a/n: Hi guys!

Here's the next one… it took a little longer than expected because I did a major rewrite. I received a lot of requess for more Jacob and Nessie, and while there's lots of that on the horizon, I figured I could give you guys a bit of the lovebirds now, as well!

WARNING: There is a non-explicit scene of a sexual nature at the end of this chapter. That means naked people, and some heavy innuendo, but no graphic stuff. Just in case you object, you might want to stop after Jake and Nessie make their retreat upstairs.

I'll be replying to reviews from the next chapter tomorrow or Tuesday. Stay tuned! A huge thank-you to all the reviewers… you guys are wicked, I love you!

Enjoy!

~Crit.

Chapter 31: Acting Up

The girls made plans to go skating with Rideau on Thursday afternoon, seeing as neither Renesmee or Rideau had classes that evening. Leah spent morning being poked and prodded by Renesmee and Embry, who seemed to have taken a vested interest in her wardrobe. Jacob listened to the turmoil on the other side of the guest room door with amusement, happy to hear his imprint and beta's friendly bickering. Embry emerged around noon with an announcement that Leah was suitably dressed.

"Your sister," he said to Seth as he joined the rest of his pack in Jacob's bedroom, "is quite possibly the most difficult woman I've ever met."

Seth didn't even bother to look away from the Xbox game he and Jacob were playing as he replied, "You're just now discovering this?" Jacob laughed as Embry sat down heavily on the bed and rubbed his eyes as if he had a headache.

"There are layers to her stubbornness, as it turns out," he said, sounding very put-upon. "Jacob, I would like to nominate your girlfriend for sainthood."

"Ha! Why's that?" Jacob tried to ignore the swell of pride he felt at hearing Renesmee praised.

"She has the bravery of heart to go near Leah with a makeup bag. And since she'll probably end up a martyr because if it, sainthood shouldn't be that much of a longshot." Seth was laughing so hard that Jacob was able to easily overpower and decapitate his pack-brother's character, ending the game. He turned to Embry and saw that the other man was now laying down with his hands over his face.

"Good thing you escaped when you did then, I guess," he said, not the slightest bit worried for Renesmee's well-being. The whole joke of the situation was that everybody thought Leah had the hardest head of any of them. Jacob knew the truth… in an all-out test of wills, Renesmee would bury his Beta, hands down.

Embry turned just his head to peer at Jacob through his fingers. "Seriously. If I didn't love that woman so much, I'd probably kill her."

"I know how you feel, my friend," Seth said, jumping up from his place on the floor and bouncing onto the bed to sit at Embry's feet. "You know what makes it better? Killin' stuff!" He tossed his Xbox controller at Embry's head; the other wolf caught it right before impact and sat up, turning towards the game. Jacob, in turn, lobbed his controller at Seth.

"You two duke it out," he said charitably. "I'm going to go get dressed."

By the time he'd showered and gotten his clothes on, Renesmee was back in their room, reclining on the bed in a very similar position to the one in which he'd just seen Embry. Jacob chuckled as he came out of the walk-in closet, and Renesmee lifted her hands and glowered at him.

"Until you've had a five-minute verbal sparring match with your dear Beta about the merits and perils of eyelash curlers, you have absolutely no place laughing at me." She replaced her hands with a slight groan.

Jacob sat down beside her and leaned into the pillows. "Tell me, did you and Embry plan to join the Drama Club on the same day, or did it just work out that way?" The glare he earned in reply would have felled a lesser man, but Jacob wasn't the least bit intimidated. "Honestly, Sweetheart… you could have just let her get ready on her own. She manages to dress herself on a daily basis without your help."

"Jacob, she asked for my opinion. She's insecure, she doesn't think she's the least bit socially acceptable the way she is on her own. And I'm happy to help her… I just wish she wouldn't balk at every suggestion I make."

"Well, your Aunts would be very proud of your persistence." He gave her a quick kiss on the forehead. "I'll let you get dressed."

Renesmee sighed. "Oh yeah… that. Okay, I'm up. I'll be downstairs in a few." She pulled his face back towards hers and kissed him back, this time on the lips, then got up and disappeared into the ensuite bathroom.

