Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or it's characters :/
Long chapter seeing as it took so long to update :)
Enjoy. :)
Bella's POV
"Bye you guys! Thanks for coming!" Renesmee stood by the front door, waving madly to her departing friends.
"Bye Ness!" I faintly heard as someone got into their car.
"That was so much fun!" Renesmee said, coming to sit beside me on the sofa.
"I'm glad you enjoyed it." I said, turning to face her.
"The party bags were a great idea, Mum, who thought of them?" She asked, unable to keep the smile off her face.
"Who else?" I replied, my own smile matching that off my daughters.
"Alice," Renesmee said as she started to laugh. She then proceeded to get up off the sofa and head out the back door, presumably to the cottage.
Seconds later, she returned, dressed in a pair of jeans, a t-shirt and a pair of dolly shoes, birthday presents off Alice. "How do I look?" She asked spinning round.
"As gorgeous as ever," I replied, watching her brown eyes light up slightly.
"Can I go out, Mum?" Renesmee asked, turning to face the big gilt framed mirror that hung at the front of the living room.
"Of course you can. Who are you going out with? Jacob, I expect," I said, watching her fiddle with her hair until she was satisfied that it was sitting just right.
"Yeah, just with Jacob. We're probably going down to First Beach. It's supposed to be a nice day today, brilliant for cliff diving!" Renesmee exclaimed, starting to get excited thinking about the fun that she was sure to have with Jacob.
"Why don't you ask some of your friends from school to go with you? You never see them outside of school apart from at birthday parties," I asked.
"Oh my gosh! I never thought of that. That would be so cool! I could get Catrin to come, although I think Maddie is on holidays at the moment so she wouldn't be able to come." Renesmee said, listing her friends and trying to figure who would be able to go with her and who wouldn't.
"Why don't you ring them now. The house phone is here," I said, reaching for the phone that lay on the table at one end of the sofa.
"Eeek! Thanks, Mum! This is going to be great!" Renesmee squealed as she ran off to make her calls.
I laughed as I heard her voice talking animatedly to whoever was on the other end of the line, Catrin from the sound of it.
I jumped sharply as I heard footsteps approaching me from behind. Emmett's laugh reverberated loudly through the house as he collapsed onto the sofa next to me, making it groan precariously under the sudden impact of his weight.
"Did I scare you, little sister? Emmett teased, shoving me lightly in the arm.
"No, Emmett," I answered sarcastically. "I just jump all the time for no apparent reason."
"Ooooh, touchy," was his terse reply.
"Idiot," I muttered.
"So little sister, Renesmee's finally reached full maturity. Doesn't that mean that Jacob is free to tell her about the imprinting thing? Ooh, I wonder what they'll get up to in that cottage of yours. Nothing like you and Edward, I hope, but then again, hope never really seems to come through for me. I always seem to get the opposite of what I hope for." Emmett said, trying to wind me up.
He still hadn't forgiven me for beating him at arm wrestling seven years ago.
"Well Emmett, if you always get the opposite of what you hope for, you better hope that I don't kill you," I replied, rising from the sofa.
I could hear Emmett's silent laugh as I ran from the living room.
Renesmee's POV
I hung up the phone and ran down the stairs, only to find Emmett sprawled across the sofa instead of my mother, sitting daintily.
"Where's Mum?" I asked, heading for the back door.
"I don't know. Probably outside. Just don't take Jacob into the cottage with you, OK, Ness? I think your mother would prefer if you didn't," Emmett replied, his body shaking with laughter.
"Um, OK," I called as I headed out the back door. "Mum, I'm going now. I'm going to pick up Catrin and Becci, and then we're going to meet Jacob at First Beach. I probably won't be home until later this evening," I said, not having to shout as loud as my mum came into sight.
"Ok, be careful," she called back, walking away into the forest.
Probably to hunt or to go to the cottage. I walked back through the house, ignoring more snide comments from Emmett about the cottage and Jacob. I didn't know what he was talking about, so why should I worry?
My car was parked in the garage alongside all the other cars that the household owned, including two motorbikes, my mum's and Jasper's. As I got into my car, I revved the engine, feeling it purr beneath my feet. I pulled out of the garage onto the long graveled driveway. I set off through the lane, watching as I saw deer and elk skipping through the trees. I was picking up Becci first, she lived in Forks.
I knocked on the yellow front door to Becci's house, the smell of freshly baked bread filling my nostrils. Becci's mum was always baking; bread, cakes, biscuits, everything.
"Hey Ness! Give me two sec while I grab my shoes." Becci flung open the front door, wearing a pair of board shorts and a logo top.
"Sure, I'll just wait in the car, come out when you're ready." I replied, watching her run around the front entrance way of her house.
I made my way back down the tiled path leading to her front door and swiftly got back into my car. The smell of human food still disgusted me and the bread smell was making me nauseous.
"Hey!" Becci called as she swung open the passenger side door, "I can't wait for today! I brought some swimming stuff and a towel like you said. What am I going to need them for? Are we swimming in the sea?"
"You can swim in the sea if you like Bec, but I was thinking more along the lines of cliff diving. It's where you jump off one of the cliffs lining the shore, and let yourself fall into the water." I explained, driving down the road.
