Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, items, products etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original character and plot are mine. I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise, products or locations. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter Fourteen:

Everyone at work had bought my story about a new insane workout regime being the cause for my random pained intakes of breath and slow movements. It had only been a week since my run-in with the vampires, but other than some minor remaining stiffness, I was back to normal.

I checked myself over in the mirror before leaving the bathroom. There was no blood spatter or any other bodily fluids on me or my uniform—it had been a rather monotonous day. It wasn't exactly attractive when you come home from work speckled with human ooze.

After speaking to the next shift during their briefing, I slipped out of the ambulance bay and started heading for the lobby.

It had been Richard's last week at work, so I was officially the new ambulance lieutenant, which came with the added bonus of working normal business hours and being on call every night and weekend. Nothing major had ever happened, and even if it did, everyone who worked under me was competent in his or her own job. Plus, my work cell fit in my Velcro pouch so I could carry it while on patrol. I couldn't complain—the two halves of my life were fitting perfectly together.

As soon as the automatic door opened and I inhaled the fresh air, the unnatural calm of my imprint washed over me. Peace, warmth, and Jake.

He was waiting for me across the parking lot, leaning casually against the side of my truck with his arms crossed over his perfectly sculpted chest. The dark t-shirt he wore left little to the imagination, as the well-worn fabric beautifully hugged every one of his defined muscles. One of the hospital patrons that was walking out with me audibly sighed as she took in my imprint's form, and my eyes cut over to her before I looked back at Jake. When our eyes met, we both smiled, then his gaze dropped lazily down my body and his smile morphed into a full grin. I rolled my eyes.

Jacob pulled me to him once I was several steps away from the truck. His warm arms encircled my waist, and he gave me a brief squeeze before he pulled back.

"How was your day, Cas?"

I smiled at him. "Better now that it's over and you're here."

Jacob snuck a chaste kiss on my lips, before taking my EMS bag off my shoulder and setting it in the bed of my truck.

"What are you doing here?" One of Jake's eyebrows quirked up at my question. Anything longer than nine hours apart was still tough for us, and our connection was still just as potent as it had been in the beginning.

He pulled me to him, and I felt him inhale against me. "I just missed you, and we finished up a bit early on the transmission rebuild."

"The keys are in my pants pocket if you want to drive us home…" I trailed off so I could drag my barbell along my slightly parted lips. Jake's eyes widened just marginally.

"Which pocket are they in?"

The navy cargo pants that were a part of my EMT uniform conveniently had many pockets, and most of them were located on my thighs, hips, and my ass. I grinned.

"I can't seem to remember—you'll have to search around for them."

It was Jacob's turn to give me a mischievous smile. "Well, isn't that just unfortunate…" His fingers inched around to my butt, and he began to very thoroughly check my rear pockets for my truck keys.

By the time Jacob's burning hot fingers reached my front pockets, I was having to force myself to take calming breaths; he was enjoying himself far too much. We were going to have to wrap this up soon or he was going to have to bend me over the hood of the truck, and I was positive my co-workers did not need more of a show.

When Jake's fingers closed around the keys he slowed leaned forward, and brought my body flush against his.

"My place or yours?" He growled into my ear, and my body shuddered as his words turned my temperature up a few more degrees.

"How about the truck on the way there…and then your place?" My whisper was barely audible, but I felt his chest vibrate against me as he stifled a growl and his grip on my hips tightened. He had heard me just fine.

Before I could talk myself into pulling away from Jacob and making a run for the passenger side of my truck, his whole body tensed and the growl that came out of his mouth was anything but sensual—it was low and deadly. My already heightened senses went on red alert as they honed in on the threat.

Vampire.

Jake spun around so that I was behind him in less than a second, and both of our gazes watched as Bella pulled into the small hospital parking lot driving her red Ferrari F430. She slowly drove toward us before parking several spots away.

The hold Jacob had on me didn't loosen as Bella got out of her car and moved to approach us.

