The Renesmee Series

by greenpeach20

The Story of how, through her many life experiences, Renesmee fell in love with Jacob. It's primarily romance and humor, but also has a hint of everything else in between.

22. Imprinted

Imprinted

Jacob was eating lunch with Andy and I was sitting with them watching. Andy had been staring at me for the past ten minutes and it was freaky. Really freaky. He wasn't giving me a pleasurable look or an angry look or a disgusted look or even a confused look. He was just looking. Jacob had been looking at Andy too. I suppose to make sure he didn't do or say anything. Then, Andy finally spoke. It was directed at Jacob, but he didn't stop looking at me.

"Call me crazy Jacob, but wasn't she a lot smaller the last time she was here?" Jacob froze for a nanosecond, but recovered quickly enough that Andy wouldn't notice. Jacob then looked at Andy with a look that he would give a child that had just done something to annoy him. "What?"

"How much have you been smoking lately, Andy?" Andy gave Jacob an offended look.

"What do you mean, 'how much have I been smoking'? Pot has nothing to do with this. I've been doing pot for years and I know for a fact that it doesn't make you see things." Jacob shrugged.

"Maybe you've just never noticed you've been seeing things. Haven't you also told me that you indulge in Acid or Shrooms on occasion?" Andy shook his head.

"Acid and Shrooms only make you see things while you're high. It's effects ware off after a few hours, and I haven't indulged in hallucinogens in a good while, thank you very much."

"Even so, that crap has lasting effects. And let's keep in mind that you drink like a fish and smoke cigarettes too. Those could contribute to you seeing things." Andy shook his head and rolled his eyes.

"What are you, a health teacher?" Jacob smirked and shook his head.

"No. Her grandpa is a doctor. I learn this stuff from him. Seriously, you have enough chemicals going into your head for your brain to start fabricating images." Andy gave Jacob a confused look.

"Jacob, enough with the big words. And, drunk, high, half asleep or not, she didn't have boobs the last time she was here." I froze, but Jacob answered without missing a beat.

"Yeah, and the last time she was here, it was September. And that's pushing a year ago."

"Year ago or not, boobs don't grow that fast. And neither do girls for that matter. She wasn't this tall when she was here last." Jacob rolled his eyes as if this was something that everyone should know.

"It's called a growth spurt you hophead. Everyone has a growth spurt at least once or twice in their lives, especially teenagers."

"But she isn't a teenager. Last time she was here, she looked like she was ten."

"She was older than that, and now I know you're imagining things. She's just growing. Have you never heard the term 'growing like a weed'?"

"Weed doesn't grow that fast." Jacob started laughing. Annoyed, but amused.

"That's not what I meant." I was laughing now too despite the situation. It was cute to watch. It wasn't hard to confuse a pothead I was sure, but it never made the event any less funny.

"What did you mean then? I remember the first time I saw her, she came to no higher than you hip. That was two, count 'em, two years ago. Now, suddenly, she's already reaching you chest and she has boobs."

"Why do you keep bringing attention to that little detail?" I put my elbows on the table and kept my arms together while my hands held my chin so he wouldn't see them anymore. I was hoping for the 'out of sight, out of mind' effect with him.

"Because it's a big one. Women's boobs don't grow that fast. I've grown up and slept with enough women to know that."

"And I have two sisters, Nessie and girls from my former high school. All of whom have given me varied results. Hell, I knew a girl who was in my Chemistry class that was flat as a board the first time I met her. Winter break comes along and suddenly she has boobs. And other girls I've known have had them grow throughout the years I'd known them. Women are different, you can't generalize them." I noticed the Andy had a blank stare suddenly. He was staring at Amanda the cashier who had just walked in to get a bottle of water. She waved at us, especially at Jacob, then left. Jacob didn't even notice. He was looking at Andy. "Did you hear me?" Andy looked back at Jacob.

"What? Sorry, I was miles away." Jacob muttered under his breath.

"Miles being the operative word." I giggled at his comment. They finished their lunch in silence from there. When Andy was finished, he left his garbage on the table and yawned before saying something to Jacob.

"I'm off to the corner liquor store. I need a beer real bad." Jacob chuckled lightly without humor and shook his head.

"Are you seriously planning on drinking while you're working?" Andy shook his head and his face stayed serious.

"No. I plan on drinking outside the store, then coming back. I should be back in about a half hour or so."

"Will you still be all there when you get back?" Andy scrunched his nose at Jacob's joke.

"I don't black out. Blacking out from liquor happens to pussies." He walked out of the back room and left for the liquor store. Jacob just smiled and laughed lightly. I scooted my chair a little closer to Jacob and rested my head on his shoulder.

"How does he function throughout the day?" Jacob laughed a little harder.

"I've been wondering that since the day I met him." I giggled. I breathed Jacob in. He didn't have any oil smell on him today. No one needed an oil change today, which was odd, but I never minded. I looked at the garbage on the table that Andy had left behind.

"Are we cleaning up his garbage?" Jacob smirked and ran his hand once through my hair.

"I'm not his mother, thank god for that. I'm not cleaning up after him. Even a pothead is perfectly capable of cleaning up after themselves." I giggled and kept my head on Jacob's arm. When he was done with his lunch, he took me back out to the workshop and got back to work on a car he had been working on. He said that this car's engine needed a complete overhaul.

"Wouldn't this be categorized as totaled?" Jacob shook his head.

"Not necessarily. Any cars engine can be fixed if you have the money to pay for it." I watched Jacob work on the car and we talked while he worked. Andy did come back about an hour after he left. But he was hammered out of his mind by the time he got back.

"Why hasn't he been fired?" Jacob shrugged.

"Yet another thing I've wondered since the day I met him. But like I've always said, Craig is indifferent to his detriment." I giggled.

"Couldn't he be sued for something like this?" Jacob smirked and shrugged.

"He probably has been for all I know. He's still running and has a lot of customers, so I can't imagine that we're doing too bad."

"Well yeah, he has you." Jacob laughed lightly.

"Thanks for that, Nessie." I patted his back while his head was still in the engine working.

"No problem Jacob." I heard heels clunking on the floor. I shuttered. She still hadn't laid off of Jacob. And she seemed to know that it bothered me and I was convinced that she was now doing it just to provoke me.

"Jakey, there's a call on line two for you." Jacob looked at her confused, completely ignoring the nickname.

"From who?" She giggled.

"It's Craig, silly." Jacob breathed in.

"Why didn't you just say that?" She shrugged and tried to look innocent.

"He said you knew he would call." Jacob was about to say more, but then decided it best not to and put down his rag and other equipment he'd had in his hands. He looked at me.

"I'll be back in a minute." He smiled at me and I smiled at him. I nodded and then he turned around to go to the front. Amanda looked behind her and smirked at me. I think she was pretending to be nice to me, but I wouldn't talk to Jacob about it. It seemed like a silly thing to complain to him about, especially since I wasn't here very often. I didn't give her any facial reactions. She turned and started following Jacob to the front. I saw her face and she had an odd sparkle in her eyes that I didn't like. I sat against the car and watched what was happening from a distance. Jacob answered the phone and started talking to Craig. Amanda walked behind him and started 'filing' through some papers. Somehow, that task was moving her body progressively to the right, where Jacob was.

I kept watching them, just so I would know exactly what was going on. When Jacob noticed out of the corner of his eye that Amanda was moving closer to him, he moved a small distance opposite of her. Thankfully, Jacob wasn't on the phone very long. When he hung up, I saw Amanda start talking to Jacob. Jacob kept a straight face throughout whatever it was she was saying.

I saw Jacob shake his head and say something in response to whatever it was she had said. She slouched a little when he was done talking, but then she perked up again. Jacob responded to what she said, and she slumped a second time. Jacob ended whatever conversation they had been having and made his way back into the workshop. It took him no time to make it back to the car where I was. Jacob's face looked like it was hiding embarrassment. He wasn't blushing, he just looked embarrassed about something she had said or done.

"What's the matter?" Jacob sighed lightly and shrugged.

"Nothing." I walked a little closer to him so I was right next to him. I leaned over the car with him so that our faces would be closer together.

"You know I know you better than that. What's wrong?" Jacob stared forward at the held up hood of the car and his face became annoyed. He sighed again.

"She asked me if I wanted to go with her to a party Saturday night. I told her no."

"Your face says there's a little more to the story than just that." Jacob finally looked at me, then he straightened himself out and I did the same. We looked at each other for a moment, then he spoke.

"She asked me on a date." I didn't let my face turn mad. I wouldn't yell at him for it.

"Did she?" Jacob nodded. "And you said no, right?" Jacob smirked and nodded his head again. "Good." Jacob closed the distance and rested his forehead on mine.

"I told you, I don't like her. I work with her, no more, possibly less." I giggled at his joke.

"I know. It just bothers me." Jacob laughed lightly.

