Just the Way You Are

Eve groaned in pain as her hands went to her head, massaging it gently in an attempt to soothe her aching brain.

"I'm never drinking again for the rest of my life." She mumbled softly as she sat up in her bed.

She noticed another body next to her underneath the blankets. Slowly, she took hold of the fabric and brought it down to see who it was. Dylan was face down in one of Eve's pillows, snoring away softly.

Eve looked at the clock and noticed it was 7:50, the alarm programmed to go off at eight o'clock. Better just wake her up myself instead of the clock.

Eve's hand then went to her sister's shoulder. "Dyl... Dyl, you gotta wake up now. It's time to wake up." Eve's voice whispered.

The older sister groaned and buried her head underneath the pillow. "Shut up, Eve. Lemme sleep."

"Dylan, you gotta wake up or else we'll miss the flight."

"What's your point?"

"If you don't get on that airplane, you're not gonna see Embry till January since I'm pretty sure all the flights are booked for Christmas."

The blond shot up straight, rolling out of bed and onto the floor with a hard thud. "I'm up!"

Eve smiled at her sister and got up as well from the bed. She walked over to her closet and began to think about what she should wear. Eve dug through her entire closet, but didn't find anything that she liked.

She sighed and shrugged her shoulders. Today's not going to be anything special. Besides, I'm just going to the airport. She decided, and then picked up some random clothes.

Eve headed into the bathroom and then hopped into the shower. As she scrubbed her body with her fruity body wash and hummed, she began to think about what she would do when she arrived at La Push, and more importantly what she would do if she ran into Jacob.

The simple thought of his name caused goosebumps to arise on her skin and a cold chill surge throughout her body.

I'll just deal with whatever happens. She concluded.

As she finished up her quick shower, she grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her torso, soon drying off with it minutes later. She got dressed in her casual clothes and walked out of the bathroom, hair still wet and wrapped up in a towel atop her head. Dylan was just barely getting her clothes together and then approached Eve.

"What do you think I should wear? I want to look nice for Embry when he picks us up!"

Eve looked at the choices her sister had shown her and shrugged. "Well, you look good in both of them, but I think that neither would be best for the weather." Eve replied while examining the thin, halter tops. "Why don't you wear the Astrid Henley t-Shirt that's in my closet? It's a long sleeve. Just wear it with some jeans and accessorize it with a belt around your waist. It'll look cute."

Dylan nodded furiously and then began to get the clothes together, making a mad dash to the bathroom for a morning shower. Eve laughed at her sister before she made her way over towards the large vanity mirror that was next to her dresser. Eve plugged in her hair dryer and then got to work, deciding that she would straighten her hair. After a few minutes, she turned off the machine and went to her suitcase. Eve placed a few days worth of clothes inside, along with a few different shoes, and zipped it up.

Dylan came out of the bathroom, looking refreshed and dressed, and made her way over to the dryer, doing the same thing that Eve had done moments earlier. When both girls were finished it was nearing nine o'clock.

Eve grabbed her carry on backpack, which held a few things to keep her entertained during the flight, and slung it over her shoulder, Dylan doing the same thing. The step-sisters then gathered their things and went downstairs and out the door, where Anthony was pulling the car around to the front.

"Good morning, Dylan, Eve." He greeted as he got out of the car, taking their luggage. "Happy 18th, Eve."

"Thank you, Anthony." Eve smiled and thanked him. "And good morning to you, too."

"Good morning, Anthony." Dylan replied.

After Anthony had loaded the luggage into the car, Evan and Joanne came out, giving their kids a hug goodbye. Evan squeezed Eve tightly and kissed the top of her head lovingly.

"Happy Birthday, Eve. I hope that today's going to be great for you. Be safe and have fun. Do me a favor and place a few flowers on Darla's grave for me, yeah?"

"Thanks, dad, and of course I'll put flowers."

"Great, thank you, Eve."

