Penname: addisonj
Story Title: Mystery Box
Chapter 13: The Exhibit, part 2
Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight. I just use my imagination
A/N: Many thanks to Project Team Beta including ErinB.
***
Oh tell me you love me
Come back and haunt me
Oh and I rush to the start
Running in circles
Chasing our tails
Coming back as we are
The Scientist, Coldplay
***
In the last Chapter: An elderly man at the exhibit claims to have owned the Wolf-man sculpture when he was a child, and that his mother donated the 'mystery box' of Quileute artifacts to the museum over seventy years ago.
***
Upon hearing the elderly man speak, Molly was speechless for a moment, and then she was full of questions. "You played with it as a child? And my mother donated it? How did you get it? Did a family friend carve it? Was it a gift?" Molly was so excited that she couldn't stop the questions from flowing out of her.
The man still had a smile on his face. "I don't recollect, but I know my daddy used to always buy stuff from the Indians. When they'd be looking for money, they'd sell stuff to him and he'd sell it to those collectors. Even so, we still had a ton of Indian stuff in the house." He laughed and shook his head at the memory. "It drove my mother nuts to have all that stuff lying around. That's when she got fed up and took a box to the museum."
The curator, Anna, came by to ask Molly a question, but Molly held up a finger for her not to interrupt. "This gentleman was just telling me how he played with our little wolf-man figure when he was a boy. Until his mother brought it to the museum," Molly explained. Molly thought Anna would drop her clipboard in surprise, but she held it together well.
Anna kept her voice level as she spoke, "Really? Please tell us more, Mr.…"
"Mr. Albright. Joe Albright. I was just telling this lady here that my daddy bought artifacts off the Indians long long ago. Whenever they were hurtin' for cash. Then Daddy would turn around and sell it to collectors up and down the west coast.
"My mama though, she got sick of all the stuff around the house. One day she just went and packed up a box and drove off. I overheard her telling Daddy later that she dropped it off at the museum. Boy, he was livid! Well, she was angry too and I was mad because this one here was my favorite. I would make up adventures with the Wolf-man coming to the rescue!" Joe Albright turned to look at Jacob, who was now standing by the women. "Hey, he looked kinda like you, big guy!"
"The wolf-man looked like Jacob here?" Molly asked.
"Yes, in my imagination. He was a tall Indian fellow. And when the Indian got in trouble with the cowboys, or some whites selling bad moonshine, or taking off with their women, he'd turn into a wolf and attack! Bam! Bam! Just like that! He'd save the day!" Joe still spoke with the enthusiasm of a young boy playing action heroes on a rainy day.
Jacob was suppressing a smile, imagining the older man as a boy while Molly was silently jumping up and down, ecstatic that they were closer to solving the mystery of the box.
"Mr. Albright, my name is Anna Highchurch. I'm the curator here. I would love to be able to thank your family for this gift. Can we sit down and I can get all the information? We'd love to acknowledge it in our catalog." Anna smoothly moved Joe to a few empty chairs as she pulled out her pen and clipboard.
Molly stood staring at them, still in shock from the events of the last ten minutes. Jacob gave her arm a quick squeeze. "The origin of the mystery box is nearly solved. You must be so happy! And I like Joe's name for the sculpture."
"Dude! Because he thinks you're a superhero!" Molly joked.
"Do you think the story's true?" Jacob asked.
"Anna can get the info and we can research. This is amazing. It's like we're finally getting closure with all this."
Jacob pulled her close and looked deep into her eyes. "When there's closure, there will be time, for us?"
Molly answered him with a smile and a kiss on the lips. Immediately, she frowned and broke herself out of his arms.
"Damn! No public displays of affection! That should be a rule!"
"No PDA during the exhibit. Afterwards we can be ourselves."
Jacob's soft tone was starting to distract Molly. She shook her head and moved a step away from him. "I gotta run and tell Dr. Wilson. He'll want to know about this latest development," Molly turned to leave, but stopped for a moment to ask Jacob, "You're coming back to my place later right?"
Jacob grinned, "Nowhere else I'd rather be."
When Molly started to look for Dr. Wilson she suddenly noticed her mother watching her from across the room. Damn! thought Molly. She saw me and Jacob together.
Molly headed in the opposite direction from her mother, but noticed that Christine was following her. Luckily, Molly found Dr. Wilson quickly and relayed the news. Needless to say, he was ecstatic. Molly led him to where Anna and Joe were talking, introduced them, and she stayed with the little group to hear more about Joe's story, thinking how incredibly lucky they were that Joe walked in that night.
