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It's been raining for three days now. All climate alerts have been telling them to stay at home, to close the doors and the windows. Going out is dangerous, since the wind speed variation is changing every hour—but no matter how it slows down, it’s not enough to have a safe time around. Trees have been falling since day one, surely some houses are suffering from flooding.
Jacob is worried. He is at home with Billy, they have food and water, they are not in danger. However, the way the wind is blowing outside and the increasing rain makes him think about his friends, his community. Power comes and goes, and so the phone signal. He spoke with Quil and Embry yesterday, Paul and Rachel too, but heard nothing about Seth and Leah.
In the middle of the afternoon, he anxiously grabs the phone, hoping for it to function. When he hears the continuous sound of the line, he breathes for what feels like the first time in the day. He dials Leah’s number and waits for seven beeps before she answers.
“Hi?” Her voice isn’t clear, not with the signal failing.
“Leah, it’s Jacob. Are you and Seth alright?”
An excruciating noise comes from the phone, and Jacob has to put it away for a while. When he called Leah’s name again, she said, “I’m alone, Seth isn’t here.”
“How’re you doing?”
“I’m- The window-” But he can’t hear anything else, because the signal is off again.
“Damn it!” He almost crashes the phone against the hanger.
“What happened, son?” Billy comes from his bedroom, a concerned look on his face.
“It’s Leah. I tried to speak to her, but those damn phone lines are dying all the time.” He breathes slowly, trying to focus. “She’s alone, dad.”
The raindrops ricochet in the window, the wind howls out there, and Billy shivers. He knows his son well enough to know what he wants to do.
“It’s dangerous out there, Jake. We’ve been warned, the storm is coming and going.” Billy moves closer to him and touches his arm. “Wait a little longer, it’s supposed to end tomorrow.”
“She lives closer to the beach”, he mutters, forcing his nerves to calm down. “She’s family, you know that.”
Billy’s eyes soften, and he can do nothing but agree. “Take my truck, then, it’s safer.”
Jacob takes the car keys and his hiking boots, ready to go. When Billy calls his name one more time, the gaze in his fathers eyes embraces his heart. “If you see it’s too dangerous to come back, stay there with her. But I’ll let the twins room ready for her.”
“Don’t worry, dad. I’ll be home sooner than you think.”
As soon as Jacob gets out, the wind’s force surprises him. It’s been years since the last time a climate event represented a real danger to him, he was probably a child then. Back in his wolf days, everything was easy, there weren’t any complications or challenges outside the supernatural atphosmere. However, now that he’s stopped phasing, the wind feels like an obstacle he has to trespass. He uses his arm as a barrier next to his eyes, so he can protect his face from the dust that comes with the intense wind.
When he gets to the truck, he closes the door eagerly and needs one moment to breathe and think. The rain is constant, but not so thick. Nevertheless, it’s enough to keep the water level near to his ankles (thank God he’s wearing his boots), and he is a hundred percent sure it will get worse as he drives to a lower ground. He’ll have to be extremely careful, avoiding the mire and the fallen trees. Jacob knows what he’s getting himself into, but he cannot give up—his guts are telling him Leah needs help.
So he drives, and what’s in his way isn’t pretty. He passes through lots of trunks, roof pieces, beach chairs, and a great amount of other things the berserk wind can carry. A branch full of leaves is blown against the windshield, and he almost loses control of the vehicle. The water level increases rapidly enough for him to sense the truck getting heavier and heavier. He goes through a section about to turn into a quagmire and needs to use some clutch tricks to avoid getting stuck, tricks that are successfully applied.
Suddenly, the rain gets worse, and he almost can’t see anything forward. Even though the windshield wipers are working at full potential, it’s not enough to prevent the water from obstructing his vision. He needs to slow down, but not so slow that leaves the car vulnerable to the storm and the water on the road.