"I'm the victim here. I'm the one whose bothered." I smiled and Jacob kissed my forehead before getting back to work. The rest of the day past with little eventfulness. Jacob was halfway done with the car by the end of the day. I let him know when it was five and he nodded, finishing one last thing he'd wanted to do. He clocked out and we went to the Rabbit to drive back.

I was spending the night at Jacob's house today. It was Saturday tomorrow so he wouldn't need to go to work or wake up early. While he was driving, I watched him. He had the seat positioned so far back. Furthest setting his car had. He was smiling and talking to me, but his eyes were focused and on the road. I became fascinated with the idea of being able to do what he's doing right now. I smiled.

"Jacob?"

"Yeah, Nessie?"

"Would you teach me how to drive when we get back?" Jacob looked at me with a weird, amused but scared look, and then looked back at the road.

"I'll teach you once you have a permit."

"Why would I do that when I could have you teach me how to drive and once I had the hang of what I was doing, just ask daddy for a fake driver's license?" Jacob chuckled nervously.

"Because that's illegal." I shrugged.

"We get fake ID's all the time. What's one little drivers license for Renesmee?" Jacob sighed.

"Nessie, if I'm caught letting you drive without a permit, not only will you get in trouble, but I could lose my license, which I can't afford."

"We could stay in a secluded area. No fear of cops in a secluded area." Jacob rolled his eyes.

"Cops live in secluded areas. It's the spots were people always do illegal stuff, so those are the places they wait at so they can catch people doing things they shouldn't."

"I'll drive around the reservation then." Jacob sighed. He took in a deep breath, let it out, and calmed his face of his nervousness.

"I'll tell you what. If you can get Edward to say that he's okay with it, then I'll teach you. But until I get the okay from Edward, you aren't going behind the wheel of either of my Rabbits, okay." I nodded my head and reached across to hug Jacob.

"Thank you, Jacob!" I kissed Jacob's cheek once before going back to my seat.

"Sure, sure." I got out my phone and called daddy. I heard the phone ring once, and he answered it.

"Yes, Nessie?" His voice held concern that something had possibly happened. I reassured him.

"Don't worry, daddy. Nothing's wrong. I just called cause I wanted to ask you something." Daddy's voice became wearisome.

"Okay. What's your question?" I smiled. I hoped he would say yes.

"Would it be okay if Jacob taught me how to drive this afternoon?" There was silence at the other end of the line for a moment. To a human, this pause wouldn't seem like anything, but I could tell he was thinking long and hard.

"And what brought this up?" I kept smiling.

"I just decided I wanted to learn. Jacob can teach me how to drive on the Rabbit."

"Where do you plan on practicing? If you guys get caught with you not having a permit, he'll get in a lot of trouble for that."

"We could practice somewhere close that is secluded, maybe even drive a little around Forks." I noticed Jacob look at me with a fearful 'are you nuts' look, but I ignored it.

"And did Jacob say he was okay with you learning how to drive in his car?" Daddy sounded really skeptical.

"He said that he was willing to teach me as long as you said you were okay with it." I heard daddy sigh a little and pause for a moment. Finally, he answered.

"If he's okay with the idea, then go ahead." I thought of one more thing.

"And daddy?" I heard daddy chuckle lightly.

"Yes, honey?" I smiled.

"Alice has a stick shift right?"

"Yeah, the Porsche. And I'm sure she'd be thrilled to death to teach you how to drive a stick." I heard a beep. "In fact, I'm sure that's her on the other line right now ready to tell me her answer. Hold on a minute." Daddy changed lines.

"So what did he say?" I looked at Jacob smiling, keeping the phone close to my ear.

"He said as long as you're okay with teaching me in your car, he doesn't mind." Jacob groaned.

"Of course he doesn't mind." I giggled. "Alright, I'll teach you. But we're using my other Rabbit. I don't want to risk anything happening to this one." I gave Jacob an offended look.

"Why can't we use this one?" Jacob sighed.

"Three reasons Nessie. Number one: This is the car you gave me and I don't want it damaged. Number two: I've seen the way teenagers drive. I haven't met a teenager driver on the road that I didn't want to shot. Number three: I've worked on the cars of teenage drivers. Forgive my language, Nessie, but teenagers are fucking stupid and have the driving skills of a drink monkey. I've seen proof." I gave Jacob a lecturing look.

"Are you saying that I would be a bad driver." Jacob paused for a moment before answering me.

"This feels like a trap." I couldn't help but laugh. Jacob smirked a little but still remained defensive.

"Nessie." I put my attention back to daddy on the phone.

"Yeah, daddy?"

"Alice said she would love to teach you how to drive her Porsche. She'll be ready when you get back, so be prepared." I laughed lightly.

"I will daddy." We hung up and I smirked at Jacob. Jacob sighed.

"I take it Alice was okay with you driving her Porsche." I smiled as my answer. When we got back to Jacob's apartment, he took us up to get the keys to his other Rabbit. When we had those, he handed me the keys and helped me adjust the seat when we got to the car. He explained everything to me what I needed to know and what he thought I needed to know. When he was done explaining everything, he looked at me, hopeful. "Do you have any questions?" I shook my head.

"No. I got it."

"Are you sure?" I smirked and nodded.

"I'm sure."

"Okay, start the car and try to back out." I did as Jacob said and started the car the way he had shown me. The car came to life and I looked at Jacob. He nodded his head, encouraging me, and I put the car in reverse like he said. I let up off of the break and we began to move. "Is anyone coming?" I stepped on the breaks and accidentally brought the car to a violent stop.

"What?" Jacob's face didn't change. He stayed calm.

"Did you check to see if there was anyone coming? Someone driving or walking past us." Oh. I tried to look in the rear view mirror that Jacob had helped me adjust. "It helps to turn your body and look behind you. You get a better sense of what's behind you."

I nodded and did as he said. I turned slightly so I could see behind me. There didn't look like there was anyone coming. Jacob was looking with me. I let off of the breaks lightly and started pulling out again. At some point, I was finally able to see the rest of the parking lot and there was no one coming.

"Alright, now start turning the wheel to the right." I did as he said and started turning. I stopped when the car was straight and facing the direction I wanted it to. I looked at Jacob and he pointed me in the direction that he wanted me to go. When we got to the end of the parking lot, Jacob spoke. "Turn left and wait for traffic to clear. As soon as it's safe to, turn right onto the road and we'll drive around a little."

I did as he said and looked at the roads. I waited for a single oncoming car to pass me before I turned right onto the road. Jacob told me to keep going straight for now so I could get a feel for the car. When we came onto the Makka reservation, Jacob started directing me down roads.

"Pull into this road. I need to teach you a few things." I turned into the neighborhood he pointed to and started driving really slowly. I had already been going pretty slow as Jacob had said. I heard Jacob laugh lightly.

"What's so funny?" He kept smiling.

"I hadn't expected this to be so easy. I was convinced that I'd be yelling at you to slow down every couple seconds. I actually have to tell you to speed up." I started laughing with him. It was kind of ironic.

Jacob taught me, first, how to parallel park. We were lucky enough to come across two cars that were spaced enough apart on the street for me to park in between them. I noticed that Jacob would start lifting his hand slightly if I was getting too close, so I stopped whenever his hand went up. I put the car into park once I had it in the position I wanted.

"Not bad at all. I don't think you hit anything, so that's good." I looked at him.

"What are we going to do next?" Jacob faced me and smiled.

"Pull out of here and I'll teach you how to uphill/down hill park." I put the car into reverse and backed up slightly so I would be able to pull out. I drove to the end of the street and made a U turn. I pulled over at a spot Jacob pointed out.

It didn't take long to learn how to uphill/down hill park. He showed me what I needed to do and I just did it. Jacob made me do each thing twice, just to make sure I knew what to do.

"How am I doing?" Jacob smirked.

"Pretty good. Most teenagers are scared to death their first time. I'm glad you're an exception. I might even let you drive us back to your house tomorrow." I beamed.

"Would you really?" Jacob shrugged.

"You haven't done anything to lead me to believe you can't handle it as of yet. Why don't we drive around the reservation a few more times? And we'll drive to Forks and back so you can have some highway experience." I smiled wider and he just laughed lightly.

As Jacob promised, he let me drive from La Push to Forks and back. It went over without any problems. We did pass a few cops, but I was going the speed limit, so we never got pulled over. On the way back to La Push, I got the confidence to reach ninety miles an hour. Half of what Alice and daddy usually do, but it was a start. Jacob would glance at me with a teasingly lecturing look. I smirked.

"What? You drive faster than this all the time." Jacob couldn't help but smile.

"I also have to drive to Seattle in an hour and I have a license to give to a cop if I'm ever caught. You shouldn't speed, it's bad. Don't do it just because everyone else around you does."

"But I have better reflexes than humans do." Jacob laughed lightly.