When Joe's story was winding down, Molly considered doing a walk around the exhibit. However, as soon as she turned to move, her mother was there beside her, looking at her with an intensity reserved for bad report cards and calls from the principal.
"Molly, let's go for a walk," Christine said in a firm tone.
"Mom, can we talk later? Now is not a good time," Molly started to move but Christine followed and pulled her into a quiet corner.
"Just tell me about this Jacob. Is it serious?"
Damn, that's the million-dollar question. "We're dating," Molly responded.
Christine needed more information. "What does he do? Where did he go to school?"
Molly groaned, knowing exactly what her mother was doing. Christine was questioning Jake's education, his career, and soon would probably be asking what his parents did for work. This was what Molly was dreading about her parent's visit. She knew that their upper middle class criteria for success would not work with Jacob's background.
"Mom, he's good to me. He has his own business and he treats me like a queen," Molly responded, trying to deflect the questioning, but her mother was too sharp.
"Meaning he didn't go to college? Did he even graduate from high school? Or did he just get a GED?" Christine continued the interrogation.
"Mother! He's an intelligent, compassionate man. He owns his own business."
Christine's voice was rising in irritation, "I did not have my daughter get the best education to waste away and be a housewife on an Indian reservation."
Molly was stunned by her mother's words. Christine Martin was known for being blunt, but being rude and tactless was a new low. Molly knew that education was prized above everything in her family's world, but she had to find some way for her mother to see Jacob and the Quileutes the way she did. She had to find common ground between her mother's values and concerns, and Jacob and his life.
"Mom, first thing, we're dating. Second, Jacob is working very hard to preserve the culture of the Quileute, kind of like how you preserve Chinese culture at home. I know, I've been to the reservation. I've spent time there while working on these artifacts. Jake makes sure all the kids are aware of their culture, and he works to keep the traditions and the legends alive. His father is a chief. His grandfather and great-grandfather were chiefs. He's a natural leader on the reservation. He's a very good man. No, he didn't go to Harvard or Stanford or Berkeley, but he makes sure the kids there get the best education, Quileute and beyond. And if a kid wants to leave the reservation and go to an Ivy League school, he's backing them 100%. And I really don't feel like continuing this conversation." Molly had tried to keep her voice neutral, but her mother was insulting someone she barely knew, someone that Molly cared about very much. Molly could not let such comments slide, even from her own mother. Molly then turned to leave but her mother stopped her.
Christine had a pained look in her eyes and spoke more carefully, lessening the previous anger, "Molly, your father and I have always supported you, even though you've been non-traditional at times. We just want you to be happy. We also want you to live up to your full potential. I don't want you to become one of those girls who forgets her own life and dreams just because she meets a guy."
Molly fought the urge to throw her hands in the air and walk away from her mother's cruel words. She could handle Spencer, she would handle her own mother as well.
Molly looked at her mother with some irritation, but with a note of compassion. She had to keep her relationship with her mother and with Jacob. "Have I ever been that type of girl? Could anyone raised by you be that type of girl?"
"Be good and be safe. I worry," Christine answered softly and gave Molly's fingers a quick squeeze. They were not a demonstrative family; where other families' would have fallen into big embraces, the tiny finger squeeze of Christine and Molly would suffice.
"I know Mom," Molly spoke equally softly and returned the squeeze. She then took a deep breath as her mother finally walked away, almost trembling with emotion.
Once Molly was able to calm down and center herself, she noticed Jacob standing close by and he looked concerned. Fuck, thought Molly. With their amazing hearing he probably heard the whole damn thing. What else will happen tonight?
Molly walked over to him and gave his fingers a quick squeeze as well. "You heard that?" she asked carefully. His eyes were dark, his expression blank, but Molly sensed his pain. She felt a stab in her heart and guilt that her own mother caused his hurt.
Jacob nodded and answered in a strained voice, "I don't want to come between you and your parents."
Molly choked back a sob and shook her head. She really wanted to bury Jacob in a hug, but she couldn't do it in such a public place in front of her mother and Dr. Wilson and the rest of the department. "My mom is protective. In her world, in her culture, education is very important. But that's not the only thing. Tradition and family and honoring your ancestors are more important. I had to make sure she knew and understood that as well."
Jacob looked directly into her eyes. His demeanor said: Do not lie to me. "Molly, you always have to be truthful with me. If this is an issue, if my not going to college is an issue, I need to know that now. I know what you told your mom, but I need to hear it from you."