"Um, that sounds a bit dangerous to me. Are you sure it's safe?" She asked, fear evident in her voice.
"Like I said, you don't have to do it but it is completely safe. It gives you such a thrill too. I love it," I said, carefully keeping my eyes on the road. I could walk away from a car crash, Becci couldn't.
As we pulled up in front of Catrin's house, Becci swung open her door, volunteering to go and get Catrin.
It had turned into a lovely day with the temperature in the high 104 degrees. I was glad I had worn only a short sleeved t-shirt but I was regretting wearing jeans. I was just thankful that we would be at the beach soon and I could get into the water.
"Hey Nessie. Thanks for inviting me!" Catrin said, as she climbed into the back seat, Becci taking the front seat.
"That's fine Cat. Got your swimming stuff and a towel?" I asked.
"Yep, right here." Catrin answered holding up her bag.
"Good." I answered, watching the trees of La Push coming into view. I knew that soon I would be able to see the first houses of the reservation.
Sure enough, as the trees faded out, the houses came into view. I pulled up in front of Jake's house, seeing the Rabbit parked outside. Jake had moved back home with his dad soon after the truce with Sam. Paul and Rachel had moved out and were now living together in a small house on the reservation.
Wondering why he hadn't set off for the beach yet, I got out of the car and walked up to the front door. As I approached the door swung open and Billy wheeled himself outside in his wheelchair.
"Hey Nessie. Jake's inside getting ready, he woke up late this morning." Billy explained, ushering me inside. "He said to send you to his room when you got here."
"Thanks Billy." I said, watching the old man's fragile arms as he tried to wheel himself around and head back indoors. I knew there was no point in offering him any help; he always refused.
I navigated my way down the little hallway which lead to one room; Jake's room. I knocked on his door, giving him some time in case he wasn't dressed yet.
"Hey Ness," Jake said, opening his door and leaning against the door frame. He towered over me by about a foot and a half, me being close to five foot five and him being close to seven foot. "Do you want to come in or shall we just go straight to the beach?"
"Well I hope you don't mind but I invited some friends along and they're waiting in the car." I said, watching his face for any sign of emotion.
At first I saw none, but then I thought I saw a hint of disappointment.
"That's fine Ness. Who did you invite? Catrin and Maddie?" Jake asked, trying to look casual.
"No, Maddie's on holidays at the moment, so I invited Catrin and Becci," I said, walking back down the hallway, closely followed by Jake.
We got outside and I could see that Becci had climbed into the back seat so that Jake could sit in the front next to me. We both got into the car, Jake hunching his shoulders to try and fit through the small door. I had never seen my car as small, I had actually seen it as quite large but seeing Jake's squished frame I could see that it was nowhere near as big as I'd thought it was.
As we set off down the road towards First Beach, I could see who I presumed was Sam and some of his pack, already taking advantage of the warm, sunny weather. They were taking turns running up to the edge of the cliffs and throwing themselves off into the ocean below them. Jacob watched as one of the boys ran up to the edge but instead of flinging himself off the edge, pushed another boy off the edge. Laughing, Jake settled back into the leather of the seat he was sat in. We would be joining them soon and I hoped the water would stay as calm as it was. I pulled into a parking space along side Sam's VW van. We all piled out and headed to the beach.
We all trekked down to a place on the beach where there were already three beach chairs set up and a few towels. Already lounged across the towels, soaking up the rays, were Emily, Rachel and Claire, who sat on Emily's stomach, playing with her hair. Becci laid out her towel and collapsed down beside Rachel while me, Jake and Catrin headed up to the cliffs to join Sam, Paul and Quil.
We all hiked up the trail, made difficult by the fact that Catrin and I were wearing flip-flops. We finally reached the top of the cliffs and saw that only Sam was left at the top. We all waved as he ran to the edge and leaped off. I could tell that Catrin was worried about the cliff diving but didn't pay it much attention. She would see that it was safe enough when we all jumped off.
"Ready?" I heard from behind us.
Turning around I saw the face of Quil, grinning widely from ear to ear, closely followed by Paul. I returned their grins and pulled off my jeans and top, so I was standing in my bikini. Catrin, seeing that we were preparing to jump, quickly took of her shorts and top, as did Jake.
Paul motioned for me to go first, so I took a deep breath and stepped back to give myself more of a run up. I ran, slowly enough not to alert Catrin to my unnatural speed, but fast enough to build up a decent height when I pushed off the rock. Falling through the sky I felt like a bird that had lost the ability of it wings so was just slowly and steadily soaring towards the ground. I kept my lips closed tightly, breathing through my nose so as not to get a mouthful of water when I reached the water's depths. As I was about to plunge into the vast expanse of water I faintly heard Paul and Quil coaching Catrin on what to do. I wondered why Jake wasn't helping but when I turned my head a fraction of an inch, I saw that he had jumped off straight after me. Probably in case anything went wrong. He hated me being on my own. He always said it was for my protection but sometimes it was just annoying.
