Jessica couldn't remember when she last had a full night of sleep as finals loomed closer and she had projects and essays to submit. She stayed so much in the library she would've moved in if they would let her. She felt sympathy and envy towards Edward's inability to sleep as she would get so much done if she didn't need to rest. On the other hand, she would be perpetually grumpy as she couldn't pass out from living for a few hours. It put a lot of Edward's behavior into perspective and his obsessiveness tendencies were probably caused by the need to escape the ennui of immortality.

She should suggest more hobbies for him. He said he never learned to knit. She could get him a book of knitting and the yarn and needles to get him started. He could make himself those knitted jumpers old men like to wear and maybe some socks.

She wrote it down on her list of gift ideas. She planned out what to get everyone a few weeks ago but had blanked on Edward. His family was loaded from Alice predicting the stock market and Carlisle's very long medical career so they could buy anything they wanted. Her prank gift ideas would be better suited for his birthday or Valentine's Day. She refused to email Alice and ask her advice because that would be equivalent to giving up.

She was a little more than a week from Christmas when she was able to find Edward's present. She had survived Finals week and the terror of waiting for her grades. She had to close her eyes and hand it over to Bonnie to read for her as she'd been too scared to see the result of all her hard work all semester. Bonnie snorted and told her to open her eyes.

"Is it bad?" Jessica asked, covering her face with her hands. "Is Stanford gonna kick me out for not meeting expectations?"

"Only if their standards are more than straights As."

That made her open her eyes and she gasped in delight as Bonnie handed the report card back to her. "Oh my God."

"Yes, you killed it," Bonnie remarked. "Maybe you can bring Edward his present now? We can only hide it for so long from everyone in this building."

"Your magic was very good at hiding it. Like I don't know how I survived this long without a witch as my friend."

"Yep, you know us, nature's cure to all of life's problems."

"And with extra sass as a bonus," Jessica put away her report card and grabbed her oversized coat she had snagged from her dad's things long time ago. "I don't look like I sell drugs to kids at the playground, do I?"

"The shortest drug dealer I've ever seen."

"I need the room for the present," Jessica explained. "And everything that comes with it."

Bonnie helped her with tucking Edward's gift underneath her coat. She even escorted Jessica from their dorm to her car and casted a few illusion spells to throw off people's attention. Once she was safely inside her car, she took the present out of her coat and laid it on the passenger seat and made sure to buckle the seatbelt over it. The drive to Edward's apartment was quick and she placed the present back under her coat to hide it from his neifghbors. She made her way inside and found Edward wasn't there.

Dang it. She should've texted him. She was about to reach for her phone when Edward entered the apartment. He must've just come from Braun. She smiled brightly at him and he paused and stared down at her torso.

He asked, "Why do you have two heartbeats?"

"It's your Christmas present. I have to give it to you earlier since you'll be in New York," She unbuttoned her coat and the revealed a beagle puppy. "Surprise!"

He stared wide-eyed at the puppy in her arms. "You got me a dog? How did you even hide that from me?"

"Magic. Bonnie helped me with hiding scents and how to shield my thoughts from you a bit." she answered. "I'm not very good at the mental shields yet cause I didn't have much time to learn but you know me too well to know I'm planning something if I started Rickrolling you again…"

He still hadn't moved closer to her. The beagle puppy began to fuss in her arms and she cooed at him to try and calm him down. She petted his little head and remembered when she saw the ad online for puppies that needed a home. She had gone with Bonnie and Kira to get the puppy and she ended up choosing the runt of the litter.

"I figured if he grew up with you as a puppy he won't be scared of you," she explained. "And you told me about that old beagle you had when you were a kid and…you don't hate it, do you?"

He closed his eyes, head bowing and she waited. He raised his head, golden eyes warm like sunlight as he smiled at her. He finally moved closer to her and held out his fingers for the puppy to sniff. The puppy was wary for a moment before giving his fingers a friendly lick. Edward patted the dog's head gently.

"I love your present, Jessica," he told her. "You always manage to surprise me."

She smiled, relief giving way to joy and she offered the puppy to him. "You wanna hold him?"

He took the beagle with the care of a new father and he cradled the beagle like a newborn baby. "He looks so much like Milo when he was little."

"Maybe you can name him after Milo," she returned. "Or Miles?"

"Milo is good," He leaned down and kissed her lightly, careful not to crush the puppy between them. "Thank you."


"What if Jasper tries to eat him?" Jessica asked, worriedly. "Or Emmett wants a snack?"

"Then I will set whoever did it on fire and finally be closer to being an only child again," Edward replied glibly before reassuring her. "Milo will be fine. My family already knows about him and is going to take precautions for his safety. Milo will be the safest puppy in the world."