Molly moved to stroke Jacob's cheek, but remembered where they were and withdrew her hand. "You heard me talk to my mom. I did not lie. I knew walking into this that you're not a frat boy. And you know I'm a geeky grad student. Nothing's changed," Molly answered. Jacob smiled slightly with relief.
Molly added, "We can talk more later, but I cannot deal with real life right now. Change of topic: did anything else happen with Joe Albright, my Wolf-man?" Molly teased.
The rest of the evening was, fortunately, uneventful. The opening night was deemed a success, and everyone retired to get ready for the children's opening exhibit the next day. Molly realized she had no chance to talk to Nancy to see how her evening with Embry was, or to make sure Shannon took care of Patrick. All she knew was that she was ready to fall asleep on her feet.
"Molly, you're exhausted, I'll drive," Jacob suggested and took the car keys from Molly's hand.
"Do you know if Seth is coming over? Where's Karen?" Molly asked.
"None of our business. Let's get you home and in bed. You can find out tomorrow, nothing will have changed," he responded.
Molly was glad her little Honda had enough headroom for Jacob's stature. She was awake in the car long enough to say "left" or "right" as he drove through the streets of Seattle.
At the apartment, Jacob tried to carry Molly into the elevator, then through her front door, but the move was reminded Molly too much of a wedding night cliché, so she insisted on walking, albeit leaning heavily against Jacob the entire time. In her room, Jacob gently washed the makeup off her face, helped her into a nightgown, then lay down next to her as she collapsed, and immediately fell asleep on her bed.
Jacob stared at Molly's peaceful sleeping face for a while. He felt like he could spend an eternity looking at her. The imprint gave him such a pull to be with her, it was such a relief to just be next to her. But the words of Molly's mother burned in his ears. He knew they were an odd couple. He knew they came from different cultures and different worlds. But he knew they were meant to be, that what they had was greater than any differences in race or geography or education or class.
He then remembered how Molly's parents interacted with each other. They were an odd couple as well. Christine was a tiny Chinese-American with a sharp intellect and a critical eye. Jacob could see where Molly got her self-criticism. However, Barry was the complete opposite. Not only in looks, being a tall man with a European background, but also in his behavior. Barry was the yin to Christine's yang. She was critical and intense, while he was easy going and laid back. She was a bundle of energy, he took his time. She was less demonstrative; he gave big bear hugs like Jacob did. She made decisions, he followed them. Through it all, although Christine was not physically demonstrative, Jacob noticed small gestures that spoke of the love they felt for one another. She noticed when to refill his glass. He noticed when her feet started hurting and found a chair for her. They would lightly brush skin while passing each other. They didn't need to stand on a street corner and declare their love for each other; it showed through their actions. They were opposites in temperament and physical size, but were similar in their intellect and the fierce love and loyalty to their children. Jacob could visualize he and Molly being a similar couple. She would be intense and self-critical, he would be open and engaging. But they would be united in their love of Native culture and the goal of improving life on the Rez.
Jacob wasn't tired, so he slipped out of the bedroom and sat down in the living room to watch some late night TV. After about an hour, he heard the lock turn and saw Karen walk in.
"Hiya, big guy," Karen greeted him.
"Hi Karen. What's up?"
Karen took off her shoes and sat beside Jacob on the couch. She stared at the TV program Jacob was watching and said, "I think these late night talk shows are much better if you're drunk. The jokes are incredibly funny then."
"That's why drinking games were created," Jake answered.
Karen got up and opened the refrigerator door. "Want a beer?"
"No, I'm sticking with water, thanks."
Karen came back and sat on the couch. There was silence for a minute or two while they both watched the comedian.
Finally, Karen broke the silence. "This is when I tell you if you break her heart, I'll kill you." Her words were intense, but she kept staring at the TV.
Jacob took a swig from the water bottle and looked at Karen with an intensity equal to Karen's words. "If I break her heart I'll kill myself first. You can do what you want with my remains."
Karen glanced at Jake, nodded, and stared at the TV again. "Then again, she might break your heart."
Jacob swallowed. Karen had found his Achilles heel. "It'd be worth it," he answered quietly.
Karen actually turned and looked at Jacob at that moment, "You sound like a man with experience on that front."
"Too much," Jacob sighed and drank more water.
Silence. And the TV comedian was still not funny.
"This is getting too serious like some horribly overwrought melodrama. Do you play poker?" Karen finally broke the silence.
Karen and Jacob played poker until 2am, until Jacob ran out of pennies.
