Nessie's First Date; or Why Jacob Black Must Die.
A/N: First off, a big shout-out to Justine Lark for being a friend of all kinds of awesomeness:) Her Daddy Edward story Bedtime Stories is a must read. Check it out and review to find out what the next tale will be!
Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer.
Monotony. Time. Seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years…for an immortal being, they all seem the same, blending together into a mass of endless ticks on a clock, squares of a calendar, and pointless resolutions to "turn over a new leaf."
For almost ninety years, time moved inexorably slowly for me. Allowing myself to love Bella, and allowing her to love me had made eternity seem bearable. Then Renesmee, my Ness, was born, and I could no longer keep a hold of the raging bull that was time. These last six years had passed more quickly than I could have imagined. I felt as though time had become grains of sand, slipping through my fingers and down through the hourglass.
"Edward? Are you being mopey again?" Bella asked me. I pursed my lips and wrinkled my brow. I was not mopey. "We knew it would happen, love…it's never been a matter of "if" only "when" in their case," my Bella reminded me.
"But did it have to be so soon? She's practically a child," I argued.
"Edward, while I admit, most parents aren't sending their only daughter on her first date just a week after her sixth birthday, we both know that physically, and mentally, Renesmee is not six. You're the one reading her mind; you can't deny that Jake has been on her mind as more than a friend for at least six months now. You were the one that insisted that she had to be at least six."
"Why must you always be so reasonably logical? Why can't I just dwell on the fact that my baby girl isn't my baby girl anymore?"
"Because then you'd miss out on the wonderful woman that she's becoming," Bella said.
"Nobody would question it if we doubled with them. Teenagers double-date all the time," I argued.
"Edward…"
"What?"
"I can't believe you just suggested accompanying our daughter on her first date! Would you have wanted your parents on your first date?" Bella asked disbelievingly before she laughed at my behavior and darted out the door to rush over to Carlisle and Esme's house where Jacob was waiting.
"I hardly think that is comparable!" I muttered to my retreating wife's form. My irrationality seemed to know no bounds today. My daughter, my only child, my impossible miracle was not a baby any longer. I knew this, though I didn't want to acknowledge that fact.
I could still remember the day that I realized that my Ness was well and truly growing up. It wasn't long after she and I had our first piano lesson together. She and Alice and Rose were having a girl's night to celebrate Ness' fifth birthday. She had already begun to pull away from my affections, just as I had known she would. Her teenaged concerns seemed to be amplified by her hybrid nature, and she began to press our already stretched boundaries. On her fifth birthday, she had declared that she was in need of a makeover, and more importantly, cosmetics.
My disbelief at her readiness for such things had sparked the biggest fight that we had ever had. I was so anguished by her sudden need to be seen as a young woman that I almost volunteered to play dress-up with her and don the Spiderman suit that Alice had taunted me with so many years before.
Almost.
That distinction was lost on Alice, however, as I had found the red monstrosity in my closet the very next day. Things had only gone downhill after my daughter's clandestine sleepover with my sisters. They frequently stole my little girl away for makeovers and feminine conversation.
None of that however, could prepare me for the dark day when my daughter began to have those thoughts.
Would this shirt make Jake look at me?
Would slate eye shadow make Jake notice my eyes more than the burnt sienna?
Jake is so hot in that shirt!
Jake is dreamy!
What does that girl think she's doing? Jacob Black is MINE!
Even though I knew that it would happen, that Bella and I had been preparing for this day since our daughter was born and Jacob imprinted on her. Regardless of the fact that I had called him my brother and my son, ignoring the very camaraderie I had developed with him over the years that he and I had shared similar goals for my baby girl; that was the day I decided that Jacob Black must die. In a completely figurative sense of course.
Mostly.
Bella had insisted that I was being childish. That I was being completely unreasonable, and that I would end up sorry that I had fought with my daughter over her changing wants and needs, rather than accepting them and by extension, her.