"Goodbye, dad."

"Bye, Eve, have a good flight."

The plane once more came into contact with the ground, slightly jerking everyone in the plane. It also caused for both Dylan and Eve to awake from their quick nap. Eve groaned in discomfort. The plane's engine was so loud and it wouldn't stop ringing in her ears. It was a miracle that she had even fell asleep in the first place.

Once the airplane came to a full and complete stop, Dylan and Eve remained seated, deciding that they would leave last so they wouldn't have to deal with the chaos of everyone standing up at the same time. As a majority disembarked the plane, they then took their turn, grabbing their things and quickly walking off the craft as well. After receiving their luggage from baggage claim, they headed out and onto the street, beginning to search for Embry.

Eve realized that they didn't need to search for long since Embry came up behind Dylan and hugged her from behind. She turned around his arms and kissed him happily in return. Eve smiled at the loving sight and then looked away, feeling awkward. When their lips finished their reunion, Embry smiled at Eve.

"Hey Eve, long time no see."

"Yea, it's really been a while, Embry." Eve agreed.

"Well, come on ladies, the car is this way."

After getting settled in the car, Embry was backing up and getting onto the road. Embry, excited to have his girlfriend back, began to talk to her, asking her how her trip was and what she did. Dylan and Embry had to grimace a bit when Embry began talking. He was talking rather loud so they could hear him over the radio and it was hurting their heads.

Immediately, Dylan lowered the radio and turned to her boyfriend. "Um, Embry, could you maybe not speak as loud? We both have a little bit of a hangover..."

"Alright, but please don't drink anymore, Dylan. I don't want anything to happen to you. This goes for you, too, Eve. Besides, Jake would go absolutely nuts if he found out." The mood became tense and Dylan had the need to slap her beau upside the head.

Eve changed the topic in no time at all. "Dylan, did you see Chris last night? I don't think I saw him."

"Oh, you saw him alright," She chuckled out. "You did more than see him."

"What are you talking about?"

"He got there about thirty minutes after midnight, and you were already pretty drunk by then. Seriously Eve, you're an incredible light-weight." Dylan laughed.

"Dylan..."

"Sorry, sorry. Anyways, so he found you dancing with me and then stole you away. I followed you and eavesdropped on the conversation out of curiosity. Long story short, he asked why you weren't returning his texts because that he really liked you and wanted to know why you didn't want to be with him. Then you laughed in his face and told him that you loved someone else, for a few seconds you acted sober and told him he was a nice guy, but just wasn't right for you and that there were other fish in the sea."

Eve couldn't believe herself.

Yup, I'm never drinking again for the rest of my life.

Embry was soon pulling up to Eve's old home and she felt happy when she saw that it was looking well kept. The dark green grass was mowed, the porch was swept, the few potted plants were watered and looking healthy, and the house looked homier than ever.

"Oh, Embry! You fixed the house up!" Dylan grinned. "It looks beautiful!"

Embry chuckled and grinned himself when she kissed his cheek. "Yea, I thought you'd like it. What about you, Eve? Do you like it?"

"Yes, I love it, Embry. Thank you for doing it."

Dylan, Embry and Eve got off the Yukon and carried their luggage into the house. Embry helped Dylan move back into the guest room while Eve moved back into her old one. Eve decided there wasn't a need to unpack, she would only be staying for a few days until her flight back to Los Angeles.

As she set her things down onto the ground, her head throbbed with a headache. There was a soft rasping on her door and she opened it without a second thought.

"Hey, how you feeling?" Dylan inquired gingerly, walking inside with a cup of what looked like juice.

"Headache." She replied, and sat down on her bed, her sister doing the same and plopping down beside her. "What's that?"

"It's Pedialyte. Here, drink some."

"The children's drink?"

"Yea." Dylan laughed. "Emily was watching an episode of Dr. Oz and they said that this helps hangovers. I called Embry before we left Los Angeles and asked him to go get some. I don't know what I'd do without him sometimes."