***
The next day, Molly woke from a dream of a tall dark and handsome Jacob who, when faced with evil-doers, changed into a wolf to save her from their malicious scheme. She snuggled into the very warm, very real Jacob, who was nestled in her arms.
She woke him with kisses all over his face and neck. "We didn't have time for this last night…"
Fade to Black.
About a half hour later, the lovebirds were showered, dressed and eating breakfast cereal in the kitchen.
The children's version of the exhibit opening had a different feel than the adult gala the night before. Everyone was more relaxed and ready to have fun before the children arrived. Molly and Anna hurried about before the opening to make sure all the crafts tables were set. Jacob and the guys were ready to help give tours.
"Molly, about Joe Albright's story, I only had an hour to start looking into it last night, but it's holding up to review. Isn't this great? We'll check on it more in the next few days, but everything lines up so far," Anna whispered excitedly to Molly as they were setting up.
Molly was ecstatic. She gave Anna a quick hug. She tried not to be too physically demonstrative at work, but she couldn't hold it in. "After all this time, the answer just walks in. We can confirm with the Quileutes that Joe's dad did this, and see if other tribes had this occur as well. There may be other mystery boxes out there, huh?" Molly asked.
***
Molly's family attended the children's exhibit opening as well. Molly was still upset with her mother, so she didn't spend much time with them after quick hugs when they arrived. She still hadn't had a chance to ask Patrick how he was doing, and she wanted to spend some time chatting with her dad. They were always close, but Molly was feeling her commitments to the exhibit and could only have a rushed conversation with him.
During the opening, Molly did notice that her mother was viewing Jacob from a distance. She had hung back during one of Jacob's tours, and acted half like she was part of the tour and half like she was doing the exhibit solo. Meanwhile, Barry and Patrick were more hands-on and had volunteered to help out with the wood carving table with Seth where the children were carving clay or soap, not real wood.
Molly noticed Jacob as well. She had an urge to see how he interacted with kids. She wasn't sure if their relationship was serious, she wasn't even sure if she wanted kids, but she wanted to know if there were choices, if they ever got serious.
During the tour, Jacob handled all the kids' questions like "Are you a basketball player?" and "Why don't you wear a feather?" with grace and humor. He handled some of the lovesick preteen girls well as well, being attentive to their questions, but not leading them on. Before she realized it, Jacob had started including Molly in his tour speech as well.
"And this is the woman who's responsible for the exhibit. She found the box with the artifacts, including the wolf-man sculpture here," Jacob the tour guide said as his hand did a game show wave, including her as part of the display. Molly was ready to stick her tongue out at him, but she was in public and representing the museum and university. Instead, she put on a bright smile and tried to think what the kids might be interested in. There were about eight kids, all aged 6 to 12 years.
"Do you want to hear how I found this art?" She asked. The kids nodded. "Do you ever get chores from your parents, like to clean out the garage?" More nods as Molly started speaking in a campfire story voice. "Well, I was doing something a lot like that at the museum here. I was told to go through and keep track of all the pieces of art we have here. And then I found this box with no label! It was old and dusty and shoved way in the back. I could tell that no one had touched it in years, probably longer than I've been alive! So I decided I'd better open it. Do any of you read Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys mysteries?"
"Wasn't Nancy Drew that movie with Emma Roberts?" asked a girl in the back.
"Yes, exactly. And in the books and in that movie, they all solve mysteries. Well, I got that box, thought I was about to become Nancy Drew and I was about to embark on the Mystery of the Secret Box!" Molly then finished the story by pointing out the different artifacts around the room that were found in the box, ending with the little wolf transformation sculpture.
"And this was the last thing I found in the box! It was all covered up and I nearly missed it! What do you think, it's pretty cool, huh?"
"Totally!" a boy in a striped shirt answered.
"I wish I could do that!" said another boy.
"Awesome, man. Like an X-Man or something," spoke a girl near the front.
Molly smiled, welcoming their enthusiasm. "That's what a gentleman here told us last night. A man was here who used to play with this as a toy when he was a boy about your age. He said he would make up stories about this wolf being a super hero and saving the day."
The children crowded around the glass-enclosed figure for a closer look.
"He even thought Jacob here looked like the super hero!" Molly added, with a teasing look at Jacob.
The kids looked at Jacob with wide eyes and renewed respect. Molly could tell they could envision him as a super hero as well. Well, those preteen girls had a bit more as they looked at him…
"Ooooooohh" they breathed.
Molly glanced at Jacob who was looking slightly embarrassed. She decided to exit. "I gotta rush off. Enjoy your tour, kids. Have a great time here and feel free to ask us questions!" Molly turned to go as Jacob mouthed "Thank you" to her, she responded by mouthing, "You're welcome".
