Jacob Black

"Thanks again for tagging along with me to the mall so that I could get some snow gear for the family trip." I said to Bella as I sat shotgun in her Mercedes Sedan after loading the trunk with things needed for the family trip to Iceland for the winter in two months.

"Oh! It's no problem. It's a good thing that you purchased whatever you needed before Alice did, who knows what she's got planned in that conniving little head of hers." Bells said.

I laughed.

She giggled. "'Coz if anyone should ever get away from the Alice curse, it should be you!" She told me.

"Thanks," I chuckled, staring at the little gift I got at the shop that I got for Ness.

"Seth's still tagging along with us, right?" Bella asked me.

"I'm assuming so, but I don't think he'll be able to leave his imprint behind." I told her.

"Then he should bring her with! I don't think Carlisle will have a problem having one more member on this sabbatical."

I thought about it.

"Yeah, I guess." I said. "Are you okay with it though? After what happened in the recent past?"

She exhaled a heavy breath –which was needless to say the least.

"Edward and I believe in forgiveness. As much as it hurt me and angered me to see my only daughter in that much pain, Alex didn't know what she was doing. And Nessie seems to have forgiven her so I think it's only fair that we follow suit."

I nodded.

"Yeah,"

"Speaking of Nessie. How is it going with you two? You two still in your honeymoon stages?" She teased.

This is weird.

I laughed. "I thought you talked to Nessie about these things."

"Of course I do! But I want to hear my best man's perspective." She told me as she fixed her eyes on the road.

I laughed. "I don't think that title's applicable if you're the mother of my girlfriend."

She cocked an eyebrow at me. "Really, Jacob? Is that what you think of me? An motherly old hag?"

I rolled my eyes.

"No. I just think it's weird to talk about my relationship with my best friend."

"Just as weird as a human falling in love with a century old vampire and being friends with a shapeshifter who imprints on a baby?" She told me.

"Hey! You said all of that made sense to you so don't try to retract your words now, Bells." I pointed out.

She giggled and rolled her eyes. "What I'm trying to say is. Don't think of me as Renesmee's mother. Yeah! Right now, just think of me as just Bella. Think of me as the Bella who helped you work on bikes. Like the good ol' days."

"Correction, you didn't help me. You just sat there and looked pretty."

She gasped.

"I did too!" She said. I scoffed. "And also, are you flirting with me?" She joked.

I groaned. "Ew! That's gross! You're like…like…dead and smelly!"

She snorted. "Ouch! Way to make a girl feel datable!"

I shrugged. "Edward seems to be content with you."

"Mhmm…he sure is." She giggled at the thought.

I gagged, trying to shake the disgusting images out of my head.

"Stop! Ugh!" I cried out.

She laughed. "Come on, Jake!" She pleaded, elbowing my arm.

I sighed. "Everything's great with the two of us, I guess."

"You guess?"

"Well, things have been a little awkward between us for the past week. For the first time ever, Nessie and I are on two completely different pages on what we want in the near future."

"Okay? Which is?" She asked me, although I was pretty sure she had an idea.

"She wants to get married and I don't know…"

She suddenly had a vacant, unreadable but also almost indifferent expression, like she expected as much.

"You don't want to get married?" She asked.

"It's not that I don't wanna get married, it's just the timing. She's still in high school and we've only been together for ten months!"

"But you've known each other all her life." She laughed.

"Are you actually encouraging your teenage daughter to marry her older boyfriend?" I joked.

"I'm not a mother right now, I'm your friend Jacob. Think of me as your old friend Bella –minus the pale stinky skin and golden eyes."

I sighed, trying to oblige but finding it quite a hassle. I just decided to continue.

"So yeah, I always thought we'd get married under circumstances that normal couples go through. Steady careers, maturity and all that jazz."

"But that's the thing, Jacob. You and Nessie aren't a normal couple." She pointed out.

"So what are you saying? I should just bite the bullet?"

I was contemplating whether or not to tell her about the conversation I had with Edward. I guess she didn't have it with him which meant it was something Edward wanted to tell me on his own.

