Authors Note: I worked really hard to get this chapter to you guys! I'm in Beauty and the Beast this week with my drama group, so between the shows and sleeping, I wrote this! I'm really pleased with it; I think its sweet.
Oh, and could you please drop me a review letting me know what your thoughts on imprinting, please? Random it may seem, but I'd love to hear your opinions on this. What is the point of it? Thanks!
Thanks to Alex for Beta-ing again! Her support and friendship is such a help :)
Happy Reading:
One year later
"Happy Birthday, Nessie." Jake smiled as he planted a huge kiss on Renesmee's sleeping face but her hand batted him off, suddenly awake.
"Get off me, Jake," she hissed, rolling away from him, yanking the covers as she went to hide her face. "I don't want to grow up!" she mumbled under the covers.
For a while now, Edward had allowed Jake to share a bed with Nessie on some occasions. He knew what happened between them, and he knew that they shared a similar love of his and Bella's. How could Edward scold Renesmee for cuddling Jake as she slept when he had snuck into Bella's room every night to do exactly that?
"How does it feel to be six, Ness?" Jake laughed at the joke. Her actual age was six, one year until she was fully grown, but she looked fifteen, if not older.
"Six, uh!" she groaned, "It feels awful, because I was woken up prematurely by my boyfriend. Now, let me sleep."
Even now, as Jake yanked the covers away from her unexpectedly, revealing her short pyjamas and tangled hair, Jake marvelled at her beauty. There were traces of a woman in her; the shapely figure, her large brown eyes that had deepened with age, and her luscious hair.
"No, my wonderful Renesmee." Jake smiled in a charming voice, "Now up," he said, making sure that none of the covers were touching her.
"I just want to curl up. Being my birthday doesn't take away the fact I like to sleep," Renesmee said grumpily, sitting up reluctantly and pouting. Jake eyed her long legs in the shorts but looked away quickly to her face.
"Don't be like that, Ness." Jake smiled a grin from ear to ear. Today, Renesmee was fifteen. Today was the beginning of a year that hopefully brought a baby into the world. Jake's baby, a physical object of their love.
"I can be how the hell I like! It's my birthday!" Renesmee snapped, but only half meaning her words as she grinned, rolling out of bed and landing on the floor with a thud.
"Do you have to do that?" Jake asked, moving round to sit beside her. "It scares your family." But Renesmee shrugged, some of her teenage rebellion not fully exited from her system.
"Happy Birthday." Jake grinned, leaning forwards and wrapping his arms round Renesmee, their lips meeting and parting as they said good morning.
Their relationship had gone no further forwards since Renesmee started her periods, around 10 months ago. It had developed emotionally, but they hadn't yet physically experimented, for Renesmee still thought she was too young.
"Happy Birthday!" A ripple of voices belonging to the Cullen family echoed outside the door, and it suddenly burst open and a pile of balloons and wrapped presents tumbled into the room.
Renesmee sighed, feeling suddenly exposed in her little shorts and dirty with her messy hair. But Jake took her hand in his, knowing she was scared about jumping over this hurdle in her life. He'd tried to turn it into a joke, make it light hearted but the look of fear in Renesmee's eyes was obvious to Jake, who had always noticed every bout of anxiety.
"Happy Birthday, sweetheart," Bella said, leaning down to kiss her daughter's forehead. Edward followed suit, kissing the exact spot that Bella's lips had just touched upon, and the family sat on the floor in some scattered circle.
"For you," Alice smiled, passing a small box over that was wrapped in a simple golden bow. Everyone's thoughts were similar; Alice? A small simple box? But everyone gasped as Renesmee opened the box, revealing a beautiful white gold necklace, a small baby rattle with tiny cut diamonds encrusting the shape.
"So when you look back, you'll have something that looks like it should have been for a six year old." Alice grinned, pleased with her present as Renesmee smiled also. Letting the little girl still hiding in Renesmee shine, she smiled but placed the box aside, promising she'd wear it when she'd washed.
"Yeah, well," Emmett began."I'm gonna contradict that." He unwrapped a plastic bag that he had pulled out of his pocket. "Go have some real fun," he said, tossing a box of 'her pleasure' condoms at Renesmee who caught it effortlessly.
Edward let the growl ripple from his chest; he'd known Emmett was giving this, but had not confronted him about it, despite his desire to. He'd decided everyone should give his daughter what they wanted, not what was father proofed.
"Emmett!" Renesmee exclaimed, placing them quickly to her left. "I'm fifteen!"
