Mystery Box
By addisonj
Chapter: 5: Scenes from Antique Roadshow, La Push style
Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight. I just use my imagination
Thanks to my beta, Feriel_Muriel and Project Team Beta, and my 'handholders', hotandcold and TearsofMercury.
****
Scene: Meeting of the Cosmo Club.
"Molly! Get your ass over here and tell me about your sex on a stick!" yelled Nancy across the bar. The Cosmo girls were in place: Nancy, Molly, Shannon, and Karen.
"Has Karen blabbed?" asked Molly as she deposited her ass in the seat across from Nancy. Shannon was already sipping a cosmo.
"I want photos!" yelled Nancy.
"Hey! This is work related! This is my academic career!"
"Right! So take off your academic hat and put on the vagina hat and spill, girl!"
Molly looked around the bar to make sure none of Spencer's friends were there. The last thing she needed was for Spencer to hear through the grapevine that she was not only spending Saturday nights away from him, but in the vicinity of a hunky dude.
Molly pulled out her camera phone and showed the photo of Jacob.
"Ooooooo!" the three women responded in unison.
Nancy sat back in her seat and dramatically fanned her brow. She suddenly grabbed Molly's forearm." Molly! You need an assistant, don't you?"
"Yeah, I really need a software engineer to help me identify these artifacts," Molly laughed.
"Don't want to share, do you?"
"Sweetie, what if I find out his type? Or if he has single friends?" Molly asked. Not only Nancy's eyes, but all of their eyes widened.
"Oooh! They'd be like a Native American version of Chippendales! Merry Christmas one and all!" Karen toasted the group.
"Here, here!" all their glasses were raised, and they downed their drinks with flourish, thinking of tall, dark, and handsome men.
"So, is he interested?" Nancy was good at remaining on topic.
"Uh, since when does ' I am doing this for my academic career' not comprehend? This is not an eharmony date or some kind of 'meet cute' in a romantic comedy. This is real life," Molly responded.
"Yeah, if this was a romantic comedy, you two would have literally bumped into each other and he knocks your school books down, and as your eyes meet, you know it's forever." Nancy then proceeded to put her finger in her throat and make a gag noise.
"Nancy, you're as romantic as me!" joked Molly, "Can we change the topic now?"
"Just give us a complete update next week and more pics. Full frontal please". It now was Molly's time to pretend gag, but the thought actually made her flush. That would be a picture she would not delete from her phone.
***
The drive to La Push was long and Molly was tired. She had trouble sleeping, and no one to talk to. Karen was still out dancing and it was too late to call anyone. She and Spencer had a fight. Another one. He booked a weekend vacation for them in Vancouver, knowing full well that she was driving to La Push today. Spencer did send a text afterwards that said simply: Sorry. But she was still angry. She needed to be mentally ready for the drive and the visit, and Spencer's actions were not helping.
By the time Molly drove into the parking lot at Emily's Diner, she was tired, cranky; she was not in the best mood.
Jacob, however, nearly bounded out of the diner to see her. Molly just looked at him and smiled. He was like an overeager child or overgrown puppy, wrapped in a 6'7" frame. He gave her a quick hug.
"Molly! You're here!"
They walked inside as she tried to stretch out her muscles. Jacob noticed.
"Want me to give you a backrub?"
"Uh, no. I'm not feeling that generous towards your gender right now."
"Ouch! Trouble in paradise?"
"Don't want to talk about it. What's our schedule for this weekend?"
They discussed the schedule, and Jacob agreed to do introduce Molly to the people they would be meeting with that weekend. Molly pulled out her laptop, 8x10 photographs of the artifacts found in the box, and multiple shots of the mini man/wolf sculpture.
Jacob held the photo casually and glanced at Molly.
"I think we should name him."
Molly nearly spat out her coffee.
"What? This is possibly one of the greatest discoveries in Pacific Northwest Native American artifacts and you want to name it? What, 'wolfie'?"
Jacob laughed. "Chill out. You really are a geek. But he needs a nickname. What do you call him now?"
"Amazing. Special. Unique. Breaking paradigms in Native American art."
"Yo, Amazing." Jacob spoke to the sculpture. Pause. He looked at Molly "He doesn't seem to like that name." He looked at the sculpture again and addressed it sounding like a white rapper: "Hey, Special! Howyadoin' Unique? What's up Breaking-paradigms-in-Native-American-art?"
