a/n This one's been planned for a long time, but you've kept on asking for it, so enjoy! Sorry for the wait—I had to restart about ten times.

Set about a month after "Dance."

KISS

"Oh, my God, that feels amazing."

"Yeah?"

"Oh, God, yes." A sharp inhale of breath revealed a hot spot. "Oh! Right there."

"Here?"

"Yeah." The covers shifted a little. "A little harder."

Rachel's bedroom door opened, and Renesmee looked over to see Jacob and Paul standing in the hall. Jacob's eyebrows were raised. "Do you hav any idea how wrong that sounds?"

Rachel scowled at her brother and Renesmee giggled, continuing her work on Rachel's back. "She's being kind and understanding," Rachel snapped. "I spent all morning lying on the bathroom floor, and my back hurts."

"Where were you this morning, Paul?" Renesmee glared at him, and he took a step back. Paul had been a little scared of Renesmee since she'd broken his nose earlier in the year, and it amused her to no end.

"I was sleeping," he said cautiously.

"Letting your pregnant wife puke all alone, without any loving support from you?" She scoffed. "Typical Paul."

"I was tired!"

"Typical Paul." Renesmee worked her thumbs into a particularly nasty knot between Rachel's shoulder blades, and she moaned.

"It was four in the morning."

"I wake up at four in the morning all the time." She smirked. "Typical Paul."

"That's because you only need about five hours of sleep in a night," Paul countered. He opened his mouth to say something else, but Renesmee narrowed her eyes at him.

"I can ensure that if you open your mouth again, the baby she's pregnant with now will be your only baby."

Paul closed his mouth and Jacob chuckled. "Wise move, Paul." Paul glared at him, and Jacob shrugged. "I'm only saying, I've been on the receiving end, and it's not fun. Wise move."

"Be nice," Rachel mumbled. "It's her birthday."

"It's okay, Rach," Renesmee assured her. "I like to argue. Daddy thinks I would make an excellent lawyer."

"I concur." Rachel smiled. "I think I'm good. We need to get started down to the beach, anyway."

"I don't understand why we're going to the beach this close to dark." Renesmee frowned. "What's the point, when we're just going to have to turn around and come back in an hour?"

"Who said anything about coming back?" Jacob asked, smiling slightly as his sister passed him into the hall. He absently rubbed her back as she walked by, and she gave him a little smile. Ever since Billy had been sick, Rachel and Jacob had become closer than they had been previously. Faced with the real prospect of their father's death, they banned together. Rachel had called him crying, and he was spending almost as much time in Forks as he was in Chicago.

When she reached his side, Renesmee reached for his hand, and she sighed softly when his warm fingers wrapped around hers. "So what are we doing?"

Jacob blinked down at her as he led her out the front door, waving across at Rachel in farewell. "What do you mean?"

"We're going to the beach at odd hours of the day," she said, smiling oddly at him. "Rachel showed up at my house telling me I had to leave with her, and I got no explanation from my parents, who seemed completely unsurprised to see her there. Where are we really going?"

"You don't think the fact that it's your birthday could have anything to do with this?" He chuckled, and she could feel it in their joined fingers.

"But we already had my birthday party, and everybody was there." She cocked her head. "What's going on?"

Jacob just shrugged, fighting back a smile. "You'll see. Would you like to drive?"

"Not really." She frowned at the car parked in the driveway. "I need to get my own car for when I'm here."

"So bring one over." He chuckled. "You've four to choose from."

"Three," she amended. "The Toyota's yours. I abandoned that beast, but lovingly," she added, referring to the massive Tundra she'd learned how to drive in, currently parked in a storage unit in Minnesota. "And in any case, my dad doesn't seem to want me to have another one, and I'd have to ask him to move one over in any case."

"And in the meantime…" Jacob frowned. "I can see why you don't want to drive. I don't have the greatest choices here, either, though. At least his car's not so bad to look at."

"It's an old man car." She crossed her arms, frowning. "He's obsessed with this car. I feel like he's trying to sell me on it."

"He just wants you to be safe," Jacob explained. "It's a safe car."

From down the street, there was a booming of bass and the squealing of tires before a black Escalade roared up the road, spinning into the driveway before screeching to a halt. They stared at it for a moment before looking to see who on earth the driver was.

Seth bounced out, grinning from ear to ear. "I bought an Escalade!" he said needlessly.

