I don't own Twilight.
Part I —Renesmee Cullen
Much to my shock, Jacob was true to his word. When I woke up the next morning, the sun was well on its way to the center of the sky. I sighed contently and looked at the clock on the bedside table. 9:10 AM, it read and I smiled, happy that he had followed through.
It was then that I felt his hot — in both ways, cough — next to mine. I turned over and watched him as he slept; the crinkles on his forehead were smooth and his chest went up down, up down with each breath he took. I could hear the faint bu-bump, bu-bump of his heart and I reached out to touch his cheek.
When my palm rested on his smooth skin, my heart raced. It was so weird … I still didn't know if I loved my best friend, but I knew that he was more than just best friend, which was weird in itself.
Jacob had always been my best friend; since the day I was born. I had loved him more than anything; I treasured his rare smiles with all my heart … I loved it when he kissed my forehead. But never before had I thought of our relationship as anything more than just close friends, best friends.
And now, I was questioning everything that I had believed for my whole life. So, Jacob imprinted on me when I was a baby — despite what anyone said, it almost set my future in stone. Coming from all the human girls whom the La Push boys had imprinted, they could hardly resist the men that had imprinted on them.
Of course, I wasn't a human girl. I was a half-human, half-vampire teenager who was trying to decipher her feelings and trying to run for her life from a group of evil vampires that want to kill her.
Close comparison, huh?
But, anyway, back on the subject. So, since I was this half-and-half freak of freaks, what did that mean for me and Jacob's imprinting on me? Surely, being part vampire, I could resist his … well, whatever it was werewolves did to the girls they imprinted on. I mean, sooner or later, his smell is going to repulse me; who could live with that?
Of course, it wasn't like I wanted to not be with him. I'm sure, even if I didn't like how he smelled when I turned full-vampire, I could get used to it. If I really loved him, I'd — we'd — get past any obstacle.
So, back to square one. Did I really love my best friend? Was I was in love with him?
I honestly had no idea. Sure, I'd had that one heated passion moment that left me breathless and wanting more but wasn't that every hormonal teenager? Jacob had given me my first real kiss … that didn't necessarily mean that there weren't other guys that my lips might be better with.
But did I want to find out?
No, not really, I kept thinking. I like where I am right now. Though we're running for our lives with no idea if we're going to live or die, I was still glad that it was Jacob I was running with. If it had been Seth or Leah or Aunt Alice or Grandpa Carlisle, even my parents, I don't think I could have gotten by without him.
I sighed again. And then that brought up the whole 'If I am in love with him, does that mean that he's in love with because of me or because of the imprinting?' situation.
I was glad that I was the girl Jacob imprinted on; to be honest, if it was anyone else, I'd be so jealous that I'd just have to … well, you get the picture. On the other, if we ever did have a relationship like the holding hands, couple fiasco, would he be in it because he wanted to or because I wanted him to?
There was a big difference.
Wow, this is just too much to be thinking about this early in the morning. Well, this late in the morning … whatever, you get the point.
There was a rustle from beside me and Jacob's eyes opened slowly. "Hi," I managed to say when his eyes finally met mine. They held this faraway look, like he was still sleeping, but he wasn't. "How did you sleep?"
He yawned loudly. "Good, good," he said, snuggling in closer the pillows. "I told you I'd keep my promise … didn't I?" He grinned lopsidedly and I nodded, the words failing to come out of my mouth. He chuckled and brushed a bang away from my eyes. "You look beautiful this morning, Nessie."
I blushed and ducked under the covers.
"What?" he asked, like he was genially concerned. He lifted up the comforter where I was hiding and grinned. "Did I insult you in some way?"
"No!" I shrieked when the draft hit me. "It's just … flattery before I've even taken a shower, is just … well, a lie!" He laughed and caught my arm. He moved so he was hovering right above me. My pulse quickened. His knees were on either side of his waist, his arms right by my head.
He leaned down so his lips were barely brushing mine. I wanted so desperately to close to the distance between us, but I was afraid at what he might do. I was still debating the whole relationship thing, remember?
"I wasn't lying," he whispered honestly, his lips on mine with every word he spoke. "I've never tried out this flattery thing before … so maybe it was the wrong time. But, really, Nessie, you don't have to hide."
"H-hide?" I said, my voice cracking like I was 'twelve' all over again. "Who said anything about hiding? I'm right here." My arms were numb as I rest them on his neck and started messing with the hair on his neck. "You're the one on top of me."
He sighed; I could feel his breath go into my mouth. Wouldn't he just kiss me already? I was waiting; I was pretty dang vulnerable … come on, come on, I kept thinking when he smiled against my lips, his eyes boring into mine. "Why?" he asked. "Do you want me to get off?"
He started to move but I grabbed his arms. "No," I said harshly. "I was just making the observation. There's no need to make such rash movements."
