*Jacob*

I glance down at Renesmee, who's resting her head in my lap.

Her soft curls loop around her ears as I stroke the hair out of her face, and she twists so that her chocolatey eyes meet mine. "When's momma coming to see me?" she asks quietly, her red lips sliding into a well-practiced pout.

"Well-" I begin.

"Sweetie, we aren't sure that your mother is coming back." Rosalie says.

I glare heatedly at her. "Can we talk?" I ask through gritted teeth.

"I don't see why not." Rosalie replies, flashing a white grin in my direction. We walk into the kitchen, which is the next room over.

"What is your problem?!" I snarl.

Blondie just smiles sweetly. "I'm being the mother that Renesmee deserves."

"No, Bella is the mother Nessie deserves. You're jut the wanna-be-mom vampire that Renesmee will forget about as soon as Bella is back in her life, and you know it."

Her golden eyes become harsh and cold. "Don't you get it? Bella's not coming back! Even if she had a chance, she'd be as good as dead, anyways. You and I both know that she would come back with an unquenchable thirst for blood, and she probably wouldn't remember Renesmee at all. Now, you tell me this. What kind of mother is that? What woman forgets who her own child is?"

I flinch, taking a step backwards. "Bella will come back, and she won't forget Renesmee. I don't think it's possible for anyone to forget who their own child is."

The laugh comes out more like a snort of sarcasm. "Oh, yes, I'm sure you're right. Bella will just magically be able to contain her want to kill people for their blood, because that's just a bonus of becoming a vampire. Now, look, why won't you just listen to me?"

"Because I haven't gotten a reason from you proving that I should care about anything you say."

"How about this..."

It's quiet for a moment as the blonde tries to think of what to say.

I snort. "This is a waste of time." I turn on my heel and walked to the living room.

"I'm sorry."

The words float to me as I'm walking out of the kitchen. I stop cold. "What?"

"I said I'm sorry. For a lot of things, actually."

My body turns to face Rosalie, and I can see in her eyes that she means everything she says. "Well, I may have been... A little harsh at times. And I'm sorry I threw a dog bowl at your face."

She laughs. It's pure and sincere. "Apology accepted, mutt." Rosalie smirks.

I sigh. "There's the insult I've been waiting for." I mutter, going back into the living room.

Renesmee sits on the couch with Edward, who is talking quietly to her. I cannot hear what he says, but I'm sure it has to do something with Rosalie's earlier comment.

I slide onto the couch in between Edward and the girl, who looks up at me as soon as I step close to her. "Hey, you okay?" I ask Renesmee gently.

She nods, her little head bobbing up and down softly. She pauses a moment. "Jake?"

"Yeah?"

"Did Aunt Rose mean what she said? About momma not coming home, that is." Her round, chocolate brown eyes are filled with worry.

I sigh, glancing up at Rosalie, who is just now walking into the living room. "Look, what your mother is going through right now is a very difficult time, and she doesn't think it's safe for you to be around her right now. As for whether or not she will be home soon, only time will tell, sweetheart." The words that flowed out of my mouth weren't completely untrue, just not the total truth.

Rosalie comes and sits on the other side of Nessie, and puts her arm gently around the girl. "You don't worry about a thing, ok? No matter what, we aren't going to leave you. You'll be safe here with us." Blondie's eyes meet mine, and they are filled with a nervous worry.

I can't really say I blame her for the way she feels. Ever since Bella left us, Renesmee has rarely asked about her mother, but the few times she has, it's always been with wide open eyes and full frowning lips. The guilt Nessie makes me feel eats away at my insides, because I know that it's partly my fault that Bella Swan left in the first place.