Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns all Twilight Saga and characters.

Jacob

I knew Nessie was out with her brother so I went out to the bar with the guys. Watching Embry make a fool of himself was particularly amusing but I missed my girl so I called it a night early and waited for her in the apartment.

"Hey Jake. Had fun with the guys?" Carol asked me as soon as I walked in. She was on the couch with Daisy watching tv and working on her computer.

"Yeah. Embry had a drink thrown in his face so I decided I had enough fun for one night."

"That idiot! I can't wait till he imprints. He needs to be tamed already."

"He just needs to grow the hell up but I'm sure he grow out of this Barney phase soon enough." I told her. If she only knew why he was really acting that way, she wouldn't be so annoyed. She laughed and I walked into the kitchen to fix myself a sandwich.

"Hey is this ice cream yours?"

"No its Anna's and she's PMSing so touch it at your own peril."

"Naw, definitely not worth it." I put the strawberry cheesecake ice cream back in the freezer with a lot of effort and I sat next to Carol.

"You chatting with Steven?"

"Yea. I can't wait till he graduates and can finally join us over here. I miss him so much."

"He'll be here soon. Duli's just keeping his room warm for the semester but you know that as soon as he graduates, that room is all his."

"I know. I'm really going to miss Duli though. Nessie's going to be so sad."

"Yeah. Its been nice having him back home. Really nice. Its like the whole time he's been gone I've had a knot in my stomach." Even though he was older, I still felt guilty at the thought of him going back to Volterra. Duli felt like a part of my family and the wolf recognized it too. It was like going against my nature to let one of my family go into harms way. I wanted to protect him from them but I couldn't. I heard the elevator doors open in the hall and Nessie's voice filled the hallway. A few moments later she walked in through the door with Duilio behind her.

"Hi beautiful. Had fun hunting?" I tried to ignore the hint of worry she was feeling and I just smiled at her as if nothing was wrong.

"Yeah. It was good." She said. Her voice was a bit strained as if she had been crying. I set the half eaten sandwich on the table and I went up to her. I saw Duilio take my plate and stated eating my sandwich as he sat next to Carol. I tried to suppress the growl that was building. My girl was upset and that was more important than a half leech eating my sandwich. I took her in my arms and kissed her head.

"Hey, let's go up to the roof." I suggested. She looked at her brother and he nodded at her as if giving her permission. I wasn't sure what was happening but I bit my tongue and led her back to the elevator so that we could have some privacy up at the rooftop deck. She smiled at me and kissed my lips softly when we got to the rooftop garden. After it was done she walked to one of the lawn chairs and sat down.

"I love it out here. Grandma and Eve did a good job with the garden. Did you see the new flowers they put up last week?" She asked me without looking at me. She was avoiding me. I smiled at her feeble attempt and sat in the chair next to hers.

"Yea. I did. They are a pretty good team aren't they?"

"They are." She finally looked at me. Her eyes were swimming in tears. She wordlessly took my hand and I braced myself for what she had to show me. I saw the conversation he had with Duilio and I felt the intense and conflicting emotions she felt. She was worried about him but she also was heartbroken for his loss. She was also heartbroken because she held some hope that he would stay with us and now she understood that, as long as his father still needed him, he would never leave his father. Most of all, she was scared that her brother would be changed forever by what happened. That he would never find love again. She took her hand of mine but I immediately took it back. She looked down at our hands so I used my other hand to take her chin and bring her eyes up to meet mine.

"I'm sorry about what happened to that girl." I felt sorry for the kid. Ness could tell right off the bat that something was wrong with Duli but I just thought he had finally grown up. I never even dreamed that it was this. " I can tell that he really loved her." I continued.

"He really did."

"Maybe your dad should talk to him."

"He doesn't want to. He's too ashamed." She explained.

"It was an accident. He didn't mean to hurt her. Still… You know this changes things a bit. I'm gonna have to keep a closer watch on him."

"Don't be ridiculous, Jacob! Nobody is in danger. Making love is a powerful thing for a vampire. He's so young, he couldn't possibly have been prepared for that."

"I know that, baby. I know that it was an accident and that he's a good kid but it would be irresponsible of me not to. He's not like you. He's used to human blood and now he's unstable."

I saw her get up angrily. She went up to the edge of the building and looked down at the neighboring forest view.

"Your right. This is what you do. So are you going to put me under surveillance too?"

