Chapter 6 - Little Ruby Red Meets The Wolves
A/N: Twilight and all its characters belong to Stephenie Meyer (I'm just playing with them). The OC is all mine.
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“A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg even though he knows that you are slightly cracked” – Bernard Meltzer
When Ruby woke up she was momentarily disorientated. She didn’t immediately recognize the blue-gray walls or the worn navy blue covers around her. Then her pillow took a slow deep breath and she smiled wide as she remembered falling asleep in Jacob’s arms. She slowly turned her head upward to look at him. His face was smooth and relaxed; he looked younger in his sleep, much like when he smiled.
Her head was nestled in the crook of his arm, her arm thrown over his waist and her legs tangled with his. She took the time to study him. He really is beautiful, she thought. Proud chin, thick eyelashes, long soft hair, she loved it all. She knew he was exhausted and needed to sleep a little longer but she couldn’t help ghosting her fingertips over his abs, dark russet skin over well-defined muscle. She trailed them up over his chest to rest along his collarbone. When she glanced at his face she noticed he was silently watching her through tired eyes and she smiled, embarrassed at being caught.
“Sorry.”
“You don’t hear me complaining,” he said giving a tired smirk and closing his eyes again. “I could get used to waking up like this.” He gave her a tight squeeze and a kiss on the forehead.
“Go back to sleep,” she whispered. “I got to go home and get changed. I’ll be back before you wake up again.”
“Okay. Hurry back,” he mumbled before falling asleep again to dream of his girl.
She stretched up and gave him a chaste kiss on his lips and reluctantly got out of bed. She found her shoes, with her socks balled up inside, on the floor next to the bed. She picked them up and quietly made her way out of his room, through the hall and out the door where she noticed it was still raining, or raining again – one could never tell with this weather. Shrugging she walked across the front yard in her bare feet, enjoying the way the muddy soil and damp grass felt on her toes. Tossing her shoes on the passenger seat, she drove home.
Her grandmother smiled when she saw her. “I take it by your impromptu sleepover last night, everything between Jacob and you are fine.”
“Yeah. More than fine. Great. Perfect even.” She grinned.
“So you finally admitted what I knew the night you came home from that first date. You love him.”
“Yup, and he said he loves me too.” Margaret walked over and hugged her granddaughter.
“I told you. Don’t doubt my power. I saw the link between you two. Soul mates.”
Ruby often forgot that her grandmother had a passive power.
“You used your power?”
“Just once. When Jacob came to our house that first time.” Then Margaret smiled and walked away. Ruby stood still for a moment, shocked and touched. Margaret rarely spoke of her powers anymore and never, ever used them anymore, determined to grow old and die. Ruby was sad that her grandmother’s main goal was to one day die but then again, her grandmother wasn’t ever the same after Thomas died. Ruby snapped herself out of it and walked upstairs.
After a quick shower, she felt a throbbing in her shoulder. Looking over her back into the mirror, she saw the dark purple and blue of a bruise on her shoulder blade and dark red lines that were beginning to scab over. Her mind flashed to the day before. She remembered being shoved into a tree by the force of the vampire colliding with her power.
She popped a few painkillers and wished she could get a hang of her healing powers so she could finally heal herself. Grabbing her dirty dress that she was previously wearing, she noticed the blood from her shoulder one of the straps. Sighing, she made a plucking motion over the garment and watched as the dry blood lifted and fell into the sink, leaving her dress stain-free. She normally wouldn’t bother but it was her favorite dress after all.
She quickly found something to wear; a task made difficult by the fact her closet was a complete mess. She was never one to have words like tidy or organized be associated with her and she doubted she ever will. After dressing herself, she ran downstairs and sought out her grandma.
“Grandma, can I ask you for something?”
Margaret stopped washing dishes and wiping her hands on her apron, turned to face Ruby. “Of course.”
“After last night, I was wondering if you could help me strengthen my powers. Get them under control.” Margaret looked at her and smiled, Ruby looked very much like a little girl in that moment.
“I thought you’d never ask. We’ll start next week, I figure you want to enjoy some time with Jacob first.”