"Wow, Seth," Jacob said, pulling Renesmee down the drive toward him. "Were you really that upset about Melanie?"

Seth blinked, confused. "Who?"

Renesmee snorted, and before she could stop it, it turned into a stream of giggles.

"Jesus, Seth, can't you even keep your girlfriends straight anymore?" Jacob was shaking his head.

"Exes don't count," he said. "I've moved on. Twice." He opened the backdoor before making his way back around to the driver's side.

Clearly, although he knew Renesmee would rather see him settled down, Seth seemed in no mood to tame his wild ways when it came to women. It didn't really surprise her that he'd bought a new car. He probably planned to use it to pick up more women—at least, once he found a woman in Seattle that didn't know him.

Jacob helped her up into the car, hoisting her a little by her waist, and maybe a little longer than he needed. When she glanced at him in her peripheral vision, she could see what he was up to.

"Hey, Jake?" Seth adjusted the rearview mirror, giving Jacob an amused look in its reflection. "You need to get better at your ogling. You're a little obvious." Renesmee giggled a little, and he mumbled something unintelligible. "Laugh it up, hoe," Seth added. "Glad to see you've decided wearing clothing is a plus. You look cute, for a change."

Renesmee felt her face flush as she recalled the last conversation she'd had with Seth, just a month before, in Chicago. After consideration and a long conversation with her mother, she'd decided he was right.

"I mean, should I really not be dressing like this?" Renesmee hung up another shirt, frowning at it. "Dad hates it, too."

"I'm not about to tell you how to dress," her mother said, still sitting on the bed in Edward's childhood room, folding clothes for Renesmee. When she turned to look at her, Renesmee saw that her mother wore a small smile on her lips. She looked amused. "I do think it's a little much, but if it's really what you want…" She shrugged. "And part of me likes watching your dad squirm. Sometimes, I think he wishes women still wore floor length dresses and deadly bathing suits."

Renesmee giggled. "You're really bad."

"I know." Her mother looked up from the pair of jeans she was folding. "There's just one thing I don't get." When Renesmee gave her a quizzical look, she continued. "I don't understand why you think you need to tease him to get his attention. You dominate his attention." She shrugged slightly, returning her attention to the jeans. "And I think what you're wearing now looks good."

Renesmee frowned down at her clothes. She was wearing jeans and a white Calvin Klein shirt. Relatively boring. "Really?"

"Yeah." Her mother stood up from the bed and ventured into the closet, eyeing it critically. She suddenly smiled and pulled out a vintage, floral maxi dress she'd picked up in a shop last week. "This is fun."

"I just got it," she said, taking it away and holding it up to her. "Do you know how hard it is for me to find good vintage? My boobs are huge!"

Bella giggled again. "You should wear that on your birthday," she suggested, a little twinkle in her eye.

"You think?" She hung it on a hook. "We'll make it a contender. What else is there?"

"Ooh! No, changed my mind." Bella pulled out another of her newer purchases. "This is adorable!"

Renesmee took the Marc Jacobs dress from her mother, frowning a little. She'd picked it up at Macy's the week before, and it still bore its tags. "You don't think it'll make me look twelve?"

Raised eyebrows made her blush a little. "You and I both know you don't look twelve."

"Thanks, Seth." Renesmee crossed her arms. Adorable and cute were the descriptors of this dress so far. Not what she was going for. Then her mother's words came back to her…

"I don't think you need to tease him to get his attention."

As she thought back over the events of the day, she realized that she really didn't. It was certainly fun to make his blood boil, to see him actually blush at the tiny clothes she wore. But he'd been different today, keeping his arm wrapped around her waist for most of the afternoon. Normally, he would just hold her hand, maybe keeping a few inches between them. Today, though, she'd certainly dressed conservatively, for her, which she had been told by everybody was "so cute."

Except, she realized now, Jacob. He hadn't actually said anything. But he held her closer than was usual, stared at her a little more obviously, and gone out of his way to be a gentleman more than usual.

She smiled up at him, realizing suddenly that she'd been staring at him for about a minute without blinking, and she felt her cheeks flame. He smiled back. "What's on your mind, kid?"

"I'm trying to figure out what's going on with this random beach trip." Half true.

"You'll see," he said, still smiling. They pulled into the parking lot near the beach. "Come on." He climbed out of the car and jogged around to help her slide gracefully onto the pavement.

