Eclipsed Appreciation (part deux)
Okay... so despite my comments in the previous post, I've soldiered on and continued reading Eclipse
I have to say that, after the particular bit that I found most distasteful, there are still bits worth getting excited about.
“What can I do?” he almost begged.
I just shook my head.
Out in the snow, Jacob whined unhappily.
“G-g-g-get out of h-h-h-ere,” I ordered, again.
“He’s just worried about you,” Edward translated. “He’s fine.His body is equipped to deal with this.”
“H-h-h-h-h-h.” I wanted to say that he should still leave, but I couldn’t get it past my teeth. I nearly bit my tongue off trying. At least Jacobdid seem to be well equipped for the snow, better even than the others in his pack with his thicker, longer, shaggy russet fur. I wondered why that was.
Jacob whimpered, a high-pitched, grating sound of complaint.
“What do you want me to do?” Edward growled, too anxious to bother with politeness anymore. “Carry her throughthat ? I don’t see you making yourself useful. Why don’t you go fetch a space heater or something?”
“I’m ok-k-k-k-k-k-kay,” I protested. Judging from Edward’s groan and the muted growl outside the tent, I hadn’t convinced anyone. The wind rocked the tent roughly, and I shuddered in harmony with it.
A sudden howl ripped through the roar of the wind, and I covered my ears against the noise. Edward scowled.
“That was hardly necessary,” he muttered. “And that’s the worst idea I’ve ever heard,” he called more loudly.
“Better than anything you’ve come up with,” Jacob answered, his human voice startling me.“Go fetch a space heater,” he grumbled. “I’m not a St. Bernard.”
I heard the sound of the zipper around the tent door pulling swiftly down.
Jacob slid through the smallest opening he could manage, while the arctic air flowed in around him, a few flecks of snow falling to the floor of the tent. I shivered so hard it was a convulsion.
“I don’t like this,” Edward hissed as Jake zipped the tent door shut. “Just give her the coat and get out.”
My eyes were adjusted enough to see shapes - Jacob was carrying the parka that had been hanging on a tree next to the tent.
I tried to ask what they were talking about, but all that came out of my mouth was, “W-w-w-w-w-w,” as the shivering made me stutter uncontrollably.
“The parka’s for tomorrow - she’s too cold to warm it up by herself. It’s frozen.” He dropped it by the door. “You said she needed a space heater, and here I am.” Jacob held his arms as wide as the tent allowed. As usual, when he’d been running around as a wolf, he’d only thrown on the bare essentials - just a pair of sweats, no shirt, no shoes.
“J-J-J-J-Jake, you’ll f-f-f-freez-z-z-ze,” I tried to complain.
“Not me,” he said cheerfully. “I run at a toasty one-oh-eight point nine these days. I’ll have you sweating in no time.”
Edward snarled, but Jacob didn’t even look at him. Instead, he crawled to my side and started unzipping my sleeping bag.
Edward’s hand was suddenly hard on his shoulder, restraining, snow white against the dark skin. Jacob’s jaw clenched, his nostrils flaring, his body recoiling from the cold touch. The long muscles in his arms flexed automatically.
“Get your hand off of me,” he growled through his teeth.
“Keep your hands off of her,” Edward answered blackly.
“D-d-d-don’t f-f-f-f-fight,” I pleaded. Another tremor rocked through me. It felt like my teeth were going to shatter, they were slamming together so hard.
“I’m sure she’ll thank you for this when her toes turn black and drop off,” Jacob snapped.
Edward hesitated, then his hand fell away and he slid back to his position in the corner.
His voice was flat and frightening. “Watch yourself.”
Jacob chuckled.
“Scoot over, Bella,” he said, zipping the sleeping bag open farther.
I stared at him in outrage. No wonder Edward was reacting this way.
“N-n-n-n-n,” I tried to protest.
“Don’t be stupid,” he said, exasperated. “Don’t youlike having ten toes?”
He crammed his body into the nonexistent space, forcing the zipper up behind himself.
And then I couldn’t object - I didn’t want to anymore. He was so warm. His arms constricted around me, holding me snugly against his bare chest. The heat was irresistible, like air after being underwater for too long. He cringed when I pressed my icy fingers eagerly against his skin.
“Jeez, you’re freezing, Bella,” he complained.
“S-s-s-s-sorry,” I stuttered.
“Try to relax,” he suggested as another shiver rippled through me violently. “You’ll be warm in a minute. Of course, you’d warm up faster if you took your clothes off.”
Edward growled sharply.
“That’s just a simple fact,” Jacob defended himself. “Survival one-oh-one.”
“C-c-cut it out, Jake,” I said angrily, though my body refused to even try to pull away from him. “N-n-n-nobody really n-n-n-n-needs all ten t-t-t-toes.”
