*Edward's POV*

I let go of Eli and threw myself at Bella. In less than a second she understood what I saw in his thoughts. Her body immediately coiled to attack him. Her teeth clenched together as my hands clamped down on her arms. She growled endlessly through her clenched teeth.

"His thoughts aren't threatening her, Bella. Renesmee's fine. She's fine. Jacob was there with her when they saw her. Leah was there, too. He only saw her face for a little while, Jacob was quick to protect her." I replayed the scene in my head, wishing I could place it inside hers so she didn't need to worry.

"Jacob," Bella whispered, finally unlocking her jaw.

"Yes," I nodded. "He seemed to be prepared for the encounter, but not so much as to having Renesmee with him. Would like to know why she was in the middle of the woods while he was out on patrol." I wondered aloud and turned to face Eli, still on the ground.

He shrugged, but I could see him running through the encounter in his head. He was trying his hardest to scrounge up any information he could give me.

I held up a hand to interrupt his frantic thoughts. "Could you speak out loud as you think, I would like my wife to hear what you saw as well. See, the little girl you saw is our child. She's not a full immortal child. She's half human and half vampire. Carried by my wife when she was still human. Don't ask any question." I spoke quickly, trying to get ahead of the questions that were in his thoughts. I didn't feel like explaining to him how a vampire could be close enough to a human and create the child he saw.

He cleared his throat and looked up at Bella.

Her patience was running thin and she stepped towards him, a growl rumbled in her chest.

Eli slid away from her, his back pressed against a trunk of the tree behind him.

"He's no thread, love. Don't be anxious." I touched the lines on her forehead and she immediately smoothed them out.

I nodded once she was relaxed and turned back to Eli. "Sorry about my wife. She's rather protective of our daughter as am I, so I suggest you start talking before I let go of her wrist." I held up Bella's left hand that had my fingers wrapped around it.

"Okay, when we were approaching them we were ready to hunt, but the scent was off. We decided to investigate instead. That's when we heard the heartbeat. Her-her heartbeat. She had the sweet scent of a vampire, but blood ran through her veins… pumped by her beating heart… strange. But when we arrived the man immediately stood to protect your… young one. May I-"

"No." I cut him off. He was wondering what Jacob's role was. Another story I didn't want to have to explain to him.

He nodded and smoothed out his dirty shirt. "We were only curious is all. Would have not been able to feed on her… or her smelly company. Maria was planning on coming back and… well…" he trailed off, but I saw the rest in his mind. I was thankful that he was too scared of Bella to say the rest.

Maria was planning on a kidnap to study Renesmee a little more. She had changed the other kids around her size to see if they would be like Renesmee. He was right not to say anymore. I could barely hold myself back from attacking him. The plan Maria and him laid out to take Renesmee was boiling the venom in my veins. I could only imagine what it would do to Bella. I didn't think my own strength would be able to hold her back.

"What?" Bella asked impatiently.

"Maria is gone. There's nothing more to worry about," I turned my attention to Eli. "You're not to hunt for her again. She's got vampires and werewolves to protect her, and that man she was with. He'll react just as fierce as my wife and I to protect her. But there's no one there to hold him back."

Eli nodded quickly. "I understand."

"I would like to have you come along with us. My family… more my brother would like to speak with you. He was an… affiliate of Maria's, and I'm positive he would like to hear what you've been through. He may be of some help."

Eli stood up and walked on the opposite side of me from where I had a hold on Bella.

When we hit the Washington boarder, we picked up our pace. It was then that I realized just how fast Bella was. I noticed I was running as fast as I could and she was at my right flank. Eli was a good minute behind us.

I looked over my right shoulder and smiled.

She grinned back and threw herself forward. Though she wasn't as fast as me. She couldn't fully run at my side. She never stopped trying, though.

The scent hit us at the same time.

"No!" Bella gasped and spun on her heels, her arms out in front of her and slammed into Eli, taking him down.

"That's it! That's the scent!" Eli struggled to say underneath Bella.

"Edward, Bella!" Alice was outside with Jasper, Carlisle, and Jacob. Sam, Leah, Seth, and Paul crept out from the woods and flanked the four of them.

"Daddy!" Her voice was muffled from the glass, but it was her voice. I looked up at the glass wall to see Renesmee with her hands and nose pressed against the glass. Esme stood behind her, her hands tight on her shoulders.

She waved frantically when she saw me look up. I blew her a kiss, but knew I had to focus on Bella before she noticed her mother attacking another vampire.

When I turned around, Jacob and Carlisle were pulling her off of Eli.

