Equinox

A One-Shot Based on the Twilight Saga

Evasive

Edward

This is thy hour, O Soul

Thy free flight into the wordless,

Away from book, Away from art,

The day erased, The lesson done,

Thee fully forth emerging,

Silent, Gazing, Pondering

The themes thou lovest best,

Night, Sleep, Death and the Stars

-Walt Whitman

Monopoly was invented by the Devil.

Or maybe the Parker Brothers, or Miss Elizabeth Phillips the Quaker intended to inflict some fair amount of torture to their prosperity with the endless saga of economic fun.

Whatever the case maybe, the game of Monopoly had become a painful experience in the sixth hour of playing. It was no longer a mystery to me why we had never played this game with my family. Emmett would have crushed the little pieces into dust before playing this long, just out of pure boredom. Jasper would have given up ages ago to a game of no strategy and all luck. Rosalie never liked games. And Alice and I were currently playing because it had been exciting to be allowed to play a group game. There was no way we could truly cheat at Monopoly, mind reading and predicting the future helped little in the game of chance. Nevertheless Alice and I were still winning, but the game just wouldn't end.

Jacob's pack had arrived at our home at about 5:45 PM announcing they had found a game we could all play. Harmless. Or so it seemed at the time. It was now nearing midnight and I was debating an elaborate sabotage of Embry who was the most likely to bust first, signaling a nice end for the game.

"That's not fair! The vampire is cheating!" Embry pointed and shouted at Alice, who sat smugly smiling across from him. I cracked a grin at her and winked.

"It's not like she can control the dice Embry." Quil rolled his eyes.

"Well with her freaky fortune teller thing, you never know the gypsy might be foreseeing where to land or something." Embry grumbled.

"Gypsy magic? Sounds about as reliable as wolf instincts. You never know Jacob might be keeping you from winning because of some alpha order or something." Bella giggled next to me.

"Besides, you thought Edward was cheating by reading your thoughts about what you wanted to roll. You are just losing Embry, deal with it." Jacob shook his head, disgruntled that he was still awake. Renesmee slipped her hand into Jacob's trying to soothe his nerves.

On the eve before her 21st birthday, my daughter was beautiful though I'm sure I've always thought her to be the most angelic creature that has ever existed. She had recently cut her hair despite my forbidding it, Alice crying about and Rosalie refusing to talk to her for days. The bronze locks that I had inherited from my mother genetics had seen fit to pass along to my girl. Her hair now bounced just above her shoulders, I would be lying if I said I liked it but I suppose I could get use to it. Also luckily her hair would grow back. I smiled as I saw the way her brown eyes glossed over, it reminded me so much of Bella before. In her eyes she was fighting the sleep, the same way her mother had on so many nights. But different from my wife, Nessie was not putting herself in some kind of mortal danger like Bella had. Renesmee had grown wildly. She was now fully developed and would look like a young adult eternally. She could easily pass for as young as 17 and if needed we could push our luck to 15. She had grown as tall as her mother and was slender in figure. Bella rejoiced over her angular face features, though I was convinced she had Charlie's ears. I was happy she had her mother's eyes and that every so often she would trip over completely level ground.

Oddly her boyfriend had barely had any thoughts about my daughter this evening. Jacob had been intriguingly focused on the game for the last five hours, but now his thoughts were swamped with exhaustion and annoyance. I had noticed his thoughts being uncharacteristically focused on something out of his usual realm. Most of the time I had to growl to get him to stop thinking about Nessie. Other times I was amused with the soap opera trials and tribulation of the pack, though not as interesting without the added dynamic of Sam's pack. And most of the time Jacob was thinking about normal young male items sports, foods, video games, and occasionally classes. Eerily how Jacob's mind still echoed thoughts of a twenty year old, I was starting to gather that not only the bodies of the werewolves didn't age but also their minds. But tonight, it seemed like he was hiding something from me.

Jacob Black had always resented my ability to read his every thought. But after 22 years of knowing it was happening though, I was starting to think he had taken some comfort in it. The funny part about Jake was even with all his resentment, he rarely hid thoughts from me. The boy didn't know how to filter his words which only meant he was less tactful in his thoughts. This is why he was striking me as increasing odd tonight, especially after so many hours.