:D Okay, so Bella is still the helpless, silent one in this, but at least now she has good reason. And the boys are still behaving territorily but they're so fun doing it :p And if I'd needed proof that slash can find me even when I have staunchly decided to avoid it, I would have had it in this chapter. The tent scene is such a perfect opportunity for Jacob/Bella/Edward. Yummy. But as Bella drifts off and the boys' dialogue continues, I can't help but focus on the Jacob/Edward factor in the equation. Carefully edited, their following comments to one another can be read like this:
“Please!” Edward hissed. “Do you mind!”
“What?” Jacob whispered back, his tone surprised.
“Do you think you could attempt to control your thoughts?” Edward’s low whisper was furious.
“No one said you had to listen,” Jacob muttered, defiant, yet still embarrassed. “Get out of my head.”
“I wish I could. You have no idea how loud your little fantasies are. It’s like you’re shouting them at me.”
“I’ll try to keep it down,” Jacob whispered sarcastically.
There was a brief moment of silence.
“Maybe I would,” Edward said after a moment, answering a question I hadn’t heard.
“The jealousy . . . it has to be eating at you. You can’t be as sure of yourself as you seem. Unless you have no emotions at all.”
“Of course it is,” Edward agreed, no longer amused. “Right now it’s so bad that I can barely control my voice. Of course, it’s even worse when she’s with you, and I can’t see.”
“Do you think about it all the time?” Jacob whispered. “Does it make it hard to concentrate?”
“Yes and no,” Edward said; he seemed determined to answer honestly. “My mind doesn’t work quite the same as yours. I can think of many more things at one time. Of course, that means that I’m always able to think of you.”
They were both still for a minute.
Edward murmured in response to Jacob’s thoughts. “More often than I like. Not that you don’t know that. Not that you don’tuse that.”
“I have to use whatever I can,” Jacob muttered.
“I can’t tell you if you’re right.” Edward whispered. “Odd as this might sound, I suppose I’m glad you’re here, Jacob.”
Jacob’s whisper was suddenly smug. “I knew you were just as crazy jealous as I am.”
“I’m not such a fool as to wear it on my sleeve like you do. It doesn’t help your case, you know.”
“You have more patience than I do.”
“I should. I’ve had a hundred years to gain it. A hundred years of waiting... ”
:p Okay, so it's not incredibly overt slash, even with the editing, but it's enough to give me fun ideas.
Sometimes I hate my slash-happy brain... But many times it saves me from tedium. What would I do at those times when Bella's character disappoints me if I could't console myself with pretty, slashy thoughts while she gets her act together? :p
I have to say that, after the particular bit that I found most distasteful, there are still bits worth getting excited about.
“What can I do?” he almost begged.
I just shook my head.
Out in the snow, Jacob whined unhappily.
“G-g-g-get out of h-h-h-ere,” I ordered, again.
“He’s just worried about you,” Edward translated. “He’s fine.His body is equipped to deal with this.”
“H-h-h-h-h-h.” I wanted to say that he should still leave, but I couldn’t get it past my teeth. I nearly bit my tongue off trying. At least Jacobdid seem to be well equipped for the snow, better even than the others in his pack with his thicker, longer, shaggy russet fur. I wondered why that was.
Jacob whimpered, a high-pitched, grating sound of complaint.
“What do you want me to do?” Edward growled, too anxious to bother with politeness anymore. “Carry her throughthat ? I don’t see you making yourself useful. Why don’t you go fetch a space heater or something?”
“I’m ok-k-k-k-k-k-kay,” I protested. Judging from Edward’s groan and the muted growl outside the tent, I hadn’t convinced anyone. The wind rocked the tent roughly, and I shuddered in harmony with it.
A sudden howl ripped through the roar of the wind, and I covered my ears against the noise. Edward scowled.
“That was hardly necessary,” he muttered. “And that’s the worst idea I’ve ever heard,” he called more loudly.
“Better than anything you’ve come up with,” Jacob answered, his human voice startling me.“Go fetch a space heater,” he grumbled. “I’m not a St. Bernard.”
I heard the sound of the zipper around the tent door pulling swiftly down.
Jacob slid through the smallest opening he could manage, while the arctic air flowed in around him, a few flecks of snow falling to the floor of the tent. I shivered so hard it was a convulsion.
“I don’t like this,” Edward hissed as Jake zipped the tent door shut. “Just give her the coat and get out.”
My eyes were adjusted enough to see shapes - Jacob was carrying the parka that had been hanging on a tree next to the tent.
I tried to ask what they were talking about, but all that came out of my mouth was, “W-w-w-w-w-w,” as the shivering made me stutter uncontrollably.
“The parka’s for tomorrow - she’s too cold to warm it up by herself. It’s frozen.” He dropped it by the door. “You said she needed a space heater, and here I am.” Jacob held his arms as wide as the tent allowed. As usual, when he’d been running around as a wolf, he’d only thrown on the bare essentials - just a pair of sweats, no shirt, no shoes.
