“Children of the Moon”
Age    

Charlie:

I was never really a superstitious person. I had a normal upbringing. I’d seen my share of horror films when I was a kid. But, never imagined in my wildest dreams any of the Hollywood fiction was real. I never bought into any of Billy Black’s stories about the Quileute legends down in La Push. Not until the time Jacob had shown me he could changed into a gigantic wolf right in front of my eyes. That image was ingrained in my memory forever. Bella had tried for a little while to keep her secret about being a vampire. That didn’t last too long though. She eventually had to spill the beans when Renesmee reached her second birthday and she looked more like a 5 year old. As I was getting ready for work I took a long look at myself in the mirror. I was getting older. The lines of age seemed to get deeper every day. I was seeing more gray throughout my hair. I kept thinking of my daughter, Bella. How the news of her new life meant that, she was never going to look any older than she did when she turned 18 years old. Then I started to think about Renesmee again. Ah, my little Nessie. My only granddaughter had grown up so fast. Overnight she just grew and grew. She had shot up so fast the Bella and Edward were not able to put her into school with the other kids. Nessie had to be home schooled because of her unique condition…being half human and half vampire. The whole explanation Bella gave me never sat too well in my stomach. Where did I go wrong? I thought I was playing it safe by bringing Bella to Forks to live with me. I thought I could give her a normal life since her mother and I split up. A fresh start. Protect her from the monsters out in the real world. I never thought she would actually fall in love with one. I’m the chief of police for crying out loud! How did I manage to miss all the obvious signs? How the heck did I not see all this? The Cullen’s being vampires, the Quileute being werewolves. What planet was I on? This stuff doesn’t just happen to normal people. These things just couldn’t be real. But all of it was true. I tried to be left out of the loop. I didn’t want to believe any of this. But now Nessie was hitting her 7th birthday and she looked like a high school teenager.
“Oh man…Charlie you really dropped the ball” I said to myself looking back into the mirror. But I couldn’t linger on these facts any longer. I was due into the station in an hour.
The day started out pretty normal… my usual routine. I made myself coffee, had a bite to eat. Read the paper. Stared for a bit at the chair next to me where Bella used to sit reading “Withering Heights” before everything went to hell. Before long it was time to head out to work.
Work had been getting pretty mundane lately. The days seemed to just creep by slower and slower. I hired a new deputy, Mike Turner, even though Forks hadn’t had any incidents in years. No murders, no home invasions, nothing except the occasional fender bender. Mike was a good kid. Twenty five years old straight out of the NYC police academy. It always made me wonder a little why he had traveled all the way to this quiet little town in the state of Washington. I had expected he would have stayed in New York City where all the action was. When I asked him about it in during his interview he told me “New York just had a little too much drama for my taste” I didn’t think to ask him anymore about it. I wasn’t about to tell him any of the hideous things he had missed before he came here. Better not to scare the kid. He was only supposed to be a temporary for the summer tourist season but when the season came to a close I kept him on permanently. I think I hired him just so I would have someone to talk to down at the station. “Oh man… was that a pathetic idea” I said to myself. I was really hoping I wasn’t losing my marbles as I pulled up to the station. “Ok let’s get this day over with” I said to myself walking in through the door.
“Good morning, Mike… anything interesting going on today?” My tone caught Mike as he snapped his head up from his desk to look at me.
“Hey boss! Good morning. Nah all’s quiet on the western front. You have a message from Bella, she asked you to call her when you get a chance” he answered cheerfully.
“Oh, thanks.” I mumbled at him as I flipped for moment at the mail lying on his desk waiting for me to retrieve it.
“Boss, are you going to catch the game over the weekend?” Excitement in his voice. Apparently he couldn’t wait.
“Hope, haven’t been interested lately. And how many times do I have to remind you not to call me boss. It’s been a couple months already since you started here. Seems like I tell you everyday”
“Sorry, Charlie…force of habit.” He responded a little distressed.
“Well break the habit already will you…I’ll be in my office for a bit” I turned with a huff and walked away.
“Sure boss, er, I mean Charlie” I could hear the whoops in his voice again but I ignored him.
I walked away before I did something rash. Like I said Mike is a good kid. A bit annoying sometimes though. I picked up the phone to return Bella’s call.
“Hello?”
“Hey Bella honey…you called me” a ring of happiness came across my voice to her.
“Hey dad! How are you? Sorry to call you at work…”
“Nah, it’s okay. What up? How is Edward doing?”
“He’s good...he went with Alice this morning to Seattle. Alice is having a field day planning Nessie’s birthday party. That’s why I called you. I wanted to remind you the party is a noon this Saturday at our place”
“I wouldn’t miss it for the entire world. That reminds me Bella…what are you and Edward giving her for her birthday?”
“It’s kind of a funny story actually… you see she wants to learn how to drive a car. Jacob has been after us for months to let him teach her already. So Edward and I forged her birth certificate and at least let her get a driver’s permit first…you know just in case they get pulled over by you or something. Wouldn’t want you to have to haul your own granddaughter down to the station to call her parents”
“Hah, haa very funny. But seriously do you think she is really ready. I mean I know she looks old enough but Bella she is only turning seven years old”
“I know dad…but come on she’s so advanced mentally. Edward has already started her on college level courses at home here. Plus we were getting tired of listening to her about it. And I think Jacob is planning to surprise her with her first car”
“Really! Why do I have a problem with that suddenly…What kind of car is it?”
“He won’t say anything to me. He asked Edward to keep it a secret. “
“And remind me again how does Edward know and you don’t. Shouldn’t both parents know what’s happening with their daughter at all times?”
“Dad…I told you about this…the mind reading thing. Remember?”
“Oh yeah, I forgot. You have to forgive me Bella…I’m still not used to all this new information”
“Don’t worry dad. It’s no big deal. So what are you getting Nessie?”
“I’m not sure yet. Any ideas? Come on help your old dad out?”
“I’m sure whatever you decide to get she will love”
“Well you’re no help. I’m mean… what is she into these days. Seems like just yesterday she was a little girl…”
“Dad… stop it okay. She’s fine. Really. Do you want me to take care of it?”
“Please do…I had a hard enough time figuring out what to buy you when you were her...er...age”
“No problem dad”
Suddenly Mike popped through the door all anxious.
“Hey Bella can you hold on a moment…” I covered the receiver end of the phone with the palm of my hand.
“What’s up Mike?” I asked a bit irritated by the interruption.
“Hey boss...uh Charlie. We have a Park Ranger holding on line two. Says he needs to speak to you immediately. He quickly looked down hoping I didn’t notice he had slipped again by calling me boss.
“Okay, Mike can you tell him to hold a moment”
“Sure” Mike returned to the other room
“Hey Bella, I’ve got to go I have another call waiting”
“Okay dad. So don’t forget. Saturday, noon, at our place, okay”
“Okay, honey, see you then. Love you”
“Love you too dad, Bye”
“Bye”
I clicked quickly over to the other line.
