Just the Way You Are

Eve didn't get a wink of sleep the previous night. It was by far the worst night she ever had. Why? She had spent most of it crying her eyes out, just letting her emotions go on a wild rampage inside her hotel room. She was back in Washington for her mother's funeral today, but she had decided to stay at a different hotel than her parents who chose the regular motel in Forks. Eve was all the way in Seattle, at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel. She didn't want to stay in the La Push area more than was needed.

Her room's phone began to ring and she turned on her side, grabbing the phone and placing it to her ear. "Hello...?" She mumbled.

"Hello, Miss Blair, this is your morning wake up call." A cheery, female voice greeted.

"Oh, thank you, and good morning." She chuckled out.

"Good morning to you, too, Miss Blair. If there is anything else we can do for you, please let us know."

"Alright, thank you. Goodbye."

With that, she hung up the phone and sat up in her bed. Eve pushed herself off the furniture and towards her suitcase where she sighed as she got out her clothes from her luggage and laid them out on her bed. Then she headed into the bathroom, turned on the shower, and jumped in once the temperature was at the right setting.

Memories of her mom and her flooded Eve's mind and her heart began to break inside. She remembered how Darla would always use to tease her about everything. She remembered how Darla always told her how proud she was of her daughter and everything she had accomplished so far in life. She remembered how Darla would tuck her in at night as a child. She remembered the hugs and kisses she was given. She remembered exchanging "I love you"s with one another.

That was the thing she missed the most.

And she would give anything to hear her mom say those three words again...

She soon realized that she was crying once more and with a scoff, she dunked her head under the shower head and let her tears mix with the water.

After a few more minutes, she stepped out of the bathroom with a towel around her waist and went back into her room. She dried off, got dressed and did her hair and make up. She decided to curl her hair, just as her mom had always loved it. After she got ready, she looked at the clock and noticed she was right on time. It was going to be six in a few minutes.

She sighed as she slipped on her shoes and grabbed her purse, stashing her belongings inside it. Eve then left her hotel room, made her way down the hall and into the elevator. When Eve exited the building, she waited for the valet to bring her rental car, which, when he did, earned her and the vehicle stares from employees and bystanders. She had rented an Audi A5 Cabriolet and everyone couldn't help but stare in awe at the sleek machine.

Eve quickly tipped the young man who had fetched her car, and got inside, throwing her purse into the passenger side. After buckling in and getting comfortable, she went speeding out of the parking garage and into the streets of Seattle. Before she got onto the highway, she stopped at a drive through so her stomach would be able to hold over for the three and a half hour drive to La Push.

The only sounds that were made for the entire ride were the radio that scanned different stations every so often, and her as she softly munched on her food. When she entered the familiar area of Forks, her stomach began to twist itself around inside as she grew anxious.

The cemetery came into view and she saw numerous cars that she recognized and a few that she didn't. Her eyes scanned over the car's dashboard and saw the clock read 9:50. The service started at ten sharp. Eve was glad that she had made it on time.

After finding a parking spot, she walked into the building and saw everyone congregated at the front of the church. She eyed the the boys and noticed that he wasn't there. Jacob was missing. Jacob had deserted her once again...

And that hurt like hell.

Eve made her way up to the front where her dad, Joanne, and Dylan sat, hiding the hurt she was going through right now because the two people she loved the most weren't here.

It was his choice, Eve. It means he's not worth your attention. Besides... this is your last day with your mom. Put all your love towards her. She told herself.

As Eve sat down by her dad, he wrapped his arm around her body and pulled her into his body. The action made her falter, it made her whimper and want to break down and cry for the umpteenth time in the few hours she had been awake.

"Don't cry Eve, your mom wouldn't want that." He whispered.

"I know..." She choked out softly, beginning to calm herself down.

The ceremony began and it all went by like a blur to Eve. Her eyes remained solely on the open casket in front of her and they never left for a second. Soon it was time for people to get their last glimpse of Darla before they closed the casket. Evan nudged his daughter lightly for her to be the first one up to say her goodbyes, and she got up from her seat slowly.

She could feel the eyes of everyone in the church boring into her back. She had never been so nervous in all her life. It was worse than being on a runway. She walked up the casket and looked inside, Darla lay there with an emotionless face and her arms straight by her side. Eve was upset when she saw the way her mom's arms were positioned, she thought Darla looked stiff, uncomfortable.

