Thanks for the reviews, msjackson, Secret Musings, and EclipseLover97! You guys rock. Also, thanks for the Fav, alicewillbealice1066379.

This story will be CULLEN-FREE. All the events of Breaking Dawn transpired, just without Jacob. Bella got married, had her hybrid child, and her happily 'effing after. They moved to a town... far... far away. *evil smirk* (Sorry, I'm never like this... I love the Cullens, REALLY!)

I like just wrote this, so I hope there aren't too many mistakes. Enjoy.

-Scarlet

Chapter 4: Awake and So Excited

"So... don't you wanna... talk about it?"

Billy's wise, old eyes glanced up from his cold cereal at his only son. The torrential rainstorm that had blown in during the night thrummed against the roof. The morning was dark due to the heavy cloud layer, and the AM news blabbered on softly in the background. "Talk about what, Jacob?" Billy asked quietly.

Jacob scoffed unbelievingly. "Dad, I just told you that I imprinted on the girl who's lived here for the past year and a half, and I've been gone for three solid years! Don't you want to talk about it?" He stared at Billy's impassive expression.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He slowly chewed another bite of Mini-Wheats, tapping the remnants in his bowl below the surface of the milk.

Jacob sighed and leaned back in his chair. When he'd finally gotten home at 4 o' clock that morning, he'd found Clover – the one person that brought meaning to his life, who he barely knew – sleeping soundly on the couch. Hardly able to keep his hands to himself, he'd slipped silently down the hall and settled into a restless night in bed. He would have been exhausted the following morning had he been completely human.

"Jesus, dad... Can I at least get some advice?" He pointed rapidly to the door. "Clover Windsong is going to come walking through that door any second, and I have to confess my undying love and loyalty to her!"

Billy nodded solemnly. "She's taking awful long to pick up some orange juice, isn't she?"

Jacob stood from his chair roughly and ran his fingers though his short hair anxiously. "Holy crap... This can't be happening..." His eyes were wide with stress.

Just then, through the sound of pouring rain, a bolt of lightning struck distinctly close. Close to werewolf hearing, that is. The lights flickered three times before going out completely. The TV screen went dark. At this, Jacob felt an unprecedented feeling of panic sweep though him. Clover was out there... in the storm... she could be hurt...

Used to the common occurrence, Billy continued their conversation, "Jacob, "it'll be much easier when you see her face to face." He took his empty cereal bowl from the table with one hand and wheeled his way to the dim kitchen. "It'll be fine – don't worry."

Jacob tried not to scowl at Billy's causal manner. The fact that he was taking this jokingly made it that much worse. Sure, Billy hadn't made a big deal of his past problems... maybe it was just his parenting style. Sighing, he walked into the living room; the only illumination was from the half-closed blinds over the front windows. "Give me a break, dad... You can't possibly expect all my problems to just evaporate when she –"

There were three raps at the door, and the distinct sound of jingling keys. Jacob became as immobile as a statue, and Billy nodded expectantly toward the door. "Someone's knocking, Jacob."

Jacob's strength nearly ripped the door off its hinge as he opened it. Clover stood there – two brown grocery bags held clumsily in her arms, hair dripping wet, cloths clinging to her slim body – with the most irritated look on her face. "Power out here, too?" she spat, shuffling between the small space Jacob left in the doorway. "Everything's dark out there."

"Be quick with the fridge, Chloe. Who knows how long this'll last..." Billy threw Jacob an amused smile as Clover stumbled into the kitchen. Jacob didn't notice; his breath had returned at least, but now he didn't know how to speak.

When Clover finished with the groceries, she sat down to have breakfast herself. Billy made some poor excuse to leave them alone, and Jacob glared after his stifled chuckles as he rolled down the hall. Jacob stood awkwardly between the kitchen and the living room, watching Clover's back as she ate her Fruit Loops and orange juice. After a minute had elapsed, the girl whipped around in her seat and glared. She said nothing.

Jacob, suddenly put in a rather uncomfortable situation, crossed the space between them and sat in the seat across from her. Her eyes carefully took him in as he crammed his knees under the table. Tentatively raising her spoon, she began eating again.

"Does that even taste good together?" Jacob asked to break the tension between them.

"I guess so... why wouldn't it?" She stared as her spoon swirled the pink-colored milk around in the bowl.

"Well, you know..." Jacob rubbed the back of his neck and shifted his feet. "Fruit Loops... orange juice? Both kinda fruity... kinda sweet?"

She didn't seem to understand, and the conversation plummeted and died like a stalled biplane. The only sounds to ease the thick silence was her cereal munching and the drumming rain.

Jacob tried to form a coherent, objective plan in his head. Though his body hummed with pleasure at the thought of his imprint sitting right there... his mind was in turmoil. He thought of ways to broach the subject... 'Hi, I'm a half-man, half-wolf that has been magically bonded to you for life.' Or... 'Clover, you are the only thing on the planet that keeps me alive... I swear to protect and love you until I die.' Neither sounded particularly "objective."

She finished her meal before long, and her dishes clattered in the sink as she rinsed them. Continuing to steal glances at him when he wasn't looking, the girl retrieved her jacket from the couch and slipped it on.

"Where are you going?" The question came out a lot more urgent than Jacob would've preferred, and it caused Clover to narrow her eyes.

"What's it to you?" she mumbled, pulling her long hair into a rubber band.

"Well..." Jacob cleared his throat gawkily and stood. "I thought we could... talk."

Clover's naturally guarded nature flared up. "About what?" She was halfway to the door.

Jacob cut her off automatically, blocking her exit. "Just... get to know each other." He smiled pathetically.

Clover darted around him and opened the door. "Maybe later," she said sardonically.