“Chief Swan here”
“Hey Charlie, Its Hal Dudley up at the Ranger station”
“Hey, Hal. What can I do for you?”
“Charlie we think we have some hikers missing up here. Phil Stevens was making his rounds and came across a camp. Said the tent was shredded up and the camp looked turned upside down. He thinks it might be an animal attack. He found prints everywhere. Some small traces of blood around…but he can’t seem to identify the prints. He said they are not like anything he has ever seen before. Definitely not a bear or predatory cat. We need you to come take a look as soon as you can”
“Okay, Hal…I’m on my way”
“Thanks, Charlie. I’ll meet you at the trail head”
I hung up the phone and headed out of my office to fill Mike in.
“Mike, I’m heading up the mountain to the rangers station to meet Hal Dudley. You hold down the fort till I get back”
“Okay Charlie…no problem. Hey just curious… what happened up there?”
“Couple hikers disappeared apparently. They want me to come take a look”
“Oh, want me to come with you?”
“Nope I got it. I shouldn’t be long. I got my radio on me. In case anything else comes in while I’m out”
“Sure thing. I’ll be here” Mike murmured. Sounding like he was real disappointed.
I was in my cruiser in a flash. Finally some break from the redundant. Not that I was happy to hear that hikers were missing. But at least something to do to get the day moving. I headed up the mountain pass to the mouth of the trail head. Hal Dudley was waiting for me. Like I said before it was getting too quiet around here. Even for me.
I parked off to the side of the trail head. I met up with Hal Dudley. He looked pretty serious.
“Hey Charlie. Thanks for coming. The camps about a mile up on the left this way. Here I’ll show you where it is. Phil Stevens is still trying to follow the tracks away from the camp. Looking to see where this thing was heading.”
“You said he can’t identify the prints”
“Nope…he said it’s the strangest thing. There are big…real big. Kind of like a wolf print. But the stride pattern is all off. According to Phil…he said the thing looks like its walking upright”
“Walking upright? What do you mean?” I asked him.
“Well like I said, Phil thinks it looks like a wolf print. I know we have had our share of weird wolf incidents in the past, but he said there aren’t four distinct paw imprints in the pattern like our wolves before. He said there are only two. Like the wolf was walking on its hind legs or something. So that’s when I decided to call you”
The climb was starting to get steep and narrowed off. I started to get a bit winded at the ever increasing incline. Hal took notice right away.
“Hey Charlie, you okay there?” Hal asked me looking a bit concerned.
“Yeah, I’m okay. Just don’t know why people are always camping so far off the beaten track” I said as my breath got heavier under the increasing climb.
“Yeah I know what you mean. You think out of all the times we tell people not to camp too deep off the trail that someone might listen for a change…city people” he grunted. “It’s not much further though, just up ahead”
“Thank goodness” I replied huffing along thinking to myself again how old I was getting.
As we came through the trees to the clearing I could see the remains of what was once a camp site. As Hal had said earlier, the tent was completely shredded. I saw two sleeping bags thrown about the site. Various articles of clothing were scattered everywhere. The camper’s food was still tied to the tree where they had left it. I thought that was odd at first.
“Hey Charlie, thanks for coming.”
“No problem Phil…Hal was telling me a little about what you have found up here. Care to fill me in on the details”
“Well I came across the camp 2 hours ago. It’s quite a mess I gotta admit. I checked the fire pit. It was still throwing off some warmth. So this had to have happened sometime last night. Looks like two male campers based on the clothing and personal effects on the ground. They were probably on a hunting trip. I found two rifles, but no discharged shell casings. The rifles don’t appear to have used as a means of defense. This must have happened while they were sleeping. I traced the blood trail off to the east about 300 yards…but once it became too densely overgrown I lost the trail. “
“You found animal prints though…can you show me”
“Oh, yeah they are over here”
Phil led Hal and me over to the location where the prints were found. I squatted down near the line of prints to get a closer look. Phil was right; the prints were very unusual. They looked like a two prints crossed over each other at the same time. It looked like a size fifteen barefoot human except the toes looked like wolf or bear. Long nail marks were protruding from the toes deeply set in the soil.
“So chief, any ideas? Do we start looking for Bigfoot the legendary Sasquatch? Phil asked
“Sasquatch? They aren’t real! Hal cackled at Phil and me.
“Your guess is as good as mine, guys. Hey, do you guys have the ability to made a mold or casting of these prints? I would need it, if you could.” I asked Phil
“Sure, I think we can handle that, Charlie. I’ll call down to the ranger station. We’ll send someone out to do some shopping and have the print ready for you soon.” Phil said to me
“Thanks, I’d appreciate it. Listen I’m going to take some pictures in the mean time and try to collect some blood. Can you guys gather up the remnants of the camping gear and bring it to the station. And do your best to keep people out of the area.” I asked
“Sure Charlie. We will do what we can to help.” Hal added
I combed the camp site snapping as many pictures as I could. I was going to have to try and locate the family members of the campers. I got a couple of blood samples and when I was done, I began the long haul back down the mountain to my cruiser. It didn’t settle well with me that we had some unidentified creature out in the woods. When I got back to the station and filled Mike in on the details, I called Billy Black. I wanted to make sure the boys down in La push hadn’t been on the mountain. I picked up the phone and dialed Billy’s house. Luck for me Billy was home.
“Hello?” Billy answered
“Hey Billy, its Charlie.”
“Hey Charlie, what can I do for you?”
“Billy, I got a call about some missing hikers up on the mountain. When I got up there we found some really odd prints. Has there been any unusual activity down at La Push I should be aware of. Have the boys been on the mountain in the last couple of nights?”
“No, Charlie…they haven’t. We haven’t had a need to go up there. Things have been so quiet for so long. The boys have been at Emily’s house every night. If something unusual had been going on Sam would have told me about it.”
“Okay, Billy. Look you’re a good friend. So pass the word along to Sam and the boys to stay off the mountain till I have a better idea of what I’m dealing with here.
“Sure, sure. I’ll let them know.”
“Okay Billy, I’ll talk to you later. But before I go…what’s Jacob been up to. I hear he has a surprise present for Nessie. Do you know what it is?”
“Yeah, Jacob built her a car. A Mustang. He’s been working on it all year. Rebuilt the whole thing”
“A car. Well that’s generous. Okay Billy, thanks and I’ll talk to you soon.”
“Okay Charlie. Bye”
I hung up the phone and shook my head. Jacob was always a good kid. He absolutely loved Nessie. I was grateful that all the feuding had been put behind everyone when Nessie was born. I looked at the clock and realized how late it was getting, so I told Mike I was heading home and left the station. Tomorrow was an important day. I wanted to be well rested. Still my mind kept thinking of the weird print, the trashed campsite, missing hikers and possible Sasquatch running around in the woods. Could the peace that had been around Olympic Peninsula for seven years…be over.