Without a second thought, she reached into the casket and immediately heard everyone shift uneasily in their seat. Eve positioned her mother's arms so they were on her stomach, fingers meshed together, almost as if she were waiting for something to happen. Eve looked down at her own hand and noticed her ring. On more than one occasion, she had noticed Darla looking at it in awe and so Eve removed the piece of jewelry from her finger and placed it onto her mom's.

"I love you, mom. You were what any little girl could ask for and more..." Eve whispered as she moved a stray strand of hair from Darla's face. "Thank you for everything."

Eve felt tears swell up in her eyes and a hand was placed on her shoulder. She turned and saw Evan standing there beside her, tears in his own eyes as well. Without a second thought, she buried her face in his chest and let her salty tears soak his shirt.

He shushed her softly, rubbing her back and swaying back and forth with her in his arms. "Shh... it's alright, Eve. Daddy's here." And for the first time in a long time... it felt like he was saying the truth. Daddy was here. He was no longer just a father, but a dad. That was what Eve needed to hear the most right now.

Evan escorted Eve back to the seat and they both sat down. Eve was soon beginning to collect herself and after everyone had said their goodbyes, everyone got into their cars and followed the hearse to the grave plot.

Eve didn't hold back her tears like she had when she was in the church. She let them cascade down freely inside the car. She soon parked the car and got off along with everyone else, but not before wiping her face clean of tears. They all heard the pastor say a few more words about Darla and after everyone had placed a rose onto the casket, everyone walked away and let the workers slowly lower it into the ground. Eve watched from her car and kept her distance from everyone.

"You holding up alright?"

Eve turned her head slightly to the side to see Dylan standing there beside her, a concerned expression occupying her face. Eve could see a few tear stains on her pale cheeks and she turned away immediately, afraid that if she saw them more tears would leave her eyes like a water spout.

"As best I can..." Eve replied hoarsely.

Dylan walked to her sister and engulfed her in a hug. "I know that I may not have known her for a long time, Eve, but she meant a lot to me, too. And I know that she wouldn't want you to be going through all this emotional pain because of her. Mourning her is fine, it shows that you loved her a lot, but enjoy the fact that she's in a better place and can look down at you from above and be proud of you from there."

Eve squeezed her sister tightly. "I'm so lucky to have you as a sister, Dyl."

"Eve!" Her and Dylan separated and she saw Emily making her way over to them. "It's good to see you again, Eve. Everyone's coming over to our house right now for brunch, I made loads of food. You should join us, Eve."

"I'm sorry, Emily, I can't. I have a plan to catch later today."

"Eve, what are you talking about?" Evan questioned his daughter with a curious smile after overhearing their conversation. "Our flight doesn't leave until tomorrow morning."

"I switched flights."

Evan, knowing why his daughter didn't want to stay, only nodded his head in understanding. "Alright well, have a safe flight and call us when you land so we know you made it safe and sound. Is Anthony going to pick you up?"

"I will, and yes, I called him yesterday and let him know."

"Good." Evan then took his daughter into a hug and let her go seconds after. "Well, we'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay, bye dad."

Eve got into her car and revved up the engine, attracting everyone's attention to the vehicle. She buckled herself in and then took off down the street, leaving the group of people behind.

I can't wait to get back to LA. The less time spent here the better. She thought. "Once I get back to work, I won't have to think about this place or anyone here again..."

She couldn't wait for a distraction.

Jacob looked at his humble, red home and sighed. He had a feeling that he would be chewed out by Billy when he walked inside that house. He had been gone for about a month just wandering around the state of Washington and a few parts of Canada, not wanting to be anywhere Eve had been so she wouldn't be in his mind. He soon realized that it backfired. Eve consumed his thoughts the more he didn't want to think about her.

He missed her with everything he had...

He loved her with everything he had...

And he guessed that his love simply wasn't good enough.

She deserves someone better anyways... He concluded, and soon his feet carried his bulky self towards the door and into the home.

As he closed the door behind himself, it creaked loudly and heard a soft noise from the kitchen. "Jake, is that you?" Billy's voice questioned.

His father soon wheeled himself out and Jacob looked at his dad with concern. Billy's eyes were red and glossy, and underneath them were black, round circles, it looked like he hadn't slept for ages. He also looked pale and ghostly, and he wondered if he had been taking care of himself while he was away.

"Hey dad... I'm sorry about being gone..." He apologized, mumbling an "again" under his breath softly.

