A/N: Post BD. Only change is that Irina never saw Nessie so the Volturi never came. However, Alice has had a vision that indicate the Volturi are thinking of visiting. Edward and Bella know that if Aro visits, he will see through them and the family due to his gifts, Renesmee. They are panicking and are unsure of what to do until Edward makes a decision. since the Volturi never showed, Bella never learned of the power she possesses and all other following events obviously never happened that did in BD. So this takes place many years after Jake imprints on Nessie during Bella's "change". The Cullen family's reactions are very OOC as is Alice (who I made more like Rosalie in this one in some areas). My very first Twilight fanfic posted so I apologize profusely now.

This story started out as a video treatment for a fan video I had been working on and grew into something more.

Key: Bold his/him/he - Jacob
Bold her/she - Bella
Italic his/him/he - Edward
Italic her/she - Renesmee

Quotes in bold and italics are direct quotes from the books.

Disclaimer: Everything belongs to Stephenie Meyer, the creator of Twilight.

Renesmee is fully grown. She loves Jake but he has not allowed their relationship to progress further than the friendship they're currently comfortable in. Something is stopping him and even though he's uncertain of just what that is, he keeps himself close to Nessie but at the same time, distant. Imprint or no imprint, he can't bring himself to move forward just yet. Renesmee senses this and is understanding. However, just like any girl, half-vampire or all human, she begins to be plagued by insecurities, wondering why Jake will not commit to her. They're destined to be soulmates, to spend the rest of their lives together. He's her protector, her best friend, her everything. But each time she goes to kiss him, he pulls away. She takes comfort in her loving mother's presence along with her aunts and uncles.

Her father leaves, hugging her to him closely before he does, kissing Bella like a dying man in need and then disappearing into the east. Alice has a vision but too late. Edward is dead. He went to the Volturi to offer himself in sacrifice for his family, making sure they do not discover Renesmee's existence. Nessie is unaware of this but it does not change the loss she has suffered. Bella is paralyzed with grief and beyond despair. Carlisle and Esme decide to visit the Denali clan as they cannot bear to be in Forks at the moment. Emmett joins them along with Rosalie. Alice and Jasper leave, not sharing their destination, Renesmee not sure if they ever really had one. It seems everyone scatters to the winds in the wake of Edward's death. The only person who stays is Jacob. Renesmee leans on him for strength and he gives her whatever she needs. When she asks him to stay, he obliges, asking Seth and Leah to run patrols and contacting Sam for support in running both packs during the difficult time.

Bella is lost. This is so much worse than when Edward left her that day in the woods, telling her that he didn't want her anymore. Even though she's one of the immortal damned, she feels as if her soul has been ripped into pieces all over again, except this time for good. There is no going back, there is no "fixing" this. She can't bring herself to hunt, to move, to do or say anything. She stands at the window day and night as if waiting for Edward to return from his one-way trip. She stares at nothing, she succumbs to the numbness that pervades her very being. She cannot even bring herself to be present for her daughter.

Renesmee sees this and while it breaks her heart to lose both parents in one day, she allows her mother her space. If Jacob wasn't there, she would have left long ago, possibly up north to visit Tanya and her family. Possibly nowhere especially, but he's here. Jacob allows her to take comfort in him as he's always done since she was little, but she can sense his growing edginess and uneasiness. She senses it as she lays her head on his chest and he holds her close. When he kisses the top of her head to go out to talk to Seth and Leah about their runs. When he lays next to her on her bed, her under the covers, him on top, with his arm around her, waiting for her to drift off to sleep. But it's not just the feelings that are rolling off him in waves that are worrying Nessie. It's the glimpses she catches when he thinks she's not looking. The out-of-the-corner-of-your-eye looks. The worry in them. The pain, the anger in them. Not because those looks are coming her way. No. Because those looks have been shot over into the corner of the living room, in front of the big glass window, to the silent frozen vampire staring out into the woods, waiting for someone who will never come home. At first, Nessie thinks maybe Jake is worried that, since Bella hasn't hunted since that terrible day, she will attack her own daughter. Ness is correct in her assumption but at the same time, doesn't fully comprehend how this is tearing Jake up inside. What this is all doing to his heart.