I squirmed against him. "Jake…you can let me go. I'm not going to kill her in public."

"I don't like you being this close to a leech."

Oh. Wow. Both Bella's and my eyes widened at Jake's underhanded comment toward his once best friend, but he managed to quickly recover.

"No offense, Bells, but I'm sure you of all people can understand the protectiveness I feel for Cassie."

Bella's eyes were wide, but she just gave a brief nod and spoke toward her high-heeled boots. "I just wanted to say goodbye, Jake…in person."

When she finally lifted her gaze, her expression was bleak and broken; for the briefest second, I almost felt empathic towards her. Almost. I inhaled her stench and growled out, "I'll wait in the truck. Take your time." I moved, so that I could kiss Jake behind his ear. "I'll be right here if you need me."

Out of spite, I slammed the passenger side door after I got in. Ugh. Shemade me want to scream and smash things, but who was I to be a complete bitch. They had history, and it wasn't Jake's fault that his friend from high school had chosen to become a vampire. She was the one with brain damage and delusions. Bella waited until I had both of my iPod ear buds in and Leah's screaming girl-power music turned up before she opened her mouth.

The music almost drowned them out, but I was sitting close enough that I couldn't completely tune out everything. Bella didn't really have much to say. It was all generic: she would always miss him, and she wished us the best, etc…Jake handled it better. Everything he said he meant and it came across as sincere—not awkward filler.

Finally, after seven and a half minutes, he gave her one final hug , before she got into her car and drove away. He stood outside and watched her car disappear down the street; once she was out of sight, he stripped his shirt off and gave it a brief sniff. Jake wrinkled his nose and tossed it into the bed of my truck, before climbing into the cab and starting the engine.

We drove toward the Rez in silence for several minutes before Jake spoke.

"I'm sorry about that."

I turned to look at him before replying. "It's okay…" He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye. "Really, it is. I do kinda understand…but at least my ex wasn't a bloodsucker." I gave him a small smile, then reached across the center console to take his hand.

Jacob squeezed my hand. "If he had been, Cas, I would have ripped him apart on the spot—then burned his body in that fucking pretentious car of his."

I snorted. "Jeez. You're making me regret my tolerance and self-control back there."

He looked at me and brought my hand up, so he could kiss my fingers as his eyes focused back on the road. "Thank you for being patient with me and my past."

"You're welcome, but I think I'm going to add a Luau and roasted pig dinner to the things you owe me when you take me to Hawaii."

Jacob returned my smile. "That's fair."

The Cullens had been true to Bella's word—they were gone. Supposedly, they'd chosen to move to someplace in northern Europe. No one had been hired to replace Carlisle but he had left everything so organized that the hospital could get by for a while without finding someone new.

Jake had stayed true to his word, too, and several days after Billy had gotten back from his trip to see Rebecca in Hawaii, we had dinner. It couldn't have gone smoother. Billy had taken plenty of opportunities to relentlessly tease his son about his melodramatic lack of a love life.

Ever since Jacob phased, Billy had told him that I was out there waiting for him. He had just been too caught up in Bella to be open to the idea. Their fight had been about imprinting, and then I showed up and proved Jacob wrong. Billy seemed more disappointed he hadn't been at home to witness our imprint; it was always better, when you were there in person to see yourself win an argument.

Jake's dad was everything I had pictured, and I could see where my imprint had gotten some of his more endearing qualities. Billy was a good father and even though he had never phased himself, he exuded inner strength and confidence. It was no wonder the tribe still looked to him for guidance.

My inner musing had thoroughly woken me up , so I slowly turned over to glance at the bedside clock. It was a little past seven in the morning, but I was wide-awake and there was no way I could fall back asleep. Jacob's breathing was deep and even; he wouldn't be up for at least another hour—maybe even longer. He had been out late running patrol.