Jacob wandered downstairs to find that Leah was already there, sitting stalk-still at the kitchen table, a cup of coffee gripped tensely between her hands. He took a moment to survey his Beta before speaking up; distracted as she was, she hadn't noticed him coming down the stairs. He had to admit it… she looked good. It wasn't exactly the radical transformation Embry and Renesmee's behavior had suggested. Instead, there were a number of subtle differences that added up to a very pleasing total package. Leah was dressed casually, but it was a different casual than usual. Her old, faded jeans had been replaced with a much darker and more fitted pair, and she was wearing a soft-looking sweater in a deep forest green. Jacob didn't know anything about brands, but he could tell that Leah's clothes were high-quality, and probably very expensive. So Nessie had done some shopping, then. Her short hair didn't really require much styling, but it did look extra-shiny on this particular morning, and Renesmee had probably played some part in that, too. She was also wearing make-up, something that Jacob didn't know if he'd ever seen before. Again, nothing too obvious, and someone who didn't know Leah all that well might just think she looked especially nice, but to Jacob it was a surprising change. Leah had always been pretty, but now she looked polished, put-together. Like some graceful, strange, womanly creature. It was strange.

And now she was looking back at him with a note of irritation. Jacob quickly averted his eyes, but Leah had already seen him staring, and he could feel her glare without having to look over at her.

"I'll thank you not to gape at me, Jacob," She said testily. He gave her an apologetic smile and went to pour himself a coffee.

"Sorry, Lee. Couldn't help it… I'm not used to seeing you look so much like a girl." She groaned softly.

"It's too much, isn't it?" Jacob looked over and saw her fiddling with the shiny beaded chain around her neck. "I mean, look at me… I'm wearing jewelry for Christ's sake! What's wrong with me?" Jacob sat down across from her at the small table. He reached over and gently placed one hand over hers.

"Relax," he said softly, "It's perfect. You look nice… there's nothing wrong with that."

Leah stopped dead and regarded him for a long moment before smacking his hand lightly away. "Whatever," she said, burying her face in her coffee cup. Jacob wanted to laugh but fought against the urge, not wanting to set her any further on edge than she already was.

From the other room, Jacob heard the soft sound of Renesmee coming down the stairs, and he peered around the doorway. When he caught sight of her, he almost fell out of his chair. She looked terrible. She'd taken her hair out of its braid, and it lay in messy tangles over her shoulders. She was wearing pajamas and a robe, and had a blanket wrapped tightly around her body. Her normal pallor was accentuated by white lips and a red, irritated-looking nose. All in all, she looked like a very, very ill human being. Jacob was about to get to his feet when she caught his eye and shook her head furiously. At his look of confusion, she simply brought a finger to her bloodless lips and gave him a quick half-smile before disappearing from his line of sight.

Jacob glanced over at Leah. She was still in her own little world, staring into her coffee cup, and hadn't even noticed his exchange with Renesmee. He was about to open his mouth to say something, anything, to distract her, when a knock on the door cut him off. Leah immediately sat up straight as a pole and her head whipped towards the sound of the noise. Her entire body looked like it was subject to a magnetic pull, centered on the front door. Jacob wasn't sure whether he wanted to react with sympathy or humour. He decided on the former.

"I'll get it," he said graciously, rising to his feet. Leah gave him a grateful look. "Pull yourself together," he said quietly but kindly.

As he left the kitchen, he turned to look at Renesmee, who was now huddled on the couch, still wrapped in the blanket. There was a box of tissues tucked between the couch cushions and her side, with several used pieces wadded up and scattered around her. He stopped in his tracks for a moment. She shot him another warning look and motioned him towards the door. Jacob just shook his head and went. He had begun to understand exactly what she was trying to pull. Leah was not going to be impressed, but he had to admit that he was.

Rideau was waiting on the other side of the door, and his eyebrows raised in mild surprise as he saw Jacob framed by the doorway. "Oh, hey," he said a bit awkwardly. Jacob fought the urge to bare his teeth. He still didn't like the guy. But he clearly wasn't going anywhere, and it wouldn't make things easier on Leah for Jacob to antagonize the poor bastard.

