Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer; I do not own the Twilight series, just a fan having fun. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter 7

Things are going to get better, I promise!!!

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Nessie's POV

I couldn't concentrate. There was no way I could spent an entire morning without thinking about him, and once he was in my head, nothing else fit in; not Physics or Art or even Chemistry, my favorite subject. I kept replaying in my head everything that had happened; I remembered the sweet taste of his tongue, his rough hands holding me closer, the smell of his warm breath on my face, his penetrating eyes…

"Hey Nessie, are you hot or something, you look flushed." – Tyler was blowing my face with his Math textbook.

"That's ok Tyler, I'm fine (more than fine, I'm in love!!!)… so… um… did your sister like her present?"

"Oh yeah, she loved it!!! Now you'll have to come with me every time I buy a gift."

"Hey guys!!! Nessie, how come you didn't call me last night?" – Amanda, my best human friend, came to sit down on my other side.

"Oh, sorry… I… I kind of got busy with something else."

"That's ok… so, did you guys hear about those monsters they found in Italy?"

"What?"

"They found this like warehouse full of bodies. It's really creepy; according to the newspaper they appear to be some sort of new species of wolves or something. They don't want people to be alarmed but they're saying these things are like mutants or something, because they have traces of human DNA. Could be some sort of genetic disease."

"Wow… that's like the movie we saw with Nessie, like werewolves!!!"

"I know!!! That's why the article caught my eye, it was pretty small and it's not really in an important city or anything, but I mean, how bizarre!!!"

"What city?" – My voice came out constricted, because I was dead afraid of the answer.

"Um… I don't know… some city I've never heard of… um… Volterra."

Panic entered my body like a shock wave. Visions of the Voltury with their cloaks invaded my mind. This was a subject we rarely spoke about in my house, everyone was thankful for being alive and having survived their "trial" five years ago. Most of the time we pretend like nothing ever happened, live as thought they don't exist; but it's reminders like these that wake me up to the reality that they do exist and are still out there. Even as a small child, I had understood the gravity of our situation 5 years ago; I had seen the worry and panic in my parent's eyes, the fear in the postures and faces of all of my families' friends, the determination in Jacob to keep me safe, the uneasiness of all of the wolves who are usually gun ho when it comes to battle. My mother often tells me that we are living in borrowed time, that our lives were spared and that we must live up to the amazing gift of a second time. I could never help but obsess over the word "borrowed", would they return one day to claim it? Would we be so lucky the next time?

All throughout Math period I tried to calm myself down. Those wolves they found probably had nothing to do with the Voltury, and even if they did, this had nothing to do with me or my family. I would soon enough see my dad and tell him all about it, and soon enough he would tell me that there's nothing to worry about. By the end of class I was calmer and had allowed myself to duel on my favorite subject, Jacob.

I was relieved and thrilled when the final bell rang. I barely said goodbye to my friends and went for the door, not stopping to answer their questions about my plans for the afternoon. I tried to run out of the building using human speed but failed miserably due to my excitement, making some heads turn at my velocity. I reached the parking lot and looked around wildly, surely he wouldn't be late.

Sure enough, there he was, the most gorgeous man alive. He was casually leaning back on his car, his arms folded over his chest, making his muscles pop up even more. He was wearing a black short sleeve t-shirt that clung to his skin and showed through his amazing sculptural upper body. His low rise jeans looked worn and faded, with some traces of motor oil and rips on the front. His dark hair was disheveled and fell over his eyes, just the way I like it.

I walked toward him, this time maintaining human speed. As soon as he saw me a huge grin emerged on his face, the whiteness of his teeth contrasting with his beautiful coppery skin. As I approached, a couple of girls walked past him and smiled at him, giggling like idiots. I felt an impulse to attack them; "an afterschool snack sounds good" I thought to myself. The smell of their blood was extremely appetizing and I immediately felt the burning thirst in my throat. They were still looking at him like fools and it angered me that they were merely intrigued by his physical good looks, not even having a clue about the amazing person he is on the inside. Everything in my being screamed out "MINE", "JACOB BLACK IS MINE", a possessiveness that I hadn't felt toward him since I was a child.

