A/N: Thank you to everyone that has reviewed my story so far! (Just to let you know, it's far from over) I'll try to finish chapter 5 by tomorrow and post it tomorrow, too. So if I don't, sorry. I hope you like this chapter!

Chapter 4: Imprint

Renesmee Cullen's POV

When we finally got to the mall, Jake parked the car and Alice danced to the doors.

"Yea, shopping," Jake muttered sarcastically.

"Hey, you didn't have to come," I reminded him as we walked towards the automatic front doors side by side. "So why did you come?"

"I came for two reasons," he told me. "The first reason is because you came and I wasn't about to let you suffer a shopping trip with Alice by yourself."

"Hey!" Alice said, offended, having heard us with her supersonic vampire hearing. It was partly cloudy, and right now the golden sun was covered and just past the middle of the sky, so she didn't sparkle.

"Sorry, Alice, but it's the truth. The second reason is because I know what I want to wear to school and I know what Alice wants me to wear to school and those are two totally different ideas," he smiled my favorite Jacob smile, which made me grin in response. But I was still curious about something.

I laughed. "Yes, they are different."

When we got into the building, Alice dashed into a designer boutique and started picking out different shirts and dresses and pants and shoes for her, me, Rosalie, Esme, and...Bella. It was still weird to call everyone by their first names.

Alice had started looking at a rack of thin, silk, strapless, low-cut shirts. She held one the color of violets up. "Nessie, this would look so cute on you! Especially with this skirt!" She held up a very short, tight black skirt under the top. "Don't you think so?" she asked excitedly. Then she came and held the outfit up to me to see how I would look in it.

"Um, Alice, I don't think those would fit in with the school dress code," I said. From the corner of my eye, Jake's face looked a little darker. Wait...was he blushing?

Alice's expression deflated immediately. Then, as soon as it had gone away, it was back again. "Oh well, I'm still going to buy the outfit for you." She turned away and started looking at clothes again.

I sighed. Jake laughed. "You can't stop her from buying things just because it's against the rules, Ness. Even I know that," he smiled jokingly. The faint hint of blush was still there, but for the most part it was gone. I don't know why he blushed; it was out of character for him.

That reminded me. "Hey, Jake, I wanted to ask you something."

"What is it?"

Alice was in a different section of the store now, and the music was so loud I could hardly hear myself think, so I doubted she would be able to hear us if I whispered. "Okay, I wanted to know why you always go with me when I'm hunting, or when I'm dragged along on shopping trips, and you're even planning to move with us when my family and I move soon. You're at my house every morning for breakfast and stay until a little after dinner or as late as...Edward will let you. I know I'm special to you, but why?" My family was planning on moving in the next week or two, since we were going to go to high school and my family didn't want to risk being busted for going to high school too old in Forks. When my mom...I mean Bella...told Jake that we were going to move, Jacob insisted that he was going to go with us wherever we went. This time he was actually going to be living with us. Rosalie just loved that. Edward was really against it at first, too, but he eventually softened up enough to let Bella talk him into it. I still didn't know why my dad...ugh, I mean Edward...disliked Jake so much. Hopefully Jacob's answer to my question will tell me that.

Jacob's voice pulled me from my thoughts. "Well..." he sighed. "I could make it into a long story, but I think I'll give you the short version," he took a deep breath and mumbled, "Your dad is going to kill me for this..." Well, at least now I knew that whatever Edward was mad about is what Jake will explain.

"Do you want to go to the food court and get some lunch and you can tell me there?" I suggested.

"Yeah, sure," Jake said.

I found Alice by the high heeled shoes. "Hey, Alice, me and Jake are going to go get some lunch, okay?"

"Yes, that's fine. Do you need money?" She never looked away from the shoes.

"Yes, please."

She handed me ten twenty dollar bills from her purse.

"Thanks, Alice."

Jake and I headed toward the door leading out of the boutique. We then walked towards the food court.

"Okay, Jake, please tell me," I asked once we were seated at a table with our food. We got a medium meat pizza to share. I knew that was Jake's favorite kind of pizza, and that he would be eating most of it, so I didn't mind.

Jake took a deep breath. "Alright," he exhaled. "The short version. Well, you know that I've known you from the day that you were born, right?"

"Yeah, but what does that have to do with you going everywhere I go?"

"Alright, do you know any of my tribe's legends?"

"Um...I know a few of them."

"Okay. Have you ever heard of impr-"

"Jacob, you better not tell her that!" Alice yelled from across the food court.

I groaned. "Alice, what's the big deal?"

"The big deal is that Edward would kill me if I let Jacob tell you that story when I'm supposed to be with you!" she yelled, closer now.

Jacob rolled his eyes. "It should be Nessie's choice, not his."

"And maybe I agree with that. But right now that doesn't matter," Alice told us.

"Wait...you agree with me?" Jake asked, clearly surprised.

"Well, yes. To a certain extent."

"Well, then why won't you let me tell her?" Jake exclaimed, lightly pounding his fist on the table, making it shake.

"Because you know Edward would freak out about her reaction to this and then he would blame me..." The expression on Alice's face already looked fearful.