Stay with me forever

Jacob:

Saturday was always a busy day for me ever since John Dowling retired and Edward and Bella gave me a small loan to buy his garage. I always knew I was good with my hands. Being a mechanic just came easy to me. It was honest, hard work and it made me happy. My customers liked me, like the work I did, and appreciated not having to drive to Port Angeles anymore. I hired Seth and Leah Clearwater to help me out. I taught Seth everything I knew about cars and motorcycles and Leah was taking care of the paperwork end of my business. She handled all the calls, made sure the bills were paid, kept track of all the important stuff that I didn’t need to worry about. But the shop wasn’t opened today. I kept looking at the clock, counting down the minutes waiting for 11:30 to finally arrive. Today was Nessie’s birthday. I had spent a couple hours a day after the shop closed for almost a year now working on Nessie’s present. It was my obsession …a 1968 Ford Mustang Fastback. When I found it, it was a heaping wreck. I knew it would be hell to rebuild it, but I didn’t care. It was for my girl, my heart, my reason for living… my Nessie. I spared no expense on the rebuild. I spent countless hours looking for all the right parts, the right engine. I repainted it to the original color “Candy Apple Red”. It was gonna fly. I just had a deep, deep feeling in me that she was going to love it. Her first car was going to be the one I built for her and I was going to be the one to teach her how to drive it. I argued for so long with Edward about letting Nessie get her driver’s permit. And in typical rich guy fashion… daddy wanted to buy her a new car, but I flat out refused. Now it was almost time to leave for her party. I couldn’t wait to see her face when I pulled up in it. One flip of the key in the ignition and car’s engine came alive. It purred and growled for me. I had just enough time for one last test drive before I headed to the party. I couldn’t stop grinning as my foot kept testing the gas pedal. Sounded like me back in the day, when the fevers would take control of my body. But I hadn’t had any need to shape shift in years. Nessie had quieted all the uneasy, angry, tense feelings I ever had in my head with just her smile. My body had been so quiet for so long that I began to age again to my relief. At this point I could guesstimate I was probably more like twenty four years old. Give or take a year. I let my hair grow out to the long length everyone remembered. I didn’t seem to lose any of my height or my muscle build though, but I didn’t care one way or the other. As long as I was older than Nessie at this point…it didn’t matter. I called Bella on my cell phone to let her know I was on my way so she would bring Nessie into the house for the final Tah Daahh!
One last test drive…sweet! I hit the gas and this monster just felt like it was airborne as the tires dug into pavement leaving a plume of exhaust fumes in its wake. I would be at the party in moments at the rate of speed I was going. The houses and trees were just a blur out the side windows as the engine “chirped” through each gear. I just couldn’t stop laughing to myself. My face began to hurt just a little with my ear to ear smile. This felt so much better than my Rabbit. Not that I didn’t still love my car. But it was the power of the Mustang that was amazing me now.
I slowed into the last stretch of roadway just before the long driveway. I didn’t want Nessie to hear too much as a got closer to the house. Edward must have told the whole party that I was here. Everyone was waiting on the porch as I pulled up to the house. Edward had his hands over Nessie’s eyes. I could see her squirming with excitement as I got out and leaned against the side of my present.
Edward whispered into Nessie’s ear “Are you ready?”
“Yes, yes…!” Her voice answered back to him. She couldn’t stand it anymore.
Edward and I nodded to each other once as he released Nessie’s eyes. Everyone hollered at the same time “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” as she took her first timid steps toward me and the gleaming car. She screamed in a gleeful cry and bounded off the porch at lightning speed, clearing the distance between us in seconds. My arms were spread wide with anticipation and I braced myself a bit and she jumped into my arms. She wrapped both her arms and legs around me in a vice grip hug as I caught her. I couldn’t help myself as a spun us around in circles a couple times. This was what I had be waiting and hoping for all year. All my hard work paid off as she repeated and repeated “Thank you, Jacob. Thank you! I love it, thank you!
When I finally put her down I had only one thing on my mind. Taking her for a ride in her Mustang. Not wanting to be rude, I refrained from my question momentarily. Better say hello to everyone first. I let Nessie jump into the front seat to enjoy her present and headed for the porch.
“Hey everyone, long time no see!” I said in greeting
Alice, Rosalie, Esme and Bella gave me each a hug. Bella was especially happy to see me as always. Edward, Emmett, Jasper gave me the usual high five and handshakes. I got all the “Wow and Awesome man!” as I expected. Carlisle shook my hand in greeting. Then there was Charlie. I hadn’t seen him in so long. I knew that he was gonna get a hug from me one way or the other.
“Hey Charlie!” I greeted him with a bear hug
“Jacob, good to see you…Ow! Hey take it easy on me I’m not as young as I may look. I laughed as I let him go. “So I heard you rebuilt the Mustang from the ground up. You did an amazing job. How is the shop going?”
“Been real busy. But I love what I do so I really can’t complain”
“So…how is your dad?”
“He’s hanging in there. As best he can” I could feel my face give off a look of worry as I answered him.
“Hey I’m sure he will be fine. Carlisle has a good eye on him. Don’t let it get you down.”
“Sure, sure”
“Hey I think someone’s still waiting for you” he said as I looked back at Nessie still sitting in the Mustang.
Edward…Bella…would you mind if Ness and I take a short drive. We won’t be too long” I promised
“Please mom, dad…please!” Nessie called out from the driver’s side window at us.
They both nodded at us.
I didn’t wait a second longer as I raced back to the Mustang and opened the driver’s side door.
“Nessie scoot over…”
“Awh…Jacob I wanna drive! Please!” she whined at me. It was hard not to laugh a little at the face she made at me.
“Let me at least get us to a safe place first” I played back at her “Come on scoot…scoot over!” I didn’t know who was actually more excited. But she did slide over as I climbed in to the driver’s seat. The roar of the engine lit her face up.
“Okay! Hold on…” I hit the gas and we left the house with the tires screaming again. We were halfway to La Push in minutes, but we were not going all the way. Just far enough off the main roads to make it safer for her away from the traffic. She didn’t stop smiling the whole way. I couldn’t help glancing over at her.
“So…do you really like it?”
“Are you kidding me, Jacob this is the best present I’ve ever had before!’
“I’m happy then that you like it”
“I love it! You are the best Jake!”
“Thanks, sweetie”
We pulled off on the first side road and I brought the Mustang to a quick stop letting the tires skid just a bit. I threw the Mustang into park as I turned to her to begin driver’s education one-oh-one but she blushed and dropped her eyes suddenly. I noticed but didn’t miss a beat as I began my tutoring.
