One Year Later

EPOV

Our year in Romania had been spectacular. The wildlife was plentiful, life was calm and happy. Jasper and Alice were enjoying themselves as well, and Seth and Nessie were doing wonderfully at school. I thought the separation from Jacob would be harder on her, but she seemed to be doing okay. They still talked all the time, and I knew that they were just as close as they had always been, but it was still a shock when she began dating a boy from school. His name was Nicholae, he was a senior and I must say that I did like him. His thoughts were never anything but admirable, I could also see in those thoughts that he was set on college after he graduated, and that leaving Nessie behind wouldn't give him pause at all. I didn't worry too much though, she didn't seem to be falling in love with him or anything, it seemed very casual. Bella disliked him immediately, though she only admitted that to me. It was hard for her to see our daughter with anyone but Jacob. She felt that Jacob had suffered enough and that this might push him over the edge, but I had already talked to Jacob and though he was of course disturbed by it, he wanted her to be happy and live her life and make her own decisions. Renesmee was doing very well, she was taking to this new life with a spectacular grace. She enjoyed school, and she loved hunting with Bella and I as often as she could. She was turning into a wonderful young woman and I was extremely proud of her. She had just celebrated her 6th birthday. One more year and she would be fully matured. Both mentally and physically she would be grown up. The thought scared me, but at the same time I was so grateful for the time we had shared together. As she eased towards adulthood, I knew that she had a good head on her shoulders..she would be okay. I was honestly looking forward to her going back to Jacob, I knew he would make her happy, and I wanted that for her.

The entire family had come to Romania for the birthday party. Rosalie and Emmett were enjoying New Hampshire, but we were all missing being close to one another. We were waiting until Renessmee finished school and then we would figure out where to go next, I was thinking that she'd want to go to college, but I wasn't sure. She never really spoke about wanting to do anything in the future, she lived for today...I envied her for that. She and Carlisle were back at the house while the rest of us hunted. It had been a year since he measured her and gave her a checkup, I knew there were things that she wanted to speak with him about. Recently her menstrual cycle had begun to get off schedule. It would start, then stop, then start, then stop for 3 months or more at a time. I didn't know if this was something that normal humans experienced, or if this was because she was a hybrid. She never spoke of wanting to have children, but she was still young, I didn't want that to be taken away from her.

I hoped Carlisle had some answers for her...even though I tried not to listen, I know she worried that something was wrong with her.

RPOV

I was excited to see everyone, but mostly I wanted to talk to Grandpa. My body had been doing strange things and I needed answers. I'd never thought of having children, but I did want to have a choice in the matter. Sometimes I would imagine mine and Nic's children,they would would have his blonde hair and my brown eyes, or maybe my brown hair and his green eyes, I always thought about him when I was away from my dad. I knew he didn't think that we were that serious, but I loved him. I'm not sure why my parents acted the way that they did about our relationship, they treated it as just a high school crush...and maybe it was, but it didn't feel like that, for me anyway. Nicholae was going to college at the end of this year, but I knew we would stay together, and maybe I would join him after I graduated. I know my parents wanted to go back to the US, but I wanted to make my own choices..and right now, I was choosing Nic.

We were in my bedroom and I was lying flat on the bed as Grandpa measured my height, the length of my arms, legs, circumference of my head and everything else.

"Grandpa"

"Yes Renesmee" he said looking at me with his topaz colored eyes

"My period has been a little crazy over the last year. It starts then stops the same day, then starts again, then goes away for months at a time. Do you think something is wrong with me?"

"Well, even human women sometimes have irregular cycles. More than likely that's what's happening with you. I've spoken to Nahuel and his sisters at length about such things, and it seems that they have had the same thing happen to them through out their lives, they don't know why though. None of them have tried to reproduce, but it would seem that they are capable. I would have to do some more research into it to give you a more reliable answer. I'm not an OBGYN after all." he ruffled my hair and laughed.

"So you think I could have kids if I ever wanted to?"

"I see no reason why you couldn't, but I don't have all the information. I'll look into it and get back as soon as I can. I'll take some blood/urine and saliva samples before we leave and have them tested."\

"Thanks Grandpa"

"Of course darling" he looked down at his folder, reviewing his measurements through out my short life. "The growth has slowed tremendously, only shot up an inch in the last year. I don't think your height will change much over the next year, but your body will go thru some other noticeable changes. You're breasts will grow, your hips will probably get wider, Nahuel's sisters said that the pigment of their skin changed a little bit as well. Your face will probably thin out, you will probably lose weight all over, well the weight will shift to different areas at least." He was in full doctor mode now, totally forgetting that he was talking to his granddaughter.

