Enjoy! :)

Chapter Thirteen

Renesmee

"Are you sure you don't want me to drive you home?" asked Jacob for the tenth time.

"Yes, Jacob. I'm sure. You're tired and you have to work tomorrow and we live in a town of eight thousand humans, how much trouble can I get into?" I asked. "Plus Alice said she'd meet up with me half way, so there's nothing to worry about."

"Alright, I guess you're right. Just make sure you cut through the forest, okay? Human girls don't go wondering around town at two in the morning wearing short-shorts and a red bikini."

"I'll make a note of that." I smirked. "Thanks for the pizza and movie. I had fun, Jake."

"Me too," he smiled as he lead me out the door. "Good night, Renesmee."

"Good night, Jacob," I smiled and took off down the hallway. I paused at the foot of the steps, waved good-bye and then continued on. It was a cool, breezy night and I headed down the street, across an empty parking lot and into the trees. My eyes were accustomed to the night. It made no difference that the moon was hidden behind a fluffy cloud; I could make out everything as I headed east.

I took my time, enjoying the sounds of the forest and the creatures that were still naive about who I was. They could sense that something was not right with me, I could tell that by the way they froze and their little hearts seemed to stop. They could tell that I was dangerous, but I don't think they realized just how big of a threat I could be.

I travelled onwards, keeping an eye on the streets that ran parallel to the trees to keep my sense of direction. There was the odd car on the road; a sleepy looking man behind the wheel. Then a few minutes later a group of girls in a Ford. I walked on and allowed my thoughts to consume me. Thoughts about school and making friends... thoughts about Jacob and the movie we had just watched...

I was so lost in my thoughts, in fact, that I almost walked into a trap. Almost.

I caught his scent just as he jumped down from the oak, and I leapt backward and missed him by a foot. Instinct told me to run and run fast, and so I did. I tore through the forest at top speed, never stopping to look back. I didn't need to look back; I knew he was there. I could smell him. He was a vampire.

I leapt over roots and small bushes... I jumped up and swung from branches... I ran faster and faster until everything was a blur. But he was just as fast. He was just as strong; if not stronger. And I was soon lost, being pushed further and further off my course. It got to a point where I thought about stopping and fighting back. But I knew I couldn't let it get that far. His venom wouldn't kill me but he could still drain me of my blood.

And so I continued to run and I called out for my father. I repeated his name over and over again in my head.

Edward! Help me! Dad! Help me! Edward! Help me!

I was sure it wouldn't work. I was too far away for him to hear me. But suddenly everything went black and fuzzy and I lost my footing. I could feel myself falling just as I heard my father's voice in my head scream "I'm coming!"

I rolled over and opened my eyes. I was lying on my back on the forest floor, looking up at the twinkling stars through the tall evergreens high above. What had just happened? Did I really just hear my father? Did he hear my panicked cry for help?

"You're pretty quick for someone with a beating heart." came a voice that was so unlike my father's that it brought me back to the present. I shot up in the air and was about to take off running again but I was quickly pinned to an oak tree by a vampire whom bore a striking resemblance to Johnny Depp in the movie Cry Baby.

He had dark brown hair that was gelled up with a 1950's curl and he was wearing a black leather jacket, white t-shirt and blue jeans. I was beginning to wonder if I had hit my head on my way down.

"What are you, gorgeous?" he asked in a deep, silky voice. Under normal circumstances a girl could get lost in a voice like that. But with his fingers digging into my arms, just seconds away from snapping my humerus in two, it had the opposite effect.

"Bite me and you die!" I yelled in his face. "My blood is tainted and it will kill you!"

"Now, you know I don't believe that." he smirked. "If that were true, you would have stopped to fight me. Instead you ran." His eyes darted across my face as though trying to gather some information from my physical appearance.

"I ran because you're stronger than me," I snapped.

"Hmm... maybe so... what are you, lovely?" he asked again as he removed his left hand and fingered one of my ringlets.

"I'm no one. I'm nothing. I don't exist!"

"Oh, but you are someone. A very beautiful someone. And you do exist. You smell like a vampire and yet, you have a beating heart. A heart that is beating rather fast, might I add." He let go of my arm and rested both his hands on the tree trunk behind me, pinning me in with his forearms. His face was just inches from mine and I was forced to stare into his beautiful face. The face of an angel, with sparkling, blood red eyes.

I looked away. I had too. His beauty was pulling me in. He wasn't trying to dazzle me; he didn't need to. I was already drawn to the shape of his cheek, the angle of his chin, the curve of his lips.

I was expecting that he would turn my face and force me to look at him, but instead he leaned forward and planted a cool kiss on my cheek. I snapped my head back to look at him but he was no longer pinning me to the tree. Instead he was seated on a large rock watching me in the dark with a smirk.

