Disclaimer: I own nothing, simply playing around in Stephenie Meyer's amazing Twilight universe.
AN: This is an outtake that I wrote for the Fandom 4 Twi-Fan G Compilation and I wanted to share it with all of the amazing readers of the Choice Series. This takes place after all of the drama in Renesmee's Choice occurs, but before the wedding.
Cape Flattery was one of Nahuel's favorite places to escape to, especially in the summer when the sun made more appearances in the region and the rain cleared out from time to time. The sound of waves crashing into the pillars of rock mixed with the scent of the ocean created a sense of calm that he needed at the moment. It had been nine months since Renesmee chose him and Jacob departed, along with Leah and Seth. Nahuel was certain that the transition from such a hectic and dramatic time would be difficult for the couple, but it was simple when they were together. He had never felt such a connection to someone and conceded long ago that he would never find his mate, but he was wrong. They were in love and he counted each day as a blessing that he was not sure he deserved, but would gladly accept. He knew from the moment he saw Renesmee again at her seventeenth birthday party that she was the only one for him and he had been hooked ever since, but never believed they would be together, so the moment she chose him was the best moment of his existence. However, now he wanted more. He wanted more than to be chosen by her, he wanted it to be official in the eyes of her family and his. The question he continued to ask himself was how to go about it.
He closed his eyes and allowed his senses to overthrow his hectic mind, so that he could find the serenity he desperately desired. He vowed his life to Renesmee long ago, but finding the words to ask her if she would do the same worried him. In all of his years, he never had to concern himself with the details about mates. He never experienced such powerful emotions and found himself in completely uncharted territory. It made him anxious, but excited at the same time, and he was not sure whether to feel giddy at the prospect of having Renesmee as his wife or run away in fear of her rejection. Suddenly, the pitter patter of feet made him perk up and he opened his eyes just in time to see Alice gracefully leaping onto the boulder he was on. Jasper soon followed and Nahuel looked at the couple questioningly. Alice giggled as she sat beside him and Jasper stepped closer, but remained standing.
"Oh Nahuel, don't worry so much. Everything is going to be great," she assured and Nahuel took in a shaky breath.
"I should have known you would come give me a pep talk," he chuckled.
"Of course, it is what I do best….well one of the things I do best. I do a lot of amazing things, but…"
"Darlin' he is already nervous, so maybe you should get to the point," suggested Jasper as he grinned at his mate.
"Right, so Nahuel, as you know, I have gotten over that pesky vision issue when it comes to you and Renesmee, so I know all about your concerns, but you have nothing to worry about. It is going to be amazing and she will love it."
"I am not so sure about that Alice. What if she says…" Alice placed a hand on his shoulder and gave it a firm squeeze to get his attention. Her eyes were amused, but held a hint of warning.
"Nahuel, I know you have not been around me for very long, but you have to trust me. I hate when people bet against me. Besides, you should give me the benefit of the doubt. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't even be with my niece."
"I knew you would bring that up," said Nahuel with a smile and she giggled.
"It is true. If it weren't for me, you would still be in hiding and trying to find meaning in your life, so cheer up! She is going to love it and as far as your plans, I think they will work out perfectly. Good luck with the first part of it though." Nahuel groaned.
"Yes, I am going to need it."
"To say the least," agreed Alice and Jasper crossed his arms behind his back as he stood formally.
"Speaking of which, let me be the first to start," announced Jasper and Alice smiled sweetly at her mate.
"Here we go," she mumbled and Nahuel gulped as he stood up. Jasper eyed Nahuel for a moment before continuing.
"I am sure you know my history and how I came to be, so I will not bore you with it again. Children were never something that I thought about when I became a vampire and I was just happy to find Alice, but Renesmee has changed me, like she has changed everyone in our family. She is special and I take my duties as her uncle very seriously. I was never very fond of Jacob Black and think you are a better suitor, but let me make myself clear. If you hurt my sweet little niece in any way, I would be more than happy to pull you apart slowly, torturously, and have no qualms about doing so. Take care of her and you and I will get along just fine, understand?" Nahuel nodded and held his hand out to Jasper.
"I am in love with her and I am not going to let anyone harm her. I promise to treat her right, Jasper," assured Nahuel. Jasper surveyed Nahuel's emotions and could feel how devoted he was to Renesmee. It emanated off of him and Jasper grinned as he shook his hand.