It was a beautiful evening, she thought. Warmer than usual, no rain, and just a light breeze. Seth ran ahead of them and Jacob wrapped his fingers through hers. He pointed ahead, and she followed with her eyes to where a bonfire was blazing a ways down the beach. She could see several of their La Push friends gathered around the fire, and she grinned.

"They thought you needed a real party," he explained.

"Do my parents know?"

"I told your mom," he said, shrugging and smiling slightly. "She seemed fine with you being gone for a while."

"Of course she was," Renesmee said, rolling her eyes. "I swear those two spend half of their lives figuring out where they can sneak off to so they can get laid. You know I caught them in the stacks at the university library?"

"Seriously?" Jacob burst out laughing.

"Yeah!" Renesmee shook her head. "I was supposed to go out with my mom, but she was taking forever at the library, so I texted her and told her I was coming over there, so to wait for me. I couldn't find them anywhere. So I checked the odd places, you know, where the books are dustiest, and there they are, going at it like their teenage selves." She rolled her eyes. "I thought my dad's eyes were going to pop out of his sockets. He couldn't look me in the face for the rest of the day."

Jacob was still laughing, wiping tears from his eyes, when they reached the fire.

It was a great night. Wine and beer were passed around, their little crowd was kicked back and relaxed, and Jacob kept some kind of contact with her all night. When both of his hands were occupied with food, they were still sitting so close together that the side of his leg pressed against hers. He was wearing shorts, so his skin was pressed against hers, and it felt like electric currents passed between them. The rest of the time, he kept an arm around her waist or held her hand. Across from them, she saw Seth smile a little at her before returning his attention to Jared and Kim.

"Are you having a good time?" Jacob asked softly, his warm breath brushing her cheek when he leaned in to speak to her.

She nodded at him, smiling. "It's nice to see everybody again," she murmured, wrapping an arm through his and leaning against his side. It felt good.

"Yeah." He gave her an odd little smile. "Are you tired?"

"Not really," she said, shrugging. "The fire's so warm, though, it's kind of giving me that feeling like I could fall asleep."

"You want to take a little walk?" He nodded down the vacant beach. "Might wake you up."

"Yes." Renesmee smiled slightly, sliding out of the heals she'd been wearing. "I'm leaving my shoes here, though. I don't want to ruin them."

"And as funny as it might be to watch you walk in them in the sand," he added, grinning, "that's probably not a bad idea." He reached out a hand to help her up, and she took it. He led her around the log they'd been perched on and out onto the beach. Gentle waves brushed the bit of sand at the beach's edge, and Renesmee let Jacob lead her, her eyes closed.

"I missed being here," she said quietly.

"I thought I'd be happy to get out for a change," Jacob said, nodding, "but I missed it, too. The first night we were in Minnesota, I had a hard time falling asleep, and I realized it was because there was no white noise. You get so used to hearing rain on the roof for your whole life; it just feels nice and homey."

"I know." She took a deep breath, letting the cool night air fill her lungs. "It's so nice to be back, even if it's just for a few days."

Jacob was staring ahead. "I need to tell you something. I might be moving back here before much longer."

Renesmee stopped walking. They were a fair distance away from the others now. Her stomach lurched, and she stared up at him. "What?"

He shrugged. "Billy's not getting any better, and as hard as your dad and Carlisle are trying, they're not getting anywhere. It might be better if I just come back here."

Her heart was stopping, and her tummy was in knots. The concept of spending any length of time with Jacob across country was an unwelcome one, and her breathing quickened slightly. "But…" She frowned, upset. "What will I do?"

Jacob frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," she said slowly, feeling the blush creeping into her cheeks, "what will I do? Imprinting goes two ways, Jacob. I…" She took a deep breath and let it out in a rush. "I'm not sure what I'll be like if you're two thousand miles away for an extended period of time."

The confusion left his face, and he smiled down at her, one hand reaching up to brush back her hair. His eyes were so warm. "You think I didn't think the exact same thing?" Jacob shook his head slightly. "I already talked to your dad. He and Carlisle have done about as much research as they can, so far, and they feel like they'd do more here. We would just move back and lay real low for a while."

She blinked. "I'd come, too?"

"I know you don't know what you'd be like if I was two thousand miles away," he said, his voice very gentle. Soothing. "So let's just not find out."