"Why are you being so selfish?" Jacob shot back.

"What are you two even talking about?" I partially shouted, confused.

"We're talking about impr-" Jake started to say, then Alice clasped her frosty, pale hand over his mouth.

"Alice!" I shouted.

"Do you want me to die?" Alice whisper-shouted.

"I think that's a bit of an overreaction, Alice. I highly doubt my father would actually kill you. Why is what Jake wanted to tell me so bad that you think my father would do that?"

Alice sighed. "I...it's not my decision, Renesmee. It's your father's decision to give Jacob permission to tell you. So please, stop asking me about it. It's Jacob's fault if he wants to tell you right now and get his head ripped off his shoulders." She finally took her had from over his mouth.

"Thank God! I couldn't have stood that stench much longer..." Jacob shuddered.

"Jacob, please tell me!" I begged.

"If you're going to tell her, please wait until someone else is in charge of you," Alice asked desperately.

"Alice, please just let him tell me!" I plead.

Alice looked like she was fighting with herself. If I wasn't so upset, it might have been funny to watch her brows furrow and her lips purse.

Alice sighed in defeat. "Fine, Jacob. Tell her. But it's your head."

With that, Alice stomped gracefully off to another store with bags of clothes hanging on her arms.

I looked hopefully at Jacob. "So, are you going to tell me now?"

He took a deep breath and said, "Yes, Nessie. I'll tell you now. Okay. So...I guess I'll start where I left off... Have you ever heard of imprinting?" he asked almost nervously.

I thought for a minute. The name didn't sound that familiar, so I shook my head no.

"Alright. Well, imprinting only happens to us. As in wolves," he swallowed. "It...it's sort of like...love at first sight...bound for eternity..."

I waited for him to go on, but he didn't. I let those words sink in. Love at first sight...bound for eternity...

"So...did you...um...imprint on someone already?" I'm pretty sure I already knew the answer to this, and I wasn't sure if I liked it or not.

"Yes."

I took a deep breath. Though I already knew the answer, I decided to ask, "Who?"

He took a deep, steadying breath, too. He closed his eyes. "You," he whispered.

"I see," was all I could say. After he confessed that he imprinted on me, probably the most important thing he will ever tell me in my life, all I could say was, 'I see'. Wow, I'm such a loser.

When Jacob slowly opened his eyes, he looked down at his half eaten tray of food.

I honestly didn't know what else to say. What do you tell a guy that just told you that he was bound to you for the rest of eternity?

"So...does that mean...that you, like, l-love me?" I asked hesitantly.

Still looking down at the table, he replied quietly, "I've always loved you, Renesmee."

I didn't know how I should take that. I mean, I'm sure he wasn't a pedophile or something, or else my dad would have killed him already.

As if he could read my mind, he assured me, "I mean I've always loved you...like a sister, I suppose you could say. Like I'm your big brother. Or like a best friend. Whichever you prefer, I suppose."

"Oh," I saw the expression on his face. It looked hurt.

"I never should have told you..."

"I'm sorry, Jake. I didn't mean to look offended or anything like that. It's just...I...I wasn't expecting something like that. But...if...if you love me like a sister right now...how, um, will you love me when...when I'm older?" I asked quietly and shyly. I could feel a blush creeping over my face.

The question obviously took him by surprise, and he blushed too. "Oh, um, well... I, uh, I don't really know...I guess that's up to, uh, up to you," he said, staring at the table again.

"Why is it up to me?"

"Well, because, I want you to make decisions by yourself. I'm not trying to be your dad or anything. And, if..." he inhaled. "If you don't love me one day, then...I guess I'll be okay with that. I'll be okay with that because I'll know that you'll be happy," then his voice got a lot quieter, so quiet that I strained to hear in the busy mall. "And if you don't pick me, then, I'm...I'm not going to stay around and watch you. I just thought it would be fair to tell you that. I'll ask Emmett or Jasper to...to k-kill me..."

That made me a little bit mad. I moved to the seat beside him and pulled it even closer than it already was, which was hard because it was so close in the first place. He looked a little astounded about how near we were to eachother. "No, Jacob. I will never let you kill yourself or let anyone else kill you if you have another choice. You want to know something? I love you, too. Like a big brother. You're my best friend, Jake. And I remember that when I was little and you left every day, I would be devastated. And you know what? I'm still devastated when you leave every day now. And I'm fairly certain that when I'm older and... Well, I'll pick you," I said, somewhat angered.

Jacob looked up at me, his dark brown eyes smoldering. In that moment, he looked...well, pretty hot. What are you thinking? the rational part of my mind yelled at me. He's your best friend, nothing more. But the other part of my mind, the instinctive, impulsive part, wondered how Jacob felt when he was holding someone lovingly, rather than like a friend. It also wondered how he kissed, just how soft those perfectly sculpted lips were... How it even felt to kiss someone...

His soft, smooth voice interrupted my fantasies. "You will?" he whispered so quiet that it was barely audible, even for my half-vampire ears.

I wrapped my arms around him, holding him tightly. It took him by surprise. "Of course I will, Jake."

He held me back. He whispered almost huskily into my ear, "Thank you."