He watched her, slightly nervously, during the drive to First Beach, for the bonfire, the telling of the legends of the tribe, their stories, tonight, he was going to tell her what she was to him and he just had to hope that it all worked out.
Yeah, he knew she'd heard them all before, thanks mostly to his dad and Seth's, her father's two best friends, but parts of him were scared as hell that she'd freak out on him when he finally got to tell her that she was the girl he'd imprinted on. Sure, she'd taken the whole 'vampire' thing relatively calmly, but when he told her this, he had no real idea how she'd react to finding out that he'd never really want anyone else but her, nobody else would ever really interest him but her.
Would she be happy about it? Or would she be upset? He knew also how strong willed she was, and he wondered if she could really be okay with it being him.. For the rest of their lives. If you really stopped and thought about it, he mused as he drove them towards First Beach, her squished against him as close as she could get, forever really was a long time. And she was only 19, he was only 20. To know what he knew, at their ages, to have to tell her what he knew, rather, given her wildness and her being a bit of a free spirit, he had to wonder if she'd accept the fact that she was essentially his soulmate.
For the rest of their lives.
The sudden lowering of the radio, and her tapping him on the arm drew him out of his thoughts and worries as she asked, "You alright?"
"Yeah, just thinking.." Jacob said quietly, biting his lower lip.. He was half tempted, of course, to stop the truck and just show and tell her now, here, in the field of late blooming wild flowers on the side of the road. But he didn't want her endangering herself, if say she freaked out and couldn't run away from him fast enough when she found out.
"No, something's wrong, I'm not stupid, Jake. Spill. Now." she demanded quietly as she found herself thinking, 'He's already regretting that rather hot kiss back at my dad's. I knew it. I knew it was too good to be true!' while ultimately staying quiet, waiting on him to talk. She looked up at him and said quietly, "It's the kiss... Isn't it?"
Jacob gaped at her a moment and then said quietly, "No.. But you might regret it happening by the end of the night, Em."
"Give somebody a chance, Jacob.. Look, it's obvious something's wrong, so if it's not the kiss, then what the hell is it?"
He stopped the truck on the side of the road, sat there a moment, quietly before getting out, going around to her side of the truck, pulling her out, putting her on his back, carrying her to a group of thick trees and forest out of the line of sight.
"Ooh.." she joked, before looking at his face, realizing whatever he was about to do or say was obviously really serious and really, really personal. "Turn around." he muttered as she raised her brow, then turned away from him as he'd asked.
"What the hell are you doing?" she asked as she heard sounds of him undressing, caught herself trying to peek somehow.
"No peeking yet." he said as he dropped his jeans, stepped out of his shoes then his jeans. He focused on how angry he'd get when Alec was going after her, or how it always used to make him jealous when Mike Newton showed up with some new expensive toy or something, and he'd have to watch Mike with her back then and before he knew it, he was standing there, 'wolfed out'.
He nuzzled her hand and she turned, called out his name a few times.. Then she looked at the wolf, actually really looked at it's eyes and her hands went to her mouth, she gasped in shock.. "This shit isn't funny, Jake."
The wolf she'd seen her first night in Forks stood there, whined a little, made her look at him again."Okay, Jake, you can come out now." she said as she bent to pet the wolf.. And that's when she noticed his eyes.
"Jacob?" she gasped, trying to process what was being shown to her, if she weren't just having a complete breakdown and finally losing it due to the creepy red eyed bastard who seemed to enjoy stalking her lately.. She watched as he turned back into himself, quickly covering her eyes when she realized that he was going to be completely nude when he was human again.
"So, now you know." he muttered as he looked at her, torn between waiting on her to make a mad dash for the truck, demand to be taken home or something. But he knew that while he had her there, just the two of them, he might as well go ahead and tell her what he'd been intending on telling her at the bonfire tonight.
"Say something, Em." he asked as she paced, looked at him, paced some more, thinking, really. "What do you want me to say, Jacob? I mean, I'm freaked out, yeah.. But I'm also kinda mad, because you couldn't just fucking tell me to begin with, maybe? What else aren't you telling me?"
He looked at her, blinked.. So she was mad.. But only because he hadn't told her this, shown her what he turned into.
Not scared or at least not scared enough to turn and run away as fast as she could. "I couldn't tell you."
"Oh, but I bet my fucking sister knew." Emmaleigh grumbled as he looked down and she said "She knew?! And you seriously couldn't fucking just tell me too?"
"I'm not the one who stayed in Phoenix." Jacob pointed out adding, "You never even called or wrote, Em.."
"And? I kinda figured why? I mean you were so head over heels in love with my fucking older sister, Jacob, I really didn't see how it'd do any good..." Emmaleigh said quietly as he asked, "So that 's why that last summer you came to visit was the last summer I saw or heard from you.."
"Basically, yes."
"That's not all I needed to tell you.. I showed you that, I may as well tell you the rest.. Remember the stories my dad used to tell us?"
"Yeah, I liked those.. Why?" Emmaleigh asked, biting her lower lip, things starting to slowly fall in place, the numbness from the shock she'd been in wearing off. Now she was wondering if what he could do would wind up getting him hurt or killed even. "Well?"
"Remember the ones about wolves finding their soulmates?" Jacob asked quietly, pacing as he raked his hand over his hair slowly, looking back at her.
