CHAPTER 35
FOREVER

SINCE she attended the council meeting at La Push days ago, Margo has been consumed by thoughts of Seattle. A tick in her brain told her that something just wasn't right, but she did nothing to solve the matter otherwise. Margo wanted to quit her meddling, simply because she was not a real detective and the murder cases in Seattle couldn't be solved by a seventeen-year-old. Besides, she had other things to worry about.

She just wished she could stop worrying so much.

"How's the speech coming along?"

Margo looked up at her aunt from her spot at the dinner table. Jenny had made a large pot roast that night, served with baked potatoes and corn. Margo made sure to scarf down as much as she could, since she felt like she had been neglecting her dinner with Jenny lately. She hoped her aunt wasn't angry about it, but if she was, Margo knew she'd say something.

"I think its finally done," Margo replied with a smile. "Just gotta proof-read it, but for the most part, its done."

Jenny clapped dramatically, causing her niece to giggle. "Good, took ya' long enough, kid. Graduation is about a week away."

Margo wiped the edge of her mouth with a napkin, biting her lip down as she thought of a way to approach the topic on her mind. She hesitated before asking, "So ... have you heard any updates on the Seattle case? Have you talked to the police when they're at the hospital for their thoughts?"

Jenny shook her head. "No updates." After chewing on a thick piece of pork, she continued, "I talked to Doctor Cullen about it, though. He thinks its vicious gangs, or a large group of serial killers." Jenny's eyes then slid to her niece's. She whispered, "Do you think its vampires?"

The word, yes, graced the tip of her tongue, and Margo opened her mouth to say it. But she really didn't know that for sure, and she was certainly no expect. Margo shrugged and replied, "I'm really not sure."

After dinner, Margo helped Jenny with the dishes. Her aunt usually cleaned them each night because she refused to use the dish washer. (She thought it was the easy way out.) Margo finally convinced her to use the appliance tonight, while listening to Jenny rant, "Back in my childhood, we had to wash dishes by hand because they were cleaner that way!" Margo simply ignored her as she got the plates washed quicker and easier.

Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Margo trudged up the stairs after dinner. She was ready to pass out early tonight, and she knew she wouldn't feel guilty about it, due to getting all her work done for tomorrow. Margo opened the door to her bedroom, already making a plan to head for her drawer to grab some PJs, but she stopped dead in her tracks when she saw another person already in the room.

Margo didn't know how long Jacob had been standing in her room, but it must've been a while. She hadn't seen him all day, because she drove herself to school that morning. He was currently sorting through the books in her tall case positioned against a wall. He flipped through a few pages in her vintage copy of Macbeth before tossing it back inside the bookcase. Margo blinked and shut the door quickly, startling him completely.

"What are you doing here?!" She whispered loudly when he turned to face her. "Can you last a day without seeing me?"

The summer wind outside made the air a bit chilly, and Margo noticed this when she saw her window open to allow Jacob access. Regardless of the coolness, Jacob wore no shirt: just a pair of jean shorts and dirty sneakers. He gave his girlfriend no reply to her questions, and instead, walked forward to wrap his arms around her.

Despite her confusion, Margo hugged back, relishing in his humming warmth. She'd never get tired of this feeling, like she was holding a sun in the palm of her hands. She couldn't remember if the California sun beating down on her felt like this.

Margo pushed their conjoined bodies to the bed, where she shoved Jacob to sit on it, but he still secured his arms tightly around her waist. He had become clingier than usual since hearing Margo's college plans, and although he accepted it, it seemed that he didn't want to acknowledge that she would be away for a long time. Margo didn't mind the clinginess; she just worried for him.

"I'm sorry for ... sneaking in," he said, his voice muffled against her shirt. "I just missed you. I really don't know how I got here, to be honest. I was in the middle of a shift and I somehow ... ended up in the back woods outside your house."

Margo's brow lifted. She would've thought that he had more of a conscious while he was a wolf, but she guessed, sometimes the wolf's spirit took over his train of thought. The wolf seemed to heighten every emotion he felt. Jacob was fierce in his actions for Margo, and she didn't blame him for that. She just wished he could've been human for a second and called.

The two ended up laying side by side on her mattress, staying as quiet as they could. Margo closed her door, which allowed the cool wind to invade the space. Jacob brought her closer by swinging his arm around her, and Margo listened to his heartbeat while he talked. He droned on and on about how Sam had been trying to keep Seth inside for homeschooling, but the young boy was so riled up that he was considering quitting all together. Jared was also having issues with his imprint, and Margo lost track by that point. She simply like listening to his voice.

When she finally got a moment to speak, Margo found herself blurting out, "Graduation is next week." Her eyes went wide then; she didn't expect herself to say her thoughts out loud. She looked up at Jacob, who met her worried stare.

