Chapter 4 "To Keep You By My Side"

Disclaimer: In case you missed the memo, not SM, just NKR & WH playing with her characters.

A/N: This chapter does overlap with 3, but there is a lot of stuff that Ness didn't know was going. So far this is the only overlap chapter we've written. Enjoy!

PS - Yes, we used Bruno Mars from the "Breaking Dawn" soundtrack.

So keep in mind all the sacrifices I'm makin'

To keep you by my side

To keep you from walkin' out the door.

'Cause there'll be no sunlight

If I lose you, baby

There'll be no clear skies

If I lose you, baby

Just like the clouds

My eyes will do the same, if you walk away

Everyday, it'll rain, rain, rain

"It Will Rain" - Bruno Mars

JPOV

"You know that thing makes calls as well as receives them, right?" Quil snorts as he slaps me on the back.

Ignoring him, I shove my phone in my back pocket. After spending the night at the cottage I hated leaving Ness this morning and it's eating at me that I haven't talked to her at all today. I'm dying to call or text her, but I have no clue what to say. Had a great time sharing your bed last night. Let's do it again soon. You know, because you're my imprint.

"Yo! Jake!" I reluctantly glance up at Quil, dreading what he'll say next. He points at my jeans and shouts, "Your ass is beeping."

It takes my mind a moment to process what he just said, but my hands move automatically. By the time I grasp his meaning, my phone is in front of my eyes.

Riding with Grandpa Charlie to bonfire tonight. ~N

What does that mean? She always rides with me to the bonfires. What's changed? My heart starts thundering, worry coursing through my veins as I hit the button to call her. When the phone rings for the third time and she still hasn't picked up, I turn away from the group on the beach, aiming for the woods. If I get her voice mail, I'll phase and go to her.

I stop where I am when I hear her voice, "H-Hey." She sounds nervous, which sends me closer to full panic mode.

"Is everything ok?" I barely choke the words out through my clenched teeth. If I get even a hint that something isn't right, I'm hitting the woods and finding her.

She doesn't say anything, but her shallow breathing is another concern for me. Why is she having a hard time breathing? What the hell is going on?

She finally gasps out, "Everything is fine, just Grandpa Charlie offered to give me a ride."

When she doesn't say anything else, doesn't give me any further clues, I drop it. I can only hope she'll tell me what's happening when she's ready. If not, I don't care what Bella thinks, Edward is going to take a listen in that head of hers and tell me what's going on.

Taking a deep breath I reassure myself she is safe. She's with either Charlie or Bella, or both. They will take care of her until she can return to me tonight. Closing my eyes, I speak quickly, "Ok, just making sure. I'll see you tonight."

I pull the phone away from my ear just as she says, "Yep!" As much as I'm dying to ask her more, I don't respond, ending the call to prevent myself from pushing her for answers. My heart sinks when the phone goes black again.

Unable to move, I stay where I am; trying to let the ocean waves calm me. I hear Quil approaching but choose not to acknowledge him. He claps a hand on my shoulder before elbowing me.

"Isn't technology great? Aren't you glad I told you that thing makes calls too?"

Clenching my fist, I quickly make contact with his stomach. I know it doesn't hurt him, but it makes me feel better to get a solid gut punch in, at least to knock that smug grin off his face.

"I don't need technology to make you shut the fuck up. How about we talk again in eight or ten years when you have to deal with this."

Quil straightens, but he isn't quite smiling now. "See, the difference is, Claire knows she belongs with me. She never has to wonder where she stands."

"Back off, Quil." Sam pipes up as he runs across the beach to join us. "You ok, Jake?"

I nod and Sam turns back to Quil, "Just remember, when it comes to Claire, you still have to deal with me. She might know she's your imprint, but you won't get anywhere near her until her thirtieth birthday if I have any say in it."

Not wanting to get in the middle of this conversation, I tilt my head toward the forest when Sam glances over at me. He gives me a quick acknowledgement just as Quil starts whining like a little girl.

I strip as I approach the trees and phase when I'm far enough into the forest. Once phased, I stretch my muscles and clear my mind. I need to be focused to make it through the bonfire tonight; and the wait until I can finally see Ness again.

-0-

When Charlie's cruiser pulls up, I drop what I'm doing and run to the passenger side. I feel like I can breathe again now that my Ness is finally here. I see her smirking at Charlie as they roll to a stop. All I want to do is hug her, see her face and make sure she's ok. I'm pulling the door open and holding my hand out to her before Charlie has even cut the engine.

Ness places her hand in mine and the release of tension is like a pin in a balloon. I tug on her hand to pull her closer to me and that's all the invitation she needs. Her petite body curls against mine as I bury my face in her neck, burrowing under her thick hair to inhale her sweet scent.

Words of apology are tumbling out of my mouth but I stop myself short before I mention my real concern. I don't want to mention my staying over last night. As much as I'm dying to ask her, see if she even noticed, the last thing I want or need to do is blurt it out here; in front of everyone. I relax my grip on her, pulling back slightly so I can finally take a look at her. Before my eyes can move past her face, Ness places her hand on my cheek. That simple touch travels through my body unexpectedly, sending blood flowing south to an inconvenient location. Suddenly I'm glad I relaxed my grip. Don't want to scare her away.

Her silent question is hard for me to answer. There were obviously a lot of things I thought she might be upset about. While my sharing her bed is the top of the list, there could be a million other reasons why she'd be upset with me. Instead of answering her question, I chicken out. "Nothing." I shake my head slowly and drop my arms from around her.

Now that there is more distance between us, I can finally gaze down at her. I don't know if it's the tilt of her head or the light from the setting sun hitting her face, but she looks breathtaking. Then I realize her hair is different. The curls are gone, replaced by silky smoothness. I've never seen her like this before and while she's always beautiful to me, this is different. She is no longer the little girl, Nessie, whom I cared for as a child. Before me is a woman, Ness, that I want with everything in me.

My voice sounds weird even to my own ears when I ask her, "What did you do to your hair?"

