Disclaimer: I do not own 'Twilight' or any of the characters! (except my own of course)
Rating: T (language!)
Pairing: SC/OC, JB/EC (and other standard pairings!)
Warnings: flashback, vengeful Jane, Queen B, August...Zoe...and fluffness!
Hey! sorry I didn't update over the weekend! things got busy, my b-day was Monday I'm now 17!! yay! and yeah. But I hope you haven't waited too long and don't be mad, no throwing pillows!!! :] Seriously though, enjoy chappy two and leave me one!!!
Chapter Two: Past, Present...Future?
***********
Volterra, Italy
5 years earlier…
"Jane. Report," Aro commanded and I obeyed, pleased that he trusted me fully. I moved forward, hand outstretched, palm turned up for him to grasp. Everything I knew, everything I saw belonged to Aro; even my most private thoughts. Nothing is a secret between us.
His eyes, which had been shut moments before, were wide open. I could not read his expression. "It would seem as if we have a problem. The others, the…wives and non-guard bristled, their muscles flexed. A problem? "If I may Aro," I implored, kissing his ancient hand which still held my own. He nodded, "Of course my dearest Jane." Alec's eyes flickered to mine--I ignored him, "It isn't simple to merely exterminate them all? Those…wolves or whatever they call themselves shouldn't be permitted to live--" "Jane," his voice stopped me, forcing me to look into his crimson eyes. "You must understand my child that these wolves are a part of the fine fabric of our world. Everything would be chaos if they did not exist."
Aro's hand released mine as he moved to stand in front of his golden chair, a gift from a queen of Sicily. I couldn't help but to feel slighted. It would be chaos if we allowed this--this tryst to continue!"Little Jane, you mustn't be angry with our exquisite and wise leader," Caius interrupted my thoughts. I stared at him frostily before turning to stand next to Alec, ignoring Aro's raised eyebrow. "Everything in this world has its purpose Jane," he directed at me before turning back to address our entire coven.
He lifted his head with his arms outstretched, palms turned out, "My children, have I not sent one of our best to keep an eye on my dear friends the Cullens?" Whispers confirmed as much. "Have I not sent him to make sure that things in Forks don't go awry?" More whispers, more nods--mine begrudgingly included. A triumphant smile bore itself on the lips of my master. "We will not fear what Carlisle's childe has instigated. We cannot fault our brothers for extending a hand of hospitality to the hybrid--" gasps went around, "'for the coupling of such a creature and a vampire such as ourselves, can only bring about a power even stronger than them."
I am sure, just as Aro had intended it, that no one including myself, cared for anything else he'd said besides "hybrid." Damian, our best of the guard, Aro's favorite, had created what no one else had been successful at doing? I myself had not created? Again Alec caught my eyes and I red the hidden message within their crimson depths 'for he knew something which Aro did not.
Never will I say that my brother had not been loyal to our cause by not coming forward with vital information. I would make sure that if he were to ever find out, that Aro would know it was my knowledge I'd managed to withhold from him; Alec will never suffer by his hands.
"Damian will meet his end and so will the damned spawn that Edward Cullen has managed to create that the hybrid now bears."
***Present***
(August's POV)
"So are you excited?"
"Excited?"
"About your birthday silly!"
Oh. I blushed, averting my eyes down to my history notes, hoping to make it seem as if I'd rather not talk about the coming date. Realizing what I'd been scribbling all over my paper, I blushed even harder, belatedly catching Amy staring at it. "Who's Seth?" she asked. I didn't want to be rude but I didn't want to answer either.
"What had Jake said about…letting people know you didn't like them?" But as much as I didn't like Amy Wesley I didn't want to hurt her feelings.
"Um…he's just a friend of mine," I mumbled, watching the teacher write some more useless notes on the board. "Will he be at your party? That is, if your uncle throws you a party. He should, I mean, seventeen is a big step," Amy continued, too caught up in her own thoughts to take a hint. At least she'd forgotten about Seth…and I could inconspicuously rip out the page his name was now engraved in. I didn't need the notes anyway.
Sometimes I wonder why Edward and Jake agreed to allow me to attend high school.
"Can anyone tell me what the Statue of Liberty symbolizes and why it was given to the American people?" Tuning out the whispering still taking place beside me, I observed that no one willingly raised their hand in Mr. French's class. He was a thin graying man with bi-focals and sharp blue eyes that always made me uncomfortable when they stared at me…which was exactly what they were doing at the moment.
The reasons I did not like to raise my hand were none no one else could share.