"Hey Ness, are you ok? Your eyes are really dark, do you feel thirsty?" – The concern in Jacob's voice brought me back to reality. He had walked towards me and had his big hands on my shoulders, looking at me intently, apparently not even having noticed his effect on the two passing girls.

I coughed to try and get rid of the burning in my throat; it had been years since I felt the urge to attack a human. Jealousy really is a bitch.

"It's ok Jake, I'm fine… just lost if for a second."

"Are you hungry? I don't get it, we hunted a couple of days ago; do you need to go again?"

"No, I'm not hungry… it's just… I… I don't like those girls." – I felt childish for saying it, but I couldn't lie to him.

"Which girls?" – Jacob frowned and turned to look at them. They were still standing there, giggling, when Jacob gave them such a look that a grown man would piss his pants. Both girls immediately stopped smiling and walked away, both of them red in the face, embarrassed.

He turned to look at me, a comforting look in his eyes. He probably thought the girls were mean to me or something, I couldn't help but smile. Mi protector.

"So… you wanna get out of here?"

We drove out to First Beach. After running in the sand and horsing around: tackling each other, tickling each other, him running after me and throwing me up in the air; we decided to dive in the water.

As always, he wrapped his strong protective arms around me, only this time, I felt confident enough to wrap my legs around him, locking our bodies together. We were laughing like children, feeling giddy over the fact that we were finally together, finally able to show our true feelings. The waves were rocking us back and forth, splashing water in our faces.

A memory came to my mind, of the first time Jacob had taken me swimming. I was only about 5 years old in non-human years, and I remember I had gotten really upset because I wanted to start attending school and my parents wouldn't let me. I had shut my bedroom door and started crying, not allowing anyone in, not even Aunt Rosalie who always soothed me. I was crying out loud, making a big scene, something telling me that any minute he would be there, because he always was. Finally Jacob appeared, climbing the tree right outside my window.

-"Where's my girl? What did those mean leeches do to my Ness?" – He had cooed.

-"Jakey, they won't let me go to school!!! I want to learn, and play with other kids, and have teachers, and wear a backpack!!!"

-"Mmmm… excuse me little girl, but what happened to my Nessie?"

-"What do you mean? I'm right here!!!"

-"Oh no, the Reneseme Cullen I know would never throw a fit, would never lock herself in her room and would never fuss about something as silly as school, especially when she knows her parents are right."

I had approached the window, rubbing my eyes with my tiny hands, Jacob just a leap away in the tree.

-"Hmm… where could my Nessie have gone?" – He continued to play along, stretching to look past me and into my room, as if searching for the "real Nessie". His charm worked because I had started giggling.

-"Jakey!!! It's me!!! You're so silly!!!"

-"Oh, there's my girl!!! Come on Nessie, I'll show you something that will make you forget about school."

He took me swimming. It wasn't the first time I had gone swimming, but it certainly was the most fun. There was something about Jacob that made everything more enjoyable. Before I had known it, I was laughing and had forgotten all about not attending school. That day, after our swim, Jacob promised me that he would take me swimming every week until I'd be able to go to school, as sort of a consolation prize while I waited to go. He kept that promise until recently when I entered high school. Swimming with him had become such a part of my routine that it wasn't until now that I remembered how it all had started.

We stayed in the water far longer than usual, until even his body heat wasn't enough to keep me from shivering. We made our way to his car and he drove us to his house.

"Come in Ness, I'll get you some dry clothes." –Jacob disappeared into his room and I went to the kitchen to heat up a cup of water for tea. I felt extremely cold and was still dripping sea water all over.

"Where's Billy?"

Jacob came back into the living area with a handful of clothes. –"I think he's at your grandpa's house, Sue likes to cook for him and since I'm almost never here, he stays up there until pretty late."

"Oh." – Was all I could say, a million ideas popping into my head. Jacob caught my mood because he stopped laying the clothes out on the sofa and looked at me.

His shirt was wet along with the rest of his clothes, making every perfect muscle in his body stand out. His hair was still dripping water, like a little puppy that just got a bath. The whole scene was extremely arousing.

He started walking towards me, very slowly, still analyzing my mood. Anticipation started invading me, but I managed to stand still, waiting for him to make his move. Soon he was in front of me, his hands slightly shaking; the idea that I could do this to him with just standing still gave me goosebumps.