Her frown makes my heart ache and I want to kick myself for saying something so dumb to her. I stumble over my words in my rush to reassure her I don't dislike it. Before I make a complete ass of myself, I stop speaking. Taking a calming breath, I finally manage to say what I mean, "I like it, Ness. It's just- different."

Her whispered "Oh" is accompanied by a soft blush moving up her neck. As I watch her cheek color deepen, I reach a hand out to touch her hair. It's not like I've never done so before but this time it's different. I can feel her anticipation just like it is my own. I want to find out what it would feel like to run my fingers through her hair, from her scalp to the very ends. It looks longer like this, with the curls not taking up the length of it.

As much as I want to feel all of her hair, I stop myself at just a brief touch. The softness is amazing between my fingers, but I miss the curls that I naturally associate with her. As I step back again, I can't help but to worry that her curls are gone forever. "It isn't permanent, is it?"

I want to pull the words back as soon as they are out, realizing my mistake when her eyes narrow just slightly and flick away. I'm a dumb ass.

"No, my hair will be curly again when I wash it."

I can hear the irritation in her voice, but I can't help being relieved. The dumb ass in me vocalizes that relief. "Good. I like your hair curly." I cringe internally at my own stupid words. "This is nice too, but," I want to explain that she doesn't look bad, but my words are all jumbled in my brain. I can't very well tell her it makes her look older, pushing me even more to see her through different eyes. Instead I manage to choke out, "Different. Very different."

When I look up, I realize we are still standing beside Charlie's cruiser. Turning slowly, I move to join the rest of the tribe down on the beach. I can feel her beside me, but I know she is still thinking. "Bad different?" I'm surprised only by the fact that she actually asked her question aloud.

"No! Definitely not bad." I quickly respond, giving her what I hope is a sincere smile that will reassure her. I want to tell her she would be lovely to me no matter how she looks, but I can't tell her that without telling her everything.

Before I can change the subject to something more neutral, Rachel and Emily are there, right in my face. Great. I battle with myself not to roll my eyes at the intrusion.

Emily at least sounds apologetic that she is here to take Ness away from me. I understand that Lillah and Ness are close, and I know Embry's wife isn't very mobile right now. I get it, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. Ness just got here and I'm not ready to give her up yet. Spending the night with her didn't do anything to ease the pull I feel when she's not near me; if anything, it made it worse. I had just hoped I would get to spend a few minutes with her before the bonfire begins.

Before I can even protest, Emily is taking her away from me. I take a deep breath, ready to fight to keep her by my side.

"Don't puff your chest out at me, little brother." I twist to see Rachel still standing beside me. Sisters. As much as I want to tell her what she can do with her little sarcastic comment, I bite my tongue. I don't want to upset Rachel, given how happy she looks right now. When she sees I'm not going to continue to fight, she gives me a quick hug and a wink, "We'll give her back to you soon enough."

I roll my eyes as Rachel runs to catch up with Emily and Ness. I ignore the wolf in me screaming to go after her, to take back what is mine. I should be used to this by now. Crossing my arms over my chest, I force myself not to move, but my eyes stay glued on Ness' back as she walks away from me. Emily and Rachel look almost like they are pulling Ness along. My suspicions are confirmed when she looks back at me, clearly not paying attention to where she's going. The conflict on her face is obvious and it makes me feel a little less annoyed knowing she didn't want to leave me either.

After Ness huddles down next to Lillah I wander over to where Quil, Jared and Sam are preparing to light the bonfire. I don't bother making small talk with the guys, instead my eyes stay locked on my girl as she joins the group of women.

I've never witnessed Ness speak to someone as much as she does Lillah. They have a special bond, and I think that has really helped Ness feel like she fits in with the others. Although Ness doesn't know she's my imprint, Lillah does, and she's made so many efforts to include Ness; both one-on-one and in the larger group of imprintees. The two of them spend nearly as much time together and Ness and I do; especially since Ness has been keeping Lillah company while Embry is at work this summer. Ness won't even tell me what they do during the day, but I can tell she enjoys the time. After that first day together this summer, they've been bonded like sisters.

I'm surprised when I hear someone sigh next to me. Glancing up, I'm shocked to see Embry standing there. His eyes are glued on Lillah, but I can see all his emotions easily on his face; pride, love, and worry. I know he's driving himself crazy with concern over Lillah and the baby. I know this because that's the reason I had to stop him from patrolling, he was driving me crazy with his roller coaster emotions. My eyes return to Ness, but I can't help picking on my friend, "Did you get kicked out?"

"Not so much kicked out as dragged away by my brother." I hear him chuckle but don't bother looking away from Ness. The glance would be wasted anyway, Embry's eyes are locked on his wife, I have no doubt. "At least it took another wolf to pull me away from my imprint. You lost Ness to two girls."

If anyone else had said that to me, I'd go off on them. Coming from Embry, I know he feels my pain in this moment. "Touche."

We are both quiet as we continue to stare at our imprints. Moments later, Ness looks over her shoulder and she catches my gaze. A slow smile spreads across my face and she returns it, her eyes bright in her pretty face. The way my heart tightens makes me feel like a chick but I don't care. Seeing her smile makes me happy; it's the best feeling in the world.

Movement and my name being called catches my attention. I reluctantly pull my gaze away from Ness' to the familiar voice of my Second. Leah has arrived and I'm sure she's prepared to give me hell for ignoring her texts last night. I look back to find Ness still watching me. I give her a wave and force myself to go see what Leah wants now.

Leah has her hands propped on her hips and her eyes narrowed at me as I approach. Most of the time with Leah the attitude is just an act; a way to keep others at a distance. Leah really is a nice person and I consider her a friend; she just hates being ignored and I definitely did that last night. Time to pay the piper.

When I stop in front of her I don't bother saying anything, instead, waiting for her to let me have it so we can move on to other things. Unfortunately, Leah is in one of her stubborn moods and just stares back at me. Not wanting to possibly miss a moment with Ness, I finally bite the bullet and apologize, "Sorry about last night. I was on my way to see Ness. I hadn't seen her all day and it was movie night. She fell asleep and I couldn't leave her."