"Will people notice that I'm different?" I asked cautiously

"No I don't think so, human girls go thru growth spurts at this age as well, and human eyes won't be able to detect the more subtle changes. You should be fine."

"Thanks again Grandpa" I said as he walked out of the room.

I ran over to my laptop and logged on, hoping that Jake was online. He'd been so busy working lately that we really only got to see each other once a week or so. We still talked on the phone at least once a day, but it wasn't the same as seeing him. He had finished his school in Port Angeles then taken his money from his saving account and purchased an old building in La Push. Some of his pack were helping him with it and they were almost ready to open and I knew he was more busy this week than he normally was. Sure enough he wasn't online. I wondered if he was seeing someone? Surely he dated, why wouldn't he? But never in my lifetime had he ever mentioned a girl. Maybe he just hadn't met the right one? I felt an unfamiliar pang of jealousy sweep thru me at the thought of this phantom girl. Whoever she was, she wouldn't be good enough...not for my Jacob.

JPOV

"FUCK!" I could hear the commotion as I walked toward the garage.

"Piece of SHIT!" then something crashed against a wall. I sped up, I didn't need Jared breaking anything else. He and Kim had been having some issues the last couple of weeks, he was spending a lot of time at the shop, she was feeling neglected. Little did she know that he was working so hard to get the shop opened so that we could all start making money and he could save for an engagement ring.

I walked inside to see him trying to attach a wall storage system on the far wall.

"Problems Jared?"

"This thing is crap Jacob, I can't figure it out." He pushed himself away from the wall, grabbed his pack of cigarettes and lit one, dragging on it deeply.

"Don't worry about it Jared, we'll get it figured out."

"I know" he hung his head "I just can't do shit right now. Kim's so fucking pissed at me I wish I could stay mad at her, but I just can't."

"Dude, I wish I knew what to tell you, but I have zero experience with women." I laughed and punched his shoulder "Maybe you should talk to Emily?"

"Yeah, maybe." He was looking out the front bay door toward the beach. "How's Ness doing by the way? Haven't stopped to ask about her in a while."

I hung my head. "She's got a boyfriend."

He spun around at me "WHAT? Dude that's harsh! You've gotta fucking tell her before she bangs some random dude, gets knocked up with his kid and is stuck in Dracula-ville for the rest of her life!"

I laughed at that.. "Nope, that's what I wanted..I mean not the banging or the getting knocked up, but I want her to have a choice. Of course I want her to choose me, but she's still young." I cut him a sly glance and grinned "besides, Edward says they aren't serious."

"Well Thank God" Jared said laughing.

The next few months flew by in a haze. The shop was booked from the start and we were really starting to rake in some serious money. Jared had finally proposed to Kim and they were busy planning a wedding, she wanted big and fancy. Kim had called Alice for help, her Jasper and Seth were coming next month to get everything in order. Ness had wanted to come too, but Edward had told her she couldn't miss school right now. Thank God for Edward. Nessie was growing up, I was sure that if I saw her right now, I wouldn't let her leave again. She was very upset that she'd miss Jared and Kim's wedding, but she was busy with school and her stupid boyfriend, so she didn't throw too much of a fit. At first I hadn't really cared that she had a boyfriend, Edward had said she wasn't that serious about him, but apparently that had changed. She had obviously been keeping her thoughts from her father, but one day she let it slip how much she really cared for him. The entire family was shocked, but me especially. I mean, I wanted her to be happy, but I didn't really think she'd fall in love with someone else. I knew I was being selfish, I love her of course, but only as a best friend at this point. I wasn't ready for anything more, and she was...it would be wrong of me to deny her that. While I told myself all of this, I couldn't help but feel my heart hurting. Was she ready for this? If a relationship was what she wanted, I should be the one to give her that. I was everything she needed or wanted. I could make her happier than anyone else on earth. Edward, Bella and I had had many talks over the past few weeks. Bella wanted me to come to Romania, to ride in and sweep her off of her feet. I think she mostly just wanted me to be happy, she still felt guilty about our past. Edward, as much as he wanted Ness and I to be happy together, agreed with me. Most people fall in love more than once. It would be okay for her to have had a broken heart, everyone went through it, and even though I hated for her to have to go through anything painful, it was part of growing up. Life is hard, love is sometimes blind, we all make bad decisions. She was young, she would be okay. She would never know true, unbiased, all encompassing love without knowing heart ache as well. Edward knew that shortly Nicolae would be leaving, and that he'd eventually be telling Renesmee that he didn't want her to go with him, it was only a matter of time, and we were all on pins and needles waiting for the ball to drop.