Nightfall Chapter 23: Anger Management (Jake's POV)

The crisp autumn air whirled the leaves around us as I dragged my struggling children out back. I placed them on the ground in front of me staring them down. I couldn’t help but notice how similar they appeared from a distance but up close there was a sharp contrast. They were both the same russet color as my wolf, but Sarah held herself differently than my quick-tempered son who was beginning to remind me a bit of his Uncle Paul although I was reluctant to admit it. Sarah sat perfectly poised, head held high with wisdom emanating from the depths of her eyes that paralleled only my father in the vastness of knowledge that they held. Jake on the other hand slunk down into a sitting position his eyes flashing he clearly appeared to be pissed off at the world. Oh yea...he was sure to be a fun teenager…


I took a deep breath and crouched down in front of my children. “Ok guys, listen to me you both need to calm down and just relax in order to phase back. We need to talk. You can't keep fighting like this.” Sarah raised an eyebrow at me.


“What?” I asked in confusion. She huffed as she lithely jumped to her feet and grabbed one of the two diapers that were lain out for her sa pamamagitan ng her Aunt Alice on the back steps. She then grabbed the pants and sando that were susunod to them and headed towards the woods.
“Where are you going, come here so that I can help you.” She huffed again and then her little voice rang out through my mind.


“I’m not completely helpless daddy. I can dress myself.” I watched her dumbstruck as she sauntered off. Okay… so my kid was merely days old, and already pagganap like a tween. Great. I turned back to Jake who was growling to himself about something as he watched his sister disappear behind a bush. I couldn’t help myself and smiled at him.


“Sisters are kind of annoying, I know what it’s like. Your aunts got on my nerves all the time.” His barking laugh was eerily similar to mine as his face smoothed over. “But that doesn’t change the fact that she is your alpha and your family and you need to respect her Jake.” I walked over to the stairs and grabbed his clothing and handed it to him but he just looked at me in confusion in the moments before he phased back and sat there with his arms reaching up for me. I shook my head as I smirked at him. He wanted to be the alpha yet he also appeared to like being babied. He was something else. As I knelt down to dress my son a new problem presented itself… I had no idea how to put a diaper on…I never had the chance to do it before. Blondie, Edward and Bella all thought it was weird when Ness was little so I didn’t have the chance to learn then. I picked up the diaper and laid it down on the ground and placed my squirming son on tuktok of it. Ok, I know I had seen this on tv and Emily had changed her boys diapers a few times in front of me. I could do this...right?


“Come on little guy at least sit still and make this somewhat easy for daddy, kay?” He smirked back at me as if to say, “Payback’s a b.itch, huh?” and kept squirming as he peed all over me. “ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!” I growled. I was met sa pamamagitan ng three laughs. One that I knew well the familiar trilling laugh of my wife and then there was one that was very similar to it only higher and quieter that mingled with the laughing baby in front of me. Ness had picked Sarah up and she strolled up to me with a baby wipe. Sarah was still laughing as I grabbed the wipe from my wife’s hands looking away from her. I was embarrassed that she had witnessed my ineptitude in diaper changing. Jake on the other hand had gotten up and was running around the back yard naked shrieking with laughter. My superb diaper job had resulted in it being wrapped around his ankle where it eventually fell off.

Sarah’s voice rang out through my mind, “Do you see what you and mommy have ibingiay me to work with here?” Her serious eyes were narrowed in annoyance as they followed her brother as he ran around the yard. It was creepy seeing what looked like a 3 buwan old infant running.


I kissed my daughter’s forehead and smiled at her, “No one ever sinabi it’s easy to be in charge of a pack sweetie.” Nessie was trying her hardest to stifle her laughter but her crimson eyes sparkled with amusement and the hold that her perfect teeth had on her bottom lip only lasted for so long before she erupted into giggles once more.


“Jake why don’t you go get cleaned up, I will take care of this. She smiled benevolently. “You did a good job you've never done this before…” Sarah grinned evilly as she interrupted her mother speaking out loud for the first time. Her little voice was soft and delicate and undeniably sweet. It was odd- it didn’t match her personality at all.


“Yea besides daddy, Jake is a pain in the…”


“SARAH!” Nessie chided her; Sarah looked down obviously it pained her to displease her mother.