She huffs in response, but when I see her shrug, I'm pretty sure I'm in the clear. "I should be pissed at you. You've been blowing me off a lot lately, Jacob."

"I know. And I am sorry- it's just..." I wave my hands in frustration at the whole situation I've found myself in with Ness.

Thankfully, Leah understands what I'm unable to say, "Yeah. I get it. I'm not so much of a bitch that I can't understand what this is doing to you. I don't know about imprinting first hand, but I'm not blind. I see your thoughts, Jake. It sucks that you've had to hide this for so long."

I nod my head in agreement, "Thanks for understanding, Leah. I thought for sure you'd rip my balls off-."

Her hand goes up and I stop mid-sentence for her to speak. "I said I understand but it doesn't mean I'm ok with it. We're suppose to be friends. You can't blow me off when you have a better offer, and then expect me to just wait for you to come by when you're not busy. What if it had really been an emergency last night? What if I needed my Alpha?"

I rub a hand against the back of my neck and drop my face in contrition, hoping she'll forgive me sooner than she usually does. "I'm sorry, Mom, it won't happen again." My words are playful and just as I'd hoped, she laughs lightly and I know I'm forgiven.

Leah's friendship is important to me, probably just as important as Ness', just on a very different level. The last thing I want to do is alienate her or some shit.

"How's Embry doing?" Leah asks, nodding toward the spot where Embry is still standing, watching Lillah.

Turning around, I start walking back to where the rest of the wolves have congregated around the food. As I walk, I take a moment to consider Leah's question. She walks quietly next to me, giving me time to respond without pressure.

"Ok, I guess, considering. He's off patrols until the baby is born."

I catch Leah cringing beside me but I don't ask. "Alright. Do you need help covering his patrols?"

"Not right now, but I'll let you know."

Leah's head nods once in agreement and then she's silent again. When she spots Seth, Sue, and Charlie, she breaks away from me with a small snarl. As much as I want to laugh, I know this is a sore spot for Leah. It's not that she doesn't like Charlie, because she does. We've known him all of our lives, but it's different now for Leah. She's struggling with her mother being with someone other than her dad, Harry. From the little bit of her mind she's shared with me, she still feels responsible for her father's death and misses him a lot more than I think anyone realizes.

I'm a little surprised when I find myself standing in front of Sam. My feet must have been on autopilot while I was lost in my thoughts of Leah's issues.

"Hey Jake, what's up?" Sam looks up and laughs as Eli, who is sitting in his lap, lunges at me, gripping my leg.

"Not much- you know, typical day as an Alpha. Worried that my Second might attack Fork's Chief of Police for dating her mom. Your brother is so worried about his imprint that he's completely useless to me and doing a great impersonation of a statue over there. Oh yeah, and I'm going crazy, wanting to tell my imprint she's my imprint but bound by a promise I made to her overbearing father. You?" I half smile at Sam as he throws back his head in laughter.

The sound of Eli's laughter makes me look down at him. He's mimicking Sam, he's head thrown back as he laughs deep in his belly. The sound is infectious and it makes me start laughing too, finally breaking the tension in me.

"Un-ca!" Eli smiles up at me, showing me the Nerf ball he's clasping in his hand. He calls every one of us guys "un-ca", his own version of "uncle". The guys and I have taught him a lot of new words these last few weeks, cracking up over his baby speak. Of course, Emily has kicked our asses over some of it, but it's worth it.

As I sink onto the sand next to Sam he shouts over his shoulder, "Embry, get your ass over here. And bring us some beers. Your Alpha is in a shitty place."

I watch as Embry's shoulders drop and he turns around, heading for the beer cooler. While Embry is in my pack, it seems that an older brother's command has a little more impact in this situation than an Alpha's command. He joins us, handing Sam and I both a beer as he drops to the sand. When Quil joins us, Embry rolls his eyes and gives Sam and I an apologetic smile, "Sorry, this stray dog followed me over here."

"Hey, Jacob is my Alpha too. I care." Quil glances over at me and there is a weird smile on his face. I know I'm in trouble before he speaks, "So did you have to push any stuffed animals off of Ness' bed last night before you crawled in?"

Fuck. Me. I have no idea how Quil knows I stayed the night with her last night, but if he knows, then everyone else knows.

Quil is cackling like the Wicked Witch of the West. Before I can say anything, Embry butts in, "What are you laughing at, Quil? Your imprint still plays with Barbie's."

Sam snorts beside me when Quil snarls back, "She doesn't play with Barbie's any more. She's moved on to baby dolls."

Embry shrugs, "Same difference." Glancing over at me he frowns deeply, "You stayed the night in her bed?"

I take a quick swig of my beer, hoping the cool liquid will make this conversation a little less awkward. "Yeah, but it's not a big deal. I don't even think she noticed." I do my best to sound nonchalant, but the look on Embry's face doesn't help. His frown somehow deepens, but his eyes are far away, like he's remembering something.

"She noticed." Embry says, though he still seems lost in thought.

Sam asks the question before I can even start to form the words in my mind, "How do you know, Embry?"

When his eyes finally focus again, he glances at Sam then looks back over at me. "Because she finally got some sleep. You told me the other day she hasn't been sleeping." I don't comment but he's right, I did mention her not sleeping recently. Embry takes a deep breath, almost like he's gathering up his courage. He locks his jaw and speaks through clenched teeth, "Look, trust me on this one, things are about to get a lot worse for you with Ness."

"What? Why do you say that?" My heart is pounding at his words. How can things possibly get worse?

Sam speaks up this time, "Jake, don't you remember how Embry was with Lillah early on?" I cringe remembering that time. Sam continues to explain, "It was bad for all of us, but it got worse-."

He doesn't have to go any further. I get his point and finish his sentence easily, "It got worse after he stayed the night in her bed." I finish off my beer, wishing once again that we could get drunk.

