A/N: This chapter is posting several days early thanks to the mighty efforts of Project Team Beta to beta this chapter prior to my mini-vacation. (I'll away for four days but checking my iPhone daily.)
I am not a student of Native American anything. I just Google and make stuff up.
Smeyer owns Twilight.
MYSTERY BOX
Chapter 2: THE MEETING
Scene: University of Washington American Indian Studies Department
Molly was walking thru the hall chatting with fellow student Megan. As they passed Dr. Wilson's office, they heard a sharp: "Molly! We were expecting you forty minutes ago! You're quite late!"
Molly stopped and peered into Dr Wilson's office. He looked irritated that she was late for something, but she had no idea for what. Blaine was there looking quite pleased with himself, but slightly peeved that Molly arrived. There was also an older gentleman in a wheelchair. His long black hair was in a ponytail and the eyes that greeted Molly were quite kind. He held out his hand. "Molly? I'm Billy Black. I'm so pleased to meet you. Dr Wilson was telling us how you found the artifacts."
Molly thought that if she didn't close her mouth soon, a fly would swoop in and then she would be even more embarrassed. However, she knew basic etiquette and walked right in, offering her hand in return, and gave Billy a strong handshake. "It's a pleasure to meet you as well. I'm Molly Martin." She then turned to Dr Wilson. "I'm sorry, Dr Wilson, but was there a meeting ….?" her voice trailed off, showing her confusion.
Dr Wilson looked irritated and gestured to Blaine. "Of course! Didn't Blaine tell you? Jacob and Billy Black are Quileute from La Push; they've driven four hours all the way from the reservation to discuss the artifacts that you found." Dr Wilson shook his head and Molly was beyond embarrassed. She was also very, very irritated and glared at Blaine. She thought a public humiliation was needed.
Molly very carefully and deliberately pulled out her iPhone and made a show of checking her messages. She had a forced quizzical look on her face as she addressed Blaine, who was now hiding behind his bangs, aware of what was about to happen.
"Blaine," Molly started, trying to give the impression of someone not totally pissed off, but rather efficient yet confused. "I haven't received any messages from you at all! Do have the correct number for me? It's right on the student directory and everyone in the department has it as well." She spoke the last word of the sentence with a slightly higher pitch so it sounded almost like a question. But she knew damn well it was not a question.
Blaine sputtered a bit, flushed, and mumbled a response. Dr Wilson and Billy could see through the ruse. Then Molly heard some quiet chuckling behind her. She was ready to drop kick Blaine, but her attention shifted and she had this overwhelming desire to see the face behind the deep, quiet chuckle.
As Molly turned, she then saw a very tall, very handsome man with russet skin, straight black hair, and laughing brown eyes. She was about to hang her mouth open for the second time in as many minutes because the phrase "sex on a stick" flew into her brain. As quickly as she tried to recover, she could tell from the stranger's eyes that he noted her quick fluster and quick recovery. His smile indicated he knew she found him attractive and he seemed used to her reaction. Of course he's used to it, thought Molly. He probably has women falling over him night and day…and night again. Lots of nights. Many long wild nights. Snap out of it! Focus! These men drove four hours and you need to salvage your credibility!
Molly held out her hand because she knew her manners and introduced herself.
"Molly Martin."
"Jacob Black." They shook hands. Molly decided to ignore how his huge, warm hands enveloped hers and caused her heart to race.
"How do you do? I assume you're related to Billy Black here?" Molly looked between the two handsome men and noticed the resemblance.
"Yes, that's my father. Dr Wilson phoned Dad last week when you found the artifacts. He asked me to drive him here; he wanted to see them himself," Jacob smiled. His smile seemed to light up the room.
"Oh, but we could have come there!" Molly said without thinking. It was not for her to say, Dr Wilson was in charge. But no one seemed to mind. Except maybe Blaine, but Molly dismissed him mentally.
Billy lightly touched Molly's forearm and regarded her with his dark, warm eyes. "Molly, I'm not sure if you realize the importance of what you discovered."