Rolling over, I raised my hand to gently brush some of his hair off his forehead—he looked so peaceful when he slept. I hadn't known him back when he had really long hair or the cares and worries he carried now, but I had seen him through the memories of the pack. When he slept he looked more like the younger carefree Jacob he once had been. It was no wonder Bella Swan had loved him—there was nothing not to love about Jacob Black.

I lay watching him dream for several minutes before working up the motivation to get out of the warm bed and leave him.

Even though he was still sleeping, when I planted a lingering kiss on his lips he tried to pull my body against his. Somehow, I managed to get out of the bed before his arms could close around me, and they snagged my pillow instead. Jake let out a small snore as I shut the bedroom door behind me.

The grin on my face didn't fade as I made my way down to the garage. My truck had been slightly neglected since coming to La Push, and it was long past due for an oil change.

Since it was the weekend, the garage was closed, so it was just me. There was no reason to use one of the vehicle lifts, and using the hydraulics would definitely wake Jake. Once my truck was jacked up and the jack stands were in place, I turned the radio on low and laid out all the stuff I would need. There wasn't any sound from upstairs to indicate Jake was up, so I grabbed a new oil filter and shimmied underneath my truck.

After my daily run with Leah, I jumped in the shower. Jake and Embry were going over the shop's paperwork as the bathroom door clicked behind me. Less than ten minutes later, I was done and towel-drying my hair. The conversation in the kitchen had grown hushed, so I paused to listen.

My twin was worked up about something, and his whispers were harsh and hurried. "I know she's your imprint! I'm not fucking stupid, but isn't this a bit fast? I mean, she's only been here a few months…"

"So? We'll be together forever—you know that. I just wanted to tell you in person beforehand. Sam already knows—Emily helped me out."

There was silence in the other room for several seconds.

Jake continued. "I'm not asking for your blessing. I just wanted to do this the best possible way, and you're her family, so I figured you'd like to know."

It was at that point that I made my entrance into the room, and found both guys sitting on the couch with the strangest looks on their faces. Embry was slightly flushed with his hands clenched into fists on his knees; Jake's mouth hung open and he looked guilty—as if I had just caught him with his hands in the forbidden cookie jar.

My eyebrows rose as the boys just sat and dumbly stared at me. "What were you guys talking about?"

Embry recovered the fastest, and after a brief glance at Jake he got a huge smile on his face. "Jake was just telling me that…"

Jake cut him off, as he stood up and hurriedly walked toward me. "I got us tickets to go to Hawaii." He glared over his shoulder at Embry, who had crossed his arms over his chest and looked pouty. "It was going to be a surprise."

As soon as the words were out of his mouth I released one of the most girly and excited squeals of my life and jumped into his arms.

"Really?"

He just spun me around and laughed. "Really."

At twilight, Hawaii was stunning. The water looked purple against the orange, pink, and blue sky, and the sound of the ocean gently pulling at the silver sand around us was something I never wanted to forget.

Closing my eyes, I leaned back into Jacob's warm chest. "This is so perfect, Jake. Thank you."

He didn't say anything, but his arms tightened around me as we both lost ourselves in thought.

Jacob in his blue swim trunks coming out of the crystal water was one of the most gorgeous mental images he had ever given me. The clear beads of water dripping down his muscled chest were one of many visuals about this trip that I never wanted to lose.

I had heard that Hawaii was one of the most beautiful places on earth, but I hadn't believed that until I had stepped foot here. Everything about it was beautiful; the rainbows giving off brilliant colors in the sunlight, the many waterfalls, teal blue water, the colorful ocean reef, and the black volcanic rock silhouetted against the lush tropical landscape. This was one of the most beautiful and dreamy places on earth, and I was experiencing it with Jacob. My perfect guy—who I was going to have all to myself for forever.

He had taken me to a Luau, complete with fire-dancing and a roasted pig dinner. One of the many upsides of being a werewolf on vacation was we never got full. We were able to enjoy anything and everything the local culture had to offer us food-wise.

