RED

Chapter Eight

Jake caught sight of Jared in the trees just outside the reservation. He was in wolf form to report that his assignment had been successful. Most of the other wolves were excited to meet the girl. Jake rolled his eyes; he was sure he knew of at least one that would assume Jake was in love with the girl. He tried not to make any hurried or jarring movements as he crouched down and asked Jared to take Renesmee off his back. He needed to phase and get her bed ready for her.

Jared acknowledged and phased back, pulling on his pants before gently picking up Renesmee. She stirred slightly but didn't wake.

"Is this her?" Quil asked when Jared came out of the trees.

"Yes, be quiet. She's sleeping."

Quil nodded and looked at the girl. "She's pretty." He wasn't sure why that surprised him. Jared nodded and carried her to Jake's house.

She stirred again when he set her on the couch, her eyes squeezing shut before opening slightly. She wasn't sure where she was, but the last thing she remembered was lying on Jake in the dark forest. She gasped and sat up, suddenly terrified of the two strangers in front of her. Neither one was Jake, but they both had a strange resemblance to him and she knew they were werewolves.

"Hey, calm down. I'm Jared," Jared put his hand on his chest, "and that's Quil. Jake'll be here in just a sec."

Renesmee tried to get her heart to calm down. She nodded and closed her eyes tightly, trying to breathe normally.

Jared wasn't sure what to do, but he had a feeling that Jake was the only one she really trusted and having him and Quil there was not helping her. He pushed Quil's shoulder and left the room, hoping to let her calm down. They walked down the hall to see Jake in the guest bedroom making the bed.

"She's on the couch," Jared said, "and she's scared."

Jake stood up, dropping the sheet he had. "You woke her up?"

Jared shrugged. "I didn't mean to; she woke up when I put her down."

Jake nodded and turned back to the bed. He finished with the blankets and turned to the door. "You guys can leave. Tomorrow's probably going to be difficult for her; I want her to be comfortable here."

Jared and Quil nodded and left. Jake took a breath and went out to the living room where Renesmee was sitting on the couch with her knees pulled up to her chest. He sat down beside her and offered his hand. She took it and squeezed tightly.

"How are you?" he asked.

She looked over at him and shrugged. "I'm okay."

He nodded. "Tired?"

She couldn't deny it and nodded, fighting the urge to lean on him again.

"I have the guest bedroom ready for you. Come on; I'll show you." He stood up and tugged her hand gently. She stood up with him and kept hold of his hand as they walked down the hall. He stopped at the first door on the left and held out his hand, letting her go in first.

Renesmee looked around the room without letting go of Jake's hand. She turned back to him and smiled. "Thank you so much, Jake. You've been kinder to me than I could have hoped for."

He smiled and pulled her back to him slowly, giving her a chance to pull away. When she didn't protest or try to pull back, he hugged her gently. "You're safe here, Renesmee. I promise."

Renesmee gave in and rested against Jake, listening to his heartbeat, and noticing how similar it was to his heartbeat as a wolf. It relaxed her further and she took a deep breath. "I feel safe here."

"Good. Why don't you go to bed and get some sleep? The rest of the pack is excited to meet you tomorrow."

She nodded and pulled away from him reluctantly. Jake released her and took a step back. He watched her take off her cloak and set it gingerly on the end of the bed. She turned to look at him and smiled timidly.

"I'll be just down the hall if you need anything, okay?" he said, taking another step back. She nodded and he closed the door, leaving her to go to bed.

~*~RED~*~

Renesmee squeezed her eyes shut and pulled the blanket over her face, trying to block out the light that was coming in through the window. She wasn't ready to wake up yet. She had slept better in Jake's guest bedroom than she had in what felt like ages. After a few minutes, she remembered that she was going to meet Jake's pack in the human form today, and she was instantly nervous. She knew she wasn't going to be able to go back to sleep and sighed.

She sat up slowly and stretched. Looking around the room with fresh eyes, she had to smile at the little things that seemed so normal in a werewolf's house. There was a small table beside the bed with a picture of a younger-looking Jake with an older man that Renesmee assumed was his dad. The man was in a wheelchair and Jake had long hair. She smiled, noticing how the long hair looked good on him. She sighed and got up, expecting to put on her cloak and find Jake.

Her cloak was not at the end of the bed where she had left it. In its place was a pile of clothing, neatly folded. She bit her lip, not sure if the clothing meant she should change. She picked up the shirt and sniffed it. It smelled feminine, but still warm and rich like Jake. She furrowed her brow, wondering if he had a girlfriend or a wife. The clothing was obviously meant for her, so she changed quickly surprised at how well they fit. They were a little big, but she doubted anyone would notice. She didn't think about whose clothes she was wearing as she slowly opened the door and stepped out.