He smirked, his face went back a bit … now a few inches from my face. "Then what do you propose I do in this position, since you're such a scholar?"
"Hmm," I replied, tapping my finger against my chin. "I wonder …" I closed my eyes and showed him kissing me in the car the day before … how exciting and perfect it was. When I opened them, he opened his as well and his eyes were all-knowing.
I smiled and he grinned and then he leaned down and his lips were up against mine. I placed my hands on his cheeks and he wrapped me up against him. I giggled and he kissed the corners of my mouth, cheeks.
And then he trailed down my neck.
I gasped and gripped onto his hair. He yelped and pulled back. "What was that for?" he asked, his eyes confused, probably wondering if he had done something wrong. He hadn't done anything bad … quite the opposite, actually.
My mouth moved up and down but no sound came out. "I – I … um … I just w-wasn't expecting that," I said honestly, my voice sputtering. God, I'm so hopeless. No wonder I could never get a boyfriend before Michael … I couldn't even talk to them!
He grinned. "Sorry," he replied. "Well, I probably should get up anyway. We've still got to drive today and we started way late. We may just have to drive through the night …"
He was teasing me and I rolled my eyes in response. "I say," I started, "that you try that again, and then we can get up and drive until the truck just stops working. Does that sound like a plan?" I grinned and leaned so he was only a couple inches from me. "Please?" I added innocently.
Grinning, he leaned down so his lips were touching mine. Then, he whispered, "I think we should get up, Nessie. Come on." And then he was up and I was left leaning in, like he was going to kiss me.
I stared at the ceiling, my mouth agape. I had just been teased and then left hanging by Jacob Black, my best "friend." I looked over to him and glared. He smiled wickedly and then sauntered off. "I'm going to see if there's any breakfast left," he called over his shoulder. "Do you want anything?"
I shook my head when I got up. "No, I'm just going to take a shower, I think."
"Well, don't forget your clothes this time," he coughed and then left the room, the door clicking when he closed it. I sighed and grabbed my backpack, walking to the bathroom.
Turning on the shower, I stripped down and stuffed my clothes in a plastic bag that was getting fuller with dirty clothes. I jumped into the shower when it got hot and stood there for a while, taking in everything that had happened to me within just a short amount of time.
Not a month ago, Jacob and I were best friends, nothing more, nothing less. And now … I had just woken up in bed next to and we had kissed again. It was so weird! I'd known Jacob since I was a baby; shouldn't this be weird at all? That's what I kept asking myself and my response was always that I didn't think it was weird.
Just … complicated, was my final thought before I shut off the water and proceeded to change my clothes. I chose a simple pair of jeans and a shirt with a big peace sign on it. One of the many teenage clothing choices Alice had made for me before my first year of high school.
I put my hair up in the towel and then walked out of the bathroom. Jacob was sprawled out on the bed, chewing on a bagel. He tossed me an apple and I caught it, taking a bite out of it. "Thanks," I said, sitting down next to him. He nodded as a response.
"So," he said after a while of eating. "I was thinking about, instead of driving for yet another day, we'd do something different. A little more fun, actually."
I blushed madly and looked away. I was thinking of those old movies I used to watch and, when I man used to say something like this, it usually followed with something like …
"I was thinking about the mall; what do you think?" he asked. I immediately let go of the air I had been holding in my lungs. He looked at me all confused but I shook my head and pointed to my throat.
"My throat," I managed. "I must have choked on this dang apple." I tossed it a couple of times in the air, glared at it, and threw towards the trash can — it landed right in the basket, a perfect aim. "… But the mall sounds great," I admitted.
Finally, something normal! I thought. Aunt Alice used to drag me shopping because I actually didn't mind it as much as my mother. I did actually look at prices of the clothes we were going to buy and such but I was like Mom … she refused to go, usually with the whole "I don't want to hurt anyone" excuse, which was a total lie. Even for someone who couldn't read her mind — which was everyone because of her shield — we knew that she was stronger than a newborn … and she technically wasn't one now.
"Great," he said and went back to eating.
I paused, waiting for an explanation. When I was sure that he wasn't going to tell me I asked, "So, why are we going to the mall? There's gotta be a catch; I know you, Jake."
He grinned but shook his head. Then, without another word, he grabbed his plate, threw it in the waste basket, and then grabbed our stuff. He handed me my backpack. "Ready?" he asked. I glared at him but nodded and then we were off.
Strange, I thought.
After checking of the hotel and getting directions from the receptionist — whom I glared daggers at by the way she batted her eyelashes at Jacob and made sure to let her hand linger when he handed back our room key — to the mall we went.