Ruby smiled and rolled her eyes before leaving to drive back to Jacob’s house as fast as she could.
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The first thing Jacob saw when he woke up was Ruby. She was sitting on the edge of his bed, leaning against the wall reading, wearing light blue jeans with huge rips in them and an extremely tight red t-shirt with what looked like a cartoon Samantha Stephens and the words ‘I’m Such A Witch’ written across the front in black.
“Cute shirt,” he said startling her out of what felt like the hundredth book he’d seen her read.
She laughed softly. “Thanks, I thought so too,” she said pulling down on the edge of her shirt to look at it herself. Jacob swallowed hard and tried not to stare at the way the shirt clung tighter to her chest. “’Bout time you woke up, sleepyhead.”
He looked towards his window and noticed the sun was high in the sky. “What time is it?” he asked raising himself onto his elbows.
“Almost one. You looked so tired, so your father and I agreed to let you sleep in. You really looked like you needed it.”
“You know that’s just a nice way of saying ‘you looked like crap’ right?” he said stretching his arms over his head until his back cracked.
“Yes. Yes I do.” She smiled.
“Thanks for the sleep.” He didn’t realize how much sleep he’d been missing out on until just then. He felt more relaxed and more alert than he had in weeks. “You’ve been here the whole time?” She nodded. “Just watching me sleep?” he asked with a small laugh.
“Of course not. That’d be creepy. I hung out with your father all morning, made him breakfast and lunch. Then I came in here to see if you had anything to read.” She waved the book at him. “Haven’t read The Illiad in a while.”
“I forgot I had that. I had to read it for senior year. Where’d you find it?”
“I found it on the shelf, behind your model cars.”
“Any food left?” he asked as his stomach rumbled.
“Yeah, I made tons. I know how much you eat.”
She got up and went to make him a plate, allowing him his privacy to get showered and dressed. When he came out, there was a plate of food on the table waiting for him. Ruby and Billy were sitting at the table and she was laughing at something he said. Billy acknowledged his son with a nod and Ruby smiled up at him. Ruby and Billy continued their conversation as Jacob ate.
He ate his plate of food quickly and his second plate just as fast. It wasn’t until he was on his third helping did he take the time to talk. “You want to do anything special today?” he asked Ruby as he finished off his plate.
“Actually, yes. I was hoping since yesterday didn’t exactly go according to plan, that maybe I can finally meet the rest of your family.”
He got up and kissed her on the top of her head before taking his dish to the sink. “Sure. They’ve been waiting to meet you.” He said goodbye to his dad and Ruby gave Billy a hug before following Jacob out the door.
He led her not to Sam’s house but to First Beach so he could have some alone time with her before everyone hogged up all her time. He especially knew that Sam, Emily and Seth couldn’t wait to meet her.
He walked silently, without effort, over the colorful stones and fallen tree branches. Ruby on the other hand made no effort to be quiet. She walked slowly, kicking rocks aside with the tips of her Nikes. She stopped suddenly and he turned to see her picking up a stone, a huge grin on her face.
“It’s red,” she explained as she showed him the brick colored stone. He laughed at her obsession with all things red, and continued on their walk.
“I’m a little worried about your dad,” she said out of nowhere.
He turned to her, slightly nervous. “Why?”
“He’s really stressed.”
“About what?” he asked puzzled.
“You,” she stated simply. “You’re his son. His only son. He loves you and he’s so worried about you. You change into a werewolf, which he knows you’re still freaked about by the way, and you do dangerous things. His aura is filled with anxiety.”
“But I heal.”
“Yes, you heal but you’re not invincible. Do you think he wants you in pain? Do you think he’s not afraid? He lost your mom, his daughters have no intention of coming back home. You are all he has left.” She looked up at him through her lashes. “And you’re one half of what I have left. Just promise me you’ll be extra careful.”
“Sure, sure.”
“Jacob, I’m serious.” Once he saw how serious and worried she was, he softened his expression and nodded.
“Ok. Ok. I promise.”
“Good.” She smiled up at him.