"Molly, have a seat. Billy was about to explain what these artifacts are." Dr Wilson motioned Molly to a chair next to Billy.
Billy seemed taken with Molly. His eyes never seemed to leave her. He was almost Buddha-like in his stillness and intensity. Molly was still a bit freaked by Blaine's backstabbing. She needed to get her head firmly in the game, and prove her knowledge and professionalism – especially after practically eye-raping GGTW -- god's gift to women - over there. So Molly was surprised and thankful when Billy looked right at her and said:
"Molly, why don't you tell us what you think these are?"
Molly took a breath and took a second to analyze the situation. Dr Wilson was probably still irritated that Molly was late and additionally irritated that Blaine obviously wanted her to look bad. It couldn't reflect well on Dr. Wilson to have his students are sabotaging each other, especially in front of the Quileute. There would be a negative impact on the department overall, and on trust in the department to take care of the Quileute possessions. Molly felt like she needed to salvage the reputation of the department, Dr Wilson, and herself, and, possibly Blaine as well since he was the golden boy of the department. She also didn't want to look like a total douche bag in front of SOS – sex on a stick – over there.
Molly opened her mouth and in a clear, quiet, but authoritative voice, discussed her own thought process when she found the artifacts. The blanket was appealing. Obviously old, but not overwhelmingly noteworthy. Very traditional. The totems, the mask, the baskets….Molly gave concise yet descriptive explanations of how each was interesting, yet not surprising. They represented the fishing and whaling culture of the Quileute people. Then she took a pause and smiled. "However" she said in a slightly louder tone that the rest "the little sculpture of the man and wolf is quite surprising".
Billy seemed to look even more intensely at her than before – if that was possible – and Jacob seemed to move in slightly as well. "As I had mentioned, the Quileute are known as whalers and fishers. Of course, being right on the Olympic peninsula, you know that. The style of the other art is quite – attractive – but still traditional and unsurprising. You see by the strong two-dimensional forms." She pointed to some of the objects on the desk and indicated the two dimensional imagery on them.
"But this little sculpture…." Molly saw it on Dr Wilson's desk and smiled at it like it was a long lost friend. "This sculpture is unlike anything I personally know. The animal imagery in Native American art is common but this looks like an actual transformation. This is not a wolf mask the man is wearing. That's the most common depiction of transformations-- wearing the mask. But this man is actually turning into the wolf. It's really quite amazing. I've never seen an actual change like this. Usually, the transformation is done thru a mask. You know, the face of the animal is placed on the person. But not this full body experience." She suddenly looked embarrassed. "Did I just repeat myself? I'm just so excited by this piece.
"Another thing," Molly continued, "there are few sculptures in American Indian art. Artifacts tend to be…. useful. I mean, items that are used in everyday life: arrowheads, baskets, water jugs. This has no purpose other than to be beautiful. There have been some Mexican figurative art of about 500 AD of gods and priestesses, but they are not transformative. Similarly, the argillite figurines of the Haida that we have at the Burke Museum here. There's even a pipe with a thunderbird carrying a killer whale, but no transformations."
Molly stopped talking and froze, suddenly tense. Shit, she thought. I'm lecturing the Quileute on their own art. And Billy here is probably an Elder. I'm either naïve, pompous, condescending, what? How else can I dig my academic grave today?
Meanwhile, Jacob was watching Molly, listening very closely to her words in case anything that she said delved into the supernatural world instead of that of an art historian. Yet, as he listened quite closely to her speech, he realized that he was impressed by this young woman (How old is she? Twenty one? Twenty two? he pondered.) She had walked into a difficult situation, yet was able to regain her composure and describe the artifacts with both knowledge and passion. And she was attractive.
Molly breathed a slow sigh of relief when both Billy and Dr Wilson smiled (she was too scared to see if Jacob smiled as well, he was still slightly behind her).
Billy nodded. "Exactly. You saved me some words. You understand our art and culture. You understand how remarkable this little fellow is."
Dr Wilson spoke. "I should tell you that I contacted a colleague at the National Museum of the American Indian, and he was as perplexed as we are. Billy, can you tell us your thoughts on this?"