“Okay. First things first. One…this is a 68’ Mustang. It’s got a ton of horsepower! So I want you to promise me you will obey the speed limits when you are driving around town. Safety first…okay?
“Okay…but…”
“Number two. Always keep both hands on the wheel at all times. You keep them at ten o’clock and two o’clock like this…” I positioned my hands as a reference for her. Do you understand?
“Yes, but”
“Number three. Always keep at least three car lengths back away from the driver in front of you…Always! Got it?’
“Yes” she grumbled at me
“Okay we’re going to switch places now. Don’t touch anything until I get back in the car”
I got out, ran around the Mustang as she slid over to the driver’s seat and got back on the passenger’s side quick.
“Okay now look below at your feet, you have two foot pedals. You are only going to use your right foot…not both feet. The pedal on the right is gas and the left is the brake. Now, show me gas first… break second. She maneuvered her foot to the gas pedal and the engine revved a few RPM’s. Then she repeated the same motion on the brake.
“Okay…now you see the gauges up here?” I pointed to the dashboard.
“This one is the one you want to check on…it tells you how fast you are gonna be going. Then you have the turn signal here on your left side “I said as I moved closer to her and leaned over the steering wheel to show her how it worked.
Feeling confident I had all the basics covered it was time to put everything I had just said into motion.
“Alright put you foot on the brake and put the gearshift into Drive.” I said as she followed my directions with ease. “Slowly depress the gas and keep your eyes on the road ahead of you.” The Mustang began to slowly creep forward. “See you’re driving. No big deal”
“This is scary, Jacob”
“Nah…you’re doing fine…just keep your eyes on the road.”
When we got about 20 feet down the road I saw the confidence in Nessie’s face grow and grow along with her smile.
“I’m driving Jake. This is fantastic! “
“Bet you can go a little bit faster now”
“You think, I mean are you sure-“
“Go ahead, just hit the gas. I got you covered”
A small twinkle in her eyes and a devious smile curled the corner of her lips matching mine. One swift movement and she put her foot down on the gas pedal sending the Mustang easily over the 10 miles per hour we were previously traveling at. She hollered at the top of her lungs”Whooo HOO!” I couldn’t help joining in with her. We reached the end of the dirt road in seconds.
“Nessie end of the line…hit the brake!” as she did the Mustang slid to a hault. She just broke out laughing. I really loved her laugh. It was completely contagious and every time she laughed, I found myself laughing too.
“Okay I think we had enough for one day”
As she began to protest I reminded her of her party guests waiting for her and she didn’t argue further. I was grateful for that. We switched seats with each other and I turned the Mustang around and headed back towards the party. I turned to her, I was just about to ask her if she really had fun when she suddenly kissed me square on the lips. The sudden and unexpected kiss sent me into recoil as my head flew back against the driver’s side window and I slammed on the brakes as the Mustang slid sideways to a stop. My mouth was just hanging open in shock looking at her as I threw the Mustang into Park. She saw my reaction as a rejection and she slid into her seat and began to gnaw on her lip just the way Bella used to do.
“Nessie…why did you do that?” I asked her abruptly without realizing my tone.
“I’m sorry” she answered me in a shy quiet voice. But as quickly as she spoke to me she turned, flung the car door open and broke out into a sprint down the road as I jumped out after her.
“Nessie?...Nessie!” I called out as I came up behind her. I caught her wrist and spun her around to face me. When I looked at her I could see the tears running down her face that she was trying to hide from me.
“Nessie, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you…it’s just that you…I mean you shouldn’t be kissing guys at random like that. I don’t think you’re old enough yet.” I said as gently as I could.
“You don’t like me…is that…is that what you are saying. You don’t like me in that way?” I could hear the frustration in her voice.
“That’s not what I’m trying to say at all” I was trying to reassure her.
“What am I not pretty enough?” she hissed
“Nessie of course you are. Don’t be silly. You’re the most beautiful girl in the entire world. Why are you acting like this?” I said with all the sincerity I had in me. I was making my voice as soft as possible.
“They why can’t I kiss you?” she murmured
“Ugh, er…Nessie…how can I explain this to you?” I sighed. I was struggling. I had to come up with something rational to say to her. But what? My mind was just coming up blank. She dropped her face into her hands to cover up the tears and began to sob softly. All I could do at this point was wrap my arms around her to try to comfort her. I held her close to me. Think dummy, think! I kept saying to myself. Do I tell her about imprinting? Do I try to rationalize with her? My mind just kept searching. I let her go just enough to place one hand on her shoulders and cupped her chin with my free hand trying to lift her chin to have her look at me. As her eyes met mine and I was about to be brilliant finally …she put her palm to my face. Suddenly I could see in my mind everything she was thinking. Every image was crystal clear. The images washed over me, consumed me. They were of us, together…our wedding, our children, our home, growing old together everything…everything I’d been planning for our future. Everything I had been trying to avoid the moment she kissed me. I closed my eyes as her hand gently slipped from my cheek, and I shuttered. For a moment I couldn’t breathe properly. I felt the surge of heat come through me. Panicked I began to back away from her fearful that the inner wolf in me would suddenly jump out at her. My body was trembling.
Jacob? Jacob what wrong? She kept stepping forward worried and confused.
“No! Nessie…Back up! I was shouting at her. She didn’t understand the reason. She ignored my demands and kept stepping forward.
“Jake you’re scaring me…I’m sorry…I Just-“
“Nessie just stay back a minute! Don’t come any closer! Please you have to trust me on this!” I growled at her. She stopped short staring at me.
It took me a moment to recover…to stabilize my emotions. A took a couple of deep breaths. I finally came back to myself. Her next statement was still the bigger shock.
“Jacob, I’m in love with you. And I get it. You don’t want me like that. I understand” she sighed.
“No, Nessie… that’s not it at all. Oh, if only you could read my mind right now. You would see differently. And I don’t care right now if your dad kills me for this later.”
I couldn’t stop myself as I closed the gap between us. I had to show her she was wrong to think I didn’t love her. This was the moment I had been waiting for since the day she was born. I gently brushed her hair away from her beautiful face with one hand letting my fingers slide through. My other hand slid around her waist and I kissed her softly on her lips even though I was still trying to resist the momentary thought of Edward face in my head. My eyes stung with tears as I felt her lips return my intentions. I could hear both of our hearts skip beat at the exact same time. I kissed her deeper now tracing her lips with my mouth to hers in exploration. Her arms gently wrapped themselves around my waist. I pulled her body gently into mine. The intensity of our love was mounting with each passing second. Neither one of us wanted it to end but it had to. We were due back at the party and I reluctantly but gently let her go. We were both trembling now.
“We are in big trouble…your dad is going to flip out when we get back to the house.” I laughed as she smiled at me. “Come on we got to go. We will have to continue this later.” I chuckled
“Que Quowle” was all she said to me.