"How about you Mr. Cullen? Can you give us the answer?" I blushed. All eighteen pairs of eyes in the room were on me. I could feel Amy fuming next to me suddenly and I felt guilty…she loved attention so why do I deserve so much? "Um…well," I ducked my head, appreciating the curtain my long hair created, "the statue symbolizes--" "Mr. Cullen," Mr. French interrupted me.
What had I done this time exactly? He was looking at me like a scaled and gutted fish in a frying pan--like he got me right where he wanted me. "Though long hair might be the style right now, it won't be able to hide you for the rest of your life. Come stand in front of the class and give us the answer."
A few chuckles spread across the room. I didn't see what was so funny. I stared imploringly at my teacher, begging him with my eyes not to make me go and do something we might all regret. It wouldn't make sense to create a catastrophe where it could be avoided. To my immense relief, (and confusion), his eyes lost their much-too concentrated gaze and shifted to someone else, telling Braden Newton to do what he'd told me to do only moments before.
Is it just me or did something…weird just happen? Glancing around the room at everyone else and Braden, something weird had indeed just happened.
---------
When the bell rings I'm the first person out of the door and into the already-crowded halls. I have lunch next, the cafeteria is where I find my closest friend (well…as close as she can be). We sit at a table far from the other prying eyes and ears who can never seem to stop looking at us.
"Damn August, what did you do to the Queen B this time?" I honestly didn't know and told Zoe as much. She gave me a strange look before shaking her head and offering me a mysterious smile, "Weasel is a bitch, don't even sweat it." She meant Amy. She pulled two apples out of her bag and tossed one to me. "So," she leaned in, "have any plans for the big 1-7?" I should've known she would bring it up! "Well I can see this isn't a fun topic for you, I'll do a subject change--" am I that easy to read--? "not eating again I see. How do you expect to grow up big and strong?"
When I'd first met Zoe I thought she was strange. Before she even said a simple hello or anything like that, she'd told me I would make all the girls jealous and all the boys gay. I wasn't sure what she'd exactly meant, but the more and more we spent our lunches together, the more I learned she was a really nice change from the other people I'd come into contact with my first couple of weeks of school.
"August, you still aren't eating," her clear voice cut through my thoughts. I had to learn how to stay focused--I'd been born with an incredible amount of space in my mind. It allowed me to use all of my senses at one time with an acute amount of accuracy if I wanted, but also allowed me to lose focus on the physical world outside of my mind. Anyway, I felt my cheeks heat up at the implications her voice presented.
How can I explain that my appetite for the human food she eats is almost non-existent and that I consumed human blood up until late last year? Well…I can't.
"Look August, I already don't ask questions about your parents or your family so I'll leave your weird appetite to you," Zoe apologized in her Zoe way. She didn't look angry or anything, her eyes were always good at hiding things and the way she was sprawled out on her chair made it look like she could care less.
"Hey why don't you stop trying to be such a dude and take some etiquette lessons from Cullen!" "And why don't you go fucking shove it up your ass you closet punk!" Zoe shouted at Paul Abrams. I hid my face in my arms, willing the blush to disappear from my cheeks.
Zoe was so vulgar with her language.
"Aw, no hard feelings Zack--" Zoe's "boy name"-- "'sides, August here knows how I feel about him." I shot up out of my chair at the feel of his hand in my hair. He didn't let go and made a display that although we were in a secluded corner, had everyone in the cafeteria watching. I didn't know what to do or to say when he crushed our lips together. It didn't feel right which was enough to have me shove him backwards into the wall. If he'd merely bumped into said wall and crumpled to the ground, no one would be staring at me in such a way.
Like I was some sort of display at a museum.
When Paul slid down the wall, there was a very obvious dent in the shape of his body where he'd stood stunned for a moment. He was now looking at me with a mixture of shock and…definitely something that looked like Edward when he stared at Jake just before they--
Suddenly a girl slipped by the trash cans, spilling food all over herself--I took the distraction. Bending down to grab my bag I breezed past Zoe before I exited the lunchroom. Everyone needed to forget what they'd seen.
I was so distraught, terrified of Edward's reaction when I got home or Esme's gentle reassurance or Emmett's high-fives once they all heard of what I'd done. I was in my car gripping the steering wheel for some sort of support, realizing too late that Zoe was knocking on my window while staring wide-eyed at the steering wheel gripped in my hands.
I knew the faux leather was probably bent in the shape of my hands. Rolling down the window, I prepared myself for the oncoming questions and rejections of friendship. "And just when I'd started to fit in," I thought forlornly.