As much as it pained me; I knew when to bend to the wisdom of my wife. And not just because Bella had forced my brothers to take me hunting until I could see reason. I once again remembered Charlie's words to me just before we had finally moved on from Forks:
"Take care of my girls for me. I don't pretend to understand your forever stuff, but I know Bells loves you, and I want you to keep her happy. I didn't get much time with her when she was a little girl, and I regret that now. Don't do that with Nessie. Cherish her days as your little girl, because before you know it, she'll be all grown up and hangin' on Jake."
I had to scoff at my ridiculousness. Even Charlie had seen, had known, exactly what would develop between my daughter and her wolf. If Charlie, the man who had willfully ignored and refused to accept that his daughter was in love, had allowed that same daughter to follow her own path, then I could too.
And so it was with a heavy, still heart that I stood to greet my lovely daughter as she came down the stairs dressed for her very first date. She was exquisite; lately she looked much closer to my twin than my daughter. Even though it had been some months since she had allowed me to sweep her up into my arms, she relented tonight. I crushed her to my chest as a low sob was torn from my chest.
"Don't worry, Daddy," Renesmee whispered. I gasped at the tenderness in her voice. She had deferred to "dad" over "daddy" some months previous. It was glorious to hear it from her tonight. "I'll always be your little girl."
Suddenly my behavior throughout the day seemed even more ridiculous and petulant. "Let's get you over to Grandma and Grandpa's house, shall we? I'm sure there is a very anxious do-young man waiting for you there."
Ness noticed my near verbal slip. "Daddy, you promised to be good tonight," she said warningly.
"And so I shall," I promised, holding out my arm for her to take. She smiled at me and graciously accepted.
After our quick run through the woods, Ness looked flushed and excited. Her thoughts gave away her nerves. I squeezed her hand before meeting Jacob's eye. He was nervous as he took in my expression, watching for any sign of anger or for any intent to maim him. I toyed with the idea of interrogating him as Charlie had once done to me, but the look on Bella's face caused me to give up the notion entirely.
"Jacob," I greeted him. Then I encouraged Ness to go to his side.
"Don't worry, Edward, I'll take good care of her," he promised before he took my baby girl and escorted her to his waiting car. Instantly my mind flashed back to a time when I had said similar words to Bella's father.
"I've heard that before," I grumbled at the same time as Bella discreetly lifted her shield and thought the exact same words at me. We both smiled and laughed lightly; then Bella came to my side and pulled me into a full-body hug. We watched Jacob's car shrink into the distance down the long driveway long after the rest of our family had gone back inside.
"I'm glad you came to your senses," Bella murmured beside me.
"I've you to thank for that," I admitted. "Do you think it will ever become any easier? I feel as though I've lost her."
"We've not lost her…she's just growing up, Edward."
"I find that fact is rather difficult to remember at times."
"She'll always be our little girl, Love."
"She said that exact thing before we came up to the house," I said.
"Then it's true. What do you think, Edward? We've got our house all to ourselves for the entire evening…I think I could make you forget more than the fact that our little girl's growing up," Bella said demurely. At her words, a fire was lit in my body.
"Is that a promise?" I asked.
"Absolutely," my highly tempting wife teased before darting away at full speed. I allowed Bella a head start, thinking one last time about my little girl before I raced full-speed after my wife.
A/N: This story owes its existence to Jaenelle Masen, who requested it in a review:)
Secondly, my collaboration with the amazing Gleena, Masen and Swan: The FBI's Most Unwanted has advanced to the *second round* of the Epic T contest sponsored by Bronzehairedgirl620. The voting poll is on BHG620's profile, so go vote for Masen and Swan!
Thirdly, Gleena and I are collaborating on a second "episode" for our intrepid agents. We'll be posting it soon, so be sure to put us on alert! Masen and Swan's next adventure promises to include ghosts, AV geeks, and more sexual tension than you can shake a stick at;)
In the meantime, go read Gleena's story The Cold War. It has also been nominated for Best Post-Breaking Dawn at the Sparkle Awards! It literally reads like a thriller novel, with excellent characterizations of post-Breaking Dawn Cullens. I am not responsible for how addicted to this story you will be…
ebhg:)
Please let me know what you think!