Thinking about helping Leah is what gives him courage to go on. She is his best friend, his trustworthy person, someone that grew on him during the hardest, most painful times. Her presence helped him heal from his past, because her life experiences were, in some ways, even more doleful than his. They started to understand each other, to see through their differences. He stopped using his sorrow as an armor, and so did she with her bitterness. Together, it was easy for them to become better persons, to reconnect with the most beautiful parts of themselves.
By the time he gets to her house, it’s been nearly half an hour since he left his. Normally, this course wouldn’t take six minutes by car, but what they’re facing is far, far away from normality.
Jacob tries to park as close as he can, but the Clearwater’s house is built in a lower level compared to the road—which means the closer he gets to the house, the more flooded it gets. It’s hard enough to drive the truck with water covering almost half of the tire, but he will have to face the water and walk if he wants to get to Leah.
He does. Before getting out of the truck, he honks the horn several times in a hopeful attempt to get Leah’s attention. He doesn’t know if she heard him, but he steps outside to fight the storm—to get to her. The rain falls thicker now, obliging him to cover his front with his arm. Jacob is completely soaked in a few seconds, and he’s pretty sure his socks are ruined forever. He fights bravely against the force of the water, taking long, firm steps despite the mud that tries to grab him endlessly.
Right before he gets to the front porch, the intense wind blows a branch against his face, but he doesn’t stop. He climbs the submerged front steps and takes shelter under the roof. A moment or two of conscious breathing is all he needs to calm his nerves down before opening the door and getting himself in.
“Leah?!” He shouts, seeing her nowhere near.
The first floor is a mess. Two windows are broken and the sharpness of the wind has blown several things to the ground. He identifies broken dishes and plant pots, towels and curtains out of place, a knife dangerously next to the stairs that leads to the second floor.
“Leah!” He calls her again, but he doesn’t wait for her to respond—he’s already searching for her.
“Jake?” Her voice comes from upstairs, it sounds simultaneously hopeful and terrified. He’s in the corridor when he listens to her saying, “I’m in my room!”
He opens the door with more strength than necessary, making it slam against the wall. He finds Leah under her desk, curled up like an armadillo. The bedroom’s window is also broken, hit by a huge tree branch that went through the glass.
“Let’s go! I’m here for you.”
As soon as he offers his hand, Leah grabs him and throws her body against his. Her arms reach his shoulders, embracing Jacob like her life depends on him. She’s trembling from head to toe, and he cannot tell if she’s cold, afraid, or relieved—maybe all of it.
“You’re safe”, he murmurs against her hair. “Now, we need to go, it’s getting really ugly out there.”
—————————
Jacob’s house feels like home, it always has. There was a time when Leah would avoid being there, but only because everybody and everything felt out of place.
But not now.
Now, she is exactly where she needs to be.
She told Jacob that Seth has been at Forks since the day the storm started. The reason why she hadn't left the house before was because the car wasn’t with her, it was insane to go out on foot. At her house, the phone line was worse than at his, and power has been a real luxury during those three days.
“Thank you”, she says with a soft smile. She’s snuggled up in Rachel’s old bed, wrapped in a blanket and holding a cup of tea after a nice hot bath. “I don’t know what I’d do if you hadn’t come for me.”
“You’d do the same for me.”
Jacob’s smile is comforting and warm, as much as the chamomile tea she’s having. He took a bath too, and he smells like rosemary soap. Sitting across from each other, Leah can’t help but notice a cut on his forehead, above his left eyebrow.
“What happened?” She reaches his face, her thumb touching slightly his injured skin.
“It’s nothing, don’t worry.” He takes her hand for the second time this day, but now he maintains it between his. “You okay?”
He probably can see something else in her eyes, that’s what Leah thinks. They know each other for a long time, and they’ve been literally inside each other’s minds for years. Obviously, he can sense when something’s messing with her.
“It will take a lot of work to rebuild my house”, she answers, avoiding his gaze.
“Don’t worry about it now. There is plenty of people to help.”
She inhales deeply. “It will happen again. Maybe I should move to a higher ground, that’s what some families are doing.”
“Are you sure?”
“It’s safer, Jake.” She leaves her empty mug on the bedside table. Her hand is still held between his warm palms. “Do you know what I thought I’d have to do? Change.”