"Jacob, you have to stop doing this." His father ordered. "Just because you're able to protect yourself when you're on your own doesn't mean that you should just abandon everyone and leave to only God knows where! Where have you been anyways?"

"Around..." He lamely replied.

Billy, not really caring about his son's excuse, dismissed the matter and sighed tiredly as a wave of exhaustion overcame him. Now that he knew his boy was back home safe and sound, he knew he could rest soundly, and the thought of sleeping simply made him want to slump in his chair and doze off.

Jacob, noticing this change in his dad's demeanor, then got behind him and began to wheel him towards his room. "C'mon, dad... let's get you to bed."

"Thank you, son..." Billy murmured through a yawn.

After he had gotten his dad into bed, Jacob went straight to the bathroom. He turned the faucet and stepped into the cold shower, the droplets turning to steam as they hit his russet skin. He lathered himself well with soap to get the dirt and grime off since he hadn't had a shower in weeks, and stepped out after a good ten minutes or so. He wrapped a towel around his waist and then walked out of the small room and into his own. Jacob dried himself off before slipping into a pair of clean boxers and getting into his bed. It took him more than an hour to find a comfortable position on the bed. Soon he fell asleep, dreaming of the many days when he and Eve had each other and nothing else.

Eve was panting as she tried to catch her breath the next morning. She had just ran a mile straight on the treadmill and hadn't taken a break since she started working out at five o'clock, and with a curious glance, she noticed that it was now nearing six.

"I'll do ten minutes on the elliptical and then finish by walking on the treadmill to cool down." She decided. Her body made its way towards another machine, though detoured itself by sitting down on a bench and grabbing a water bottle. "But first, rest..."

After she caught her breath and was hydrated, she got up and got onto the elliptical, working out her entire body on the machine. After her ten minutes she got back onto the treadmill for a slow walk to cool down. When she was finished, Eve tiredly left the small in-home gym and sauntered down the hallway, up the stairs and into her room. She grabbed some clothes before heading on into the bathroom for a shower.

When she was finished getting dressed, she plopped herself down on her couch and just relaxed for a while in silence. After watching an episode of Oprah where she said that sitting in pure silence for at least ten minutes would increase her overall happiness, Eve had made it apart of her daily schedule. So far, it was working.

Eve's phone began to vibrate in her pocket and she got it out immediately. It was a text from Joanne.

Good morning Eve, the collection designer, Todd Thomas just arrived at the building. You should come in at 9 o'clock sharp for the fitting. See you soon, honey. — Joanne.

Eve looked at the clock and noticed it was 7:45, and she decided that she would leave in thirty minutes or so to dodge the usual Los Angeles traffic. She watched television for the next half hour and then gathered her things as she left the house. She got into her dad's black BMW M6 convertible and then drove towards downtown Los Angeles. As predicted, there was hellish traffic to deal with, though thankfully she made it right on time.

Eve rode the elevator up the large skyscraper to her floor and got off. Eve then entered the room Joanne told her about, and she walked inside to be greeted with thousands of cheery hellos, at which she responded by waving her hands with a large grin and a soft hello back. Eve then took notice of a few cameras in the back, and realized that they were recording this for television when the fashion show aired live.

"Hello, Eve." Todd greeted her with a smile.

Eve smiled happily back at Todd and let out a soft laugh. "Hello, Todd!" She greeted cheerily.

"Alright Eve, we'll just get started right off the bat if that's alright with you."

"That's perfect."

"Great! We'll start off with your first outfit for the show." He explained.

Eve then got into her first outfit and was applauded. It was for the third segment of the show which was called "Game On". All the models would be sporting outfits that represent a different sport. Eve's outfit was the great American pastime... baseball. The next outfit she put on was from the last segment of the show, which was "Pink". So far, this was Eve's favorite because it was flirty and fun. The last outfit was from the fourth segment which was "Heavenly Bodies".

Eve came out in a white bra and panties that both had golden glitter in a swirl-like pattern on the front. She smiled at everyone who looked her way and they nodded in approval.

"Ooh, that's very nice, Eve." Joanne smiled from ear-to-ear.

"Yes, I agree. It fits you perfectly." Todd nodded.

"Thanks," Eve laughed happily. Todd then picked up some papers and walked over to Eve, showing her the rest of her outfit. "It's beautiful..." Eve murmured in awe.

Todd only smiled before turning to Eve with a grin. "There's part of your outfit that's not here yet... and it's white... and fluffy."

