Never Truly Loved

Somewhere along the drive, Quinn had lost consciousness, falling asleep to the sound of the low radio and Jacob's breathing. As the car propelled them towards La Push, Jacob would take side glances at the brunette to check up on her to make sure that she was comfortable and to take in her beauty.

He didn't know what it was exactly, but she was different. She had changed during her absence. It wasn't her physical appearance, but rather it was the peculiar gleam in her eye and the way she seemed to hold herself. She seemed much more confident than before, more mature and independent. Even though he didn't want to admit it, he began to think that her leaving might have actually done some good.

When they arrived at the Black household, Jacob killed the engine and gazed at Quinn as she snored away softly, smiling at the gentle sounds she was making. He didn't want to wake her, he just wanted to take her in and make up for the lost time. It was incredible think of how much he just missed seeing her.

His eyes refocused when he saw something, or rather someone, come out from the trees in the background, and he saw it was Quil making his way to him. His brow furrowed in confusion when he realized who it was. Jacob didn't have patrol tonight, so why was he coming over here unannounced?

He slipped out of the car silently, making sure Quinn was undisturbed before he jogged over, meeting him half-way. “Hey man, what's up?”

“Nothing much, just finished up my rounds and saw you driving the car.” He looked over Jacob's shoulder, his eyes widening and a smile creeping its way upon his face. “Is that...?”

Jacob grinned, nodding his head. “She came back. That's why I didn't leave with you guys earlier.”

“Oh man, congrats!” Quil gave his friend a hard pat on the back. “I'll go let the others know. I'm sure Em will wanna make a huge dinner to celebrate. You should bring her over if you're not doing anything.”

“I was hoping to introduce her to my dad.”

“That's right. She hasn't met Billy yet, has she?” Jacob shook his head in response. “Well, Billy's over at Sam's right now with Sue Clearwater. So you might as well just head over there.”

Jacob nodded. “Alright then, we'll head over there soon. I just want to spend some time with her first.”

“Well, you know what they say, Jake,” Quil started to jog away towards the trees. “Practice safe sex!”

Jacob rolled his eyes and picked up a small stone, throwing it after Quil who only laughed when it hit a neighboring tree. Black shook his head, giving a low chuckle before heading back towards the car. As he grew nearer he could see Quinn beginning to wake up as she sat upright and rubbed her eyes gently, looking around her surroundings in slight confusion as to where she was.

When their eyes locked, they smiled at one another, Quinn stepping out of the vehicle and stretching as Jacob walked up to her. “Hey, sleepyhead,”

“Hi,” she yawned. “How long was I out?”

“Most of the ride,” he chuckled. “Sleep well?”

“Very,” she replied. “So what are we going to do here?”

“Nothing in particular. I just want to be with you for right now.”

She blushed lightly at how he had just come right out with it, but she was also very glad that he did. Nodding her head, she replied, “I do, too.”

Once they were inside the house, Jacob ushered her to the couch. “Want anything to drink?”

“I'm fine,”

He grabbed himself a bottle of water before joining her upon the furniture, flicking on the television with a push of the remote's button and watching a sitcom. Her hands took his into her own and she let her thumbs rub them with care. She was so glad that she was back now, back home, back with Jacob. It meant the world to her to be able to be so close to him again.

“I missed you so much,” she whispered.

He had been watching her play with his hands and hearing her thoughts caused him to smile gently at her. “I did, too. I thought I was going to die with you being away.”

She chuckled and shook her head. “Don't you think you're over exaggerating?”

“No.” Quinn looked at him in awe, amazed by how sure he was of his answer. “I mean it, Quinn. Being without you was... well, hell for me. I practically didn't know what to do with myself. I was always worried about you. I wondered how you were doing, what you were doing, if you were with someone else...”

“I'm sorry for putting you through that, Jake. I know what I did was stupid and irresponsible, and I'm so sorry for everything.”

“Don't be. I'm just glad you're safe and here now.” His hand reached up and caressed her cheek, bringing her close and letting his lips brush briefly against her own. “Just promise me that you won't leave again. And if you absolutely have to, you'll let me go with you. No ifs and/or buts about it.”

“I promise, Jake.” She smiled, returning the gesture for a split second. “And just so you know, I was never with anyone. You're the only person I want to be with.”

As the words left her lips, he kissed her passionately. He knew he should have never thought something like that of her. She pulled away once getting her fill of him and hugged him tightly.

“Hey,” he began, pulling her into his lap, hugging her back once they were both comfortable. “What do you think of us going over to Emily's right now? She's probably going to have a lot of food.”

“But my parents were going to make us dinner,”

Jacob inwardly grimaced at the thought of having to eat something that the leeches made, but he knew that he should be respectful of them as her parents – even if he greatly detested it. “Well, we can just eat a bit over there so we're not full when we get back.” He suggested.

“Alright then. When do you want to go?”

Glancing over at the clock, he smiled. “Well, we could go right now if you want.”

“In a bit,” she replied. “Right now, I just want to make up for lost time.”