He grabbed her hand and pulled her close to his body. Her breath caught when she saw the look in his eyes, so full of love. He brought his lips down on hers and she felt his tongue slip into her mouth. One of his hands found her waist, his other tangled with the hair at the base of her neck.
Her mind was reeling from the intensity of the kiss. They had never done anything more then press their lips together chastely and the feel of his warm tongue gently massaging hers was making her quickly forget everything she knew, even simple knowledge like her name managed to escaped her.
Jacob couldn’t believe he was kissing her either, that he had the guts to just grab her and show her how much he loved her. He started off timidly, unsure of how to go about it and unsure if she would reciprocate, but soon instinct took over and his tongue slipped soundly into her mouth. The intensity of the kiss increased when he felt her tongue massage his right back.
His ego got a boost when he went to pull back to give her a chance to catch her breath and she quickly dug one hand into his bicep and the other came up to his neck, anchoring him to her.
She wasn’t aware how long they kissed for but when she finally allowed him to pull away from her they were both breathless, gasping for air. A huge smile spread across her face as she brought her fingers to her mouth and felt her swollen lips. “Holy crap,” she whispered.
Jacob gave her a quick peck on the cheek before taking her hand in his and leading her in the direction of Sam’s house. On the way he noticed that she was stumbling a lot and that was unusual for her. Bella was the klutz; Ruby was the one who had a carefree grace to her. He turned his head to look at her and noticed that she was staring off into the distance, her fingertips still tracing her bottom lip.
“You ok?” he smirked.
“Huh?” She blinked and seemed to be brought out of her daze. Her smile grew as she answered him. “Me? I’m great.”
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The moment the door to Sam and Emily’s house was opened, Ruby found herself wrapped in a hug, thick black hair obscuring her vision.
“Ah, Ruby, I’m so happy we finally get to meet.” The person hugging Ruby pulled away and Ruby knew who it was. Ruby thought that Emily was quite possibly one of the most beautiful women she ever saw. She had dark copper skin and long shiny black hair that should be on a bottle of shampoo. The whole right side of her face was scarred but it didn’t take away from her beauty because she had such an overwhelming inner-beauty. She was beaming at Ruby, her eyes shining, an apron barely wrapped around her waist and her hands were resting on her rounded belly.
“Let the girl get through the door first, Emily.” The man Ruby saw was tall, just as tall as Jacob but definitely not as wide, but he carried an air of authority. His black hair was cut close to his head. “Hi, Ruby. I’m Sam.” He put his hand out and Ruby shook it.
“Hey,” she said awkwardly. Emily moved out of the way as Sam guided Ruby into the house. Jacob followed with a smile on his face.
“This is Seth, and his sister Leah.” Sam pointed to Seth, a tall gangly kid, who waved enthusiastically and Leah (what is everyone beautiful, she thought) who jerked her head at her in what could have been a nod. Leah had her arms crossed in front of her chest and her aura spoke of anger and distrust. It made Ruby want to shrink into the background.
“Here’s Jared and Kim,” Sam continued. “They just got married, that’s why they’re all over each other.”
“Congratulations,” Ruby said softly. She had never been introduced to so many people before and was starting to feel a bit overwhelmed and self-conscious.
“This is Paul,” Paul grunted out a greeting, “Collin and Brady” two teenagers that reminded her of a younger Quil and Embry smiled, “and you know Claire, Quil and Embry.” Embry gave her a sweet smile and moved forward to give her a hug, Claire gave a toothy grin and jumped up and Ruby picked her up. Quil was his usual self.
“Hey, it’s the witch girl.” Ruby cracked up laughing, glad for the humor, as Sam and Emily smacked Quil in the back of the head. “What? I only meant that I heard she kicked some major ass.” Claire giggled and Quil tried to backtrack as he took her from Ruby, “Butt. She kicked some major butt.”
“Nuh uh. I heard you,” Claire giggled.
“Umm, thanks… I guess.” Ruby gave a small timid laugh. As expected, Emily took Ruby into the kitchen to talk and to finish cooking. Seth and Sam accompanied them, while everyone else went inside to watch whatever game was on the television.
“When are you due?” Ruby asked after a while.
“I have two months to go.” Emily patted her stomach affectionately and Sam gave her a loving glance. Ruby felt very comfortable around them.
