The Infamous Jacob Black
Gawd, who doesn't love Jacob Black? Aside from the fact that Taylor Lautner is absolutely gorgeous, Jake emerged as the sexy, man meat of Dancing With The Devil. Like Ness, he too goes through a tremendous character arc.
At the beginning of the story, we find him struggling with the urge to tell Ness the truth about imprinting, which the Cullen's only vaguely described to her. When he does, she reacts by running away from him. Although she later admits her returned love, this scar leaves a deep wound in Jake's mind.
Jake thinks all is going well until Robert steps into the scene. For some reason, Ness can't leave him alone and this was incredibly frustrating for Jake. Eventually, he comes to terms with the situation and decides to confront it head on.
Jake's transformation is quite distinct because he is confronted with his own death about halfway through the story. At first, he's afraid, but when it actually happens, he's not scared but rather frustrated that Robert didn't face him like a face.
The events of DWTD force Jake to communicate with his soul and realize the extent of his connection to Ness. When she hurts, he feels it. When her power evolves, it attaches itself to him specifically. He is in tune to her, often hearing her thoughts without her meaning to project them.
Jake honestly believes that he and Ness were born for one another. He is convinced that everything that has happened was always supposed to. In the Twilight Saga, he was often described as the "sun" who brought warmth to Bella's otherwise icy existence. He was the fire to Edward's ice.
I've tried to carry that over into DWTD as much as possible. Ness is quite a lot like her father, meticulously over analyzing everything. Jake is the counter part to that. For example, Jake and Ness find themselves alone and in a dungeon. Ness is terrified, and Jake says:
"You need to stop beating yourself up over these things. So we're in a dungeon, in God knows where, eating paste slop, and getting the shit kicked out of us, at least we're still laughing, right?" He brushed his hand over my cheek and then leaned in to plant a tender kiss on my lips. When he pulled back, he continued. "C'Mon. Don't get all mushy on me just yet."
More than that, Jake is Nessie's soul mate. He is dedicated to proving that to her every day. To him, Ness is the world. He is certain that if she died, he would be right after her, and vice versa. Ness and Jake are a two part unit, one can not possibly hope to exist without the other.
As the story progresses, we learn that Jake and Ness were destined to be together before they were even born. They were connected in a way no one had even considered. Their souls are cut from the same cloth, separated at birth in order to find each other in this turbulent experience we call life.
One of my favorite quotes about the two of them comes from the last chapter entitled "The Hand I Was Dealt" and it is Ness taking about her and Jake's connection.
"I knew that Jake was supposed to be with me, forever and always. There was no doubt in my mind. Everything that we had been through, everything that had happened, was always leading up to this moment, and now that it was here, the emotion overwhelmed me. I loved Jake with all my heart, with all my soul. There will never be another connection on this Earth as powerful as the one I had with him.
Jake and I were destined to be together before we were even born. We had always been together, and we always would be together. If he were to die tomorrow, I would follow shortly after him. Our love was too strong for one person to bear and if he wasn't here to share it with me, it wouldn't be worth it. I needed him, physically, mentally, and emotionally. I was a train wreck without him. I loved him, everything about him, even his imperfections.
That was real love. That was what people talked about in fairy tales.
Jake and I may have headlined a nightmare instead of a fairy tale, but, believe it or not, true love exists there as well. It exists everywhere, and for everyone. It's sorting through the miscellaneous that gets exhausting. But eventually, fate deals the right hand, and when that happens, it is the most exquisite and overwhelming experience imaginable."
As I mentioned, Jake goes through a tremendous character arc. At the beginning of the story, we find him innocent and naive, trying to make the best of this imprinting business with Ness. By the end of the story, he knows just how deep a soul connection can run and how powerful it can truly be. Jake is quite possibly my favorite character to write about, to write for and to daydream about. Those lemons were certainly fun for me. He He He! :-P