Jacob had talked me into trying surfing, and I wasn't terrible at it. It had actually been kind of fun…until Jake had gotten jealous of the male surf instructor touching me and had almost caused a scene. I didn't finish my lesson, but I did manage to get Jake alone in our hotel room for the rest of the afternoon. Angry Jake was very attentive.

The bikini that Leah had bought for me was exquisite, and the emerald green against my skin looked amazing. Jake didn't seem to mind it, either. I never seemed to be in it for very long, and when I was, it was cute to see him growl at all the other boys whose gaze happened to linger on me for too long.

Rebecca and her husband had been excellent hosts, and their boys were adorable. It had surprised me how much Rachel and Rebecca looked alike; the only difference between them was their height. Rebecca had taken us on a tour of the main island attractions and offered to let us stay with them. It had been Jake that turned her down. He wanted our own space for the indoor activities he planned to incorporate into every day of our trip. His sister hadn't said much, but when she rolled her eyes and mumbled something about more grandkids for Billy, I knew my cheeks had turned pink.

"Cassie?" Jake's voice brought me out of my train of thought.

"Mmhm?" I turned my head so I could see the outline of his face in the quickly fading sunset.

He looked down at me and his eyes twinkled. "Can you stand up for me, please?"

My forehead wrinkled as I slowly got to my feet, brushing the sand off of my legs. Maybe he hadn't been as comfortable in that position as I was. We had been sitting here for a while.

I stretched my arms over my head as I looked out over the water. The sky had morphed into a bright pink and the sinking sun reflected a vibrant orange in the scattered clouds. It was beautiful.

"Cas?" I turned around to face him, expecting him to be standing, but he was on his knees in the sand behind me. What was he doing?

He chewed on his lip as if he were thinking about something, and I moved to kneel down in front of him, but he caught my hips.

His voice was gravelly and low. "You have to stay standing for this." Jacob's eyes searched my face, and the hand that was on my hip moved to catch my left hand in his.

I blinked back at him; he was acting nervous —I'd never seen Jake nervous. "What are you doing? Is everything okay?"

He had the nerve to chuckle, but it sounded almost forced. "Everything is perfect…" My eyes widened as they followed the movement of his hand into his short pocket.

Jacob had something in his hand.

My heartbeat quickened in my chest as my body figured out what was happening seconds before my brain caught up.

Jake's gaze held mine and I lost myself in his eyes. They were so full of love, desire, devotion, and hope; they smoldered as he locked his eyes onto mine.

"Cassandra Call, I've loved you with all of my heart and soul since the moment we met, and I couldn't live a day without you." His voice was clam and steady. "Will you marry me?"

My emotions threatened to bubble over. "Yes."

Jacob slipped the ring on my finger. The silver band fit perfectly and the white stone glittered in the fading sunlight.

I dropped to my knees in front of him, and pulled his face toward mine as my fingers tangled in his short hair. He opened his mouth against mine and gently brought my bottom lip in between his teeth. A growl vibrated in my chest, and his hands found their way to my hips.

He eventually pulled away from my mouth to kiss along my jaw and then down my neck, leaving a burning trail behind. I squirmed on top of him and it was his turn to growl. Our dark eyes met, and I reached behind my neck to untie the top of my swimsuit.

"We're the only two people out here, and I feel like celebrating."

Jake grinned at me, flashing his perfect white teeth before he laid back into the sand and pulled me down on top of him.

The End.

AN:

They live happily-ever-after! Yeah! ;)

I hope everyone enjoyed my fic, and you know I'd love to hear your thoughts! If you review, I'll give you a sneak-peak at my upcoming outtake. For the rest of you, I'll be uploading my outtake (Jake/Cassie citrus) in about a week. It will be a separate OS on here so I don't have to increase my overall rating of this story -just fyi

Thank you to Lauren Lautner and my lovely fic wife, Leanne Golightly, for the beta and pre-read! You ladies are fantastic! *mwah*

Leanne, I wouldn't have made it this far without you!

*wolfy hugs* to everyone who has taken the time to read my writing! I value each and every one of your reads and comments! Thank you!