“Do you know what you’re having?”
“No. We want to be surprised.” Ruby nodded, glad she had asked because she could tell from the different aura around the baby what she was having.
Seth looked at her nervously, like he wanted to say something but didn’t want to offend her.
“Something on your mind Seth?” Ruby asked kindly. Seth coughed to hide his embarrassment at being caught and shook his head no. “It’s ok. You want to ask me a question? About me being a witch?” Ruby felt the place get quiet and when she looked around noticed everyone in the kitchen and the next room was looking at her, waiting. She immediately felt a rush of warmth over her body and felt nervous that everyone was looking to her. She gulped softly, bit her lower lip and smiled awkwardly as she glanced at her feet wondering when that hole was going to open and swallow her up. “Ok… maybe everyone wants to ask me a question?”
Jacob got up at that point and walked over to her. “Come on guys, we don’t need to question her.”
“Jacob, it’s ok.” She was more than embarrassed having a house full of people looking at her waiting for her to speak but understood why they were. Who knew you could have stage fright without a stage? “They’re curious.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah.”
“So what can you do?” Seth asked.
Ruby went on to tell them almost everything she told Jacob the night before. Her natural powers, the powers she got from her parents, how you can will someone your power. She told them everything they wanted to know as they ate and after dinner they went outside.
On their way over to First Beach, Seth continued to ask question but she didn’t seem to mind. The kid reminded her so much of Jacob, not physically (though he was tall, tan and gorgeous just like all the members of the pack) but personality wise.
“So can you heal a scar I got?” Seth asked playfully.
“Seth!” Sam yelled somewhere from behind Ruby.
“I wasn’t asking so she could do it. I just wanted to know if it was possible. Come on, give me some credit.”
Ruby just smiled and shook her head. “I can’t heal something that has been healed already. It has to be considered a wound for me to be able to heal it.”
“Do you have any scars?” Collin asked.
“What kind of question is that?” Jacob wondered out loud, a little aggravated. He was tired of everyone looking at her as if she was a science experiment, as if she was something to be analyzed and dissected. Ruby gently put a hand on his forearm and told him it was ok. She didn’t want Jacob arguing with his pack because of her.
“It’s just she said her mom had the healing before she did, so I was wondering if her mom healed everything for her or if she let her heal the old fashioned way.”
“Oh. Most of my cuts she let me heal the long way, so yeah I have scars, tons of them. I got this one,” she pointed to a straight thin scar on her forearm that was about six inches in length, “When I thought I could jump over this old metal gate that was on our property. Damn thing fell over and caught me on the arm. My mom believed imperfections are what made someone beautiful. She did heal me once. I fell out of the tree I was climbing and broke my leg. I was in a lot of pain so she healed me.”
They reached the beach where a large bonfire was in full flame. They spread out and sat around a fire. Jacob sat on the floor, leaning against a log and pulled Ruby down to sit in between his legs, her back resting against his chest. Between the fire and Jacob’s unnatural warmth she had to use her thermokinisis to cool her surrounds down just a few degrees. Billy waited until everyone was seated before he began to tell them a few of the Quileute legends.
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When Billy was done, everyone got up and started to walk back to Sam and Emily’s house.
“Who would have thought that a small town like Forks, Washington would have vampires, werewolves and witches?” Quil said as he passed by Ruby.
“I know,” she answered. “I keep waiting for Bigfoot to knock on my door to ask for a cup of sugar.”
“Or a zombie,” Seth added.
“Or a ghost,” Jared offered.
“Or how about Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster,” Jacob said and everyone laughed.
An hour later, Ruby was starting to yawn. She and Jacob said goodbye to everyone and they walked back to his house where her car was parked. She opened her car door, stopped and turned around.
“You think they liked me?” she said biting her thumbnail.
“Are you kidding me? You had Paul laughing and Leah didn’t insult you once. That means you’re practically her best friend.”
“Really?”
“I wouldn’t lie to you.”
“Oh, that’s good, because I loved them. They were great.”