Billy paused for a moment and seemed to weigh his words. "There is a legend that the Quileute were descended from wolves. It's in our oral history, but not depicted in art. "
Dr Wilson nodded, then went to his vast bookshelf. He ran his fingers over the spines until he found a large, old book and pulled it down, spreading it on the table for everyone to see. He opened to a photograph of a bowl. The art on it did not have the common, hard-edged two-dimensional style of Native American art, but a much older, more primitive style like the cave paintings by prehistoric man in France. Dr. Wilson pointed to the photo and asked, "Billy, have I shown you this?"
Five heads moved closer to the book. Molly gasped. The bowl was painted like an old movie reel, like one of those books that if you flick the pages, the images would move like a movie. On this bowl, if these images were in a film reel, or if they were spun around at the right speed, they would show a man leaping into the air and changing into an enormous wolf.
Molly blinked. Okay, three times today I'm liable to have a fly run straight into my mouth, she thought.
Jacob thought, what the fuck?
Blaine was able to snap out of it and speak first, "Dr Wilson, what is this? Is this from the Quileute as well?"
Dr Wilson turned the book so it faced him. "We don't know. It's from a private collection and we've been unable to have anyone in academia review it. It was only published in this book, a catalog of a private estate sale."
"Estate sale? Couldn't the university purchase it then?" Blaine asked.
Dr Wilson laughed. "I guess you haven't seen our budget get slashed. No, this was back in 1957 anyway."
"And no one has confirmed that since 1957?"
"To be honest, since it's so surprising, most thought it a hoax. But now that we have this little sculpture, there seems to be a tie between the two. The styles and the medium are different, but the themes are the same," Dr. Wilson commented.
"Are there any other examples of this theme?" Molly asked. The earlier confusion was gone and she was in her zone.
"Not of an actual transformation," Dr. Wilson responded.
Molly leaned over to the book and traced her fingertips over the picture. "It's like a stop action film; like an Eadweard Muybridge film. You know, the photographer from about 1870 who created those stop motion films of people or animals in movement; the earliest films. There's a famous one he did of a horse in motion, I think it was to settle a bet to see if all hooves leave the ground when a horse races. But this is unbelievable to see this methodology in early American Indian art. Unbelievable." Molly shook her head in disbelief and repeated herself again. "Absolutely unbelievable. Professor, we need to find this. Or find out if there are more. You think it may be Quileute?"
"There's a slim chance. The materials are different, the styles are different, but the subject matter similar. And the Quileute are the only tribe I am aware of that is supposedly descended from wolves." Molly did not notice the looks exchanged between Jacob and Billy.
The room was silent. Billy was the first to speak.
"Bob--" Billy seemed to know Dr Wilson on a very personal first name basis. Molly only knew 'Robert', not 'Bob'. "--I think there may be more in La Push."
Dr Wilson's eyes widened. "Billy, you've been keeping this from me?"
Billy laughed quietly. "We like to keep our privacy at La Push. We're in a beautiful area, we don't need nosy academics around."
Dr Wilson laughed. "But if these academics are personal friends who would never exploit the tribe, and would never assume ownership of anything found …. "
"Academics who would respect the tribe, the people, and those who came before. Respect the land, the culture. Respect the ancestors. Respect the legends."
Molly hadn't realized she was actually speaking her thoughts out loud. But she was impassioned.
Billy turned to her and looked directly into her eyes as he spoke, "Molly, why are you in American Indian Studies? It's an unusual discipline for anyone. Are you Native?"
Molly sighed quietly. Her parents, her boyfriend, heck, almost everyone she met asked her that question. You're so pretty, why are you studying Indians? Your parents are scientists, what are you doing? You went to one of the top universities and your parents spent thousands of dollars for what? You're a mixed Irish and Chinese girl from Berkeley. Why are you studying Indians?
Molly swallowed and looked Billy right in the eye. She wanted to make sure he heard her correctly the first time because she damn well was not going to repeat it. "I want to learn. I want to study other cultures. I've spent my life with one foot in one culture and the other foot in another. I'm a mix of European and Asian, east coast and west coast, country and city. I want an interdisciplinary program to study the art, the culture, the language, the politics, and the tribes of indigenous Americans. I want to go where my passion lies. And no, I'm not Native. I'm half Asian."