Aunt Alice would have been proud of us. This was definitely the biggest mall I'd ever seen … of course, this was also California — my poor aunt never got to come here because of all the sunshine. There was stores upon stores … it was almost like it was an army, a fleet, and kingdom of places to spend money.
Jacob's eyes were wide once we approached the entrance. Towering 18 feet above us, stood the decorated doors of South Coast Plaza. Even he — who was otherwise considered a steroid-taking freak — looked tiny compared to this place.
I took a deep breath and looked at him nervously. "Ready?" I asked.
He shook his head, as if ridding the thoughts that had been running through his mind, and then looked at me. Out of his backpack he pulled out two 100 dollar bills. I gasped and was about to ask that I did not, by any means, need this much money but he said, "I want you to buy something nice, like a dress or something. I know they're going to be expensive … don't worry about the money."
He handed me a cell phone next and I quickly recognized it to be my own … the one I just figured I'd forgotten when we ran away from home. "You obviously know how to work it," he said. "If you need to find me, call my number … do not call anyone else."
"W-where are you going?" I asked, terrified suddenly. He wasn't just going to drop me off here, in the middle of a scary store and go off to … to do whatever the hell he was going to do!
He smiled warmly. "I'm going to be in the mall. I just want, whatever you get to be a surprise for tonight, okay? It kinda ruins the effect if I'm there." I nodded, clutching my cell phone to my chest. "Be careful," he said seriously. "I can still find you in this mall … I know your scent, but, if you need me … please call."
And then he was gone.
I stood there, stunned for a couple of minutes before shaking my head and taking on the huge mall. I browsed a few stores, not really finding anything that I thought would impress Jacob and yet remain under 100 hundred dollar — yes, I already planned on not using the other bill he gave me.
That was until I walked into one little shop that sold mark-down dresses that weren't exactly like the real thing, but who would notice? Jacob? Ha, I thought to myself and walked inside.
A woman behind the counter glanced up at me. She had long, black hair tied up in a ponytail; her shirt was green with a little tag on it which must have said her name and her makeup matched her shirt. She finished up whatever she was working on and walked over to me.
"Do you need any help?" she asked kindly.
I shook my head and she nodded, walking away slowly. I searched the racks nervously and picked out a few things and then decided to put them back. Who was I kidding? I didn't know how to find clothes! For my whole seven years of living, my aunt had had the tightest control over what I wore. Now, when I'm finally choosing for myself, there was no hope that I could find anything.
I really wanted to impress Jacob tonight. I wanted him to look at me and gasp; make him weak in the knees. I didn't know what he was planning but I did know that it was something special … probably the first time he's ever done something for me that was deemed 'special.' And I wanted to look good when it happened!
I looked over to the cashier. She was eyeing me while reading her book.
"Um …" I spoke up. "C-could you help me?"
The girl immediately brightened and set her book down. "Of course!" she exclaimed, skipping over to me; she looked so much like Aunt Alice right now, it wasn't even funny. "What do you need?"
I snapped out of my daze and said, "Um, a dress, shoes, and … you know, makeup and stuff. My, uh, friend is taking me somewhere and he wants me to dress up."
She nodded happily, already searching through racks.
It was six that night when Jacob finally got out of the shower. I looked up from the magazine he'd bought from the gift shop down in the lobby and then gasped. He was standing there in a pair of shorts and nothing else. The water from his shower was still dripping down his chest and arms.
I averted my eyes and got up. "Took you long enough," I mumbled, grabbing my bag with my dress, shoes, and accessories.
He chuckled, running the towel over his head. "Yeah, not as long as you'll take," he reminded me and I huffed, making sure to slam the door behind. After I locked it, I slid down the door and put my head in my hands. I can't believe that I can't even look at him anymore without wanting to kiss him … or worse.
I mean, we had been friends! Just friends. Why was I so different now? Why was he all cool and nonchalant and I was freaking-out, stuttering and so … so much like a teenager. It annoyed me greatly.
After taking a shower, I blew dry my hair delicately, applied a quarter-sized amount of hair gel into my palm, and then ran it through my curls. I pulled it up into a half ponytail and pushed it up a bit, making a poof; I put a butterfly pin in that Sarah — the cashier who helped me — had given me free with my purchase.
I applied my makeup next. A little black on the sides of my eyes to make them look smoky and then a thick line of eye liner around my bottom eyelid. The mascara went on next and then foundation, a tiny bit of blush, and soft red lip stick.
After I finished, I examined myself in the mirror. Aunt Alice would be proud, I thought and then changed into my dress. It was called a neckline dress, Sarah had told me; the neckline dipped down a bit, but not enough to make me feel uncomfortable. There was a textured feel and then, just right above my chest, it cut off to silk and went to my knees.
I put on hose and then my toe-peep high heels. Then, after one final glance in the mirror, I stepped out of the bathroom and took a deep breath, waiting for his approval or dismay.