She reached up her hand to brush back his shaggy hair from his face, smiling slightly. "You should let my grandma cut your hair before you go," she said, her smiling threatening to widen. "Last time, it looked like you let a kindergartener do it."

"Just because I didn't have a good way of looking at the back," he defended himself, but his own smile crept onto his face.

They were standing so close now that she could actually feel the heat of their bodies mixing in the small space between them. Maybe all that heat was making little electrical storms, because it was like shocks kept going through her. Then an errant thought occurred to her, and she let the hand that had been fighting his hair run through his messy locks. His dark eyes closed and he leaned into her hand, sighing very softly. She wasn't really sure what to say to him. She wanted to say something profound, maybe profess her feelings for him.

Instead, she asked, "Do you like this dress?" and he burst out laughing. "Well," she said, removing her hands and frowning at him, "you haven't said a word about it all day."

"I like the dress," he said, still chuckling. "And I haven't been saying anything because I've been enjoying your reaction to everyone else's opinions about this dress."

Renesmee gave him a confused look and glanced down at her dress. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I lost count of how many times I heard how cute that dress is," he responded. "You don't like being called cute."

Frowning slightly, she lowered her eyes. "It makes me feel twelve," she said.

"You don't look twelve." She stared up at him again, and his eyes were dark. "You're growing up fast, kid. A little faster than I can wrap my head around, sometimes." He shook his head. "I've spent the last three months trying to think of anything else than the way you look." He chuckled, and the sound had an edge of darkness in it.

It sounded…sexy.

"It's like you refuse to acknowledge how attractive I think you are. I know exactly how much you've grown." His eyes darkened even more, if it was possible. "Maybe you really don't get it, but I cannot stop thinking about you. I have never been able to stop thinking about you, but lately, it's different. Granted, it's hard not to when you concider the way you've been dressing the last few months," he teased. He took a step back, and she felt her cheeks flame under his unconcealed, lustful gaze. "That's why I wouldn't do anything but hold your hand. I was afraid if I did anything else, it would lead to something you're not ready for yet."

Her stomach gave a nervous lurch. He was talking about sex, and she wasn't sure, when faced with it, that she was really ready for that yet.

The butterflies must have shown on her face, because he laughed again, the sound a little lighter now. "Don't worry, I'm not going to jump you. Like I said, I don't think you're ready for it. And I cannot," he said solemnly, "do anything to harm you. I'm tired of fighting this, though." He gestured in the space between them. Her breath caught in her chest when he closed the gap again, reaching up to cup her face in his big, warm hands. His splayed fingers covered space from the tops of her shoulders to the back of her neck. "It's exhausting. I need to do more than hold your hand, but I don't need that much more. Neither do you."

He smiled slightly again, tilting her face up a little more, and her stomach nearly jumped into her throat, but this time it was a good thing. "You look beautiful in that dress."

Very slowly, as if he were trying to give her time to bolt, he leaned in and pressed his forehead to hers. His breath mingled with hers. And when she made no move to stop him, he very gently pressed his lips to hers.

The electricity that had been shooting between them for the past few months found a new home in their lips. She had been afraid that she would have no idea what to do when this happened, but as his soft lips brushed gently against hers, she realized that kissing Jacob was as easy to figure out as walking had once been. She sighed softly, and an almost inaudible groan sounded from deep in his throat. Her hands found a home in his hair, wrapping her fingers in his shaggy locks and pulling him a little closer. He was so tall, he had to crouch slightly to kiss her, and she squealed slightly when his hands suddenly left her face to swing her up into his arms. She giggled against his lips as he carried her toward a driftwood log a few feet back. He seated himself, and she wound up in his lap.

It occurred to her, as he continued to press very tender, gentle kisses to her lips, that she hadn't sat in his lap in a long time. The last time she'd been here, he'd been helping her open a Christmas present, and she'd been two.

This, though, was very different. She fit differently, more like a puzzle piece there, like it was where she belonged. She gasped a little when his arms wrapped around her, pulling her closer, and kissing her a little harder. When she felt his tongue gently trace the bottom edge of her lower lip, electricity jolted through her whole body, starting at her lips, and spiraling up between her legs. It was like grabbing onto an electric fence, but good. Another sigh opened her mouth just a bit, and he took advantage of the opportunity to lightly brush his tongue against hers.

