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When we arrived back at the White House, it was obvious that Emmett and Rosalie had arrived home. Not because I could hear them inside, or smell Rose's sweet scent, but because I had been right; Emmett had sorted out the garden. A small pile of young saplings sat on the edge of the drive, and the front green looked as perfect as it did in my memories. Jake let me off his back, and then la down on the grass. "I'll just get you some clothes. Wait here." I told him. He looked at me, apologies in his eyes. I laughed at his expression and then made my way inside. As I reached the front door, Rosalie pulled it open.
"Renesmee!" She sang at me, before pulling me in for a tight embrace. I hugged her back just as strongly. I really had missed Rose. It seemed like I hadn't seen her in years, rather than months. "Oh, I've missed you so much." She said into my ear.
"I missed you too Rose." I told her, pulling away from her shoulder to look her in the face. "I'm glad we're all home."
"It's perfect." She said, a breathtaking smile spreading across her face. She sighed, and then let go of me. "Well, almost," she laughed, "you smell awful. Where's Jake?"
"Oh," I smiled self-consciously, "em, he's outside. I need to get him some trousers." I smiled at her. Emmett laughed from the sofa; the sound sent a ripple of warmth through me, and my smile widened.
"More temper tantrums?" Mom laughed as she made her way through from the kitchen. "You'd better get Jake presentable quickly, Charlie will be here soon."
"Really?" I beamed, "How soon?"
"About 15 minutes. Sue is coming too, and maybe Seth and Leah."
"Oh, okay." My happiness was only slightly dampened. Sue wasn't our biggest fan and it was sometimes hard to have her around, a little like Leah, but her and Charlie were a package deal, so I shouldn't have been surprised that she would come to visit with him. I moved quickly up the staircase and into Jake and I's bedroom, grabbing a pair of shorts for Jake, and headed back downstairs. I caught Alice halfway along the corridor. She was staring out the long window wistfully, her face tormented in a very slight way. I hugged her side softly. "You okay, Alice?"
She sighed. "Yes. Well, I don't know. I'm getting headaches." She turned to look at me, sadness in her eyes. "Everything seems a little.. Fuzzy. Difficult." She sighed again.
"huh…" I couldn't think of anything to say. I was more confused than anything. "Any idea what's causing it?"
"No. Maybe I'm just looking to hard for something that isn't there. The reason behind Toby's change. Not that I can." She looked frustrated now. "You'd better get those to Jake. Charlie is here." I hugged her a little more tightly and then ran down the to the living room, not pausing before I ran straight out the front door. Jake got up as I approached him and took the shorts between his teeth. He nudged me lightly with his head and then disappeared into the forest. I listened carefully for Charlie's car on the drive, and could hear his engine getting closer. Jake was back in seconds, taking my hand and leading me back towards the house. Mom and Dad had made their way onto the stairs at the front door, to greet Charlie when he arrived. We stood beside them and as I listened to the approaching tyres, I felt the light fluttering of butterflies in my stomach. I was truly looking forward to seeing Charlie again, but I couldn't escape the slight fear that the meeting caused within me. The last time I saw Charlie was just over a year ago and I couldn't help but wonder whether, this time, he expected to see a change in me; some sing of ageing - a few inches taller, skin a little more worn. Of course he wouldn't ever see me change now, I was full grown and frozen physically. Yet we all had to suffer watching him grow old and, eventually, die. It made me nervous; I was expecting to see in him the same things he was possibly hoping to see in me. A little more grey in his hair, a little slower in his movements. Even then, although it hurt me a great deal to see this, I couldn't even begin to image the pain it caused Mom. You could see, very slightly, in her eyes the hurt she felt over Charlie's aging, though she kept it well hidden. The car pulled up in front of the house, and I sighed very slightly, before a grin broke across my face.
Charlie got out of the car and smiled widely at the four of us, hastily making his way toward Mom and pulling her in for a hug; you could see him squeeze her with all his might, and in turn see her use very little effort to hug him with exactly the same force. The embrace made his humanity even more potent to me. I noticed Sue and Seth climb out of the car's passenger doors, Seth's expression warm and happy, Sue's pleasant, but guarded. Despite knowing that Charlie was perfectly safe here, probably more safe than anywhere else, Sue would never be able to push from her mind the obvious facts - her family was surrounded by vampires. True, her and Charlie did send a slight burn through my stomach, but nothing uncontrollable; I imagined it would be much harder on my parents' throats, but if they could handle it, so could I. Seth came straight over to Jake and I, hugging Jake with the same enthusiasm as always, and then I received the same welcome.
"Oh man, it's good to have you back Jake. And you too Nessie. What's it been, like, a year since you were at La Push? You guys need to visit more often." Seth smiled, and then headed into the house behind Dad. Charlie came over to me then.
"Oh Nessie," he sighed as he hugged me closely, "still as beautiful as always. You haven't changed a bit. Well, unless you got even taller!" Charlie laughed. I always let my height slip my mind. I wasn't very tall, no taller than Rosalie, and nowhere near as tall as Zafrina (my Amazonian friend) but Charlie always seemed to let it vex him. It made sense to me though. A girl would have to be tall if she was made to be with Jake. He was near on 7ft.
"Maybe," I lied, "I've missed you heaps Grandpa. It's so good to see you again." And it was. My anxiety had been washed away with Charlie's embrace. He hadn't hardly changed. Perhaps his laughter lines had grown a little more pronounced, and his curls a little more thin, but nothing dramatic. He looked as healthy and happy as always.
