CHILDHOOD

Jacob made footprints in the snow with his brand new snow boots. I smiled fondly. My son was three years old and an absolute joy. Of course he wasn't the blonde son I'd always pictured, but he was still the light of my life. Emmett and I had taken him in as our own, giving him the last name Cullen. No one(except possibly Edward) knew what I knew about Jacob, but I reminded myself that it was better this way. Jacob would be getting the top education and more attention than most children. In our family, he would always have what he needed. I hoped his mother didn't hate me for taking him in.

A wet, cold ball of snow hit my back and interupted my thoughts. I shrieked and turned to face my husband who was holding a giggly Jacob as his shield.

Emmett yelled, "He did it!"

Jacob made an "O" with his mouth and brought his brows together in toddler-anger. I laughed and ran to my husband, grabbing Jacob and throwing him in the air with a flawless catch. He squealed and hugged me.

"I'd never hurt you, mommy."

I smiled and held him tightly.

…

My ecstatic son ran into our kitchen with the smile every six-year-old should have on Christmas morning.

"Merry Christmas, darling!" I hugged him quickly and kissed his black hair. He went over for a hug and a hair ruffle from his father before heading to the tree to ogle at his many presents. Thirty minutes and lots of ripped wrapping paper later, we were done, and Jacob was very pleased. I realized I could be spoiling him, but I only got to do this once.

An hour later, the rest of the Cullens had arrived. We had moved into the last standing house Esme built for me and Emmett after we got married. It was so grand and had so much room for Jacob to play. My family stayed close by because we all preferred staying together. Everyone was delighted to see Jacob, and he, them. He ran up to every aunt, uncle, and grandparent in his dress clothes and gave them a hug. Esme and Alice let him show them (without ever a falter in enthusiasm) every toy he got and why he liked it.

Jasper had been working ten times harder on control because we adopted Jacob so he could be part of his only nephew's life. He still had to pass on the hug, but he was better than we had ever predicted.

Jacob only knew parts of our life: that we were different from him, that we only eat raw animal meat, that sometimes he couldn't run too fast or come too close to Jasper, and that all these differences had to stay a secret. He also knew that he was adopted and that his real parents died when he was very young, but not much else.

After Jacob went to bed, I cornered Alice for anything about his future. She still couldn't see him, but her good news was that when she tried looking very, very far into the future she still had holes. It meant Jacob would be living a long, long time. I was unsure if I agreed on the good part because I still didn't know if I could choose the same fate as mine for my only son. My family had agreed that Jacob could decide when he was old enough.

I looked down at my sleeping, little boy wondering, like Alice, what he would fill in the blank spots of his future.

….

"Emmett..." I moaned my husband's name. It was roughly three in the morning. We had been watching a romance, and Emmett said he wanted to try out the male lead's moves.

Across the house, someone's little voice interrupted our make-out session. It was the only voice that could distract me right now.

"Mommy?" Jacob's voice echoed down the hall. Emmett's and my head turned to the sound. I was immediately in Mom Mode. I had raced up the stairs before Jacob could take another step. Emmett wasn't far behind.

I picked him up. He was getting bigger now, but I was strong enough to lift trucks, let alone an eight-year-old. Jacob nuzzled his head into my shoulder like he always did when he was scared. I pet his hair and rubbed his back. Emmett came up behind me and put his arms around the both of us. Jacob calmed down some with us here.

"What happened, Jakey?" I asked, "Another bad dream?"

"Uh-huh. I could hear the tires again and screams. They were so loud," my son said. He sniffled.

"It's okay now. We'll never let anything hurt you. You'll be okay," I soothed. Last year, Jacob started asking questions. Why we never ate, why he had to say Esme was his mom when we went out, why we were so young. We began answering them. We told him that we had a special diet, and that our family was different from others. Jacob was also very clear on being secretive about our family. We also told Jacob that he was adopted and that his parents died in a car accident. I didn't have the heart to talk about his sisters. Lately, his imagination was recreating the day in his nightmares.

"You want to stay with us tonight, buddy?" Emmett asked. I smiled lovingly at my husband. Being a father had come easily to him. Jacob nodded and let his dad carry him to our room. I rubbed his back until he fell asleep in my arms.

THANK YOU FOR ALL THE LOVE! A SPECIAL THANKS TO THOSE WHO ADDED "TOC" TO THEIR FAVORITES AND STORY ALERTS! THE REVIEWS HAVE BEEN TOO KIND. I NEVER EXPECTED SUCH A POSITIVE RESPONSE FROM THE FIRST CHAPTER.

HUGS AND BUTTERFLY KISSES (AND HI5s OF COURSE!)