Molly was not amused. "Jacob, I'm really close to feeling like you're not taking my work seriously."
Jacob set down the photo carefully. "No, I just feel like it needs a name. We have baskets, blankets, arrowheads, and masks. What is this?"
"Art. Sculpture. Unique." Molly then paused, looked at Jacob and smiled, like she found the key to secret code. "You're just trying to piss me off on purpose aren't you?"
Jacob grinned like a Cheshire cat.
Molly laughed and kicked him under the table.
"Damn you! It was exactly what I needed."
Jacob just nodded as he ate his hash browns, emitting the wisdom of the ages. Maybe that should be rephrased to he was exactly what she needed.
***
Their first visit was to Sue Clearwater's house. It was a good place to start. Molly already knew Sue, and she could drop her wheeled luggage bag in Leah's room.
Molly sat down in the living room with a glass of water Sue provided. She gave Sue a high level overview of the project, the background, and what they were looking for.
Molly showed Sue the photos of the artifacts from the box and described finding the box.
"Quite the 'Nancy Drew' moment, eh?"
Sue even put her glasses on to look more closely. "These items could be from anyone, anywhere."
"Do you recall anything about anyone taking these to U. Dub? I tried looking into the records of the museum, but there's no mention. Well, I went as far back as what was searchable by 'find.' I need to go through the microfiche next and that will take a while."
Sue sighed. "I'm sorry, dear. Let me think about who might have done this, I mean, personality wise versus the actual artifacts. I'll get back to you. I know where to find you." She smiled.
"And the sculpture?" Molly asked hesitantly. Sue seemed to frame her words carefully.
"It's interesting isn't it? One of our legends. Maybe it was used to reinforce the legend."
"But do you have any ideas if there are other sculptures like this? Of the legends? Or any figural work at all? We seem to have more arts and crafts style that figural art."
"Yes, we Quileute tend to be more practical with our workmanship. Especially in the olden days we were totally self-sufficient. If the men didn't fish, we didn't eat. The women raised the children, washed the clothes by hand, and tilled the soil. There wasn't time for … art like this."
Molly thought carefully. "Is it possible there may have been a black sheep of the family sort, who preferred art to more … constructive work?"
Sue nodded. "Could be. Could be. It's all rather conjecture."
"Of course. But I'm pulling at threads. I'm feeling a bit like a police detective searching for clues. Some DNA samples would be helpful right now."
They laughed. "Well, if there is anything I think of that could be helpful, I'll certainly let you know."
"Sue, do you have any artifacts you'd like to share? Anything that has been in the family a while? "
"You know, we do have some water jugs that were from my husband's family. Let me get those. And there's a blanket my great grandmother made…."
Sue pulled the items out of hidden closets and Molly closely reviewed, photographed and cataloged each item in her laptop.
That was the pattern as she went house by house. It was good to start at Sue's; Molly already knew Sue and felt quite comfortable with her. Molly did not know the occupants of the next house, but Jacob gave the introductions, and his obvious respect for her and her work helped bridge any gap that there may have been between the willingness of the party and the seriousness of Molly's work.
****
For the next few weeks, the pattern was this: Molly drove from Seattle to La Push on Saturday mornings. She arrived in time for lunch with Jacob, where they discussed the schedule for the weekend. Molly had a long list of people to meet, which she sent to Jacob beforehand. Jacob arranged the meetings on Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning, and then Molly drove back to Seattle, after a big cup of coffee at Emily's diner. Jacob often stayed while Molly looked at the family's heirlooms, but as she got more comfortable, he would work on his own projects with the pack, like fixing a neighbor's roof or mending a fence, or helping someone put up a satellite dish. Jake and the pack would work on these projects and would be paid in bartered items, usually food (which they devoured immediately). Not only did Jake involve the pack in these community service actions (even Molly started calling Jake's 'posse' of attractive fit young men a 'pack'), but Jake involved the teenagers of both sexes as well, to make sure they were occupied and contributing to the tribe as a whole.
Every once in a while, when Molly finished an interview, or happened to look up and out someone's living room window and she saw Jake and the gang doing physical labor, she not only felt lust, but a bit of pride in her friend's accomplishments. Because he was her friend, and with all the time they spent together, she knew loved simply being with him. She felt comfortable, whole, cared for and looked after. Happy.
***
"Molly, have you ever been in love?"