"Hi," he said in the nicest tone he could manage, and then he stepped aside to let Rideau into the apartment. "Come on in."

"Hey Reed," came Renesmee's voice from the direction of the couch. It was weak and a bit coarser than usual. Jacob smirked, then quickly resolved his face into a neutral mask before anyone could see. He looked over at Rideau; the other man had caught sight of Renesmee, and had a sympathetic look on his face.

"Aw, Ness, are you sick?"

Renesmee nodded, a miserable expression on her face. Leah had appeared in the kitchen doorway, and was looking sharply in her direction, but Renesmee just ignored her. With a pathetic little sniffle, she said, "I think I've got the flu. I woke up this morning feeling just awful… I think you guys are going to have to go without me."

"Nessie," Leah began, her voice very low, "Are you sure you're not feeling up to it?"

She shook her head. "I don't even know if I can stand right now, let alone skate. But you two should still go… I'll be even more miserable if I ruin everybody's day." Jacob was now trying very hard not to crack up. He knew that Leah would probably let Renesmee have it later for springing this plot on her at the last minute, that is if things didn't work out to her advantage.

Rideau just looked concerned as he regarded Renesmee. She saw him watching and gave him a weak smile. He smiled back, sympathetically, then turned to Leah. "You still feel like going? I mean, if you'd rather wait for Nessie, we could reschedule." He seemed to be under the impression that Renesmee and Leah were best buddies. As if Jacob needed another reason to fight back his laughter.

Leah looked quickly over at Renesmee, who gave another sniffle and said, "Please go, you guys. I'll feel terrible if you don't." Leah shrugged and turned to Rideau. Jacob was almost amazed at the level of calmness she exuded, considering he knew exactly how much anxiety she was experiencing. It seemed he was surrounded by brilliant actresses.

"I'm still up for it," she said easily, and then, with a self-effacing smile, "I actually got excited about making a fool of myself in front of half of New York City."

Rideau chuckled and shook his head. "You won't be the only one, I promise."

"Sure, sure." Leah rolled her eyes. "Just let me grab my coat and then we can get this horror show on the road."

Rideau gave a little wave toward Renesmee as Leah pulled on her coat and boots. "Feel better, Ness," he said.

"Yeah Nessie," Leah said, all sweetness. As Jacob watched, she shot them both another glare behind Rideau's back. "Drink lots of fluids."

"I will," she replied with a little cough. "Bye guys, have fun!"

"Jacob," Rideau said, nodding towards him. Jacob nodded back.

"Rideau." He followed them as they went through the door, closing it behind them.

When he heard the elevator arrive and the doors close, and he was sure they were out of earshot, he turned to Renesmee and crossed his arms over his chest. She was grinning at him sheepishly, already throwing off the blanket and untying her robe.

"Oh, now what was that?" He said, as if it wasn't abundantly clear. Renesmee began gathering up 'used' tissues from the couch cushions.

"Brilliant! Inspired! Ingenious!" answered Seth's disembodied voice, right before he bounded into view, barreling down the stairs at top speed. Embry was following him at a much more laid-back pace, and he too was grinning knowingly. Seth leapt onto the couch beside Renesmee and shook her enthusiastically by the shoulders. "What a performance! Call the Academy, Jacob, your woman's a star!" Renesmee pushed him away in mock irritation, looking quite proud of herself.

"Knock it off, Seth," She said, getting up from the couch. "You should be mad at me for deceiving your sister, and I should be mad at you for eavesdropping."

Embry moved to stand beside Jacob. He was watching Renesmee and Seth with a self-satisfied expression, and as Jacob examined his pack brother's face, a realization came to him.

"You were in on this, weren't you?" He accused. Embry looked over at him with a smirk.

"You could say that," he replied. Renesmee walked by and high-fived him.

"In on it?" She said, coming to a stop in front of Jacob, "It was his idea."

