(A/N) Okay so this is probably going to be a little bit different than what you were all expecting, but I hope you'll enjoy it anyway. Try and keep in mind that Nessie is at the maturity level of a typical teenager and she's hurt. I imagined her in this chapter a little bit like Bella in NM when she was sort of acting out. Big twists and turns that I'm sure won't settle well with everyone but I truly hope you will all enjoy it. Thanks for reading and reviewing. I truly appreciate everything you all have to say :)

Disclaimer: They are all Stephanie's babies.

Chapter 35

Nessie's POV

As the world seemed to spin around me there was one truth that was undeniable: Jacob, my Jacob, had loved my mother. It was a fact that I had seen and experienced through his own eyes, which was strange enough in and of itself, but it made the whole thing far more tangible than anything I'd ever known. How had I missed this? None of them had ever breathed a word, or even hinted that there had once been something more between Jacob and Mama, but the signs were there. He was her oldest friend, and he'd always found a way to divert my questions about the mysterious girl that had chosen someone else. Once upon a time I thought he'd said that just to make me feel better, but I suppose it was true. She had chosen someone else: my father. She had chosen my father, had me, and now Jacob stayed with us. I'd always believed that he had stayed for me, but was it possible that he'd stayed for her, too?

Before seeing what I'd seen the mystery girl had become almost a non-entity in my mind. After Jacob had told me the truth about imprinting, and assured me that he hadn't left some poor girl wounded and broken, I'd let her go. Jacob was my perfect match and someday we would be together, which rendered everything else insignificant, however, knowing that this girl was my own mother made it feel extremely significant.

"Ness," Jacob's voice was panicked and full of worry, "Nessie, say something."

I felt myself being pulled back to reality, yet my mind still raced. I didn't say anything, but I acknowledged him by looking up. When my eyes met his I felt salty tears beginning to sting at my eyes and a fissure forming in my chest.

"Are you okay?" He asked, apparently not for the first time.

I was unsure how I should respond to him. Of course I wasn't okay. Who would be? However, I didn't know what the proper response was. Should I cry? Should I get angry? I didn't know. Was there a certain etiquette to finding out that your shape-shifter imprinter had once been in love with your vampire mother?

"I'm fine," my voice sounded foreign, even to me and I could see that it must have sounded to strange to Jacob as well.

"Tell me what happened," he said gently.

Obviously, he was unaware that I'd seen anything. For some reason, this knowledge comforted me. If he'd known, he'd want to discuss it and at the moment I felt like the last thing I could do was discuss Jacob Black's love for Mama.

"Nothing," I replied, trying to sound as calm as possible. "I just zoned out."

He eyed me wearily and I was fairly certain that he suspected that I wasn't being honest.

"We were talking and you froze up when you touched me," Jacob said. "You went completely rigid and your eyes went unfocused."

"I told you I just zoned out," my voice sounded more irritated than I had meant for it to.

I needed to get out, away from Jacob. I needed a chance to think, to process everything, before I had a conversation with him about it. I stood up.

"I have to go," I told him. "I don't want to be rude to Nahuel."

"Nessie," Jacob began uneasily as he stood up as well, "please don't be angry with me. I'll tell you everything, but I want to tell you when we have time to actually discuss it."

"Yeah because it isn't like you've had six years," I thought, slightly bitter.

"Sure, sure," I responded as I walked out the door.

"Ness," Jacob called and I begrudgingly turned back to him. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Never better," I half-smiled as I turned on my heel and took off, trying to get away from Jacob Black as quickly as possible.

XOXOXO

I found myself sitting in Nahuel's room, grateful that he had stayed. Finding out the truth about Jacob and Mama had sent me reeling. I felt like I couldn't be around Jacob at the moment, and Aunt Alice and Uncle Jasper were out because they would immediately pick up on the fact that something was wrong and I had no desire to discuss it with anyone, however I didn't want to be alone with my thoughts. Distractions were good.

"Renesmee," Nahuel said in surprise as he came out of the bathroom wrapped only in a towel.

