SIXTEEN

INTERFERENCE

JACOB

They say misery loves company but I don't think that's true. I know I'm being a total downer, I know I'm not much for good company and probably driving Nessie insane…but I just can't help it. And it's confusing because even though we're with her, the wolf is miserable too. We miss our Lee. We miss her scent, her warmth, her snark. My mind's still made up to go and find her. I've got to make her see that she's all I want, more than anything. All my anger towards her for cutting me out of her life could never be as strong as my love.

I like being with my imprintee. I like how she fusses over me and tries to cheer me up. She's like…she's like my little sister. But Nessie's happy and she doesn't need me here. She's manage to thrive in spite of her recent break-up. That part really surprised me and if I'm honest with myself, a part of me is anxious to know more about this guy and why they broke up. But I can only respect her privacy, and trust her when she says everything's fine. I just wish that she could be in a happy relationship or have someone she could depend on, so that leaving her again would be much easier for us both.

A quick knock at the door jumps me out of my usual gloomy thoughts. I'm immediately curious as to who it could be. Pushing off of the couch I run my hands through my spiky hair and tug on my t-shirt. I could really use a shower but hey, whoever it is should have called first.

As soon as I open up, I'm accosted by the stench of vampire. "What do you want Blondie?"

Rosalie rolls her eyes and shoves past me, stepping into the apartment uninvited. "So, still mooching off my niece, I see." She starts walking around, checking out the place and the action makes me feel like a delinquent kid. I watch her eye my dirty dishes and debris littered around the place and I growl impatiently. "When are you going to get a job, learn some French?"

"Why would I do that? I'm leaving soon." I snap, not hiding how annoyed I am by her sudden invasion of my space.

Immediately the vampire gets flustered. "No! You can't! You came all this way, how can you be leaving so quickly? I told you about how Nessie feels Jacob, why aren't you listening instead of moping around here behind that wolf girl?"

I roll my eyes and slide my hands into the pockets of my sweats. "First of all, keep Leah out your mouth. Second of all, you said Ness was missing me and that she wants me, and I come here and find out that she was into someone else. You're lying and if anyone deserves to ask questions, it's me. What the fuck are you trying to pull, leech?"

"I'm not trying to pull anything and that guy is old news by now." Blondie snorts and begins cleaning up the place, moving at her vampire speed.

"I can clean up for myself – you don't need to do that!" I protest, but she ignores me. "Their break-up wasn't that long ago, it was while I was in Canada. I know that because she said it was the Volturi sniffing around that made her end things. That means Nessie had a boyfriend when you told me she was pining after me. You lied and I want to know why." I'd figured this out while mulling over the talk Nessie and now it was time to hear the truth.

"Nessie kept her relationship a secret from all of us – and Luc wouldn't have worked out anyways! She was just rebelling, trying to experience life on her own for the first time. Eventually she would have realized that he was a mistake. She can't be with a human, they're too vulnerable, she knows that now. You're the only one she can be with, and you're more important to her than these random humans."

"How could you just decide what she feels for someone? I know you have no beating heart Blondie, but even for you that's heartless. You can't just make up in your mind that she should be with me and that's that! She never had those types of feelings for me! You had no right to lie on her like that. You tricked me!"

She stops abruptly and places her hands on her hips. "Jacob, Renesmee is lonely. Whether or not she admits it to you, she needs YOU here. She's trying to be a human for you, so how can you just turn your back on her now."

"For me? She's not doing any of this for me! She's doing it because she wants to, because she feels smothered by the coven, you guys don't give her any freedom!"

"Jacob, come on now, it's because of YOU that she even understands how humans behave. You're the one who always made a big fuss at her drinking blood! Having you around her every day impacted her more than it would have learning about humans in books."

I scoff at the audacity. "I won't apologize for any of that, part of her IS human – that's the part I imprinted on. But she deserves the right to choose which identity she wants to have. You and Bella still seem to think that you can control what I do, which means that you can control her. But you can't, because if I were with Ness in that way – just so you know – she'd live on the Reservation with me. She'd have nothing to do with leeches unless she wanted to." The words don't taste right in my mouth, but I say it because I want to test my father's theory on what my ideal imprint is supposed to be.

Blondie LAUGHS in my face. "Good one, Dog."

"It's the truth, Dumbelle. I have responsibilities to my tribe. I am the next in line for chief. If Nessie wanted to be with me, she'd have to be okay with that. I meant it when I said I was done living with the coven." Was in line for chief, but she doesn't need to know that.

The mirth drops instantly, and her amber eyes darken as Rosalie fixes a cool stare on me. "WHEN you get together you will live with US, like always. You've always known you'd have to give up your Quileute life Jacob, so don't act dumb about it now."

"You guys might have been able to make me think so when I was younger, but not anymore Blondie. It'll never go back to the way it was."

Just then the door opens and Nessie walks in. Her eyes widen at the sight of me and her aunt facing off. "What's going on? Rose? Why are you here?"

"Besides terrorizing me? She's here stirring up trouble," I grouse.

"What? Why?" Nessie looks between the two of us and quickly comes over and wraps her arms around my waist, showing where her loyalties obviously lie. I smirk at the leech only to have to her smirk back as if to say "I told you so."

I roll my eyes and give Nessie's shoulder a squeeze. "Blondie thinks that I'm not doing enough to woo you, that you want us to be together."