I dipped into the water about two meters from where Jake plunged, and about three seconds before. I lifted my head through the waves and looked around, searching for the face with the long hair, stuck to his face with water but saw none. Frantically trying to spot Jake amongst the blue, I was startled when I felt two hands grip my legs. Fearing the worst, I began to thrash around violently in the water, only to have legs released and to see Jake's head bob up through the water. He was laughing too hard to try and speak, so I left him in the middle of the ocean and swam back to shore, before climbing back the cliff trail again.
For the next hour or so, I dived off the cliffs, sometimes with Jake, sometimes with Catrin and Jake. By the time we got back down to the beach I was exhausted. Becci seemed to be really hitting it off with Rachel and Emily and even had Claire sat on her lap now. Flopping down onto the towels that were already set out, I tried to find the gist of what they were talking about. A lot of names of various stores were mentioned so I presumed they were talking about shopping of some sort. Realizing that it was a conversation I would be useless at contributing to, I turned to face the boys, all gathered round a small pile of wood, trying to light a fire.
"Ness, did Bella give you a certain time that you had to be home by?" Jake inquired, coming to sit beside me on another towel.
"No, I said I would probably be out late so she shouldn't mind what time I get home. Why?" I answered, shifting my body weight so that I was more comfortable and facing him.
"No reason. I was just wondering really," Jake said, turning his eyes to the small, now lit, fire.
"Can't wait to get rid of me, eh?" I joked, watching the flames lick up towards the sky in shades of green and blue.
Jake laughed and placed his hand over mine.
"Of course not Ness. You know I love spending time with you," He answered, taking my other hand as well and dragging me onto his lap.
I curled up against his chest, letting his warmth seep through the thin layer of my top. He wrapped his arms tightly around me, burying his head in my hair.
"I thought you lot couldn't stand the smell of us," I said, knowing that he would understand that I was talking about him and his friends, the shape shifters, and me and my family, the vampires.
"Well, I suppose I've gotten used to it now. And plus, you're part human at least. So you don't smell as bad," He whispered, making sure Becci and Catrin couldn't overhear.
I laughed before burying myself deeper into his chest, trying to keep myself warm. The sun had gone down and now there was a brisk wind coming off the ocean.
"Maybe you had better take Catrin and Becci home. They look very cold and it's getting late now anyway," Jake suggested, leaning back onto his elbows.
"Yeah, I probably should. Told you that you couldn't wait to get rid of me," I said, unfolding myself from Jake's lap. "Hey Cat, Bec, I think it's time to go," I called, out towards the five silhouettes I could see.
Two of them got up, dusting the sand from their clothes and started to walk over to me so I assumed that they thought it was time to go as well. I headed towards my car, the girls changing their direction so they would meet me by the car as well. The whole ride home was filled with bubbling excitement from Catrin and Becci as they reminisced about their adventures that day. I listened intently, until it went suddenly silent, apart from a few ushered whispers.
"Ness, is Jake your boyfriend?" Catrin asked tentatively from where she sat beside me.
Her and Becci had decided that since Becci had ridden in the front on the way to the beach, Catrin would sit in the front on the way from the beach.
I almost choked on thin air as she asked her question, and I tried to concentrate on my driving and not laughing too much as I answered.
"Um, no, he's not. Why would you think that?"
"Just because you two were like, inseparable today. He was always around you and then on the beach, you were sitting on his lap. We just thought…" Her voice faded out as she realized her mistake and I saw the blush rise into her cheeks in my rear view mirror.
My response was just to laugh at her, thinking of how much me and Jacob did act like a couple. We were just friends though. We were both happy being just friends as well, weren't we? I used to think I was but Catrin's question and reasoning had made me second guess myself. Maybe I did like Jake as more than a friend. Maybe I did love him. I knew that I couldn't stand being away from him for too long and from the way he acted, I think he felt the same too.
I drove into the garage, parking beside my dad's car. Thinking about how I felt about Jake had made me feel uneasy. I just wanted to go inside and collapse on the sofa for a while. I walked through the door that connected the garage to the kitchen and was stopped by my mum coming through the door to the living room.
"Ness, you're back. We were just about to settle down and watch a movie, the whole family. It would be great if you could join us. Jake came while you were out. Said that you were taking your friends home," She said, her voice chiming like bells. She had finally picked up on calling me Nessie and Ness instead of Renesmee all the time, Renesmee being too long.
"Sure, a movie sounds great, which one? Jake is here? He didn't say he was coming by." I said, moving to lean against the island in the middle of the kitchen.
"I think we're watching 'Yes man', it was Emmett's choice tonight," she explained.
I moved out of her way as she passed me and went through to the living room where everyone was gathered. I sank down into the sofa beside Jake who was already seated there, beside Carlisle and Esme. Jasper was sat in another chair with Alice perched in his lap. Emmett was in another chair, Rose sat at his feet, painting her nails. My mum had just sat in dad's lap as the film started. I settled down to watch the film, moving into Jacob's arms.
The next thing I knew, I was being carried upstairs by a pair of warm arms. Assuming that I had fallen asleep during the film and that Jacob was taking me upstairs to bed, I let my eyes flutter shut again and slipped into a dreamless sleep.
Please R&R!