“Sorry mama,” she mumbled. When Ness looked up at me there was a twinkle in her eyes. She was just as amazed as I was to hear our firstborn speak out loud for the first time. She gently nudged me towards the house. “Go on Jake, you kinda stink.” I kissed her cheek.


“Are you sure you can handle this?”


She nodded and her sweet face turned fierce as she hissed, “Jacob Edward Black that is enough get over here now.” To my shock my son skidded to a stop. All of the mischief flickered out of his eyes as though his mother had blown the flame out with her words. He toddled over to Nessie pagganap like the innocent infant he should be. I shook my head as I headed back into the house. Apparently this parenting thing was going to be yet one madami thing that Ness was perfect at.


On a whim I decided to go and peek at my other baby… the one with a motor. The garahe was dim but it didn’t matter I could see just fine. I let out a sigh of relief as I saw the familiar silhouette of my bike parked safely in the farthest corner of the garahe where I had left it. As I stepped closer to it and ran my hand along the side of the back end my fingers stopped over something rough and uneven. I clenched my jaw as I ran my hand over the smooth metal of the front end once madami trailing it back to the problem area. There were scratch marks all over my new Ducati. I growled and felt myself starting to tremble. I was going to have to put my kids in their place for sure. They couldn’t just walk around destroying their grandparent’s house and everything in it. Another growl erupted from deep within my chest. I didn’t realize how loud it was until Ness, Jake and Sarah came running up to me.


“Jake, what’s wrong?” Nessie asked, concern consuming her face. I felt the trembling becoming even madami furious as Nessie shoved the kids into the house and turned back to me. “Jake calm down. What is it?”


“They. Scratched. MY. BIKE.” I took a deep breath and momentarily calmed the tremors sa pamamagitan ng the thought that my wife and children were so close that I might hurt them if I phased, plus I would finish off my bike and half of the cars in the garahe as well. Nessie’s eyes widened as she scurried over to the side of the bike to take a look for herself. She gasped at what she saw.


“I'm sorry Jake we can have it fixed-”


“No Nessie, this is ridiculous. They need to learn how to behave. They tore the house apart and Sam could have been killed, now this on tuktok of it? I will never feel comfortable having Charlie and Sue or my father around them if they cannot learn to control themselves.” I was trembling with fury as Sarah came running up to me and fearlessly leapt up into my arms.


Nessie gasped, “Sarah no-” I felt the anger draining from me as I stared into my daughter’s tsokolate eyes. The same eyes that had haunted and controlled me for as long back as my life mattered… the eyes of her grandmother and mother. Her voice came out softly yet it was firm.


“Daddy it wasn’t my brothers or sisters. I did it. It was an accident, I'm sorry.” I admired her resolve to take the blame but I knew it wasn’t her fault.


“Sarah-” I began to tanong her but Jake came up to me and tugged on my leg with a serious look on his face for once. I bent down and picked him up with my free arm so that I was nestling them both to my chest.


He grinned at me innocently as he spoke, “Uncle Emmett sinabi that he found it like that.” Sarah’s eyes widened as she looked back and forth from her brother to me. Jake shrugged as if to say, “What?” It was apparent that Sarah was going to be a very good leader, and she was loyal to her pack and family. She would gladly stand in the line of apoy for any of us. I was shocked sa pamamagitan ng Jake's confession he obviously did pag-ibig his sister deep down somewhere in the recesses of his puso and didn't want her to take the blame. Yea... it was either that or the fact that he was a little pot-stirrer. Regardless I was going to deal with Emmett for sure. Fuming I handed them to to their mother. “Renesmee?” Her eyes were as big as saucers as she quickly grabbed them and backed away. My vision shook as I stepped back from her.


"Get them out of here. Now.” Without a moment of hesitation she complied and shut the garahe door behind her hissing, “Don’t do anything stupid Jacob, it’s just a bike we can get you another one.” JUST A BIKE?! That was it, the meager hold on my anger had snapped. The shaking consumed me as I stepped closer to Emmett’s stupid jeep in the segundos that I approached it I phased. Smiling to myself in agreement with my son’s earlier sentiment… payback IS a bitch…