"That may be true, but the car isn't quite as fast as your reflexes are I'm afraid. And don't look at me, look at the road." I giggled and looked back at the road. By the time we got back to Jacob's apartment, I had a big smile on my face.

"I think that went well." Jacob chuckled.

"Yeah. But you're already getting a led foot." I giggled.

"If anyone has led feet, it's you, daddy, and Alice. You three have no sense of speed limit at all." Jacob laughed.

"I have a reason. I need to get to work on time. As far as Edward and Alice are concerned, that's just pure impatience." We laughed together for a few minutes before Jacob sighed. "Let's get inside. I have something really cool to show you."

I smiled at the announcement and got out of the car with him. I locked the car and handed him the keys. When Jacob got to the front door and let himself in, a smell hit me like a punch. Jacob noticed it too. It was a very strange smell. It smelled like it's usual cat little box and such, so that part I was used to. But now there was that combined with Indian food and Chinese food and every other spice imaginable. I could swear I even smelled something dead. Probably a dead cat or something. There was also this really odd smell. It was human, I did know that at least. Maybe BO or something.

"What is that smell?" Jacob breathed the air from outside and walked in with me following behind him.

"I think my neighbor's getting creative with her cooking again." I sighed.

"Maybe you should move." Jacob's tone was very mater-of-fact.

"I can't afford to. My apartment costs me next to nothing compared to other places in this area that I could be living in. I'm lucky I was able to find a place like this. It's either this or I move to Seattle." Jacob and I reached our level and he opened the door, we took in a deep breath at the relief from the smell. The smell was still there slightly, but it wasn't nearly as strong.

"I'll go open a window." Jacob chuckled lightly.

"It's raining." I walked over to the window and began to open it.

"It's Washington, Jacob, it's always raining. I'm not going to let a little rain keep me from getting rid of that smell." Jacob laughed a little harder and tossed his keys onto the kitchen counter near the door. A little thought came to my head. "Hey Jacob."

"Yeah?"

"What if you were to let us buy you a new place?" Jacob's head was shaking before I even finished the sentence.

"No way, Nessie. It's bad enough that you guys bought me that plasma screen. Not that I'm complaining, but there's only so much one can give a person." I smiled and rolled my eyes.

"Whatever happened to never looking a gift horse in the mouth?" Jacob smiled.

"Some horses are too expensive to accept. And I still had that thing I wanted to show you." I walked over to him.

"What did you get?" He lifted his hand and motioned, with his index finger, for me to come in his direction. When I was right in front of him, he cocked his head to the left, telling me to look in that direction. I saw what he was talking about.

"You got a new house phone." He grinned even wider.

"Yep. It's a Verizon hub house phone. In other words, I just got myself an iPhone for my house."

"Aren't these older models? They have bigger screens now, don't they?" Jacob nodded.

"The newer models do. This is an older one. The store clerk said it was a 2009 model. It was cheaper than the newer stuff." I smiled.

"Is this the only one you got?" Jacob smirked and shook his head.

"I caved and got one for my room too. So I'll be tight for a while." I sighed.

"Seriously Jacob, you know that my family is more than willing to help you." Jacob's face became serious. Not angry, just serious.

"Nessie, I won't take your money. I can pay my own way and I can still afford to pay my rent. As long as I can still do that, I'm fine." Jacob walked away to do something. His way of saying that the matter was closed.

Jacob had walked into the living room and was searching through his movies looking for something to watch. Once again, something he does to show a matter, in his mind, is closed. I smirked and walked over to him. He didn't pay any mind to me as I walked up to him. He didn't do anything until I let myself fall onto his back and wrapped my arms around his neck. He laughed lightly and stood up so that my feet were off the ground and I was holding onto him.

"So what do you want to do?" I rested my head on the back of his neck and thought about what I thought would be fun. I breathed in his scent and lost my train of thought for a moment. "Nessie?" I was brought back. Then I thought of something that would be fun.

"Sorry. I was thinking maybe you could let me drive us to Port Angels and we could see a movie." Jacob chuckled and I felt the vibrations on his back. It was soothing.

"Don't you think you've had enough practice for one day?" I shook my head.

"Not even close. Do you know any good movies that are out right now?" I moved with him as he shrugged.

"No. I haven't really been keeping track. Andy did say something about a new movie that was out. It was a romantic comedy though, so it's probably stupid."

"Let's go rent a movie, then." Jacob chuckled again and reached for me. He took hold of my left arm with his right hand and I held myself securely so he could move me without dropping me. Eventually, Jacob was holding me up at his level, us facing each other and my arms still around his neck. He was grinning.

"What movie did you have in mind?" I shrugged.

"Something stupid." He laughed and I laughed with him.

"Okay. Something stupid it is." I let myself fall from him and made my way to the front so I could grab his keys. Jacob was laughing and coming after me. "I never said I would let you drive." I gave him a confident smile.

"You didn't say no either. And, in truth, I never asked." Jacob looked like he wanted to say something, but he just had to laugh. I took the keys to the old Rabbit and grabbed my coat out of the closet and threw Jacob his jacket. After he put on his jacket, he finally spoke.

"Well, Nessie, next time you come to a conclusion like that about anything else, remember that not everyone will be as nice to you as I am." I giggled.

"I'll keep that in mind." I opened the door and the smell from the hallway hit me again. I scrunched my nose at it and Jacob laughed. I looked back at him from between the apartment and the hallway. "What do you think would happen if I were to talk to the neighbor stinking up the building?" Jacob laughed again.

"You can't say anything. You're not the landlord. You could complain to the landlord, which I, as well as the rest of the building, have already done on multiple occasions." I gave him a weird look.

"And they haven't done anything?" Jacob shook his head.

"He's talked to them, but that was last year." I rolled my eyes.

"Well, I'm talking to them now." Jacob's eyes widened.

"Nessie, don't! The last thing I need is the landlord getting on my back for harassment." I started walking to the source of the smell, but did look back at Jacob as I walked.

"What harassment? I'm merely voicing a widely had complaint. Nothing wrong with that."

"Nessie, I've never met these people, so I have no idea what they're like. I don't want to get sued or something because my neighbor can't take constructive criticism." I rolled my eyes.

"Jacob, even if they do, we have access to some of the best lawyers in the world. We wouldn't even need that. We could just ask Jasper to stop buy and put them in a more listening sort of mood."

"Then why don't you wait and do that?"

"Because I don't think the situation requires that we do that." I reached the door that had the source of the smell. Jacob reached me just as I was knocking on the door to the apartment. Jacob put his hand on my shoulder as a staying motion, but it was too late to stop me. I waited a minute before the person finally answered the door. The smell hit me like a punch in the face and I could see the source of the little box smell from the umpteen dozen cats the woman had. Now I was sure they had a dead cat somewhere in there.

I saw a man, I'm assuming her husband, sitting at the table eating a Pizza Hut pizza. I scrunched my nose. The man was extremely unpleasant looking and was balding. He was wearing a robe over his briefs and a loose fitting white tank top shirt. I smelled the liquid in his mug from even this distance as, without a doubt, the strongest coffee my nose had ever been tortured with. I was no expert on human food, but I did know that coffee wasn't something one typically had with pizza.

The woman was even more unpleasant. Mostly because she was giving me a look like I was her child and I had just done something wrong. Her hair was raggedy looking and was in desperate need of a wash. She was wearing a nightgown like thing that could only be identified, I suppose, as a momo with stains of all sorts all over. I could also identify this woman as a heavy smoker. I could smell a smoker a mile away. That and I could see the packs of cigarettes, both empty, unopened, and half full, lying all over the apartment. She opened her mouth to talk to me and I saw further proof that she was a heavy smoker from the icky yellowish off white color of her teeth.

"Can I help you, young lady?" Young lady? I couldn't recall being addressed as such a day in my life, not even jokingly. Her voice was horrible. It was creepy and high pitched. When I looked at her, I immediately thought of the witch that tried to eat Hansel and Gretel. I didn't let any of this bother me though.

"Yes, actually. The land lord has been receiving a great deal of complaints from other occupants with regards to the smell coming from your apartment." Jacob kept a straight face, though I was sure that he had no idea where I was going with this. The woman rolled her eyes at me and sighed heavily, sending a smell of bad breath my way. I kept a straight face as best I could.

"What about it?"

"Well ma'am, it's bothering everyone else living here. If you don't take care of this problem we're going to have to evict you." The man at the table chuckled lightly. I tried to ignore that sound. It reminded me of an old haggard gypsy.

"Young lady, the landlord is my brother-in-law, and we have as much money invested in this place as he does. He can't evict us." I knew Jacob was getting nervous, but I still had a little trick up my sleeve. I touched Jacob's hand behind me to reassure him.

Don't worry. I still have an idea. This time, Jacob gave me a weird look, I noticed. But I kept a straight face as always and spoke to the woman in a very professional tone.