Embry is no longer looking at us, his eyes locked on his hands. "I made a lot of stupid mistakes, but the worst was thinking I could go back to sleeping alone after having her in my arms just one night."

I feel like I've just been rammed in the gut by Emmett's hard head. My entire chest hurts with the truth of Embry's statement. I can't go back, but I have forty-one more days until I can tell her. How the hell am I going to survive the next forty nights?

Something soft bounces off my nose and I glance over at Quil, ready to kick his ass. "Wasn't me! Turn your anger on the toddler."

Looking down at the sand, I see Eli's Nerf ball next to my foot. When I pick it up and hand it to Eli, he's clapping and giggling. Even through my anxiousness, Eli's simple excitement makes me smile.

He takes the ball from my hand then tosses it again at my nose. Sam, Quil, and Embry all start laughing. Chuckling, I grab the ball again, handing it to him, "I take it you wanna play catch, little dude?"

Eli takes the ball from my hand. "Un-ca," he holds his arms in the air like two field goal posts and the ball goes flying again, this time hitting Sam in the forehead.

"We need to work on your aim, Eli," Sam laughs as he hands the ball back to him. We all easily hear his "whispered" words to the kid, "Throw the ball at Quil. Aim between his legs."

Quil stops smiling, "Seriously, Sam?" Before he can say anything more, the ball is flying in the air, bouncing off Quil's thigh. This time it's Sam, Embry and I laughing at Quil's expense.

Quil stands up, handing Eli the ball, "Here dude, I'm hungry and your dad is an asshole."

"Az-hall," Eli says in his high pitched baby voice, laughing and clapping.

Sam shakes his head, "I'm telling Emily you taught Eli that one, Quil!" As Quil walks away, waving his hand over his head, Sam leans down to Eli, "Good shot, son!"

I glance over at Embry, "Think we can go get our women back now?"

"Hell yeah!" Embry jumps up. I follow him, but hang back a little, my eyes searching for Ness. She's still with Lillah, Emily and Rachel, with Jared now hovering nearby over Kim. When Dad calls out that the food is ready, everyone starts moving. Emily takes Claire to another table and I watch as Leah gets settled at a table with Seth, Sue, and Charlie. It's kind of cool and a little crazy to see Charlie here but I can tell he's enjoying himself. Leah seems to be behaving herself so far.

Now that Embry has returned to Lillah and Leah is somewhat under control, I move to Ness, hoping I can at least spend dinner next to her. When I'm finally standing beside her, I reach for her. Running my hand down her arm I take her hand in mine and pull her up from the sand.

I make some lame excuse about needing her help with plates when I know I can manage on my own. Every moment is precious with her but I want all I can get tonight.

As I pile food onto the plates that Ness holds in her hands, I comment on her grandfather being here. I'm not really paying attention to what I'm saying or doing because I can't seem to pull my eyes away from her face.

I reluctantly ask her about sitting with Charlie tonight. As much as I want to be with her and the others in the audience, I can't. Since Old Quil passed, this is the first time I have to take my place with the other elders. It still feels weird to think I'm going to be sitting next to Dad and Sue, taking Old Quil's place.

I take Dad his plate then escort Ness back over to the picnic table before returning to the food table to finish filling my own. As we get settled, I explain why I can't be with her tonight. She doesn't seem upset, which is a relief.

She has a far off look on her face, but her smile still pulls me in. It takes every ounce of my strength not to just say the hell with the entire night and take off with her. It's been a long time since Ness and I have been completely alone without someone close enough to interrupt. Last night aside, of course, and sadly she slept through all of it. Even if she does know I stayed the night, like Embry suggested, she hasn't mentioned it yet. As I reflect on spending the night in her bed, I know Embry was right. Once I fell asleep it was the best night of sleep I've had in- a long ass time. I'm so screwed.

I'm pulled out of my musings when I feel something pinching my thigh. "What the hell?" I shout, looking down at my thigh. I'm stunned to find my skin caught between Ness' pale fingers.

She starts apologizing as soon as she releases my skin but I'm too surprised by what just happened to even tell her I'm fine. When I feel the eyes of the others on me, I quickly collect myself, "I'm fine, just a mosquito I think. Damn vampire bugs."

I hear the people laughing but my attention is locked on Ness. Leaning against her ear I whisper softly so no one else can hear, "What was that for?"

She places her hand on my face and I watch her explanation. It doesn't make sense, especially when, as she's telling me she was distracted, I can see her face turning more and more pink. She doesn't mention what distracted in the first place, but given her blush, I'm hopeful I had something to do with it.

As Ness pulls her hand away I can't help teasing her slightly, "You know you don't have to pinch me to get my attention, right?"

She gasps, and even though she tries to deny it, I can't help laughing watching her get so embarrassed. She turns away from me, but I'm not worried, I see Lillah wink at her, like they have a shared secret.

While she's turned to face Lillah, I start eating. My burger is piled high with everything imaginable; I manage to eat it without having to unhinge my jaw, but only just barely. My sandwich is gone while Ness is still intently watching Lillah and Embry, and Kim and Jared. I try to see what she is so fascinated by, but all I see is two of my friends with their imprints and baby.

Hoping to grab Ness' attention, I snag the burger off her plate. It only has ketchup and pickles, but I'm so hungry, I'm not picky. I take a bite, figuring she'll catch on, but nothing. She's still watching them by the time I finish it off too.

Frustrated that she's paying attention to them and not me, I decide to try another way. My hand slides under the table, hovering over her thigh but I decide that's too risky. Moving lower, my thumb and forefinger touch the smooth skin of her knee. As soon as I pinch the skin between my fingers, her head jerks around, her eyes wide.

"Thought that would do the trick," I grin, loving this new game. I release her skin but my hands have a mind of their own. My fingers slide across her thigh as I pull my hand back above the table. That little bit of contact causes my dick to stand up at attention. Fuck. What is wrong with me?

I do my best to ignore what's going on between my legs. Clearing my throat, I look at Ness' plate, unable to make eye contact with her right now, "Aren't you hungry?"