"Not to be dramatic but I would die for that dog," Stiles remarked as they loaded their stuff into his jeep. "Milo is precious and I will wage war for him."

Milo had endeared himself to all her friends. Stiles and Kira had tried multiple times to get Edward and Jessica to give them custody to no avail. Edward was the only one not in student housing and could keep a pet so it as for the best. Jessica adored little Milo and dreaded not being able to see him for a few days.

She would be spending a few days in Forks with her family before flying to see Edward in New York. She already missed him. Milo, not Edward. She would miss him too but not as much as the dog. She gave a little kiss on Milo's face before Edward put him down inside the passenger seat of the Volvo. Milo looked like a small toddler dressed in his festive green sweater and buckled in with a seatbelt.

"It's just four days," Edward said. "Can you survive without him until then?"

"You're ripping him away from his mother. Forgive me for being emotional."

He chuckled and cupped her face in his hands. He pecked her forehead, the tip of her nose, and lastly her lips. She closed her eyes as he lingered and deepened the kiss. The pleasant burning in her lungs was worth it.

He pulled away but kept holding her. "Four days, Jessica. Count them. I know I will."

Four days till she had her baby with her again. Milo, not Edward. It would even make the long flight worth it.

"Take care of our son," She refused to cry. "Remember to take him on walks. Don't let anyone eat him."

He nearly rolled his eyes. ""He will be fine. And stop calling him our son."

"That's what he is," she insisted. "I'm his birth mother."

"And that's my cue to leave," He stepped away from her and walked around the car to get to the driver's seat. "I'll see you in four days. Four days of peace and quiet."

She placed a hand over her heart and grinned. "I love you too."

They all parted ways from there. Edward and Milo in his Volvo to New York, Bonnie and the rest made their way to New Orleans, and Jessica started the long drive to Forks. It would be two weeks before they were all together again. She pushed away the longing in her chest and drove to the train station to pick up Eric.


Aside from Mike, all of her friends were back in town for the holidays. They all met up at the Home Slice to catch up and discuss how their first semester in college had gone. Tyler had changed his mind about the University of Washington and had opted for the Police Academy to become a deputy. Eric's proudest moment was being able to interview Will Ferrell for their film class.

After a late dinner, Tyler and Eric left them and Jessica caught up with Angela and Lauren without having to watch what they were saying. She had told them about her friends at college and the magical melting pot of New Orleans over Skype but she was now able to go in detail of what Bonnie and the others had told her. The existence of a wolf pack hadn't surprised Lauren who explained that her grandparents had told her about them and had warned her to stay away.

Jessica questioned, "Why?"

"They're being tight-lipped about it but from what I've pieced together, my grandparents first arrived in New Orleans and stayed there for a time before something happened with the wolf pack," Lauren shook her head. "There's still some bad blood between them cause you can't even mention 'New Orleans' to Grandpa Ivan before he starts cursing in Russian."

"Do you think you have family there?" Angela asked. "I mean, they say that the Children of the Moon were nearly wiped out but maybe you have relatives that survived?"

"None that I know of. And from what we've seen my family liked to keep secrets. I could have a whole litter of cousins somewhere and I would have no idea."

Stiles had told Jessica about the dwindling number of werewolves and considered whether Lauren should make the trip or not. She might find a wolf boyfriend. She might learn things about her family. Or it could just be a really fun vacation.

"I have an open invitation for the Mardi Gras," Jessica said. "You should come with me. Bonnie can show us around."

"I don't know," The blonde looked wary. "There has to be a reason why my grandparents don't want me near that city."

"And since they won't tell you, the only way to know would be to visit and find out," Jessica gave her a mischievous smile. "Come on, Mallory, you're not scared, are you?"

"Curiosity did kill the cat, or wolf in this case," Lauren turned to Angela. "What about you, Weber? You up for an adventure?"

"I'll check my schedule," Angela's tone sounded very much like a 'no'. She was too sensible for their antics. "Jacob would insist on coming."

"Never mind then," Lauren nodded to Jessica. "I'm in. You and me in New Orleans someday?"

"Someday."

It felt like a promise. Jessica wasn't superstitious but it felt like they were being led towards something. They were all pieces in a game they didn't know about yet. And she wondered where their curiosity would take them.


Next chapter will be Jessica and Edward (and Milo!) in New York.

1. Instead of Jessica becoming pregnant, she gives Edward a puppy. Milo has been planned out since I started this story. He is here to stay whether you like it or not.

2. Will we ever go to New Orleans? Not in this story. But we will in the next installment to this series which will be from Lauren's P.O.V.