"Me either." She replied as she took a sip.

"I'm sorry about Embry bringing him up in the car. I don't think he knows why you're here, so I guess he assumed that you and him were back on good terms."

"It's fine, don't worry about it."

Dylan sighed and nodded her head slowly. "Okay, well... Embry and I are going over to Emily's and Sam's, we're going to see everyone. You want to come?"

"No, thanks. I'd kinda like to get some shut eye. Tell them I say hello, though."

"Alright, I will. Sleep tight." Dylan replied, walking towards the door. "We're going to walk over there, Embry and I want to catch up, so we're leaving the car for you to go see Darla when you wake up."

"Thanks. Have fun."

Dylan nodded and gave a smile. "Bye, see you later. We'll bring you back some food from Emily's for dinner if you want. Just give me a call."

As soon as Dylan left the room, Eve was out cold on her bed. She awoke a few hours later feeling much better. She looked at the clock on her phone and saw it was going to be five o'clock. The cemetery closed at six-thirty.

Eve tossed off the blankets and sat up in bed, letting out a groggy yawn. After collecting herself, she slipped on the same converse shoes and black and grey hoodie she had on earlier. She grabbed her purse and the keys to the Yukon that were on the counter and was soon driving off towards the cemetery.

Jacob pulled up his denim shorts and slipped on his shoes before walking out into the clearing. He walked up the porch and entered the Uley home, noticing that Dylan had come back to La Push quickly.

Probably couldn't stay away from Embry... He concluded.

"Hey Jacob," She was the first one to notice his appearance. "How was your patrol?"

"Boring, but there's always the stench of that one damn vamp."

"You mean the one that was always hanging around Eve's place?"

"Yea..." He grumbled.

"Was she feeling any better when we left?" Embry questioned his imprint curiously.

Dylan nodded her head. "Yea, when we got home I gave her the Pedialyte you bought." She replied with a smile.

Jacob looked at the couple in confusion. "What are you guys talking about?"

"I didn't tell you?" Dylan looked dumbfounded. "Eve's here in La Push."

"Really? Why?" He asked, trying to sound uninterested, though he was failing horribly.

"She wanted to put flowers on Darla's grave."

Jacob's face lost it's color and everyone stared at him looking puzzled.

"Are... you okay, Jake?" Embry asked.

"She went to the cemetery?" He asked out in a rush.

"Yea, she wanted to put flowers on Darla's grave." Dylan repeated. "Why? What's wrong?"

"That damn leech's stench is all over that place!" Jacob yelled, bolting for the door, the rest of the pack following. "No!" Jacob yelled and turned around to face them.

"Dude, what are you doing?" Embry questioned.

"Eve's my imprint! I'll be the one to kill that bloodsucker!" He growled.

All was silent till Sam spoke up. "If you need back up or if anything gets out of hand you call for us." He stated.

Jacob only nodded before racing into the thick line of trees and shifting, leaving his pack in the dust, and heading to protect the one thing that he lived for.

Eve placed the bouquet of assorted flowers into the small cup that resided in the ground. While she was kneeling down, she ran her fingers over her mother's name and sighed sadly. It was hard to go through a birthday without her mother by her side.

"Hey mom..." she greeted. "Guess what... I'm officially eighteen today." Eve chuckled out emptily as a few tears made their way down her cheeks. "I really miss you... this birthday just isn't the same knowing that you're not here to wish me a happy birthday. I know that you would if you could, though. I love you so much, mom..."

"Aw... isn't that sweet...?" A raspy voice questioned.

The voice sent shivers throughout Eve's body, the hair on the back of her neck stood up and her legs immediately propelled her up and spun her around to face the man. He was taller than she was, possibly as tall as Jacob. He looked older than Jacob, but not over the age of twenty-five. His golden bangs hung in front of his blood red eyes and they contrasted greatly with his pale fair skin.