"All I'm saying, as your friend." She began. "I think you and Nessie need to have a heart-to-heart discussion on how to work around the idea of marriage or whatever lies ahead for you two in the future. A relationship is hard work, I don't care if there's some imprint holding you two together but in any relationship there has to be arguments and disagreements here and there. There just has to be a silver lining within all of them. There has to be a compromise in every decision."

"Compromising on marriage though, Bells? That's a huge decision!"

"Sure but it's still a decision." She said. "Look! I didn't care for marriage when I was with Edward as a human but since then, I'm happy to be married to him."

I nodded. They were good together as a married couple –no matter how hard it is for me to admit.

"But that's not the only reason why I think marriage is a little too quick for us. She wants to go to college, right?" I pointed out. She nodded. "But she seems to have it fixed in her head that I don't want that for her. She thinks what I want for us is marriage right this minute."

"I don't think that's the full reason. I think she wants to get married because that's what Edward and I did after high school. I mean, that's the only marriage –among the rest of us – she'd seen for the past eight years. She may be more advanced than humans but she hasn't had all the experiences of being an adult."

"Precisely why I want her to experience that now. Maybe in a couple of years or even decades, maybe we could consider marriage."

"Then let her know that!" Bella laughed. "Be a man, Jacob! And tell her exactly how you feel. Assure her that marriage is still in the cards for you two in the future but as for right now, you want to let her explore herself for a little while."

I sighed, leaning my head back onto the seat.

"Yeah!"

"As your friend, I want you to be happy, Jake. That's all I wanted for you. And I'm glad you found that happiness in Nessie." She said.

"But as a mother, it's not easy seeing my daughter becoming a woman. She hasn't even experienced the fullness of life yet so honestly, I do think it would be wise for her to wait a while before making a huge decision as starting a family." She expressed.

I fixed my gaze on Bella who wore a saddened expression on her face.

"Gee, Bella. Why you gotta be so glum? Now I feel dreary."

She laughed. "I just want my daughter to have a happy, fulfilled life."

I guess I agreed with her on that. I wanted exactly that for Nessie, to be happy. But if she really wanted to get married, wouldn't I be making her happy too? It's all confusing for a guy like me who knew nothing about relationships but then again, this was also new for Nessie.

Nessie and I had always had a headstart as compared to some couples. We already knew each other's ins and outs before we began dating so the relationship was a lot easier but it was also a whole different story on its own.

"You guys just need to communicate with each other. Reconnect with each other and everything will be fine."

"How do I do that?"

She frowned before gasping as she thought of something.

"You guys can cook together!" She said.

I puckered a frown.

"Cook?

"Yeah! My dad and mom used to always do that after their little arguments when I was a kid…well it still lead to their divorce but it always helped."

I sighed.

It's worth a shot!

… …

Later That Day

Knock.

Knock.

Knock.

I hopped off the couch and lowered down the noise of the football game I was watching and ran to the door before flinging it open to see my beautiful imprint standing just as radiant as ever.

She grinned that crooked grin that I adored.

"What's cooking?" She laughed nervously as she gestured to the packet she had in her grasp.

I smiled.

"Get your pretty little self in here!" I said as I paved the way for her.

She smiled as she entered, looking stunning in her red peplum top and ripped jean shorts –showcasing her killer long legs– and strappy, camel heels, finishing off the look with her long bronze hair braided to one side and the necklace I gave to her.

"Here, let me take that," I suggested after a long time of gawking at her lovely body.

She handed me the paper bag filled with ingredients for the food.

"Did you just come back from Coachella?" I asked.

She frowned, glancing back at me. "What?"

"You look stunning."

Her cheeks burned a bright shade of red.

"Thank you," She whispered, staring at the ground.

I pressed my lips together as I sat the bag on the counter, looking at my mate who wasn't reciprocating back to me.

She and I talked things through about things and we seemed to have gotten over it but seeing her like this made me think we weren't completely over what happened.

There was still some awkward tension.

"I'm glad you called. I couldn't wait to get out of the house." She told me.

I frowned. "Why?"

She shook her head. "So, what are we cooking?"