"Oh my God..." Eve gasped shakily, soon realizing what he was talking about. Wings...! I'm getting my first wings...! Eve thought, and she immediately covered her face as her eyes teared up. "Seriously...?"

"Like this." Todd stated, and had someone bring over a pair of similar wings.

Eve's tears slowly escaped her eyes as she saw them and for some reason or another... she thought of Darla. She felt that if she put them on, she could almost fly away with them, crazy as it sounds. Eve felt closer to her mom and she hugged Todd tightly.

"Thank you so much... I'm so excited."

Eve then slipped them on and walked around the room, modeling the outfit.

"Amazing!!" Joanne cried. "They look gorgeous."

Everyone then applauded and Eve grinned uncontrollably. She wouldn't be surprised if her cheeks hurt after this. The cameraman then walked up to her and asked her how it felt. She turned to him and simply smiled and laughed. "It's a total dream come true. It's a fantasy."

"Guys...! Sit your butts down on the couch and watch this..!" Dylan hollered from Sam's living room.

"What do you want, Dylan?" Paul muttered.

"Just shut up and sit down!! It's the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show!"

Paul then jumped over the couch and plopped down next to her. "Why didn't you just say so...?"

"You damn pervert," She mumbled, but then corrected herself by making it plural when the rest of the guys sat down just as fast.

Jacob sat on the ground, head leaned back against the arm rest of the couch as he drank a Coca-Cola.

"My mom called me and she told me the greatest news! Eve's in it! Can you believe it? She's going to look so gorgeous walking down the runway!"

"Really? She is?" Emily asked with a smile, and then grabbed the remote and pushing a button. "Then I'm going to record this on the DVR." She chuckled.

"Whoo!" Paul cheered. "Thank you, Emily!"

"Paul, shut up!! This is fashion, not time for you to stare at girls' boobs and butts!"

"Oh please, you know the reason why this thing gets so many viewers is because they stare at their boobs!" Paul retorted.

"Paul, shut up, you're annoying Dylan." Embry glared.

"Whatever, lover boy, you're almost as bad as Sam and Emily, I swear."

"Look who's talking. You don't even realize how mushy and lovey-dovey you are with Rachel, Paul." Sam stated. "Now be quiet, no more fighting."

As if on cue, the program started. It showed dozens of models getting their hair and make-up done and Jacob's heart fluttered when he saw a glimpse of Eve getting her eyelashes curled. It showed a few of the models making their way towards the stage and the first segment of the show, "Tough Love", began. Dylan talked nonstop about the girls who she knew closely and cheered each of them on. After the models finished, there was a small interview session where the models talked about one another. When Eve came up, Jacob only smiled and licked his lips.

"Looks like Jake over here's getting a little heated." Paul taunted.

"Paul, shut the fuck up." Jacob growled.

"Paul, shut up or you can go and run patrols right now with Leah."

"Shutting up now."

After a few commercial's, the next segment, "Country Girls", began. One of the models from earlier, Candice, came up first as she explained what it felt like to get ready for and be on the runway. Dylan stared in awe at the clothes they wore and wished she could have been there modeling, but when she looked and saw Embry sitting there watching the television, she smiled and realized that she had made the right decision. After the last model left the runway, there was a small part in which the models told the camera what they believed they were: an angel or a devil? Eve responded with "One hundred percent angel" which caused Jacob to mentally agree with her decision.

The next segment, "Game On", came up and Dylan squealed out loud.

"Eve's in this one! Eve's in this one!!" She screamed.

That caused everyone to scoot a little closer to the television and watch it with that much more interest. The first two went by and then out came the third one. The cameraman followed her from behind and when she lifted up her arms to get the crowd going, Dylan squealed.

"That's her! That's Eve!"

"How can you tell?" Embry asked.

"She always does that when she first walks out! It's like her signature move!" She laughed out.

Jacob knew it was her when she got into better lighting. He could never forget that wonderful tan skin that always looked so soft. When she was at the front of the runway, Eve, popped one hip out and acted as if she were batting at a baseball game. As she walked away from the camera, Jacob stared at her curves and wished he could let his hands move over them like he used to.

After more commercials, the next segment, "Heavenly Bodies", began. The models then began to talk about the legacy of wearing wings in the fashion show. Jacob smiled as he saw Eve come into the picture and model one of her outfits for Todd. His heart broke a little when she began to cry over hearing that she was getting wings, but he was happy for her overall. He had to agree with Joanne, she did look amazing.