"It's you..." Eve gasped out, taking a few steps back.

The man let out a chuckle, and nodded. "So... you remember me, huh? It's the eyes isn't it? It's always the eyes." Eve couldn't find it in her to speak, she simply continued to back up, the man taking a few steps forward. "Would you like to have a name to go with these eyes of mine...?"

Eve shook her head frantically and the man bellowed out in laughter. "I'll tell you anyways..." He replied. "The name's Damien."

"Does it look like I care? Just leave me alone."

"Ooh, you've got a big mouth, especially when you're not in the position to. I would usually find it a bit annoying, but right now... it's kind of amusing."

Eve took a quick glance back and saw she was now a few steps away from the Yukon, and she quickly slipped out the keys that were in her back jean pocket. As soon as the key was out she was forced into the car with a tough shun at which she let out a yell from shock and slight pain.

"No, no, no, no, no... you're not leaving here, babe." Damien's hand swiped away the keys and threw them to the side. "You're mine."

"What are you going to do?"

"Something I've wanted to do since I smelled you..." He growled.

What isthis guy...?! Eve's mind screamed.

"However..." He smirked and leaned into her, their foreheads touching and Eve's heart racing. "Since I love to play with my food... I'll give you a thirty second head start."

"Wha-what do you mean?"

"You're wasting time..." He sung tauntingly.

Not knowing what to do, she ran for it. Eve's legs carried her as fast as they could into the trees that would, hopefully, confuse Damien and make him lose her. The thirty seconds felt like ten when she was being tackled to the dirt ground. Her blood-curdling scream echoed, and Damien laughed as he pushed her onto her back, holding her down by her forearms.

"Get off me!" Eve shrieked. "Get off me!"

"No way, babe. I've been waiting for this for a long time."

"GET OFF HER!"

Eve's head snapped to the side and saw Jacob sprinting towards them, eyes ablaze with fury, nostrils flaring, and hands balled into thick fists. Jacob jumped into the air and her eyes widened as she watched him shift. Jacob's skin erupted, being replaced by fur, and his body grew larger, the transformation happening in milliseconds. Damien was shoved off of Eve and the two supernatural beings fought for the girl. Eve pushed and kicked herself away until she stopped against a tree, using it as support to help her up as her legs continued to quiver underneath her, ready to give out at any moment.

The wolf, which Jacob had changed into, bit down into Damien's torso, shaking him around like a chew toy before tossing him aside into trees. Jacob looked at Eve and their eyes connected. Eve was concerned for him, she was worried that he would get hurt. If he did, it would be her fault. The wolf let out a howl and that's when she got the idea.

Eve didn't waste any time and sprinted away once more, letting her feet carry her to safety. Eve found it a challenge to run through the woods with leaves that made her occasionally lose her balance. She could see a clearing up ahead, and while she wasn't looking at her foot placement, she tripped over an uprooted root. Eve landed upon her palms, and gasped when she felt a sharp pain on her right hand. Eve looked at her palm and found a large cut from a rock, blood oozing out quickly.

"Shit..." She mumbled, quickly picking herself up and continuing to run towards the clearing.

Eve wished that she had stayed in the woods once realizing that she was at the edge of a cliff. Her eyes watered up and a few tears fell soon after.

"EVE!"

She looked over her shoulder and saw Jacob standing at another cliff that looked about one hundred feet away. "JAKE!" She called back. She wanted to ask what was going on, she wanted to ask why Damien was after her and when it would all be over, but her voice just wouldn't work the way she wanted it to.

"Eve, you have to jump!"

"Jake, I can't...! I'm afraid of heights!"

"Eve, you have to! Do it for me!"

Eve wiped away a few tears and walked over to the edge, staring down at the large fall. She willed her legs to bend and thrust her over the edge, though they would not budge an inch forward. Eve shook her head frantically.

"I can't! I can't do it!" She sobbed. "I just can't..."