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A/N: To all the hardcore Jacob and Renesmee fans out there: The reference to Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster by Jacob was intended as a joke, and nothing more. So laugh! LOL.
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“A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg even though he knows that you are slightly cracked” – Bernard Meltzer
When Ruby woke up she was momentarily disorientated. She didn’t immediately recognize the blue-gray walls or the worn navy blue covers around her. Then her pillow took a slow deep breath and she smiled wide as she remembered falling asleep in Jacob’s arms. She slowly turned her head upward to look at him. His face was smooth and relaxed; he looked younger in his sleep, much like when he smiled.
Her head was nestled in the crook of his arm, her arm thrown over his waist and her legs tangled with his. She took the time to study him. He really is beautiful, she thought. Proud chin, thick eyelashes, long soft hair, she loved it all. She knew he was exhausted and needed to sleep a little longer but she couldn’t help ghosting her fingertips over his abs, dark russet skin over well-defined muscle. She trailed them up over his chest to rest along his collarbone. When she glanced at his face she noticed he was silently watching her through tired eyes and she smiled, embarrassed at being caught.
“Sorry.”
“You don’t hear me complaining,” he said giving a tired smirk and closing his eyes again. “I could get used to waking up like this.” He gave her a tight squeeze and a kiss on the forehead.
“Go back to sleep,” she whispered. “I got to go home and get changed. I’ll be back before you wake up again.”
“Okay. Hurry back,” he mumbled before falling asleep again to dream of his girl.
She stretched up and gave him a chaste kiss on his lips and reluctantly got out of bed. She found her shoes, with her socks balled up inside, on the floor next to the bed. She picked them up and quietly made her way out of his room, through the hall and out the door where she noticed it was still raining, or raining again – one could never tell with this weather. Shrugging she walked across the front yard in her bare feet, enjoying the way the muddy soil and damp grass felt on her toes. Tossing her shoes on the passenger seat, she drove home.
Her grandmother smiled when she saw her. “I take it by your impromptu sleepover last night, everything between Jacob and you are fine.”
“Yeah. More than fine. Great. Perfect even.” She grinned.
“So you finally admitted what I knew the night you came home from that first date. You love him.”
“Yup, and he said he loves me too.” Margaret walked over and hugged her granddaughter.
“I told you. Don’t doubt my power. I saw the link between you two. Soul mates.”
Ruby often forgot that her grandmother had a passive power.
“You used your power?”
“Just once. When Jacob came to our house that first time.” Then Margaret smiled and walked away. Ruby stood still for a moment, shocked and touched. Margaret rarely spoke of her powers anymore and never, ever used them anymore, determined to grow old and die. Ruby was sad that her grandmother’s main goal was to one day die but then again, her grandmother wasn’t ever the same after Thomas died. Ruby snapped herself out of it and walked upstairs.
After a quick shower, she felt a throbbing in her shoulder. Looking over her back into the mirror, she saw the dark purple and blue of a bruise on her shoulder blade and dark red lines that were beginning to scab over. Her mind flashed to the day before. She remembered being shoved into a tree by the force of the vampire colliding with her power.
She popped a few painkillers and wished she could get a hang of her healing powers so she could finally heal herself. Grabbing her dirty dress that she was previously wearing, she noticed the blood from her shoulder one of the straps. Sighing, she made a plucking motion over the garment and watched as the dry blood lifted and fell into the sink, leaving her dress stain-free. She normally wouldn’t bother but it was her favorite dress after all.
She quickly found something to wear; a task made difficult by the fact her closet was a complete mess. She was never one to have words like tidy or organized be associated with her and she doubted she ever will. After dressing herself, she ran downstairs and sought out her grandma.
“Grandma, can I ask you for something?”
Margaret stopped washing dishes and wiping her hands on her apron, turned to face Ruby. “Of course.”
“After last night, I was wondering if you could help me strengthen my powers. Get them under control.” Margaret looked at her and smiled, Ruby looked very much like a little girl in that moment.
“I thought you’d never ask. We’ll start next week, I figure you want to enjoy some time with Jacob first.”
Ruby smiled and rolled her eyes before leaving to drive back to Jacob’s house as fast as she could.
