A/N – I was inspired to write this for a recent canon writing contest I saw, but for some reason Renesmee stories weren't allowed. I still really wanted to write it though as I've never written canon Jake and Ness before, and they're my favorite pairing in this fandom. So here you go; a short one shot about Ness's first Christmas. In case you read my other stories, I know I haven't updated them in awhile, but I have started a new chapter of Stormy Imprint. I can't give you a definite date when I'll be posting it, but I am working on it. This story is a prequel to Stormy. :)

This takes place right before the Volturi visit in Breaking Dawn.

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Renesmee's First Christmas

Jacob's POV

Tension.

That's all I ever felt anymore.

Constant, unrelenting tension.

I sat inside Charlie Swan's house and watched everyone around me with detached interest. My entire pack, along with Charlie, Sue, Edward, Bella, and Renesmee had decided to get together for Christmas. Even Emily and Sam had joined us.

I think Charlie was the only one who didn't know what was really going on. He didn't know that we decided to celebrate the holiday together because it might be our last. He didn't know that we were waiting for our possible death to arrive in the form of the Volturi, though I seriously doubted he missed the tense atmosphere. He didn't want to know about our world, had even requested not to be told anything after I phased in front of him and Bella turned into the Corpse Bride.

But he wasn't stupid either. He knew something was up. The wolves were a little too hyper about the upcoming battle and were doing little to hide their excitement. Sue's jaw kept clenching, and she'd occasionally reach out a trembling hand to touch Leah and Seth, as if to reassure herself that they were still there and alive. Edward and Bella's eyes kept glancing around the room, constantly keeping Renesmee in their sights. And he couldn't have missed me sitting in his living room chair, staring off into space like a zombie, a plate of uneaten holiday food on the floor next to me.

Life could really be a fickle bitch sometimes. One minute, I'm swearing my eternal love to a girl. The next minute I'm imprinting on her newborn daughter…a daughter I'd wanted to kill moments before I'd even laid eyes on her.

Guilty pain hit me as I thought back to that moment in time. The idea of Renesmee coming to any harm, especially by my own hand, was intolerable. In the second of laying eyes on her, she became my entire world. Renesmee made me feel whole in a way no one else ever could. I wasn't in love with her—hell, far from it. She was just a kid, barely three months old, though she looked like a small toddler. But I did love her with everything in me.

Nessie had managed to capture my heart and take away all the pain and grief I'd experienced in my lifetime. She made the hurt of losing my mom, of being abandoned by my sisters, of having to deal with Billy's medical issues by myself—all of it—she had the power to make all the misery of my past disappear just by smiling at me. When I was around Nessie, I forgot everything else. I wasn't Jake the son or Jake the Alpha…I was just her Jake, put on this planet to adore her, which I did without hesitation. Keeping Renesmee safe and happy was the only thing I truly wanted to do with my life. Everything else came second to that. And that was exactly the way I wanted it. Making Ness happy made me happy. But could I keep her safe?

I sucked in a breath and leaned forward in my chair so that my elbows rested on my knees, my hands clasped together. What if the Volturi were successful in their plans to destroy my imprint? The idea was too much for me to handle and I rushed to my feet, my shaking fists clenched to my side. Bella looked over at me in worry, but I couldn't meet her eyes. Instead, I made my way over to the living room window and stared out. No matter what happened when they finally came—even if it meant giving my own life—Renesmee wasn't going to die by them.

I felt a small hand touch the bare flesh of my knee. Images popped in my head. I saw myself getting up from the chair, anger on my face. I was also overwhelmed with the sensation of being concerned…an emotion that wasn't coming from me. I forced a smile on my face as I peered down at my little imprint. She was staring back at me, worry evident in her chocolate brown eyes. I felt my heart swell as I returned her gaze. She was so young, yet she always seemed to carry the weight of the world on her shoulders.

That bothered me. Renesmee was always so serious, always worrying about others. From the moment she was born, she was a worrier. She worried about her mother who had spent the few days after her birth burning as she became a vampire. She worried about her dad who never left her mom's side during Bella's transformation. She worried about me when Bella found out I imprinted on her newborn baby and attacked me. And I knew she worried about her Aunt Alice and Uncle Jasper, even though they had abandoned the family to save their own necks.

Renesmee took on too much for someone so young, and I, in turn, worried right along with her. I felt my forehead form into frown lines as I stared at her. It was hard to believe she was only a few months old. Renesmee was aging so quickly. Too quickly. If she kept growing at the rate she was, then she'd be dead before she even had the chance to live. It was agonizing to think about. If Renesmee died, I'd have to follow her. We were a unit. One couldn't survive without the other.

But whether our time ended in a few weeks or a few years, I could at least ensure that she had a happy life right at that moment. Forcing another grin, I picked Ness up and carried her over to the TV. I knew there was a Christmas special starting soon. Embry was currently flipping through the channels, looking for any sports game he could find. Grabbing the remote from his hand and ignoring his protest, I searched the stations until I found what I was looking for. Smiling, I sat down on the floor Indian-style and pulled Ness onto my lap. The 1960s version of Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer began to play. Renesmee touched my skin, clearly confused by the clay figures she saw on the screen.