There had been a few times that Jake had approached Bella at the window, begging her to turn and face him, pleading with her to hunt. No responses were given. No indications were made to show that she had heard him. The air was undisturbed except for Jake's uneasy breathing and unsteady rhythm of his heart. Offers were made. He and Nessie would hunt, bring something home for Bella if she didn't want to leave the property. Phone calls were made. First to Carlisle. There was an extra supply of blood upstairs in his makeshift office/equipment room. Nothing. Not a sound or movement was made to retrieve the bag when Jake held it out to her. Not even when he put in the cup with the little straw she had used during her pregnancy, feeling all the while as a parent trying to get a stubborn child to eat its dinner. Advice was given by Carlisle, the best he could offer without the one thingJake really needed, the one offer to come home and talk to Bella. He knew the elder vampire was grieving the loss of his "son" and that Esme was even worse so. Vampires may not be able to cry but this coven had been one tight knit family. Jake had seen that, in all the years he had come to call this place home. That offer that he so desperately needed would not be made. The second call was to Charlie. Unsure of whether to let a human, even her own father, be around Bella or not, Jake settled for the verbal assurance that Bella's father might be able to bring. Still, nothing. Charlie insisted on coming over but Jake simply told him it wouldn't be safe and it would hurt Bella worse if anything happened to her father. Not wanting to know anything more and return to his don't ask-don't tell policy that had always surrounded Bella's marriage, Charlie grunted his acquiescence and offered any support he could give his daughter from a distance. Jake knew Alice might be able to get through to Bella but he had no idea where she had gone. Her number was out of service as was Jasper's. Alice had been in the throes of grief so deeply that Jasper took her and left, never indicating to the family where they might have disappeared to or a guesstimate of the time of their return, if they ever planned on doing so. He received a constant stream of advice from Sam, from Emily, from Billy, from the packs but there was nothing, absolutely nothing that seemed to work with Bella. Jake was drowning. His best friend was in pain, worse than he'd ever seen her before and there was nothing he could do. He couldn't fix it. Bella's eyes reflected darker and darker in the glass everyday. Jake had an overwhelming desire to protect his imprint, get Nessie to safety before the burning in Bella's throat became too overwhelming to be ignored. In reality, he should have thought of this earlier, removed Ness, removed Seth and Leah from around the property and physically forced Bella to a place where she could be locked down until she saw reason and hunted or...or she gave him no other option. He could not leave her free, he could not allow Bella to realize her hunger in time and then unleash her bloodthirst on the citizens of Forks. But could he bring himself to destroy her? One quick glance, while Nessie was engrossed in the scene where the English guy comes strolling down a field towards that girl in a robe and kisses her hand, over at Bella's reflected eyes told him what he already knew. He couldn't. Mechanically, he turned his head back to the television and settled his eyes on the television. Great. More talking. The english guy and the girl were in an office of some sort talking to an old guy speaking in a way that Jake could never bring himself to understand or ever want to. But Nessie enjoyed it and that's all that matters. She said it was based on her favorite book or something and once he heard those words he felt himself wanting to gag but it made Nessie happy and that was his mission. Especially right now. To make her happy. He looked down at Ness and studied her for a minute. So like her mother. Bella had always been the book lover. A fan of the classics. He could see Bella sitting next to them watching this if she wasn't...This thought train careened backwards onto the track of the current crisis at hand and forced his eyes again back to the corner they had been resting on so often as of late. Jake was worried. He was losing her. And he didn't know what to do.

Ness sensed his movement next to her and looked up at him. There he was again, staring over at her mother in the corner. And that look in his eyes was back there. Again. She couldn't understand it. Her mother would never attack her or Jake. She loved them both. She was just grieving right now. Bella knew how much Jake meant to Ness and vice versa. She may be a full-on vampire but her mother had always shown remarkable restraint when it came to being around humans. Her father had always said so. A lump began to rise in Ness' throat at the thought of the parent she had lost in a split second. She forced it back down with fiery determination. She would not make Jake feel worse and worry more about her. She could see that he was trying to be there for her, make her feel better, make her feel loved while her mother went to pieces and her family abandoned her. He was being strong for her and she would be equally as strong if not stronger. She needed to be. Not just for him but her mother as well. Even though Bella had not said a word nor uttered a sound or made a movement since that fateful day, Ness knew her mother could still hear every sound that was made, still detect every scent around her, still see through that window that seemed to have joined with her since that day. And if she heard Ness breaking down and losing control...she wasn't sure if Bella wouldn't just shred to pieces right there, literally, burning and floating away on the light breeze that carried so often throughout the house. She had lost her father. She could NOT lose her mother. Not more than she already was.

