We're Happy Tonight

Renesmee awoke on Christmas morning and could not help the smile that crossed her features. She was fast coming to love this holiday, especially last year when her uncle had dressed as Santa. Her Uncle Emmett had been quite an unorthodox Santa at times, but she would always treasure the memory of actually believing Santa existed that day.

She jumped out of her bed and ran to the window, gazing out at the winter wonderland before her. It was clearly one of those rare years in Forks where it snowed before Christmas, leaving frost on the windows and fresh, fluffy snow outside.

Her breath fogged up the window as she leaned closer to see whether Jacob was visible outside. When she was younger, he would always sleep just outside her window as a way to offer more protection, but now that she had grown, he slept around the corner of the house to offer privacy.

She smiled as she noticed two sets of paw prints – one headed towards the forest, the others returning towards the house. She spared a brief moment of thought in which she frowned over the fact that Jake had gone hunting without her. That thought passed quickly as she thought of how much fun they could have in the snow.

As much as she wanted to go outside to play with him, she couldn't resist seeing her parents first.

Throwing on her robe, she ran from her room and into the living room, happiness radiating through her. "Merry Christmas!" She called out upon seeing them sitting together at the piano.

Edward looked up from the piano keys to smile at his daughter. "Merry Christmas, Nessie." He and Bella had come to an agreement the year before that anything private they wanted to do with one another stopped an hour before Renesmee's average time of waking. They had had too many close calls when she was younger, and did not want to explain any awkward situations to their thirteen-year-old.

Bella turned from her place beside Edward and smiled at her daughter as well. "Did you sleep well?"

Renesmee nodded, coming to stand beside her mother. Bella put her arm around her and Renesmee leaned into Bella's side, kissing her mother's cheek quickly. "What are you doing?"

Bella glanced briefly at the piano, "Your father is trying to teach me how to play the piano."

Renesmee's eyes widened and she smiled. "Daddy, will you teach me to play later?"

"Of course," he agreed instantly. "I'm sure you'll learn faster than your mother." He winked at Bella, who narrowed her eyes at him.

"I've caught on fairly quickly," Bella retorted. Edward smiled and kissed his wife lovingly. Instead of looking away like most children would, Renesmee merely smiled at her parents, taking comfort in their open displays of affection. Her entire family frequently showed how much they loved each other and Renesmee delighted in watching them.

"Can I go outside to play with Jake?" Renesmee asked when they pulled apart, a smile touching her features.

"What about breakfast?" Edward asked, frowning. His daughter was becoming entirely too preoccupied with Jacob for his liking, though she still saw him only as her absolute best friend.

As a father specifically and a relative of Renesmee's in general, Edward was seriously lamenting the day his daughter saw Jacob as something more than a friend.

Guessing where his thoughts were, Bella frowned at him. Edward resisted the urge to laugh at how well his wife knew him.

"I could take it outside," Renesmee offered. "Better yet, I can just go hunting with Jacob."

"Of course you can go outside, Renesmee. Stay close to the house, please," Bella added.

Renesmee fought the urge to roll her eyes, a habit she had learned from observing her mother so closely over the years. "Yes, Mom. Jacob will be out there with me."

She wasn't positive, but she may have heard her father growl lightly at this point in the conversation. This thought was backed by her mother glaring softly at him.

Not wanting to inadvertently cause her father to change his mind, Renesmee darted back into her room and dressed as quickly as she possibly could. Grumbling lightly, she put on her overwhelmingly stuffy outdoor clothes and hurried out the door. It wasn't that she actually felt the cold – it was mostly for show and a lot for her parents' unnecessary concern.

Jacob was waiting for her in his wolf form, a smile plastered on his furry face, his tail wagging quickly through the air. Renesmee felt her spirits soar as she saw him once again, and that same, odd sensation of everything settling into place washed over her and warmed her heart.

"Merry Christmas, Jake." She told him happily.

He smiled even more broadly at her before trotting off into the trees. She waited patiently, knowing that he was changing to human form once more. Sure enough, after hardly waiting for a full minute, Jacob emerged from the trees, now a fully-clothed human.

"Merry Christmas, Nessie." He said. "What did you want to do today?"

"Have a snow day," Renesmee told him with a grin. She bent down and scooped up a handful of snow into her hands. Much to her utter horror, the snow simply turned into liquid at her touch. "Jake! The snow – I can't hold it."

Jake frowned as he bent to try to roll a snowball. The snow was melting just as quickly for him because of his excessively warm body temperature. "I'm sorry, Nessie," he said sincerely. He hated to see her upset.

Renesmee frowned fully, crossing her arms over her chest and sitting cross-legged on the snowy ground. "So much for that," she grumbled, disappointment filtering through her.

"Can we help?"