I was surprised myself, both by the fact that I hadn't realized he was in the shower, and at how exquisite he really was. I felt my cheeks flush from embarrassment, yet it was hard to turn away. He was darker than Jacob, almost chocolate, and his wet hair hung tousled around his broad shoulders as tiny beads of water clung to him, almost making him glisten.

"I'm sorry," I apologized, forcing myself to look away. "I was coming to make sure you had everything you needed."

"There's no need for apologies," He said, obviously not bothered by the situation. "I do have everything I need. You and your family have been more than gracious."

Nahuel walked over to where Aunt Alice had deposited some of Uncle Jasper's clothes on the bed. I realized that I should probably leave so that he could change, but I noticed something on his shoulder that stopped me in my tracks.

"What is that?" I asked, unable to contain my curiosity.

"That," he cast a nod over his right shoulder with a grin. "It's the symbol of my mother's tribe."

"How did you do it?" I asked, his skin had to be as hard as mine, which was practically impenetrable.

"You just have to know where to go," he laughed. "I know a guy here in the city that traffics in services for the supernatural."

I knew I was being rude, but I was so amazed and grateful to be distracted that I couldn't pull myself away.

"What do they use?" I inquired. "Our skin is rather hard."

"Sharpened vampire or werewolf teeth," he explained. "They could probably use your shape-shifter's teeth as well, but their kind isn't very common here. The clean them thoroughly to remove the venom, and then they use them to break through the skin. They also used some kind of special ink. They do a solid business with the local vampires."

I flinched slightly at the mention of Jacob, but I shook it off. The next question was out of my mouth before I even had the chance to think about it.

"Will you take me there?" I asked, hoping that he would be agreeable.

He eyed me with surprise, "With the storm moving in?"

"Hey," I shot back, "I'm half vampire, too."

"I'm not sure how your parents would feel about that," he said uneasily. "I am a guest and I would rather they not think that I am corrupting their daughter."

I wasn't going to let him play that card on me. Nahuel, of all people, should know how it feels to be where I was at the moment. He'd been there himself. Suddenly, the need to do something a little crazy and rebellious took hold of me and it wouldn't let go. Daddy and Mama wouldn't be pleased and neither would Jacob. It felt like an added bonus and Daddy was just a casualty of that. If they found out then they would know that it was my decision and they had no right to hold Nahuel accountable.

"I'm perfectly capable of making my own decisions," I informed him. "Please Nahuel."

"Okay," he finally agreed. "I'll take you, but on one condition."

"What's that?" I asked excitedly.

"You have to let me get dressed," he responded with a wry smile.

XOXOXO

We left without saying a word to anyone. I knew that it was childish, but a part of me hoped that Jacob would realize that I was gone with Nahuel and that it would bother him. Deep down I knew that I wasn't being fair and that I would regret it later, but at the moment the exhilaration of rebellion tainted with a bit of anger was far more desirable than succumbing to the hurt and sadness that I was holding at bay.

It didn't take long for us to make our way to where we were going. The building looked like a typical bar from the outside, but there was a much different feel to it than some of the other places we'd passed along the way. There was a danger here and I felt as though its energy was infusing me with a liberating recklessness.

As we made our way in, I was blown away by the number of vampires that surrounded us. Apparently Rio had its share of sociable vampires, rather than just your typical nomads. Music blared as some of the vampires moved together on the dance floor while others talked with one another in the booths that followed along the walls. There was a bar, but I assumed it was merely for show in case some poor human accidently wandered into the wrong place, which I doubted had happened very often. From the nods we were getting it was clear that Nahuel was no stranger to these people.

"Stick close," Nahuel whispered to me and I nodded as I followed him to a staircase at the back of the bar.

He moved out of the way and signaled for me to go first. I looked toward the top and began my way up the stairs, excitement bubbling in my chest. Once we reached the top I could see a tall, dark vampire perched on top of a stool sharpening something. He was gorgeous with his curtain of dark hair and his intense red eyes, like Zafrina's, only seemed to add to his allure.