"Good, I am sure you have others to speak with and Alice is right, you will need a bit of good luck," said Jasper with a mischievous smile and Nahuel sighed.
"Oh I know I will. Thank you for coming to speak with me. Now if you will excuse me, I should head back to the house." Alice nodded happily as Nahuel jumped back onto the shore.
"We will distract Renesmee. I already called her and told her to meet us in the forest for a hunt, good luck," informed Alice and Nahuel waved one last time before speeding toward the house. His mind was racing and he was not sure if speaking with Alice and Jasper put him more at ease or made it worse. He was relieved to know that Alice was on board with his plan, but concerned about the amount of luck they wished him. At the very least, he did not have to worry about Renesmee being there when he arrived and he could sense that she was not in the area by the time he approached the house. He detected that the only people inside were Carlisle and Esme, who were in the study. He called out to them as he entered the house and they darted down the stairs to greet him with their usual warm smiles.
"We are surprised to see you. Renesmee already left to go for a hunt with Alice and Jasper," informed Carlisle.
"I know. Actually I need to speak with the two of you, if that is alright?" They glanced at each other with knowing smiles.
"Of course," said Esme as the three of them walked into the living room. Nahuel sat in a chair across from them as the couple sat on the couch. There was a sense of formality in their positions, but they still managed to put him at ease. Nahuel glanced down at their intertwined hands. Their fingers were laced together in between them and their wedding rings sparkled in the light. He took in a deep breath to gain the courage he needed in order to speak up.
"First, I would just like to thank you for welcoming me into your home and treating me like one of your own. I never cease to be amazed by your kindness and compassion," he explained.
"Nahuel, we do think of you as part of the family and by your tone, I assume you plan to keep it that way," she asked with a sly smile. Nahuel smiled sheepishly and nodded.
"Am I that transparent?" Carlisle winked at him.
"You are nervous and there is no need to be. Our granddaughter loves you very much and as long as she is happy, we are happy. Finding your mate is a very special occurrence. I could not imagine my life without Esme and I want that type of love for all of my family."
"Renesmee is my life. I would do anything for her, anything to ensure her happiness. As the leaders of this coven, I wanted to formally ask to join, not only as a member, but as Renesmee's mate."
"Nahuel, we already think of you as her mate," assured Esme.
"My wife is right, but we appreciate the gesture. You have our blessing," announced Carlisle and Nahuel sighed in relief.
"However, I do believe there will be others that you will need approval from as well. I am sure you have already spoken to Alice and Jasper. Good luck speaking with the rest of our children," teased Esme.
"Yes, apparently the general consensus is that I am going to need as much luck as I can get," said Nahuel. The three of them stood up and Carlisle patted his back with a comforting smile.
"We were the easy ones," added Carlisle. Nahuel dropped his head in defeat when he heard the purr of Rosalie's BMW speeding down the winding road and Esme giggled.
"I would tell them to go easy on you, but it would fall on deaf ears. We will be upstairs," she explained and Nahuel bowed his head in acknowledgment before stepping outside onto the porch to wait for Rosalie and Emmett. Rosalie laughed at her mate as he bellowed the words to a song while she parked in the driveway. Emmett hopped out of the convertible and raced over to the driver side to open the door for her. She kissed his cheek appreciatively before eyeing Nahuel.
"Alice called and said you needed to speak with us. Is Renesmee alright," she questioned as she sauntered toward the porch.
"Renesmee is fine. I wanted to speak with the two of you privately because I have something important to ask." Emmett wrapped an arm around his mate and grinned from ear to ear.
"Aw, angel, isn't he so cute? He's all nervous about popping the big question. Don't worry so much Nahuel. You're a pretty cool guy. I think you're worthy of my niece's hand in marriage," said Emmett, but Rosalie smirked.
"So is that it? You want to marry my niece? A little fast don't you think," challenged Rosalie and Emmett guffawed.
"The guy is like a million years old, I am sure he is anxious. Kind of weird that you are older than her parents though, but I guess I can't say too much about that. I mean Bella and Edward have the whole age difference thing and Carlisle is way too old for….."
"Emmett," scolded Rosalie and Nahuel chuckled.