"Ness… you know we'll get in trouble." – His voice was deep and husky. It didn't sound like a warning, it sounded like an invitation.

"You promise?" – My answer made him smile, and before I knew it, he was kissing me.

He put his hands on my neck, caressing my jaw with his thumbs. The feeling of his scorching skin against my freezing body felt amazing, like lightning bolts wherever his body touched mine. I couldn't help myself; I wanted to feel more of him. I put my hands on his waist and began to pull his shirt up, trying to get it off. I could feel him smiling against my mouth. Once the stupid shirt was of, I was able to enjoy the rest of his body, the body that I had admired and desired for so long. I traced kisses all over his chest, from his bellybutton to his collarbone.

He groaned, and for a moment I thought maybe I had done something wrong, that is until he quieted my insecurity by taking me by my waist and hoisting me up on the kitchen counter, so that we were at eye level. That was all the encouragement I needed to continue kissing his glorious body.

"Ness…" – He whispered into my hair, as I continued kissing his neck. He was panting now and I'm pretty sure that I was too.

He lowered his hands and rested them on my thighs, squeezing them every time my lips touched his body. He was restraining himself, his firm grip on my thighs preventing him from moving his hands anywhere else.

All of my father's words came back to me and I instantly felt bad. I could only imagine the pain this scene would cause him. It's true I wanted Jacob, wanted him more than I've ever wanted anything, but I couldn't do this, my love for him went beyond any physical need. He would always be mine, there was no need to rush things.

The problem was, how could I possibly stop this? Jacob was now giving in, kissing and biting into my shoulders and I couldn't possibly push him away.

As if God had listened to me… and had a pretty sick sense of humor, in walked Seth pushing Billy on his wheelchair. We both jumped in surprise, Jacob taking a huge lunge so that he was a good 6 feet away from me. Even with our quick response time and Jacob's speedy retreat, we knew we'd been caught. Billy's eyes were in danger of popping out, looking from Jacob to me with terror and shock. I saw him take in our appearance and felt embarrassed, we both looked disheveled, pink in the face and my clothes were so wet you could probably see through them.

Seth on the other hand looked happy, no, not happy, thrilled. He had a smile that went ear to ear, moving his head up and down in sign of approval. I love the kid, but right now I felt like shooting him.

"So, how was dinner?" –Jacob's attempt to sound casual completely bombed. Billy put his face in his hands and inhaled deeply.

"Does Edward know about this?" –I was completely surprised by Billy's preoccupation; I always thought he hated vampires; why would he care about my father's feelings?

"Come on Billy, you know Edward… of course he knows."

"I doubt he knows about… about… this." – Billy was visibly angry, and for the first time I saw him as Jacob's father, not just the caring and wise man that Jake takes care of, but as an authority figure, someone Jacob would have to answer to, even obey.

"We weren't doing anything Billy, you know how much I love her."

"I for one think this is awesome!!! I mean… It's Jake and Nessie!!! You can't tell me Billy that it wasn't gut wrenching to watch Jake keep all those feelings to himself, now we won't have to put up with all the sulking." – Seth was still smiling like a mad man. Jake and I had been caught in a very compromising position by his father, and the kid thought it was "awesome". You've got to love him, although I still wanted to shoot him.

Billy returned to putting his head on his hands. He spoke and even though it came out muffled, I made out the words "she's so young… 5 years old". While Billy had his eyes covered, Jacob sneaked a glance at me and winked. He seemed to actually be enjoying this, I couldn't believe it!!! First Seth, who really didn't surprise me because the kid is walking sunshine, but now Jake too. What is it with these wolves who never take anything seriously?

Finally Billy looked up at me; his expression towards me was different, kind. "Renesme dear, why don't you go and put on some dry clothes. It's getting late, Jacob should drive you home."

I didn't need to be told twice, I got down from the kitchen counter and didn't even pretend to be human, speeding through the living room picking up Jake's clothes and disappearing into his room in a flash of a second. Before long, Jake and I were in his car driving home.

Only a few minutes had passed since we pulled out of the garage and Jacob snorted and started laughing. Even though I still felt mortified, his laughter was so infectious that before I knew it I started laughing too.