She backed up and jumped when she bumped into something. Spinning around, she came face to face with a smirking Damien.

Jacob sprinted back into the trees, shifting and heading towards Eve and Damien with anger and the intent to kill on his mind.

"You didn't think you could get away that easily, did you, Evangeline...?" His smirk grew as he smelt the blood that flowed from the cut on her palm. He took her hand and brought it up to his mouth. "Oh...? Are you trying to make it easier for me to taste your blood? That is so thoughtful of you, Evangeline."

Damien put Eve's index finger into his mouth, sucking off a bit of blood that had resided on the finger. "Mmm..." He groaned. "Your blood... is better than I ever imagined..."

Eve tried to push Damien away, however, it were as if he were a statue, he never moved and remained where he was.

"Oh, don't be like that, Eve. Besides, I think it's time that I fully indulge myself..." Damien smirked and revealed his canines, which were much longer and sharper than any normal human's.

Eve couldn't help the scream she let out as he drew closer to her wrist with his teeth...

Out of the trees behind Damien, Jacob came shooting out in his wolf form, shoving them both off the cliff and over the edge. Eve screamed once more in fright and didn't have time to refill her lungs with air before hitting the surface of the water and diving below. Eve swam back up and broke the surface, only to be pounded by a large wave. The lack of air didn't give her time to fully register the cold temperature of the water that encased her.

Eve once more attempted to resurface, however, her plans were foiled by yet another wave crashing down upon her. Her lungs rattled inside her, and as a natural instinct, she couldn't help, but open her mouth and allow sea water to enter her mouth. Eve was soon convulsing as she suffocated and then nothing else was visible except for darkness.

Jacob fought Damien with everything he had inside him, and Damien put up just as much of a fight. The final blow was done by Jacob as he bit Damien's head and used all his strength to rip it off of his body completely. Jacob then the leech's head fall to the bottom of the sea and he shifted back into his human form, swimming up and resurfacing. From a string that was attached to his ankle, Jacob grabbed his shorts and pulled them on looking around as he did so.

"Eve!" He called out. "Eve!!"

He took a large breath of air and dove under the surface, swimming down and looking around for the girl he loved. Jacob closed his eyes and thought of her. Suddenly, he got a gut feeling and swam in the direction he prayed was right.

Jacob's prayers were answered as he saw the girl's long black hair swaying around gently with the current. His heart raced with worry and his arms picked her up from the bottom, using his legs to shoot up and propel himself towards the surface.

As he broke it, he gasped for air and swam towards the beach with Eve on his back faster than he ever could have imagined. When Jacob was able to walk on the sand, he carried Eve and set her down on the sand. He didn't waste a second and began to give Eve CPR.

"Please don't die, Eve... You can't die..." Jacob mumbled. "Breathe... Breathe...!"

Eve coughed up sea water and her eyes opened wide. She gasped for air through her violent coughs, and Jacob grinned down at her, which Eve slowly returned.

"Jake..." She mumbled.

"I thought I'd lost you, Eve..."

"I thought so, too, but I'm glad you didn't." She replied. "Jake... kiss me...?"

Jacob stared at her in surprise. "No."

The smile Eve wore was then wiped off her face. "Why...?"

"Eve... I know you have a boyfriend. You love him. I'm not going to kiss you."

Eve smiled and then let out a light laugh. "Jacob... I'm no one's girlfriend. Chris was a nice, great guy, but wasn't the one for me. I'm no one's girlfriend except for yours if you want me to be."

A grin slowly, but surely made its way upon Jacob's face. "I would love to have you as my girlfriend."

"Great... now let's try this again. Jake... will you kiss me?"

Jacob used his lips to answer her by connecting them together. Eve had missed this sensation greatly. It was like she was melting in his arms, just by his touch. It was like he had been graced with the presence of an angel by her soft, luscious lips. Together, it was like they had found their soul mate, and they were both pretty sure they had.