Jessica Stanley, GOAT

Part XIV

Jessica drummed her fingers on the arm rest of her seat. "So, you're telling me this "imprinting" is the wolfy version of finding your soul mate? It happens when you lock eyes for the first time? And that's what happened when you rescued me?" Jessica recapped out loud more for herself then Seth's confirmation. She understood everything he had told her. But...the believing it and accepting it part was presently a difficult issue.

She resisted from looking at Seth. She couldn't bear to see his face sag again as she processed everything.

Her mind was currently in a heated game of battle ship. One side was for acceptance despite thinking love at first sight was bullshit, the other side demanded she face the cold, hard truth that Seth may have never been so fond of her in the first place if not for this imprinting thing. Both forces trying to sink the other's cause into acceptance of their own.

It was... downright confusing.

Seth reached across the aisle to grab her restless hand. They had been a few feet apart since take off which was for the best. Any closer and all the ships would have been nuked on the opposing side of the accepting the imprinting mumbo jumbo.

Fear skittered up her spine while she felt a rush of butterflies in her stomach. Returning Seth's grip on her hand, the butterflies turned into knots. What was happening to her? This scared the living daylights out of her. She wasn't supposed to need anyone. Or better yet anyone need her. Yet here Seth was telling her they were fated to be together. Was that why he was so drawn to her in the first place? The knots tightened and Jessica wished she had a mirror in front of her to tell herself how foolish she had been. No one could see anything good in her without being forced to.

Tears threatened to fall from her eyes, but she commanded they stay put. She was NOT weak. But she was tired. Tired of pretending to be better, nicer and maybe she wasn't. Seth only saw what he wanted to see because he was forced to.

Panic clawed at her throat as she was about to spit out the vicious truth. Jessica shook off her hand from Seth's grip and returned it to her lap. She anchored her attention to her fingers forming a steeple.

"I am not the first person in my pack to imprint." Jessica twisted her head to meet Seth's face. As soon as she saw the nervous smile that played along the edge of his lips, she clenched her eyes shut. She hadn't wanted Seth to speak first. This would just make things harder.

"I have seen a wide range of reactions from imprintees when they have been told. No one is the same. But based on what I have observed and what I know of you, Jess, I have to tell you this. The imprint connects me to you. Made me recognize who you are to me. Everything else I have seen in you comes from me though."

Jessica's heart throbbed. The knots in her stomach began to loosen. All despite her brains protest to stay strong.

"If we met without this influence, I still would have been interested in this beautiful girl with a guarded heart. Don't look at this like the only reason I liked you or saw these good things within you was driven by the imprint. It wasn't! I saw those for myself. Imprinting is a gift because it allowed me to recognize the person who makes me whole."

Despite her resolve, a single tear streamed down her flushed cheeks.

"I don't need someone to make me whole. I can do that myself," she countered with a stubborn edge. Her fingers parted and each hand formed a tight fist.

"I know." She wanted to be angry that he knew her so well in such a short amount of time. That wasn't real life.

"Imprinting is another way to say love at first sight. My father said that about my mom and that didn't last."

"You know what I am talking about is different." The knots untied and Jessica was watching herself unravel as well with Seth's words.

"I know. This is complicated. What does it mean? We are bound together, and I am forced to move to La Push to be with you? I have dreams of what I want to do and see!" Jessica insisted although her voice was choking up.

"I will follow you wherever you go."

Jessica drew in a stuttered gasp.

"What?! You're beta? Isn't that second in command or something?"

With wide eyes Jessica watched Seth unclick his seatbelt and stand up. She shrank further into her seat as he stepped across the aisle and knelt beside her seat.

"Doesn't matter. I have served and protected my people ever since I turned. If I am to have this fate, I should be allowed to be happy. And that happiness lies wherever you are."

"Why did you have to be so wonderful? You're making this so hard!" She hissed like a cornered serpent.

"What's so hard about this?" The innocence laced in Seth's tone was just plain maddening to Jessica.

"Finding ways to reject you or push you away. I was going to end this when I drove back to school. But now...now I don't know what to do." Jessica raised her hands in defeat to cover her face.

"Yes, you do. You said you wanted to be friends until you love yourself. I told you I can wait. And I will. Then when you graduate, we will figure out where we go from there."

Jessica dropped her hands and turned to face Seth directly.

"You can't drop everything in your life for me. You're just graduating from high school!"

"I can. And I will."

"But I am not doing that for you."

"I'm not asking you to. I thought we already discussed give and take, Jess?"

Her thoughts of sound reasoning wouldn't line up anymore. Every time she tried to align one, it tumbled down, scattering the rest. Her only reaction left was to submit to her true feelings. Thus, she began to cry for the first time in god knows how long. And in front of people. She was still turning out to be selfish and Seth wanted to be with her despite it. Why didn't he resent her? She didn't understand this at all.

But maybe...not everything in life could be explained. Maybe not everything was clear cut.

All she could do was let go of her perception of the future and take one day at a time. So, she would, for Seth.

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"Okay. I accept what's going on. Let's just keep going with the flow and figure out things along the way."

"You sound like me," Seth chuckled. Jessica delivered a playful glare before tugging on Seth's shirt (a requirement by the vampires before boarding their private jet plane) and kissing his lips. She poured every doubt and ounce of an apology for being a basket case about this into the kiss. And she knew he understood. Because everything else she didn't speak on, was better left unsaid. She did have more work to do on herself. Having Seth along for the ride wouldn't handicap her from growing. Perhaps it would even speed up the process as well. Who knows?