"I wouldn't try to run if I were you," he warned somewhat playfully, "I would just have to chase you down again, and then I would be really unhappy cause we'd have to start from square one."

I shifted on the spot and analyzed my options. I could run and this time run in the right direction home, for those few seconds on the ground staring up at the sky told me that I was north-east of the house. I could try to fight the vampire, but really, how long would that last? Long enough to give my father a chance to locate me?

"Stop it!" he warned. "Don't do that."

"Do what?"

"Think. I can tell that you're plotting a way out." he smirked, and then got serious, "Would it make things easier if you knew that I wasn't going to hurt you?"

"Ha! That's rich." I spat. "If you're not going to hurt me than let me go."

"Oh, I'll let you go, once you tell me what you are." he smiled seductively.

"What does it matter?" I asked, my fists clenched in rage.

"I'm curious." he shrugged.

"Curiosity killed the cat, you know." It was lame, but it was the best I could think of.

"Oh, but I'm no cat." He stood up and strolled towards me, an immortal teenage vampire circa the 1950's, Johnny Depp look-a-like; tall, dark and handsome. Is it strange that in this time of danger that my heart was racing and my cheeks were flushed and my groin was burning with a fire that had nothing to do with my impending death?

I was frozen with my back against the tree, and when he came up to me and nuzzled his head in my hair, a part of me was afraid, but another part was aroused. Something inside of me was growling. It began in the pit of my stomach and was slowly making it's way up my torso and into my limbs.

"You're so warm..." he breathed, and he began to kiss my neck... deep, soft, cool kisses... and without much control I raised a hand and caressed the back of his head. His right hand wrapped around and grabbed my butt firmly and his kisses intensified. I should have been scared, and truthfully I was. A little voice inside my head was screaming, screaming for me to stop. Screaming for me to take the chance and fight him off. But a much stronger voice was telling the little voice to shut the hell up. The stronger voice was taking over, and it was with the stronger, louder voice that I let out a loud moan.

I could tell that my moan only encouraged him further. He kissed the entire length of my neck and then began to move down my to chest, towards my breasts when suddenly his breath became heavy and his body went rigid and cold as ice. I knew what was coming. He was going to bite me, and for a slight moment in time, I didn't care.

But right when I braced myself for the impact, he pulled away from me and stared deep into my eyes and whispered, "No, I can't."

I saw the pain in his eyes. I saw the hurt and I saw invisible tears. I saw all this right before my father came up from behind the dark haired vampire and threw him backwards, twenty feet in the air. I watched the boy get thrown up in the air and crash against a tree. I knew he was strong enough to fight back, but he didn't. Instead he lay still in a heap at the base of the evergreen.

"Renesmee, are you alright?" asked my father as he shook my shoulders and tried to catch my eye. But I was looking over his shoulder and watching the crumpled vampire and wondering why he wasn't getting up. Wondering if he was badly hurt.

"RENESMEE! Are you okay?" yelled my father.

"Yes!" I shouted and looked at my father, "Dad - I'm okay. I'm okay..." I cried, the tears finally began to form.

"Alice, get her out of here." said my father as he passed me off to another pair of cool hands. I allowed Alice to lead me away from the site, but I stopped when I heard my father's growl through the forest.

"What is your name? WHAT IS YOUR NAME?" he demanded.

"Jonathan Williams... my name is Jonathan." replied a weak voice.

"How long have you been a vampire, Jonathan?" asked the cold voice of my father.

"Since eighteen eighty-nine."

"So you know the vampire code. You know the laws?"

"Yes, I know them."

"Then know this; this town is taken. I reside here with my family and that young woman that you just had your filthy hands on is apart of that family."

"Renesmee, stay here!" hissed Alice as she pulled me back. I had already started to weave in and out of the trees to get a better look as to what was happening.

"You need to leave now. Leave and never return or I swear to God I will hunt you down and tear you limb from limb!" growled my father. I could see that the vampire was still at the base of the tree, and that my father was towering above him. I had never seen him so angry.

"Renesmee, let's go! Move it!" hissed Alice as she shoved me forward and we took off at a run without looking back. We seemed to reach the house much too quickly. I didn't slow down. I tore up the steps, whipped open the front door and blew past Esme in the kitchen and Carlisle and Jasper in the living room. I stormed all the way up to the third floor and slammed the door shut behind me. I paced the floor of my bedroom back and forth, back and forth, and finally, deciding that I needed some fresh air, I walked out onto the deck and took a deep breath.

Just as I was about to exhale I heard my father enter the clearing of our yard. I peaked over the edge of the railing and saw that my mother was running towards him.