Jacob shook his head. How had the two of them managed to pull off this heist without him knowing they were up to something? Embry smacked him on the back. "Don't feel bad," he said, "We had to figure out some way to get the two of them alone, and we knew Leah would try to just back out if we told her ahead of time. We couldn't tell you… you'd've let something slip."

"You're damn right I would have!" Jacob looked between the two of them incredulously. "I like you both better alive than ground up in meat pies. Jesus… you know she's going to kill you, right?"

"She'll forgive us… eventually." Embry and Renesmee exchanged an uncertain look.

"Hey Nessie, how'd you learn to fake sick like that?" Seth called from the couch.

"Yeah," Jacob said, fixing her with a hard look. "You've never even so much as had a hangnail, never mind the flu." Renesmee just rolled her eyes.

"I have seen a sick person before, you know. Besides… Rideau thinks I'm human. It's winter. They're all sick right now. A little make-up and some sniffing, and I fit right in."

"You," Jacob said, pointing his finger at her for emphasis, "Are deceitful."

"You," she said, imitating his tone of voice, "Are just sore 'cause you weren't in on the plan."

"I wasn't in on the plan," Seth interjected, "And for the record, I think it's hilarious."

Jacob snorted. "Yeah, Seth. We know."

Seth ignored him pointedly and flicked on the television. Jacob shook his head (albeit fondly). He became dimly aware that Renesmee was discreetly elbowing him in the side. When he looked down at her quizzically, she inclined her head slightly towards the stairs.

"I'm going to get out of this ridiculous disguise," she said to the room at large, "As impossible as it is, I'm actually starting to feel like a sick person in this get-up." Embry and Seth both chuckled at that from the sofa, where both of them were now sitting. Jacob didn't even bother to excuse himself as he follwed behind her; unlike Renesmee, he was not under the impression that they would care or even notice if he disappeared for a little while. Not while there was TV on.

"So," he said to her when they were firmly behind closed doors, and Renesmee had finished giving her face a good scrub to remove the makeup, "I guess that means you've got yourself an afternoon off."

"Hmm," Renesmee said, trying to look as though she hadn't considered it, "I guess it does. I hadn't really thought about it."

"You know, despite what Seth says, you're not really that great of an actress."

"So mean!" Renesmee said, not really looking all that hurt. She undid the tie on her oversized bathrobe and let it fall to the floor, right there in the middle of the room. Jacob nearly choked. That was not the lingerie of a sick person. "And when all I'm doing is trying to be nice."

"Um. 'Nice' isn't exactly the word I would have chosen." Renesmee just grinned and took a couple steps towards him. Jacob's hands wrapped around her waist of their own accord, and her grin widened. "Not that I'm complaining, Nessie, but something strange has gotten into you today."

She gave a little shrug. "What can I say? All this matchmaking has put me in a really giving frame of mind. And I figured, since I've been spending all this time on Leah, the least I can do is spend a little on my own boyfriend."

"Oh," Jacob replied intelligently, the single syllable stretching out longer than usual as she closed the distance between their bodies. He was just about to give into her seduction and throw her on the bed when he remembered his two pack members downstairs. "Sweetheart," he said reluctantly, planting his face in the top of her head, "It's the middle of the day, and we're not alone."

"We will be," she said, pulling back a bit to give him another brilliant grin. "I slipped Embry a fifty and told him to grab Seth and clear out for a bit. If they're not gone by now, they should be leaving momentarily." They both stopped and listened, and Jacob turned his nose towards the door. Sure enough, no sounds from downstairs, and the scents of his pack members had faded to the point where Jacob was sure they'd left. He hadn't even noticed, distracted as he was by his almost-naked soulmate.

"You are far sneakier than I thought," Jacob told her, this time with a grin of his own. Again, she shrugged.

"Who's to say I can't have ulterior motives to my altruism?"

"God I love you," Jacob said, his voice almost a growl.

"Prove it," Renesmee said. So she was in that kind of mood… Jacob raised an eyebrow at her, and they stared each other down for a moment in a sort of test of wills.

Then, in one sharp motion, he tore the two tiny pieces of lingerie from her body.