It was as if she'd gone wild. She pulled his hair slightly, bringing herself even closer, and now he moaned, the sound vibrating back to that same place. All tenderness vanished, replaced by a sudden flare of fire. Still going only on intuition, Renesmee let her tongue dart back to his, and her stomach fluttered excitedly when she felt his lips curl into a smile against hers. Their tongues battled for dominance now, no longer tentative, and she couldn't stop the thought from running over and over in her head that she was actually kissing Jacob Black.

Jacob, who had been the best babysitter ever when she had been a child. The same Jacob who had worried over her when she'd gone off to high school, and the same one who had awkwardly endured her flirtatious efforts over the last few months.

And the Jacob who knew her inside and out, good and bad. The man who knew her horrible temper and her selfish ways.

The man who seemed to adore her, no matter what.

Jacob Black is kissing me. I'm kissing Jacob Black.

For the first time in her life, she understood what it felt like to have a man's arms wrapped around her, and they were Jacob's. No one else's arms could possibly feel this wonderful. No one could ever smell so superb. She had always loved the way he smelled, but somehow, this close, he smelled even more amazing. It filled her senses, and another moan, this one not nearly as quiet or demure, escaped from her and went straight into him. He shuddered slightly. He was still cradling her, and she could feel…

He had started their kiss, and he was also the one to break it. His hands snaked back up to her face to hold it in place while he withdrew. She pouted at him, and he chuckled, giving her a peck on the tip of her nose.

"Sorry," he said, grinning and not looking sorry in the least. "If I didn't stop, I'm not sure…" He shook his head, his shaggy hair dancing around his face and hiding his eyes from her view. That was no good, she decided, shoving it back so she could see his face again.

It felt like this couldn't be real, and she blinked up at him. He gave her an inquisitive look, and when she didn't say anything after a moment, his face took on a look of concern. "Renesmee." He stroked her cheeks with his thumbs, staring into her eyes. Into her soul. "Are you okay?" She could feel how wide her eyes had gone, and she nodded, unable to speak. "Are you sure?" He sighed, letting go of her and running his hands through his hair before he stood both of them up. A frown creased his brow, and he looked upset about something. "I'm sorry," he went on, not looking at her. "I thought you wanted…" Trailing off, he sighed, turning his face to look out at the gentle waves.

A weak laugh escaped her lips, but still, no words would come out. So rather than use words, she decided, she could show him. Just as he had done to her, she reached up, cupping his face in her hands.

His face relaxed, and he wrapped his hands around her wrists as if he was securing her in place. For a moment they stood in silence, the moonlight playing on the waves behind them. The only sounds were the water, their breathing, and their heartbeats.

Then a sinful grin crossed his face and he said, "I found a way to make you stop talking. Pretty cool."

Before she could swat at him, he was off, jogging down the beach and laughing hysterically. She gave chase, and he took off, not stopping until he reached the fire. Shaking her head, she sat back down next to Kim. She half expected a sly comment about their absence, but there was nothing. Nothing but a few smiles, a knowing look from Seth.

And nothing except for a tipsy Kim turning to her and cocking her head before saying, "Oh, honey, your hair is a mess!"

"It's always a mess," Renesmee muttered, and she smiled happily at Jacob as he made his way back around the fire to her, a bottle of wine in one hand and two plastic cups in the other.

"Up," he ordered, and she stood, slightly confused. He took her spot, and she was about to argue with him when he pulled her back down to sit in his lap again. Renesmee could feel her cheeks flush, but he didn't comment on it. To her surprise, he propped his chin on her shoulder as he reached his arms around her, putting the wine bottle in her hands.

"Hold this for me?" Out of her peripheral vision, she saw his grin.

"Sure," she said, dryly. "Not like you're giving me much of a choice."

"I'm very distracted right now," he breathed low in her ear. "I don't think I can hold and screw."

Renesmee pursed her lips, trying hard to hold in laughter. He gave her an odd look, not having heard his words the same way she had, but a second later, he snorted.

"Good God, kid," he chuckled, "you're pretty bad."

"It's your fault."

"It's as much your uncle's fault as it is mine," he defended himself. "And in any case, it's true." She watched his hands as they easily popped the cork from the opening of the bottle. He took the bottle from her and poured them each a glass before setting down the bottle and smiling at her again. "Happy birthday, kid."

Then, in front of everyone, he kissed her again.

a/n Hope you enjoyed it! Sorry it took so long. This was, for some reason, a lot harder to write than I thought it was. Review!