"Well, I was thinking we could start with a simple starter before we escalade up to one of your favorites…" I said, wiggling my eyebrows.

She furrowed her eyebrows. "Eggs? That's a bit too simple for dinner, don't you think?"

"Okay! Your second favorite meal."

She giggled lightly. "Okay! Sounds good."

"You told me you were a lost cause when it came to cooking –which I highly doubt." I said, pulling out the garlic rolls and croissants from the bag.

"The only meal I can perfect is an omelet. And even then I'll make mistakes."

"Nessie, you can't be that bad! I've had your eggs, you're amazing."

"Oh, stop!" She rolled her eyes, giggling.

I chuckled. "But just follow my lead and you'll see how easy it is to cook a meal."

"I'll try to keep up." She laughed.

As Nessie and I began cooking soon after.

After chopping a large set of onions, I threw them into the large pot of chicken in boiling water.

"Jake!" Nessie called out to me. I turned to her. "I'm done with the tomatoes, what do I do now?"

I made my way to her side to help her out.

"Okay, so you'll just peel and cut the vegetables into large chunks." I said.

"Like so," I demonstrated, peeling off the celery and took the cutting blade from her hand and began chopping.

She giggled. "You'd think a girl surrounded by a bunch of vampires knows all this stuff."

I sniggered. "I think I understand." I said as I let her continue chopping before I went over to my station.

"Seth and Alex went to Washington for the week." I told her.

"I heard." Nessie replied as she chopped the carrots. "Alex told me a couple of hours ago. Can you believe it? That's a huge milestone for them. She's going to meet the family."

"And one crazy one at that." I laughed.

She smiled. "I wonder how Leah will take in her only brother's imprint."

"I think the better question is what she'll do." I chuckled as I flipped the fishcakes in the frying pan.

"Do you think she's going to lose it and become bitter towards her? Which shouldn't be surprising to me because she's…well…Leah." Nessie added.

I laughed.

"Maybe it's the whole only brother thing. She's protective over him."

"Sure, sure," I said. "I'm sure she'll be bitter about that too but I think it's a lot more personal than that. She's annoyed that her younger brother found love way before she did."

"I'm sure she will someday. At least I hope so." She said with a sympathetic look. "I wonder when last she's been on a date."

"I wonder when last anyone's ever asked her out." I chuckled. She frowned at me. "What? Serious! Point blank. Leah's like a man repellent. She attacks a guy for just saying hi to her."

Nessie sighed. "Maybe she needs to find someone who understands her pain, you know. Someone she could relate to."

"Sure! But is that someone out there in this world?" I joked.

She rolled her eyes.

"The world is big enough, Jacob." She stated.

I shrugged.

"Have you encouraged her to go out?" She asked.

"Mostly Emily and Sue. Most of us just poke fun at her about it which just riles her up." I said with a small smirk at the remembrance of the old days.

"Maybe you should stop doing that." Nessie told me. "A girl's self-esteem can easily be crushed and beaten down by a breakup and spending almost ten years with the guy who broke your heart is tough. Having to watch him and his wife build a family together, happily and also listening to a bunch of men making fun of her pain really just presses the issue."

"She knows we're joking around. And it's been years since we brought it up. I thought she would be over it by now." I told her.

She laughed. "You don't get it, do you?"

I puckered a brow.

She turned to me, the knife firmly in her grasp.

"You can't get over something as a first love." She told me. "Sam was Leah's first love and although it wasn't exactly anyone's fault that they broke up but…it's still not easy for a girl to get over that."

"But you got over your ex-boyfriend." I said, with a mental growl.

She sighed. "That's different. I didn't love him. He wasn't my first love, you were. You've always been."

I smiled.

"But that's how Leah feels with Sam. Imagine having to see me immediately forget about the love you and I had only to be with someone else? How would you feel?"

I thought about it. Actually, I've thought about it for a long time. That's why I wasn't so hard on Leah as opposed to the other guys because I knew what she was going through. With Bella –obviously I was stupid to think that'd work – and with Nessie. If Nessie ever decided not to be in my life anymore, I would be devastated and irreparable for the rest of my very existence, if I even had an existence since my only reason for living isn't in my life.