"Aw Jake… is this the way it's always going to be? Between my crazy meddling family, my mind reading neurotic dad, your mind reading pack… " – I trailed of, realizing the magnitude of our problem. "Please don't tell me that by tomorrow your entire pack would have seen what just happened."

"You mean the hilarious look on Billy's face or Seth's goofball grin?"

"No, I mean before." – Just thinking about it made me feel tingly; it also repulsed me to think that everyone, even Leah who doesn't like me, would get to see me in that position though Jake's eyes and with his thoughts.

He hit the brakes and turned his whole body toward me, taking both my hands and sweetly kissing my palms.

"Ness, you're my life, your feelings are the most valuable thing for me, I would never let them see that, even if it kills me to not have to think about it, ok baby?" – I believed him and let go of my worries, that is, until we reached the cottage.

"You think your folks are home?"

"Yes, I can smell them in there. Listen Jake, I don't want to risk my dad listening in on your thoughts, so maybe we should say goodnight here."

"What if I don't want to say goodnight?"

"What do you mean?" – I knew exactly what he meant, because I felt it too. If when I was younger it was hard letting go of him at the end of the day and going to sleep without him, now that our relationship had blossomed, it was unbearable, pure and utter torture. Just the thought of not having him near me made me gasp for air. Last night had been difficult, so difficult that uncle Jazz had to stay with me long enough for me to fall asleep.

"Ness, I just can't, I can't go home and sleep alone in my tiny bed knowing you're far away from me… I know you probably don't feel the same, but please…" – I put my hand over his mouth; I couldn't bear another one of his words, so I put my palm on his cheek, showing him the agony of the night before, making him understand that I did feel the same.

When he opened his eyes I could see tears in them. "Ness… baby did I do that to you?"

"Jacob Black, you are really getting on my nerves… of course you didn't do that to me!!! I love you, I need you, I couldn't bear to be without you, it's not like you did something to hurt me!!! If you keep this up I'm going to have to spank some sense into you, you hear me?"

He was smiling now, really smiling.

"Did you say you would spank me?" – He wiggled his eyebrows, and as always I giggled.

"Ok, listen… I'll go inside, say hi to my parents, go to bed and in a few minutes you can climb up the tree and leap into my window."

"Um… I don't mean to contradict you Ness, but that worked for your parents because Charlie is human, but how is that possibly going to work for us? They'll hear me a mile away."

"No they won't, my parents become a bit "distracted" at nighttime, I doubt they'll hear you, especially since you're so graceful."

"In other circumstances that comment would have really bothered me… but right now… it's the best thing I've heard all day… well, except for you moaning into my ear, but that's a different story."

I smacked him over the head, too much of Aunt Rose in me, and got out of the car with a smile on my face. I could feel his gaze as I made my way up the stone steps and wondered how I looked in his oversize t-shirt, and nothing else.

"Hi mom, hi dad." – They were laying on the couch, my mom reading Romeo and Juliet for like the hundredth time and my dad playing with her hair.

"Hi honey, how was your day?" – I immediately focused on our swim and nothing else.

"Good, we went swimming. I'm kind of tired; I think I'll go to bed now. I love you, good night."

"Good night honey, sleep tight."

"Good night darling… and Nessie… just behave ok?" – I turned and saw my dad smiling at me. My heart sank; he probably heard us talking in the car or maybe could still smell Jacob outside waiting. However he found out, at least he didn't seem mad, so I just nodded and ran up the stairs to my room.

When I came in, I was surprised to find Jacob already inside, sitting on my bed. He smiled at me, his most innocent smile. I went to sit on his lap facing him, placing my legs on each side so that I was basically straddling him. He loosely placed his arms around my waist and rested his forehead to mine, inhaling deeply. I desperately wanted to kiss him again, but knew that if I started I would probably not be able to stop. So I settled for just kissing his forehead, then his nose, then both his cheeks. I wondered how I could love something so much. I always felt a pull toward Jacob, since I was a toddler, but until now I never quite understood the magnitude of my feelings for him, it was a bit overwhelming.

"You ready to go to bed Nessie?" – I nodded, got up from him and climbed into my bed, he did the same and soon we were both under the covers. He pulled me toward him and I rested my head on his bare chest, the familiar rhythm of his heart soothing me. We were both fast asleep in each other's arms and I wondered how in the past I could have managed to sleep without him next to me.