Renesmee looked up to see her uncles standing beside her. Jasper was frowning at Jacob, no doubt as a response to the mood of frustration permeating the area, while Emmett was patiently awaiting his niece's response.

"Of course you can!" Renesmee said, standing to give them each a hug. "Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas," Jasper agreed. He had settled whatever issue was bothering him and bent to scoop some snow into a ball for his niece.

Not to be outdone, Emmett used his vampire speed to hastily create an elaborate snowman before Jasper could. He stood there grinning smugly and watched as Jasper slowly continued to roll his own ball. "Hah. Looks like I'm faster, Jasper."

Emmett had barely finished his sentence before being struck with a snowball the size of a basketball, courtesy of Jasper. Jasper was smirking at Emmett in a very brotherly fashion. Renesmee couldn't help but laugh at her Uncle Emmett's startled expression.

His shock gave way quickly and turned into a glare for Jasper as he bent to scoop up snow for his retaliation. The cottage door opened then and Bella emerged carrying a blanket and a picnic basket.

"Hey, little sister," Emmett said with a grin thrown her way. He was still holding the snow he had formed into a so-called ball in his hands and Bella eyed it warily.

"Emmett, if you chuck a boulder of snow at me, I will be forced to tear you to shreds," Bella informed him. Emmett barked a laugh as Bella came to a stop in front of her daughter and gracefully spread the blanket out on the ground with one hand.

"Mmm, what are we having?" Emmett asked, sitting on the blanket in the blink of an eye.

Renesmee giggled at her uncle. "Uncle Emmett, it's not for you."

Emmett pretended to pout as Renesmee and Jacob sat beside him on the blanket. Bella placed the basket in the center and stood with her hands on her hips as she stared at Emmett.

"Well, we're going to continue on our hunt," Emmett announced, quickly kissing his niece's cheek before standing.

"Would Edward join us, Bella?" Jasper asked.

"No, he's going to be otherwise engaged, but he thanks you for the invitation."

Emmett's laughter lingered behind as they took off at a run, but Jacob's groan was short and loud. "Bella, did you have to?"

"Yes," she said with a simple smile. "Enjoy your food. There is more than enough there for you, too, Jake."

"Thanks, Bells," he said with a large grin, his mood increasing exponentially. He had learned long ago that Bella was an excellent chef, and he planned to take full advantage of this offer while it lasted. Who knew if she would continue to be as charitable in the years to come? Jacob wasn't stupid – he knew Edward was already beginning to become annoyed with how much time Jacob and Renesmee spent together. It wouldn't be long before Bella was, too.

Renesmee ate her share slowly while watching Jacob devour his food. When she looked at him or was near him, she felt happier than just about any other time in her life. She treasured each moment she had with him, always wondering when he would get fed up and leave. She found herself dreading that possible day with all her heart.

"Merry Christmas, Renesmee!" A cheerful, musical voice called out suddenly, interrupting Renesmee's musings.

Renesmee turned, full of happiness and surprise, to see her Aunt Alice approaching, something gray carried softly in one hand. "Merry Christmas, Aunt Alice!"

"Where's Rosalie?" Jacob asked, his voice slightly tinged with mock. One of his eyebrows was raised, further evidence of how wary he was about her possible sudden appearance.

"She's getting an earful from Esme and Carlisle about something that happened last night. Emmett escaped before the lecturing began, and I can guarantee you, he'll pay for that later."

"What did Aunt Rosalie do?" Renesmee asked.

A slight frown marred Alice's features before she quickly recovered and changed the subject. "I bought you something, Nessie."

Renesmee sat up straighter as her aunt handed her the object in her hand. Two objects, really. As she slipped her hands into each warm gray mitten, Alice said happily, "Your father called me as soon as he realized you were having issues holding the snow without it melting. The mittens are double-lined and will successfully block your body heat from melting the snow. Of course, I had to run out to buy them because we don't have any that fit you anymore. You're growing so fast."

"Aunt Alice, you made a trip purely for me?"

"Of course not," she laughed lightly. She reached into her coat pocket and tossed a pair of black mitts to a surprised Jacob. "I also stopped to buy myself an adorable orange dress for New Years' Eve. You'll love it, Renesmee."

"Thank you," Jacob choked out, still holding the mitts in his hands. Renesmee echoed his thank you, but filled hers with more gratitude.

"If you'll excuse me, I need to speak with your mother."

"Aren't they…" Jacob swallowed thickly, trying to force the images in his mind away, "busy?"

"No." Alice replied softly and without hesitation. "They're cleaning the cottage and then Bella is going to be sorting her closet. I need to be there to hint at a shopping trip, of course."

"Of course," Jacob muttered, rolling his eyes. Still skeptical, he said, "You're sure that's what they're doing?"