"You're six," Edward quickly corrected. "Fifteen, sixteen, it makes no difference. Besides, your next birthday will be your seventh, and you'll have passed sixteen then," Emmett explained, and everyone laughed nervously as they saw Renesmee look at the condom packet.
She had a year, and if she was going to do this, condoms would definitely not be needed. Edward caught Renesmee's gaze and smiled gently after reading her thoughts; he could see her uncertainty, even after a year of supposed decision.
"Emmett!" It was Bella's turn to gasp as she spun round to her brother, smacking him on the shoulder, "We made a deal! No sex jokes!"
"Ahh, but Bella, that was for you, not Nessie. I can joke all I like about her." Emmett grinned, but Renesmee rolled her eyes at the comment. It was expected of her Uncle Em; he was the joker, just like you always expected Alice to make a fuss about birthdays although usually she revelled in the attention and presents.
"Now, Grandpa and I have been thinking, and we're going to extend the back of the house so you and Jake can have your own quarters." Esme smiled kindly, causing Rosalie to scoff with thoughts that this girl was only fifteen and getting more special treatment than she'd had. She didn't begrudge her niece a lot, just every now and again when Rosalie slipped into the shadows.
"Thanks Nana." Renesmee grinned, thinking how nice it would be. Not necessarily for privacy, but just so Jake could stay over a lot more. Edward still enforced the fact that Renesmee was underage, but he knew that Jake wasn't a normal boy.
Bella gave her gift next, tickets for a flight much similar to the gift she'd received from Carlisle and Esme on her eighteenth. She needed an adult to accompany her, even if that came in the form of Jake, who could pass for an adult with his big build.
Renesmee thanked everyone before shooing them out of her bedroom, using the excuse that a teenage girl needed to shower. But when they dispersed from her bedroom, she didn't shower. Instead, she moved back onto the bed, without the covers and lay facing the ceiling.
"Jake?" she whispered and he finished placing Renesmee's and tickets on a shelf in the corner of the room to walk over to her.
"Yeah, Ness?" He said, sliding his way across the bed to lie next to her. There wasn't any contact between them, although neither of them worried about it.
"I'm fifteen," Renesmee stated, causing Jake to raise his eyebrow at her. Isn't that what the whole 'happy birthday' thing had been about?
"Figured that out myself, thanks, Ness," Jake muttered sarcastically, turning to face her. But she didn't meet his gaze. Instead, she fixed her eyes on the patterns of the ceiling, ignoring his desperate want for eye contact.
"I promised you I'd do it this year," she whispered vaguely, but Jake knew. The thing with Jake was that he always knew.
"We don't have to," Jake soothed, stroking Renesmee's arm, but she continued to gaze at the ceiling. "If you don't want to," Jake added. He wanted to; only when Renesmee did though. It was natural for him to want to love Renesmee that way, but only when she was ready. The fact that pregnancy needed to be added to the equation complicated things somewhat.
"I want to, I do," Renesmee said, but her words were hollow.
"Whatever you want." Jake sighed at her indecisiveness.
They hadn't discussed it much since the night she'd come into her bedroom, a glass of warm milk in her hand, telling him she wanted a child when she was fifteen, promising they'd take that step then, and filling him in on Alice's conversation. She had been smiling graciously as she showed him her thoughts, happy that she'd decided.
"If that's what you want, Nessie, then just tell me when."
"I will."
Renesmee got up off the bed, wiping the hair from her eyes and placed her necklace on the shelf next to her ticket. She didn't want to ruin it by the water or shampoo, she thought, as she walked the short distance to the ensuite.
The sound of the running water drowned out Jake's impatient sigh, and the shuffling he made as he went to finger her beautiful necklace she'd been given. It didn't bother Jake too much that she was indecisive, because when it all came down to it; this was only her sixth birthday.
...
"Edward?" Bella asked as they walked, hands entwined, back to their cottage. Bella had been adamant to give her daughter some privacy, because lingering parents could be the most annoying things at times. She was thankful that Charlie hadn't been one to hover.
"Yes, love," he said, opening the door and waltzing inside with a manly grace.
"What was Renesmee thinking?"
This question stumped Edward, as he often was when Bella spoke, her mind so blank, her words so surprising. He'd been expecting something a little more casual, a little more 'what time shall we hunt today?' or 'have you seen my jeans?' But no, as always, Bella left Edward surprised.
"Why, sweetheart?"
"Well, she seemed distant, like she wasn't enjoying her birthday," Bella explained.