Something in their interaction caught the attention of one of the girls. "Hey, is that your girlfriend?" she asked Jacob.
Jacob smiled broadly and looked at Molly's retreating form. "If she'd have me."
***
After the exhibit was closed for the day, everyone seemed to breathe a big sigh of relief. Most of the Quileutes were going to drive back to La Push, so everyone else went to a local burger place near the museum and had a late lunch/early dinner.
Molly's family was flying back to San Francisco, and she said good-bye to them outside the museum.
"Dad, I'm so sorry we didn't have much of a chance to talk!" Molly said while her face was buried in her father's hug.
"That's okay, sweetie. I know you're busy. I just wanted to let you know how proud we are of you! That was a lot of work and a lot of responsibility, and you did good, kiddo. Your professors said so as well. That Dr. Wilson sought us out just to tell us," Barry said in the tone of a proud father. He was beaming at his youngest daughter.
"Thanks, Daddy. I really needed to hear that," Molly sniffed and gave him a bear hug. She hated that they had to leave so soon.
Barry looked Molly in the eye and moved to whisper in her ear, "And don't worry about your mom. She'll come around. I'll work on her. She'll see what the rest of us see in Jacob. He's crazy about you. And I can tell he's a good man, he seems to be well respected by everyone here, they really look up to him and he's only about your age." As Barry smiled, the little crow's feet in the corners of his eyes became more pronounced. "You know, your grandparents didn't have college degrees either. Your mom forgets that sometimes, she wants the American dream for you all. I'll just remind her that the pursuit of happiness is in the Constitution, too."
Molly laughed. "Thank you, Dad. I love you!" She hugged his tall frame.
"I love you too, sweetie. Now let me say bye to your young man." Barry moved to where Jacob was standing and Molly noticed them shaking hands, engaged in conversation.
Her little brother came by next and Patrick gave Molly a quick, slightly embarrassed hug. "Bye, Molly. Don't get into trouble."
Molly punched him lightly in the arm. "Bye, Patrick. You didn't piss off my friend Shannon, did you?" Patrick looked slightly embarrassed.
"Did she say anything?" he asked quickly.
"What the hell did you do, Patrick?" Molly frowned.
"I tried to kiss her. I did kiss her, just a peck, but she didn't kiss me back. I don't want to talk about it." Patrick replied hurriedly.
"Patrick!" Molly's tone was harsh. "If a girl doesn't want to get kissed, she doesn't want to get kissed. I'll apologize to her for you. And meet some girls your own age, ones I'm not friends with, okay?"
"Deal." Patrick replied shamefully, and tried to exit as soon as possible.
Then it was time to say goodbye to her mother. Molly was always a little intimidated by Christine. Christine had worked very hard her whole life to be top of her class, be a lucrative entrepreneur, and have successful children. Molly felt like she never measured up to her mother's expectations, unlike her more successful, Harvard University medical student older sister.
"Bye, Mom, thanks for coming all the way up to see me." Molly tried to sound grateful but her mom could see through her façade.
"Molly, don't be angry, I just want what's best for you. And I talked to Jacob" Before Molly could protest, her mother waved her hand in front of Molly's face. "He's a very respectful boy. He said he only has the best intentions. He wants you to get your PhD and to teach." Christina had the clipped tones of a native Cantonese speaker.
Molly was stunned. Her sort-of-boyfriend and mother were discussing her future? "He said what? Did you all decide how many kids I'm having too?"
"Three. I want three grandkids. I put the order in now. Goodbye Molly." Christine turned and joined her husband in the rental car before Molly could respond.
Molly stood on the curb with her mouth open. Jacob came up beside her and waved to the departing car, a task Molly seemed incapable of performing. He then put an arm around her waist and gave her a kiss on top of her head. "They're nice people, Molly. Your parents really love each other, and they really love you, too."
"Even my overprotective snob of a mother?" Molly grimaced.
Jacob laughed and said enigmatically, "We talked."
Molly remembered her mother's words, and turned to face Jacob. She really wanted to smack him in the arm, but tried to act her age. "I heard! You're allowing me to get a PhD? And I'm having three kids??"
Jacob laughed and explained, "Your mother wants to make sure I won't make you barefoot and pregnant. She wants to make sure your education isn't going to be wasted. I said that I would support you in anything you do. She mentioned PhD and I said of course. She mentioned three kids and I said if that's what you want."