"Carlisle, wait!" Jacob said and let go of Bella's arm. "Where's Renesmee! I know this guy! He knows Nessie!" Jacob snapped his head around to see the large windows vacant. Esme held Renesmee's hand tightly as she struggled to run over to us.

Jacob pushed through the line of wolves to get to her.

"I want to see my mom and dad!" Renesmee screamed and kicked in Jacob's arms.

Jacob's grip didn't loosen as she struggled.

I froze in place, stunned by the beauty of my own daughter. Her silky smooth skin looked so soft it was almost transparent. Her copper curls still hung long and loose down the middle of her back. Still the same exact color of my hair. Her eyes held not only Bella's color, but the same emotions. I could see so much of Bella in just the look in her eyes. Her face still resembled mine the most, but her frustration that caused the scowl on her face had Bella written all over it. I had to smile at that. She seemed to only grow a few years since the last time I saw her. She wasn't tall, like me. I knew her height was going to stay small, like Bella.

"Why wont you let me go!" She said as she struggled in his arms.

I wanted to go to her, but I felt better standing between Eli and Renesmee.

"Remember when you snuck out and we saw those vampires?" Jacob asked her.

She glanced up at Bella and I quickly as if she was in some sort of trouble, then looked back at Jacob and nodded.

"The male is here. Please just stay here for a little while until we figure things out."

She nodded more slowly this time and her struggles stopped immediately. Her arms that were shoving at Jacob's chest, now clung to him.

Jacob placed her on the ground and she automatically stepped behind him, a stance she knew well. The routine was there in both their thoughts. I couldn't help but stand amazed at the way they worked together. She knew the safest spot when she needed to be out of the way. Her stance was tense and still, her eyes on Jacob's back, not wanting to focus on the events going on around her. In his thoughts, Jacob was aware of what she was doing.

"I'm sorry if I startled you guys, but we were only passing through. I wont harm her." Eli said as he held up his hands, palms facing Jacob.

He reached behind him and held Renesmee closer to his back. Her arms wrapped around his left leg and she hid her face in his side.

I found my feet moving me towards her. She was scared. My arms reached out, ready to cradle the toddler I left behind, but a little girl filled them now. She quickly let go of Jacob and threw her arms around me, hot tears spilled from her eyes and soaked my neck and cloak.

I picked her up and turned, knowing Bella was right behind me. She seemed to have forgotten Eli for the moment and was lost in a trance as she saw Renesmee in my arms.

"Mama," she sighed and reached out for her.

I kept her in my arms and Renesmee clung to us both.

"Why are you here?" Jacob asked Eli.

I hurried and took Renesmee inside. There was no reason for her to hear the story.

Bella and Esme followed me in. I knew Alice was going to stay outside with Jasper. She had seen it all already, and was standing tense in front of Jasper. It was odd for me to see her protecting him. With Jasper it's always the other way around, no matter what.

"You match." Renesmee pointed out as she gripped my cloak and Bella's.

We both quickly took them off and tossed them to the side.

"Is that what you have to wear?"

"Yes," Bella answered her, running her fingers through her curls. "You've gotten so big! I can't believe you're actually here. I didn't think we were going to see you."

"I didn't think so either. I'm glad we came. It was Jacob's idea to bring me here. He knew the fight was in the South."

"You know more than I thought." I said as I ran through her thoughts of the discussions she overhead from Leah and Jacob. I snorted when she thought about her dislike for Leah.

"What?" Bella asked, looking from me to Renesmee, who was sandwiched between us on the couch.

I took Renesmee's hand and lifted it to Bella's face. "Tell your mother everything you were just thinking of."

"Okay!" She said excitedly and I watched Bella's smile grow wider.

"She's definitely your daughter." I laughed and looked out the window at Leah pacing behind Jacob as he talked to Eli.

"Jacob's mad." Renesmee whispered and slid off the couch.

I got up to follow her to the windows. "He's just talking."

She shook her head. "He's making him mad. Make him stop."

Jacob leaned forward and yelled his threats to Eli. He had just told him about Maria's plan.

"Jacob will be back in soon. Don't worry about him."

"I have to." She whispered.

I turned to look at Bella but she was starring at Renesmee. Her head shook slowly as she looked up at me. "We've thrown them together and their all the other has. I think they know each other better than we know each other. Or even better than Jacob has ever known me." Her voice was a faint whisper. I heard her, but Renesmee was too focused on Jacob to pay any attention.

"Is this a good thing?"

She shrugged. "I guess, I mean look how protective he is of her and the same goes for her. See how protective she is of him?"

I had officially lost my daughter to the man she's always been destined to be with. She no longer belonged to me, or even Bella. She was Jacob's.