"Finally becoming more like her mother," Edward joked, but he could see Bella's reasoning. Renesmee had always enjoyed her birthdays; the attention, the gifts, the day revolving around Renesmee. That was one difference between Bella and her daughter.
"She's a little worried," Edward began. "That today is the start of the year ahead, and the year she told us would bring a child." The thought of his little girl bearing a child was heartbreaking; every father said their little girl grew up too quickly, but in Renesmee's case it was too true. "A little apprehensive, I think, love. She's still a little girl deep down,"
Bella nodded absently, her mind slipping into thoughts of what life would be like without Renesmee. And her mind hit a blank; life without Renesmee seemed so far back, as equally impossibly as life without Edward. She was so thankful that she'd fallen pregnant, as was Edward thankful that he'd agreed to sex before Bella's change.
"What about Jake?" Bella asked. She was just as worried about Jake as Renesmee; they seemed to be handling the imprint well, although taking it slow, exactly how she wanted it to go. She'd persuaded Edward to allow Jake to sleep over on some nights, just like he used to with her. Only this time, Jake wasn't defying Edward like Edward had Charlie.
"He's a little confused as well," Edward explained but then his face fell into a straight line. "He wants Renesmee, he wants to move onto a different level with her." The distaste in Edward's voice was evident to Bella, the bitterness and dislike dripping in the venom that pooled, "But he's waiting for her," Edward said his voice a little more accepting.
"I think I'll go talk to her," Bella muttered and began walking away. Edward reached out to her, but didn't stop her from going. He simply placed a kiss on her forehead, and wished her luck.
...
As Renesmee finished off in the shower, washing the knots out of her hair and combing the conditioner through, she felt clean and fresh.
For over half an hour she'd been showering, dragging out the time she could spend in there, until the last drop of warm water was lost down the drain. Hoping none of her family wanted to shower so soon, she wrapped a fluffy white towel around her, one that was newly bought, and stepped out into the bedroom.
She'd expected to see Jake there; it was normal for the two of them to see each other in such states, never completely bare, but in a towel or underwear. It was something that had carried over from their best friend days to boyfriend/girlfriend times, although it had taken a month or so to get used to the benefits from both; the comfortable, un-awkward presence and the hot make out sessions.
But in his place, her mother sat on the bedcovers, playing with the edges of the duvet and humming one of her father's songs to herself.
"Where's Jake?" Renesmee questioned confused. He was always around here somewhere, even if he didn't sleep over every night.
"Home to shower; you seemed to be taking a while he said. Was it good?" Bella asked, watching as her daughter wrapped the towel tightly around her body and stepped wet footprints over to her underwear draw.
"Yeah, Alice got me this new shampoo." Renesmee smiled; she loved her mother and the way they spent their time together. Renesmee knew she was lucky to have such a loving family around her, but sometimes it was… suffocating.
"I can smell it." Bella laughed, twitching her nose at the kiwi scent that diffused through the room. "I'll turn my back, honey, don't worry." Bella smiled as Renesmee glanced at her awkwardly.
As Bella faced 'Jakes' bedside table, Renesmee finished drying herself off and replaced her towel for her casual underwear, and then threw a denim skirt and blue loose top.
"Did you not like your gifts, honey?" Bella asked, hoping this would link in with what Bella really wanted to say.
"Oh no!" Renesmee gasped, "They were great; I loved them. In fact…" She trailed off; walking over to the shelf that Jake had put her necklace on and skipped over to her mother happily. Handing her the necklace, she mumbled her thanks as she felt Bella's cold hands join the clasp around her neck.
"Why did you ask?" she asked, and Bella smiled as she caught the cat in the bag.
"You just seemed unhappy. Is there something bothering you, sweetie?" Bella asked, standing up and resting her cool hand on Renesmee's shoulder.
It was this kind of behaviour that suffocated her.
"Quit it, Mom. If you really wanted to know then Dad would have told you," Renesmee snapped, adding a hint of playfulness as she finished, but walked away from her mother nonetheless.
"He did mention it, yes," Bella agreed sheepishly. She assumed she really was predictable, and the relationship that she and Edward had must have been more obvious than she thought; the teamwork was extremely strong helped by the fact he couldn't deny her anything.
"So what do you want to know?" Renesmee asked straightforwardly, wanting to skip all the funny tricks that Bella had planned to change the subject matter.
"If you're okay – that's the most important thing," Bella said, indicating for her daughter to take a seat next to her. Renesmee nodded.