"Don't get used to it," she whispered as she pulled away from his lips. She cleared her throat in mild embarrassment because she knew they had an audience the entire time.

"Now mom," Jessica called to the back of the private jet plane. "Your turn to explain your side of things."

...

"Fascinating. She has it wrapped around her finger like a ring."

Jessica stifled a giggle because she agreed with Marcus but didn't want to offend Seth. However, Seth didn't look to be offended. In fact, he seemed to be beaming with his pride at the analogy. She squeezed his hand before returning her gaze across the table to the three vampires and her mother.

"Alright mom, please explain more about who this Aro is. Are Marcus, Alec and Jane his...grown children?"

Marcus laughed. Jane scowled. Alex was indifferent. And well, Jessica's mom's eyes sparkled with joy.

"We are his subordinates."

"- court."

"-lackies."

It seemed to Jessica that the three misfit vampires had different interpretations, but none confirmed they were his children.

Odd. Super odd.

"And...how will they be my new family?"

"When you become one of us," Jessica's mom announced with a cheery smile.

Jessica flicked her gaze to Seth to make sure he wasn't going to wolf out. To her relief he was keeping cool. But it was a faux exterior. His upset mood radiated off him and held her heart hostage.

"But I don't want to become a vampire. I am going back to school then figuring out what comes next with Seth."

"Sweetie, that's because you don't understand-"

"No. Don't!" The table wobbled as Jessica's right hand slammed on the surface. "You don't get to parent me right now. I'll tell you why no. Bella Swan. She became a vampire and at what cost? Avoiding human friends and family for their own safety? And how could I when I am bound to what is supposed to be a vampire's mortal enemy? I will accept this is your choice and new life, but you can't try to involve me in your life now."

Seth's hand in hers was her lifeline to keep a level head with her words despite her heightened level of rage. She didn't want to cross any lines that started a brawl on the plane, but she also couldn't let her mother take control of her life. Her words had to be chosen carefully for everyone's safety and for landing in Italy in one piece. Despite the civility now, she understood that with the wrong words or reaction by Seth, the tension was a kerosene doused fuse waiting for a spark to set it off.

"But we could have eternity to make up for the last few years! We could be happy as a family! I'm sure Aro would allow Seth to join us." Her mother's smile tightened and embellished the wrinkles in the corner of her eyes. Eyes that Jessica inherited. A deep blue, like the ocean.

"Stop, Mom! It's always about you first. What about me? I want to have a relationship with Dad as well. And...Vicky?" Jessica's pitch heightened at the end. But it wasn't untrue. She needed to give Vicky a real shot and stop being so damn rude to her all the time.

"That whore?" Jessica's mother asked aghast.

"God. No, she is not! Stop blaming her. Your marriage was long over before she came into the picture. I am happy for you just like I am for Dad. I will come to your wedding and visit. But this isn't the life for me."

"Once you know about vampires, your option is to turn or to die. You have to turn." A menacing smirk overtook her mother's face and Jessica's heart thawed. Because in front of her she saw the selfish person she could become if she didn't push herself to change more.

"I rather die then!" Jessica screeched while the mother and daughter looked at each other like they were the only two in the room.

In an instant, the smirk vanished from Jessica's mother's face and her puckered bottom lip trembled. "You don't mean that, Jessica."

"Oh, but I do. You just-"

"That's not true," Marcus interrupted. "The wolves and their mates are aware of our existence. They have been allowed to live."

"To prevent a war," Alec added.

"Nonetheless, it's possible Aro could extend that same courtesy to Jessica. Although he has rather looked forward to having her as his step-daughter."

Jessica whipped her head to look at Marcus then back to her mother.

"He hasn't even met me!"

"I've showed him who you are though. Through his gift," her mother explained in a calm voice.

"Oh god, more gifts?! How is it fair vampires get super human speed and strength then at random magic powers too?!"

"Jane, you've stayed quiet for too long. What are your thoughts?"

Jane seated on the furthest end of the table away from the group was staring out the window across the aisle. She waved her right hand dismissively at all the eyes trained on her. "Always the same, Alec. But...it's refreshing to hear for once someone not so infatuated by that little shield."

"Bella?" Seth asked. It was his first word spoken since they all sat down at the table in the back of the jet.

Jessica laughed. She never thought someone would be on her side again about mild contempt for Bella.

"I tolerate her mother." Jane craned her head and her crimson eyes locked on Jessica. "I am sure I could come to tolerate her too in time."

"I would like to study the imprint relationship more." Jessica's eyebrows twitched as she was left wordless of how to respond to Jane or Marcus.

"I just want to kill more things," Alec mentioned in an offhand comment.

Just what kind of fucked up family was her mother marrying into?!

Author's Note: Next up Aro comes into play! :O SO glad it's almost the WEEKEND!

Response to review:

Cassy-Kay: Glad she is choosing him too :D

Marianka: Yes! In my laziness I just glazed over her finding out about Edward's gift in the beginning of last chapter during that six-blink scenario to speed up time haha Thank you for detailing how much you like this story! Although mentally I feel the story concludes at part XV, I will still write future scenes of their relationship. Graduation, what's next, marriage, kids, etc. As long as I have the inspo to do so :)

angelacorus: Yaaay! Glad you like the romantic end of the last part also, I happily accept the cookies ^_^