"As true as that may be, there have been far too many complaints about this smell coming from you apartment. Do you know who the HHSA is ma'am?" She gave me a quizzical look, but otherwise didn't really react.

"What about them?" I at least knew she knew who they were. HHSA or Home Health and Sanitation Agency. They were a relatively recent agency that started in 2010. They specialize in the safety of homes, especially inspecting the sanitation and wellbeing of apartment buildings or nursing homes or any other places with a large amount of residences. These were the people that had to okay your building before you could put it up for sale or use.

"My name is Vanessa Wolfe. I'm one of the representatives for the HHSA." I noticed both of them freeze a little. I pulled out my phone and started dialing a number to nowhere. "And seeing as you not only refused to handle the smell coming from your apartment, but were also so rude to me, I think it best that I call the main office and let them know to come here and inspect things first thing in the morning."

"No! No, don't do that." Said the man in the back. He stood up and started walking over to where Jacob and I were standing in the doorway. "We'll take care of it, just don't call them." I got suspicious. I knew they weren't serial killers or anything, I couldn't smell anything of that nature anywhere in their house or on them. Even with rubbing alcohol or chlorine, the smell was still there. If something like that was going on, either Jacob or I would have noticed it by now or daddy would have confirmed this by reading their thoughts.

"Sir, do you or your brother have licenses to be running an apartment building?" I noticed the man start to get nervous. The woman was getting nervous too.

"Yes, we do." He was lying. I may not be Maggie, but I didn't need to have her gift to know that these people were lying to me.

"May I see it please?" The man got even more nervous. I was amazed that they were buying all this. I wasn't dressed as a bum or anything, but I wasn't wearing anything professional either. I was wearing blue jeans and a blue sweater. And they didn't even ask me for a badge. I knew that all employees of the HHSA had badges to prove who they were.

The man went into the apartment and went to a little drawer. He pulled out some papers and walked over to hand them to me. The woman looked at the man, her eyes a little more hopeful looking, but the man still looked a little nervous. If that wasn't proof enough, looking at the documents finalized it. These were false documents. And not very good ones at that. I looked at the man and the woman. They had been rude to me. I would pay them back for it.

"I asked you to show me your license sir." He nodded nervously.

"That is my license." I rolled my eyes.

"These are false documents sir. And what's more, these aren't signed by the state senator, or by you for that matter. You honestly expect me to believe that these are real?" I had to admit that I was impressed with myself. I had came over just to ask them to do something about the smell coming from their apartment and come to find that neither they, or their co-owner had licenses to own the place.

The man and woman didn't say anything. The man gave me a guilty look and the woman was looking at me like I was a spoiled brat or something along those lines. I knew Jacob was looking at me just as shocked. I sighed and pretended that this was something that I handled all the time. I opened my phone back up and started calling the actual number to the HHSA.

"I'm afraid I have no other choice but to call in an inspection."

A person answered the phone and I told them 'who I was' and what I had found out about Jacob's building and it's owners. The person on the other end didn't recognize my name, but he still took my call seriously and told me that people would be over tomorrow to inspect the building. I thanked him and hung up. I looked at the couple.

"They'll send people over tomorrow to look at the building. There's a very high possibility you and your brother won't be owning this place for much longer." With that, I walked away and Jacob followed me with a look of shock. When we got outside, I got into the driver's seat of the old Rabbit and put the keys in the ignition. Jacob got into the passenger's seat and started talking.

"Nessie, what did you just do?" He sounded panicky. I wondered why he would sound panicky.

"What's the matter? I just got rid of bad landlords." Jacob shook his head.

"No Nessie, you just got rid of the only people that were willing to own this building. There are a lot of problems with this building in general. I have one of the few halfway decent apartments in that building. No one will want to buy it from those people because they won't make a profit off of it. There are too many things that, by law, need to be changed."

"Couldn't the government just take it over or something?" Jacob shook his head again.

"No Nessie, the government can't take it over. This is a democracy, not communism. They're going to get rid of the building. Nessie, I'm homeless!" I looked at Jacob for a moment. He was serious. I breathed out deeply and rested my forehead on the wheel. Now I felt terrible. And Jacob refused to ever let us lend him money or help him get a better place.

"I'm sorry." I noticed I was getting ready to cry a little. Jacob sighed and I heard him move. Then, he was holding me in a powerful hug, holding me close to his chest. I turned and buried my head into my nook and wrapped my arms around his neck.

"Nessie, don't cry. I know you meant well. And I'll still have at least a month to find a new place." I shook my head in my nook.

"I'm sorry." Jacob pulled me over to him so that I was on his lap. He kissed the top of my head, but I never took my face away from his shoulder.

"It's okay. I'll be fine. There are plenty of places that I could move to." I wasn't sobbing, but I was crying I knew.

"But they're all in Seattle." Jacob sighed and hugged me tighter.

"I know, but I'll try to find a place here."

"Maybe someone will buy the building." Jacob shook his head in my hair.

"No, they won't. No one with a license at least. This building is too out of shape for anyone to buy it and actually make a profit off of it." I don't know how long we just sat there. I didn't stop feeling bad. I lifted my head away from his chest and looked at him.

"I know you've said no before, but please just let us get you a place, Jacob. That way you won't have to move to a place in Seattle. You can stay close by." Jacob sighed and rested his forehead against mine.

"Nessie, I told you, I won't take your money. I can find myself a place I can afford. Don't worry about it." I wanted to say more, but Jacob silenced me by putting his fingers over my lips so I wouldn't talk. "Don't worry about it. Let's just go to Port Angels and get some dinner and rent those movies."

Jacob opened the door to his side of the car and brought me with him until I was sitting in the passenger's seat. He walked around the car to the driver's side, adjusted the seat and got it. The keys were already in the ignition, so he just started the car. We drove to Port Angels in silence for the most part. I still felt really bad. Jacob and I got to Port Angels in a little over a half hour and we found a Blockbuster within five minutes of arriving. Jacob went straight to the horror section and I followed him there. He picked up a movie he thought looked good.

"How about this?" He showed me the movie he had picked and I looked at it for a moment. The title read The Wizard of Gore. I shook my head.

"This looks a little stupid even for us." Jacob smirked a little and took the movie back and put it down. He looked through the rows to find something else. He was mad at me. I knew he was. He would never be this quiet otherwise. He always said he wasn't mad, but I knew better. "Jacob?" He turned and faced me.

"Yeah, Nessie?" I sighed. He sounded so tired now. He wasn't tired, he was just masking annoyance.

"Jacob, I know you're mad at me. I'm sorry. Maybe I can see if I can have the HHSA not go through with the inspection tomorrow." Jacob's face and voice didn't change.

"Nessie, what's done is done, don't worry about it anymore okay." He started walking away and was going for the comedy aisle. I followed behind him. I had no idea what I wanted, but I did know that I wasn't satisfied with that response. I waited until I was right behind him to talk again.

"Jacob, it's not okay. I know you're mad at me. I've made it so that you'll have to move out of your apartment and find a new place. I made it so that you'll probably move to Seattle. I know you're mad at me." Jacob's face finally showed what he was feeling. And it was anger.

"You know why I'm mad?" I gave him a questioning look and nodded my head.

"I got your landlords in trouble and now you'll have to find a new place." He took it a deep, calming breath and looked back at me.

"No, Nessie. I'm mad because you didn't listen to me." My face stayed confused.

"Listen to you?" I was getting defensive now, but I couldn't help it. But, consequently, Jacob got defensive too.

"I told you not to do that. I told you not to talk to them. And what do you do? You talk to them anyway. And look what happens. I'm now homeless because you didn't do as I asked you and not talk to those people."

"Well, excuse me for trying to make your building a better place to live, Jacob." He became even angrier.

"Damn it, Nessie, I'm a grown man. I don't need you heckling my landlord to try and make anything better. I had one of the nicer apartments in that building. I was perfectly happy with it the way things were. But I have nothing to be perfectly happy with because now I'm homeless!"

"You're not homeless until they tell you that you can't live there anymore. They haven't told you that you can't live there."

"Well I guarantee you that's what they're going to tell me as soon as we get back."

"Well, you can get a better place. Someplace where it doesn't constantly smell like litter boxes and Indian food." Jacob raised his voice a little now.

"Nessie, I don't care about that stuff. My apartment never smelled like that, I made sure of it." I laughed without humor.

"You made sure of it?! I'm the one that introduced air fresheners into your apartment."

"Air fresheners that I never used because the perfumes always made you sick! And yet another thing that I told you not to bother with, but you did it anyway! Nine times out of ten, when I ask you not to do something, you ignore me and do it anyway, no matter what it is. It's grinding on my nerves Nessie!"

"Grinding on your nerves?! You're the one that never appreciates it when I do something for you and never accepts any help from me!" Jacob's face was in full outrage now.