More time passed and each day seemed worse than the next. After a lengthy conversation with Sam, Jake had come to a decision. Today would be the day. Today would be the day he would have to possibly bring himself to do something he thought he would never do, never mind think of doing again. Today he was going to give Bella two options. Hunt or be destroyed. He ordered Seth and Leah to escort Ness away from the property, to take her back to La Push where she couldn't hear the chaos that he was sure was about to ensue. The two wolves had not been happy with these orders. They had started out as friendly requests but once Leah had found out that Jake intended to do this ALONE without ANY backup, she adamantly refused, pulling Seth into agreement with her. The once friendly requests turned into their Alpha's orders and the two unhappy wolves pulled up in Jake's rabbit to pick up their ward for the day. Jake had made all the arrangements. Charlie had been called and asked to meet Nessie at Billy's so they could spend some time with her. Distracting her was more like it, Jake hoped. Sam had been forewarned and regardless of his own adamant refusals, Jake pleaded his case. He did not want any other wolves in danger if Bella decided to fight them and especially if he could not muster up the courage to destroy his best friend in order to save one of them. Nessie needed to be protected as well as the reservation. The wolves were needed there. And if something happened to Jake, then Sam and the others had full permission to finish what he had started but was unable to finish. Carlisle had also received a phone call from Jake. This time, Jake secretly wished, might persuade Carlisle and Esme to come home and save a small fraction of the family they still had left. Jake was wrong. Carlisle spoke quietly and sadly, agreeing with Jake that something had to be done. Jake could hear his voice quiver with emotion but still the once so compassionate vampire did not waver. Esme came first and she would not allow Carlisle to leave her. She did not want to lose Bella but her family was gone. She lost her son. Her favorite son, truth be told, although she always made sure the others had never known. And she knew that if the same thing happened to her, she would not want to exist without Carlisle. Her grievous, twisted reasoning convinced herself that Bella was getting what she wanted, an end to all the pain. Carlisle knew this wasn't correct but through all the times he had tried to speak gentle reason to her, Esme had stood fast. They were not leaving Denali. Jake hated them for that. He hated them for being so damn selfish. He had come to respect Carlisle over the years and had even felt some fondness for the motherly figure of Esme. Now they were just like the bloodsuckers he had hunted regularly since first phasing. Selfish, cold, heartless, causing nothing but pain wherever they went. They didn't care what this would do to Ness or Bella. They didn't care what this would do to him should he survive. Selfish bloodsuckers. Rosalie and Emmett had left Denali a long time ago but he knew they were aware of everything and still they did not call or come down or show any semblance of caring. Blondie never did care for Bella. Jasper and Alice were still M.I.A. Edward would be so ashamed if he could see his family now. Jake couldn't believe he just had that thought but it didn't make it any less true. All of this had gone on with Jake out walking around Forks while Jared and Paul, on loan from Sam for the night, watched over Nessie at the house. Jake couldn't chance Bella's supernatural hearing picking up on the plans he was making to give her the final ultimatum. He also couldn't risk Ness hearing it. How it would have killed her had she known. Once he came back, Jared and Paul cleared out and he began to talk to Ness, explaining that he was leaving for the day to go on an important Pack assignment and he did not want her here alone. When she asked about Seth and Leah, he lied (which he couldn't believe he could do, apparently all the stories about imprinting weren't true) and told her that they were needed in La Push, returning the favor to Sam for his loan, since Sam would be going with Jake. He knew that she was aware he was holding something back from her, but she looked into his eyes, smiled and laid her head on his chest. He held her until she fell asleep and then gently carried her upstairs and laid her on her bed. Bella, all the while, a silent statue, never moving, in the corner.