"You haven't killed anyone Ness." I tried to keep the accusation out of my voice but I couldn't help the doubt seep through. She turned around and looked at me. Her eyes were narrowed as if she was weighting whether or not she should tell me she was about to say.

"I drink your blood all the time. I drink donated blood sometimes, I was kidnapped, my best friend was raped. I am the epitome of unstable and I have killed before." I was struck by her words and it took me a moment to process what she was saying. My mind was suddenly invaded with the familiar memory of Nessie ripping those two bastards apart. Even though I had seen the image before she had never shown me what she felt the moment she killed them. I never felt such strong raw animal instincts before. Not even when I first phased. I felt the satisfaction she felt in killing them and how unsure it made her feel about herself. She was scared about the idea of losing control and she was scared that she had the potential inside her.

"Its not the same thing Ness."

"Why? Because they were leeches. I'm a leech too."

"That is not what I meant. You did what you had to so to save yourself, Leah and the kids."

"I killed two of my own kind without remorse." She looked away from me again and there was a long silence.

"How long have you been feeling this way?" I asked her. I couldn't believe I have never heard of this before. Edward never mentioned it either. Was she right? Was she capable of loosing control. Sam and I fought about this on numerous occasions when Nessie was young and then again about Eve and the boys. I've always defended them. I knew our kids were good kids but feeling Nessie's feral and raw vampire instincts made me realize that there was more to it that I even wanted to admit to myself.

"Since I realized I didn't just kill my attackers but I also killed Chris and Harry's fathers." I couldn't help the shiver of rage that ran through my body. I swallowed hard, trying to calm myself, and walked to the edge of the building to look at the forest with her. I thought we were past the whole kidnapping but maybe we weren't. The image of Leah fidgeting through dinner because she was away from her son also came to my mind.

"Those leeches were monsters. They were going to rape you and they had already rapped Leah. Harry and Chris are better off without them."

"I know. But they were still sentient beings. What's to say that they wouldn't have changed for their children? Marcus did and he's over 2000 years old."

"No. They were murderers and rapists."

"Joham is also a murderer and rapist, and he's still roaming free. Why haven't we gone to kill him?" She looked straight into my eyes. "Because he hasn't come after me?"

"We could kill him if that's what's worrying you."

"Of course its not! That's not the point Jacob. You don't get it. This is why I never talk to you about this. You let your hatred for my kind cloud the fact that even the most deadly of my kind has the ability to love, to change, just like Marcus, like Carlisle, like Garret, like my own father. Yes, I killed two murderous vampires but I also killed two fathers. I should feel bad about it. That's the difference between being human and a monster. I am just as deadly as they are. I have that potential inside of me every day. What will happen the day that my instincts overpower me? What will you do when I meet the one human that makes my monster come out?"

"You won't. You are stronger and your heart far greater than anyone I've ever met."

"Forever is a very long time. I have eternity to slip up. We have to be realistic, Jacob. It can happen and I'm not sure you will love me or want me when it does."

"I will always love you Ness. No matter what happens but if you ever go after a human, I will stop you. I won't hurt you, I won't stop loving or wanting you, but I WILL stop you."

"And then what?"

"And then I will forgive you and I will help you through the pain and guilt that I know you will feel. Just like you are going to be there fore your brother. I'm sorry that I wasn't there for you before. I wish you would have told me how you felt about killing Levan and Ramon."

She shrugged and looked away from me again. I walked towards her and wrapped my arms around her. She leaned back against me. I started to consider what she was telling me. Levan and Ramon would have been dead either way. The Cullens and the pack would have ripped them apart for coming after our girls but Nessie never saw vampires as the enemy. Frankly, I didn't either. Those lines were blurred after the battle with the Volturi. All I had to do was thin of Garrett as proof. He was a good man who made Kate very happy. Nahuel and Hulien also murdered people for over a century before they became animal drinkers. Hulien was a kind protective mother. Like Esme. All three of them were redeemable but that was only because they never raped women or mistreated little children. Still, Nessie was too kind hearted to not feel guilty about this. I had to try to see this from her eyes.