Her lips crashed upon Jacob's and he was dumbstruck by the affectionate move. His hands crawled up her sides slowly and pulled her closer while her arms slunk around his neck, her fingers running through his hair and causing goosebumps to arise on his skin.

If this was making up for lost time, maybe it wouldn't be so bad if Quinn took a few days to herself on occasion.



“Quinn! Welcome back!” Emily engulfed the brunette in a bone-crushing hug, rubbing her back in a comforting manner. “Come in, come in!”

With a smile, Quinn entered the Uley home followed by Jacob. Emily closed the door after them and smiled, glad to see that Jacob and her were finally together again. Emily then walked over to her husband, motioning for him to greet them as well by nodding her head towards the young couple.

He gave a small sigh, though a smile soon took his lips, and he walked over to them at his own pace. “It's nice to see you again, Quinn. Welcome back.” He held out a hand for her to shake and Emily came over instantly, lightly smacking him upside the head.

“Sam, what kind of a warm greeting is a hand shake?” She lectured. An uproar of laughter from everyone in the room could be heard. “Hug her!”

“It's fine, Emily, I don't mind. I don't want to make him do anything he's uncomfortable with.” Quinn laughed, shaking the hand that was still out and available. “It's good to be back, Sam.”

“Man, isn't Emily something else?” Paul chuckled, his arm swinging around the brunette's shoulders, pulling her into his torso. He used his free hand to bring a bottle of beer to his lips. “So where have you been hanging, Quinn?”

“New York,” she replied, trying to get out of his grip and away from his breath.

“Paul,” Jacob growled, also trying to get his arm off his imprint.

“Oh, lighten up, Jakey,” Paul slapped his hand away, dragging a still fighting Quinn towards where the rest of the pack sat. “Hey guys, Quinn's back!”

There were a few cheers as the group then huddle around her like a protective wall from Jacob who was trying to remain by her side. They continuously bombarded her with questions, and every so often there would a collective boom of laughter from the pack. Jacob couldn't find a way to get to her to save his life.

“Jake,” Hearing the familiar tone of voice brought him to his senses and he turned to see his father, Billy, gazing up at him. “Hey, son,”

He sighed out tiredly, sitting down upon the sofa beside him. “Hey, dad,” he replied.

“So I hear your girl's come back from her trip?” He questioned.

There was another boom of laughter and they both turned to the group of boys before Jacob nodded his head. “Yeah, just earlier she came back. The guys are hogging her right now, though.” He muttered sourly.

Smiling, Billy wheeled himself up to the crowd. “Alright, all of you move!” He shouted. As soon as Billy caught their attention, they disbanded and moved behind Quinn, leaving her confused as to who was now before her. “Jacob, aren't you going to introduce us?”

Jacob smiled and walked over beside the brunette, excited to finally be showing his father who had captured his heart. “Quinn, this is my dad, Billy. Dad, this is Quinn, my girlfriend.”

Quinn blushed and turned to Jacob. “If you told me I was going to meet your dad I would have changed into something nicer!” She whispered.

“Quinn,” Jacob chuckled. “You look beautiful enough already.”

“My son's right, Quinn. You look beautiful. There's no need to dress any fancier for an old man like me.” He laughed heartily. “I'm glad to be able to put a face to your name now, though.”

Quinn smiled, glad that he seemed to be liking her. “It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Black.”

“Quinn, please, Mr. Black was my father.” He joked, causing those around to hear the conversation to laugh. “Just call me Billy.”

“Sure thing, Billy.”

The night progressed smoothly. More idle chit chat was made, more questions were answered, and more laughs were had inside the Uley home. When dinner was served, the boys seemed to run through the home like an obstacle course, jumping over furniture and weaving through halls just to get to the table. Quinn hadn't seen something so amusing before.

The food was, as expected from Emily, delicious, and the brunette had to remind herself to not overeat so she could save room for Esme's own cooking. She knew her mom would probably go all out as well to commemorate her return, and Quinn wanted to make her smile by eating as much as she could of it.

When the time came to say goodbye, everyone seemed to hug Quinn – even Sam. As her and Jacob got into her car, they laughed as the guys behind them waved their napkins daintily, occasionally dabbing away fake tears as they drove down the road.

“There's never a dull moment with them, is there?” Quinn giggled.

“Pretty much”

“But still, it's good to see them again. Even though I've only really met them all once, they're good people. I missed them.”

Happiness swelled within Jacob's chest as he was glad to hear that she cared for his family and friends so much. “They missed you, too – obviously. I mean, this was for you.”

“It was? Why didn't you say so? I would've thanked them more.” She looked back in the direction of the home to see it was no longer in sight. “Hang on,” she began. “How did they know I was back anyways?”

“While you were asleep, Quil was waiting for me at home. He noticed you were in the car and he went off to spread the word.”

“Ah,” she mused softly. “Well, I'm going to need to come back here soon so I can thank them for everything.”

“Don't worry, we will. Count on it.” Jacob grinned, though it disappeared almost immediately when a thought crossed his mind. “Quinn, now that we're alone, I have to ask. Why did you say that you're in trouble earlier?”

