Disclaimer: - I do not own Twilight, or anything Twilight related.

Chapter 7 – Worrying gets you nowhere

The next morning went by slowly. It wouldn't have been a bad thing, with it being a Sunday, but Renesmee hadn't heard anything from Hannah since Friday night, at the sleepover. She had called her a few times, each time getting her voicemail.

"Han, plz can u call me, need 2 speak 2 u. thnx, luv Ness x x x'

"You sending Hannah another message?" Jacob asked, rolling his deep brown eyes. "That's got to be the eighth one today". He took Renesmee's jacket and held it out for her to put her arms through.

"I just want to talk to her. I mean, she must be still thinking about Friday night, and I just want to tell her it's ok, that no-one cares...but what if she doesn't want to talk to me?".

"Well, you will see her tomorrow, I'm sure she will be fine honey. You worry too much" and he wrapped her in his arms from behind, placing a gentle kiss on the back of her head.

"...but you know how important she is to me, Jake. She stuck around longer than all of my other friends, she doesn't assume anything about us - any of us, and she even stayed over...most of my other so-called-friends have never even made it into the house. I just don't want her to think that anyone has judged her, or is laughing at her".

"Especially as what she saw is pretty accurate, and the fact that it's not really a laughing matter" he said flatly, raising his eyebrows and opening the door. "Please can we just have a nice walk, and enjoy the day? Trust me, you are worrying about nothing"

"Of course, I'm sorry, I guess I let my mind run away with itself sometimes don't I?" she said, leading the way out.

She enjoyed spending 'alone' time with Jacob, because when their family were around too, she had to be careful of her thoughts and actions. Not only did she have to censor her thoughts, due to her father, but she also had to be aware of her feelings, as her Uncle Jasper would pick up on those.

After Edward and Bella, Jasper was the most protective of his niece, even if he didn't openly show it. It could be due to the Volturi visiting them all those years ago, to take her away when she was just a small child, or the fact that she was half-human, and therefore more breakable than the rest, or it could also be that he had never had a child of his own. She respected Jasper far too much to pry further in order to find out, even though curiosity was becoming an addiction of Renesmee's.
She loved her Uncle deeply - he had always made her feel better when she was feeling low, and it wasn't always with his gift. Sometimes he would just sit with her and talk, sometimes they would go for a walk, or he would hunt with her. He had told her, when she was old enough to hear it, about the night of her mother's birthday party. Of how he would never forgive himself for trying to kill Bella - his sister.

Renesmee figured that that may also have been a contributing reason as to why he was so protective. He could not forgive himself even after all of these years, but he would never let anything happen to Bella's only child. She figured that maybe that was his way of righting the wrongs. He had never understood how Bella could just forget about it, forgive him so easily.

"You ok beautiful?" asked Jacob, as they walked through the trees, pulling her out of her thought filled bubble. He moved closer, and took her small, pale hand in his, the warmth instantly spreading through her.

"Yeah, of course I am Jakey, I was just thinking, that's all"

"Let me guess - it's not about the weather, or the stock market, and I bet it's got something to do with a certain Volturi?". He looked down at her like a child, not scalding her but letting her know what she was thinking about was not something he approved of.

"Hmm, you know me so well" she teased. Her face changed, from mockingly beautiful, to terrified, all in a split second, as she let her mind open to the possibilities that lay ahead. "I'm scared Jake, I'm not even going to be there to help"

"What could you do though, that would be at all helpful? The best thing is to get you out of their way. You are far too precious to the family. To me!"

"Well, if they are out to kill me, I shouldn't have my family die to protect me. All the people I love Jake. All of you. The thought alone is almost too much to bear; it should be me there, not all of them. Just me".

Jacob stopped walking, and let go of Renesmee's hand. She took a few more steps before she realised that he wasn't beside her.

"Jake?". She turned to see what was holding him up.

"Stand back!" he pushed, through clenched teeth. He was shaking from head to toe, his large russet hands balled into fists, so tightly that they were turning white. His eyes were screwed shut so tight it almost looked painful.

"Jake?" She repeated less confidently, taking a step forward. He immediately stepped away from her whilst holding his hand out in front of himself to stop her going any further, and turned his back to her. She could hear him breathing in through his nose, and blowing out through his mouth, trying to calm himself down. After a while, she could see his back was shaking less and less violently with every passing second. She lifted her head, and took in a lungful of air, trying to smell around for any oncoming threats - anything that was out of the ordinary. Finding nothing different, she turned her attention back to Jacob.

She stood watching his back, for what seemed like a lifetime. She didn't speak, and she didn't move, too afraid that anything she did would cause him to start all over again.

