Disclaimer: I don't own anything
Jacob couldn't help but smile at the beautiful, one of a kind seventeen year-old girl he walked next to. She had retained her mother's new found grace and didn't trip over the rocky shores that he had once walked with Bella. But this wasn't Bella now. The girl's long bronze blonde hair fell in waves that touched the middle of her back, her deep brown eyes shimmering and reflecting the waves that crashed.
She sat down, surprising Jacob. "Are you tired?"
The girl rolled her eyes as she slipped off her black converse, being careful not to stretch her black skinny jeans. "No, I don't want my shoes getting wet."
She stood up pulling down her oversize grey t-shirt that couldn't look good on anyone else's figure except for her slightly curvy, muscular figure. Jacob couldn't help but give a grin. She was so funny sometimes.
"Just asking," he defended himself, hands raised in front of him. The girl rolled her eyes again, but her expression became a mixture of curiousity and seriousness.
"So tell me, how exactly, do you, well how exactly have you not... aged?"
He gave her a questioning look but she simply looked at her feet as they walked along the water, letting the waves kiss their feet. "Well, when I... morph, well that stops my aging. Once I stop morphing regularly, well then, I age."
She mulled this over for a few moments. "So, I'll always be older than you?" She seemed slightly scared of the idea. He'd always been older than her.
Jacob rolled his eyes. She was so much like Bella! Over the years, he and Edward had become friends. No not friends. Family. He'd told Jacob of Bella's ridiculousness at her aging. "No, not if I stop morphing. But then I can morph again whenever I like so... it's well, complicated."
"Can you deal with being a few years older than me?" Jacob teased.se
"I'm turning '18' tomorrow!" she shrieked, "You're still sixteen!"
"Don't worry about that! I don't give a shit if your older than me!" Jacob told her frustratedly.
"But I do! I don't want to be older!"
"Nessie, you are so much like your mother."
"In what way?"
"Your mom didn't want to be older than Edward, but she dealt with it. She's only about two years older than him."
"Well, I'm not my mom," she argued stubbornly.
"Thank God. That would make things way too complicated," Jacob laughed a harsh laugh, but it was lightened as he thought of Nessie.
"I've always wondered..." she began.
"Damn you have a lot of questions today!" Jacob exclaimed.
Nessie ignored his remark and continued her question. "What... what ever went on between you and my mom?"
Jacob was silent for a few moments, thinking about the best way to answer that question. He decided bluntly was the best way. "I was in love with your mom."
Nessie snorted, waiting for an explanation. "Are you still?" she asked quietly after a few moments.
Jacob was completely taken aback. "RENESMEE CULLEN! I could never love anyone but you!"
Surprised and slightly embarassed by Jacob's bluntness and seriousness she blushed and giggled, looking towards the water.
"Okay, okay."
Jacob laughed. "If I was still in love with Bella there would be a very very confusing love triangle."
"I see that. But promise me... Promise me that you'll... you'll always love me?"
"Sure, sure." He winked.
Nessie rolled her eyes. "No seriously."
Jacob deepened his voice. "Sure, sure."
Nessie gave him a look.
"I'm just playing, Ness. Of course I'll always love you. You don't seem to understand the concept of imprinting."
Nessie mused this as she let the water lap at her now wet ankles. Her jeans felt heavier on the bottom, considering they had gained some water weight.
"Do you need me to convince you?"
Nessie raised an eyebrow. She'd overheard from her father and Jake's talks that Jacob wasn't to kiss her until she was 'eighteen'. But she shrugged anyhow. "Sure, sure."
Jacob took a step closer to her, holding her hands. Her hands felt like they were burning, but it was a nice kind of burning, like when you stand in a boiling hot shower for a while, but it dulls and you can still feel the warmth and burning. She could feel his body heat radiating off of him like satellite radio waves. He bent his head down and without hesitation, kissed her full on the mouth.
Nessie was surprised, but soon her instinct took over. It was the one time he wasn't being careful with her. Maybe turning 'eighteen' wasn't so bad. Jacob would finally let go and realize they were equals. He wouldn't feel the need to protect her from every breathing object. She loved Jacob, that she was sure of. Ever since she had turned sixteen she had loved him. But now she could feel the connection they had. She now understood imprinting. Well sort of. It was hard to comprehend things while Jake's tongue was doing dances with her's.
Finally they pulled apart, both breathing hard and Jacob pulled her close, the water up to their ankles, and then returning to their feet in a slow rhythym. Nessie wrapped her arms tightly around Jacob's back as she felt his trembling breathing. But he was trembling with joy. Nessie was grown up. He didn't need to be careful anymore. He could kiss her as hard as he wanted to. He could hold her as tight as he wanted to. She was his. She always had been. But her passionate return of the kiss changed the way he thought about everything. They had gone through stages together; toddler, pre-teen (when she had had a huge crush on him), a young teenager (15), and now... now she was his. An almost eighteen year old, half vampire.
Jacob's eyes widened as he spotted a smug blonde and burly brunette sitting silently on the shore watching them. Rosalie held a grin of excitement for Renesmee and a smirk of oh-your-so-gonna-get-it for Jacob. Emmett merely whooped and cat called. Nessie turned around and groaned. "C'mon Rose! Please don't tell dad."
"If it weren't for you, I'd kick Jacob's ass right now," Rosalie returned, but she smiled, showing she understood.
"Hey Rose, have you heard the blonde joke where-" he was immediately cut off as a blur of blonde hair knocked him out of Nessie's arms and into the water. Before Jake could retaliate, she was back with Emmett's arm around her shoulder. "Vampire, 1, Wolf boy, zip," Emmett grinned as he wrote the score out in midair. Jacob rolled his eyes.
"So..."
Everyone turned to look at the direction the musical voice came from. Jacob froze in fear. Nessie put her head down, waiting for the embarassment, Rosalie was sure her smugness could be felt by every 'person' on the beach, and Emmett tried to suppress a grin.
Edward raised an eyebrow at Jacob but fell silent as Bella stepped on his foot. "Ouch," he muttered under his breath. His voice came back to full volume. "We're going to need to have a talk Jacob when we get home."
Jacob looked shocked but then looked down in defeat. "Damn your mind reading ablilites."