“How do you even know that?” I questioned her in complete shock. She said it perfect, beautifully in fact. “Do you know what it means? I mean it my native language. But do you know?”
“Yes, I looked it up on the internet” She whispered.
“What does it mean?”I smiled asking her in disbelief.
“It means… Stay With Me Forever”
“You’re exactly right…and don’t worry. I will. I always will.” I said as I gave her a huge hug and kissed her again on her forehead. “Listen to me. We have to try to empty or heads. You’re dad will know our thoughts. He might already know. He’s not going to be happy about this.” I said with mounting concern. But it was too late. I could hear the Volvo as it was heading down the road to our location.
“Oh, No- Nessie run for the car! Get into the driver’s seat! Now! Hurry!” I yelled as was both sprinted towards the Mustang I ran around to the driver’s side as she jumped in to take the wheel.
“Jacob I don’t know what I’m doing-“
“Listen to me there isn’t time just put your foot on the gas and get out of here. Follow the road till you can’t go any further!
“Yes but-“
“Don’t argue with me now just GO! Get out of here!”
She hit the gas and headed quickly out of my sight. Edward was here a moment later. The Volvo skidded to a stop as he flung the door open and started heading toward me in fury. I put up both my hands as I backed up away from him trying to explain myself.
“What the hell do you think you are doing with my daughter you mongrel? He hissed each word out one at a time with pure rage as he was walking towards me.
“Edward! Stop! You don’t understand-“
But it was too late. He swung wildly at me as I did my best to out maneuver him. I didn’t want to fight him. We danced around in a circle dipping and weaving. I knew it wasn’t going to take him long to eventually find his target. With one swing of his arm he clashed my chest and sent me cart wheeling in the air as my body struck a tree with an agonizing blow. Reeling in pain I was grateful now to hear other cars and voices arrive as I lay in a fetal position on the ground.
“Edward…stop it!” Bella’s voice rang out.
Bella, Emmitt, and Jasper grabbing him swiftly knocking him down to the ground and pinning him in place. Bella ran to my side.
“Jacob, Jacob are you okay. Say something to me. Answer me” Bella’s voice quivered to me.
“I’m okay -I think…just can’t -catch my- breath” I panted.
“Why the hell didn’t you phase? He could have-“
“I didn’t -want to- fight him” I huffed in response
Esme and Carlisle arrived moments later. In a flash Carlisle was at my side.
“Jacob where are you hurt?” he asked.
“I’m not doc…just got to-catch my breath” Finally I got enough air back in my lungs to make a full sentence.
“Where is Nessie?” Bella frantically searched with her eyes.
“I can hear the Mustang coming now, I told her to go to the end of the road and wait for me. Guess she didn’t listen.”
As Nessie pulled up, Emmitt and Jasper had released Edward and he raced to the car yanking her out and practically threw her into the backseat of the Volvo. Bella was protesting his behavior on my defense…but I could see there was no talking to him as he spun the Volvo around in a frantic u-turn and sped away.
Carlisle got me to my feet as Bella was heading back to me. I could tell she wanted answers.
“Jacob, what the hell is going on?”
“We will leave you two alone to talk” Carlisle said as Bella and I waited for the cars to pull away.
“What did Edward say to you Bella?”
“Nothing he just flew out the door yelling mongrel!”
“And Alice? What did she see?”
“Jake you know Alice can’t see you or Nessie…so are you going to tell me what’s going on?”
“Bella…this is difficult for me to say to you. Believe me I didn’t mean to…I hadn’t planned on anything, I swear”
“Jake, what are you talking about? What happened?”
“Nessie kissed me!”
“What?”
“And I kissed her back, I’m sorry. It just happened-“
“You kissed my daughter...Jacob she’s seven! How could you?”
“She’s only seven in human years…open your eyes Bella. She’s not a little girl anymore. That doesn’t change anything, I know. But Bella she put her hand to my face…she showed me…” I broke off unable to complete my thought as Bella still had a look of horror on her face. I dropped my gaze. I couldn’t look at Bella anymore. I just paced back and forth in front of her. How was I going to tell Bella what I had been shown by Nessie without Bella freaking out. I couldn’t do it. I was too afraid what she would think and whether she would believe anything I was going to tell her.
“What did she show you?
I was still pacing in front of her. I knew Bella would not let me get away without an answer for her. I stopped in front of her and took her hands in mine.
“Bella she showed me our future. Mine and her’s. Everything in perfect detail.”
Bella’s shocked expression began to slowly shift into a perfectly happy smile. She knew I had imprinted on Nessie and there were times when I had told her I hoped Nessie would love me as much as I loved her. Contentment was in her voice now “Jake that’s great…really. I’m really happy.
I let out a huge sigh of relief as Bella wrapped her arms around my waist and gave me a hug.
“Seriously…you’re not mad or anything” I asked her.
“No Jake. This is your destiny, and Nessie’s as well. This is meant to happen. I was hoping just little bit later than right now though.” She laughed
“Thanks, Bells… you don’t know how much this means to me. That you accept me.”
“Let’s get back to the house, okay. You, me and Edward we are going to get this all straightened out. Don’t worry” she promised. “And now I understand more why you didn’t want to fight Edward”
“Wouldn’t be a good idea to get any further on his bad side. He must have read our minds or something. He got here so fast. He’s probably drilling Ness right now”
“Don’t worry, we’ll work something out”
“Bella…thank you. Thanks for understanding. Really”
Just as I finished my sentence, Bella’s cell phone rang.
“It’s Alice…Hey Alice what up” a long pause and look of anger came across Bella’s face. “What do you mean he didn’t come home. Alice where is he? What do you mean…he’s blocking you out? Did you see anything at all? The questions kept rolling off Bella’s tongue and each one brought more horror and concern to her eyes. “The airport? Are you sure? No! We’re on our way…bye”
“What’s going on?”
“Alice says she think Edward is bringing Ness to the airport but, she can’t be sure. He’s trying to block her thoughts. We have to get to the airport right now. He already has a half hour jump on us”
“Let’s go!”
Bella and I jumped into the Mustang and began to speed to the airport. We didn’t say anything to each other. She started to call airlines trying to get as much information as she could on out-bound flight times. Nessie was not registered on a single one.
“I don’t understand…If she is not booked for departure on any of the airlines, maybe Alice was wrong.”
“Did you check for private flights”
“No, but good idea and I’m calling Edward”
By the time we reached the airport Edward was waiting outside the terminal for us. Bella jumped out of the car and ran to him insisting that I stay in the car and wait for her to return. It wasn’t like I couldn’t hear the whole conversation.
“What did you do, Edward? Where is Nessie?”
“Nessie is fine now. She is heading off to college.”
“College? Where? Where is my daughter Edward!”
“I’m not having this discussion with you right now Bella”
“Why? Where did you send her?”
“Bella! Our daughter is going to college. I’m not having her miss out on all the experiences you should have had. Not now, not ever. She is going to have a life. And as you are my wife you are going to respect my wishes.”