Jacob felt the world draining of color. She was going to leave again. He couldn't take it. "Don't you need keys?" he blurted, holding the door that she tried to jerk close.

"No," she snapped, glaring.

"But... it's raining –"

"Yeah, exactly." She made a 'no-duh' face. "I'm going to the beach."

Jacob stared. Hazardous scenarios played out in his head... title wave, strong currents, lighting bolt, slippery sand... "I'll come, too," he said, edging out to damp front steps with her.

Her hair was already damp again, with moist droplets of water shining like gems in her midnight hair. Her petite face was pulled into a look of distrust. "Why?"

"Like I said – we need to get to know each other."

"Why?"

He sighed, glancing crossly at the brooding sky. "You'll... find out," he choked, clearing his throat again.

"Don't you want a jacket? It's gonna be wet." She looked down at his black shirt and ripped jeans suspiciously.

He wiggled his sockless toes in his old Sketchers. "Nah."

The walk to the beach wasn't long, but the two were thoroughly soaked by the time they reached their destination. Clover walked along with her hands in the pockets of her dark purple raincoat, catching Jacob's stares every so often. She walked on the hems of her too-long jeans, and her grey Converse were brown with mud in less than a minute. The rain ebbed into a drizzle. They took the small path through the trees behind the beach, and soon enough the looming, tempestuous horizon of First Beach came into view.

Jacob shivered when a sudden familiarity rose up. The beach, the storm... it seemed like he had been in this situation before...

"Told ya."

"Wh-what?"

"You should of brought a coat."

Jacob scoffed at the thought. He had enough body heat to survive Antarctica, let alone a late-fall rainstorm. "I'm not cold."

Clover smirked and held out a hand, which had grown pale from the cold pocket of her coat. "Prove it."

Jacob's smug grin caught her eye as their hands joined lightly. His skin was a shade darker than hers, by natural hue. Their touch lingered together, each drawn closer by the contact. She stared up into his chocolate eyes, captivated by their depth and the longing she found there. The moment was perfect... he felt that he could confide anything in her...

"Are you a criminal?"

He gaped incredulously. "What?"

"Are you running from the law? 'Cuz I don't wanna be your accomplice or anything."

"Wha –? No! What makes you say that?"

She turned, stuck her hand back in her pocket, and continued down the beach. "They say you just disappeared three years ago... pretty suspicious if you ask me."

He fell into step with her, watching her face carefully. "That's... kind of personal."

She rolled her eyes. "You said you wanted to get to know me. I want some info in return."

He nodded in understanding. She was reasonable, at least. "I don't know how much Billy's told you..." He turned his face so the rain ran down his chin and neck. "Boy met girl... boy fell in love... girl broke boy's heart... boy ran away." It was almost sad that he could sum up two whole years of his life in those words... almost. That time was far behind him; he couldn't dwell on forgotten memories.

"Oh... how... clique." Clover looked at the sea and bit her lip. "Sorry," she apologized. "I tend to use my mouth more than my brain..."

Jacob chuckled, wishing she would turn her head again. Her light coffee eyes were becoming a drug to him. "S'kay... I think I'm over it, for the most part."

They walked along in silence for a full minute, during which the shoreward wind picked up. Clover shivered against the breeze, but a smile was on her face. Jacob watched her, fascinated by every motion, by every thought that passed over her face.

"The cold doesn't bother you?" he asked.

She shrugged. "Sometimes. I like the rain more, though."

"Ah..." Jacob carefully thought over his next question. "So... why did you move to La Push?" He frowned; that hadn't come out quite right.

"Family... stuff." She watched her feet make shallow prints in the wet sand. "That's something we share in common," she said, looking over at him. "My mom's dead, too."

Jacob tried to hide his surprise. She'd just... said it. "Er, oh. Sorry..."

Clover's expression darkened. "No, I don't mind it, really. She took her own life... She was selfish."

He tried to keep his face straight, ignoring the pain that her confession caused him. "And your dad?"

"He never loved her... or me for that matter." She reached up, wiping the wet hair from her forehead and tucking it behind her ear. "I was just a bother after mom killed herself."

Jacob felt his hands clench into fists. She was so young, innocent... she didn't deserve the life she was given. "Sounds like... you've had a rough time..."

Once again, the girl shrugged. "I've had Emily for as long as I can remember. I don't regret coming here."

Jacob felt himself smile when he heard Clovers soft mumble: "Fluffy flapjacks..."

He could easily stay up all night listening to the sound of her heart, her steady breathing, and her occasional mutterings as she slept. Which was exactly what he was doing. He lay in bed, hands tucked under his head, wishing to heaven that he would just... freaking... tell her. To say that the afternoon he spent walking through La Push in the rain with her wasn't complete and utter bliss would have been a big lie. He had been on Cloud 9 the entire time. However, the only problem was that they had quickly fallen into the "causal friend" conversations...

'What was your favorite subject growing up?'

'What would you major in if you went to college?'

'Did you have any pets?'

And the worst one: 'Have you ever dated?'

Having the very dull personality that was unique to Clover, she had answered his question with short, concise statements.

'English was the least boring since I wanna be a writer.'

'I would have majored in Educational Administration to be a teacher.'

'I had a dog, but it got ran over by my uncle's truck... while I was driving it.'

'I dated this one guy for a week, but I got bored.'

Yes - those generic responses only thickened the enigma that Clover was becoming to him. But it gave him a mystery that he would gladly enjoy solving. He was captivated with her; every quirky comment, every flamboyant expression... and not just because of the imprint.

Jacob was determined to find out what made Clover so crazy.

I'm on a roll with this story, and your reviews will keep me going. So, please... tell me what you think! *mumbles* If only Edward was here...

-Scarlet