"You see! It's not as easy being supernatural than it is being human." She told me as she continued chopping the veggies before tossing them into the boiling pot.

"You're right," I told her.

She nodded. "Maybe if she didn't hate me and my family so much, I could've helped her out in any way she needs."

"She doesn't hate you."

She cocked an eyebrow at me. "Jacob. You don't have to smooth things over or euphemize it. She hates me."

"I'm not trying to do that. Honestly, Ness. You're by far her favorite…it's just hard for her to accept vampires in her life after years and years of stories instilled in her mind that all vampires are bad but it doesn't mean she dislikes you."

"You and some of the wolves seemed to get over it quickly."

"That's because we're guys…we don't commit to a lot of things." I joked.

She sighed.

"That's true." She whispered.

I laughed. "She just needs more time to warm up to you guys. She's a slow-burner."

"Well, I still think she deserves someone great. Someone who will love her and never hurt her." She said.

"Someone who can handle Leah? Right! That should be easy to find."

"What about Mike? One of your car buddies at the auto-shop? You said he was single right?"

I shrugged. "Yeah. I guess he's okay. But what about the big, giant elephant in the room? Her being a shapeshifter?"

"He doesn't have to know about her entire backstory when they first meet. A couple of dates in."

I laughed. "You're playing the matchmaker I see."

She blushed. "It's a good idea right? You guys wouldn't have thought of it."

I shrugged. She was right.

"We should definitely let them meet at Jared and Kim's wedding? Omigosh! It's perfect! Do you think he has plans for Thanksgiving?"

"Not sure, I'll have to ask." I replied as I flipped the beef patties in the griller oven. "We have to be prepared for the backlash we might receive from Leah, though, babe. She might not forgive me for doing this."

"I know but it would be a lot worse if we didn't try at all." She told me as she buttered the rolls.

I thought about it. "Ugh! Yeah! You're right."

She chuckled. "You've been saying that a lot lately."

"Momma told me a lady's always right." I said as I pecked her cheek before walking to the refrigerator to pull out some sauce.

"How many burgers would you like?" I asked her.

"Just one." She told me as she jumped from buttering rolls to salting some tomatoes.

I gasped, glancing back at her.

"Just one?!"

She laughed. "Jacob, I'm a petite vampire hybrid. Do you think I can accompany such a massive meal let alone have the appetite for it?"

I bit my bottom lip. "So what am I going to do with the other nine patties I'm grilling?"

"Leave some for Embry?" She shrugged.

He shook his head. "I'm sure I can finish them all."

She rolled her eyes.

"Are you stoked for the ski trip?"

"Am I?" She exclaimed as if it were obvious. I snickered. "I mean, we've been to Iceland before but that was eons ago so it would be really great going back there again."

"And I'll probably be better at skiing this time around."

She giggled uncontrollably. "You were not that horrible, Jacob."

"Nessie, I was terrible. It was like teaching a cat how to jump from a tree. It never works!"

She guffawed. "I'll teach you." She assured me.

I smiled back at her, bumping my hips with hers.

"You'll teach me, huh?" I teased. "Ms. Cullen's class is in session?"

She gasped, slamming her hips against mine again. "Stop it." She growled, biting her lip.

I laughed, pinching her skin through the fabrics of her clothes, causing her to laugh in hysterics.

I just stared at her. Her beautiful, jingly laugh in the air was like a melody. Her wide smile was like a sun to me, blinding me and composing me to its light.

"I love hearing you laugh."

She smirked, blushing slightly as her laughs simmered down.

"We should probably finish up. I'm sure you're quite hungry, Master Chef?"

I chuckled.

We continued cooking for over an hour before we declared it was time to chow down on the awesome meal.

We made a feast!

Beef burgers filled with protein was basically the starter before we shifted onto the crumbed chicken, steak/tortilla wraps, and chicken cacciatore –Native American style – with vegetable soup.

"Jacob. This food is amazing." She commented, taking a bite out of her tortilla wrap and washing it down with some juice.

"Glad you enjoying it. But I should be saying the same to you. The butter on the burgers…precious!" I joked.