"That's bullshit, Nessie, and you know it! I don't want to take your family's money, so fucking sue me!"

"Hey, if the two of you are going to fight, take it outside!" That voice came from a guy sitting at the cash register. We both looked at him, then back at each other. Jacob took a deep breath, let it out and opened his eyes again.

"Just forget it. Let's just pick out a movie and go." Jacob still sounded mad, and I, frankly, wasn't done yelling yet. But I kept my mouth shut and followed him. I always had the car ride back to yell some more.

Jacob didn't even look at the movie he picked up. Neither did I for that matter. I was staring at the ground for the most part. I was furious and I had no right to be, but I didn't care. I felt a sting at his words that cut through me like a knife. I had always wanted nothing but the best for him. I wanted him to be happy and well, and here he was telling me that I was only being a nuisance. I could feel tears stinging my eyes again, but I held them back. I had no intention of crying.

Jacob rented the movie without saying much of anything to the cashier, if anything at all. When we got into the car, Jacob didn't talk to me. He just started the car and made his way home.

"Aren't you going to stop and get something to eat?" Jacob didn't make any motion to indicate that he was answering. When he did answer, his voice was almost dead.

"I'm not hungry." Words I never thought I would ever hear come out of his mouth. I had never seen him this angry before. Even Jacksonville didn't compare to how angry he was now. At least then, his anger was slightly diluted from the pain of something I had said to him. This was full blown rage. His body was shaking slightly and everything. I was nervous that he would faze right in the car.

It didn't take long to get home. He managed to get us back in a record twenty minutes. He didn't say anything when we got into the parking lot. He didn't say anything when he turned off the car and got out either. He just got out and I followed after him. He locked the car and was to the front door all within the same five seconds. I ran after him. He let himself in and I followed after. He had somehow remembered the movie and brought it in with us. I didn't even pay attention to the smell that was still surrounding us in the hallway.

Jacob made his way up the stairs to his third floor apartment and got to his door within seconds yet again. He stuck in the key, unlocked his door, and let us in. This silence was bothering me. We hadn't said a word to each other since we were in Port Angels and I didn't like it at all. When Jacob and I both got in, we took off our jackets and hung them up and Jacob tossed his keys onto the kitchen counter. Jacob looked at the door and saw something at the floor. It was a piece of paper that had been slipped in under the door. Jacob walked over and picked it up. He took one glance at it, then threw it at the kitchen counter. I went to the note he had thrown and looked at it.

To all residences,

We are sorry to inform you that this building will be visited tomorrow by the HHSA. We are hoping for a good inspection, but we are making it known the possibility that difficulties might arise. We will inform all occupants immediately if there is a problem.

Thank you for your patience.

Gary Sulvin and Marti Grobber

I sighed heavily. They already knew they weren't going to have the building for much longer. When I was done reading, I heard a door slam. Jacob had gone to his room. I wanted to feel concerned. I wanted to feel bad for what was my fault, but at the moment, I was just too angry.

I marched over to the door to Jacob's room and stood outside for a moment, trying to think of what I would do. I didn't know what to do. All I knew was that he had been yelling at me and I didn't like being yelled at. I took a deep breath. I didn't want to yell right away. It would only make the situation worse. I knocked on Jacob's door, hoping that he would answer me. I didn't care if all he did was grunt in acknowledgement, as long as he did something. I didn't get a response, so I knocked again. This time with a little more force.

"Jacob, let me in." I didn't get a response again. I growled to myself, rolled my eyes and took out my phone. Maybe a text would get his attention. It made no sense for that to work, but at the moment, I really didn't care.

Come out, I'm not done talking to you. I sent the text and I heard Jacob's phone go off. I heard him answer it, and to my relief, I heard him responding. He pressed one more button and I received a text a few seconds later.

I don't want to talk right now. Just let me be alone for a few hours. I pressed respond and typed furiously.

No I won't give you a few hours. In a few hours, you'll be asleep and then I'll end up having to wait until morning. Come out. I sent the text with what I knew was anger on my face. I wasn't sure exactly what I was feeling right now. I was angry, I knew that. I was sad, I knew that. But something else was wrong, like a feeling of emptiness. I wanted to hold him. I felt like I needed to. But I was so mad, that I didn't want to be anywhere near him. It was an odd and uncomfortable medium.

I heard Jacob's phone go off and I heard an irritated groan. I tried not to let that bother me. I was mad enough as it was. I waited a moment. I heard him slam his phone onto his bedside table. I was worried that I wouldn't get a response. But I heard him move. I heard him get up from his bed and I heard the sound of his feet coming closer to the door. I turned around to face his door, and then it opened. Jacob's face was angry. I saw annoyance, I saw anger, I saw frustration and I saw even sadness. But I also saw a look of guilt.

"Nessie, I'm not in the mood to argue right now." I rolled my eyes.

"No duh, Jacob. No one's ever in the mood to argue. But either we talk this out, or we just stay mad at each other the rest of the night." Jacob's face stayed the same.

"I told you what I'm mad about. What else is there to tell?"

"Maybe the fact that I do listen to you? I always listen to what you have to say. I never do anything you really don't want me to do." Jacob rolled his eyes.

"How about the time when you and I were out in the woods with Bella a few years ago? I asked you not to bother that stupid beehive you found. And you did it anyway. I had enough beestings that people thought I had chickenpox."

"I was a little kid when that happened. That hardly counts." Jacob sighed.

"That excuse doesn't work for you Nessie. A year old or not, you knew better. How about the time I asked you not to show Renee your visions?" I gaped at him.

"Nothing bad came of that!" Jacob's eyes became even angrier.

"Yeah, luckily! Do you have any idea how much trouble that could have gotten you into?! Especially if she had told Phil? Renee might keep your little secret because she's your grandma, but what is Phil to you? What's to stop him from letting this out?!"

"But nothing bad happened!"

"But something bad could have happened! And now, I asked you, no, I begged you not to start anything with the people in that apartment and you didn't listen to me. And look what happened because of it!"

"I said I was sorry, Jacob! I offered to call the HHSA and ask them to call of the inspection, but you said no!" He threw his arms in the air with a loud roar.

"That won't do anything! If anything, that'll make it worse!"

"This is exactly what I'm talking about! You never let me help you!"

"Because you idea of helping me is usually offering to throw money at me. That's not your help to give! It's not your money to hand out! And even if it was, I still wouldn't take it because that's wrong!"

"There's nothing wrong with accepting a gift!"

"IT'S A FUCKING PITY GIFT!" I backed away a little from the sound, but I didn't stand down.

"How is it a pity gift? I want you to be happy! Is that so bad?!"

"Nessie, I am happy! Why do you think I'm not?! Just because I can't wipe my ass with hundred dollar bills doesn't mean that I'm not happy!" We looked at each other for a moment. Then Jacob's face became slightly aware of something. I didn't know what he was realizing, or thought he was realizing. We weren't yelling anymore, but my voice was still tense.

"What?" Jacob's face was becoming more and more of something. I couldn't pinpoint it. His eyes revealed that he was in pain, but his face had calmed. He was trying to hide his expression from me. I walked a little closer to Jacob and he didn't move in any direction. He just stood there, staring pained, then suddenly blankly, at me. I wasn't angry anymore. Now I was worried. What had just happened? "Jacob?"

He didn't answer me. I saw his chest moving up and down in an odd fashion. It was more than just him breathing. It was stiffly moving. Like he was trying very hard to hold something in. I reached him in a few strides. I didn't try to hug him. I wasn't sure what would happen if I did. I wasn't scared that he would hit me. He would never do such a thing to me. I was scared he would back away from me. His face seemed to become even blanker as the moments passed.

"Jacob, talk to me. Please." He didn't say anything. I wrapped my arms around his large chest and he didn't back away like I feared he would. Instead, he did nothing at all. He didn't react to me. He didn't try to hug me back, he didn't rest his head on mine, he didn't do anything. This was worse than backing away. At least I would have an identifiable emotion from that action. This gave me nothing. When he finally did respond, it cut me deeper than a sword ever could.

"Nessie. Please." His voice was empty and broken. He was forcing something back. He was asking me to let him be alone. I didn't want to let go of him. I wanted everything to be okay again. What had I done? This was all my fault and I didn't even know what I did. This was much more than the apartment. There was something else wrong.

Reluctantly, I let go of him and walked a few steps backwards. He wasn't looking at me anymore. He was staring inside his room. He turned around and closed the door behind him. I heard movement in his room and eventually heard the shower going.

I walked away and went to my room. I didn't feel good. I felt sick. Empty somehow. Even dead to some degree. I went to my bed and just laid there with my head resting on my pillow. I grabbed a hold of my little wolf plush toy. The one that Jacob had made me for my very first valentine's day. I clutched onto it as if it were my new lifeline. Like I needed it to survive.