"It's animated," I explained. "Kids love it. In fact, it was one of my favorite shows when I was your age."

"Rudolph? Seriously?" Embry grumbled behind me from the couch.

"Shut it, Call," I ordered. The opening credits began to role and the familiar theme started to play. To my amusement, Quil and Seth came over to watch the show as well.

Renesmee relaxed against me, her back to my chest. I rubbed my chin against her hair contentedly, breathing in her mixed scent of flowers and Johnson and Johnson Baby Shampoo. As I held my imprint safe and close, I felt my tension drain away.

"But Jacob," Renesmee stated in her rarely used voice as she watched the show. "Reindeer can't fly."

I chuckled. Ness might be a little kid, but intellectually she was smarter than everyone else in this room put together.

Still, I had to try. "These reindeer can. They're Santa's, ya know?"

Renesmee touched my hand again and I felt her mentally roll her eyes at me. I burst out laughing. Sometimes she reminded me so much of Edward. She began to play with my fingers and I heard whispers of her thoughts.

She was happy watching this silly show with her Jacob, even though it didn't make any sense...especially from an aerodynamic standpoint.

"Jeez, Nessie," I joked. "Can't you at least pretend it's real?"

Another image echoed in my mind as Renesmee touched my wrist. This one was of Emmett telling her that if some fat guy came down the chimney on Christmas Eve, he was technically breaking and entering, and therefore a holiday treat they'd send to Uncle Jasper.

"You know what?" I whispered against her ear. "I think you need to start hanging out with better influences than good ole Uncle Emmett."

Renesmee snickered in return. I continued to hold her, running my index finger over each one of her tiny fingernails. It was something I remembered my mom doing to me when I was younger. I'd sit next to her on the couch as she held my hand and we'd watch TV past my bedtime. I always found the motion on my nails soothing and comforting. I knew Ness did too. Whenever I touched her skin, I could feel how relaxed she had become, her mind no longer boggled by a future that kept tormenting her.

"Present time," Bella announced as she handed her daughter a small gift.

Renesmee started to open it carefully from where she sat on my lap. Moving my hands over hers, I ripped open the paper enthusiastically. I was rewarded by the sound of a tiny giggle escaping my imprint.

Ness unwrapped a small jewelry box, which contained a tiny antique locket inside. She immediately put it on. Getting up from my lap, she raced over and hugged Bella.

Renesmee touched her mom's face and I heard Bella murmur, "You're welcome."

Ness stared down at it for a moment, going adorably cross-eyed as she tried to read an inscription on it. Finally frustrated, she touched her mom's cheek.

"It's French. It means, 'more than my own life'," Bella explained tenderly. Renesmee sniffed before giving her mother another hug.

"This one's from me," Edward said, handing his daughter a slim box. She looked at me mischievously before ripping the paper off her present. All of us laughed as we watched her finally exhibit some childish behavior. She pulled out a MP3 player.

"It has over 5,000 songs on it that I thought you might like," Edward told her. Ness went over and kissed her dad on the cheek. He picked her up and held her to him, closing his eyes as he did. I had to look away. The fear on Edward's face of all people was too much to witness. When he let her go though, his face was calm in an effort not to scare his daughter.

"My turn," I said and Renesmee came over to me excitedly. I reached into the pocket of my shorts and pulled out a tiny pouch.

She opened it and reached inside, pulling out a tiny bracelet. Edward's teeth clamped together in an effort to hold back a little growl. Bella reached over and patted him calmly on the arm. We all knew the significance of what I was giving Ness…well, except Renesmee perhaps. I took if from her and put it on her tiny arm.

"This is a promise bracelet," I told her. "Whenever you look at it, I want you to know that it's my promise to you. I promise that I'll always love you and keep you safe. I'll always be there in your heart, and you'll always be in mine."

I put my hand over my heart to emphasize my promise. Even if I couldn't be there for her physically down the road, I wanted her to know that I'd always be there for her in every other realm.

She ran a delicate finger over the braided material of the bracelet before she reached out and touched my cheek. I heard her voice inside my head say, Merry Christmas, Jacob.

"Merry Christmas, Nessie," I replied. She smiled and wrapped her arms around my neck, giving me a hug.

"I love you, Jacob," she whispered in my ear.

I swallowed hard as I said, "I love you, too, kid."

Somewhere outside, I heard the soft sound of sleigh bells jingle through the air. Renesmee pulled away from me with wide eyes and hurried to the window. I went over and joined her, putting my hand on her shoulder.

Maybe there is a Santa Claus. She shared her thought with me.

"Maybe there is," I told her and watched her youthful face break into a joyous smile. I picked her up and held her close as we watched the icy sleet fall from the night sky.

Perhaps all we heard was someone carrying a decoration outside. Or maybe we heard something else...something much more important.

After all...it was the season for miracles.

The End

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I hope all of you have a safe and wonderful holiday season! Please don't forget to review!