"Emmett, you know I am not a million years old and Rosalie, I know it has only been nine months, but I love Renesmee and she is my mate. I promise to take care of her and make her happy." Rosalie raised an eyebrow at him and smiled deviously.
"Oh I know you will because I refuse to let anyone hurt my niece, especially her husband. I still owe the dog several kicks in the gut for his past behavior….."
"Or swats on the nose with a rolled up newspaper," joked Emmett.
"But I will not hesitate to show my dark side if you harm her in any way and as I am sure you can imagine, I have quite a dark side," threatened Rosalie and Nahuel gulped. He was not sure who to be more intimidated by, Rosalie or Emmett.
"You have my word Rosalie," assured Nahuel and Emmett scoffed as his mate stared down Nahuel. Emmett picked her up into his strong arms and kissed her tenderly before giving her the dimpled grin she could not resist.
"Don't worry angel, Nahuel knows he will have a whole family full of very pissed off vampires coming after him if he even thinks about hurting my niece. Besides, I don't want to brag or anything but I have this pretty nifty little power called super strength and I could break him in half….literally…then grind him up into teeny, tiny pieces before sprinkling him over a fire if he ever harmed Renesmee. I am sure, as my gorgeous wife, you would be right there for moral support of course if that day ever happened, but I don't think it ever will, so everything should be great. Like I said, he's a pretty cool guy and adding him to the family will be fun!"
"Um, thanks Emmett, I think, so we are alright? I have your blessings?" Rosalie and Emmett communicated silently and shared a look before she nodded.
"I suppose, but don't make me regret it," she warned and Nahuel smiled at her.
"You have my word."
"So how do you plan on proposing? It better be romantic. My niece deserves nothing but the best," informed Rosalie.
"I already have a plan and Renesmee is a lot like her mother. She doesn't like the grand gestures as much as something simple and intimate, but I am going to propose in a special way that I think she will enjoy."
"Well, if you need any ideas or advice, just let me know. I am the king of proposing, aren't I Rose," asked Emmett and Rosalie smiled adoringly at her mate.
"Of course you are Em, so Nahuel, I am guessing that Alice is in on this since she called us?"
"Yes and now that I have your approval there is just one more stop to make before I can start planning to propose to Renesmee." Emmett smiled from ear to ear.
"Man I wish I could be there to see how that goes down. Bella will be easy, but Edward….aw man that is going to be priceless. His little girl is getting married," laughed Emmett. Rosalie grinned as she thought about her brother's reaction and Nahuel slowly nodded.
"Good to know you two are taking pleasure from my discomfort," he grumbled as he walked off the porch. Rosalie and Emmett's laughter echoed around him as he sprinted into the direction of Edward and Bella's cottage. There were only a few times in his existence that he wished he did not have supernatural speed, but the short time it took to make it to the cottage made him wish he would have walked at a human pace. Edward answered before he could knock and motioned for him to enter.
"I knew this day was coming. I hoped I would at least have a year, not nine months," confessed Edward. Bella wrapped her arms around her mate's neck and stroked his hair.
"Wishful thinking Edward, they are in love," said Bella and Nahuel stared at the ground as he became lost in thought. He respected Edward and Bella more than any of the other Cullens. Not only were they Renesmee's parents, but he was still in awe of the fact that one of their kind could have both parents in their life. Renesmee was always special to him, but especially in that way.
"If you would like me to wait, I will. I have waited this long to find my mate, as long as I have her now, I can wait to make her my wife," offered Nahuel and Edward smiled crookedly.
"I appreciate that, but I know it has taken you months to build up the courage to ask her and us. You have wanted this for so long and you deserve it. I know your thoughts and hers. She loves you and I know you respect the family that we have. You are a good man, Nahuel. You have a good heart and while I would love to keep my little girl to myself forever, I know she has a way of making everyone around her love her. I also know you have been threatened quite thoroughly already, so I will spare you the details of what will happen if you harm our daughter." Bella kissed her husband's cheek.
"You are handling this better than I thought you would," admitted Bella and Edward kissed the top of her head.
"He has been warned and I knew this day was coming. I have been preparing since she was a child. At least I know that she loves him just as much as he loves her and he makes her happy."
"You have our blessing, Nahuel. Welcome to the family," added Bella as she hugged him and he happily returned it. He had not proposed yet, but in his mind, the hardest part was complete.