I didn't know what happened. One minute, we were arguing over the apartment, then we were arguing about something I couldn't identify. I had hurt him. That was the only thing that I knew for sure at the moment. I buried my face into my pillow while still holding my little toy and didn't bother to stop myself from crying.

JPOV

I took a deep breath when the warm water hit me. I had the shower on the hottest setting possible and yet it still only felt slightly warm to me. But I didn't care. My body was shaking. I couldn't believe I had been so stupid. She was the one that was unhappy.

I was never anything less than content with everything I had. I didn't mind all the things that were wrong with the apartment. I didn't mind that I worked with a pothead and my boss was a lazy bum. I never minded that I wasn't rich. I never minded any of these things. Nessie was the one that always complained about these things. She was the one that was always trying to fix things. She was the one who would suggest that I try to find a better auto shop to work at or that I find a better apartment or that I possibly think of investing in something. It was always her.

I always knew I wasn't good enough for her. I'd always known that. But I loved her. She was everything to me. She always had been. That love had only gotten stronger and more binding the older she got. I was even becoming physically attracted to her. I had always known she was too good for me, but that never stopped me from loving her and wanting her. But when that gap was made obvious, it never failed to cut me to the quick.

I was having a hard time breathing now. I would do anything for her. I would walk through hell and back with a smile on my face if only for her. I would find a way to give her the moon if she only asked me for it. And yet here I was, failing to give her what she wanted without even realizing it. I was the only wolf that wasn't giving his mate everything she wanted. I guess that's what happens when one imprints on someone who's used to having nothing less than the best and beyond.

I wasn't even washing myself. I was just standing in the shower staring at the wall thinking about everything. And I had yelled at her. That was unforgivable of me. Nessie was a strong one, no doubt about it. She was always good at hiding her emotions. I think it was something she picked up from Edward. She had a poker face even Edward couldn't beat. But, I noticed over the years, that I was the only person that could ever shake that poker face. I was the only that was ever able to make her snap under pressure, and I hated myself for it. If she'd had this fight with anyone else, she would have been able to keep a straight face, an even tone, and she would have been able to brush it off in minutes once the fight was over. With me it was a completely different story. I was the only one, it seemed, that could really shake her composure.

I felt the water start to get cold, so I turned off the shower and got out. I brushed my teeth and shaved my face without really thinking at all. Everything I was doing seemed to be robotic. I couldn't help looking at my hair. The short hair that Alice had done for me. The only reason it was there was because Nessie liked it this way. She was the reason I let Alice come anywhere near my head with sharp objects. I started feeling really sick with that thought. I walked out of my bathroom and put on my sweatpants.

I smelled something in the air. It was weak between the walls, but I could still smell it. It was a salty fragrance that I hated to smell. Nessie had been crying. Suddenly, my cell phone went off. I was reluctant to answer it. It was a single ring, so it was only a text. But it could be from anyone, and I needed to concentrate on Nessie right now. But what if it was from her? I walked over to my bedside table where my phone was and opened the text. It was from Nessie.

I'm sorry. That was all she sent. It took a lot for Nessie to say she was sorry. It took even more for her to really mean it. I closed my phone and put it back on the table. I needed to talk to her now. I walked out of my room and walked to the door to her room slowly. I was listening for crying. I didn't hear anything, I only smelled the tears. I took my chances and let myself in.

I saw Nessie in her bed, face down, holding her little wolf toy close to her. She looked so helpless. I hated seeing her like that, especially when it was my fault she was like this. I didn't say anything. It didn't seem like anything I could say would make this any better. Instead, I walked over to her bed and got on. When I was on her bed, I wrapped my arms around her waist and buried my face to the back of her head and breathed her in. I held her tight, trying to let her know I wasn't angry. She let one of her arms touch mine and I smelled more tears.

"I'm the one that's sorry, Nessie."

RPOV

I couldn't help but let a fresh line of tears fall from my face when I heard those words. I could smell him and I could hear his heartbeat. His body was radiating a comfortable heat that was made all the warmer by his bare chest. I gave into temptation and turned my body so that I was facing him. The look on Jacob's face was enough to make me melt. He was looking at me with remorseful eyes. They were the eyes of a man that was scared he'd just lost everything.

I scooted even closer to him and wrapped my arms around his chest and buried my face into my nook. I took in as much of the musky woodsy scent as I could, trying desperately to calm down. I hated crying, no matter what the reason. Jacob crushed me impossibly closer to him and I let him. He kissed the top of my forehead and rested his forehead on mine. We looked at each other for a few moments.

I felt that unbelievable warm feeling again when I looked into his eyes. His eyes were a dark black color. They had tints of brown that no human would ever notice. They made his eyes even more beautiful and comforting. I never felt safer than when I was warm in Jacob's arms like I was now. I buried my head back into my little nook on his shoulders and listened to his heart. The sound had slowed a little since he had first walked into my room. We didn't say anything. We didn't need to. Everything that could have been said was said in both our eyes. Jacob and I had both asked for forgiveness for what happened today and both of us had granted it.

I continued to listen to his heartbeat and breath him in. Eventually, I started getting drowsy and my eyes lids were becoming heavy with each passing moment. I let myself fall asleep while listening to my favorite lullaby.

I woke up that morning still in Jacob's arms. When I woke, he was still asleep, snoring lightly. I looked at his face. It was such a handsome face, especially when he was sleeping. His features were masculine and well defined. He had such long eye lashes and his scent was better than any cologne. His hair was messy from when he'd washed it last night. I couldn't resist touching it. His hair was silky and thick, but still rough and was black like a raven's feathers.

I couldn't help blushing, and the warm feeling came back. It made me smile. Whatever this warm feeling was, I liked it. It made me feel secure and euphoric. I was taken out of my trance when I heard Jacob's phone go off. It stopped after one ring, so I knew it was a text. I looked at Jacob one more time and smiled. I kissed his forehead and let myself out of his arms and off my bed and made my way to his room.

I didn't hear Jacob stir, so I assumed he was still asleep. When I got to his phone, I opened his phone to see who had texted him. It was Seth. I answered the text. If it was something serious, I could wake Jacob up. If not, I could just leave it on the text screen until Jacob saw it. I opened the text and read what it said.

Jacob, guess what. I smiled. I figured I'd respond while I was at it.

I don't know, what? I sent the message and waited a few minutes before I got a response.

I imprinted. I stiffened a little. I had no idea what to say. I still didn't understand exactly what that was. I knew Jacob had imprinted on me, but no one ever gave me the details about that. An idea came to my head. Now was my chance to finally learn what this whole imprinting thing was all about. I tried to be as discrete as I could.

What do you mean? I figured that would get me an answer of some sort. I waited a minute before I got a response.

What do I mean? You know what I mean. I imprinted Jacob. You were right. I never thought this would feel so good, but it does. Her name is Alyssa. Okay. That didn't tell me much.

How did you meet her? I figured that this was a good question to ask. Maybe he would reveal a little more while talking about it. I didn't wait long for a response.

I met her in my new math class. She was late to class my first day there. You were right, Jacob. When you meet the one you imprint, everything in your world seems to revolve around her. This confused me a little. I tried to think of a way to get him to explain that.

How does she feel about you? This seemed like a plausible question to ask. I answered the text when Seth wrote back.

She wasn't really talkative when I first started talking to her, but after twenty minutes we had broken the ice. We exchanged numbers and I called her after classes were over and we started talking for a good six hours. I love her.

I started thinking about what Seth was saying. He imprinted a girl at school and he already said that he loved her. It seemed so strange. Then I started remembering everyone else in Jacob's pack. When I'd asked any of them how they met their wife or girlfriend, they all said just about the same thing. They told me how they met and they always ended it with, 'I loved her the moment I saw her'. I didn't expect another text from Seth.

So how much longer do you think it will be before Nessie will finally see you as more than just a friend? I wasn't sure how to respond to this.

What do you mean? I knew that this wasn't something Jacob would say, but I was at a loss.

You know. When do you think Nessie will love you back? I mean, Quil still has a good twelve to thirteen years to go before Claire discovers her feelings, but Nessie's growing faster. I can't imagine that you'll be waiting too much longer.

I dropped the phone. Of course! How did I not see it before. Sam and Emily, Paul and Rachael, Jared and Kim, and now Seth and Alyssa. 'I loved her the moment I saw her'. 'I imprinted'. How could I not see it before? With the exception of me and Jacob and Claire and Quil, all of the members of Jacob's pack that imprinted were married or dating. It was so obvious. And yet I've spent all these years not knowing what it was.

I was staring blankly at nothing. It all made sense now. The warm feeling. The sense of security I always felt with him. The amount of importance he had in my life. It was the same for me. It seemed like my world revolved around him to the point where I felt like I needed him close to function. There was rarely ever a day we went without seeing each other even if only for an hour. There was the exception from when I got grounded, but that was a factor we couldn't control. I suddenly heard my phone go off and I jumped. I heard Jacob groan and wake up.