"Yeah, actually, I loved that one the most. I remember just thinking that'd be amazing, were it really true... What about it?"
"Well, that night I was behind your dad's house, in wolf form... I was there because you drew me there.. And it's kind of why I really haven't been able to stay away since.. You're mine." Jacob said quietly, sinking down onto a tree's croooked trunk, leaning against the back of it, waiting on her to either explode, run like hell or tell him she wasn't really all that fond of belonging to someone, whether it was completely against either of their wills or not.
She gaped at him and then realized what tonight, him taking her to First Beach had probably been about. So the other members of his pack of shifters could meet her..."Wait, huh?"
He shook his head as he muttered, "Yeah, I kinda figured you'd be.. " trailing off as he felt her sitting on his lap, leaning against him as she said calmly, "You really need to give me more credit.. Look, I get that I'm the baby and all, but you and my father, Bella and her new family.. They all treat me like I can't handle anything.. Like if I know what the world's like, it'll scare me shitless.. When ironically, I figure out most everything anyone is keeping from me, for my own supposed good, on my own.. Which both hurts me like hell and really, really pisses me off."
"So you're not mad about..."
"Trust me, Black, the only thing I'm pissed about right now? You not just telling me, after you told my damn sister already. As far as the other? Do you really wanna know why I liked that one story so much, Jake?"
"Why?"
"Because everytime your dad told it, I'd wonder what it'd be like if it were you, and it were that easy.. Then I wouldn't have to worry about outdoing my sister in damn near everything just to get you to even look my way. That sounded bad, I.." she muttered as she went to get up, but got pulled back down into his lap again as he said quietly, "So you wanted that to happen.. But you thought the stories were made up.. Interesting."
"I'm a weirdy, okay.. I just thought that maybe if you had no choice in the matter, maybe I'd finally win out over my sister..."
"Does she know you felt like that?"
"Nope. That's why I left and went back to Phoenix for good after that summer though, I just sort of figured she wasn't a baby like me, she was older, smarter, better.." Emmaleigh admitted as she looked at her hands, shivered a little, wishing to hell she'd had the good sense to actually buy appropriate clothing for living in Washington this time of year.
"Why'd you come back then?"
"Truth?"
"Yeah."
"Because, Jacob, my dad was alone in the house again, and I finally realized that I missed you and whatever I felt then wasn't fucking gonna go away until I at least came back and proved to myself that you didn't feel anything whatsoever for me. Basically, I just felt like .."
"What?" Jacob asked as he tilted her chin up, made her look at him. He was starting to wonder why she had such a hard time getting out whatever she was trying to right now, but he was also still shocked that she actually wanted this whole thing to happen when they'd been kids.
"Like if I tried hard enough, I could make myself get over it? Or something.. I mean I wasn't even gonna fight, I feel like shit saying it, but it's true.. I was just gonna live my life and try to be okay with it. Because I know I'm not as good as her.. Nobody thinks so, I can just tell because people are constantly treating me like I can't handle the slightest thing, or worrying about me, or ignoring me..."
He pressed his forehead to hers and said quietly, "The first two things are most likely because they love you and don't want anything happening to you.. I know personally, that Charlie probably does that because he doesn't want you to wind up like Bella did ultimately.. I mean yeah, she's happy, but look what she had to give up to be happy finally. But that last thing, yeah, I did, and I wish I hadn't."
She shrugged and then muttered, "And I managed to ruin the night."
"No, you didn't. I mean I wanted to tell you the night it happened, but Sam.."
"Uley, I should have fucking known." Emmaleigh grumbled as she looked at him and then asked quietly, "Promise me one thing?"
"Anything, Em."
"You won't do something that gets you hurt or killed while doing this? I mean I know you have no choice in turning into a wolf.. But just don't take any risks you don't have to, okay? I love you and I don't really think I'd wanna see you getting hurt."
He nodded then said quietly, "You cold?"
"Freezing, actually." Emmaleigh muttered as he picked her up, wrapping her legs around his hips as he carried her back to the truck, then got in, pulling her against him, his lips finding her forehead as he asked quietly, "So you're really okay with it..."
"Yeah. I'm finally getting what I want for a change." Emmaleigh admitted as she pulled her legs up onto the seat, leaned her head on his shoulder, looking up at him. Most of her, of course, was still in shock by what she'd just found out, but she was actually pretty damn content.
She gasped as they passed the woods on her side of the road and she saw the guy with burning red eyes standing there again, saw him mouth the word, "Mine." and smirk.
"Are you okay?"
"I just.. I was probably just imagining it, Jake. But I could have sworn I saw that red eyed fucking jerk standing on the side of the road.
Jacob growled, hands clenching the wheel as he said calmly, "Well, where we're going, you're safer than you would be if you were alone, or even still at your dads."
"I know, but I don't want him hurting you, damn it. The guy just pisses me off.. I mean can't he just disappear, die or something? Really?"
Jacob chuckled and said "If he's smart and wants to stay alive, he'll get the hell out of Washington and go back to Volterra."
"Or just die, either way is fine with me." Emmaleigh muttered as she leaned closer to Jacob, biting her lower lip. Every time she saw the guy with the red eyes, he sufficiently managed to creep her out and piss her off just that much more. And she had the feeling that soon, he was going to try something and the outcome might not be pretty.
She just hoped to hell it didn't involved Jacob getting hurt in some way. Not over her.