They were sitting at their usual table at Emily's (now they had a usual table). They always started Saturday mornings with a hearty late breakfast. Molly would give updates on anything she discovered during the week and Jake would go thru the schedule of appointments for the afternoon: who, what, and any tips that may help Molly with her work. After business, they would settle down and do a version of twenty questions. Jacob learned that Molly grew up in Berkeley, the second child of three, of a Chinese American software engineer mother and mostly Irish American nuclear physicist father. How she always felt a bit of the outsider because she always straddled two worlds: Chinese and White; east coast and west coast because even though she lived in California, her parents were from Massachusetts and she would always summer with her grandparents, either in the small town in rural western Massachusetts where her father grew up, or in Boston's Chinatown where her mom's family lived. She went to undergrad at Cornell and now doing grad school at U Dub. She was not sure if she wanted a PhD, or she would rather do something else. She felt guilty for not being a super achiever scientist like her parents or her older sister who was at Harvard med school, or her geeky younger brother who was already creating dot com businesses in his bedroom at their parent's home.
Molly learned that Jacob was the youngest of three, his mother died when he was young and his father had been disabled for a while now. He owned a garage in Forks with his two best buddies, Quil and Embry. Molly learned that Jacob loved to take things apart and put them together; he loved to fix things. He rebuilt his first car, a VW Rabbit, his Harley Davidson, and now his vintage Mustang. He grew up with two older sisters who teased him mercilessly so he was used to strong women. He had no girlfriend or any type of steady relationship. His life was the tribe now; his pack was his family. He tries to look on the bright side, but has a temper when encountering falsehoods. They both loved to eat bacon.
"Jacob, if I answer that question, then you must answer the same, and I can add another of my own." Molly set the ground rules.
Jacob's playful nature ceased. He held his coffee cupped in both hands and leaned forward. Things were about to get a bit serious.
"Okay, so, been in love? I've thought so before. But, I realize now that I wasn't. It was just lust or infatuation. Your turn." Molly was looking at her coffee as she answered hurriedly.
"Are you in love with your boyfriend?" Jacob's eyes bore into hers as he asked the elephant-in-the-room question.
"No." That was an easy answer. "Sometimes he does something sweet and I think maybe, then he pisses me off and I think hell no!" She tries to lighten the mood and takes a sip from her mug. "Your turn."
"Yes." Jacob did not elaborate.
Molly waited for more to come, but Jacob's eyes left hers and he continued to sip his coffee, looking out the window.
"Do you still love her?" she asked this quietly, wondering why his answer suddenly seems to matter so much to her. She stared at her coffee cup again.
"Yes." Molly's heart sank, then Jacob clarified: "I used to think so. I mean, I think a part of me always will. She was my first love. My only love. But she's married—happily married.
"I know a part of her will always love me, but she chose him, she is happy with him, and he loves her with all of his soul. For eternity." He took a swig of his coffee and makes a small grimace, as if finding it bitter.
Molly reached her fingers to lace with his, to offer what small solace she could. Her eyes blinked tears that surprised her—she was not one for tears, but when she saw this huge bear of a man shrink into a ghost of heartache, it was sad. "I'm so sorry. That's why you don't have relationships? You miss her? You still hope she'll come back?" Molly wondered why his answer broke her heart a little.
"I used to. But this happened years ago. I have a life now, here at the rez. People depend on me. I'm happy here. My friends are my family. We look out for each other. We support each other. We protect each other." As Jacob spoke these words, it was not only because he was finding his center again, but also he wanted Molly to know he was not to be pitied. He was not the broken soul as he was eight years before. It was a part of him—he would never deny that—but he had moved on. He had to, for his sanity and his soul. For his tribe and his family. He had to move on. And he did.
"Okay, my turn." Molly paused; she wanted Jacob to answer this question. She did not want to scare him but she really wanted to know his answer. "Do you think you'll ever fall in love again?"
Jacob's eyes, which were staring aimlessly out the window, suddenly moved to focus on hers. As his head moved, his eyes went to focus on the trees outside, to the sign for Emily's Diner, to the cars parked outside, to the window frame, to the back wall, to Molly's face, and back to Molly's eyes.
"Yes."
His voice was very deep, very strong, very sure. And he was looking right at her, as if his life depended on her reaction. Molly gulped.