"Nessie, It's Alice." Jacob's voice was thick with sleep. I tried to collect myself. I ran to my room where Jacob was still lounging in my bed. I let him sleep.

"Hello?" I answered the phone as I walked out of my room and closed the door behind me.

"Morning Nessie! You ready to learn how to drive a stick today?" I let myself giggle a little. I knew it sounded nervous, but maybe she would think it was because of the idea of driving a stick if I was lucky.

"Definitely."

"Are you sure? You sound a little freaked out right now." Damn you Alice. I sighed and tried to make myself sound calmer.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm sure. Are you sure you don't mind using your Porsche? You have to admit there's a possibility that I'll get into an accident and break it." Alice giggled.

"Oh, Nessie, if you break it, Edward can buy me a new one." I couldn't help but laugh.

"And why would daddy buy you a new one?"

"Because he's the one who bought it for me in the first place. And since it would be you, his daughter, that broke it, he would be obligated to pay for it. That's how insurance works, Nessie. But that's for another time and lesson." Alice and I laughed lightly.

"I'll be right over, okay?"

"Sounds like a plan, Nessie. And Emmett wants to come with. What do you say?" I think I would rather have my teeth pulled out.

"I don't know. He's just going to tease me the whole time." Alice giggled.

"He said that he promised not to say anything while you were driving."

"Yeah, but what about after? He'll start telling everyone all about it. You know he will Alice." I heard Alice giggle again and Emmett's laugh in the background.

"Rosalie will keep Emmett in check, okay. Don't worry about it. You'll do fine. Once you get the hang of it, there's nothing to driving a stick." I sighed again.

"Alright. I trust you Alice. Jacob and I are on our way."

"Can't wait, Nessie." I hung up the phone and sighed. I heard Jacob get up and start walking to the door. I looked towards him when he opened the door.

"I'll go get dressed, then we'll leave." I smiled and nodded. He closed the distance between us and hugged me, kissing the top of my head before going to his room. I started blushing furiously. Jacob had imprinted on me, I had always known that. It was never strange because I never knew exactly what that meant. Now it was so obvious.

That raised other questions. Did he love me that way? We had always been so close. Did that mean that he'd always had a romantic love for me? And did I love him like that? I honestly wasn't sure. He'd always been there for me and he'd always done everything for me. He was my best friend and he always had been. But did that mean I loved him too? It would explain a lot of things.

When I was younger, little things that he would say or do would make me blush and my heart would race, but I never thought anything of it. I always thought it was just normal. And we'd always kissed throughout my life. A peck on the cheek or on the top of my head or forehead. We'd always done that. But Quil did that to Claire too, and like me, she thought nothing of it. She thought it was normal. She had even kissed a boy in her class on the cheek because she just thought that's what people did.

I'd never done that though. The only other people I'd ever kissed was momma and daddy and maybe Rosalie. But those times were rare. Daddy and momma would kiss the top of my head when I went to bed when I was little, but that had lessoned in the past year or so. But with Jacob, it never seemed strange. It was just something we did. Same thing whenever we would sleep in the same bed or spend the night. It was just something we did. It had never felt strange or awkward. But now, I wasn't sure what to feel. I was taken out of my trance when Jacob opened the door to his room and came out. He was smiling.

"Seth imprinted." I nodded my head.

"Yeah, I saw that." Jacob chuckled lightly.

"You really shouldn't go through people's text messages. It's rude." I smiled. I hoped my voice or face didn't seem awkward.

"Yeah. Sorry." Jacob's eyebrows furrowed a little in confusion and his face became very thoughtful. I could feel myself getting nervous now. "What?" Jacob came a little closer to me but I didn't move away. When he was a few feet in front of me, he bent down slightly so that he was facing me. He smiled and I tried to smile back.

"You're not still mad at me are you?" His face became worried. I shook my head. I was far from mad. I wasn't sure what I was.

"No. No, I'm not still mad at you." Jacob sighed. Then he wrapped his arms around me and lifted me up to his level in a hug. I hugged him back, wrapping my arms around his neck like I always did. He rested his forehead on mine and looked into my eyes.

"You're happy, right?" I looked at him and became confused. He was probably referring to last night, but we didn't talk about anything that would lead him to believe that I was unhappy. At least I didn't think so. I touched his face. The action suddenly seemed oddly affectionate.

What do you mean? Jacob sighed and closed his eyes, like he was thinking of the best way to phrase something. Finally, he opened his eyes and looked at me with the same worry and thoughtfulness.

"Last night, something occurred to me. You've always suggested that I maybe find a different job or a better apartment and you always try to offer money to me when something's wrong or when you hear me say I like something." I nodded my head.

I just want you to be happy, Jacob. That was the plain truth. I wanted him to be happy.

"I am happy, Nessie. I'm content with the way things are. I may not always like my boss, but that job kept a roof over my head and food in my mouth. I'm not the richest man alive, but I have enough to take care of myself. This isn't the best apartment in the world and the landlords an ass, but it's a place to live."

But you deserve better. I really felt that way. He worked hard and he had a pack that he needed to keep control of and look after and yet he still always made time for me. That realization hit me like a punch to the face. He always made time for me.

"Nessie, I'm used to having just the simple things in life." Jacob took a deep breath. "But you're not."

Jacob, where are you going with this? Jacob took in another deep breath. When he opened his eyes, he looked scared. I waited to hear what he had to say before getting worried.

"Is it really me that you want all this for?" His question took me completely by surprise. He thought I was unhappy with his life. He thought that I complained about all those things because I wanted better. At first, I was offended, but then I thought about what he was saying.

I had always grown up, for the most part, having things handed to me. The only thing I'd ever asked for that daddy said no to was getting a dog or a cat or any other kind of pet. Emmett practically irrupted when I'd asked for a cat. I guess it shouldn't surprise me that Emmett didn't like cats. He didn't strike me as a cat lover type. But other than that, I couldn't think of a single time that daddy had ever told me no.

Jacob wasn't in the same position as daddy and the others. They had been around long enough to have enough money to buy the Vatican and still have money to spare. But I wasn't crazy about the people Jacob worked with. I hated this apartment for multiple reasons and I always told Jacob he should think about moving into a new one. It was always me. I was always the one that complained about these things. Jacob never complained. I couldn't believe myself. I had been putting him down for so long just because I never thought anything was good enough.

"I'm sorry, Jacob. I never realized I was doing that." Jacob rested his head on my shoulder and I did the same. He hugged me tighter.

"I want you to be happy too, Nessie. What can I do so that you're happy?" I hugged him tighter now.

"I am happy, Jacob. I really am. I know I complain about these things a lot, but I am happy." It seemed so strange to say that now. I had always been happy with Jacob, but I also always thought of him as my friend. Now I didn't know what to think of him. My head was spinning and I couldn't get it to stop.

"You know that I'd do anything for you, right?" I nodded my head into his shoulder. I couldn't stop myself from saying it.

"And you know that I'd do anything for you?" I felt Jacob smile and he nodded his head.

"I know, Nessie." He was so warm. The only thing that felt warm to me. My fears seemed suddenly so silly. How could I not want this? This was comfortable and secure. I felt safe with him and he always cheered me up when I was sad about something, even when we were the ones that were fighting. There were still so many things to think about, but I didn't want to waste time with that now. "Nessie."

"Yeah?"

"We better get going. Alice will start getting impatient and she'll blame me." I giggled.

"It's okay. I'll vouch for you." Jacob put me down and I let go of him. I followed him to the front and we got our jackets that we didn't really need and left. When we got into the hallway, I heard a few people talking. I looked to the left of the hallway and saw two men in business suits and clipboards. It was the HHSA people that were promised to be sent over. Another man, I'm assuming one of the landlords, was walking with them in jeans and a white t-shirt.

Jacob dragged me with him down the stairs and ran us out the door and to his car. I got into the passenger's seat and Jacob ran to the driver's seat and starts the car. He sped out of the parking lot and drove out of the parking lot and onto the street. He didn't calm a little until we were on the highway.

"What was that all about?"

"The last thing I want is to deal with my landlord right now. As it is, I'm probably going to be the first one to be evicted."

"But you didn't do anything. I did."

"Guilty by association, Nessie." It was raining really hard outside while we made our way to the house. I began thinking again about Jacob. He had known about this of course. So why did he never tell me anything? I remembered him saying that he wanted me to decide for myself whether I wanted this or not. Well, why would keeping this from me change the outcome?

I was still thinking about this when we reached the house. I hadn't wanted daddy to hear these thoughts. I knew he would hear them eventually, but I didn't want it to be now. I tried to think of other things, like yesterday when Jacob was teaching me how to drive or what it would be like to drive a stick with Alice. Anything but what I had been thinking about.

