𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐣𝐚𝐜𝐨𝐛 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤

Chapter Twenty: Sex, Sleep, and Repeat

Alarms drove me crazy.

And this particular one was interested in being smashed with a hammer. I groaned as I threw it to the other side of my room. Stupid thing.

"Time to get up, early bird."

Jake's voice tickled my ear and I smiled, pushing my face into my pillow. His fingers traced my bare spine, and I drew in a sharp breath. "Stop."

"I brought you breakfast."

The topic of breakfast made me get up faster than I'd thought it would. Jake shoved a pancake-filled tray in front of me, and I swear my mouth was leaking saliva. I clutched my blanket over my naked chest, not ready to plunge into another cycle of sex, sleep, and repeat.

"Last night was..."

"I'm not gonna shame you for being speechless," Jake smirked. I smacked his head to get rid of his arrogance, maybe have his ego drop a few floors. "Lovely. It was lovely."

"Lovely is such a girly word—that's how you're going to describe it?"

"Yes." I smiled as I stood up, blanket and all, and stepped inside the bathroom. "I've seen you naked."

"But if you see me naked again, who knows what's going to happen?"

"I'd know." Jake tugged the sheet off of me without much struggle. I smiled at him as his eyes raked over my completely uncovered body. "You should probably take a shower before I do. Fix your problem."

"I think I'll leave you to it. If you want me to join you, I'm a door away."

***

"I miss Evan."

Emmett groaned as repeated the same sentence over and over again. "He's with your mom. He's safe."

"I miss him," I pouted. As much as I loved my alone time with Jake, Evan really completed us. I missed his little face, his giggles, his smile. The way he called me mommy. I didn't know I'd be missing him so much when I agreed to this pre-battle bonfire.

Before the snow sticks to the ground

Alice and Jasper were missed the most. Alice had given the instruction on when the Volturi would reach, but all we looked forward to was having them back with us again. 

I couldn't tell anyone what she'd told me.

Right?

It wouldn't help anyone if I'd just spilled Alice's secret and ruined her plan of stopping this battle or war or whatever it was. 

Mom agreed to hold the fort down, and she took Evan with her too. It'd been two days since I'd seen either of them. 

What if I don't?

Bella and Edward were trying to calmly break it to Renesmee that she may never see them again.

What if we all die?

Evan would be orphaned. My mother wouldn't have a daughter, and Billy wouldn't have a son.

I hadn't thought about anything before I left home.

I kissed Evan goodnight before I left. 

He didn't know where I was. Didn't know what happened to me. My only hope was that even if I wasn't there to be his mother, he would be strong.

Strong when I wasn't

Just like my dad was.

"Be strong for me, my doll."

"Don't go, Papa."

But he did go. He left me, and I resented him for weeks. For leaving me with my vegetated mother who couldn't move for weeks. For leaving me fatherless and deprived of his love. For never saying goodbye.

I didn't say goodbye.

What if I would regret it?

***

Snow had blanketed the ground. 

It was time.

I could tell that Bella and Edward were scared beyond their minds to face the Volturi. Renesmee—well, she was too young to be able to process these feelings normally.

Sam came through.

The pack was there. To help us fight for an innocent life. They weren't in the wrong anymore. Not after he'd apologized to Jake and the Cullens.

I stood alone—Jake had to shift with the other wolves—which was sad because I was kinda depending on him for warmth. I could hear the crunching of snow from a distance—the Volturi were here. Hundreds of thousands of them in black hoods.

This was life or death.

Aro, Caius, and Marcus walked forward and Jane and Irina followed behind. Tanya and Kate were upset about their sister siding with the Volturi, but there was nothing they could do about it now. Either they would praise her and kill Renesmee or...

They would kill her and we would wipe out half of the vampiric population.

Jake appeared near me—at least he was here. That was all that mattered. We weren't going to fight—Bella and Edward told us that if there was any sign of the Volturi attacking us, then we should run. Run far away and take Renesmee with us—they'd already made us her godparents.

"Aro, let us discuss things as we used to. In a civilized manner."

"Fair words, Carlisle," Aro answered the man in front of us, "But a little out of place given the battalion you've assembled against us."

"I can promise you—that was never my intent. No laws have been broken." We weren't a battalion. Carlisle didn't ask us to fight and even if we did, it would be because we possessed pure hatred for the Volturi. "We see the child."

"Do not treat us as fools."

"She is not an Immortal," Carlisle yelled, "These witnesses can attest to that. Or you can look—see the flush of human blood in her cheeks."

"Artifice!"

"I will collect every facet of truth. But from someone more central to the story. Edward—as the child clings to your newborn mate, I assume you are involved." Aro raised a hand to stop his brother's whining. His eyes twinkled when he noticed me standing behind Renesmee—maybe I was something that made him accept Alice's disappearance. 

Edward glanced at Renesmee and Bella before striding over to Aro. Renesmee moved to stand in between me and Bella, the chill of her side being empty scaring her. Aro eagerly grabbed Edward's hand to read his thoughts, and his triumphant look fades away. He whispered something to Edward, which I assumed everyone other than me heard.

Bella looked at Renesmee endearingly before guiding her toward the Volturi, followed by a protective Seth. She sent me a pleading look—she wanted support. I glanced at Emmett, who I joined as we walked toward Aro with Bella.

"Young Bella, immortality becomes you."

Bella and I glared at Aro as he looked at Bella. Aro laughed a horrible laugh as he pointed at Renesmee, hearing her heartbeat. 

"I hear her strange heart."