It was suddenly very uncomfortable at their usual booth. The tension was thick and Molly felt captured. Jacob stared at Molly. He thought he knew what he was feeling, but wasn't sure how she felt. Molly, seeking the path of least resistance, fell back into her analytical nature. She decided to put on her detective hat and do reconnaissance for her single friends.
"How do you fall in love? Is it eyes meeting across a crowded room? A burning in the loins? Friends with benefits?" she asked.
Jacob smiled. "I think it's my turn for the question." He looked a little less intense.
"Oops. Apologies. Shoot."
"I'll ask you first. How do you fall in love? Cupid's arrow thru the air? Across a crowded room? Or slowly, deliberately, best friends becoming lovers?"
He sounded like he knew from experience, but really wanted to know her answer.
Molly frowned slightly. "I don't fall in love. I could have a crush, but love needs to be slower to be real. I don't believe in fairy tales or any of that romantic crap. Oh, I love me those romantic comedies and will cry at Romeo and Juliet – both the Leonardo DiCaprio and Olivia Hussey versions – but it's not real. I mean, I believe love like that could happen, but it's not real. It's not long term. It's like a chemical reaction, but will that last thru the bills and the mortgage and the in-laws and desperately looking for childcare when the oldest has stomach flu and you have a presentation to the department chair at 9am?
"Love needs to grow. It needs to start slow through mutual respect and attraction, survive the bumps and grinds of everyday life and become a heartfelt thing of true beauty, that becomes the love that lasts 50 years, the love of two octogenarians holding hands at the assisted living shelter, knowing that each would die without the other, but choose to live."
Jacob just stared at her. She felt exposed.
"Say something! Or I did just verbal diarrhea all over our table," Molly nearly begged.
His eyes snapped away. Molly wondered if she accidentally exposed his soul as well.
She hastily stared into her cup. It was nearly empty.
There was silence for a bit, as Jacob processed her words and Molly felt increasingly embarrassed for every second of non-response from Jake. She finally kicked him under the table.
He laughed. "Thanks, I needed that. I got lost in your words then."
"So you agree?" she asked, trying not to sound too … happy? Sad? Delighted? Anxious? Too everything. It was all getting to be a bit too much of everything.
He nodded. He picked up a slice of bacon from his plate.
"And I believe in more bacon."
*******
It was a lot of driving, and a lot of energy, but Molly loved La Push. True, she grew up in a more urban environment in Northern California, but the coastline reminded her of the shore along Bodega Bay and Carmel in California: cold, windy, wild, with rocky beaches, sharp cliffs and craggy trees. These were not beaches for sunbathing, but for long walks and for children to discover nature. These were beaches for holding hands with your loved one, trying to stay warm as the cold wind whipped past you. Molly wondered if Bronte's moors were as windy.
Molly loved the people of La Push. With the blessing of Billy, Jacob, and the Council elders, everyone treated her not as a stranger, but family. People knew she drove a long way and was staying at Sue Clearwater's (Sue already gave Molly a key to the house and told her to consider herself like family), so she and Jake were always invited to dinner at someone's house.
Molly felt like the long lost relation that everyone needed to see. Molly had South Asian Indian friends who would describe their bi-yearly visits to family in India the same way: spending the entire time eating, drinking, and socializing with absolutely everyone because everyone wanted to spend time with them before they left. That was how Molly felt. People treated her like the long lost relative they had to spend time with. And Molly felt wanted. And appreciated. And loved. She loved when Mrs. Ravenswood cooked the salmon exactly as Molly liked it, and when Mr. Blackhawk pulled out his 'special' alcoholic concoction just for special guests (although it tasted like gasoline and Jake helped Molly dispose of it gracefully in a potted plant which looked a bit peaked the next time Molly visited the Blackhawks). She felt at home.
The artifact project was moving a bit more slowly than she had expected. People opened up their attics and garages to show their family heirlooms. Molly felt like Antique Roadshow – La Push style as she carefully photographed each item shown to her and input it into her laptop database. There were baskets and rugs and pottery, but nothing like the amazing style of art of the tiny wolf/man sculpture or the cinematic pottery. She spent part of her time in Seattle trying to find the current location of that pottery but it seemed to have vanished since cataloged in that book Dr. Wilson had.
Molly was beginning to get discouraged about any great finds, but she was starting to see trends in the style of the Quileute artwork. It had bolder lines than other Pacific Northwest tribal art. It was subtle, but Molly could finally tell a Quileute from a Makah basket. She was starting to think she might actually be good at this, that this really was her chosen field. She was pleased; no MBA could give her that satisfaction.
