Baby Fever [Jacob & Edward]

22

Jacob's not exactly a spontaneous man. As chaotic as his life seems to be, he tends to have some kind of a plan, some loose outline of a thought process. He likes to know what he's getting himself into, it's how he's survived all of these years as a cop. He always has a plan.  

However, when he fumbles into his car at 12 PM after dropping Bear off with Leah, he has absolutely none. There's nothing floating around in his skull except "Get Edward, bring him home". So, he revs up the engine of the truck and barrels out of his own driveway with only that sentiment in mind. 

He immediately regrets the lack of forethought when he looks up and finds himself sitting in front of a house with the magnitude of a small museum, impatiently waiting for Edward to make an appearance. He doesn't know what to say, doesn't know how to make sure everything was really and truly okay between them. He couldn't go from making the man cry to pinning him against the nearest surface. There were some steps that he definitely was going to have to take in between. 

Though, that was easier said than done. His mind seems to go completely blank as soon as Edward steps out of the mammoth of a mansion. He's standing in front of the edifice that dwarfs everything surrounding it, wearing yet another one of Jacob's old, ratty t-shirts with a pair of loose pajama bottoms that also may or may not belong to him. His hair, which has gotten longer since he'd found himself stuck with Jacob, has been ruffled so much that the motion has created its own new disheveled hairstyle...

and he's pouting. Despite himself, he's pouting as he shuffles down the sidewalk. His nose and cheeks are flushed and lips are a pinkish-red from his teeth nipping at them. 

For the first time, in what's felt like forever, Jacob forgets all of his reservations.

He sits mesmerized as the man steps off of the edge of the sidewalk and heads around to the passenger side to climb in. Once again, as the Edward's scent fills up the car, grounding his frazzled mind, Jacob's reminded of the fact that he hasn't thought of anything to say. He had nothing to really cement into Edward's mind that he really thought he was making the right decision. He hadn't settled on anything to really make the man feel welcome, let him know that Jacob didn't want him to go anywhere. He hadn't conjured up anything to make Edward feel the way he was feeling. Jacob starts up the engine, mind trying to work as fast it possibly can to come up with something as he pulls away from the curb. 

He's so caught up in his own thoughts, that he doesn't quite register the man standing in the middle of street until he has to stomp on the breaks. 

The force has them both snapping forward in their seats as the truck screeches to a stop. His heart is beating in his ears as he snaps his head up to see Lahote standing there, in the middle of a gated community of all places, staring at him. The man looks like he's been sleeping outside, dirt smeared across his cheeks and caked in his hair along with marring every single clothing item he was wearing. His eyes look wild and his lips are pulled into an unhinged grin. Jacob almost thinks it's a hallucination with the way the man doesn't seem to move a muscle as he aims a gun at the passenger's side of the car. 

"Paul?" Jacob calls out, "Paul don't do this."

His mind immediately grasped for his training. How can he de-escalate the situation?

"It's not worth it. Maybe we can get you some help - "

"Maybe I need to kill him," Paul cuts him off, voice as sharp as his glare as his eyes flick over to Edward, "maybe that'll make you understand." 

His voice is calm like he isn't standing in some upscale neighborhood, pointing a gun in broad daylight. 

Jacob glances over at Edward, trying to devise some kind of plan to get Paul's attention on him without getting Edward hurt. Edward's eyes are wide, never leaving the gun as it glints in the sunlight.