"Positive. Whatever was said earlier is purely for Emmett's sake, I guarantee you." Alice added a dramatic tap to her temple to remind Jacob of her gift.

He laughed as Renesmee waved to her aunt before she disappeared through the door. Turning back to Jacob, she smiled softly. "Are you finished eating?"

"Hardly," he scoffed lightly. He continued to eat at a fast pace while Renesmee stood up from the blanket and began to pack snow together a short distance away.

By the time she had finished her fortified snow wall, Jacob had finished eating and was staring at the mitts Alice had bought for him. She took advantage of his distracted state and sent a snowball whizzing into the side of his head, unable to stop her laughter as it collided with his cheek. He turned to her, stunned.

"Is that a declaration of war, Nessie?"

With a laugh and a nod, Renesmee jumped behind her wall and knelt behind it. Little did Jacob know, Renesmee had formed a large pile of snowballs that were ready to be fired at her enemy.

Jacob pulled on the mitts quickly and began to lay a worthy siege to her fortress. He was no match for Renesmee's artillery, however, and soon began to lose the battle. She was hitting him with the snowballs faster than he could build up his own supply.

Just as it all seemed dire for Jacob, Emmett bounded to his side, declaring at a yell, "I'll help you!"

Jasper jumped behind Renesmee's wall as well, and used his special vampire speed to quickly replenish her vanishing supply of ready-made snowballs.

"Hiding behind a wall, Jasper? Is it because you're scared?" Emmett asked, putting more force behind his throws when they were directed at Jasper's head. One such snowball conveniently took out a large chunk of the wall Renesmee had built, causing Jasper to be momentarily exposed.

"Hah! We won't surrender!" Jasper exclaimed.

The battle raged on for awhile longer until one of Renesmee's throws hit Emmett square in the chest. "I'm hit!" He called out. Jacob was doing his best not to laugh as Emmett dramatically fell over into the snow. Jacob turned to Renesmee and Jasper and raised his hands slowly in the air.

"Good work, team!" Renesmee called to Jasper, returning the high five he offered.

"What was our team name?" he asked her.

"Ours was Team Awesome," Emmett announced, standing up and shaking the snow off himself. Unlike the others, Emmett didn't bother with the appearance of a winter jacket.

"You're not awesome," Jasper pointed out, standing up behind the wall now. "You lost."

"Technicality," Jacob said, rolling his eyes. Though both men had lost purposely for Renesmee's sake, neither was the type to enjoy losing. Jasper was enjoying this thoroughly, however.

"Re-match for real later," Emmett hissed quietly at him. Jasper nodded once in agreement.

"Where is my beautiful wife?" Jasper asked, helping Renesmee up. "I can feel her."

"She's sorting Mom's closet again," Renesmee replied. She turned to Emmett as Jasper went inside the cottage. "Aunt Rosalie is in trouble for something you two did last night. You should probably go help her."

Emmett looked sheepish, but shook his head. "No way. Esme is no doubt not pleased at all."

"I can't imagine why," Edward said with a laugh, joining the others outside. He immediately walked to stand beside his daughter who was making another snowman beside the one Emmett had built.

"You're one to talk," Emmett scoffed in return. "Destroyed any houses lately, Edward? Oh, that's right – you and Bella never do that sort of thing, do you?"

Edward growled lightly and casually shoved Emmett hard enough to make him lose his balance. Emmett shoved him playfully back, though much harder than Edward had originally. "Careful, Emmett," Edward cautioned.

Emmett barked out a laugh. "Nervous, Edward? You should be – I'm the strongest vampire here."

Renesmee was frowning at her uncle, a memory from long ago finding its way to her mind. She looked at her father, who had burst out laughing. "Nessie, please be a dear and ask your uncle for me."

Always happy to help her father out, Renesmee turned to her uncle and said, "Didn't Mom beat you in an arm wrestling match?"

Emmett looked flustered, "That was a very long time ago, Nessie. She's not as strong as I am anymore."

"Either way, Emmett," Edward said laughing. "She beat you fair and square."

Emmett lunged at his brother, but Edward could see it in his thoughts and lunged back at him using the element of surprise to his advantage. He and Emmett crashed together with a loud bang and tumbled into the two snowmen, knocking them both down in a split second.

"Oh look, the kids knocked the snowmen down," Rosalie said as she came across the scene before her, slight venom in her voice.

Emmett looked up from the snowy ground at his wife sheepishly. "Hey, babe. How's it going?"

"Lovely," Rosalie hissed. "I just had the most wonderful conversation with Esme and Carlisle, since it seems I broke that table entirely on my own. Isn't that right?"

"I warned you," Emmett said jokingly. Rosalie was not amused and he immediately looked contrite. "What can I do to make it up to you?"