Yet after several weeks of weekend visits, Molly was getting discouraged. There were no sculptures that were similar to 'Wolfie,' as Jacob named the wolf/man sculpture. Molly continued to give Dr. Wilson weekly updates, but Molly could tell he was a bit disappointed, as well. Molly's trips were helpful, but no amazing discoveries since she first found the box. As Molly was recording the family heirlooms and artifacts that were being uncovered, she asked questions to see if anyone had knowledge of Wolfie or the Muybridge pottery. Her work was helping remind the tribe that their artifacts were interesting not only within the tribe, but to these academics in Seattle, as well. However, she was discouraged, and secretly wondered if Billy was leading them on a wild goose chase.
After about five weeks, Dr. Wilson started their meeting with a timetable.
"Molly, how long have you been going to La Push?"
"Five weeks, more or less." She wasn't quite sure where this conversation was going. She didn't want to end her project prematurely, but they were no closer to finding the answers to the Wolfie origin question.
"And how much longer will this project progress?"
"I'm about … 10 weeks from completion. I'm averaging about 4 to 5 houses a weekend, and there are about 40-something more homes on my list."
Dr. Wilson stopped pacing from behind his desk and sat on the edge of his desk facing Molly. "Molly, I know this project is about finding more wolf transformation representations in their artifacts. We have some wolf masks, but very little else of wolf representation. We have baskets and water jugs galore. I was hoping for more wolf transformation-themed items."
Molly was feeling irritated. "I'm sorry, Dr. Wilson, but I cannot control the possessions of the Quileute. I can't force someone to hand over a wolf sculpture if they don't own one. However, I can assure you that we are making a strong impression on the tribe, and if we need their assistance in the future, we can count on it." After Molly spoke, she hoped she did not sound too harsh to her department head, who could help or destroy her academic career at U. Dub, if he chose to do so. Instead he laughed.
"Very good, Molly! I wanted to make sure you realized this project was not just looking for more wolf man transformation sculptures, but to focus on the long term! I don't want you to get discouraged, my dear! If we don't find that holy grail, at least we've made some important contacts with the Quileute, and we have an impressive catalog of Quileute artifacts, no doubt the best in the world! Good work, Molly. Now, what do you have for me this week?"
Molly breathed a sigh of relief. She had heard that Dr. Wilson did these testing games with his grad students, but she had never been on the receiving end of one. She was glad he saw the larger project, and not just what he needed for an academic paper and possible fame, but their project was laying groundwork for the future. With a lightened heart, she opened her laptop and showed Dr. Wilson the latest finds from her Antique Roadshow tour.
***
Molly did not expect an outcome of the La Push trips was that she started seeing the town thru the eyes of an entrepreneur. She noticed that there were only a few businesses in town, and Jacob did try to keep the teens busy with his 'community service projects' and by having teens apprentice at his repair shop, but it still looked like a lot of the young people had nothing to do, and many of them moved away if they had ambitions. It was a common story in many small towns; Molly spent summers with her grandparents in a small town in western Massachusetts near the New York and Vermont borders, and she knew most of her friends from those summers left their home town and moved to Boston, New York and beyond. Molly wasn't sure if this sort of migration was best for La Push.
Jacob and Molly had an easy friendship. They spent entire weekends together, and it never felt awkward or forced. Molly was a woman who liked to socialize, but also liked privacy as well. Not to compare, but if she spent a weekend with Spencer, she was desperate for some along time by Sunday. However, with Jacob, she never tired of being with him. She guessed he felt the same way, because he had ample opportunities to do other things than chaperone her all weekend, but he did just that. And he did it gladly. So Molly only felt a bit hesitant bringing the subject up to Jacob, but she wanted to give back to the town she grew to love so much.
"Jacob…" she began.
"Hmm?" Jacob was eating a large plate covered in eggs, bacon, hash browns and pancakes when Molly interrupted him. They were at Emily's diner and Molly was having a chicken sandwich while Jacob was eating the left half of the menu. They were going to run along First Beach later that day, so Molly knew he wouldn't be packing on any pounds. And Molly helped him eat his bacon (her personal favorite food group).
"Is there officially a mayor of La Push?"