"I just want my life back!" Molly shouted. It sounded like "I'm as mad as hell and can't take it anymore!" from the movie, Network.
Jacob gave her a quick kiss on the lips. "It's back now, right?" he grinned.
Molly paused, assessing his words. A little twinkle lit up her eyes and she answered his grin with one of her own. "Oh my God! I can breathe now! It's over! It's over, Jacob! My life is back!" She did a little dance and gave him a hug. He spun her around as they laughed. He was ecstatic. Maybe now he could graduate from Not-My-Boyfriend to just Boyfriend.
"So what do we do now?" he asked knowing his question had several different meanings.
"We party! Are the guys and Leah still here?" Molly was overjoyed. She was finally free and she wanted to celebrate with her friends, her Seattle and La Push friends who were finally together.
"Yeah, the older ones left, Sue's driving Dad. But the guys are here. They were hoping to see your friends …"
"Let me ask our social director…" Molly texted Karen, who told them to meet at the Cosmo Club headquarters, a local bar, pronto.
The night was fun. Embry, Seth, Karen, Shannon, Nancy, Leah and Luke were there. With her potty mouth and bitchy attitude, Leah was immediately declared an honorary member of the Cosmo Club and president of the newly formed La Push branch. While the guys were playing pool, Molly found out what happened with her friends on Thursday night.
"Embry is officially my friend with benefits," Nancy declared as she finished her beer. "And omigod, those are massive benefits!" Fits of giggles ensued.
"We won't be picking out china patterns then, girls?" Molly joked.
"Hell no. He is so much better than a vibrator, girl!" Nancy laughed and high fived Shannon.
"Well, Seth is so sweet. We just made out and cuddled," Karen said. Leah covered her ears.
"You don't want to go all the way?" Nancy asked.
"No, I'm not a slut," Karen said in a fake pompous tone.
"Shut up you skanky ho," Nancy shook her neck and pointed her finger in a poor imitation of a Jerry Springer audience member.
"You just wish!"
It was a typical Cosmo Club night out when Nancy and Karen tried to out-swear a sailor and called each other names. Molly knew five minutes later they would be kissy kissy and all would be forgiven. She turned to Shannon.
"I heard my brother was a bit obnoxious. Sorry about that," Molly said. Shannon shrugged it off.
"He's a good kid. He thought a peck on the cheek meant he could go further. Now he knows." Shannon drank some beer and changed the subject. "So what's up with you and Jacob?"
"We're dating." Molly noticed that Leah, although she was across the table, suddenly seemed quiet, as if she was listening. Damn! Those listening skills are not just for Quileute dudes!
"If someone looked at me like that, we'd be more than dating." Shannon smiled knowingly.
Molly flushed. "Okay, I fess up. We're in lust," She was stumbling over her words, getting drunker by the moment.
Shannon shook her head. "Nope. I mean, yeah, I know that, but there's something more. Like he's ready to take you home and meet the folks."
"Lucky for me I met the folks the minute I met Jacob. I met him and his Dad at the same time," Molly replied snarkily and kept drinking from her beer bottle.
"Molly, can you stop cracking jokes?" Shannon was starting to get irritated. She was trying to have a 'moment', but Molly refused to acquiesce.
Molly faced Shannon. "Shannon, I just had a major art exhibit I helped organize. I have spent the last four months commuting eight hours round trip to do Antiques Roadshow on the Olympic Peninsula. I then have to research all the stuff that accompanies said Antique Roadshow. And I have my normal course load and am having to get extensions on most of my assignments. I'm exhausted. So I'm sorry if I don't feel like having an Oprah moment right now, I really just want to drink and get fucked tonight."
Molly thought she heard a pool cue snap from across the room. Leah gagged on her drink.
"Did I say that out loud?" Molly said out loud.
Shannon patted her hand. "No worries. At least you know who you're going home with. And you'll probably get lucky."
***
Jacob tried to carry Molly over the threshold again, but she resisted. They made love and Molly made sure to keep the music on in her room; she had a feeling Seth and Karen were in the other bedroom.
The next day, nothing was scheduled. Molly was in bliss. They slept late. Jacob helped her dry her hair. Long curly hair took a long time to brush out and dry. Jacob watched Molly groom, then he just took the hairbrush from her hands and started brushing. Molly leaned back into Jake and closed her eyes. Bliss.
"What do you want to do today?" Molly asked dreamily, her eyes still closed as Jake brushed her hair.
"I want to take care of you," Jake answered simply.
"No, silly! You're in Seattle! What do you want to do? There are sports, museums, parks, ferries, food. You pick! I live here, you're never here. You choose."