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The first thing Jacob saw when he woke up was Ruby. She was sitting on the edge of his bed, leaning against the wall reading, wearing light blue jeans with huge rips in them and an extremely tight red t-shirt with what looked like a cartoon Samantha Stephens and the words ‘I’m Such A Witch’ written across the front in black.
“Cute shirt,” he said startling her out of what felt like the hundredth book he’d seen her read.
She laughed softly. “Thanks, I thought so too,” she said pulling down on the edge of her shirt to look at it herself. Jacob swallowed hard and tried not to stare at the way the shirt clung tighter to her chest. “’Bout time you woke up, sleepyhead.”
He looked towards his window and noticed the sun was high in the sky. “What time is it?” he asked raising himself onto his elbows.
“Almost one. You looked so tired, so your father and I agreed to let you sleep in. You really looked like you needed it.”
“You know that’s just a nice way of saying ‘you looked like crap’ right?” he said stretching his arms over his head until his back cracked.
“Yes. Yes I do.” She smiled.
“Thanks for the sleep.” He didn’t realize how much sleep he’d been missing out on until just then. He felt more relaxed and more alert than he had in weeks. “You’ve been here the whole time?” She nodded. “Just watching me sleep?” he asked with a small laugh.
“Of course not. That’d be creepy. I hung out with your father all morning, made him breakfast and lunch. Then I came in here to see if you had anything to read.” She waved the book at him. “Haven’t read The Illiad in a while.”
“I forgot I had that. I had to read it for senior year. Where’d you find it?”
“I found it on the shelf, behind your model cars.”
“Any food left?” he asked as his stomach rumbled.
“Yeah, I made tons. I know how much you eat.”
She got up and went to make him a plate, allowing him his privacy to get showered and dressed. When he came out, there was a plate of food on the table waiting for him. Ruby and Billy were sitting at the table and she was laughing at something he said. Billy acknowledged his son with a nod and Ruby smiled up at him. Ruby and Billy continued their conversation as Jacob ate.
He ate his plate of food quickly and his second plate just as fast. It wasn’t until he was on his third helping did he take the time to talk. “You want to do anything special today?” he asked Ruby as he finished off his plate.
“Actually, yes. I was hoping since yesterday didn’t exactly go according to plan, that maybe I can finally meet the rest of your family.”
He got up and kissed her on the top of her head before taking his dish to the sink. “Sure. They’ve been waiting to meet you.” He said goodbye to his dad and Ruby gave Billy a hug before following Jacob out the door.
He led her not to Sam’s house but to First Beach so he could have some alone time with her before everyone hogged up all her time. He especially knew that Sam, Emily and Seth couldn’t wait to meet her.
He walked silently, without effort, over the colorful stones and fallen tree branches. Ruby on the other hand made no effort to be quiet. She walked slowly, kicking rocks aside with the tips of her Nikes. She stopped suddenly and he turned to see her picking up a stone, a huge grin on her face.
“It’s red,” she explained as she showed him the brick colored stone. He laughed at her obsession with all things red, and continued on their walk.
“I’m a little worried about your dad,” she said out of nowhere.
He turned to her, slightly nervous. “Why?”
“He’s really stressed.”
“About what?” he asked puzzled.
“You,” she stated simply. “You’re his son. His only son. He loves you and he’s so worried about you. You change into a werewolf, which he knows you’re still freaked about by the way, and you do dangerous things. His aura is filled with anxiety.”
“But I heal.”
“Yes, you heal but you’re not invincible. Do you think he wants you in pain? Do you think he’s not afraid? He lost your mom, his daughters have no intention of coming back home. You are all he has left.” She looked up at him through her lashes. “And you’re one half of what I have left. Just promise me you’ll be extra careful.”
“Sure, sure.”
“Jacob, I’m serious.” Once he saw how serious and worried she was, he softened his expression and nodded.
“Ok. Ok. I promise.”
“Good.” She smiled up at him.
He grabbed her hand and pulled her close to his body. Her breath caught when she saw the look in his eyes, so full of love. He brought his lips down on hers and she felt his tongue slip into her mouth. One of his hands found her waist, his other tangled with the hair at the base of her neck.
