Just Say Those Three Words

I looked up at the dark sky, with Jacob by my side, keeping me warm in his fiery hold. Quil's party was still on, but we were long past late for it. We had sat in the woods and talked for the most part.

We had started thumb wrestling out of boredom, and so far, he had won all of them, with no surprise.

"What's your favorite cartoon?" he asked, starting the wrestling match again, not concentrating as much as I was.

"Uh… you're gonna laugh," I answered, looking at our hands. "It's a kid's show."

"So? I watch Rugrats, remember."

"Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends."

He smiled. "That's awesome." He pinned my thumb down and smirked at me. "Best 10 out of 15?" he joked.

"What's your best memory from whenever?" I asked, frowning as we once again started the thumb war.

He smiled, "You're gonna laugh now."

"Maybe, but I just told you my favorite cartoon was one designed for five year olds."

"Today."

I looked at him and smiled. "I'm not laughing. Why?"

"Because I told you how I felt, and you didn't run away. Because I showed you that I was monster, and you didn't scream."

I smiled and brought my face closer to his, putting my non-wrestling hand on his cheek. "Don't flatter yourself," I joked. "Anyone else and I would have run away. It's only 'cause you're a good kisser," I said matter-of-factly.

He laughed and kissed my nose. "See, I knew there was a reason you kept me around."

I shrugged. "I couldn't possibly know how good a kisser you were two days ago."

"I have a fan club," he smirked.

"Speaking of fan clubs," I said, "Quil's probably wondering where we are."

He nodded in agreement. "Wanna go?" he asked, standing up and pulling me beside him.

"How far is it?" I asked.

"A five minute run," he answered. He stared at me for a second, and then turned around. "You can just get on," he said.

"Oh," I said, sounding stupid and confused. I used his shoulders to pull myself on his back, then wrapped my legs around his waist.

He waited to make sure I was secure, then took off running. The cold Washington air stung at my face as Jake ran through the woods, easily maneuvering around trees and stones. The heat radiating from Jacob countered the wind, and I felt comfortably warm, snuggling into his back, his smell filling my lungs with every breath. It was musky, like a country cabin with a warm fire.

As Jake had predicted, after five minutes, he slowed to a halt and let me slide off his back.

"I know it's not the best transportation, but you can't always be the wolf whisperer," he smiled, ruffling my hair playfully.

"I don't mind either way," I said, grabbing his hand and walking with him out of the woods, where a house sat alone. Through the windows, I could see a laughing Embry and Quil, standing up and doing what looked like a 'charades' type dance. "Are they always like that?" I asked, nodding towards the window.

He smirked, " 'Fraid so."

I smiled. Jacob opened the back door, which led into a kitchen. On the table was piles of snacks like chips and cookies. At the stove, a lady was cooking something that smelled yummy. Upon closer inspection, it smelled like beef stew.

"Emily, you know you're my favorite, right," Jacob said, inhaling the scent of the stew.
'Emily' turned, showing her pretty face with three scars on the right side of her face. "Of course you can have some first, Jacob," she smiled, moving out of the way so Jake could scoop it into a bowl.

"Emily, this is Delilah," he said. "Dee, Emily's Sam's imprint," he explained, offering me a bowl.

"Hi," I smiled to Emily, helping myself to a smaller portion of soup.

"Sam told me about the freak-out you caused Jacob." She smiled reassuringly, then scanned us. "You two are cute," she added, getting several bowls for the remaining boys.

Jake smiled and winked at me, then walked to living room, leaving Emily and I in the kitchen. From the sound of the laughter and chatter, it seemed like a boys night to me.

"Need any help?" I offered, standing next to Emily at the counter.

"Sure," she answered, handing me a pot full of the stew. I noticed she had two large pots full of identical food.

"Why two pots?" I asked.

"They can go through a week's worth of food in a few hours."

I let my mouth shape into an 'oh' and nodded.

"Sam said you might be one, too," Emily said, not needing to explain what she meant.

"My dad was, back in the day," I said, shrugging casually. "I have no idea how to feel about it."

She sighed. "At least you know. At least you've got people to help you through it." She continued scooping up the stew until all the bowls were filled to the brim, then sighed and sat down at the table. "I hope this doesn't happen to you," she whispered, smiling sadly at me.

I raised my eyebrows. "What?"

She rubbed her hand across her prominent scars. "I hope Jake can control himself better than Sam."

I sighed and sat across from her. I didn't know what to say, since I had no idea what had happened, but I reached out and held her hand. "I trust Jake more than anything."

"I know. I feel for anyone who imprints on a werewolf. There's always a chance of pain."

I smiled at her. "It's worth it though, isn't it?" I asked.

"Obviously. That level of commitment and adoration is always worth it."