Jacob thought, Atta girl! yet he kept his expression blank.
Billy looked at Jacob, and then looked at Dr Wilson. They seemed to have a conversation in their minds.
"Molly, Blaine, can you leave the room for five minutes?" Dr Wilson requested. The two students slinked into the hallway.
Molly and Blaine waited in the hall. Molly was slightly flustered. She didn't plan her response to be impassionate, but she was sick of answering that question for the past four years and she wasn't expecting it being asked in the office of the chairman of the American Indian Studies department.
Blaine was just irritated. He had hoped to walk in there the golden boy, but as soon as Molly appeared, it was all about Molly. He knew part of the reason was she was so goddam attractive. Molly was not everyone's type, but he saw her attractiveness. She had exotic, Eurasian eyes in a surprising blue, dark wavy curly brown hair, a tall, athletic body, high Asian cheekbones, golden skin tone with a cute little Irish nose. That biracial kid was cute. Her hair was a mess, though. Gorgeous color, but this weird curly wavy mix, and she had no control over it, all she could do now was pull it back in a ponytail. If she went to a decent hair salon, they could probably fix it, but she would never do that. Not a priority for her. Hermoine Granger hair, Blaine thought, his Harry Potter fandom showing.
Blaine also noticed how Molly dressed. The chick dressed solely for comfort. If she wasn't wearing jeans and a hoodie, it was jeans and a shapeless sweater. She was like 's own version of that chick on that TV show, Felicity. The whole first season of that show you had no idea if there was a body under those shapeless sweaters and that long curly hair.
Blaine was sure Tonto noticed Molly's looks. (And Blaine hated guys that were taller than his six-foot frame, especially attractive, really tall guys that caused girls like Molly to ogle.)
Meanwhile, Molly paced. If she was a smoker she'd be puffing away by now—if it wasn't a non-smoking building. Heck, maybe even then, too.
"What the hell are they doing in there? Sticking a knife in my academic career? Am I going back to art history?" Molly moaned.
"Another worthy major," Blaine joked.
"I was pissy because I hate that damn question! How do you answer it when people ask you?" Molly continued to pace the floor. Can you have a nicotine fit if you didn't smoke? she wondered.
"I tell them about being one quarter Cherokee and wanting to understand my history, and to give back to the people," Blaine answered in a practiced tone. He sounded as genuine as a politician.
"Damn, wish I could steal that one. But I'm not an ounce of Native American."
"You look like some sort of mix. You could probably lie and get away with it."
"Yeah, my Chinese mom and Irish dad would love that," Molly smirked. She sat down on a bench. "Aren't you nervous?"
Blaine stretched lazily. He was used to getting his way and knowing how to charm his way out of situations. Besides, his ass wasn't on the line. "No."
Molly rolled her eyes. "Argh!"
Just then, the door swung open and Jacob winked at Molly. "Molly, Blaine, you're both welcome back in."
Blaine leapt up and found his place to the right of Dr Wilson's desk. Molly's pace was decidedly slower.
"Feel like you're walking to the gallows?" A very deep, very soft, very sexy voice was close to Molly's ear.
Molly's eyes flashed up and met the very dark eyes in response. "Ye-es!" she whispered. Damn! I sound like I'm about to melt!
Dr Wilson motioned Molly to resume her prior seat by Billy. He then moved to stand in front of them, by his desk.
"Blaine, Molly, I'd like to thank you for your work so far on this amazing discovery. Blaine, your work has always been superior. Thank you for taking the lead on this."
Blaine smiled in that smug way of his. Molly tried not to show emotion. Dr Wilson then turned to face Molly and continued, "But we have much more to do. Billy here thinks there may be more examples of Quileute art hiding away at La Push. We think Molly should take the lead now and spend some time there, meeting the people, gaining their trust, and procuring more examples of this remarkable art style. It's like nothing that's been recorded before. And Molly can help me write the paper we can publish this fall."