“College…fine! But did you have to send her away for that. You know Jacob-“
“Don’t even start defending that dog! You didn’t hear or see what I did. I read his mind! And her mind too. I could expect such thoughts from him…but not Nessie! Not my daughter.”
“Edward…Jacob doesn’t have any immediate plans for Nessie. I trust him. “
“I know what she showed him, Bella! She is not old enough to even be thinking of such things!”
I couldn’t sit still. I wanted to reason with Edward, but I had to put my trust in Bella now.
“Edward who are you really trying to hurt here…Jacob or me?”
“Look Bella…I’m not having my underage daughter lie around his house all day cooking and cleaning like a slave, barefoot and pregnant with puppies. She is going to make a life for herself first. If she is really meant to be with Jacob then it will happen…LATER! End of discussion!”
“Edward it’s not fair to me. You took my daughter away without even talking to me first”
“You can write to her, chat online, call whenever you want, and we will fly to her during her breaks. It’s not like you will never see her ever again.”
“Edward, please…”
“No Bella! After she get her Master’s degree in the field of her choice and has an accepted job offer, and experiences life… then and only then can she come home.”
“But what about Jacob…are you saying he can’t have any contact with her? How can you separate them like this? After everything he had done for us. We owe him! I wouldn’t even be here today if it wasn’t for Jacob!”
“Bella…I’m her father! I know what is best. Jacob will either learn to cope and wait, or I will remove him permanently from her life.” He hissed and clenched his teeth.
Bella couldn’t say anymore. She knew Edward was serious. He never raised his voice to her. He always bent to Bella’s every wish. But, not this time. As I sat in the Mustang, she turned to me with an expression on her face that could only mean one thing. I’m sorry, I tried. She was right though. I had given the bloodsucker everything. Not only did he marry and vamp up the girl of my dreams, but now he was separating me from my true love, Nessie. I shook my head at them and ripped up the pavement as I sped away. I couldn’t stand it anymore. I had to go or risk getting out of the car and killing him right where he stood. If it was his plan that I have no contact with Nessie then that’s what he was going to get. I wasn’t hanging around to be tortured again by this bloodsucker. I was going to get as far away as I could. I hit the highway heading south. My plan was simple. Keep driving south till I couldn’t go any further. I Got to San Diego before I had to stop and sleep. Over the next couple of weeks I had drove thru Mexico into South America. I kept my course heading south through Peru into Chile only stopping long enough to eat and sleep. I crossed the Chilean border into Argentina and wound up in Puerto Santa Cruz. I figured I had driven long enough. There were enough people here for me to blend in even though I didn’t speak the language. I found a job as a mechanic and settled into a one room rental. I wasn’t happy, but I was away from that filthy bloodsucker, and that’s all I cared about at the time. A few months went by. I tried to keep busy. I called home only to check on my dad once a month. I never left a number, gave him an address or told anyone where exactly I was. I didn’t call Bella. I couldn’t bear to hear her voice. I stayed in human form so the pack couldn’t communicate to me and settled in for the long wait. It would take a minimum of four years for Nessie to meet Edward’s criteria for her return home. That’s if she did double classes and didn’t come home on school breaks like Christmas or summertime. Because of my obsessive nature I worked at the garage well into the night. And by the time I got back to my rental, all I could do was go to bed. My mind always started thinking of Nessie first. I replayed the images she had shown me. I dreamt of Nessie every night. It was the only way to be with her. Edward could stop me from seeing her in the real world, but my mind was the one place he couldn’t keep her away from me. I fell asleep quickly from exhaustion. But tonight was different. Suddenly a flash of an image burned into my dream. I jumped up in panic. “Sam! Oh no!” I launched myself out of bed and immediately shifted my body to my wolf. “Sam! Quil, Embry can anyone hear me?!” I shouted as loud as I could trying to communicate with the pack. No one answered so I tried again louder this time “Guys what’s going on! Can anyone hear me?!” But there was nothing but silence. I changed back to my human form and threw my clothes on. I ran out to the nearest pay phone to frantically started calling people in La Push. Twelve numbers later and no had picked up a phone at any of the houses, not even my dad. I knew something was wrong. I now was remembering the image that burned me earlier. It was Sam screaming, injured and crawling across a roadway to my father. My father was pinned in the passenger seat of Sam’s truck. My father looked at Sam and then an explosion. I was out of options. I knew if everything I was seeing in my head was real and Sam was hurt, he would be at Carlisle’s home. My hand shook wildly as I dialed the number. It took two rings and then I heard Alice’s voice.
“Hello?”
“Alice! It’s Jacob. What’s going on up there?”
Alice didn’t respond. I heard Edward in the background. I slight bit of static came thru the receiver and then Edward voice.
“Jacob, where are you?”
“Edward what’s going on up there I-“
“Jacob we need you to come back to Forks immediately. Where are you now?
“Puerto Santa Cruz in South America”
“Okay. Jacob I know you have the Mustang but you need to get here as fast as possible. So I want you to hold the line. I have to make arrangements for you to get here…”
As I waited for what seemed like an eternity the image of Sam kept invading my head. I tried not to believe anything, but now Edward was making arrangements for me to come home. I knew this was serious. I began to pace trying to concentrate on my breathing.
“Jacob-?”
“Edward what the hell is going on?” He didn’t answer my question. He just continued speaking over me.
“There is a cargo ship docked in the harbor of Puerto Santa Cruz named the “Americana”. Bring the Mustang there. A gentleman named Juan Mendonca will see that it’s loaded properly. Then I need you to get to the airport. There is a private jet waiting there for you. Just come back to Forks. We will be here when you arrive.” The phone went dead as Edward hung up.
I got the Mustang to the dock. A small man was waiting there for me.
“You’re Juan Mendonca, right?”
“Yes Mr. Black…don’t worry about the car, she is in the best of hand now. I will personally be accompanying it to the United States.”
“Cool” I said as I threw him the keys.
“We have a car waiting for you there. It will take you directly to the airport”
“Okay, thanks.”
The driver opened the door for me as I climbed into the back seat, then ran around and jumped in the front seat. He sped away with me and rushed me as quickly as he could to the airport. When I arrived I could see an airport cop waiting for me. He had a sign up with my name. I bolted towards him.
“I’m Jacob Black”
“Follow me sir, your plane is already on the tarmac.”
I followed him with haste. He was jogging through the airport with me right on his heels. He flung a door open and we went down two flights of stairs through another door that led directly out to the jet. I had never flown before and this was the first time I had been this close to any kind of aircraft. A gleaming silver twin engine. The cop stopped at the end of the narrow steps that lead up to the plane.
“Here is your ticket Mr. Black…safe journey to you”
“Thanks” I said to him as I grabbed the ticket from his hand. “How long is it gonna take?