I closed my eyes because I was too afraid to wonder what he thought of me. I was sure that he would be vocal in some way or another but he wasn't. Finally, fearing the worst, I opened my eyes and lost my breath at the sight of him.
He was wearing a tuxedo — something I had never ever seen him wear before. He looked so handsome with his hair all a mess, like it usually was and the black suit fitting him nicely. He looked so … so, I couldn't even describe it. It was like he was a whole new Jacob. He looked so good!
It was then that I noticed he was looking at me like I was some kind of ghost. I blushed deeply and looked away, digging my toe into the ground. When I looked up again, he was already in front of me; I jumped back but then smiled. "You clean up nice," I commented, earning a grin.
"You look … what was that word Bella always used?" He tapped his chin. He snapped his fingers when it came to him. "Dazzling," he added. "You look dazzling, Renesemee."
The blushing was back again and I dropped my eyes out of embarrassment. "Well, are you going to tell me the surprise now?" I asked, feeling good about how I looked and how this night was going to go. He had practically called me pretty! That was the best part, I figured. It didn't even matter what happened now.
He held out his hand and I took it, then we were off, like a prince and a princess to … wherever he was taking me.
He took me out to dinner at this really fancy Italian restaurant. I felt like I had done something good giving Jacob back the other 100 dollar bill he gave me because he'd surely need it here. We were led by a man named Justin to our table in the center of the place.
I felt strange because I didn't feel like I should be here. The place was defiantly expensive, romantic, and looked like somewhere a guy would propose to a girl. Oh my God, I thought suddenly. Is that Jacob's going to do? I mean, I knew today was going to be special but … but. I'm just not ready for this!
While I was panicking, Jacob ordered us drinks and scanned the menu. "What looks good to you?" he asked, glancing up at me.
"Um …" I looked it over. "Hamburger and fries?" I looked up at him and he laughed quietly.
"You don't have to order from the kid's menu because you think it's going to cost too much," he said quietly. "Get what you want. It's your special day, after all."
I looked up at him in question but he shook his head with an all-knowing smile, he went back to reading. I felt just a little calmer than before. He said it was my big day. Not ours. So, he's probably not going to something like purposing. Why would he anyway? It's not like I'm something special.
We ordered our food just a few minutes later and then chit-chatted until it arrived. We ate in silence and then, Jacob spoke up.
"You wanna know why I brought you here, Ness?" he asked, looking up from his bowl of noodles. "I figured I've left you in the dark long enough." I nodded eagerly, setting down my fork.
He reached into his pocket.
Oh my gosh! I screamed internally. What … what is he doing?! Why is he doing this? Why here … why now? We're running for our lives for Pete's sake! He shouldn't do this now! I had started to hyperventilate when he pulled out a small black box with a bow on top.
"Happy birthday," he whispered and I gasped. "Congrats, you're seven … teen now."
I looked up at him. He'd remembered my birthday, I thought. No guy ever remembers stuff like this and he did … even I forgot! I picked up the box and opened it slowly. Inside was a necklace with a small carved wolf at the end; there was a heart next to it that was made of metal.
It was our promise bracelet, I remembered. The little bracelet Jacob had given me just after I was born … I thought I had lost it or grown out of it a long time ago. But here it was … and it was a necklace now. "J-Jake," I said quietly.
"Do you like it?" he asked, like he seriously thought I wouldn't.
I looked over to him and grinned. "Thanks you so much," I said, barely breathing. "This is … it's so beautiful!" I giggled and he stood up, saying something about helping me put it on. He took the ends and pulled it around my neck and then clipped it together. He put his hands under my hair, touching my neck with his warm palms, and then lifted my hair over the chain.
He kissed the back of my head then whispered in my ear, "I'm glad you like it."
That night, when I went to bed, I dreamt of happy places and spending time with Jacob whether it was kissing or holding hands or just being together. We went to the Caribbean and then to the jungles in South America. We went back home and then we were in the truck again, running.
Sometime, around one in the morning, I got up to go to the bathroom. After flushing and turning off the light, I glanced by the door and saw something or someone standing there, watching me closely. Something black.
Glancing black, whatever or whoever it was, was gone. My hand automatically reached for Jacob's necklace and then I went back to bed, shaking in his arms.
A/N — So, how was this chapter? The longest chapter yet, I'm proud to say! Haha, the action will pick up in the next chapter, I swear. The note will make its reappearance along with other … uninvited guests. Dun dun dun! Haha.
I made a trailer for this story! Either check it out at my homepage or go to this link ( just be sure to take out the spaces ) h t t p : / / w w w . y o u t u b e . c o m / w a t c h ? v = 9 H 2 s I x H S o s w … I also am putting up Nessie's dress on my homepage! So, go check that out!
Please review!
-Liz
