Fighting Fate

Jake's eyes were closed, but he was still awake. She could tell by his breathing.

"Hey, Bella," he rasped. Any other time, this would have bothered her, but he was drugged up on morphine now and wasn't really aware.

"That's insulting, but I'll forgive you for it this time," she said, making Jake's eyes shoot open. He tried to sit up, but hissed in pain and sank back down. "Careful, cowboy." She walked over to his bed, sitting carefully next to his head, on his uninjured side.

"Well, even though this is a morphine induced hallucination, I'll take what I can get," he mumbled, patting the bed beside him. Taking the hint, Hunter snuggled into his side, wrapping her fingers around his uninjured hand.

"I'm not a hallucination, Jake," she told him, staring down into his eyes, which were slightly glazed due to the morphine.

"Of course you are," he responded, his nose crinkling in thought. "But that's okay. I'll enjoy it while it's here."

"Go to sleep, Jake," she sighed, propping her head up on her hand. "I'll be here when you wake up, I promise." Nodding sleepily, Jake's eyes closed again, and he slowly fell asleep.

---

He woke up confused. There was someone beside him and he didn't know who. Yesterday was a pain-blurred mess, and he didn't remember some of it.

"Morning, sleepyhead," the person next to him mumbled groggily. "Still think I'm a hallucination?" Jake was more than stunned to see Hunter raise her head from its resting place on his chest, untangling her fingers from his to push her messy hair out of her face.

"You were actually here," he said, awed. "You actually came back."

"Duh," she replied. "The guy I'm destined to be with forever was hurt. I couldn't stay in New York."

"But how'd you know?" he asked, confused.

"Sam called me," she lied flawlessly. She didn't want to tell him that she'd felt the same pain he had. "Told me what happened. I took the soonest flight. Pissed off a bunch of people when I cut the line, too." Jake winced as his laugh jostled his still healing ribs. "Stay put, I'm gonna go get food." She climbed nimbly from the bed, leaning down to press a chaste kiss to his lips. "I'm glad you're okay." Then she left, and he could hear her bustling around in the kitchen.

"Well, this is a sight I could get used to," Billy said, rolling in. Laughing, Hunter poured pancake batter into the skillet.

"Imprints are ridiculous, Billy," she told him, smiling. "So you might as well get used to it. I have a feeling I'll be here for a very long time."

"I'm okay with that," Billy replied. "You're good for Jake. Even if he was an ass at first, he cares about you. And if he has to spend forever without you, it'll make both of us very sad."

"Well, I'm not going anywhere," Hunter announced. "Here, you can have yours first. Jake can wait." She piled a few pancakes onto a plate and handed it to Billy. "Besides, I have to make more for Jake. He could eat three horses and still be hungry." She smiled as she heard a roar of laughter from the direction of Jake's room. She turned back to the stove and lit all four burners, filling four skillets with pancake batter. It took a while, but she made Jake a huge plateful, and took a couple from the top for herself. She wasn't the best cook in the world, but she was good at making pancakes.

"Finally!" Jake exclaimed as Hunter came into his room carrying their plates. "I'm starving!"

"You're always starving, you bottomless pit," she teased, handing him his plate and helping him sit up. "Which is why it's never going to stop being a bitch to cook for you."

"You're staying?" he exclaimed, his pancakes forgotten.

"Forever," she responded, smiling. Glad he hadn't put syrup on them yet, he tossed his pancakes aside and pulled Hunter onto his lap, kissing her, just like he had on the beach the day she left.

This time, though, she kissed him back.

"I can't believe I get to do that forever," he breathed, his lips inches from hers. Giggling breathlessly, she rolled her eyes, glancing at the mess of pancakes on the floor.

"God damn it, now I have to make you more pancakes."