The remote idea of turning into a wolf again is enough for her to shiver. Jacob gets a little closer, their knees almost touching.
“I was so afraid of what would happen that changing felt the safest option. I was seriously considering it. But then you came and-”
She stops herself, afraid of what would come out of her mouth. As her eyes travel through Jacob’s features, she can read all the emotions that are crossing his face. Concern, confusion, understanding, tenderness. The last one is the most worrying, because she almost doesn’t see his tender looks anymore. Jacob used to be a sweet boy back when Bella Swan wasn’t in their lives, back when they didn’t know about their supernatural heritage (or didn’t take it seriously).
However, realizing how emotional he is right now that she feels so vulnerable is unexpected. With his eyes so close and revealing, Leah feels dizzy and breathless. It’s been so long since she felt those things, so long since a man’s touch has made her feel like this—an exposed wire about to catch fire.
“If you want to move, I’ll help you. If you change your mind and decide to keep the house where it’s now, I’ll help you too. No matter what, I’ll be there for you. Understood?”
She shakes her head, wordlessly, affected by his gentle voice.
Jacob lifts Leah’s hand to his lips and places a chaste kiss on her back before saying, “You should rest now, it’s been a long day.”
The exact moment he lets go of her hand, Leah feels like being exposed to the storm all over again. She feels cold and aspen and unsafe. No matter how warm she is now, it doesn’t feel enough.
He takes her empty mug, the movement leaves his body closer to hers. Leah needs to close her eyes for a moment, or she’ll ruin everything. She’s not a coward, on the contrary—she’s known for being brave, for fighting for what she wants. But with Jacob it’s…
“You need something else?” He asks in his full height, looking at her from above.
It’s all Leah needs to blow the fear away. The look on his face, his voice, his smell. The way he boldly fought a literal storm just to help her. The kindness that’s been guiding all their actions towards each other for months.
She doesn’t need to be afraid, not after what she went through.
With a half smile, she teases, “Will you kiss me goodnight?”
It all happens too fast and too slow, all at the same time. His hands on each side of her face, his thumbs caressing her cheeks, his nose touching hers. And then his lips hovering over hers, testing her, getting sure if he can move forward. When she leans towards him, there’s no doubt anymore, no need for hesitation. Jacob kisses her fully, his mouth burning against hers, making her shiver not from cold, but from something deeper.
Leah is on her knees in a second, eager to get closer, to feel his warm chest next to hers. Her pounding heart is pulsing against her ears, and it’s enough for Leah to know that there’s no coming back—not now that she knows his lips fit hers perfectly. She’s thankful he cannot hear her thoughts, or she’d be really embarrassed.
“That’s all you want?” He says against her skin, his lips on her jawline.
“For now.” She kisses the exposed skin of his neck, making him shiver and take her in a firm embrace.
“You just need to say the words and I’m coming for you.”
Leah smiles joyfully. “Oh, I know.”
Jacob leaves a soft peck on her lips. And then another, and another, and another. Leah laughs audibly, and it’s the most precious sound Jacob has heard recently.
“Go to your room. We don’t need to get caught by your dad.”
“I’m pretty sure he would throw a party to announce our first kiss and brag about his son courting the Clearwater’s heiress.”
“Courting the Clearwater’s heiress!” She repeats jokingly, laughing even louder. “Oh, Billy’s expectation of uniting the two lineages by marriage would be hard to fight.”
“Let’s not get his hopes too high.”
The way he’s smiling at her, all open and relaxed, makes her kiss him one more time. Slowly, sweetly, passionately.
“Go to sleep, babe”, he whispers. “We’ll always have tomorrow.”
So she lets him go, but not without a final kiss. Leah is glad they have tomorrow, because it represents so much right now. The end of the storm, the decisions about the house, a new beginning for Jacob and her.
Although the winds still blow strong and the rain continues to fall heavily, the dawn of a new day feels like the first day of spring, full of promises and hope.
Thank God, full of hope.