Nessie looks up at me and then her nose crinkles. I smile down at her and kiss her forehead in belated greeting. "That's way off-base Rose. Thanks for being concerned, but Jake and I are just friends. I'm pretty sure I've said this at least a million times. Going behind my back to talk to Jacob won't do anything to change my mind."

"But, but I don't understand! I thought you wanted to be with him!"

"It didn't mean it like THAT."

Blondie seems to flounder on that one but quickly regroups with another argument. "But what about the imprint? Don't you feel something?" she whines, looking back and forth between us. "You're trying so hard to live like a human, Bella said -"

"Rose! Please, just stop okay?" Nessie moves over to her aunt quickly and takes her by the shoulders. "Just relax."

The vampire still seems genuinely disappointed and it baffles me. "You don't even like me, so why try to make me a part of the coven?" I ask.

Holding her arms out in defeat she answers, "I just want Nessie to be happy, and I want her to be safe. You're the only person who can properly take care of her, and make sure that the Volturi never get their hands on her. She needs your protection and the bond you share ensures that you'd never mistreat her and you can be together for a long time."

"Oh Rose," Nessie croons and pulls her aunt into her arms for a warm-ish embrace. "Jacob will always be my protector, but we don't want to be together like that okay, you've got to let it go. And I can take care of myself too. Dad and Jasper and Emmett have trained me well. Jake doesn't need to spend his whole life being a guard-dog in case the Volturi show up. I won't live in fear and I won't force him to do that."

I snort, knowing that's exactly how the Cullens see me: as a guard dog.

"Are you really not into him romantically? None of this is for him?" the leech asks her sadly, gesturing around the apartment - which I assume means Nessie's decision to live apart from the coven.

"No. Jake and I have already discussed it, and it's time that he focuses on himself. It'll be okay, I promise. I just need you and Mom to stop pressuring me to do things that I don't want to do."

"I'm sorry, we just thought that we were doing what's best for you Renesmee, I swear. I really thought Bella knew what she was doing."

"I know."

"I don't like the idea of you two meddling in Nessie's business, it has GOT to STOP," I demand. What have those two leeches been telling her since I left Spain?

"We love her Jacob, we'd do anything for her."

"Well then, leave her be! If the Volturi is no threat, pack up and go back to wherever it is you came from."

Rosalie hisses at me and Nessie stands between us, but she doesn't correct me. I know that she feels the same. Rosalie looks between us, recognizing that we both have nothing more to say, and after saying a hasty goodbye, lets herself out the front door.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Needing fresh air, I open the sliding door to the balcony and step outside, letting the air blow through the apartment in the process.

Nessie follows me out and takes a seat on the lounger. "Do you think they'll listen?" she asks, sounding almost hopeless.

I look over at her and shrug. "I can only hope so, for your sake Ness. This is no way to live. What have they been putting you through while I've been gone?"

"The same thing your Dad has? Asking me to call you. Saying how we're an ideal match and our bond is special and you belong with me?"

"What about Edward, does he agree with all of this?"

"Dad has been quiet. He says he just wants me to be happy no matter my choice. I want to believe him, but, he can't ever tell Mom no when she pushes me to do whatever she wants. I really cared about Luc, I was so happy when I first came here and…she ruined it."

"What?" I can't believe my ears.

"Mom scared him off Jacob. I told him I was sick, hoping that we could have handled the Volturi thing on our own. I didn't want to break up with him but I was worried he'd get hurt if Jane popped up. But he really liked me too, one day he came over to check on me and she was here. She hissed and snarled at him when he refused to take a bribe to leave me alone. He was terrified! He skipped town and I have no idea where he is or if he's okay."

"Why didn't you tell me Ness? I can try to find him for you, if you have his scent, I could check around his place? I can ask around and see if anyone knows where he is."

"No Jacob, no. That's why I didn't tell you, because you can't fix this. Luc would never look at me again, he's probably scared out of his mind. I didn't even want you to come to Paris, but after Luc left, I was so upset. Between him and worrying about the Volturi, I just felt so hopeless. Rose told me to call you and then your phone just kept ringing off. So I called Seth and he told me you'd gone off on your own. I was so sad, and I just needed you. You felt like the only person I could depend on to get through it all."

Her words pierce and move me. I had no idea that she'd been hurting so badly. How had I not felt it? "I'll always be the one person you can depend on Ness, I promise. Anytime you're upset, just pick up the phone and call me. I've got your back. No more secrets between us, okay?"

Nessie looks up at me with those big doe eyes, filled with tears and sucks in her bottom lip. I feel as though she wants to say something more but she just nods her head and reaches out for me. I walk over and sit next to her on the chair and pull her into my arms. "It'll be okay, you'll get through this. You just have to be strong and fight for what you want, just like you told me, alright?"

She nods against my chest, and holds me tighter. My heart breaks for the little girl inside of the body of a woman. In her short life she's been sheltered, she's been hunted, she's been despised, she's been poked and prodded, but she's also been deeply loved. It sucks that the same people who love her more than anything are the ones who have also stolen her joy. I can't deny that I'm included in that. All I know is that I can't make the same mistakes with her again. I've got to find a way to make sure that she's okay when I'm not around. I can't cut myself out of her life permanently, if I do, there's no telling what would happen to my Nessie.

One thing's for sure, before I leave, I need to have a serious talk with Bella Cullen.

AN: Thanks for your reviews, and to those who favorited and followed, glad you are still enjoying this. I am still trying hard to get my writing back on track but my mojo has waned and time to write has been absent recently. I'm at chapter 31 currently though so I'm still trying to finish the story. Up next we hear a little from Leah