"Nuno," Nahuel greeted the man enthusiastically, "long time no see."

"Nahuel," the man smiled back at my friend before turning his attention toward me, "What kind of little pretty have you brought me?"

"This," Nahuel turned toward me, "is Renesmee. She's one of the Cullens."

"Ah," Nuno's eyes widened, "the Halfling that stood against the Volturi." He smiled a grin that I found slightly hypnotizing. "It's an honor."

"Thank you," I replied, suddenly feeling shy.

"What can I do for such a beautiful and honored guest?" Nuno inquired.

"Renesmee was curious about my tattoo," Nahuel explained.

Nuno grinned, obviously proud of what he did, "I've only been doing it for the past century, but it's hard to believe that no one was doing it before. There actually is a fairly decent market for it. When you've gone unchanged for so long it's nice to be able to do something different."

I nodded, "I had no idea such a thing was even possible."

"It's still fairly new I suppose," Nuno laughed. "Tell me Renesmee Cullen; are you interested in experiencing my work first hand?"

At this point there was small part of me that tried to be sensible. I was hurt, angry, and merely reacting to finding out about Jacob and Mama. This whole thing was childish and stupid, but I couldn't bring myself to care. I had been good for so long. Okay, so maybe I had been a little bad over the past few days, but it was only to get Jacob's attention and maybe a kiss. I thought about the way he had held me, not even twenty-four hours before, and how certain I'd been of my future. Now, I felt as if the faith and the trust I'd had in him and my future, our future, was a lie.

"Yes," I answered confidently, "I think I am."

"Renesmee," Nahuel interjected, "Are you sure you don't want to think about this?"

I shook my head vigorously, "No. I'm absolutely positive."

He looked unconvinced, but he made no motion to stop me. It was nice to finally be around someone that allowed me to do what I wanted, even if they disagreed with me. I felt a pang of appreciation that Nahuel was treating me like an adult, even if I was acting like a child.

"What did you have in mind?" Nuno asked. "I have a collection of designs if you'd like to look at them."

I thought for a moment about what I wanted, which actually hadn't occurred to me up until this point. This thing was going to be on me for eternity so I wanted something that actually held meaning for me. As angry as I was, and as much as I was hurting, there was only one thing that I wanted for all eternity.

"Is it possible that I could do my own design?" I asked.

"Of course," Nuno nodded. "Did you want to sketch it or describe it?"

"I think I can sketch it," I responded.

He handed me a piece of paper and pointed to a small desk in the corner. I quickly sat to work, sketching the image that my mind had conjured up. It didn't take long for me to finish, it wasn't a difficult design, however I had to admit to myself that it looked pretty good. I got up and walked it back over to where Nuno and Nahuel were speaking.

"That's not bad," Nuno smiled his charming smile at me. "You might have found your calling."

"Thank you," I smiled back at him. "Do you think this will work?"

"Sure," he nodded. "You just need to tell me where you want it."

I hadn't even thought of that, but I knew my options were limited. I wasn't quite brave enough that I could put it on my shoulder, or anywhere else that was relatively visible, yet I wasn't about to let him tattoo it on my butt either. Finally, I decided that my lower hip would be the best compromise.

"Here," I told him as I pointed to my left hip.

"Did you have a particular color in mind?" He asked as he pointed to a shelf full of inks.

My eyes scanned quickly until I found what I was looking for: russet. I reached up to grab the bottle and handed it to him.

"Okay Renesmee Cullen," he smiled. "Let's do this."

XOXOXO

Jacob's POV

There was no way around it: I was going to kill Nahuel. I glanced up at the clock as I paced to discover, to my chagrin, that only two more minutes had passed.

"Jacob," Alice soothed, "you need to calm down. I'm sure that she is fine."

I felt a calm begin to creep over me and my eyes flashed at Jasper, "Cut it out," I warned. I wanted to feel everything so I would remember it later.