"Oh, puff!" She laughed, rolling her eyes.

I sniggered. "It's teamwork."

"Teamwork makes the dream work. Or at least that's what my mother used to say to my dad every night."

"I don't think it's as innocent of a phrase as you think, kid." I told her.

She widened her eyes and shook her head as a mental image came into her head. "Gross!"

I chuckled.

"Anyway, onto more important news." She immediately jumped ship. "There's this Halloween party coming up at this college kid who used to be a senior last year…uh…Drake Mallory, I think? Anyway, I would really like it if you went with me?"

"Uh…parties? Halloween? Uh…I'm not good with those."

"Come on, Jake. It will be fun."

I thought. "Will there be trick-or-treating?"

"Um…it's a bunch of high school and college students?" She questioned. I cocked an eyebrow.

"Please? It will make me really happy."

I smiled.

"I've got work that day but –"

"You've got work on Halloween?"

I nodded. "But I'm sure I can get off some of the day's work."

She grinned. "You'll need to get a costume though. We could go shopping tomorrow if you'd like?"

"You think you can find a costume big enough for me?"

She nodded. "Shouldn't be hard. You could just dress up as Fabio? Or Tarzan? Or the Incredible Hulk?"

"So, basically you want me to wear close to nothing?"

She blushed, staring at her plate. "Just be open-minded."

I smiled.

A couple of minutes later, I was practically done with my plates and declared myself the winner. Nessie wasn't a sore loser. Obviously.

"So how's it going back home?" I asked as I devoured the last drop of vegetable soup.

She released an exasperated sigh as she ate a forkful of the chicken cacciatore left on her plate.

"You really don't wanna know." She said, rolling her eyes. I could see annoyance on her face. Something was bothering her.

I got up to take our plates.

"Thanks," She replied as she handed me her plate before I walked to the kitchen and placed them in the sink.

"Is there something wrong?"

"That's the thing, I don't know. I wouldn't know if anything's wrong or not if my parents didn't keep me locked up in my room with Carter."

"What?" I asked as I pulled the dessert out of the refrigerator.

"Well, the family were having a meeting yesterday about the whole Charles situation and today they talked about something else that I didn't get a chance to hear about because Carter and I were sent to the other house so that 'the adults could talk' as Emmett put it." She said with a scoff.

"And that's a problem?"

She frowned and glared. "Yes! It is! I mean, does everyone just see me as a child who can't understand all of this? I mean, I get that they would that way for Carter since he's still growing up but he's not dumb either."

"Do you think it's just about them seeing you as a kid or more about Carter? I mean, they could very well be looking out for him."

"So they expect me to babysit? Rosalie practically offered to take my place because she couldn't bear to be away from him so why me? Why was I sent away?" She asked.

"Nessie…"

"Oh, and get this! When I asked my parents about it, they just told me to not worry about it. But I could see it in their eyes they were lying. They're hiding something."

"Nessie, has it ever occurred to you that…maybe you don't really have to worry about it?" I asked as I swiped over the creamy apple pie.

"What are you trying to tell me?"

"I'm just saying, although you're put in a position where you don't feel heard or feel like you're not contributing to the family, it's really not your problem to fix." I said.

"I'm not trying to fix it, I'm trying to deal with it." She said. "I'm trying to let them realize that I'm not a kid anymore."

"But that's precisely what I'm saying. Your family are the ones who should be dealing with this, not you." I told her. "What you feel now is normal for a teenage girl to be feeling –"

"So, basically you agree with them in thinking I'm too young to understand?"

"I didn't say that." I said quickly. "I'm just saying that…when I was your age, maybe younger, I never knew about shapeshifters. I knew they were legends but never knew they existed. People always hid secrets from me. When my dad, Harry and Old Quil gathered at our house, I was always sent to hang out with Quil and Embry. When Sam was around and all the others started shifting, people kept whispering behind my back and it was frustrating but I realized that I was young to truly understand what was going on…which is why when I started phasing, I got the bigger picture. That there were two sides to the story."

"So you're saying I need just…wait until I'm old enough to understand?"