“You should be home before dawn, sir.”
I said nothing else as I climbed the stairs and took the first seat I found by the windows. I realized only then that the rest of the plane was empty. The only person other than me was the flight attendant who came to greet me.
“Mr. Black, I’m Nancy. I will be your flight attendant today. Please buckle you seatbelt we are almost ready for departure. Can I get you anything to drink?”
“Just water for now…and can you call me Jacob, please.”
“Of course, Jacob. I’ll be right back with your water. I just want to let you know that we have a wide choice of in flight movies and there is a phone for you if you need to make a call once we get airborne.”
”Thanks”
Nancy brought me the water and asked “Have you ever been on an airplane before?”
“No but I guess this is as good a time as any.”
“If you experience motion sickness I can bring you something to help”
“Motion Sickness?”
“It’s common for first time flyers.”
“Oh great.” I really didn’t like the sound of that one bit as I felt the plane begin to move, rotate and increase speed. Before I knew it my stomach felt like it was being left behind on the ground. I tried to relax as I watched the plane lift off into the air from out my window. My ears experienced a sudden pressure change. It felt like my eardrums were about to explode. It took about 10 minutes or so for the feeling to subside. I hadn’t noticed there was someone standing next to me.
“Good morning Jacob, I’m Captain John Hurley. Don’t worry son, I have been a pilot for 25 years. Nancy told me this is your first time flying.” He said holding his hand out to me. I shook it politely.
“So if you’re standing here then who is flying right now?”
“My co-pilot James Fredrick. We always have two pilots on each flight. I just wanted to introduce myself. Edward Cullen asked us to make you are as comfortable as possible. If you need anything at all, just ask Nancy”
“Okay, thank you”
He returned to the cabin at the front of the plane as Nancy came back over to me.
“How are you doing Jacob? Do you feel sick at all?”
“No thankfully.”
“Would you like anything to eat? I can bring you a menu.”
“No, I think I’m just going to close my eyes.”
“We have a couch over here if you want to lay on it. You seem to be uncomfortable in this little seat. I’m sure you would like to stretch out a bit.”
“Sure, sure”
“I’ll bring you a pillow and blanket then”
“Thanks” I said and headed for the couch at the rear of the plane. Nancy was back with the pillow and blanket before I got to the couch.”
“Sleep well Jacob. When you wake up, we will be in Seattle.” Nancy said and lowered the lights for me as I tried to relax and fell asleep. I don’t know how long I was out exactly. But I was tapped slightly by Nancy as she woke me up.
“Jacob…Jacob? We have arrived. It’s time to go. Your family is waiting for you outside”
I blinked once and then snapped up rubbing my eyes. I was on my feet and running for the door as I quickly thanked the captain and Nancy for their help and went through the door exiting the plane. At the top of the stairs I saw Edward and Bella waving for me. Three steps was all I needed to navigate down the stairs of the plane and I was sprinting toward them. Edward was the first to greet me. He stepped forward and hugged me. A very odd sensation rippled thru me. I looked at Bella, but she hung her head and stayed behind Edward.
“Bella? Do I get a hello or what?”
“Hello…Jake…” she whispered but she didn’t move.
“So is anyone finally going to tell me what has happened?”
Edward finally spoke up. “Jacob…there has been an accident. Carlisle is taking care of Sam at the house as we speak. He has been asking for you-“
“Where is my father, Edward?” I stated as clearly as I could.
“Jacob…your father is gone. He and Sam were heading back to La Push from Charlie’s home. The driver of the diesel tanker lost control and the truck jack knifed trying to avoid a herd of deer crossing the road. Sam tried to stop but it was too late. Sam was thrown from his truck on impact and both of his legs are completely shattered. Your dad was pinned in the collision. Sam tried to crawl to him…but the tanker exploded. Sam has been burned over half his body...I’m sorry…”
I slumped to the ground on my knees. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing, but it was true. The flash I saw of Sam, the desperation in his eyes as he saw my father lay helpless in the truck, the pain he was in, and the explosion. All of it was true. When I hit the ground, Bella came to me. She fell to her knees and hugged me with all her strength running her fingers thru my hair and kissing my temples. I barely had it in me to wrap my arm around her. She trembled in our embrace. If she was able to she would be crying.
“Jacob were going to bring you home to our house, okay?”
“No I need to see Sam first. “
Edward helped me to my feet and led us to the Volvo. Bella kept her arm around my waist as she placed me in the back seat and then sat next to me. Edward didn’t spare a minute as he tore up the tarmac. It was about an hour drive back to Forks. No one said anything the whole way. We pulled up to Carlisle’s house. I knew all the cars that were parked around the property. An immense crowd has gathered here awaiting my arrival. As I navigated through all the familiar faces of friends and family who greeted me I finally climbed the stairs to where Sam was, Emily and Carlisle were waiting at the top for me. Emily threw her arms around me as she sobbed and I hugged her warmly.
“Jacob…I’m sorry about your dad. Sam has been in a terrible state. He keeps repeating over and over that it’s his fault. I can’t console him.” Emily said thru her sobbing
“It’s okay…Emily. I’m here now. I’ll talk to him. It’s not his fault.” I whispered to her.
“Jacob, I’m trying to make him as comfortable as possible. He has a morphine drip. It may be making him a bit delusional. Please if you can try to calm him down. I need him to stay as quiet as possible for his wounds will heal.” Carlisle asked.
“I’ll try doc…”
They stepped out of the way and allowed me into the room. Sam was laying in a hospital bed twisting and wincing around. His face was full of guilt and grief as he kept ramming his fists into his temples. The same kind of look he had on his face when he hurt Emily. His hair and eyebrows were completely gone. His face, chest and arms were a multitude of charred remains. I choked back my stomach contents at the smell of burnt flesh that lingered in the room.
“Hey Sam…”
He looked up at me and started to babble. I quickly sat in the chair next to him and took his hand.
“Jacob, I…tried, the truck…your dad…I just couldn’t…”
“Sam stop this right now. It was an accident. It’s not your fault. Stop blaming yourself for everything alright.”
“I tried to save him Jake, I tried…”
“I know you did. I saw the whole thing!”
“What? How did you-“
“It’s hard to explain…but I did see the whole thing. Alpha telepathy…remember”
“Jake I’m sorry, I’m so sorry!”
“Look you have got to calm down. I’m here right. If I was going to blame you for this would I be here right now?”
Sam dropped his eyes and shook his head
“Sam you’re my brother. I know how much you loved my father. Believe me if there is anyone to blame for this…it’s me, not you. If I had been home where I should have been then likely chance this wouldn’t have happened. And then there is you…”
“Jake what do you mean, me?”