Her mind was reeling from the intensity of the kiss. They had never done anything more then press their lips together chastely and the feel of his warm tongue gently massaging hers was making her quickly forget everything she knew, even simple knowledge like her name managed to escaped her.
Jacob couldn’t believe he was kissing her either, that he had the guts to just grab her and show her how much he loved her. He started off timidly, unsure of how to go about it and unsure if she would reciprocate, but soon instinct took over and his tongue slipped soundly into her mouth. The intensity of the kiss increased when he felt her tongue massage his right back.
His ego got a boost when he went to pull back to give her a chance to catch her breath and she quickly dug one hand into his bicep and the other came up to his neck, anchoring him to her.
She wasn’t aware how long they kissed for but when she finally allowed him to pull away from her they were both breathless, gasping for air. A huge smile spread across her face as she brought her fingers to her mouth and felt her swollen lips. “Holy crap,” she whispered.
Jacob gave her a quick peck on the cheek before taking her hand in his and leading her in the direction of Sam’s house. On the way he noticed that she was stumbling a lot and that was unusual for her. Bella was the klutz; Ruby was the one who had a carefree grace to her. He turned his head to look at her and noticed that she was staring off into the distance, her fingertips still tracing her bottom lip.
“You ok?” he smirked.
“Huh?” She blinked and seemed to be brought out of her daze. Her smile grew as she answered him. “Me? I’m great.”
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The moment the door to Sam and Emily’s house was opened, Ruby found herself wrapped in a hug, thick black hair obscuring her vision.
“Ah, Ruby, I’m so happy we finally get to meet.” The person hugging Ruby pulled away and Ruby knew who it was. Ruby thought that Emily was quite possibly one of the most beautiful women she ever saw. She had dark copper skin and long shiny black hair that should be on a bottle of shampoo. The whole right side of her face was scarred but it didn’t take away from her beauty because she had such an overwhelming inner-beauty. She was beaming at Ruby, her eyes shining, an apron barely wrapped around her waist and her hands were resting on her rounded belly.
“Let the girl get through the door first, Emily.” The man Ruby saw was tall, just as tall as Jacob but definitely not as wide, but he carried an air of authority. His black hair was cut close to his head. “Hi, Ruby. I’m Sam.” He put his hand out and Ruby shook it.
“Hey,” she said awkwardly. Emily moved out of the way as Sam guided Ruby into the house. Jacob followed with a smile on his face.
“This is Seth, and his sister Leah.” Sam pointed to Seth, a tall gangly kid, who waved enthusiastically and Leah (what is everyone beautiful, she thought) who jerked her head at her in what could have been a nod. Leah had her arms crossed in front of her chest and her aura spoke of anger and distrust. It made Ruby want to shrink into the background.
“Here’s Jared and Kim,” Sam continued. “They just got married, that’s why they’re all over each other.”
“Congratulations,” Ruby said softly. She had never been introduced to so many people before and was starting to feel a bit overwhelmed and self-conscious.
“This is Paul,” Paul grunted out a greeting, “Collin and Brady” two teenagers that reminded her of a younger Quil and Embry smiled, “and you know Claire, Quil and Embry.” Embry gave her a sweet smile and moved forward to give her a hug, Claire gave a toothy grin and jumped up and Ruby picked her up. Quil was his usual self.
“Hey, it’s the witch girl.” Ruby cracked up laughing, glad for the humor, as Sam and Emily smacked Quil in the back of the head. “What? I only meant that I heard she kicked some major ass.” Claire giggled and Quil tried to backtrack as he took her from Ruby, “Butt. She kicked some major butt.”
“Nuh uh. I heard you,” Claire giggled.
“Umm, thanks… I guess.” Ruby gave a small timid laugh. As expected, Emily took Ruby into the kitchen to talk and to finish cooking. Seth and Sam accompanied them, while everyone else went inside to watch whatever game was on the television.
“When are you due?” Ruby asked after a while.
“I have two months to go.” Emily patted her stomach affectionately and Sam gave her a loving glance. Ruby felt very comfortable around them.
“Do you know what you’re having?”