Okay, let's make it four times my mouth hangs open, Molly thought. Not only was she not being punished, but she was about to be part of a major academic work. And it was a perfect fit for her; it combined her loves of Indian culture and art in general.
"Molly, Billy indicated that it may involve several weekends at La Push over the next few months. But first, we need to appear before a council meeting to be introduced to the Elders, the townspeople, and have them see that Billy and Jacob trust us. This is something never shared with outsiders, and we need someone with the academic and personal skills this requires. I think you're perfect for the role. Can you join us in La Push a week from Wednesday at their council meeting? Are you free?"
Molly tried to process it all as fast as she could, but the hamsters in her brain seemed to be on a work slowdown. She was finally able to form the letter "oh" with her mouth. What was the next word? Oh, right! "Of course, Dr Wilson. I would be honored." Damn! The hamsters just went off strike and she remembered that she had a life outside of this building. "I just need to rearrange a few things … "
Billy gave her a warm smile and slapped her gently on the back. "Great! We'll see you both next week! I'm sure the council meeting will be fine, I'll give Sue and Old Quil a head's up so they're not taken by surprise. And I'll let them know what an impressive young woman you are." He winked at Molly, then turned to Dr Wilson "Bob, you have the directions. Jacob here can help with any arrangements."
Billy then turned and looked at Jacob, who understood his father was ready to leave.
"Billy, Jacob, why don't you stay in Seattle and have some dinner? Molly, Blaine, won't you join us?" Dr Wilson spoke, hopefully delaying Billy's departure.
Molly just nodded dumbly, thinking of the rescheduling she would have to accomplish and the wrath of Spencer. Spencer, her boyfriend. Her boyfriend who already complained they did not spend enough time together.
Blaine had already jumped up as if his whole life was waiting for this one moment.
Meanwhile, Jacob looked curiously at Molly, trying to read her expression. He knew he'd be seeing her next Wednesday, but would not mind seeing more of her today as well.
Billy spoke, "Bob, we'd love to! But we have a long drive ahead. Next time, for sure."
Jacob frowned slightly, but recovered. He started wheeling Billy out. "Molly, why don't you walk us to the car and we can talk about the meeting?" Jacob asked.
Billy looked at his son and spoke, "Jacob, Bob can push me. We have a few things to catch up on. You should walk with Molly."
Molly suddenly had a gut instinct that Billy was playing matchmaker with his son. Molly's thoughts went into overdrive, Doesn't this guy have a girlfriend already? How the hell did he stay single? Is he a man-whore? Molly tried to innocuously look to see if he had a ring on his left hand. None. No jewelry at all. Still, some men did not wear rings. Damn, what if he cheats? I know nothing about this guy except he's gorgeous and his dad is very cool. And I'll be seeing him over the next few months…
Molly refocused her attention as Jacob was explaining the best route to get to La Push from Seattle, then what to expect at a council meeting. It was more than a meeting of the Elders; Billy would have a pre-meeting with the Elders to get their support beforehand. The council meeting was like a town hall meeting where all sorts of town business were discussed, from stop signs, to wandering dogs, to trash pickup. Then there was usually a fish fry afterwards.
Jacob had an easy, friendly manner and genuinely seemed to be trying to make Molly comfortable. Most gorgeous sexy men that Molly knew (well, the very few she knew) tended to be terribly conceited and gave her the distinct impression that they were god's gift and she should feel privileged that they acknowledged her very existence. And they expected her to understand that they would drop her like a lead weight if something better came along. Not Jacob. He was funny, friendly, and just normal. Molly felt herself slowly calm down after the last stressful hour.
Jacob suddenly slowed down so there was distance between the two of them and the other three (which was not especially easy since their legs were so long).
"So, Blaine there is your nemesis?" he asked with a slight twinkle in his eye.
Molly sighed. "Is it so obvious? I'm not some shallow gossip girl who's here just to meet guys or something, you cannot backstab me and not expect repercussions!" she laughed lightly to indicate that the last part of the sentence was a joke. "Blaine's not after me specifically and he's actually an excellent academic. I just don't care for his work style."