"Of course not. That's not what I'm saying. I'm saying that…you're always going to be a child to Bella and Edward and so is Carter to Rosalie and Emmett. You're vulnerable to them. And they're the adults."

"The adults? Meaning, I can never measure up to them? Never be that much of an 'adult' to understand 'adult' conversations?" She spat.

"No. That's not what I'm saying, kid."

"That's exactly what you're saying, kid." She mocked.

"You're saying that even though I'm fully-matured physically, I can never be as mentally as an adult as you and the rest of my family?"

"No, I promise you that's not what I implied."

"So basically you're imputing my intelligence and maturity just because I'm a hybrid and the child of Edward and Bella?"

"No!"

"Then what am I doing here, Jacob? If you see me as a child? Why are we together?"

"Because I don't see you as a kid."

"You call me kid all the time."

"It's a pet name." I chuckled nervously. I didn't know how this sweet conversation turned into a full-blown argument.

She scoffed. "You're just like them! You don't think I'm capable doing this that may seem too mature for me! You may think you know what's going on in my head, my Jacob. But you don't know everything."

I pressed my lips together.

"So in the next ten years or fifty years or even a century! You'll still view me as kid? Both you and my family right?"

"No I won't."

"So basically you're admittedly now you view me as kid?"

"No! God! Nessie! That's not what I'm saying." I groaned in frustration as I gripped onto my hair tightly.

I sighed as I walked up to her and sat beside her on the couch.

"Nessie. Let's just be mature about this."

"So I'm not mature enough in this conversation."

"God! Nessie! Why are you shoving words down my throat?!" I questioned with a frown.

She pursed her lips together.

"There's something else bothering isn't it? Is it about what I said about marriage and kids?"

She stared at me for a short while before shaking her head, scoffing and jumping off the couch.

"This is ridiculous." She whispered as she shrugged her satchel strap onto her shoulder and flipping her hair to the side.

"Come on, Ness. Don't do this." I pleaded lowly.

"Thanks for dinner. It was really good." She told me. "I'll text you if I make home okay."

She sauntered her way to the door.

"Nessie. Don't leave like this." I called, shooting up from the sofa.

"Why? Am I too immature? Please tell me!" She shouted.

I sighed, hard-pressed lips with eyes staring to the ground.

"Didn't think so." She stated before storming out of the apartment.

A piece of my heart feels ripped out of my chest.

Should I run for her?

Or should I let her go.

I kicked the coffee table, watching as the vase shattered into small pieces.

I cussed.

… …

Third Person

After the huge altercation between Nessie and Jake, Nessie stormed out of the apartment building and made her way to her car parked right beside Jake's Mercedes and motorcycle.

She pulled out the parking space and immediately drove out.

It had been over twenty minutes since Nessie left her boyfriend's apartment.

It took all of her not just break down in tears right now in the car but she wasn't as strong enough, especially when it came to Jake. She contemplated to make a U-turn to Jake's apartment but she had to pull through. She instead pulled over near the dark forest and stopped her car.

She stared out her windshield, looking at the constellations of the stars surrounding the moon.

It was if that moment sealed the deal and she immediately burst into vigorous tears as she replayed the events.

She feels more ridiculous as she looks right now!

God! Why did that just happen?

That was their first real blown up fight and it was as miniscule as squirrels fighting over an acorn.

She banged her head against her steering, sobbing into it.

She sat in that position for god knows how long.

But her sobs simmered down when she felt a weird energy surrounding her car.

She slowly averted her head up, darting her head each compass directions to see nothing but the windy, fall breeze in pure darkness.

But something was still not right.

Her eyes diverted into the dark woods where owls were hooting left, right and center.

Was it Jacob?

It couldn't be Jacob.

He should be the last person to come looking for her after the noise she made.

But…

If it's not Jake then who is it?

What is it?

Is it an 'it'?

She didn't smell a scent but…it still felt off and eerie.

The best decision she needed to make now is drive back home.

She pressed the ignition button of her car before pulling off and continuing south.

But little did she know, there was something out there lurking in the woods just about ready to attack at any given time.