"I'll buy a house." Seth yawned in his sleep next to me. Snapping me from my intent thoughts on Jacob.

"It's not your turn." Alice whispered to him and held out her open hand to Embry. "I would like my rent money please, if you have enough."

This had been Embry's idea, he had been positive of his ability to beat us. He came barging into the house carrying a new unopened Monopoly board, grinning and cocky in his thoughts of victory. His annoyance at losing was seeping from him now. Alice and I were winning the game, I owned Boardwalk and Alice Park Place and there was little chance of anyone overcoming us now.

Stupid Vampires. So perfect at everything. Embry thought before speaking.

"Are we sure they can't control the dice? Or maybe they are doing some weird vampire thing that we don't know about." Embry picked up the dice, examining the pair for the tenth time this hour.

"We told you not to play with Alice and Edward, they cheat at everything." Emmett laughed from across the room. He was playing darts with Jasper, a new hobby they had picked up from Jacob's pack.

"It's midnight, everyone is cheating at this point." Renesmee mumbled into Jacob's shoulder blade, where her face was comfortably nestled.

"If it's midnight it's your birthday." Claire smiled at Nessie.

"Almost midnight." Jacob stared at his watch for a second and almost immediately stared back at the board. Why was he acting so strange? I had learned when to become suspicious of my children, because Jacob was like the son I hadn't had.

She looks exhausted. Quil thought as he watched Claire lean her head against his shoulder and close her eyes.

"Maybe we should call it a night?" Bella's maternal voice rang around the room, as she sat up straighter in my arm and started sweeping up pieces with her hands.

"Let him lose first, it's good for Embry to lose sometimes." Seth yawned and stretched his massive limbs trying to not hit the table out of place with his legs.

"Claire is fast asleep." Quil pushed his girlfriend's hair out of her face, as she had fallen limp against the couch.

"Nessie is getting there herself." Jacob laughed.

"Am not, let Embry lose." My only daughter yawned against her will.

I like this game. Alice thought to me, I rolled my eyes at her. Of course, she liked anything she was allowed to play especially if she could win.

I won't even last one more rent anyway, so this torture can't possibly last much longer. Embry was thinking to himself.

This was a terrible idea; everyone knows monopoly takes hours and no one ever wins. Jacob was shaking his head.

"Why don't we keep playing tomorrow? We'll just leave the board like this. It is rather late. You boys should be getting home, Quil still has to leave Claire at her dorm." I suggested.

Like she still stays at her dorm. Embry thought to himself. I gave him a sharp glare and he held up his hands. Claire was in her second year at the Academy of American Art and it was noticeable that he focus was shifting from her education to Quil.

"Every night." He mumbled to me and out of the corner of my eye I saw Jacob groan.

"Yeah he reads your thoughts, remember stupid." Jacob whispered to Embry, though he knew we could all hear him.

"She better be staying at her dorm most nights." I said pointedly at Jacob. He knew where the scholarship had come from, and he knew of some specifications Claire was unaware of still.

"Yeah, yeah. We'll stop here." He ignored my demand and slipped his free arm under Nessie's bent knee. I itched to move to pick her up, but here on the eve before my baby girl's twenty-first birthday I knew she would want Jacob to pick her up.

"Edward can I borrow your car to drive back? I ran here, because Leah had taken our car for the night." Seth grabbed a fistful of licorice and started chewing before he even finished his request. I could have only hoped that after almost twenty years of our influence Seth Clearwater would have become better mannered.

"Why don't you catch a ride with Quil and Claire?" I asked.

Because I like driving your car. Seth smiled at me. And you always let Jacob drive it.

"I don't always let him drive it." I protested.

"You kind of do." Bella kissed my neck.

"Don't show off in it?" I asked Seth. Seth had become like my youngest child, an over zealous slightly reckless son and sometimes I worried about his judgment. It wasn't an accident that I didn't let him drive my car as often as Jacob.

"Scouts honor. I'll bring it back tomorrow afternoon." Seth had skipped over to the entry wall table and taken the keys from their hook.