“I mean I should be me lying here like this not you, brother. I should have been driving my father back from Charlie’s place. Not you. I should be the one all banged up! I’m sorry Sam…” I said to him as tears began to well up in my eyes. “But you’re still here brother. At least I didn’t lose you both. You’re gonna be…okay.” I saw the slightest smile curl around Sam’s lips as I did my best to hold myself together. “Listen to me Sam…you just get better, okay. Just take it easy and rest. We’re gonna get through this.” I promised. Sam finally relaxed and closed his eyes.
Carlisle came back to the room to check the IV. “I’m going to give him something to help him sleep now, Jacob. I think he will be fine now that you are here.”
“Do whatever you can for him doc. Whatever it take. He has got to pull through this in one piece. For me…”
“Don’t worry Jacob. I rarely give up a fight. He’s going to get the best care from me that I can provide”
Emily came to my side. I let her have the seat next to Sam so she could be close to him. I turned to walk out of the room as Emily’s voice stopped me short. “Jacob…please come back…soon.”
“Sure, sure” I answered her as I walked away.
As I got to the top of the stairs I began to scan the room for Nessie and I quickly realized she wasn’t here. My eyes flashed immediately to Edward with disgust. I knew he read my mind as he backed away and left the room. Bella met me at the bottom of the stairs.
“Nessie isn’t here right?”
“Jake…Edward just wanted to get you home…”
“My father died Bella! If this wasn’t enough reason to bring her home…then I don’t know what is!”
“Jake…we just-“
“Forget it Bella!” I shouted at her as I pushed my way through the crowd. By the time I was out the door I had phased and was running back to my father’s house. The pack thought for a moment about following me…but didn’t. They could sense I just wanted to be alone. As I walked thru the door of my father’s home, I could immediately sense the absence. The house was quiet. To awkwardly quiet. My eyes scanned the walls catching the family photos that hung everywhere. Dad’s wheelchair was in the center of the room. Right where Sam had left it. I knew it was easier for him to carry my dad. The metal arm of the chair was icy cold to my touch. On the kitchen table was a large manila envelope. My dad had written on the front Letters to Jacob. I dumped the contents onto the table, opened the first one on top, and began to read it.





“Dearest Jacob,
I wish I had your address, son. There are so many things I want to tell you. I want you to know how very proud I am of you, son. You and your sisters have always been the highlight of my life. The best thing that has ever happened to me. I so wish your mother was alive to see how you have all grown up to be wonderful individuals. Especially you boy! I remember when you were born…your mom had a difficult pregnancy with you. You were always such a fighter. You would usually be kicking her in her sleep all night. But your mother never complained one bit. She knew even then that you were going to be a boy. I didn’t believe her at first. But she proved me wrong the day you were born. I remember when I held you for the first time. How perfect you were. My only son, my heir to our family’s great lineage. The blood in your veins is strong. Proof of the history of our people. The day that you phased for the first time…well it made me very proud. I know it has been difficult for you to accept, but don’t reject who you are. Instead embrace your spirit wolf. In times of need its presence will protect you. The pack is your family for life Jacob. Your brothers will guide you where I cannot. You are the rightful Alpha, my son. Trust the pack and they will follow you wherever life may take you. And remember, son, I will always love you.
Billy


I sat there quietly looking at the scattered letters on the table. My dad had written me one for each day I was gone after the fight with Edward. Guilt engulfed every one of my senses. I was trying to hold everything together as the horrible struggle in my heart began to break me down. I couldn’t take it any longer. I slammed my fists through the table smashing it into tiny pieces and collapsed onto the floor. The rage of emotions filled me. I hated myself. I hated all the pain I had caused my father. The man who only wanted me to be strong and happy. And here I was, just a weak kid hysterical and crying my heart out. Screaming out apology after apology to the empty walls around me. But there was nothing I could do now to make it better or to bring him back. He was gone and I had no opportunity to tell him anymore how much I loved him. I was so taken by my state that I didn’t even hear Rachel and Rebecca as they came into the house. They immediately ran over to me, but it was too late. I was inconsolable by then.



One more nail, one more coffin.
Jacob:

Rachel and Rebecca had made all the arrangements for our father’s funeral. The usually gloomy weather of Washington was even making an appearance as a light rain began to fall. As the three of us stood now at the side of our father’s coffin, all I could see at first were the nails in the coffin lid. I remembered my mother’s funeral. How ironic that they both died in the same manner. Everyone on the reservation and in the town of Forks was present today to pay honor to my father. The Cullen’s were allowed to cross the boundary line and even the Makah tribe leaders had come to pay their respects. Even Sam had recovered enough although he was still in a wheelchair. But at this point I was numb. I was paying no attention at all as Sue Clearwater and Old Quil Ateara recited the prayers to release my father’s spirit from his human form as is the custom in our tribe. I just stared blankly at his coffin. When the ceremony had ended people crowded around me. Exchanging words of sympathy to me. Telling me stories about my dad that I may not have known before, but I wasn’t listening. I never looked at anyone. I was like a piece of stone…hard, cold and unforgiving. Eventually the voices began to fade away. I heard car doors open and close as vehicles pulled away. I waited till the last vehicle had gone on its way. I still had one thing to do. I had written a letter to my dad. The one I should have given to him months ago. The letter he deserved to have but I had never sent to him. I knelt down into the earthen grave and gently placed it on his coffin with a small metal paperweight shaped into a wolf. It was all I could give him at this point. As I stayed kneeling over his grave a single beam of sunlight cascaded down into the grave and illuminated the paperweight. I reached my hand out to catch its warmth and I felt my father’s spirit wash over me. It almost felt good…but the fleeting moment was short lived as the clouds quickly consumed the light. I closed my eyes and I could feel the tears well up. In that instance, a familiar cold feminine hand touched my shoulder and I knew it was Bella. Without saying a word I reached up to place my hand to hers. She leaned over and spoke softly in my ear.”Jacob…there is someone here to see you” But I didn’t respond at first. A light breeze blew against my back as I felt another feminine hand come to rest on my other shoulder. I very warm hand. I heard a familiar heart beat but I was too afraid to move fearing it was only a dream. Then her voice spoke to me. “Jacob, it’s me…Nessie.” I cupped my free hand around hers as well.
“Hi girls.” I whispered to them.
“Jacob…Edward and I are going home. Please bring Nessie home by 9pm”
“Sure Bella” I said but still I hadn’t moved yet. I heard the Volvo pull away as Nessie knelt by my side. She lightly brushed my hair from my face and kissed my cheek. I knew I wasn’t dreaming. I could smell her sweet fragrance. Her warmth by my side. I gently wrapped my arms around her and embraced her.
“Jacob…I’m so sorry”
“For what…”
“For kissing you, for ruining everything”
I couldn’t believe my own ears. I stood up and pulled her in front of me as I locked my eyes on her with disbelief and shook my head.
“How can you say that? To me. How can you?’ I hissed
“I just can’t believe-“
“Nessie don’t. Don’t you dare reg