"That the kind of proof you were looking for?" He asked as she drew in a quick, surprised breath. To her credit, Renesmee recovered quickly.

"That just proves you don't care much for my underwear," she quipped, deadpan. She looked down at the lacy wreckage. "Alice will be so displeased."

"I don't give a flying fuck about Alice right now," Jacob said frankly. "I'm honestly more concerned about the fact that I went to all that trouble to help you undress and yet you still haven't lifted a finger to help me out of my clothes." He gave her a pointed look. "That's just lazy, honey."

"Lazy?" her eyes widened, and then narrowed almost immediately. "Jacob Black, I'm insulted." She deftly stepped around him and, to his surprise, dropped herself onto the bed, laying on her side with her head propped up on one hand. "And in return for that little comment, I'm just going to lay here and show you exactly how lazy I can be."

Jacob took a moment to survey her naked form, stretch out across the mattress. It was getting harder and harder to keep up the façade of nonchalance, but he managed to hold it in place as he said, "Fine. I hope you enjoy watching me do all the work."

He took his time as he pulled off his shirt. One of the many advantages of his special lineage was that he would always have perfectly flawless musculature, and he was definitely aware of how it affected Renesmee. Since they had been together romantically, she really hadn't made any secret of how much she enjoyed looking at him without a shirt on, in spite of the fact that it was a sight she'd been used to for her whole life. It was different now, she insisted, because she felt like she had some sort of claim on those muscles. Jacob was inclined to agree with her.

As he pulled his shirt over his head, he caught a glimpse of her face. Her eyes were smoldering, and her blasé mask was slipping just a little. With a small yet devious smile, he unbuttoned his jeans and moved to pull them down.

"Jacob," she said in a much less boisterous voice than she'd been using. "Stop."

He stopped immediately and met her eyes. She was still staring at him with open desire, but she was now sitting up, right on the edge of the bed, leaning slightly towards him. "What is it?" He asked, unsure.

"Come here," she said, reaching for him with one hand. He did, without hesitation. "I changed my mind," she said, putting her hands on the waistband of his pants, "I want to help you."

Jacob felt relieved, and he smiled down at her as he said quietly, "You know what this means, right?"

She rolled her eyes. "I caved first," she said, "You win."

"I win."

"Don't push it," she warned, and he laughed.

"Okay." He paused. "But seriously… can you take off my pants now?"

"I can," she said generously. And then she did.

Jacob let out a happy, relieved groan as she pulled him (now free of his pants) onto the bed beside her. "What a fucking fantastic idea," he said, running one hand up the entire length of her body.

"I know, right?" She mimicked his action, and he couldn't think of anything other than the feeling of her warm hand sliding over his skin. "A whole afternoon to ourselves." Her voice sounded absolutely blissful at the thought, and totally normal once again.

"Are we done being all weird and seductive? I only ask because I want to kiss you, and I need to know how to go about it so that I won't be mocked." He said jokingly. Renesmee snickered.

"I already got you naked and into bed. I think that about taps out my seduction bank. I'm afraid you'll have to make do with just regular me from here on out."

Jacob grinned and slid his arms right around her. "Good." And then he kissed her, slowly and soundly.

For Jacob, their mating was sometimes like a frenzy, brought on by animal instincts stronger than his human ones. He needed her, needed to claim her fully and completely, to satisfy some base impulse at the centre of him. This was not one of those times. This was one of the times when it was just the two of them, animals for certain, but human too, and fully aware of that humanity. Every single touch between them brought his feelings for her so close to the surface that he felt he might explode. He knew it was the same for her, not because she transmitted it using her gift, but because he simply knew. In that moment, there was no other world except this one, in which their bodies were as close to being the same body as possible. This was no frenzy, this was a moment that could go on for days, for years.

Maybe forever.

In the Next Chapter:

"You have to pull the laces really tight," Rideau told her as they sat down to change into their rented skates. "Let me know if you have trouble… sometimes it can be hard to get them tight enough, especially if the leather's cold." Leah rolled her eyes.

"I'm pretty sure I can handle it," she said. It was kind of cute that he assumed he was stronger than her. In a totally ignorant way.

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