"I think I'm starting to understand what you are saying. Its easy to let the hate and prejudice take over. It makes it a little easier to live with yourself. I've killed several vampires. I was lucky because I never had to know their names or their families. They might have been newborns but they still had families, right? Maybe they could have been taught control like Jasper. Maybe they could have still been part of their family's life like Bella and Charlie. I mean, Charlie doesn't even care that his daughter is 'undead'. He's just glad to have her. It could have been like that for any of the vampires I killed. I never really considered it till now." I rested my chin on her head and contemplated on my words. I couldn't even remember their faces. All those people died and I didn't even have the decency to mourn them because they were turned to vampires and I hated them all. Many of them are still listed under missing people. Their families will never get a chance to know what really happened to them.

"Most mature vampires lived for decades or centuries, but those newborns were all young. They barely had a chance at a life, human or otherwise. It's sad, don't you think?" She asked me.

"It is." I kissed the top of her head and I held on to her tighter. "We all have that potential inside of us. Look at Emily. If she hadn't been Sam's imprint I'm sure she wouldn't even be alive today. I could hurt someone too."

"You won't but if you do, I'll stop you too. I won't let you hurt anyone either. Sometimes we take our powers and our strength for granted. We all need to be careful. I think Duilio is the most trustworthy of us all because he had to learn that lesson the hard way, like Sam." I nodded, agreeing with her logic. After Sam hurt Emily, his self-control was unmatched. Even I envy his ability. I felt her sadness ebb but the scent of her tears lingered in the air and mixed with the scent of my own tears. She turned and looked at me. She touched my cheek gently.

"I'm sorry I made you feel sad. Sometimes ignorance is bliss; maybe I shouldn't have said anything."

"No. I'm glad you shared this with me. It's something that we all should consider. Besides, I don't ever want you to think that you can't talk to me about something that's bothering you. I will always be here for you, baby. Always." She smiled at me with that kind wise smile that was beyond her years. I was glad she opened up to me. It was moments like these that brought us closer.

"I promise you that I will be honest with you about everything from now on."

"Good." I kissed the tip of her nose and I heard her hear flutter.

"Want to watch the sun set with me?" She asked me. I smiled and pulled her over to the lawn furniture. We laid there together and talked about lighter subjects until we both fell asleep. When I woke up it was morning and Nessie was laying on my chest. I breathed in her scent contently. I loved this woman so much. I loved waking up to her in my arms. We were sleeping together more often now and it made me long to have her near me whenever she didn't sleep with me. How amazing would it be to have her wake up in my bed every single morning as my wife. I looked at her beautiful sleepy face and caught her eyes flutter. She looked a little confused. It was cute.

"Good morning beautiful." I told her and kissed her nose. She looked into my eyes and smiled.

"Good morning. I guess we fell asleep." She started to get up so I let her go. We end downstairs to her apartment and I was surprised to see Duli had made breakfast.

"This is a nice spread, kid." I told him.

"I was hoping if I feed you, you'd let me stay." He said. I knew that he was kidding but there was a slight uncertainty about him.

"Of course you can stay. We all make mistakes. I'm just sorry you had to go through that." He nodded. Carol came out of her room rubbing her face sleepily.

"Wow, what's all this?"

"Duli made us breakfast." Nessie told her as she sat.

"You are going to make some girl very happy one day." Carol told him as she sat on the table. Duli smiled sadly and I couldn't help my heart break for the kid. I put my arm around him.

"Come on kid. I'll help you set the table. You're making me look bad." I tried to give him a sympathetic smile and helped him out with breakfast. Anna and the guys joined us a few moments later and we had a nice family breakfast. I looked around at the people at the table and realized my family was growing and would always be growing. It had different types of people, not all of them human, but it was still my family. There was something very powerful about that. I felt like we could get through anything as long as we were together. Duilio, Nessie, Leah, and Eve would all be ok because of this right here. Moments like this. With Duli smiling and whispering something to Ness that made her giggle, Carol throwing her head back in laughter as Embry told her about the previous night. Anna with her face red from laughing so hard and Brady shaking his head. Leah wasn't here but I could almost see her in my head having breakfast at the Cullens. Laughing at her son's and Chris's escapades. Sure, there was darkness in our lives but the moments like this outweighed the darkness. Moments like these were worth everything.

We spend the day at the Cullens before returning home. Ness and I decided to run home so that we could spend some time together, alone. We were walking by a rocky trail when she stopped.

"What?"

"Yesterday was an emotional day. Let's go do something fun. Just the two of us." She suggested.

"What'cha have in mind?"

"We could go swimming. We haven't done that in a while and we are close to our favorite spot from here."