"Edward, what happened? Where is she? Is she alright?"

"She's fine, Bella. She ran into a vampire on her way home, but he didn't bite her. She's fine." answered my father in a soothing tone as he pulled my mother into a hug.

"Oh my god! Where is she? Are you sure he didn't bite her?" questioned my mother.

"I'm sure, Bella. He was able to stop himself from hurting her."

"What? How? Edward, you lost me. How was he able to stop himself?" My mother was obviously bewildered by the concept. My father however didn't look so confused.

"Can you not remember another time when a vampire was able to stop himself?" asked my father softly.

It took my mother a few moments to respond to that. "Edward... you're not saying that... how could that... no..."

"I wouldn't worry too much about it, Bella. He's gone. Let's go see how she's doing, alright?"

I pulled myself away from the railing and rushed to my bed. I threw myself on top of the mattress just as I heard a knock at the door.

"Renesmee, love? Do you mind if we come in?" asked my father.

"Sure," I sat up and received the hug from my mother and allowed her to check my head, face and neck for bite marks. "Mom, I'm okay. Really, I'm fine!"

"What happened, Renesmee? I want to know everything." said my mother.

I sighed, "I was at Jacob's all night, as you already know, watching a movie. The movie ended at one-thirty and Jacob insisted that he drive me home but I really wanted to get some fresh air and that's when I called Alice's cell and asked her if she could meet up with me halfway since Jacob wouldn't let up. I left his place at around two and headed into the woods. I was too busy watching the highway and too lost in thought to realize that I wasn't alone.

"It's my own fault," I said frowning, "If only I had been paying more attention I would have picked up on his scent sooner. But I was so preoccupied that when he jumped down from the tree... I was surprised. I knew he was a vampire and something in me told me to run. But he was so fast and soon I was far off course and then I started to call out for Dad... I asked if he could come and help me. And then everything went black and I got dizzy and I fell down just as I heard Dad's voice in my head, telling me that he was on his way."

"You heard your father's voice?" asked my mother, shocked. She looked up at her husband as though expecting some sort of explanation.

"I don't know how to explain that one, Bella." said my father. "What happened after that, Renesmee?"

I gulped and tried not to think about what had happened in the forest. Instead I put all my focus on my words and prayed that my father wouldn't be able to see or read anything else.

"He knew something was up. He could tell that I'm not... right. He could sense that I'm a vampire and yet have a beating heart. He wanted to know what I am. He told me he wouldn't hurt me, that he was just curious as to my nature of being."

"Did you tell him?" asked my mother.

"No. I thought if I could keep him guessing that it would buy Dad some time to find me. He was intrigued and I didn't know what he would do once his curiosity was fulfilled. That's if he could even believe for a second that I was telling the truth."

"What next, what happened then?"

"He... he came up to me and... he waited for the answer..." I bit down on my lip, "In the beginning I was scared, but soon I could tell... well it felt like he really wasn't going to hurt me." I confessed sheepishly.

"What do you mean, Renesmee? How could you possibly know something like that?" asked my mother.

"I don't know... it was how he was looking at me, Mom. It was... he was..." I couldn't do it. I couldn't admit that in the middle of nearly being killed that I allowed myself to get swept off my feet in a heat of passion and let a hundred and twenty year old vampire caress me.

And it turned out neither could my father. My wall had broken down, and by the look on his face I could tell that he had read my thoughts. He looked a combination of mad, angry, shocked, disgusted, sad, quizzical and most of all, worried.

"Bella, I think Renesmee needs a chance to rest." whispered my father as he stood up and and gestured my mother to follow him.

"But Edward," protested my mother.

"Bella, you can question her all day long tomorrow if you like, but she needs to get some rest now." He said without looking at me.

"I don't want to question her, Edward! I just want to make sure she's okay."

"Mom, I'm okay. I'm fine. No bites, no scratches, just a little shaken up. Okay?" I said, irritated. Why couldn't she just get the hint and leave?

She stared back at me with narrow eyes. She could tell that I was obviously not okay but she knew better than to continue to badger me for information, and so she allowed herself to be escorted out by my father.

Finally alone, I collapsed on my bed and closed my eyes. I didn't bother to get undressed. I had no energy for that. I was quickly learning that with my new physical change, my need for sleep had changed as well. I no longer needed eight hours a night. Instead I was able to stay up for nearly twenty-two hours straight. What happened after those twenty-two hours? Well, lets just say that I had to find a bed ASAP or else I would end up on the floor.

At the moment my twenty-two hours were up, and as I slowly fell into a near coma, an odd thought crossed my mind. For some reason, I felt like I understood why a lioness would choose the male with the darkest mane as her mate.