“No. We want to be surprised.” Ruby nodded, glad she had asked because she could tell from the different aura around the baby what she was having.
Seth looked at her nervously, like he wanted to say something but didn’t want to offend her.
“Something on your mind Seth?” Ruby asked kindly. Seth coughed to hide his embarrassment at being caught and shook his head no. “It’s ok. You want to ask me a question? About me being a witch?” Ruby felt the place get quiet and when she looked around noticed everyone in the kitchen and the next room was looking at her, waiting. She immediately felt a rush of warmth over her body and felt nervous that everyone was looking to her. She gulped softly, bit her lower lip and smiled awkwardly as she glanced at her feet wondering when that hole was going to open and swallow her up. “Ok… maybe everyone wants to ask me a question?”
Jacob got up at that point and walked over to her. “Come on guys, we don’t need to question her.”
“Jacob, it’s ok.” She was more than embarrassed having a house full of people looking at her waiting for her to speak but understood why they were. Who knew you could have stage fright without a stage? “They’re curious.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah.”
“So what can you do?” Seth asked.
Ruby went on to tell them almost everything she told Jacob the night before. Her natural powers, the powers she got from her parents, how you can will someone your power. She told them everything they wanted to know as they ate and after dinner they went outside.
On their way over to First Beach, Seth continued to ask question but she didn’t seem to mind. The kid reminded her so much of Jacob, not physically (though he was tall, tan and gorgeous just like all the members of the pack) but personality wise.
“So can you heal a scar I got?” Seth asked playfully.
“Seth!” Sam yelled somewhere from behind Ruby.
“I wasn’t asking so she could do it. I just wanted to know if it was possible. Come on, give me some credit.”
Ruby just smiled and shook her head. “I can’t heal something that has been healed already. It has to be considered a wound for me to be able to heal it.”
“Do you have any scars?” Collin asked.
“What kind of question is that?” Jacob wondered out loud, a little aggravated. He was tired of everyone looking at her as if she was a science experiment, as if she was something to be analyzed and dissected. Ruby gently put a hand on his forearm and told him it was ok. She didn’t want Jacob arguing with his pack because of her.
“It’s just she said her mom had the healing before she did, so I was wondering if her mom healed everything for her or if she let her heal the old fashioned way.”
“Oh. Most of my cuts she let me heal the long way, so yeah I have scars, tons of them. I got this one,” she pointed to a straight thin scar on her forearm that was about six inches in length, “When I thought I could jump over this old metal gate that was on our property. Damn thing fell over and caught me on the arm. My mom believed imperfections are what made someone beautiful. She did heal me once. I fell out of the tree I was climbing and broke my leg. I was in a lot of pain so she healed me.”
They reached the beach where a large bonfire was in full flame. They spread out and sat around a fire. Jacob sat on the floor, leaning against a log and pulled Ruby down to sit in between his legs, her back resting against his chest. Between the fire and Jacob’s unnatural warmth she had to use her thermokinisis to cool her surrounds down just a few degrees. Billy waited until everyone was seated before he began to tell them a few of the Quileute legends.
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When Billy was done, everyone got up and started to walk back to Sam and Emily’s house.
“Who would have thought that a small town like Forks, Washington would have vampires, werewolves and witches?” Quil said as he passed by Ruby.
“I know,” she answered. “I keep waiting for Bigfoot to knock on my door to ask for a cup of sugar.”
“Or a zombie,” Seth added.
“Or a ghost,” Jared offered.
“Or how about Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster,” Jacob said and everyone laughed.
An hour later, Ruby was starting to yawn. She and Jacob said goodbye to everyone and they walked back to his house where her car was parked. She opened her car door, stopped and turned around.
“You think they liked me?” she said biting her thumbnail.
“Are you kidding me? You had Paul laughing and Leah didn’t insult you once. That means you’re practically her best friend.”
“Really?”
“I wouldn’t lie to you.”
“Oh, that’s good, because I loved them. They were great.”
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A/N: To all the hardcore Jacob and Renesmee fans out there: The reference to Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster by Jacob was intended as a joke, and nothing more. So laugh! LOL.