"I might go get it anyway before the party, I should check on the house. Make sure you guys aren't letting it fall apart though I doubt Leah would allow it." I winked at him as I heard the other boys groan. The wolves were living in my old family home in Chicago, Jacob's pack being whole again for the first time in nineteen years. I could only imagine what four overgrown wolf boy-men could do to the house with only one overly responsible neat freak wolf-woman trying to keep things in order.

It might not be clean. Quil thought to me as he hugged Alice farewell.

Bring snacks. Embry pleaded as he punched Jasper in the arm, in their normal good bye.

"Don't forget about tomorrow?" Alice called after the pack as they wandered out the door. There was a grumbled response back before it was silent in the house again. I looked around the room. Emmett had escaped in the noise upstairs to Rosalie. While Jasper was helping Alice tidy the room a bit and put away the food the pack of wolves hadn't eaten throughout the night.

"It's strange isn't it?" Bella was twisting her hand into mine.

"What is love?" I asked her, snapping out of my focused attention to my surroundings.

"Playing monopoly with a pack of werewolves, a day before our only daughter's twenty first birthday." She was wrapping our arms around my waist.

"They're shape shifters." I responded.

"Yes that would be what you pay attention to, sometimes you're so dense Edward." Alice laughed.

"Poorly focused is all Alice dear." Bella responded. I slipped out of her hands and threw my arms around her waist, swinging her up and over my shoulder walking out of the large and airy main room. My family was living in De Kalb, Illinois these days, just an hour south of my hometown. Esme, Alice and Rosalie had found this abandoned decrepit looking inn that was going to be torn down and decided to restore it. It was the first house that we'd had in thirty years that we didn't have to build onto, it came with enough space for everything we wanted from our extended living room to the need for seven bedrooms, three offices, and a ten car garage. The restoration was not historically accurate, but it probably would be when we moved out of it in a few years.

Jasper sat down on the couch and stared at the half played game board.

"There is nothing to this game. Mere chance, barely based on odds." Jasper picked up the silver thimble that was Alice's piece. Alice skipped around Jasper scooping up the half eaten brownie that Jacob had left on the corner table.

"But I was winning!" Alice chirped.

"Yes from Embry and Quil's ranting I gathered that you and Edward were in the lead." Jasper laughed.

"That's strange." I said aloud. My hand twitched over Bella's shoulder.

"What's strange?" She demanded.

"Jacob wasn't complaining." I responded making sense of the thoughts that had just occurred to me.

He's been acting strange all week. Alice shrugged at me.

Very unlike Jacob not to voice his displeasure at losing, but he has seemed distracted for the last few days. Jasper noted as he picked up Jacob's racecar piece.

"Maybe he's been trying to figure out what to get Nessie for her birthday?" Bella suggested. "He gets focused like that."

"But the last few days…" I started thinking back over the last few days and realized I hadn't heard any normal thoughts from Jacob. He had been guarded. Tonight he thought only about the game, yesterday he only thought about the stupid movie him and Nessie were watching. Everything I could remember had been only about the present situation, he hadn't been thinking about anything. He was being evasive!

"What is he planning?" I suddenly demanded from Bella. She pushed away from me startled at my sudden tone.

"I have no idea Edward. Contrary to popular belief, Jacob does not tell me everything." She snapped and started instinctively biting at her lower lip.

" He is hiding something from me." I mumbled.

So paranoid just let the boy be. Alice winked at me.

"He has been acting unusual lately. Slightly detached like he is trying to hide something." Jasper nodded thinking back to many of his interactions with Jake during the last few days.

"You two are being absurd." Bella snapped.

"We are having a party here in a few hours, I was thinking we might hunt before we start setting up." Alice let her fingertips dance on top of Jasper's head and through her hair.

" You are going to go overboard?" Bella demanded.

" If you come hunting, I might tell you all the plans." Alice sang a bit. Jasper chuckled and he stood.

"Such a minx." He sighed as he held out his hand to Bella. Bella took it and jumped up.

"Edward?" She questioned.

"No. I will stay here." I responded. I could hear Jacob moving about somewhere above me, pacing maybe?

"We don't want someone so cranky to come anyway." Alice stuck her tongue out at me. I rolled my eyes. Bella kissed me lightly and pushed her thoughts to me before she disappeared.

Be nice. I'm sure it's nothing to worry about.