"Jake?" she called softly. She didn't want to wander through the house, partly afraid of what she would find if she did. She heard movement and bit her lip.

"Good morning," Jake said when he rounded the corner. "How did you sleep?" He was happy that she seemed to accept the clothes he'd given her.

She shrugged. "Pretty good. Um, thank you for the clothes," she said, picking at the shirt she had on.

He smiled. "You're welcome. But really, you should thank Leah. You'll meet her today."

Renesmee looked down. "Is she your girlfriend or something?" she asked, trying hard to keep the bitterness out of her tone.

Jake almost laughed out loud, but he could tell that somehow the thought of Leah being his girlfriend upset Renesmee. He wasn't sure why he liked that. "No, she's not. She's one of my pack."

Renesmee smiled and looked up at him, relieved but unwilling to dissect the reason for her relief. "Okay."

"Are you hungry?" he asked, impatient to get the day started. His pack—all except Sam—was excited and eager to meet her, and he was just as eager to get the introductions out of the way. He wasn't sure how excited Renesmee was to meet the rest of the pack, but he hoped she would relax once she realized they wouldn't hurt her.

She nodded and took a deep breath. She could tell Jake was excited about something; he kept shifting his weight like he couldn't stand still.

"What would you like? Can you eat normal food?" He hadn't even thought about what she would need to eat.

She nodded slowly. "I can, but I usually don't. There's a small bakery in the village near where I stayed with Nahuel and I usually get bread or muffins there when I want something more than just meat and blood."

He remembered the smell of the muffins in her basket and nodded. "Your basket is outside; you could have those if you want. Or you're welcome to anything I've got here."

She pursed her lips and tried to decide what she wanted. She didn't want to impose and take Jacob's food, but she also didn't want to eat her muffins. "If it's okay, I'd like to try something new."

Jake smiled. "Come see if there's anything you want."

He led the way to the kitchen and she wrapped her arms around her stomach, trying to hide herself a little. She was used to having her cloak on and she felt more exposed now than usual. "Do you know where my cloak is?" she asked when they entered the kitchen.

"Yes, Jared's wife, Kim, is washing it for you. She thought you'd like it better clean."

She nodded and looked around the kitchen. It was bright from the light coming in through a sliding glass door just off to the side of the kitchen. The cupboards were pale wood and she watched him as he looked around.

"What do you usually eat in the morning?" she asked, peeking under his arm to see inside one of the cupboards. It was full of boxes.

He shrugged. "I'm usually lazy and just grab a bowl of cereal."

She nodded and looked up at him. "Can I try that?"

He smiled down at her. "Sure; what do you want? Lucky Charms or Cocoa Puffs?"

"Surprise me."

"You could mix them together, too. That's really good." He got a bowl out for her and set it on the counter.

"Um, sure." She wasn't sure if she was even going to like this, but she figured she could give it a shot. She wanted to fit in here and if that meant eating strange foods like Lucky Charms, she'd do it. She watched him as he expertly combined the cereals and poured milk in the bowl for her. Then he handed it to her and had her sit down at the table to eat.

She poked at the cereal with her spoon, aware of him watching her. She wasn't used to people watching her eat and she peeked up at him, a little embarrassed. He smiled at her. She finally dug out a spoonful and put it in her mouth.

"When you're done eating we'll go over to Jared's and get your cloak, then we're having a barbecue thing at Quil's. You can meet everyone there, okay?"

She nodded as she chewed, furrowing her brow. She wasn't sure what to think of the sweet, crunchy cereal. It wasn't horrible, though, so she swallowed and looked up at Jake. He smiled at her.

"Verdict?"

She smirked. "I suppose it's edible."

He chuckled and got up to let her eat in peace. "I'll be outside if you need anything."

She nodded and turned back to the bowl. When she was finished, she set her bowl in the sink and wrapped her arms around her stomach again as she went outside to find Jake. She found her basket on the step and picked it up, holding in front of her and feeling a little more shielded. She smiled and walked around, looking for Jake.

She didn't see him at first, but she looked around at all of the trees. She was used to being surrounded by trees, but the dense rainforest she was used to was different from the mossy forest of the Quileute reservation. The smell was softer yet somehow warmer and she knew she'd find different kinds of animals to hunt here.

"All done?" she heard Jake ask. She looked over at him and nodded.

"Yeah."

He walked over to her. "Do you want to head over to Jared's now?"

She nodded; she really wanted her cloak back. She wondered if she'd ever be comfortable here without it. She knew if it was just Jake she'd get there eventually, but with everyone else there it was harder to say.