The both sighed, but I ignored them. I looked at the clock again and I felt like throwing something. How could only another minute have passed? I ran my hands through my hair and thought through everything again. Something was up with Nessie and I wasn't sure what it was. I wondered if she were really that mad at me for not telling her what she wanted to know when she asked. However, I couldn't shake the feeling that it was something more. The image of her rigid form and unfocused eyes kept coming back to me. After she'd left I'd thought a lot about what I wanted to say to her. I debated about whether it would be better to talk to her first, or Bella and Edward. On the one hand, Bella might be able to help me explain everything to her better, but on the other Edward might be a little more understanding if Renesmee was already in the know. I had the urge to talk to her so I'd gone to her room, but she wasn't there. I'd groaned at the thought of having to interact with Nahuel, but I figured that I could probably find her with him. They weren't in his room, nor were they in the sitting room. I had started to panic slightly when I'd found Alice and Jasper, but they hadn't seen her either. Now, two hours later, I was on the verge of a meltdown. Nessie was out with that creep in a strange city when a storm was coming in. My life was fan-flippin-tastic. I had just made up my mind to go out and search the city for her when I heard the door open, accompanied by a giggle.

I looked up to see Nessie, my beautiful, wonderful, amazing Nessie strolling in with that creep trailing right behind her. A felt a rage unlike anything I'd ever known shoot through me and quicker than I'd imagined I closed the distance between the two of us and threw a punch that sent him flying against the wall. I started toward him, but Jasper's arms were suddenly around me and holding me back. I tried to fight off his calming influence but it was no use.

"Hello Jacob," Nahuel greeted me as if nothing had happened and I wished Jasper would let me feel the anger I'd been feeling only moments before.

"What in the hell is your problem," Nessie demanded, suddenly in my face. "Have you completely lost your mind?"

"Where have you been?" I asked roughly as Jasper finally started to loosen his hold.

"Out," she responded simply as she narrowed her eyes at me.

"Where?" I demanded, hating the way I sounded.

"Don't you dare try and use that Alpha voice with me," she shot back. "It's really none of your business."

"Renesmee it's fine," Nahuel said and I had to fight off the urge to throw another punch. I didn't need his help.

"It is not fine," she responded severely before turning back to me. "Apologize."

"Why?" I asked, feeling slightly rebellious. Why should I apologize when he'd had her out to God knows where?

"Because you made me a promise," she replied and I knew that she had me.

"Nahuel," my voice was strained. "I'm sorry I lost my temper, but where have you had her."

Nahuel opened his mouth to respond, but Nessie cut him off, "I said that it's none of your business."

"Nessie," Alice tried to interject, "Jacob's just been worried, we all –"

"Don't you dare defend him," she shot back, surprising us all. I'd certainly never heard her use that tone of voice. Even more surprising was the fact that Alice's usually unaffected self had no response.

She turned her eyes back toward me, "Could Jacob and I have a moment alone?"

Nahuel quickly went up the stairs, while Alice and Jasper seemed to disappear into thin air.

"Since when do you sneak out without letting someone know?" I asked as soon as they were gone.

"I don't need a chaperone,"she argued. "I was perfectly fine."

"But I didn't know that," I countered. "I was worried."

"What I do and who I am with is none of your business," Nessie shot at me and I felt my heart beginning to sink. This wasn't like her at all.

"Since when aren't you my business?" I asked quietly.

I thought I saw something flash across her face and I hoped that she might soften up for a moment, but her eyes quickly recovered the steel that had been there before.

"You're not my father," she said coldly, "and you aren't my boyfriend."

"Is that what this is about?" I inquired.

"No," she answered swiftly, "this is about me."

She started to push past me, but I grabbed her wrist. She quickly jerked it away, which caused a pang to shoot straight to the core of my being.

"I'm sorry you're angry with me," I apologized, feeling a panic beginning to build. I couldn't take this fighting with her anymore. I would tell her anything she wanted to know. "Tell me how to fix it."

"I don't know," she answered as she began walking toward the steps, "you'll have to figure it out."

"Ask me anything," I replied without thinking. "I'll tell you anything. I'll do anything."