So now, Seth and Leah had come for Ness. Jake placed his hand on the small of her back to urge her forward into the waiting vehicle but she stopped, turned around and before he could react, leaned forward and kissed him. He was so caught off guard that he closed his eyes and deepened the kiss. As he did this, he heard Ness' sharp gasp as she pressed herself fully into him. That gasp had been his undoing, had allowed him to think and he broke away and gently pushed her towards the two clearly annoyed onlookers. Ness' face was full of disappointment and lacked understanding, as it should, but he couldn't come up with an explanation. Hell, he couldn't even explain it to himself. What was wrong with him? She was his imprint, his soulmate. She was ready and he had been ready ever since he was willing to allow girls to infect him with the cooties he was convinced they carried and kiss him on the cheek, running away and giggling after they had. He couldn't put his finger on it but before he could get lost in deep thought again, he forced a smile onto his face, mostly Sam's, and beckoned for Ness to get in the car. She smiled back even though it didn't reach her eyes and whispered to him. "Be safe." He smiled wider and nodded as she ducked her head into the car behind Seth and until the car had backed out of the driveway and had sped down the road leading to La Push. Then his face fell. He did not want to do this. He took a deep breath, regained his composure, put on Sam's mask and went back inside.

Bella, still in her corner, did not even turn her head the slightest as she heard his approach. His heart beat began to thump harder in his stress. Surely, she must have heard that, the blood pumping through his veins at lightning speed. She must have smelled his anxiety, his palms beginning to dampen with sweat. He was a good ten feet away from her, staring at her and still she never moved or made a sound. His breaths started coming in faster as he took a step forward. And then another. And another. Still, nothing from the beautiful vampire before him. He was going to have to be quick. The tremors started in his shoulders and began to move down into his arms. He stilled himself as best he could. He could not phase right now. He needed to talk first and give her the option. He worked his tremors down into his hands, but his shoulders and arms ceased their quivering. He took another step. And then another. One more and he was at her back, his breath fanning the back of her head. Ever so quietly he opened his mouth to speak. "Bella."

Still no response. No movement. Her eyes didn't even flinch never mind blink in the reflected glass, their color being a jet black. He had not realized just how hungry she was getting, how deep the thirst was now slowly starting to rise to the surface in those still orbs. The minor reflection he had stared at every day only gave him a peek into their dark depths. The reflection had lied to him and had not told the imminence of the crisis at hand. He silently cursed himself for not getting Ness out of the house sooner. He took a breath and started again. "Bella. This has to stop. You need to feed. Think of Nessie." Purposely calling her daughter the nickname she had so often openly despised, hoping it would evoke some sort of response, some reaction even if only her eyes, still did not work. Jake sighed heavily. "Bella, Ness is scared. You haven't moved or spoken since Edw-he's been gone." Still nothing. Not even the almost mistake of mentioning his name had pulled her out of her reverie. Jake remembered way back when, when she had been sitting in his car, holding her arms over her chest, trying to keep herself together, if the thought of him even popped into her head, never mind if Jake dared to utter his name. But now, Bella's arms were frozen at her sides. Jake knew this was so much worse. He began to lift his hand but stopped it when he saw the shaking. He closed it into a fist to calm its motions and once he felt he was better, he laid his hand gently on her shoulder. Again, nothing. He applied some pressure and slowly began to turn her around to face him. He tensed. He was ready. She didn't resist his movement, just allowed him to turn her where he led her to, her eyes and face never moving. Jake almost jumped when he saw her face. Her eyes stared into nothing, focusing their dark depths on the open nothing before them. She didn't seem to see him at all. Her face, while always pale and the beautiful marble it had become after her transformation, now appeared to be even whiter, whiter than bone, but haggard looking and scary in such a way that would make the strongest man cringe at the mere sight of it. Like seeing a dead woman walking. No, not an undead woman. An actual dead woman. A zombie. Millions of thoughts raced through Jake's mind in this moment and when "zombie" repeated itself in his head, he knew then that he was absolutely positive that no vampire before or after Bella could ever pull off the horror and creepiness that was encased within her now. Not even the Volturi that the Cullens seemed to fear. Leave it to Bella to still be a zombie even when she's a vampire. Only Bella. He wanted nothing more than to crush her into a huge bear hug just like he used to do back when they rode bikes and did homework together. He wanted to breathe life into her. He hated the thought that she had been more alive back before the news of Edward's death than she was now. Yes, she had still had some semblance of life even if she was dead. He resisted the urge to pull her into him and slowly and cautiously lifted his finger, placed it under her marble chin and slowly lifted her face to look up at his. Her eyes didn't follow the motion. They stayed frozen in the position they were in and this only scared him more. "Bella." he whispered ever so softly. Not one thing.