Jacob laughed quietly. Molly loved his laugh. She thought, Damn, am I crushing on the dude? Think of Spencer, think of Spencer. Spencer who?
As if he could read her thoughts, Jacob lightly touched her right hand.
"You're in a relationship?"
Molly looked at the Claddagh ring on her right hand. Spencer put it on her hand at their one-year anniversary last month. It was not on her left hand, so she was not married or engaged.
"Yes," she answered slowly, hoping not to discuss this topic. "You?"
"Nope." He grinned.
Molly looked up at Jacob and smiled. "No way! You're single? No one has snatched you up yet?"
"Nope."
"Hummmmm" Molly did an exaggerated sigh. "Are you looking? I know some great single women here."
Jacob laughed. "Why do people try to set me up? How about you? You're relationship, is it serious?"
Molly hated how the conversation turned. She looked down at the ring and stroked it gently when she replied, in a slightly wistful voice.
"If you asked my roommate, she would say it depends on who you ask and the day of the week."
Jacob laughed again. He seemed happy about her response. "What if I asked you? Now?"
"Well, it would depend on how you define serious. We're dating each other exclusively. But no wedding bells."
Jacob gave her a half hug as he faced forwards. "We can set you up with some nice Indian boys," he joked.
"Oh! And you accuse others of matchmaking! Kind of like the pot calling the kettle black?" She liked the hug.
"Guilty as charged. My last name is Black."
It was Molly's turn to laugh. She was really enjoying talking to Jacob, but they were getting off topic. She tried to redirect the conversation. She pulled out her iPhone.
"Do you have a cell? I'll send you my contact info in case I get lost next week."
Jacob appeared to like the way the conversation was going. He pulled out an older model cell phone.
"I don't have an iPhone but I do have email and text."
They exchanged numbers and Molly texted her email address as well. She then held up the camera part of her cell phone, took a quick picture of Jacob and showed it to him.
"Will this do? I don't do ring tones, but your picture will appear if you call."
Jacob looked at the photo Molly took of him. He quickly seemed to figure out how her phone worked, grabbed her by the shoulder and took a photo of both of them.
"There, that's much better!"
Molly looked at the photo of Jacob and herself. He looked very pleased with himself, and she was looking shocked but surprised and very comfortable in his arms. She also looked quite short compared to him. Molly laughed to herself and shook her head.
"No, Spencer will not like that one. Let's go with the first." She was ready to delete the photo when Jacob stopped her with a quick touch of his hand to hers.
Molly looked at his hand over hers. It was so large and so warm! So warm, it was like he had a fever. Or maybe she did, because she almost lost her breath with his touch. Good god, is there a tingling too??
"No, save the photo. It's cute. Can you send it to me?" Jacob smiled.
"Are you going to email it to the whole campus and ruin my reputation?" Molly smirked.
"No, I'll send it thru La Push so everyone will know to look out for you and that you have our seal of approval."
Molly smiled warmly at Jacob. He and Billy had her back, and she really appreciated it. She was about to embark on a difficult task. Sure, Dr Wilson would be there for the initial meeting, but she would be the one spending all her free weekends at La Push, meeting the people, doing the research. And she would have a difficult balancing act of gathering information and trying to get information out of them that they may not want, to share. She could easily fail, but Dr Wilson, Billy, and Jacob seemed to have faith in her.
Molly's mind went back to the council meeting. "You'll be there, right? The council meeting?"
Jacob smiled warmly at her and looked deep into her eyes. "I wouldn't miss it for the world."
Molly's heart leapt. It was like he was answering a different question. Focus, Molly! Focus on your academic career and keep those hormones in place! Down girl! Think of Spencer! 14 months together and you've never faltered like this!
Jacob seemed to sense her slight unease. He backed up slightly and said less intensely, "I'm at all the council meetings, don't worry. And I'd be happy to introduce you to everyone when you're there."
Molly smiled warmly. "Thanks. I really appreciate everything you and Billy are doing."