I don't believe her when she claims she isn't because of a big lunch at Charlie's. Leaning back slightly, I analyze her face. Despite the color from her natural blush, she still looks paler than normal. She's been like this for a few days now. Only thing I can think is she needs some blood. With her spending so much time at Lillah's during the day, it's been a few weeks since we went hunting.

However, when I mention this, her hand moves across my face as she tells me she's fine. Having heard her tell her father she was "fine" yesterday, this make me suspicious. I naturally push back, "I don't think so, Ness. Your cheeks haven't been as pink lately. I think you need to hunt."

As I wait for her to respond, I'm distracted by her bottom lip being captured between her teeth. I want to pull that bottom lip into my mouth, lick and then maybe nip at it myself. Sounds like an excellent plan to me. I bet she tastes delicious.

I'm jolted back to reality when I notice she's arguing with me, pushing an explanation of why she's been so pale lately into my head. I understand about makeup, having grown up with two sisters, but that doesn't mean I like it. When she gets to the part about intentionally covering up the beautiful natural color in her cheeks though, I can't stop the growl from escaping as I speak, "Why would you want to do that?"

When she starts to pull away I stop her, pressing her hand to my cheek again. I know I scared her with my response, so I try to calm down before I explain why I'm so upset. "I'm sorry, it's just- I don't understand why you want to look so different. The straight hair, the makeup; what's going on?"

I'm not prepared for the explanation she provides, the words echoing in my mind long after she stopped speaking. I'm not a child anymore, Jake. I'm tired of looking like a little girl.

I want to laugh and cry at the same moment. Everything in me knows she isn't a child. I've known this for months now, but I keep fighting it because of my deal with Edward. It's on the tip of my tongue every moment I'm with her, but I stop myself time and time again. However, this time, I need her to know that at the very least, I recognize she is close to maturity.

"Trust me, I know you aren't a child, Ness." I take in a gulp of air, wanting desperately to give her more, to tell her everything; but I can't. It takes all my will power to slowly pull her hand from my face.

As I place her hand on the table I notice her plate is still full. I'm still worried about her color, so I ask her to eat. I watch her closely as she places a bite of watermelon in her mouth. A tiny bit of juice escapes her mouth. Just as I consider leaning over to lick the juice away, her tongue dashes out of her mouth.

It's not until I hear Paul speaking that I realize something is going on. I pull my eyes away from Ness just in time to catch the last part of what Paul is saying.

"Rachel's pregnant. We're going to have a baby."

As excited as I am for Paul and Rachel, my eyes swing to only one person in the crowd. I don't have to watch long; Leah stands up and starts running. I can barely hear her words as she runs past. "I'm going to patrol. I can't be around this."

"Leah, please don't go." I'm not surprised when she runs off to the woods. Disappointed, but not surprised. I know it hurts Leah every time one of the imprints announces a pregnancy. My guess is this one hurt especially hard, since Rachel's complications with getting pregnant were related to why Leah calls herself a "genetic dead end".

I should run after her, but I know it's useless to go. She's in a mood and she needs her space. I can completely understand and respect that. Plus, with my imprint beside me, I find it hard to rationalize leaving to go hear Leah rage on about something neither of us can control.

Turning back to Ness, I watch as the rest of the crowd congratulates Rachel and Paul. Once Rachel is close, Ness moves from my side to offer her congratulations. I follow her, placing one hand on Ness' shoulder before reaching out to pull my sister into a tight hug, "Congrats sis. Glad to hear it finally worked out."

Rachel is beaming as she looks over at Paul, "Thanks. Sorry I didn't tell you sooner, we've been waiting to make sure the pregnancy takes."

I stand next to Ness while the imprints discuss how far along Rachel is, maternity clothes, and other girl stuff. Ness seems wrapped up in the conversation, but I tune out, enjoying watching her much more than paying attention to what is being said.

I don't realize that the group has broken up around us until Ness turns to face me. The look on her face tells me I'm in trouble, the words she places in my mind confirming. "Did you know they were having problems getting pregnant?"

I don't want to get into this conversation right now, so I just give a quick nod. However, this isn't enough for her. Her hand presses harder against my face as she almost shouts the words into my head, "Why didn't you tell me?"

Speaking as softly as I can so no one else can hear our conversation, I try to explain, "I didn't want to worry you, plus, there wasn't really anything to share."

She drops the subject just as I hear Dad clearing his throat behind me. My time with Ness is up for the evening. While I know she is well loved by her family and the tribe, I want to have time with her, alone. These few minutes here and there just aren't cutting it any longer.

Slowly I lead her, Sue, and Charlie over to the blankets I set up earlier this afternoon. They are placed directly in front of where I'll be sitting. Even though I won't be able to talk to her, I'll at least see her the whole evening.

I'm not sure what I want to say, but I know I don't want to walk away just yet. Reaching out for Ness, I pull her into a tight hug, her arms trapped by my chest. Looking over her shoulder, I see Charlie hugging Sue. As much as I know it wouldn't bother her, it's still pretty funny to watch, but kind of gross at the same time. I whisper softly against her ear, "Seriously, be glad you are not seeing this."

Since she can't move her hands, she has to vocalize her question to me. "What?"

Feeling her lips barely brush against my ear as she whispers short-circuits my brain. I want to turn my head ever-so-slightly and press my lips against hers. It would be so simple, and yet complicate everything so much. Instead, I try to distract both of us with a joke, "Charlie making out with Sue."

Rarely does Ness use her strength against me, but this time she does, shoving against my chest as she spins around to look at Sue and Charlie. At that second, Charlie places a simple kiss on Sue's cheek before Sue walks away.

When Ness turns back to me, her eyes are blazing, "You are such a liar."

I know I shouldn't laugh, but I can't help it. The fact that she actually thought Chief Swan would make out with Sue Clearwater in public is just funny. "I am not!" Which is technically not true, but kind of is in this instance. I saw Charlie leaning down toward Sue. My assumption was he was going to kiss her. How was I to know he'd wimp out and just go for the cheek?