He couldn't have stopped it if he tried, even if he knew it was coming. A lone tear slid down his cheek, making it's way down to his jawline, dangling off his chin momentarily before falling down into the recess between them. He didn't lift his hand to wipe it away, he had just let it fall. His finger stayed under her chin, his eyes still probing her face, trying to catch some fleeting sign of life somewhere, her eyes still a cold, lifeless black. His other hand, without his permission, moved itself over to one of her hands and clasped it tight, drawing it in between them. "Bella." His voice was making a choking sound and he knew she could hear it. "Bella, please." And, his body acting of its own accord, let another tear slip from his right eye this time, making its way down his right cheek torturously long, travelling down the path that many tears had made in the past. Another tear for Bella Swan. He wished she would say something, do something, hell even attack him just to prove she was still there. He had been afraid to lose her once she was turned. He had been afraid she would be gone once she lusted for blood and became hard as a rock. But he had seen that she was still there afterwards. She was still his Bella in some ways. Yeah, the blushes were gone and she would never be warm again but she was still there. His Bella. The Bella that he had loved since that first day on the beach. The Bella that he had been everything for and tried to be more. The Bella he had fought long and hard for. The Bella that had been so adorably clumsy. The Bella that he was sure he was destined to be with up until his imprinting on Nessie. The Bella that he had never been enough for. Now, he realized, she was gone. She wasn't coming back. Just an empty shell had been left behind. He would have to destroy this shell and it broke his heart. He began to mourn his loss, for the girl he had once so desperately loved. The tears started flowing freely and a quiet sob escaped his chest. He began to tense in anticipation for the task he knew was at hand, the one he really didn't want to face.

But then, a funny thing happened. He still had not bothered to wipe away any of the tears. And apparently, a little wayward one had broken free of the others and sloped downwards making its own trail, past his lips, down off his chin and had fallen into the recess between them again. However, their clasped hands were in the way, breaking the lone tear's fall. Jake felt a little hot splash of it but it did not distract his attention away from Bella. However, she did. The black orbs moved a quarter of an inch to the right and then back. It happened so fast that Jake was pretty sure he was seeing things. His eyes were now playing tricks on him, hoping so desperately that there was some form of life left in her that they had cruelly stooped to making him think that he was seeing something that he definitely wasn't. Vampires couldn't feel anything, never mind rain or tears. Hell, they couldn't even make their own. But then, the orbs moved upward until they reached his face and settled there. He saw them now. They were now focused. On him. He let out a sharp gasp and then tensed. He knew what was coming. He was ready. He slowly moved his finger from underneath her chin and drew it back, the black eyes watching him as he did so. He felt the shivers, a combination of the beginning stages of phasing and the icy feeling moving up and down his spine at the horror he felt watching those dark eyes and their movement. He had been wishing for her to show some movement, something to indicate she was still present and now that he had, he almost preferred the zombie state she had been in. These eyes frightened him. He slowly began to take a step back and then another, increasing the distance between them when something stopped him short. He looked down quickly and saw their hands were still clasped. He had never removed his hand and he had no idea why. He slowly lifted his hand off of her ice cold one and started to retrieve his extended arm. His movements were so slow it was almost as if he was waiting to be attacked by an animal, trying to not scare the predator into action by any speed in his own actions. Well, technically, that was true. As his hand moved further and further, suddenly in a lightning fast liquid movement, Bella's hand snaked out and grabbed his wrist preventing any further progress he was making in moving away. The striking action had caught Jake off guard and he could feel himself tremoring, about to phase. He tried to pull his hand away, gently at first, then forcefully but Bella held it fast. Snarls were escaping his chest in rapid succession at the threat now posed. The black eyes never left him, now intent on his face. This was it. The wolf in him would come out and he and Bella Swan were about to fight. Bella Cullen he reminded himself as he steeled himself for the one thing he had feared was about to happen.