After a few minutes, he spun his perfect, shirtless body back round to face her. She saw sadness in his eyes, strangely mixed with anger, and felt a shock of uncertainty run through her.

"You ok Jake? Honey?" she took a weak step forward, examining his body from afar – his eyes, his hands, his breathing – all seeming to be more controlled now. "You haven't done that in years. What the heck was all that about?" she demanded, more confidently, but at the same time, keeping her voice calm so not to start off his shaking again. He waited a while before speaking.

"Do you even know what you just said?". His voice was cold and pained.

"What?" she asked, confused.

"Just then, back there. You were talking like you were going to offer yourself to them, like you would quite happily let them kill you?"

She put her head down, "Yeah". That was all she could mumble at him. She couldn't think of anything else to say - that was exactly how she had meant it.

"You don't understand Ness" he said, moving towards her. "If you died, we would all fight until the end. There is no way we would lose you, and just quit. It would just make us fight harder. You cannot believe that that would be the best idea? At least with you safe, then whatever happens…well, it wouldn't have happened for nothing would it?"

"So what else am I supposed to do? They are coming for me, and they are not going to stop until they are happy"

"Who's to say that they want rid of us all? Maybe they just want to make sure that the Cullens haven't grown bigger than them? Or that Aro..." Renesmee shuddered at his name, "...just wants to see Carlisle, or that they are going to try to persuade your Dad, or Aunt Alice to join them...again!" he added, rolling his eyes at the last part. He knew none of the Cullens would ever join the Volturi, but that didn't stop Aro from asking, every single time he saw them.

"You heard what Aunt Alice said" and she took his hands, looking into his beautiful, soulful eyes, momentarily getting lost in them. "They have made the decision to come and see me. What else could that mean?"

"But what about your gift? I mean, they maybe waiting for you to join them instead. You heard what your Dad has said before, Aro treasures gifts. Not material gifts, but beings. Beings who are a little less ordinary than the rest of us".

"But what if -". She was stopped mid-flow by Jake's warm lips, pressed against her own. He pulled his hands from hers, and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her in closer to him, and she could feel the heat radiating from his skin – warming her through. He could feel her heart beating faster against his chest, as though it would explode, and smiled against her soft lips. He loved having that effect on the person who, in turn, also had that effect on him too.

He pulled himself away, looking down at her face. "That is why you need to stay alive. Do you think I would ever kiss anyone like that besides you? You are the love of my life, the reason I exist. Without you, there is no me. I need you more than you will ever realise. I would not know what to do if you ever left". He bent his head and kissed her gently once more.

"I'm so sorry Jacob; I just don't want to feel useless. I mean, I'm stronger than humans, and I have this strength and speed, and I cannot use it"

"You do baby, but you are not as strong, or as fast as a full vampire, you know that! There is no way you could out run or out fight even Jane, and she's the same size as you"

"I just love you and all of my family and could never forgive myself if anything happened to them" she said, burying her face in his chest again.

"Why do you think they will lose? Your Mum is the greatest gift your family have. Yeah, sure, the Volturi have got Alec, who can disable people's senses, or Jane, who can inflict pain on anyone she wishes, just by simply looking at them", and he felt Renesmee tighten her grip on him. Realising that he wasn't exactly filling her with confidence, he continued on, careful to prove his point, "...but we have Bella, the shield". Renesmee opened her mouth to argue, but Jacob put his finger to her soft lips. "Your Mother has enough heart and courage and love to shield them all if needs be. You saw how she shielded us all last time. Not forgetting that your Dad, who can read minds, can tell exactly what their next move is going to be...or Alice, who can actually see their next move…as long as you and I are not there. They are a family, who love each other dearly, so work together and make a great team. The Volturi don't love each other enough, they are all far too selfish. Please don't worry, my beautiful girl, they will be safe together".

She tiptoed up, her face almost level with his, and kissed him on the cheek. She then brought her head down, to rest against his chest again, wrapping her arms around his waist.

She couldn't stop worrying, despite Jacob's confident words, once he would stop talking, she felt the fear again. It felt like she was drowning in sadness and despair and guilt and fear, all rolled into one. She tried to shake the feeling; she knew it would do no good to dwell on it.

As they walked, Jacob changed the subject and the mood lightened. Renesmee always felt safe with Jacob. Always loved the way he would stand close to her, would glance her way to steal looks at her every now and again. She not only felt safe, she felt wanted.

They reached a clearing and stopped, as Renesmee let go of his hand and pulled off her backpack. She knelt on the soft grass, and pulled out a blanket, smoothing it out on the floor. Next came out two cans of soda, and some boxes.

"Ooh, you're sly, I didn't see you preparing this..." he said, with a huge grin spreading across his face, as he saw that she had brought a picnic for them both.