The force behind Ness' hand making contact with my face surprises me. I only have a moment to process how angry she is before she is replaying Charlie kissing Sue's cheek in my mind.

I open my mouth to explain but she is speaking into my mind, her tone very angry. "I hope that isn't what you consider making out." I frown at her, not sure why we are getting annoyed with one another. "And I thought my father was uptight."

My anger rises to meet hers. Being compared to Edward, especially in the sexuality department, is a huge slap in the face. I tug the hand she has against my face away, pulling her closer. I want to drop my lips to hers, show her how different I am; how I don't mind a little making out in public. I'm close to doing so, our noses touching, when I see a spark of fear in her eyes. I've never lost my temper like this in front of her. As much as I want to kiss her, I don't want our first kiss to be out of anger.

Dropping my head I choke out my response, making sure she can't look anywhere but at my eyes as I speak, "Definitely not. I'm not uptight, especially in that department, and I am nothing like your father."

Needing to leave before I do something I'll regret later, I stomp off. I can feel her eyes watching me as I move to sit with Dad and Sue. I know she's confused but it's best I walked away. I couldn't give her an explanation of why I'm so angry right now even if I tried.

As much as I love hearing the stories of my people, I wish Dad would hurry up. He isn't even finished with his first tale and I'm already anxious to return to Ness. She's only looked at me once since I left her side, her gaze locked on her grandfather otherwise. Damn she's stubborn when she's angry or hurt. She's also incredibly beautiful with the fire flickering across her skin.

"Jacob, control yourself." My head spins to look at Sue. She whispers low, "You were growling. Again. You need to calm down."

Taking deep breaths, I turn back to watching Ness, but as my head moves, something odd catches my eye. Seth is not focused on Dad like everyone else. Instead, his head is turned in Ness' direction. Following his eyes I see Ness is looking at him, waving as she mouths the words "I'm sorry".

What the fuck? My head whips back over to see Seth respond. "No worries."

What the hell is going on? Why is Ness apologizing to Seth? I can feel my anger reaching it's boiling point. The wolf is pushing to get out, but I hold him back, barely. My eyes cut back to Seth and our eyes meet for the briefest of seconds. He's no longer smiling when he looks back at my imprint. I don't bother looking at Ness, I can feel her eyes on me.

Now it's my turn to mouth messages to Seth, "What the fuck is going on?"

"Ask her," is his response back.

The wolf jumps forward, ready to attack, but I push him back again. I can't keep the snarl from escaping though as my mouth forms the words, "I'm asking you."

Seth doesn't respond, just shrugs, which angers me more. I can feel my hands shaking with the pressure of holding the wolf back. "She's. Mine." If we're not careful we will have the attention of everyone here, but I don't care; my only focus is what is going on between Seth and my imprint.

He shrugs again, which pisses me off even more. Knowing I won't get anything more out of him right now, my eyes jerk back to Ness. She's looking straight ahead and when our eyes meet, I have to force myself to stay seated. My responsibilities are a low priority in that moment though.

All I want is to run and grab Ness, take her away from here and beg her until she tells me everything. Whatever is going on between her and Seth, I need to know, now. She's mine. If Seth did anything to hurt her, I will not hesitate to put him in his place. This isn't the first time I've noticed them giving one another funny looks but after that dream of Ness' last night, their shared looks are much more concerning now.

As I continue to watch her, I use the clarity of my anger to fully analyze Ness. She's short of breath and her heart is thumping harder than I've ever heard it. Her eyes are wide and dark. This time the growl that escapes my mouth is in satisfaction, pride in knowing she's reacting that way because of me. I did that to her. That, I am certain of.

"Jacob Black. You are a member of the elders of this tribe now. I don't care what drama you have going on in your life, you will act like an elder when you are up here."

Sue breaks my connection with Ness. Taking calming breaths before I speak, I slowly look up at her, "I'm sorry, but something is going on between your son and my imprint."

"They're friends, Jacob," Dad says, moving next to me as the group starts to disperse. I hadn't noticed he had finished speaking.

Shaking my head I look directly at Sue, "This didn't look like just friendship. What's going on, Sue?"

Sue looks over her shoulder then returns my gaze. "I don't know, Jacob, but that doesn't matter. You need to get control of yourself. You are an elder now. You need to act like one."

When Charlie approaches, I quickly duck out before Sue can say anything more. I know Dad is going to hand me my ass later, but for now, I need Ness.

She's leaning over to grab something from the blanket when I stop beside her. Wanting to spend some time alone with her, I offer to give her a ride home. Unfortunately, Charlie already beat me to the punch.

"Will I see you later?" Her voice is soft, cautious, but I can hear the hope underneath.

It makes me happy that she wants to see me still. As much as I want to go to her though, I'm not sure it's a good idea. I don't want to scare her with how upset I am over whatever is going on with her and Seth. Even if it is just friendship, something happened and I'm not happy about it.

Hoping that some time and distance from Ness will calm me down, I promise to stop by after I finish cleaning up here. Before she can walk away, I pull her against my chest, holding her tight. If I could absorb her into me, I would.

When she sinks into me I am again overtaken by the urge to scoop her up and run away. Instead, I slowly release her. When she takes a step back, I know she's still scared by my reaction but I don't have time to explain right now. Moments later she is climbing into Charlie's car.

When I turn around, my gaze lands on Seth, who is watching Charlie's cruiser leave the parking lot. His face is clear of any emotion, but I'm still angry with him. My fists are curled up and I'm just about to go confront him when I hear Lillah speaking behind me.

"Jacob, you can't keep doing this to her or yourself."

Dropping my fists and exhaling, I turn to find I'm surrounded by Embry, Paul, Sam, and Jared, along with their imprints. I look at Lillah, since she's the one that spoke to me. She's leaning against Embry's chest and they both have their hands on her belly. She's obviously exhausted, but she still pushes forward. When I first met her, she was so quiet and shy, but now, she's just as strong willed as any of the other imprints. Which is a good thing, since they have to deal with our wolf induced moods.