Jacob bent down and kissed her lightly on her cheek. "I might start coming here more often now," he whispered in her ear. Molly's heart raced, but she kept her eyes closed. She knew he was smiling too.
They had the day to themselves. Karen texted that she was at the hotel room with Seth, since Nancy took Embry home, there was no one in the hotel room ("What a waste of money!"). Jacob cooked breakfast and he helped with the laundry. They started organizing Molly's room, and Jacob learned about Molly's life from the objects there. They had sex. They kissed often. They could go from playful smiles to passionate groping in seconds. They never tired of each other.
Jacob learned more about Molly, and Molly learned that she would never get bored of Jacob. With Spencer, they never spent a day together doing nothing. There was always a plan: a baseball game, show, movies, or dinner. Not just hanging out. Not doing the little day-to-day stuff that you usually hide from a boyfriend because you want to seem perfect, like you don't need to clean, the apartment cleans itself! With Jacob, Molly felt so comfortable that she could do her boring daily stuff of life. She didn't consciously think of the future, but couldn't think of him not being a part of it.
She was ready to think about what happens next. What happens after he leaves today? She no longer had the La Push trips, so when would they see each other? However, fate intervened when she got a call from Dr. Wilson. If almost anyone else had called, she would have sent the call to voicemail, but it was her department head.
"Hi Dr. Wilson. Can I help you? Is everything alright?"
"Molly, sorry to call on a Sunday, but I wasn't sure if you were checking your email. We need to meet first thing Monday morning. I cleared my calendar for three hours."
Molly's heart started racing. It didn't sound good. Did the exhibit fail? Are the artifacts fakes? Were they stolen from an Indian burial ground? Did someone die?
"Um, what is it, Dr. Wilson?" she asked warily. Jacob noticed the change in tone and looked at her intensely.
"Oh, I didn't tell you? Good news! The Society of Indigenous Arts wants us to present at their conference in Denver in three weeks! Three weeks! They had to redo all their scheduling and print materials, but the Muybridge pottery is such a find they insisted we not wait for next year's conference!"
Molly joined in Dr. Wilson's enthusiasm. This was probably the apex of her academic career. "That's amazing! What an honor! When is it? Three weeks? That's not enough time!"
"I know! They know that. It's actually two weeks, they want copies of our paper beforehand."
Molly sat down. "Two weeks? That's impossible!"
"Nothing is impossible, Molly! We'll just burn the midnight oil! Clear your calendar for the next three weeks! We'll talk more tomorrow. Have a good day!"
Dr. Wilson ended the call, and Molly just sat there on the couch, motionless. Jacob sat down next to her and stroked her cheek softly. "What happened, love?"
Molly remembered where she was and whom she was with. Her emotions were in conflict. What an honor! What prestige! But what work! And just when she was holding it together for the exhibit, she had three more weeks of hell in front of her.
Molly smiled at Jacob, a forced smile. "Good news! They want us to present a paper at the Indigenous Art conference in three weeks!"
"Three weeks. That doesn't sound like enough time," Jacob frowned.
Molly sighed. "It's not. It's such an honor though. Unprecedented. Usually the topics are determined at least six months in advance. This is like, I dunno. … the biggest find since the missing link or something, and I'm a part of it. It's really lucky for me."
"Tell me what you're really thinking, Molly," Jacob asked in a level tone. He knew her well enough to know when she was hiding something and she would just say what she thought people wanted to hear.
Molly exhaled. "I'm all mixed up. I'm happy and scared and excited and exhausted. All I want to do right now and get naked with you and go to bed, but … this is going to be my entire life for the next three weeks." She had a sudden thought and looked at Jacob with sad eyes. "There is no way I can get to La Push anytime soon. I just don't have the time."
He held her hands in his. "Then I can come here."
Molly shook her head, she could not meet his eyes. "No, that won't be fair to you. I'll be so busy, I'll probably be in the library or the department conference rooms 24/7 between now and then. I don't want you to drive that far for what? The privilege of seeing me fall asleep writing and researching papers?"
Jacob gently lifted her chin with his hand and smiled. "I don't mind. I like taking care of you."
"Jacob, let's just see what happens but don't plan on it. Not yet." She saw the sadness in his eyes and she quickly kissed him on the mouth. "I promise I'll see you when I get back from the conference. We can make up for lost time!"
"So you can get fucked?" he smiled mischievously.