Renesmee knew the moment that her aunt suggested they go for a hunt, something was suspect. Alice was always upbeat and perky, but she was buzzing with excitement the entire hunt. Jasper kept smiling at her and she could sense they were in on something that she was not. She was relieved when her aunt told her that all would be explained that night and she ran as fast as her feet would carry her when she received a call from Nahuel, asking her to meet him at their special spot.
It was a cool evening and the stars glistened in the night sky. Cape Flattery would always hold a special place in Renesmee's heart. It was the place that Renesmee and Nahuel found together. The place they shared many nights conversing about any and everything. It was their place and the moment she saw Nahuel standing on their favorite pillar of rock with a picnic basket in his hand, she knew she would be able to add yet another special night to her memories. She leapt onto the rock and hugged him tightly.
"I missed you. Does this picnic have anything to do with why Aunt Alice and Uncle Jasper were trying to keep me away from the house today?" He smiled slyly.
"Maybe," he teased and opened the basket. Her deep brown eyes lit up when she saw the contents of the picnic basket.
"Nahuel, our favorites," she giggled and he placed the containers of chicken wings, pizza, and chocolate brownies on the blanket that he already spread out for them.
"I asked your grandmother to make the chicken wings that we ate at your birthday party and her delicious chocolate brownies. Of course I had to make our favorite pizza and I brought chocolates too," he explained as he placed the box of chocolates with the rest of the food.
"What's the occasion? This is a pretty fancy spread." He slipped her hands in his and looked up at the stars.
"You know how we like to come up here and look at the stars together," he asked as they sat down on the blanket and she nodded as she looked at the starry sky.
"It is one of my favorite pastimes," she confessed and he smiled proudly.
"Mine too, but that wasn't always the case. When I was in South America with Huilen, I would look up at the stars and feel nothing. I didn't see the beauty like I do now because I didn't feel like anything that I experienced was beautiful in my existence. I didn't belong. I didn't have a place, Renesmee. I didn't belong with Huilen or with my sisters. I felt like I never belonged until I met you. I have always gravitated toward you and I never really understood why. At first, I told myself I was just in awe of you. You were alive and so was your mother. I kept coming around because I told myself I wanted to help your grandfather understand more about our kind.
"Then I saw you at your birthday party and I knew it was more, but I also knew what it was like to be that age and no matter how mature our kind is during that time, I knew you weren't ready for any type of relationship. I couldn't even be your friend because I knew deep down that I wanted more and that would get too complicated, but you asked me to come back and on your seventeenth birthday, I couldn't lie to myself anymore. It was never curiosity or science or even friendship. I was gravitating toward you because I already loved you. I never expected for you to love me back."
"But I do," she said as she cupped his cheek and he smiled.
"I love you too and I want you in my life for eternity." His nerves were on edge as he pulled the diamond ring out of his pocket. Her eyes widened and she sighed happily.
"I knew it," she whispered and her bright smile boosted his confidence as he kissed the tops of her hands.
"Renesmee, I never expected to find you and I do not know what I have done to become so blessed, but I promise to do everything in my power to make you always feel loved and happy for eternity. Will you please be my wife and my mate forever?" She tackled him onto the blanket and showered him with kisses as he laughed.
"Is this a yes?" She giggled and nodded as she gazed lovingly into his teak eyes.
"Yes Nahuel." Relief washed over him and as he slipped the diamond ring onto her finger, he realized that a weight had been lifted from his chest. Since the beginning of his existence, he was waiting anxiously and as he rested with her on their favorite rock in their favorite place, he knew he finally belonged. He had always been waiting for her.
"You were well worth the wait Renesmee Cullen," he whispered as he leaned his forehead against hers. She ran her hands through his hair and nodded.
"Thank you for waiting on me, Nahuel," she whispered back and as their lips met in a tender kiss, nothing else mattered but them in their special place beneath the stars.
AN: Hope you enjoyed the outtake! For all the readers that have asked about the next story in the Choice Series, I hope to work on it sometime in December. Thank you all so much for following along with the stories. I have been busy with grad school….I graduate in December….but once everything has finished up with school and I am home for the holidays, I plan on writing another story for the Choice Series. I am not sure what it will be about yet, so if you have any ideas, please PM me with suggestions. Thanks!
~Emmettroselover