"Well you certainly didn't know your own strength either." I peered carefully into Zoe's eyes…was she joking? "Of course I'm joking August but at least with a hint of seriousness. Care to explain why there is now a permanent mould of Paul Abrams in the stone caf wall?" "How'd you know what I was thinking?" I was on guard now, staring at her suspiciously. She rolled her eyes, hand on her hip, "You said it out loud brat."
"Get in the car." I sighed, popping the locks as she ran around the front, making a scene about finally being able to convince me to take a joy ride in my 'Stang'. She could be so spastic sometimes. We were out of the parking lot and halfway down the street before she even got her seatbelt fastened.
"If you're planning on crashing us to avoid the problem then you might want to reconsider," Zoe grumbled, obviously annoyed that I hadn't waited for her to fasten herself in. "Sorry," I chuckled, glancing over to see her staring at me, her eyes no way to know what she was thinking.
We rode in silence for a few minutes before she asked where exactly I was taking her. I gave her a mischievous smile of my own…or at least…a smile I hoped came off that way. "Would you like to meet them Zoe?" Her dark eyes held confusion in them. "Who…?" I continued to glance at her expectantly. It only takes a minute and three seconds for her to "get it" as she would say. Her face brightens up with frightening speed but her voice remains calm, "I would love to Mr. Cullen." "Good," I chuckled, my eyes catching the turn into our family's extremely long driveway, slowing down imperceptibly to turn.
Zoe did a double take at me, "Woah! How'd you do that without sending us careening into the trees!?" I sighed, realizing that perhaps our speedy departure from school hadn't been the best of ideas. With no forewarning, I didn't know how my family would react to me bringing home a human.
I looked over at Zoe who was still looking shocked at everything I'd splayed in front of her so far. I could only hope my family could put on the human charade and not freak out when I pulled up to the house.
(End August's POV)
(Jacob's POV)
The drive from my house to LaPush isn't a very long one, but sine I haven't been back to my childhood home since the night I was giving birth (I cringe at the memory), I figured there was no rush. Besides, I was still trying to figure out what the right words were to apologize to my dad. The trees and everything looked familiar, but I kept my eyes on the road, cursing Edward for making me use his stupid Volvo and then knowing I'd appreciate it.
I was still upset he wouldn't come along with me, at least for moral support. I was beginning to pass by familiar-looking houses; Sam and Emily's place, Embry's, Paul's, the village doctor and so on. I wasn't surprised to see that there was no sign of life from the Clearwater' place. Seth was at my house (like we could ever get rid of him), Leah…well I haven't seen much of her lately and Sue-- "Hey Jacob Black. Long-time, no see"--was standing in the front door of my dad's house.
"Get your ass out of the car," I thought to myself, rolling up the windows and cutting off the ignition. I put on a big smile as I climbed out of the car. When I got up the (newly installed) ramp to the front door, I had a feeling that Sue wasn't unfamiliar to the place and hadn't been for quite some time.
"You look good Jacob," she said, hugging me tighter than I expected from her. "You too Sue," I replied, smiling a little bit when she laughed and told me not to make jokes. Just like old times. I got nervous again when she practically pushed me into the house, calling to my dad who was in the kitchen.
"Don't freak out and run," I told myself, desperately wishing that Edward was standing next to me, that August wasn't in school so he could have come along too.
When I saw my dad sitting there at his usual spot at our small kitchen table, eating his eggs, sipping his very black and bitter coffee and scanning the paper, my heart leapt into my throat. Sue was sitting next to him faster than I'd noticed when she'd moved from behind me. I was more surprised when I'd thought I'd be when he placed his right hand over the top of her left one--he hadn't even looked away from his newspaper.
He didn't even notice that someone had followed Sue.
I abandoned my previous thought not to run, but just before I could turn away from the scene in front of me, Sue said, "Don't be a stranger Jacob Black, come sit with us." When my dad looked up and our eyes met, I could tell he'd been waiting for this far longer than I had.
And I ran into his arms like I was a little kid again, burying my face into his chest as I let out all the pent up emotions of the past five years. What surprised me most was his rumbling voice, telling me that he'd forgiven me and that he was sorry for pushing me away.
I released the fabric of his shirt to look up into his still-wrinkly Billy Black face, noticing that Sue had left to give us some space. Taking in a deep breath and releasing it, I told him what I'd wanted to tell him for a long time now.
"I forgive you Dad."
(A/N: How'd you like it? Good? Bad? UGLY!!?!?!? PLEASE! NOT UGLY!!!)