"Sure. How about I race ya?" I made sure no one was watching since we were on a trail and I ran at inhuman speed through the woods. She ran after me. She was fast, as fast as some vampires which was uncommon for a hybrid. We all guessed that she inherited her speed from Edward and it made up for the fact that she was only a hybrid. By the time I got to the river she was close enough that I could hear her heart beat race faster. I heard her musical giggle before I felt her pounce on my back.

"You're not supposed to hitch a ride on a race, cheater."

"Sure, sure." She said so close to my ear that I felt her sweet breath stroke my skin and cause me to shiver. She must have felt it too because she took my ear lobe in her mouth and started to lightly suckle it. I heard the moan escape me before I could stop it.

"Ness… I thought we came out here to swim not torture me."

"I can do both." She whispered in a sultry voice. "I am an excellent multi-tasker." She hopped off my back by leaping over me in a twist that made her look like a gymnast. Then she ran towards the lake that connected to the river, shedding her clothes in the process. My heart started racing when I saw her beautiful figure. She was wearing boy shorts and sporty bra with some kind of animal print. Zebra? It was sexy as hell and I felt myself get aroused instantly. Ness was constantly testing the boundaries that I drew in our relationship. The worst was when she projected her arousal. It was bad enough dealing with my horniness but when she projected hers it was like my wolf literally wanted to jump out of me and take its mate. I couldn't do that to my girl. I had to stay under control.

On top of that, I had to respect her parent's wishes. Edward and Bella have been very good to me and very tolerant of the fact that I started dating their daughter while she was still in high school but it was getting too hard to stay away from her. I wanted to marry her but I know she still had so much to experience before she was a wife and I wanted her to have this whole college experience without having a husband cramping her style but I really don't think I can wait longer; I didn't think I could wait four years to marry her.

Seeing her dive into the water was electrifying. He taught muscles moved flawlessly to form a perfect arrow that pierced the water.

'What'cha waiting for wolf?' I heard her voice in my head as she emerged from the water. I removed my shirt and shoes and jumped into the water making the biggest splash I possibly could. I could hear her musical giggle even under the water.

"Jerk!" She splashed water on my face and shrieked when I swam after her. I caught her easily but only because she let me. She twisted in my arms to face me and wrapped her legs around my torso for support.

"I thought you were going to stop trying to seduce me."

"No. I said that I won't push you to do something you're not ready for, I didn't say anything about not trying to persuade you. Persuading and pushing are not the same thing. Besides, its not like I'm wearing see-through lace or anything."

I shook my head at her. I felt my member twitch at the image of her in see-through underwear. I grabbed her bottom pressing her closer to me.

"Sometimes I really think you're trying to kill me." I was staring at her cleavage so I looked up and saw her beautiful smile.

"You're strong man Jacob Black. I think you can take it." She whispered into my ear and then she winked at me. Her smile grew as she looked into my eyes. Sometime when she smiled at me like that it was like I was falling in love with her all over again. I took her bottom lip and kissed her softly. I heart was beating faster and I could feel a warm intense pressure in the middle of my chest. I was pretty sure she could feel it through our connection. It was too intense not to. It was like the love I felt for her literally wanted to explode out of my chest.

"Marry me." The words escaped my mouth the moment my lips were free. If I thought my heart was beating fast before, I was wrong. Her eyes widened and her mouth popped open. I could see in her eyes that I was wearing the same expression as her. Her mouth opened and closed a few times before I saw a tear escape her eye.

"Do you mean it or was this just in the heat of the moment?" Her eyes expressed a vulnerability that I had never seen before. She was scared.

"It was in the heat of the moment," her gaze dropped down to the space between us so I took her chin and lifted is so that our eyes could meet. "But I meant every word."

She pressed her lips against mine so hard it made us float back a bit. I could taste her tears as she kissed me furiously, but it was her thoughts that took my breath way. The moment she kissed me my mind was flooded with images of her in a white gown walking down towards me. I was in a suit. Then it changed to us at the meadow in Forks chasing after a little boy. He had black hair light skin but not as light as Nessie's. He had her musical laugh which grew louder when I scooped him up in my arms and spun him. The image then changed to a pregnant Nessie looking at herself in the mirror. I approached her and put my arms around her and in that very instant the image changed again to one of us making love. All the images flashed in my head within a couple of seconds which meant her thought were erratic. She was excited. She pulled back and hugged me. I hugged her tightly pressing her even further to me as I kissed her ear, her neck, her shoulder; any piece of skin I could reach.