“J-J-J-J-Jake, you’ll f-f-f-freez-z-z-ze,” I tried to complain.
“Not me,” he said cheerfully. “I run at a toasty one-oh-eight point nine these days. I’ll have you sweating in no time.”
Edward snarled, but Jacob didn’t even look at him. Instead, he crawled to my side and started unzipping my sleeping bag.
Edward’s hand was suddenly hard on his shoulder, restraining, snow white against the dark skin. Jacob’s jaw clenched, his nostrils flaring, his body recoiling from the cold touch. The long muscles in his arms flexed automatically.
“Get your hand off of me,” he growled through his teeth.
“Keep your hands off of her,” Edward answered blackly.
“D-d-d-don’t f-f-f-f-fight,” I pleaded. Another tremor rocked through me. It felt like my teeth were going to shatter, they were slamming together so hard.
“I’m sure she’ll thank you for this when her toes turn black and drop off,” Jacob snapped.
Edward hesitated, then his hand fell away and he slid back to his position in the corner.
His voice was flat and frightening. “Watch yourself.”
Jacob chuckled.
“Scoot over, Bella,” he said, zipping the sleeping bag open farther.
I stared at him in outrage. No wonder Edward was reacting this way.
“N-n-n-n-n,” I tried to protest.
“Don’t be stupid,” he said, exasperated. “Don’t youlike having ten toes?”
He crammed his body into the nonexistent space, forcing the zipper up behind himself.
And then I couldn’t object - I didn’t want to anymore. He was so warm. His arms constricted around me, holding me snugly against his bare chest. The heat was irresistible, like air after being underwater for too long. He cringed when I pressed my icy fingers eagerly against his skin.
“Jeez, you’re freezing, Bella,” he complained.
“S-s-s-s-sorry,” I stuttered.
“Try to relax,” he suggested as another shiver rippled through me violently. “You’ll be warm in a minute. Of course, you’d warm up faster if you took your clothes off.”
Edward growled sharply.
“That’s just a simple fact,” Jacob defended himself. “Survival one-oh-one.”
“C-c-cut it out, Jake,” I said angrily, though my body refused to even try to pull away from him. “N-n-n-nobody really n-n-n-n-needs all ten t-t-t-toes.”
:D Okay, so Bella is still the helpless, silent one in this, but at least now she has good reason. And the boys are still behaving territorily but they're so fun doing it :p And if I'd needed proof that slash can find me even when I have staunchly decided to avoid it, I would have had it in this chapter. The tent scene is such a perfect opportunity for Jacob/Bella/Edward. Yummy. But as Bella drifts off and the boys' dialogue continues, I can't help but focus on the Jacob/Edward factor in the equation. Carefully edited, their following comments to one another can be read like this:
“Please!” Edward hissed. “Do you mind!”
“What?” Jacob whispered back, his tone surprised.
“Do you think you could attempt to control your thoughts?” Edward’s low whisper was furious.
“No one said you had to listen,” Jacob muttered, defiant, yet still embarrassed. “Get out of my head.”
“I wish I could. You have no idea how loud your little fantasies are. It’s like you’re shouting them at me.”
“I’ll try to keep it down,” Jacob whispered sarcastically.
There was a brief moment of silence.
“Maybe I would,” Edward said after a moment, answering a question I hadn’t heard.
“The jealousy . . . it has to be eating at you. You can’t be as sure of yourself as you seem. Unless you have no emotions at all.”
“Of course it is,” Edward agreed, no longer amused. “Right now it’s so bad that I can barely control my voice. Of course, it’s even worse when she’s with you, and I can’t see.”
“Do you think about it all the time?” Jacob whispered. “Does it make it hard to concentrate?”
“Yes and no,” Edward said; he seemed determined to answer honestly. “My mind doesn’t work quite the same as yours. I can think of many more things at one time. Of course, that means that I’m always able to think of you.”
They were both still for a minute.
Edward murmured in response to Jacob’s thoughts. “More often than I like. Not that you don’t know that. Not that you don’tuse that.”
“I have to use whatever I can,” Jacob muttered.
“I can’t tell you if you’re right.” Edward whispered. “Odd as this might sound, I suppose I’m glad you’re here, Jacob.”
Jacob’s whisper was suddenly smug. “I knew you were just as crazy jealous as I am.”
“I’m not such a fool as to wear it on my sleeve like you do. It doesn’t help your case, you know.”
“You have more patience than I do.”
“I should. I’ve had a hundred years to gain it. A hundred years of waiting... ”
:p Okay, so it's not incredibly overt slash, even with the editing, but it's enough to give me fun ideas.
Sometimes I hate my slash-happy brain... But many times it saves me from tedium. What would I do at those times when Bella's character disappoints me if I could't console myself with pretty, slashy thoughts while she gets her act together? :p