"I figured a guy of your size...", she looked him up and down wantingly, from underneath her long eyelashes, "...would get hungry out here soon enough".

"Aww, Ness, you are the best girlfriend ever" he replied, as she pulled the lids off the boxes, revealing sandwiches, and various other snacks. She looked up, seeing that Jacob, surprisingly, had not tucked into the food yet. Usually he was the first to the dinner table, always hungry.

"Jake?"

"Ness", he said, with a serious look on his face, "stand up". She did as she was told, panic rising in her. Jacob bent his head towards her, with a wicked smile, and whispered in her ear "You're not the only one with a surprise", and as he bent down, he took a small, blue box from the pocket of his shorts.

Renesmee gasped, and threw her hands to her mouth in shock.

Jacob opened the box, encasing a beautiful diamond ring, and took her hand. "Renesmee, you are the most important, fantastic, amazing person in the world to me, and make loving you as easy as breathing. Will you do me the huge honour of becoming my wife?" he asked gently, with hope in his eyes. He waited with baited breath, as time ticked by. "Ness?" he asked, less confidently and a lot more nervously. "Will you?"

"Yes, of course I will, you silly, gorgeous man" she cried, throwing herself at him. She pulled herself away, and held out her hand for him to place the ring on her delicate finger. Holding her hand up, she could see the sunlight playfully dancing of the diamond. "Of course I will marry you Jacob...oh my gosh, and it fits perfectly. I'm going to be Renesmee Black...Renesmee Carlie Black" she began chanting to herself, smiling the whole time.

Jacob stood up, and scooped up his bride-to-be in his arms.

Suddenly, she forgot about the Volturi, and the impending doom waiting for them. She was going to be a bride, she was getting married.

"Is that what you were doing with Dad, outside, this morning?" she asked, pulling herself away, but still holding onto him.

"Yeah, well, I know your Dad is...erm...old" he finally said, not being able to find a better phrase for what he wanted to say, "so I figured that asking him for your hand would be how he would like it to be done - y'know, traditionally".

She looked down at her hand again, to the beautiful new addition. She could see Jacob's beaming white smile from the corner of her eye.

"It's almost as perfect as you are" he breathed in her ear. She let out a giggle, not taking her eyes away.

"Thank you for asking Dad too, that will mean so much to him...and to me!".

"Sure sure. Anyway, I figured I may as well stay in his good books if I'm going to be sticking around now" he said, bumping shoulders with her, playfully. "So, how about we celebrate?"

"How?"

"Well for now, why don't we have a picnic" he said, gesturing to the spread she had prepared, and eyeing up the sandwiches, "but we could always have a party at the house I suppose, if it's ok with Carlisle and Esme that is". He saw Renesmee's eyes light up at the prospect of having a reason to go shopping for a new outfit, and decorating the house.

"You know, Jacob Black, you are such an amazing boyfriend" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around his neck.

"Ahem" he interrupted, "I think you mean fiancée". She giggled again, putting her hand to her mouth. Jacob took her hand in his and kissed it very gently, then moved a little to kiss the ring. Even the smallest touch from him would send electric waves coursing through her, and she

They ate, and talked - mostly about weddings and dresses, and tuxes, and flowers. Jacob smiled as he looked on at his future wife, eating and chatting merrily, he loved seeing her happy. She was a very different person than the one he had been comforting only hours before. It was always his favourite vision, Renesmee smiling. Whenever he was sad, or something made him angry, he would see her smiling face in his head, and the pain would vanish, like a million grains of sand, being blown away with the wind.

"Well, suppose we had best get back" she said, standing up, and packing the boxes and their rubbish away in her backpack. "They will be wondering where we had got to, and you know what my Dad is like for worrying".

"You just want to get back to tell them all don't you?" he asked, mockingly, through narrowed eyes.

"Oh yeah, course I do! Aunt Alice is going to freak..." she said, excitedly, and again her eyes darted to her left hand.

Suddenly she went silent, staring into the trees ahead of her, "...come to think of it, Mum is going to freak too. What if she's mad?"

"Why would she be mad?"

"Erm, because I'm only 16..."

"You're going to be 17 in two months" he protested back. "I mean, how old was she and your Dad when they were married? And anyway, it's not like we're going to get married straight away is it?"

"Yeah, I suppose you're right. I don't want to leave it too long though. We have to get married soon, I can't wait to be Mrs Black" she beamed.

"I can't wait either Angel, I really can't".

So, there you have it, the next instalment. Thank you for the reviews I have gotten from you all so far – KEEP THEM COMING! – It really does spur me on to write more chapters for you lovely people.

As always, read and review – I love it!

Thanks. xxx