Imprinted
A Jacob & Nessie Story

Summary: Nessie is fast approaching the seven year mark and despite his best attempts, Jacob is becoming more and more drawn to her. With Nessie's stubborn nature, inherited from her mother, this can only end one way...or can it?

Rating: PG-13

Categories: Post-Breaking Dawn

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. Only new characters and new plot points are mine. I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

BOOK ONE

jacob

1. Why Can't Life Ever Be Simple?

I'd only turned my back for one minute to sniff the air for potential prey. Apparently my distraction with the strong scent was enough. It took me a moment to recognize the gnawing pain in my chest that had become like a sixth sense. Nessie had taken off again.

I sighed and then sniffed the air to catch her trail. I swore roundly and hurried after her. She wasn't a newborn by any means and, having been around Charlie a lot of her life, she recognized the basic scent of Humans for what it was. She knew enough to avoid an intentional meeting lest she test the strength of her thirst.

I was more worried about her curiosity. A trait that she'd inherited from Bella. As I followed the scent, I realized that she'd gotten a lot further in that short space of time than I'd anticipated. Her speed almost rivaled Edward's. A grin tugged at my lips. Yes, Renesmee was every bit her parent's daughter.

The farther I traveled, the more potent the scent became. I was getting close. Her sudden appearance in front of me startled me and my legs became intertwined as I tried to stop before I ran into her. I landed in a tangle of limbs somewhere to her left. Her musical laughter reached my ears and I looked to where she now sat, almost rolling on the forest floor in delight.

"You should have seen your face," she teased, at my side in an instant. "Classic." I narrowed my eyes in annoyance and she rolled her eyes. "Come on, Jake. No harm done. I was just playing."

I glanced around to see how far away she'd led us. To my surprise, we were back on Cullen land. The large mansion that was the Cullen's home loomed only a few hundred yards away. I nodded stiffly and pawed at the ground, turning my gaze briefly toward the trees. That was our signal that I needed privacy to shift back. She sighed and nodded, agreeing to stay put.

I removed the bundle of clothes that were tied to my leg and focused. The voices in my head faded and soon I was in Human form again. I slid into the shorts as well as the shirt I'd begun to wear shortly after Nessie's birth. It was hot and uncomfortable, but it was better than the alternative. My growing feelings for my imprinted companion had made that a necessity. The clothes were a barrier that reminded me why I shied away.

When I emerged from the trees, she stood waiting impatiently with her arms crossed and her lower lip jutted out in a pout. I knew too well how petulant she could be when the mood struck her.

I arched an eyebrow. "What did I do?"

"You never want to play," she whined.

I closed my eyes and drew in several deep breaths to reign in my temper. "It's not a game, Renesmee. It scares me out of my mind when you run off like that."

Her gaze dropped from mine. "Why? I'm not going to bite anyone. Even if I did, the venom isn't potent enough to do any harm."

I knew my real reason wasn't good enough. She's stronger than me was and she can look after herself. She is half-vampire, after all. But the nature of the imprinting is still an overriding force. I feel the insane need to protect her anyway. But that's hardly a reason I can give her without exposing what the imprinting really means.

She's ignorant of the connotations for now, though for how much longer I'm not sure. It's a miracle that she hasn't caught on with Sam and Emily and the other pairs as obvious about their affectionate displays as they are. Like Bella, I want her to choose whether or not to be with me. As much as I want her, it's important that she acknowledge the connection herself or it could lead to a lot of resentment down the road.

She stood still waiting for my answer. When I didn't respond, she sighed. "Fine," she huffed. "Let's go inside. Mom is taking me to Grandpa Charlie's soon. It's his birthday."

I nodded and followed her toward the house. Bella had told me about the plan to surprise Charlie for his birthday. She and Renesmee were taking Charlie to my dad's for a big party. Everyone would be there...everyone except me. Sam and I have a truce, but I think it best that I don't push my luck. Two Alphas would always create tension and I didn't want to ruin Charlie's big day. Naturally, it worried me that I would be apart from Renesmee; but she would be surrounded by people I trusted with my life.

"You're going, aren't you?" she asked, interrupting my thoughts.

I grimaced. "I wish I could."

Her eyes widened. "But Jake..."

My lips tightened. "You know why not," I replied gruffly, anticipating her question.

"That's so stupid," she huffed. "Surely he can acknowledge that you have no intentions of taking the pack from him. We've got our own pack now."

I smiled a little at that. It always made me proud when she said 'we' or 'us'...that she accepted Leah, Seth and I so easily. I felt a hand on my cheek and turned my head. She stood right in front of me, a sparkle in her chocolate brown eyes and a smile on her lush, tempting lips.

"Please, Jake. Sam won't do anything that'll make me unhappy—and seeing you two fight would make me unhappy."

Before I could refuse her again, I was seeing her memories of the party we'd all thrown for Quil's last birthday. All of us were there laughing and swapping stories. Most of her memories included me from her perspective and I felt the strength of her happiness in seeing us all together.

The images quickly shifted to memories where she'd been without me, such as her first day of high school, and I felt the loneliness and the loss as though it were my own. I worried my lip in guilt. Damn her if she didn't know just how to get to me. When she was unhappy, the light left her eyes and the sadness dulled that beautiful smile...it killed me to see her like that. The images dissolved and I was face to face with that melancholy look.

I sighed. "Damn it, Nessie. That's not fair. You know I can't say no when you do that."

She smiled half-heartedly. "That's the point."

I groaned in annoyance. "Fine," I grumbled. "I'll go."

"You promise?" she encouraged.

I nodded sharply and she squealed happily, throwing her arms around my neck. Her strength continued to catch me off guard and I fought back the grunt of pain. I returned the hug, careful to keep my hands respectful. When she pulled away, the light was back in her eyes and she wore a wide smile, her teeth practically gleaming in the sunlight.

"Thanks, Jake! You're the best."

She released me and ran toward the house. I followed casually behind her, unexplainably pleased with myself.

"You'd best keep your thoughts clean, mongrel."

I grimaced and turned to Edward standing hand in hand with Bella behind me, Edward fixing me with an acid glare that could have burned through tungsten. They'd made their feelings about Nessie being imprinted with me clear from the start, so I expected nothing less.

It was a compliment, really. It meant they thought I stood a chance with her. Most of the whole fuss was Edward. He was a traditionalist in a lot of regards and I knew that it was best just to go along with it—peace of mind for everyone involved.

"I've already told you I'm not going to pursue her that way," I snarled.

Edward knew it was true. How could he not? He could read my thoughts like an open book. His features relaxed and he sighed.

"Yes, I know," he acknowledged. He pinched the bridge of his nose with his free hand. "I've been as harsh on you as Charlie was on me and it's undeserved. I'm sorry."

I shook my head. "No. You have every right. I'm sorry."

Amusement danced in Bella's eyes. I could imagine what she was thinking. Just eight years ago, we would have both given up a limb before apologizing to each other and now we resolved our conflicts like brothers. Times had certainly changed.

Edward ducked his head to hide his smile. "We couldn't help but overhear..."

His comment instantly reminded me of the promise I'd made to Nessie. My mood quickly turned sour. "Yeah," I grunted. "She knows just how to get what she wants."

Bella arched an eyebrow. "It's partially your fault, you know," she teased. "You've always given her anything that she asks for."

I scrubbed a hand over my face and sighed. "Yeah. But one of these days that kid is going to learn that 'no' means 'no'."

Both of them laughed. "An apocalyptic event by all measures of the imagination," Edward joked.

I sighed in resignation and continued back toward the house.

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