor Jacob thought it would be a good idea to send me to a wedding filled with vampires alone, and it would not be any better if I brought Jacob. So instead they sent me the video and I sent them a wedding present.
When I had my next child I decided to let Jacob name him because he had been suggesting the same name to me for a while. Jacob named him Jason William Black. I thought the name seemed fitting. Jason was very different from Sarah. While he did cry often he got used to a certain schedule very quickly and did not like change, much like his mother. He was showing more and more signs that he liked things done logically instead of creatively when I got pregnant with my third child. Right from the jump Jacob told me it was going to be another girl. He was really starting to scare me because he kept guessing right. Every time I asked him how he knew he gave me the same answer, "I saw it." he'd say with this faraway look in his eye. I don't know if it was my hormones but for some reason he really started to annoy me. I started yelling at him periodically when I was pregnant with my third child, and Jacob seemed to get pissed off every time. Now, if we look back on it, it was definitely the hormones.
When I had my third child, Maya Lyn Black, I asked Alice why Jacob knew so much about our children before the doctors did. She admitted to letting him see a few things which thoroughly confused me. Apparently, Alice had been exercising her gift and had found a way to see past the pack and into their future, even if it was for a very short period of time. She could also push her thoughts out and project the future into someone else's brain. She said she was testing it on Jacob that day before the big fight. I was angry with her at first for using my husband as a guinea pig, but I got over it eventually and was just happy there was nothing weird going on with Jacob.
With one mystery solved I launched right into another one. My daughter Maya was very odd, but not in a bad way. She was just different from the others. She looked like Jacob a lot, just as Sarah had, but she also had a few more of my features. The most interesting thing about her though was her eyes. It was like she knew everything you were thinking with one look. Like she was staring into you very soul. Even when she was little it was like she understood everything around her. As my kids grew older our house grew more cluttered with numerous trophies and certificates of merit for various subjects. At least once a month the pack would get together and we would have a big party. Leah and Matt got married and she now had a daughter and a son of her own. We visited Charlie, Billy, and Sue often just to catch up and let them play with the kids which made them all very happy. The Cullens stopped by every so often to see how I was doing and let me know they were doing fine, but they never stayed too long, fearing of making some of the kids phase. Business was good at Jacob's shop where Quil, Embry, and half of the pack now worked and I had just written my first book, which was number 15 in the nation. Things were looking up for our little family and I couldn't have been happier.
Screams from the beach pulled me from my reminiscent thoughts and I looked up from the porch to see Jacob and the kids playing on the beach. After looking at them for a while I took off after them with a smile on my face, and when I caught them and we all collapsed onto the ground in a laughing heap, I got the same feeling I always get when I'm around them. I felt like I was home.
Well it's done. I feel sad and happy about the fact that the first fanfic I ever posted is now done. I do plan on re-writing it further on down the line, right now it's just not in the cards. I'm going to finish up my other stories and take a break. I've decided to try and pre-write my stories so I don't leave you guys without an update so long. Look, I really haven't been getting that many reviews lately, so thank you to the people that did review. I am asking that you guys review this chapter, no matter what you think. I don't care if you loved it or hated it, please just leave me a review. I didn't even know people were actually reading this story until I saw how many hits it got which was only a week ago. That really inspired me to write more but seriously is it that much to ask to review. Thanks for all you're time and to the people that did review thank you so much for sharing your thoughts with me. I feel like your comments have improved my writing a lot. Much love!
-ladybug82896