Jacob drove into the garage and packed in his parking spot. Daddy and Alice were standing next to the Porsche waiting. Daddy knew. There was no doubt about that. But he was hiding it really well. He looked the same way he did every day. Jacob and I got out of the car and Alice danced to my side.

"Let's get going. I've got to show you what gears do what before we can start." I noticed daddy look at Jacob, his expression still the same as it always was.

"Jacob, come walk with me. I need to talk to you about something." I didn't say anything. Daddy wouldn't hurt him, I knew that. What I was more worried about was what daddy would have to say about all of this. I looked at Jacob and he didn't look suspicious of anything. He nodded his head and started walking closer to daddy.

"Alright. Let's go." With that, they left, and I was left with Alice to learn how to drive a stick.

JPOV

Nessie and Alice got into the Porsche as Edward and I were walking out of the garage. I knew what Edward wanted to talk about. I saw my text messages when I had read Seth's text. Nessie had left my phone on the screen of the last text. She knew. I knew she knew. Edward did too. That explained why she was acting awkward.

Edward led me about a mile away from the house and towards the cottage. I stopped when he did and watched him pinch his nose while he was looking away from me. I waited for him to collect himself or get less annoyed. That was the one emotion I was sure he was feeling. That was the emotion he was always feeling whenever he and I had to talk about something regarding Nessie. Finally, he turned around to face me and continued to pinch the bridge of his nose.

"You already know why I took you out here." I nodded my head. I was nervous. Not about what Edward would say. I was worried about Nessie. What would she make of this? I looked at Edward, knowing he already knew what my question was. He sighed heavily.

"What is she thinking, Edward? I need to know." He looked at me for another moment before answering me.

"She doesn't know what to think, Jacob. She's always known you as her best friend and you've always been there for her, but it's never been a romantic thing. And now she knows." I felt a pressure in my chest.

"How bad is it?" Edward looked at me.

"She's confused. That's all I can tell you. I can only tell you what she knows and what she's thinking about. She doesn't know what she thinks, so neither do I." I sighed.

"Well, can you at least give me a few examples of what she's thinking?"

"Jacob, all she's doing is going over everything in her head. It's nothing that you don't already know." I sighed and stared at the ground. Everything was ruined now. She was confused. That was the worst thing that could happen. I wanted to wait to explain this to her until after she discovered how she felt about me. "And Jacob." I looked at Edward. His face was hard and angry.

"What?"

"We both know that Nessie is growing and she's growing fast. But that doesn't mean that you can do as you please, even if she does decide that she loves you too. If you lay a hand on her, mark my words Black, it will be the last thing you do." I stayed where I was.

"What do you think I'm going to do to her Edward, rape her? I won't do anything to her that she doesn't want me to."

"I don't care if it's what she wants. I'm still her father and she will be raised the way I was." I rolled my eyes.

"Like men from the early nineteen hundreds never kissed their girlfriends or fiancés. I can tell you for sure, Edward, that not everyone back then waited until their wedding day." Edward ran to me and put his hand around my neck. Before I knew it, I suddenly couldn't breathe and then I was thrown against the trunk of a tree. When I hit the tree, the trunk broke and fell with me. Edward was a few feet away from me when I landed.

"Don't antagonize me Jacob. You know damn well what I mean." I lifted myself up.

"Edward, I won't do anything to her. You know that more than anyone." Edward's face stayed as a mask of aggravation. I sighed. "Edward, I love her. You know that. And I respect her."

"But that love still isn't romantic." I sighed. He was right. I still didn't think of her like that yet. She was still so young. It was only a matter of time before that love I have did become romantic. But for the time being, it was still a brotherly love I felt for her.

"No. It's not. Are you happy now?" My tone was harsh, but Edward didn't react to my sarcasm this time. Edward didn't really say anything. I sighed. "Edward."

"What?" He already knew my question. But he also knew that I needed to say this out loud. I needed to hear him say it.

"Will everything be alright?" Edward looked at me for a moment with a thoughtful look. When he finally sighed and answered, his voice was calm and collected.

"I don't know, Jacob. Her thoughts aren't pointing in any specific direction. All I can tell you is to wait and see." I stared at the ground and Edward sighed again. "Jacob, I know I'm hard on you. But you also know that if there was anyone I would want my daughter with, I would rather it be you. I want what's best for her and I want her to be happy. You do that. And since Alice put all your money in the stock market and is looking after your finances as well as everyone else's, you won't have to worry about not being able to take care of yourself or her."

My head snapped to attention. What the hell did he just say? Alice put my money in the stock market?! I was shaking now and my face was furious.

"What?" My voice was flat and angry. Edward didn't even flinch.

"Alice put all your money in the stock market a few days ago. She invested you in the same one we're all in and you've already tripled your savings since she added it." I was still shaking.

"WHY?!" Edward rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Jacob, Alice only had your best interests at heart when she did that. And now, thanks to the increase in your finances and how the stock is fluctuating, you won't have any trouble finding a better apartment. You might even be able to buy a small house." I was still shaking. It was taking everything in me not to faze.

"How, if you don't mind my asking, did she do that?"

"She used your social security number to get your information. You really shouldn't keep it in your wallet."

"WELL NO SHIT, EDWARD. THIS IS IDENTITY THEFT!!"

"I never said she should have done this without asking, because she shouldn't have. But look at this from a positive perspective. You're three times richer than you were last week."

"THAT'S NOT THE POINT EDWARD!!! YOU GUYS DID THIS BEHIND MY BACK!!!! WHAT HAPPENS IF IT GOES DOWN? I'LL BE BROKE!!!"

"Jacob, Alice might not be able to see you, but she can see your money. How do you think we've acquired so much money over the years? Alice can predict the trends in the stock market. If a stock is going to go down, she sells and invests it into something that will increase, and so on. In all the years that we've had Alice, we haven't lost a penny in the stock market."

I was still shaking, but trying very hard not to yell. At least Nessie always asked first if it was okay to give me money. This was forcing money at me, and I didn't like it. Edward sighed.

"We aren't giving you any of our money. This is money from investments."

"But why everything?! Why couldn't she at least keep it to a low number?!" Edward shrugged.

"Because you wouldn't have made as much money that way." Edward and I spent a whole hour arguing about this. Eventually, he just told me to be grateful that I would be able to buy a new place and shut up.

Nessie and Alice were back from the lesson by the time we got back. Nessie was smiling at me. It was an excited smile, but it was still a little awkward. She walked over to me and hugged me. I hugged her back and looked at Edward. He gave me the same look he'd given me when he told me I would have to wait and see.

"How was the stick shift?" Her smile beamed.

"It was great."

RPOV

Jacob was with us for the rest of the afternoon. It was almost ten when Jacob took me back to the cottage and I got ready for bed. Jacob had patrol tonight, so he would have to go. I had been thinking about this all day. I knew Jacob was my best friend. I had always known that. But did I love him? Did he love me? Imprinting rules claimed that he did, at least they did from what Seth told me and from what I knew of the other pack members that had imprinted.

When I was done with my shower and nightly routine, I put on my pajamas and went back to my room where Jacob was sitting on my bed waiting for me. He was smiling at me. It was that handsome smile that I loved. I walked over and he stood off of my bed to let me get in.

"Thanks for teaching my how to drive yesterday." Jacob chuckled lightly.

"No problem, Nessie."

"Daddy said that Jasper and momma are going to see someone about getting me a license tomorrow. I'll be a licensed driver within a few weeks." Jacob laughed again.

"Have fun with that Nessie." We both laughed together and when we were done, Jacob gave me a serious look for a moment, which then faded to an admiring look with a big smile. "Goodnight Nessie. Sweet dreams." I smiled back.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Jacob." I would see him tomorrow. Of course I would. I always did.

"See you tomorrow." He kissed the top of my forehead and I kissed his cheek. I hugged around his neck for a moment before he smiled at me and made his way back to the reservation. He would always be there for me. And I knew that, if not now, one day, he would love me. Everything was crashing down on me all at once since this morning. But now, I wasn't scared. How could I have ever felt that way. It was Jacob.

My Jacob. My brave, caring, loving, strong willed, self reliant, stubborn, handsome, powerful, always looking out for me Jacob. I felt warm around him. He made me sigh with contentment. He made everything make sense, no matter how ridiculous something might be. He was there for me when I was hurt or sad, and he made my world go round. He was my reason. He always had been from the moment our eyes met when I was only a few minutes old.

It was so clear now. Everything that had happened to us and between us. Everything that would happen in the future. I could survive anything as long as I was in his arms. That's how it had always been. I couldn't believe it had taken me this long to figure it out. I loved him. I had always loved him. But now, it felt different. Stronger. He wasn't my big brother anymore. He wasn't my best friend anymore. He was a man, and I was a woman. I was unconditionally, and irrevocably in love with Jacob Black.