Since she's so tired, I do my best to stop this conversation before it can get going. "I'm not doing anything to her. The only one suffering right now is me."

"You are an idiot. A big fat idiot, just like Embry was." She's obviously upset now, her voice stronger and her face turning red before my eyes.

I watch as Embry tries to soothe her, whispering apologies against her ear. This is clearly not what she wants to hear, swatting at his arm as she looks up at him, "Oh, Em, you know what I mean. I'm not angry with you, baby. I just hate this whole situation."

"At least I have a reason for not telling Ness. You were just being a stubborn ass." Even though I know it's hitting below the belt, I'm still so angry that the insult flies out at Embry without any thought on my part.

"Funny, Jake," Embry growls out.

Lillah distracts him, soothing him with a touch of her hand against his face. Once he's stopped growling, she looks back at me, giving me a sympathetic smile, "You're just scared."

I scoff at this accusation. The only thing I'm scared of is Edward's reaction if I tell her early. He could take her away from me, and that's something I can't have happen.

Lillah keeps going despite my silence, "You are! You're scared to make that transition between friend and lover."

The groan escapes my mouth without my permission. I fight thinking of Ness like that when I'm with her. I don't feel free to let my thoughts drift into the 'lover' status for too long. I can't go there until she knows she belongs with me.

Lillah pushes on though, ignoring my reaction. "Don't act like that isn't what you want. Because if you are wanting it, so is she. Remember that."

"Lillah, it's not like that with us right now," I try to explain, wanting to end this conversation. I really don't want to upset Lillah, especially now.

"Don't try to pull that crap with me," Lillah practically shouts. Embry tries to soothe her again but Lillah pushes on. "Jacob, I've been in her position and I know the emotional and physical pull she is feeling right now. You feel it too, don't deny it. I know you didn't have those feelings before, when she was younger, but there is nothing wrong with feeling it now. Don't try to stifle it."

She's right, of course; I do feel her pulling me closer, but I can't act on it. As upset as Lillah is right now, I decide to remain silent. She seems calmer when she speaks again, "Jacob, I get why you would be scared, I do... but she deserves to know. I think - no, I know, it would do you both good. It upsets me to see her so sad all the time."

"It hurts me too, Lillah, but I made a promise." I hate this. I know I need to tell Ness, but I'm honor bound to keep this secret until her birthday.

This time, Lillah's voice isn't the only one speaking to me. I hear my sister speaking almost the same words as Lillah, "Promises were meant to be broken."

As much as I would like to break my promise, as much as this is hurting both Ness and I, I can't. I get why Lillah is so passionate, hell, I even understand that Rachel wants to finally be honest with Ness, but I can't.

Shaking my head, I speak softly, "I can't tell her until her birthday."

My phone beeps with a message.

I'm home. See you soon? ~N

Before I can tap out a response, Seth is approaching the group. I'm glad I returned my phone to my pocket when he starts speaking. He shocks me to my core by what he says.

"Why are you keeping that promise now that she's going away to college? Shouldn't you get to tell her before she leaves? She'll be gone before her birthday."

I push through the crowd to stand directly in front of Seth. I'm shaking from head to toe as I gasp out, "What the fuck did you just say?"

Seth looks shocked by my response. He takes a small step back but I follow him. He starts speaking quickly, "Ness. Leaving. College. You don't know yet? I told her to tell you! I figured that's what that long ass hug was about. Shit. I'm sorry. I thought you knew."

White hot anger is rolling down my spine. Ness. Leaving. And Seth knew before I did? No, this can't be. Edward, Bella, Ness, somebody would have told me by now if my imprint was leaving Forks. I growl at Seth, hoping against hope he's wrong. "What the fuck are you talking about? No one has said anything to me about Ness going away to college."

Seth takes another step back, but this time I let him go. The wolf is pawing to get out, and as angry as I am right now, I don't want to hurt Seth. Yet.

"She's going to the University of Washington. Classes start at the beginning of September." Before her birthday. Fuck!

He must have heard wrong. One of the other Cullen's is going there and he just assumed it was Ness. I need to be sure before I go over there. "How the fuck do you know that?"

Seth takes one more step back, clear of my path if I phase. He looks away, cringing as he starts speaking, "I was over at their place yesterday. Edward-."

I'm phased and in the forest before Seth can finish. If Edward told him, then he's right. My clothes fly off around me but I don't give a fuck right now. All I care about is finding Edward. Finding him and killing him for breaking the promise. I fucking trusted him.

Leah laughs in my mind, "Never trust a vampire."

"Shut the fuck up, Leah."

I don't hear her response, lost in the memory of when Edward trapped me into keeping my imprint in the dark about our relationship.

-0-

Nessie's first birthday party was winding down and by all accounts, it was a success. At least, that was what Alice kept telling me. I swear she invited every vampire the Cullen's knew to this party, and told them to bring at least two guests. The smell was overwhelming and gag worthy.

Rolling my eyes, I moved to escape the house, where most of the vampires were still congregated. As I stepped outside, I saw Edward leaning against the balcony, Dr. Cullen standing beside him. Approaching them, I could see both looked upset. When Edward spoke, he sounded disappointed, "I understand, and I appreciate you waiting until now. We will see you soon."

Carlisle gave me a quick nod before leaving Edward and I. When Edward didn't say anything, I finally asked. "What?"

Edward turned around, his back to me, but his words were clear still. "He and Esme are leaving for Seattle soon. He has accepted a position there. He wants to be close to the family, but he can't stay here in Forks any longer."

His statement hit me square in the chest. Panic was rising as I gasped out, "But you're staying, right? You, Bella, and- Nessie?" Her name on my lips made this situation even more real. It was a distinct possibility she could be taken away from me.

I could hear Edward exhaling an unneeded breath before he turned back around to face me. "For now, but we can't stay forever. We'll stay close, of course, but we will need to go sometime. People will notice, Forks is too small a town."

"How close is close?" I barely managed to gasp out.