Jacob looked at her quizzically. "No. We have the Council of Elders. You were at the meeting. You know how it's done." He kept eating.
Molly paused before responding. She didn't want to look too nosy. "Well, I've seen how you interact with people. You know everyone in town. You ran the meeting. People really respect you. You're a natural leader."
Jacob laughed. "I'm not sure about that. I don't like telling people what to do or ordering them to obey me. That's not my style."
Molly shook her head. "No, that's the old style of leadership. The new style is more like yours; more of a visionary. You get people excited about being a part of your vision and they follow you willingly, not because you're forcing them. Because they want to be a part of the vision that you create it with them. I learned about this in business classes at school."
"Sounds like a cult," Jacob said through bites of the hash browns.
"No, really, you've got a special gift, Jacob," Molly said. Jacob shook his head and kept eating, but he seemed to be thinking about what Molly said.
"Okay, humor me. If you had a magic wand and could change anything about La Push, what would it be? What do you think needs or should be done?" asked Molly.
Jacob stopped chewing long enough to consider. "I know what I don't want. I don't want any casinos built on our land. They bring in lots of money, but bring in lots of problems as well. At La Push, we have natural resources I don't want exploited: the fish, the timber, and the land. I'd love it if we were self-sufficient, had enough jobs at the rez for everyone who needed one, without having to resort to gambling, or leaving. And I don't want the ones who stay here to fall into the trap of alcoholism, depression or drug abuse. People need a reason to get out of bed in the morning and to take care of themselves for themselves, their family and their community."
"Are you thinking tourism? Small businesses? Cottage industries?"
"Yeah, enough so people can stay on the rez and make enough money to live on. So we can keep our people who do want to stay here, that they don't need to leave to make a living. But to make a living without exploiting our people or the land."
Molly grabbed a sheet of paper from her bag. There was a shopping list on one side, but she flipped it over and scrawled some notes on the other. "You know, with the internet, people can run businesses from their homes as long as they have a strong internet connection. Some of the baskets Mrs. Blackhawk showed me were amazing, and she said Mabel Riverwalk's were even better. They could set up an internet business selling Quileute crafts. They could be sold in town and some shops in Seattle as well.
"The land is gorgeous here too. There could be some ecotourism. It wouldn't bring a mad rush of tourists, but those who want to really understand the history and the culture. National Geographic is running ecotours in the US, it's easier than going all the way to Costa Rica or something, and I think La Push would be a good candidate. I just read an article about the Navajo in Arizona doing exactly this, upscale ecotourism. It brings in money yet preserves the culture. If not huge ecotourism, maybe smaller scale like guided tours and experiential stays so non-Natives can learn Native culture. Could start with school groups or families, maybe European tourists. Could even tie in with volunteering.
"Anyway, a lot of businesses can be done over the internet. So could coursework … and with the internet, it would be easy to set up web pages, use social networking sites to advertise…I have a lot of techie friends who can help. And I took quite a few business admin courses undergrad at Cornell; I had to make my parents think my education was worth the money." Molly then stopped talking, unsure of Jacob's reaction. She didn't want to be one of those non-Natives who came in and told Natives what to do. She was there to learn, but she wanted to help as well, and saw opportunities.
Jacob looked at Molly intently for a moment. "Molly, it's not just the businesses. If I had a magic wand, I would want to make sure the Quileute culture is preserved. That we brought back the coming of age rituals, and speak more of the legends. We have the bonfires and council meetings, but I want to make sure the next generation really knows the stories as well and how they relate to our way of life."
Molly nodded. "I grew up going to Chinese school. It was important to my mom that even though we were third generation, we never forgot our roots."
Jacob and Molly spent the next hour brainstorming. Molly had a minor in business administration from her undergraduate and it felt good to use that side of her brain again. She was impressed with how articulate Jacob was in expressing his vision for La Push, and how they both seemed to think along the same lines. Every once in a while, Molly would catch Jacob just staring at her, and sometimes she would just stare at Jacob. Then they would smile.
***
"C'mon slowpoke! " Seth yelled to Molly.
"Bite me, Seth! My legs are shorter than yours!"
Molly and Seth were racing along the beach. They started a habit of running each Sunday morning when Molly noticed her jeans getting tighter. Too many brunches at Emily's, she thought. It was fun just to run with Seth, he was like a kid brother to her, and it was a break from the Unresolved Sexual Tension with Jacob.