I sat in the converted lobby of the inn, starring at the great fireplace. On the mantle were pictures since the arrival of Nessie pictures had become necessary to my family unit. We had never taken many photographs in my first hundred years and those that we had we never displayed. It would be odd if by chance a visitor noticed that the photograph from the 1950s wasn't just of ancestors who looked like my family, but was my family. The common theme in most of the photographs was Nessie, due to her constant changing in her first seven years every picture was slightly different.

I stood and stared at every moment captured on film. I traced every change she had made with my fingers. As my gaze flickered, I saw how each part of her had changed and grown. I was completely enthralled by her growing up again before my very eyes when I heard the footsteps from above me.

I just saw Bella, Alice and Jasper leave. Edward has to still be here. It's now or never, I can do this. He was giving himself a pep talk as he walked down the stairs. Jacob Black was coming to tell me what he had been hiding and I had to smile. When Jake had been in love with Bella he wasn't really that afraid of me, I was his competition and though worthy and obviously victorious competition not scary. And though I was the controlled parent when Jacob first imprinted, he knew I was furious about it. Over the years I had been the one that had restricted and controlled the relationship Jacob had with my daughter. Though I had loosened the slack considerably since Nessie was now an adult on all fronts from age to development.

"Edward?" Jacob was behind me.

"Jacob?" I slowly turned around. Jacob was unnaturally pale for his dark skin and he was slightly shaking. He stood taller than me but his shoulders were hunched forward and he seemed to me trying to make him self smaller.

I can do this man. Jacob kept repeating in his mind.

"What is wrong with you?" The kid was really starting to worry me now. This was nothing like his usual cocky confidence.

"Edward. I was going to, I mean. I am planning to." Jacob started trying to make a complete sentence.

Marry. I want to marry her. His thoughts were screaming in my head. Suddenly I heard all the thoughts he had been hiding from me last week. The shopping trip he had taken with Leah of all people to pick out the ring. I understood why he had taken Leah, because she didn't come around as much as the rest of his pack. And because Leah didn't spend nearly anytime with me so there was little chances that I would detect the plan prematurely. I saw how he had worried about asking me for days and how he hadn't even told anyone else in fear that I would find out from someone that wasn't him. So many thoughts, like a confession from a naughty child.

"This is what you've been hiding from me?" I questioned, feeling the sensation of being light headed even though it was physically impossible. I sat down and put my head into my hands thinking over all the thoughts that had suddenly bombarded me.

"Edward, hold on let me get it out." Jacob begged and I had to laugh. Of all the ridiculous things in the world to be afraid of doing, this was what he was so worked up about. I couldn't help thinking that Jacob Black had fought alongside me. He had destroyed vampire threats and never once blinked. This was the boy that had convinced my loving wife that he would go down in flames during a battle and without remorse gone to fight. He relished the idea of a good threat and a good way to get in a fight.

Real considerate man, laugh at me. Didn't you ask Charlie? But of course, mind reading bloodsucker had the advantage. I have no idea what you're thinking. But if you want to kill me, you should know she would be very upset. Jacob thought to me. I laughed even harder and stood back up.

"Well you haven't asked anything." I smiled mockingly at Jacob. He glared at me, desperate to have this moment over with.

"Edward, I wanted your blessing before I asked for Nessie's hand in marriage." Jacob finally spat out. Also, did Jacob Black just asked in what he would term ancient terms to marry my daughter? He was trying to impress me. That's when the idea set in. I knew that this day had been coming. I was honestly surprised that Jacob hadn't asked years earlier. But as I looked at the pictures, I started to feel that it was too soon. Instead I found myself saying the opposite.

"What took you so long?"

"You and Bella were constantly worried she was growing up to fast. And that sad look you two always get when thought you didn't have enough time to raise her. I just didn't want to make things worse, I can be patient."

"Just about as much as Emmett can be, which isn't saying much." I smirked at him but he continued.

" You and Bells shared with me for all these years, you know I'm going to share. You are as much my family at this point, even old Blondie. I was fine with waiting the few years, but she's ready now and I wanted to ask her at the party. But I just couldn't without well…" Jacob trailed off.

"My permission?" I asked doubting that's what he really meant. Jacob and Nessie rarely waited for my permission on anything.