"I knew you heard me! You Quileutes have excellent hearing!" She kissed him again, slower, with her hands fisting his hair, drawing his face inches from his. "How much time do we have before you need to go?"
"Two hours," he responded. They kissed slowly.
"I can think of a few things we can do in two hours." She started sliding her hand down into his waistband and pulled out his t-shirt.
Molly's iPod started to play Keith Urban's Making Memories of Us as Jake started to sing along in a deep, sexy voice and he kissed along her neck:
I'm gonna be here for you baby
I'll be a man of my word
Speak the language in a voice that you have never heard
I wanna sleep with you forever
And I wanna die in your arms
In a cabin by a meadow where the wild bees swarm
And I'm gonna love you like nobody loves you
And I'll earn your trust making memories of us
I wanna honor your mother
I wanna learn from your pa
I wanna steal your attention like a bad outlaw
I wanna stand out in a crowd for you
A man among men
I wanna make your world better than it's ever been
And I'm gonna love you like nobody loves you
And I'll earn your trust making memories of us.
Jacob pulled Molly into his lap, his eyes suddenly darker and half-lidded. Molly knew that look. That look alone would make her moist, almost a Pavlovian response: Jacob gets a lusty eye and Molly cums. He ever so gently took a couple of strands of her hair in his large hands and pushed them behind her ear. Then he traced the same ear with his finger, moved his head closer and licked it. Molly arched her back so that she could press ever so much closer into Jacob's hard chest. Was she about to moan already? He had only touched her ear, imagine once he got to certain other body parts …
First he licked her ear, then her chin, her neck, her collarbone, as his lips blazed a trail. Her shirt impeded his lips' downward movement. Molly started to unbutton it herself when Jacob insisted, "Let me" and he slowly opened her shirt buttons one by one, kissing each expanse of her chest as it became uncovered. "Beautiful."
Molly tightened her legs around Jacob's waist and pushed the triangle between her legs closer into his. "I see something else beautiful," she whispered, looking into Jacob's deep dark eyes. Her next verbalization was closer to a moan as her shirt was thoroughly opened and she was flat on her back as her yoga trousers were slipped past her hips by some large russet-hued hands, hands that traced her buttocks and slid down her thighs and calves. The same hands then removed her shirt as he positioned himself above her.
"I want you to make me forget all the shit that hits the fan tomorrow morning at 8am," was Molly's bedroom talk.
"Consider it done," said Jacob just before his lips claimed hers.
***
A/N:
1) Please review! Reviewers get teasers.
2) Many thanks for my birthday wishes and happy song suggestions last week. Here are some of them: 1990s, Millionaires, Bikini Kill, Regina Spektor, Spice Girls "Wannabe", Ce Jeu by Yelle, It takes two" by Rob base & DJ EZ Rock, "Baby got back" by Sir-mix-a-lot, "Perfect" by Fairground Attraction, "DONTTRSTME" by 3oh!3, "Tap that" by Megan Mccauley , "My boobs are ok" by Lene Alexandra (!!! Sounds like a Cosmo Club song!)
2a) I just got the Airborne Toxic Event CD and I'm madly in love with their song "Sometime Around Midnight". I play it very loudly over and over again in my commute. Angst with excellent lyrics and a great beat.
3) There are only two chapters left! Chapter 15 is the last, and then I'll be writing an epilogue in a few weeks. Make sure this is on story alert!
4) I finally have two permament betas! Thank you to ErinB and Mac214 who will be ushering in the end (there is only one more chapter then an epilogue)
5) Wow! I'm over 100 reviews! Big thanks and hugs to my regular reviewers: HotnCold, TearsofMercury, Snow Wolf Alpha, Chellie09, Davii-Hime, IsbellaJacob521, Kyliez, hgmsnoopy, Living Masquerade, winchesterxgirl, Noelly, Stephanie is amazzzing, whyunotme, Kara Hysteric, Aelyalaniara.. Apologies if I miss anyone, but thanks to you all! Writing is a very solitary pursuit I do when my kids are asleep. It's wonderful to read reviews and realize that there are people out there who like the same sort of fics I do. Thank you! And to you lurkers, feel free to drop a note and review. I'd really appreciate it!
6) BTW, I've been reading Harry Potter fan fiction. If you have any suggestions or want a rec, LMK. I usually read Hermoine/Harry or Hermoine/Cedric but just read a really good Hermoine/Snape (Snape is 17 again!), and a Hermoine/ Teddy Lupin (He's 20, she's 38 and the word "cougar" does not appear but I kept mentally changing Hermoine's name to AddisonJ--just kidding. maybe ;) )