Here it was. It was time to lie to Jacob. After mentally apologizing, she began her explanation. “While in Buffalo, I met someone. His name was Micah and he was just different”

That caught his attention. “Different how?” He asked.

“Just different,” she chuckled out lamely.

Vampire, he concluded.

“Anyways, I didn't think much of him, I only saw him as an acquaintance and not even that. He was just sort of there to me.” She continued. “He was nice, but I kept my distance, though he always met me anyways.”

“He didn't do anything, did he?” Jacob pressed, his hands clenching onto the wheel with a firm grip.

Quinn didn't give a straight reply, only continuing on with her explanation. “A few days ago, on my way back home from work, he met me at night. He kept telling me all this crap about him loving me and how we should be together. I tried to talk him out of it since I knew he wasn't in his right state of mind, but he wouldn't have it.

“He told me that it was either I go with him and be with him, or he would turn—”

“Turn what?” Jacob snapped. “You?”

Her head snapped in his direction, shocked at what he had just said. Get a hold of yourself, Quinn. He couldn't possibly know about vampires.

After it dawned on him what he said, he was quick to correct himself. “I mean, what did he mean by that?”

“Er... he'd turn my life into a living hell. Anyways, I honestly don't think it's anything to be too concerned with. He's just a normal guy. What could he possibly do, right?”

“Yeah, normal,” he grumbled.

That news was all it took for his night to be officially ruined. Damn leeches.

After their drive, they arrived back at the Cullen residence, the car being killed and the two of them walking towards the front door. “We're back!” Quinn shouted energetically.

Esme popped her head out from the kitchen and into the hallway, smiling when she saw her daughter for the second time that day. “Welcome back, honey, Jacob. Sit down at the table, I just finished dinner!”

Quinn smiled at Jacob and tugged upon his hand, guiding him towards the table where two place mats were set along with their fine china and silverware. After settling into their chairs, Esme came bustling in wearing an apron that read “Kiss the Cook” and an enthusiastic smile, carrying a large tray in her hands.

“I know I made quite a lot, but I was just so happy that I accidentally went overboard with the ingredients while I was making it!” She gushed. “It's Lasagna.”

Once it was set upon the table, Jacob and Quinn got a look at it. It looked better than the food prepared on the cooking channel and the smell was heavenly to them both. Even Jacob thought that the food made by the vamp might actually be worth eating. The cheese on top was golden and the sides looked crispy – just the way Quinn liked it. She could feel her mouth begin to water and it was like the food was calling her name.

“I can't wait to dig in, Esme.”

“Well, hold on a little longer, Quinn. I've still got to bring out the salad, pasta, and garlic bread.” Seeing the look of shock on her daughter's face, she laughed. “I told you I made quite a bit, didn't I?”

“I don't think that qualifies as just a bit.” Quinn laughed out quietly.

Once everything had been brought out, Esme served the both of them large helpings of each item and poured them something to drink. She excused herself to go wash up the kitchen and to also leave them to themselves, however even though they were alone, they knew better than to think that they had much privacy. The ears of everyone in the household was listening in on them, wanting to hear any conversation that might start up.

As they finished, they found that they had probably stuffed themselves at Emily when they couldn't even finish their first plate of Esme's food. Even Jacob succumbed to a full stomach that would no doubt rebel against him later on.

“I'm stuffed,” Quinn sighed.

Esme, having heard her exasperation, conveniently walked back in. “Finished already?”

“Yeah, sorry for not eating much, but the pasta and lasagna were pretty heavy so it filled us up quick.”

“No, no, I'm just glad that you liked it.”

A little later on, Quinn walked Jacob to the front of the house where Embry was arranged to pick him up to take him back to La Push. The both of them looked at one another with a small, but sad, smile upon their features.

“I'll text you later tonight,” Jacob began. “You'd better reply to this one.”

Quinn laughed softly at his attempt at a joke and nodded. “Yeah, I will. I promise.”

“Good,”

“Get home safely, okay?”

“Don't worry about it.”

“Well, I will anyways.” She retorted. “And tell your dad I can't wait to meet him again.”

“I will. I'll let you know when he's able to.”

“Thanks.”

There was a honk from Embry and the two stared at the car before looking back at one another. “I'll be back soon.” Jacob said.

“Don't stay away too long. I'll try to see you, too.”

He nodded his head and leaned in quickly, taking her lips with his own and kissing her with emotion. His hand gently caressed her face for a second before bringing them apart. “I love you, Quinn.”

“I love you, too,” she whispered in a daze, subconsciously licking her lips.

Jacob pecked her forehead once before heading towards the car, getting it and waving before it took them down the road.

“I love you, too, Jakey-poo.” Embry teased in a high pitched voice, snickering at his friend's romantic exchange.

Jacob rolled his eyes and slapped the back of his head. “Shut it, will you, Em?”

“Jeez, Romeo, what's up your ass?”

Staring out the window, Jacob muttered to himself. “Vampire. It just had to be a vampire.”