She turned and eyed me for a moment before she opened her mouth. I felt like I'd known the question before it was even asked.

"What was her name?" She asked simply.

I sighed and took a deep breath. The moment I'd been dreading for six years had finally arrived. "Bella," I said quietly.

I had expected screeching or crying or yelling. What I hadn't expected was silence. I looked up at he, expecting to see her shocked or in pain, but instead the look on her face revealed absolutely nothing.

"I know," she replied and before I could say another word she was gone.

XOXOXO

Nessie's POV

Hurt, anger, and sadness flooded my veins. I felt as if I were split into two different halves. One half was angry with Jacob, my mother, and everyone else. The other half was livid at myself for causing Jacob pain and speaking to Aunt Alice the way I had. I shook all of it off. It was too much to deal with at the moment. I knocked gently on Nahuel's door before I entered.

"Nahuel," I began apologetically, "I'm so sorry that I dragged you into this."

"It's okay," Nahuel responded lightly, "I understand where Jacob is coming from. He was worried about you."

"He shouldn't have done that," I argued.

"I would have preferred that he hadn't," Nahuel mused as if it was all a joke, "but I have no hard feelings. I am sorry that Jacob doesn't like me and even more sorry that it bothers you."

I looked up in surprise. Nahuel was almost too perfect. Here Jacob was, being an irrational idiot, and Nahuel was defending him when he'd been the victim. I thought about that for a moment. I felt at ease with Nahuel and he really seemed to get me. He'd treated me more like an adult tonight than anyone had ever treated me in my life. When he looked at me, he didn't see a little girl. I knew that I would hate myself for it later, but I let my mind wander to what that meant. I thought about how hard I'd been working to get Jacob to kiss me over the past few days with nothing to show for it. I bet Nahuel wouldn't need to be convinced. Maybe this imprinting thing with a half-vampire was just too complicated to ever conceivably work out.

A day ago I would have never considered kissing anyone else, yet a day ago I had lived in blissful ignorance of the truth. A small voice inside of me argued, telling me that I loved Jacob and he was the only one that my heart would ever belong to and this was wrong. I tried to block it out. Even if that were true, it wasn't as if Jacob hadn't kissed other people. Maybe I should see where other avenues might lead. I slowly walked toward him, not wanting to scare him off.

"He can think what he wants," I replied smoothly, "he'll get over it."

We stood there for a moment and I weighed my options. With Jacob I'd always let him lead. I was tired of playing that game. If I wanted something I had to seize it. With a sense of determination I quickly moved forward and went to meet his lips with my own. What I found was air. I looked up, surprise mingled with a sense of embarrassment.

"Renesmee," he said gently, "you are upset and I think there has been some sort of misunderstanding."

I stepped back to give him some space and I shook my head, "A misunderstanding?" I asked.

He took a deep breath, "You love Jacob. You're just angry at him."

"So," I replied, trying to remain calm. "Maybe there is someone better suited for me than him."

As angry as I was the words felt like the ugliest kind of blasphemy in my mouth as I uttered them. I tried to shake the unpleasant feeling off.

"I don't think so," his voice was soothing.

"How can you say that?" I asked confused. "What could be better for me than someone like me?"

Nahuel looked at me wearily and shook his head, "Nessie, it isn't right."

"Why?" I asked, beginning to get irritated. "Is it because of Jacob or because you think I'm too young?"

"I don't think you're too young," he said reassuringly, "and yes, you do have your Jacob, which does make it wrong, but even if there wasn't a Jacob it still wouldn't be right."

"What do you mean?" I asked, beginning to feel slightly self-conscious.

"Renesmee," he said gently, "you are beautiful, wonderful, and I'm glad to be getting to know you. However, I only want your friendship. You aren't exactly my type."

Oh that's just what every girl wants to hear when she's already broken up over someone and she throws herself at someone else.

"Not your type," I repeated to myself, as if I were trying to put the words together so that they made sense. "What exactly is your type then?"

"To be honest," Nahuel began, slightly hesitant, "Jacob is more my type."