"Yes, Jacob. I'll marry you." She finally told me.

By the time we got home, it was late. I left Nessie in her room to shower and change for bed and I went back to my apartment to do the same. I had barely closed the door before I felt a cold hand grab me from behind. Within a millisecond, I was pinned against the back wall of the apartment by the neck. Edward glared at me with furious black eyes.

"Edward, man, this is not the way to go about it." Embry shut his mouth the moment Edward looked at him.

"Explain to me why Alice had a vision of your and my daughter's wedding invitation?" Before I could stop myself, my mind immediately went to the lake. He growled, holding my neck tighter.

"I asked her to marry me." I told him point blank, trying to keep my voice steady. I really should've been pissed at having a damn leech pin me against a wall but somehow all I felt was hurt. I didn't even fight back.

"Come on dad. Nessie will be hurt if she knew you were acting this way." Duilio put his hand on Edward's shoulder. Edward immediately glared at him but the moment he did his expression changed. He looked at his son, then he looked at me and back to him again. I guessed Duilio was having a mental conversation with him. Duilio nodded at him and Edward let me go. A few pieces of plaster fell on the floor the moment he dropped me and I was pretty sure my neck was bruised.

"He's right. I'm sorry for hurting you, Jacob."

"I'm fine. You didn't break anything."

"That's not what I meant." I nodded. He was apologizing for hurting my feelings. Well that was a first!

"I'm sorry I didn't talk to you guys first. It was sort of spur of the moment."

"I can see that." He took a deep unnecessary breath and walked over to the couch. He sat, leaning against his knees and holding his head in his hands.

"This really shouldn't have come as a surprise. I wanted her to feel more grown up and I wanted you both to have some semblance a normal life. That's why I sent you all here. I knew something like this would happen eventually. I just didn't expect it to be so soon or that I would feel this way when this happened." I was confused. I looked at Embry and he shrugged his shoulders. I looked at Duilio as he stared at his surrogate father.

"You're heartbroken." He told Edward. Edward nodded. I was a bit taken aback by this revelation. I felt sorry for him. It couldn't be easy watching your little girl grow up so fast and then have to marry her off to a guy you sort of hate.

"I don't hate you Jacob. You're my family. You're a good man and I should be happy that you'll officially be a part of our family. But you're right, this is not easy. I just thought I had more time to get ready to let her go."

"We don't have to get married immediately. We can wait off for a couple of years when she graduates. I don't even have her ring yet." Almost as soon as I said it I hated the idea. I didn't want to wait but seeing Edward like this wasn't exactly easy.

"I think my daughter would disagree about waiting. Alice's vision was pretty clear. The date is set, you've got seven months to get her ring but I suggest you call Billy and get the ring soon because I don't think my daughter will be happy with you if you wait too long to give it to her." My heart was beating faster again. Seven months. I could see her so clearly now, walking down that aisle towards me. Edward got up and came towards me. He stretched out his hand. I shook his hand but then he pulled me towards him and hugged me. I couldn't believe this was happening.

"Just don't get her pregnant until after she graduates. My heart may not be beating but I don't think I could take a surprise like that too soon after this one."

"Oh come on. Grandpa Eddie has a nice ring to it." Embry held up his hands when Edward gave him his death glare. Duilio was staring at us quietly. His expression changed when Embry mentioned grandpa Edward but it immediately changed back. Edward head snapped towards him and he looked at him worried look. I wondered if Duilio was thinking about the girl he fell for. Duilio came over and he gave me a hug.

"Congratulations." Was all he said and he sat on the couch while Embry came over and congratulated me too.

"I think I'm going to head back. Why don't you both come to the house tomorrow and make your announcement. Actually, you all should come. Esme and I will fire up the barbecue."

"Just make sure you hold on tight to Bella when he tells her." Embry suggested.

"I will." He told him smirking then he turned to Duilio. "Walk home with me." Duilio nodded.

"Sure. Come on old man; let's make sure you get home ok." He teased as he put an arm around Edward. When they stood side by side like that they looked like they could be brothers.

"Funny." Edward messed up his hair and they both walked out the door.

"Well I survived the father and the brother. It should all be downhill from here."

"You still have to tell her mother."

"You really think Bella will have a problem with it?"

"I don't know, man. She's your best friend."

"I don't know why but I really think she'll be cool about it."

"Wishful thinking?"

"I guess we'll find out tomorrow."