Akon then began to sing "Angel" and when the tempo picked up, Eve was the first to come out with her hands high in the air, swaying them back and forth with the biggest smile he had ever seen her wear. He was ecstatic to see her looking so happy. He did end up growling when Akon looked her over a bit, though, causing everyone to softly laugh at him.

The next segment, "Wild Things", came up and this time, Eve wasn't in it, which caused them to lose some interest in it. Dylan and Emily, however, were a different story. They were mostly interested in seeing the outfits, and they weren't disappointed.

Eve was backstage, getting ready for the final part of the fashion show. It was saddening that it was already ending so quickly. It felt like it hadn't even been ten minutes since they started, but it had been a while in actuality. Eve got into her final outfit with help from the many assistants and they began to do hair and make-up again.

"You're doing great, Eve." They complimented.

"Thanks, guys." She smiled appreciatively.

Her phone began to vibrate on the table and she reached out for it and read her new text.

You're killing it, Eve!! We're so proud of you!! I love you, baby sis! — Dylan

Thanks, Dyl! I'm so happy to hear it! Love you, too!! — Eve

After quickly sending the text, she was being called to the runway. She then dashed off in her six inch heels and got in line with the other models and was handed her accessory which was a bubble gun. As Behati was passing by to get to the front of the line, she stopped when she saw Eve.

"Eve, you're a natural, you're doing a great job!" She smiled.

"Thank you, Behati." Eve laughed and hugged her friend tightly. "Go out there and rock it."

"You know it." She replied with a wink.

As the last segment, "PINK", started Katy Perry began to sing "Teenage Dream", to which the models began to walk along to. Eve was the last one out and she aimed her bubble gun at all the people and pulled the trigger, shooting out small orbs from the gun. When she reached the front of the runway, she pointed it at the camera, shot out the bubbles and blew at the tip of the toy gun before once again shooting out more bubbles. As she made her way back the runway, she put her hands high in the air and began to wave them as she shot out more bubbles and when she left, Katy Perry finished the song.

Seconds later, all the models came back out and everyone began to scan them for Eve, soon finding her a few from the front. They all laughed at Eve as she swayed and danced on the catwalk, finding her moves quite entertaining. Afterwards, they left the stage and the credits began to roll.

Eve sighed out tiredly after getting her regular clothes back on. Tonight had been a complete and utter success. Nothing could bring her down right now.

Her phone began to buzz and she looked at the caller ID. Her eyes grew wide and she was unsure of what to do.

Nothing could bring her down... except a call from Jacob Black.

She didn't end up answering the phone, she was too shocked to pick it up, not to mention a little frustrated. If he had wanted to talk, why didn't he call earlier? He had a whole month...! Now he's calling her after she got off the runway for a televised fashion show...?

She felt disgusted. It's almost like he's turning into Jesse. She thought. Wanting to talk to me after I do something big... and here I thought he was different.

"So much for that..." She mumbled.

"Hey, Eve!"

Eve turned and saw Lily and Erin walking towards her and she smiled and waved. "Hey Lily, Erin," She greeted. "What's up?"

"Nothing," Erin shrugged. "We were just wondering if you were going to come to the after party?"

"Hell yeah," She nodded. A good party sounded like the perfect distraction to get her mind off Jacob.

"Cool, let's go." Lily smiled and took hold of Eve's hand.

When they arrived at the after party, Eve was starstruck. She saw Vin Diesel, Paris Hilton, and a few other notorious celebrities just hanging around and chatting it up with others. Erin had slipped away, being without a doubt swept away by the large crowd of people, and Eve was left with Lily.

"C'mon, I'll introduce you to my boyfriend." She smiled.

Eve followed and soon found Lily's boyfriend to be none other than Caleb Followill from Kings of Leon. They began to chit chat after being introduce and then another joined their group.

"Hey Chris," Caleb greeted.

"Hey," Chris replied back.

"Chris, you remember my girlfriend, Lily, right?" Caleb inquired, to which Chris nodded back with a smile.

"It's nice to see you again, Lily."

"You, too, Chris."

Chris looked over and saw Eve standing there and he smiled kindly at her. "Hi, I'm Chris Smith." He greeted, and stuck out his hand for her to shake.

"Evangeline Blair, but people call me Eve." And she shook his hand delicately.

"It's very nice to meet you, Eve... very nice."

"The feeling is mutual." She laughed out.

The two of them stared into each other's eyes and Eve realized that the distraction just became a whole lot sweeter...