"I'm okay."
"And then I would like to know what you're thinking," Bella pried a little further before quickly adding, "I would like to – that doesn't mean you have to tell me. I didn't tell my mom everything."
"Oh, you sound really old when you say that," Renesmee laughed before rolling her eyes. "You know I'll tell you."
But then Renesmee stopped talking, leaving a gap in the air for Bella to curiously wonder when Renesmee was going to tell her. As if on cue, Renesmee answered.
"But not now." There was another pause. "I need to talk to Jake first."
Renesmee smiled gently, and reached out to hold Bella's hand. The small contact they had between them was pleasant before Renesmee let go, falling from Bella's grip. And that was exactly what it felt like to Bella; as if she was losing a child to the inner battle of adolescence, but so much sooner than a normal parent. And the fall was so much harder because of it.
"Okay, honey, just remember I'm here," Bella said quietly. "And you and Jake have a good day." There was a teasing hint to Bella's voice, causing Renesmee to blush. The fact that this was so expected by her family was pressuring. Jake was all she needed; with him, she'd be able to think as straight as she could.
"I'll go find him," Renesmee said, blowing Bella an air kiss before prancing out of the door, leaving her fake smile behind her.
...
Jake had returned home so he could think straight. Before even talking to Renesmee about things, he needed to decide what he wanted. But every time he asked himself that question, the answer was always the same; Renesmee, and her happiness.
It was maddening to say the least.
"That's what you get for being in love, son," Billy joked from his wheelchair across the room. It was one of a few times when he'd butted in with his little comments, although for the majority of the hour and a half that Jake had sat there, he had remained quiet.
Jake ignored him to go back to thinking, although Billy did provide some useful company. He knew a lot, almost everything, including the promise of a child at fifteen. It had not been Jake or Renesmee, who had told him, and it most certainly wasn't Charlie, but Billy would not mention who.
"You'll be sure to make a cute little one with Nessie's beauty," Billy commented again, as Jake clenched his fists to restrain his annoyance.
But the thing that got to Jake most was that this baby would carry his genes; the werewolf gene. It scared him more than anything because he knew of his own fury during the time of his first phase, the anger he portrayed to Bella.
Sam thought imprinting was so the offspring of the imprinter and imprintee was stronger than before. In some ways, Jake agreed. But he didn't want to. By saying this, he was being referred to the animal that he was, just like the alpha male of a pack of wolves mating with the females. He didn't want to look at his own situation like that; he was not an animal, despite his phasing, and Renesmee was not a prize. He was lucky for her to accept him and return his love.
Jake sighed.
"What's the problem, son?" Billy asked, wheeling over to Jake in his chair. But Jake didn't want to discuss this with his father. He needed someone who he could trust without the parental biased opinion setting in.
He needed a member of his pack.
"Nothing, dad; I'll go find Nessie," Jake lied, jumping off the sofa and waving his confused father a heartless smile.
When Jake was no further than a couple of yards away from the house, he yanked his shirt and shorts off quickly, and phased. Seth was about somewhere as was Sam; their thoughts echoed in his mind, as clear as day; Seth wondering what his mom was cooking for dinner, Sam wondering what Emily was cooking for dinner. They were discussing it between them.
Jake laughed his wolfy laugh.
Where are you guys? Jake thought, preferring to ask rather than find them using scent.
We'll come to you, Sam ordered, and Seth agreed wordlessly. Jake waited as they ran, enjoying their excitement as they chased each other. It was enjoyable to see Sam and Seth like this; they'd had to get over some pretty rough stuff what with Sam breaking Leah's heart. But as a pack, they managed.
'Sup Jake, Seth thought, barking loudly and driving on top of Jake, Jake landing squarely on his back with all four paws in the air.
Nessie was all Jake thought, and he watched as both wolves nodded their heads slowly, their matted furs glistening in the small raindrops.
Jake didn't have to explain anymore. With that one word, her name, his thoughts about her had resurfaced from where he'd tried to hide them; Sam and Seth heard everything.
I don't think I'll be much help here, Seth admitted sadly, before phasing back into a human with hardly any notice to Jake and Sam.
"I'll give you guys some privacy," Seth told them, before sprinting back into the forest where he had hidden his clothes. It worried him sometimes that he hadn't found his imprint, and at times when Jake needed advise, or any of the other wolves for that matter; it bothered him when he could give none. Jake was one of his best mates, but he didn't want to be a third wheel.