Edward shrugged, "Perhaps Seattle or Vancouver. It would be nice to stay near our family."

My hands were shaking as his words sunk in. "She's my family too."

My head was spinning. When Nessie was born I did what had to be done to keep them here. After the Charlie hurdle had been crossed, I assumed they would always stay. Edward and Bella knew I had to be close to Nessie, be near her as often as possible. There was no way I could live without her. I knew I had to do whatever it took to keep them here again.

When Edward didn't say anything else, I pushed on. "You can't take her from me Edward. I can't lose her. Even Seattle or Vancouver is too far. I need her, here. As close to me as possible."

Edward tilted his head, seemingly surprised by my response. "You could join us," he said, hesitantly, like this was not an ideal plan, but he could tolerate if needed.

"You know I can't do that, Edward. My family is here. My life is here. I have to protect the tribe, but I need to be near her. If not all day, then every day, as much as possible every day."

Edward was silent longer than I expected. He straightened up, but there was just a hint of a smile on his face. However, it wasn't a happy smile, but a slightly evil smile. The monster in him was excited by whatever idea had come to his mind, and I was scared.

"Fine. We will stay here."

With those simple words, he had me. I knew there was a condition coming, but I would agree to anything to keep her close. Absolutely anything I needed to do.

"IF," and there it was, the condition I knew was coming, "you agree to not mention the imprint to her until she has reached her physical maturity. Let's say - on her birthday in six years. We estimate she'll be around eighteen then."

"She already knows. She was there when Bella found out." I didn't understand how Edward thought we could keep this from her.

"She was days old. Though she could replay events seconds after they happened, they were like the memories of any infant. Short lived and gone. Do you remember anything from when you were a baby? If it wasn't talked about as she grew, if she didn't replay it for others frequently, those early memories faded away."

I was shaking my head, knowing he was right. Edward had me trapped by the fact that I assumed as smart as Nessie was, she would remember everything that happened from the moment she was born. My mistake was not reinforcing her knowledge that I imprinted. Edward had jumped on this mistake. If only I had done things differently; made her aware of imprinting and what it meant, told her she was my imprint every day.

"Why?" Even though I was going to agree to this, I needed to know what his motivation was for making me keep the nature of my relationship with his daughter a secret from her.

"Because I want her to be able to decide if being your imprint is the life she wants. I want the world to be open to her. I don't want her to feel like she has to stay here all her life. The last thing I want is for this to be forced on her."

I wanted to argue with Edward, remind him that I wanted those same things for her. The difference was, I wanted to be beside Nessie as she went out and conquered the world. I opened my mouth to set him straight, but I knew it was no use. I accepted his condition willingly, knowing this was my one chance to guarantee I could keep her close by. "Fine. I agree."

-0-

"Jacob! Jake! Come back! You don't even have any clothes or your cell phone with you."

I hear Seth but ignore him; now that he and Leah are phased, being in the wolf mind link is too much. I phase back to human to get some peace and quiet. Since I left my clothes behind at the bonfire, I pull on the pair of shorts I keep stashed near the cottage.

My steps through the woods are sure, I'm able to find the clearing around the cottage easily. My thoughts play on a loop just for Edward; the same thoughts repeating over and over in my mind.

I trusted you, Edward. You broke our pact first. I kept my secret from her, but she was supposed to stay here. You are taking her away from me before her birthday!

I stop in front of the cottage, not having to wait long for Edward to join me in the yard. Bella walks out too, closing the front door quietly before moving to stand next to her precious husband.

I can tell Bella is confused, but when Edward doesn't say anything, I happily bring her up to speed on what's going on. My entire body is shaking as I scream out what is on my mind.

"I could kill you right now, Edward. How dare you take her away from me before I can even tell her? We had a fucking deal. A deal you forced me into, you son of a-."

Edward's calm demeanor only serves to piss me off more. "Jacob, this is not a big deal. We are just going to Seattle. You can still see her. Still tell her everything on her birthday, just like we agreed."

"Just going to Seattle? Are you kidding me?" Clenching my fists, I do my best to stay human. I need Bella to hear all of this, to know what is going on. "Do you know how much it kills me just having her here in Forks when I'm in La Push? How I've lost a day with her each week this year because of that ballet class? I told you the day we made the deal that even Seattle was too far!"

I'm shaking so hard I can't focus on Edward or Bella. My vision is blurred, but my hearing is clear. "Jacob, I understand you are upset-."

I don't understand why Edward stops speaking until I take a deep breath. Ness is here.

Looking back at the cottage, my eyes finally manage to focus again. I watch as the front door opens once more. The light from the living room looks like a halo around her body, but I can't see her face. When she steps out into the yard, closing the door behind her, I can tell she's worried and confused.

All three of us are quiet as she approaches. I'm tempted to run and grab her, take her away before Edward can stop me. Edward moves in front of me just as I think this. Clearly, Bella isn't shielding my mind right now.

Even as Ness approaches, my anger at Edward is still palpable. Seeing him use his body as a barrier between me and my imprint infuriates me. "You'd better move, right now," I growl at him.

Edward glances at Ness as she finally reaches Bella then turns back to me. "You're angry Jacob. I don't want you hurting her."

"Hurting her? Are you crazy? You know I could never hurt her." I'm on the verge of losing my mind.

"Not intentionally-."

"I would rather die than hurt her. I would do anything to keep her safe, you overbearing ass-." My words are steady, my voice full of authority. It's my "Chief" voice as Ness calls it.

Edward opens his mouth to speak, "JACOB," he stops what he was going to say when Ness shouts louder than either of us.

"WOULD SOMEONE LIKE TO TELL ME WHAT IS GOING ON?"

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A/N: Please do not throw things at us for leaving you with another cliffy. We promise resolution in the next chapter along with a few other surprises. If you are CURIOUS ABOUT LEAH, check out stupidleeches dot com - our FAQ page has some info.

Also, our schedule is still every other Tuesday. Stop asking us to update early ;) If we do that, we'll run out of chapters and then you'll get nothing for a few weeks. GASP.

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