Seth was always faster; all these Quileute men were so fit! He barely seemed to break a sweat when they ran, and she was drenched, even in the cool spring air.
"How come you all are so fit and there's no gym here?" Molly called out. Seth just smiled and laughed.
"You don't need a gym to work out!"
Molly laughed as she handed Seth a water bottle. "I've decided it's the gene pool here. You all are so strong!"
"Molly, you look great!"
"Thanks, but I used to be chubby. Tubby Molly was my nickname. "
"No way! I bet whoever called you that is eating their words now."
"Hopefully eating a Big Mac!"
"Heck, Jacob and I used to be skinny."
"No way! You guys are like linebackers now."
"True. My personality hasn't changed, but Jacob's has, a bit," Seth said quietly, then appeared a bit surprised he spoke the words aloud.
Molly perked up. "How so?"
"Well, you know Jacob now. How would you describe him?"
"Funny. Responsible. Natural leader."
"Right. That last bit. Not him; Sam was always the natural leader. "
"So what happened?"
Seth suddenly realized he might be saying too much. "Did Jacob mention he went on a spirit quest? About eight years ago?"
"Y-es." She spoke the word slowly, as if it had two syllables.
"Did he mention why?" Seth spoke equally slowly. He didn't want to reveal too much, but guessed Jacob may not have told her everything. And he saw the way they acted together; he knew Molly should know all the facts in case things … progressed.
"I'm assuming it's a typical thing? Coming of age? But now I'm guessing not because of this conversation…" Molly's voice was a higher pitch for the last two words, indicating a question as well as a pause; she wanted Seth to complete her sentence.
Seth was quiet, measuring his words, how much to speak.
"Well, it's not common." There was silence and Molly held her tongue, waiting for Seth to be ready to talk. She knew if she spoke now, Seth might not. "There was a girl ... she married someone else, kind of like our enemy. Jacob left. He had to get his head together again. He came back and became our Alpha, which was his birthright. He took over from Sam. Jake came back, like a wise old man. He's still fun, happy, Jacob, but he's also this 50-year-old man trapped in Jake's body. Weird. I'm not explaining this well."
"No, you're doing a great job. And is Jake over her? The girl?" Molly heard Jake's version. She wanted a slightly impartial third party's view as well. She really wanted to uncover the truth.
"He acts like he is."
"And she just disappeared? Never came back? If she's a local girl, doesn't she have family here? Or her husband's family, if he's from here too?"
Seth noticed Molly interrogating him like a police detective. No wonder she was put in charge of the artifact project, he thought. "No, neither one came back. His family all moved with them. They're in Scotland now. Her dad is the police chief, he's Billy's best friend, and he's dating Mom."
Molly gave a sharp intake of breath. She forgot how small towns could be incestuous. When she'd visit her Grandma and Grandpa Martin in the Berkshires of Massachusetts, she would get the town gossip for the first three hours of each visit. She knew the inhabitants of their little town more than her own neighbors in the Berkeley hills.
"But I still hear from her now and again." Seth's words snapped Molly back into focus.
"You're friends with her too?" she asked in astonishment.
"Yeah, his whole family, the Cullens. They're great. They'd feed me so much whenever I went over there! Good people. So we keep in touch. Haven't told Jake about that. Definitely didn't tell Leah. She's really protective of Jake and never liked the family much."
"Yes, Leah is very protective," Molly said, thinking of her first conversation with Leah. She then smiled. "Is she protective of you too? Do all your girlfriends have to go through the Leah screening process?"
Seth laughed. "Yeah, hence my single-ness." Molly laughed too.
"Well, if you ever come to Seattle, I know lots of single women."
"I may take you up on that, Molly." They started walking back to the house. He suddenly gave her a brief half-hug.
"I'm glad you're here, Molly."
"I'm glad too, Seth. Sometimes this feels like my home away from home."
***
Thanks for reading and please review!! Reviewers get a teaser of the next chapter.
PSA1: Please vote in the Exploration of the Sense contest on helliex88's profile which ends September 16th. I submitted a Carlisle/Esme one-shot called "Feel Something." You can link to it on my profile.
PSA2: okay, this is a weird request, but I think I may need someone who can write smut. Okay, that's a hint of future chapters, but I have tried and don't think I can do any future lemons justice (especially if involving a certain Alpha). Is there a smut subcontractor? Just send me a PM and link to anything you've written, thanks!