You're worried about passing on the gene, then? Sam asked, getting straight to the point. Jake nodded. I don't think its something you can help. We manage as a pack, and the gene might even skip a generation, Sam said.
I'm the Alpha, Sam. That's not gonna happen! Jake snapped, grumbling aloud, his teeth grinding in anger, although Sam took no offence to it. He knew of Jake's frustration, and of the emotions that came with his nature.
And the baby will phase. I mean, it'll have leeches for grandparents! Jake exclaimed, and began pacing in a circle around Sam, who sat down, stretching and then scratching his ear in a total dog way. Jake rolled his eyes, even though they were shaded by fur.
What does Nessie want? Sam asked through his mind.
She changes her mind. She was adamant that on her sixth birthday, we'd do it. Yet I can still sense her fear and apprehension towards it all, Jake explained. Maybe if Renesmee made her own mind up, it would help Jake; his thoughts and actions always revolved around hers.
I don't know what to say to you, Jake,, I really don't. Emily hasn't even mentioned kids, and I'm happy to wait until she's ready, Sam elaborated.
Time isn't exactly on our side, Sam, Jake said, a little too harshly but Sam shook off Jake's apologetic thoughts.
I understand you're a little agitated. As long as you calm down before seeing Nessie, Sam advised, and a flash of Emily's scars skimmed the image in his mind. He tried to push them to the back of his mind, to hide the images and his shame from Jake, but he couldn't, nor did Jake blame him.
Thanks, Sam, Jake finalised, and with a nod of his head, he ran into the forest, his clothes in his mouth, careful that his teeth wouldn't rip a hole into the fabric.
...
Renesmee couldn't find Jake. She'd tried the rest of the house, the cottage (just in case), LaPush beach and Jake's house but she couldn't find him and it was beginning to annoy her.
It was only when she was running back to her house, the sprinkling spray of rain dampening her a little did she find him, totally unexpected as Renesmee ran into Jake, and he fell backwards; Renesmee falling on top of him under the canopy of trees.
"I've been looking for you!" Renesmee called, wrapping her arms around Jake's shoulders, ignoring the fact she'd just collapsed on top of him; he was strong, he could take it, she reasoned.
"Well, I've been looking for you!" Jake laughed, leaning in to gently kiss Renesmee on the cheek, but she moved her head so their lips collided.
"Not in the right places," Renesmee said, rolling off of him and landing beside him. The spray of rain had not yet penetrated the trees yet, so the ground was still hard but dry.
"I talked to my dad and Sam," Jake muttered, just as Renesmee turned to look up at him. It was Jake's bulkiness that created a size difference between the two of them.
"I talked to my Mom," Renesmee added, thinking it sounded much like a competition or a game of 'snap'.
"And?"
"She didn't say much, but she made me realise I needed to talk to you," Renesmee admitted, leaning into Jake's warmth. It pleased Jake that she needed his voice to comfort her, to talk to him; it was like an honour.
"About?"
"That I think I'm ready." Renesmee's voice was barely audible, and she feared her words would be drowned out by the furious beating of her heart, more so than usual. But Jake heard every word. "It's you, Jake. What can go wrong? As long as I'm with you, then I'm okay because… well, I love you."
There was a small silence between them, before Jake turned to face her.
"You haven't said that before," Jake pointed out and she nodded. They knew they loved each other; it was one of those mutual understandings between the two of them. But it didn't compare, in Jake's eyes, to it being said aloud for him to hear.
"What better time than to say it now? You know, before we… try."
"I love you too, Renesmee." Jake smiled, using her full name affectionately, as he picked her up off the floor, and carried her out of the trees depths, her arms around his waist as he ran.
But they weren't near the house like Renesmee expected; they were somewhere she didn't recognise.
"Where are we?" she asked, looking around at the differences between here and Forks.
"I made plans a while back about this," Jake announced, placing Renesmee on the ground and taking her hand. "Just in case was my thinking. If you really mean it, I've got us a hotel room where we could go,"
Renesmee was suddenly relieved. Now Jake had mentioned it, it seemed idiotic and totally embarrassing to even think about such things around her parents, let alone do it with them downstairs!
"I mean it," Renesmee said firmly. Jake grinned, pushing all of his own fears aside and taking her hand.
"This way."
Thanks for reading.
As I mentioned up there, could you please review with your thoughts on imprinting? What is it's purpose? I have my own views on it, but would like to compare them. I promise you it is related to this story :)
And of course, review with your thoughts on this chapter too. All feedback welcome :) xx