"And we really appreciate you and Dr Wilson, the whole department. There was more contact in the past, and I think this is the push to renew that."
Jacob and Molly just stood and smiled at each other. They were smiling a lot in the past few minutes. They had reached Jacob's car. Molly looked over. It was a Ford Mustang. She nodded, "Nice."
Jacob laughed, "My first car is a VW Rabbit that my friend Seth drives now. I restored this one as well."
"You restore cars? Cool."
"Yep, I own a repair shop in town." He looked to see her reaction to this news. He wanted to make sure this academic understood he was blue collar. His attitude said, deal with it. She just kept smiling and nodding. If she knew that was a mini test, she passed it.
"Great to know someone with a useful profession," she replied. Jacob threw his head back and laughed. He was really enjoying talking to this girl.
"I guess American Indian studies isn't a profession needed on a desert island".
"Unless I actually learned how to live self-sufficiently, but I'm emphasizing the art and cultural side. I would be fed to the wolves."
Jacob did not react the way Molly expected to that last comment. She expected another laugh, but Jacob suddenly looked guarded, then blank, then a small smile.
It was then that Billy, Dr Wilson and Blaine took their attention. Billy looked happy, Blaine annoyed, and Dr Wilson quizzical. Shit, thought Molly. I don't want the department head to see me flirting. He will think I'm a flaky chick only here to pick up SOS. Molly held out her hand to shake Jacob's. Her hand meant no hug.
"Jacob, thanks so much. It was great meeting you. I look forward to seeing you next week."
"Me too, Molly," Jacob replied in that damn sexy voice. Molly melted when he said her name.
Billy held out his hand. "Molly, it's been a real pleasure. Blaine, Bob, great seeing you as well." Handshakes were exchanged and the three academics watched the Indians depart.
"Molly, walk with me," Dr Wilson did not say it as a command, but she knew it was. She put her face in a blank mask and looked very attentively at her professor.
"Molly, you understand the seriousness of this endeavor. We'll have a meeting in 3 days but I want you to research everything you can find on the Quileute people, their art in general, and this transformational art to see if it's evident across tribes. It's really quite remarkable, and we have a fabulous opportunity to add chapters to the history of Pacific Northwest Indian art."
He then stood and looked straight into Molly's eyes. "We don't want anything personal to upset this project."
Molly responded with an equally direct look. "Dr Wilson, I did not join this department for anything less."
Dr Wilson smiled and continued to walk. "Molly, will your boyfriend be upset by your upcoming absences?"
Molly was again surprised. She had no idea Dr Wilson bothered to learn about the personal lives of his students. He just seemed above all that.
"Spencer is in his second year of law school. He's quite busy. We'll just have to make do. When he clerks in New York this summer, we'll be apart for 8 weeks. This will be a preamble. But we're strong enough."
Dr Wilson glanced at the Mustang that was now several blocks away, stopped at a traffic light.
"Indeed."
************
Molly ran into her apartment and screamed for her roommate. She had so much to tell and did not want to share it all with Spencer when they met later that night.
"Karen! I need a drink! I've got so much to tell! I've met sex on a stick!"
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A/N:
Who is your SOS (Sex on a Stick)?
Reviews get a teaser of the next chapter.
Thanks go to: Project Team Beta for their continued intense scrutiny, BlueandBlack who keeps my Jacob honest (check out her wonderful Jacob x Bella fics), Feriel_Miranda, my first response beta, HotandCold for creating a forum for this fic on Twilighted (link on profile), and Minisinoo who helped me answer the question why study Native American studies (according to her, Molly's original response would have made Billy howl--and not in a good way. If you have not read any of Minisinoo's Twilight fics, just go there now and read them. I'm just a typist compared to her. )
On my Profile:
* links to the Muybridge photography as well as some actual Native American artifacts.
*Also, I'm submitting a fic to the Once Upon a Twilight contest sponsored by wishimight (everwondering) and staceygirl aka jack bauer. It's my first Edward x Bella fic, and it's pretty light, but was fun to write. Check it out. Link on the profile. Voting begins August 22nd.