"Is it that soon?" He asked, which caused Margo to nod. His other arm casually snaked around her waist, and Margo almost hissed from the body heat. "Then let's make our time worth it."

Margo smiled at his big grin. "Well, then you'll be happy to know that I'm forcing my aunt to not host a grad party, like she did for my birthday. So we'll have more time to spend together." She paused, her mouth forming into a frown. "But ... we will be going out to dinner after the graduation. Probably, Pacific Pizza. Expect her to invite you, and she'll probably force you to go –"

"Its okay, Mar," he chuckled. "I want to support you on your big day, no matter what. I can't wait to hear that speech you've been writing for – what? Weeks?"

"Months," Margo replied in a snarky tone. "I'm so over this speech. I can't wait to get it over with now."

Jacob laughed laughed, stretching one of his arms out before positioning it back around Margo again. His large head sunk into her pillows. "I'm so over parties, though. Good thing you're just having a dinner."

Margo viewed up at him again, sending Jacob a knowing stare. He could see in her eyes and slight frown what she was alluding to, causing him to say, "No. We're not going."

"We have to go to Bella's grad party, Jake." Margo scoffed. "Just because I don't want one, doesn't mean you're excused from attending Bella's. She wants you there. And besides, Alice Cullen invited us both."

"Of course, I want to be there for her," Jacob sighed. "But I don't want to be stuck in a room full of bloodsuckers. The stink from one of them is suffocating enough, and now you're asking me to be around all seven of them?"

Margo's eyes flickered from her boyfriend to the ceiling. "Yeah, I am asking you to do that," she replied sternly. "You have to put your feelings for the Cullens and Bella's post-graduation plans aside for one night. Cherish the time you have with her before she's turned, because nothing you can do will change her mind."

Jacob huffed in defeat, but from the look on his face, Margo knew he understood. She reached out and touched his face, bringing it towards her vision. Her fingers grazed the warmth of his skin until he finally looked at her. The only light on came from her bedside lamp, and it reflected off of Jacob's dark eyes.

Margo's brain sparked with an idea, and it wasn't a good one. As much as Margo tried to tell Courtney to shut up, she couldn't get the idea out of her head. When her skin touched Jacob's, and when he brought her closer with his arms ... the idea didn't seem so unrealistic. She felt an awkward hunger settle deep in her stomach, and then it lower ... down there. She couldn't shake the feeling, even if she tried.

What made the moment shift so drastically for her? Was it the closeness of their bodies? Was it the comfort of the bed, or the stillness of the room? Was it the inevitability of a future separation? Or did the two of them just wanted to be normal, sloppy teenagers, just for a moment?

Margo swallowed hard, and she noticed Jacob do the same. He was thinking the same thing.

"Have you ..." She bit her lip. "Have you ever thought of us ... in that way ... Like, intimately?"

Jacob viewed away, suddenly sitting up on the mattress. He slid his back to rest on the headboard as he looked at his hands. Thinking that she did something wrong, Margo lifted herself up too, blinking incredulously at her boyfriend.

"Every sense I ever had became heightened when I had my first phasing," Jacob said, turning to Margo again. "Of course, I think about that, Mar. I'm a teenage boy too, ya' know."

Margo reached out again, caressing her thumbs across his sharp cheekbones. She inched herself closer before pressing her lips against his, engulfing his warmth like a heated blanket. When she pulled away, Margo glanced at him with curious eyes: the type of stare he loved, but also one that allowed him to see the deepest part of herself. Jacob's own stare flickered from her face to his hands.

"Are you feeling pressured or something?" He asked quietly.

"No, no," she shook her head. "I want to, but ... I'm not sure if this is the time."

Jacob placed a strand of hair behind her ear. "We don't have to do anything you're not comfortable doing. We can wait for as long as you want. I'm not that impatient."

Margo cracked a small smile. The feeling deep within her had vanished throughout the last couple of minutes, and she felt happy that she didn't act on it then. She wanted to wait until she knew everything was right and she was completely ready.

She leaned in and kissed him feverishly. Her hands slid up to his hair, pulling him forward. Margo smiled into the kiss when Jacob wrapped his arms around her small torso. Her tongue slipped into his mouth, a gesture that even surprised her. She tasted everything about him, right down to the spearmint gum he had earlier. As she leaned away, she felt a trail of spit dot her chin, and she wiped it away immediately with a chuckle.

Jacob laughed along with her as he grabbed her hand. His large fingers laced with her small ones, and he placed their conjoined hands on his warm chest. "Remember, Mar," he muttered, "the imprint lasts forever. I'd wait an eternity for you."

Forever, Margo thought, what a long way to wait.