"Blessing." Jacob shrugged.

I stared at Jacob. He hadn't changed much since he had become my wife's best friend. He was built young and strong, he was still slightly reckless but responsibility had suited him well. Ephraim Black would have been very proud of his grandson, a born leader. He would protect Nessie from any threats and the pack was capable of keeping her safe. But most of all, I knew that Jacob Black was held to this earth because of my daughter. The way he loved her was indescribable, but I was privy to his thoughts and I understood that every breath he took was for her. I could not deny he loved her and I could deny even less that Nessie adored him.

"She could do worse." I sighed. Jacob looked alarmed for a second.

You don't think I'm good enough. Haven't I proven myself again and again? He reproached in his mind.

"Well she could do worse, at least Seth didn't imprint on her." I rolled my eyes. Jacob laughed and he seemed to loose his fear in a moment. He stood up straighter and his eyes jumped with excitement.

"Let's see what kind of ring you got her then." I held out my hand

Jacob pulled out of his pocket something that didn't look like gold or silver. He placed a wooden ring in my hand.

"It's the engagement ring, I want to get her something fancy for the wedding band. But I know that Bells, Alice and Rosalie don't really wear their wedding rings because it would look strange when you're all posing as high school students. And well, I wanted something she could always wear even when she was playing freshmen in high school again." Jacob fidgeted. I studied the ring in my hand it was craved and very Jacob.

"You made this then?" I asked.

"Yeah I did, and the way I craved the wolf into it will actually cradle a diamond really well. I was thinking it was like a tradition." Jacob showed me how it would work and I nodded.

"You haven't told Bella?" I handed back the ring. He shook his head.

"I was sort of planning on telling you together and then I lost my nerve. Had to ask you now." Jacob shrugged.

"What did you think I was going to do exactly?" I wondered.

"I never know with you." Jacob laughed. "But Bells won't be angry, she knows it was coming. Nessie has been chattering about weddings and true love with her on a daily basis. Impatient child you had Edward."

"Jacob Black! How could you not tell me?" Bella came hurtling in and tackled Jacob into the couch. My wife had launched herself in a perfect arched, her dark brown hair danced in the wind beautifully. She hadn't pounced in anger but she had playfully tumbled into Jake.

"I never know if you can really keep a secret from Edward." Jake laughed as he pushed Bella off of him. Alice squealed from the back door.

"A first time wedding!" She clapped her hands in delight.

"You're letting that mongrel marry the princess!" Rosalie screeched from the stairs. She had basically jumped from the top step in a sort of fury. Emmett slide down the banister after her falling with a thump onto the ground.

"You are all going to wake her." Jacob groaned.

"Emmett, the baby is sleeping!" Esme came out from her office and chastised my big brother.

How sweet of Jacob to ask for Edward's permission. Esme had been listening to our conversation. I had completely forgotten that she had been working on the newest design plans for the empty guest rooms on the third floor.

"You really all have to be quieter." Jacob pleading, not wanting his surprise to be ruined because my family still didn't understand sleeping.

"I can't believe you waited this long!" Emmett playfully punched Jacob's shoulder. Rosalie was pretending to fume, I say pretending because she like everyone else knew this day was coming.

The next few moments were filled with congratulations. My family embraced Jacob, jokingly welcoming him to a family that he had been a part of for almost two decades. Jasper ruffled up his hair, Alice jumped up to kiss his cheek, Esme clung to his arm proudly and Bella held his hand. It was a picturesque moment of family bliss and I had to laugh. I slipped away from my happy family, as they let go of Jacob and started putting up decorations and discussing as a group how Jacob should propose.

"You should play music and sing!" Alice chirped.

"Hide it in the cake." Emmett laughed.

And so the suggestions went from things that my siblings had all done, to things they had seen in movies. I quietly removed myself and went up to Renesmee's bedroom. This bedroom was less childlike than her last two bedrooms had been. It was not drenched in pink or dressed to fit a baby princess. Not to be confused, the room still seemed as if it belonged to royalty but Nessie was still the apple of everyone's eye. She was nestled in her imported sheets and hand-sewn blankets. I found myself creeping into the room and seating myself in the rocking chair to watched my daughter sleep.