"I have a few ideas," Rosalie replied. Before Edward even opened his mouth to make a joke relative to her thoughts, she hissed at him. "Don't even start with me."

Her tactics changed as she winked at Emmett and he jumped up eagerly. She then looked at her niece, "Merry Christmas, Renesmee. We'll see you at the house later."

She took Emmett's hand then, and the two disappeared back towards the Cullens' home. Edward was looking relieved that he was nowhere near them any longer.

Bella, Alice, and Jasper emerged from the cottage, then, the latter two waving and disappearing into the forest. Bella was rolling her eyes and muttering under her breath. "What is wrong, love?" Edward asked smoothly as she came to a stop at his side. He instantly pulled her into his arms.

"Alice," she muttered.

Jacob, not wanting to hear another long-winded string of complaints Bella had about Alice and shopping, turned to Renesmee. "Would you like to go for a walk?"

Renesmee grinned at him. "Yes, please."

They took off at a slow pace, leaving behind Edward, Bella, and Bella's complaints, and disappearing into the wintry forest. "It's beautiful in here," Renesmee said aloud, gesturing to their surroundings. The snow glistened like diamonds and reminded her of her family's skin in the sunlight.

"Very," Jacob agreed, unable to help his smile.

They walked in silence for a few minutes until Jacob realized Renesmee wanted to ask him something. When he noticed her open her mouth and then close it for the third time in as many minutes, he stopped and turned her to face him. "What's on your mind?"

She was looking anywhere but at him when she said, "Jake, are you lonely?"

Jacob blinked in surprise, not guessing that was what she would ask. "No. I'm with you, Nessie."

Renesmee smiled and Jacob mirrored it. "That's not what I mean," she explained.

"Oh," Jacob replied, the realization of what she meant hitting him. Not sure of what to say, he began to walk again, not looking at her.

"Well? Are you?" Renesmee asked, becoming flustered as she kept pace with him.

"No…." Jacob said quietly, praying she wouldn't ask any further questions. Knowing Nessie like he did, though, he knew it was a slim to none chance.

"Why not?"

Jacob hesitated, biting his tongue in his nervousness. He would have to be so very, very careful here. "I just…. I don't think about that."

Renesmee frowned as she glanced at him. "You should."

"Why?"

"Everyone wants to be with someone."

Jacob snorted, "Where did you come up with that?"

Renesmee shrugged as their pace slowed once more. "My whole family is so perfectly matched. They all have their happily ever after for eternity. I can't think of anyone who wouldn't want that."

"Life doesn't always go the way you plan, you know. Not everyone gets their happily ever after." Jacob did his best not to add that that was his biggest worry. That after all this time, after everything he felt for her, that she wouldn't want him, too.

She was silent for a moment, until he finally turned to look at her. "I hope you get your happily ever after, Jake."

Jacob choked in his effort to not laugh aloud at the irony of this conversation. "Yeah, me too."

"Are you in love with someone?" Renesmee asked suddenly. Jacob stumbled and quickly righted himself, wondering what the hell he could say to answer that question.

Unable to tell her anything but the truth, he said with a sigh, "Yes."

Renesmee was surprised at her own reaction. She was feeling extremely… jealous? She stopped walking and stood still, trying to process her emotions. She didn't have any right to feel jealous. "Oh." She murmured.

"Yeah," Jacob replied, shoving his hands in his pockets and waiting for her to go on.

"Do you talk to her a lot?"

"Every day," he replied with a grin. Renesmee tried to keep her emotions in check.

She needed to decide. She either needed to come out and say what she was feeling, or she needed to take the high road and be his best friend. "I need to meet her sometime then," she said half-heartedly as she began to walk again, deciding on the latter as the best course of action.

"Why?"

"To tell you whether I approve or not, of course." Jacob did laugh then, unable to keep silent any longer. Renesmee bristled at his reaction. "Fine, be that way."

"Nessie, don't get offended!" Jacob said, reaching out to stop her with a hand on her arm. "I'm sorry."

She turned to face him and smiled softly, "It's okay, Jake." She hesitated a moment before adding, "I'm still your best friend, right?"

"Always." He agreed, feeling relief spread through him that he managed that conversation well enough.

Renesmee nodded in agreement, "Always."

They walked together in silence for a long while, each content in their thoughts and happily at peace in their winter wonderland.

A/N: Well, we've reached the end of chapter four! Three more to go :D This one really took on a life of its own and I never knew where it was going next. I'm pretty happy with it, though, and I hope you all are too! To all my subscribed readers, I apologize profusely for taking so long to get this out. Last week I was sick with H1N1, and it is extremely challenging to get into a good enough mood to write when you are that out of it. I hope this chapter was worth the wait and I'll update as soon as I can! Happy readings :D