Chapter 5 - Life at La Push

Renesmee leaned down and placed another sandy seashell into her bucket, which so far contained only four shells after nearly two hours of searching. Nearby stood Jacob and her mother, both watching her with contented and interested eyes. For some reason, everything she did was still a fascination to both of them, for one of them because she was her child and for the other one because she was his soulmate. Having eyes on her never felt uncomfortable though, as there was always someone nearby and watching her even when Nessie didn't know it.

Nessie did feel contented always knowing that she was never alone. For some people, they might desire more privacy and time to themselves, but for Nessie, being alone was what frightened her the most. It wasn't for any logical reason like being afraid for her safety or anything like that, but rather that she wouldn't know what to do if she couldn't share something with someone, be it happiness, sadness, or simply an interesting discovery. Although physically she was a young adult and looked like she could be more Bella's sister than her daughter, mentally she still had many childhood reactions after what was, after all, only eleven or so years of actual life. Besides which, the world she lived in was a world of wonder, where people shifting into werewolves and vampires playing games of chess more in their minds than with actual pieces was a regular thing. There was simply no way to express it, and so Nessie took things day by day and never questioned the decisions being made around her.

And that included not questioning why she hadn't been allowed to visit the Cullen house since they'd moved back to Forks last September. Apparently there was a new member of the family they had picked up in Alaska, but Nessie wasn't allowed to see him. This was both because she was slightly more delicate than a full vampire—especially to a newborn like this one—and because she smelled of werewolf 24/7.

"It's better to let him get used to things around here first," Bella had said.

At first, Nessie thought that maybe she could help make his transition easier, especially since she could communicate any thoughts and feelings to him just by touch, but both of her parents had absolutely forbidden it, and so she had taken up permanent and full-time residence at La Push. As the imprintee of Jacob Black, she was the only vampire who was allowed there at all times.

For meeting her parents though, it had to be in neutral locations like this mostly-abandoned beach, which was absolutely freezing to humans given the temperatures in April. For Nessie though, wearing a sundress and walking barefoot in the waves, it was barely noticeable.

She heard Jacob's cell ring and turned just in time to watch him lean over and pick it up from where it was strapped to his ankle—a convenient place where it wouldn't break for when he had to shift. He simply listened to the message and ended it with an "Okay", but judging from the expression on Bella's face, it was clear that she had heard what was said whereas Nessie, at quite a distance away, could only pick up bits and pieces.

"It was Seth," Jacob said, probably for her benefit. "Says he's been invited over to your place for the weekend."

Bella sighed. "It was Edward, and I can only guess why. I'll go grocery shopping before I get home—gonna need at least ten pounds of meet to feed Seth."

"I'll talk it over and clear things with Sam. He's been waiting for this for a while and will want to know."

Nessie walked over, swinging the bucket by her side. "What happened that Dad should invite Seth over now? Does this mean I can go to?"

Bella tensed and Jacob gave a light chuckle, but the reaction of both was clear as to their answer: No.

"Why not? I've been wanting to go home for a while and if you've got a werewolf going over there to meet Adrian, then surely I can go too, right?"

"It's more complex than that, and you know it," Jacob lovingly chided. "At least with Seth, we'll know that if anything goes wrong, he's more than a match for him."

"Not that it should come down to fighting," Bella cut in. "Besides, we'll all be there to make sure things turn out alright."

"Come to think of it, why is Edward calling up Seth now?" Jacob asked her.

"There's a new girl at our school—Charlotte Blyth. Adrian's taken an interest in her."

"Any particular reason?" Jacob's tone was calm, but bordering on protective. Bella knew it was just his werewolf instinct for protecting humans and questioning why any vampire would want to get close to any particular human, but she still wished he'd have more faith in how the Cullens handled their own.

"Well, she's blind. And, like I told you, Adrian's got this power with the senses. As far as we know, he can give or take away any of the five at will, though he's limited his experiments to us when we give him permission and training."

"Just make sure it stays that way," Jacob said.

"That's what we're trying to do; or, at least, I guess that's where Edward's going with the whole 'invite Seth' plan. It's time we got him introduced to the werewolves anyway, so if this first time with Seth goes well, maybe you can talk to Sam and we can set up a meeting or something."

"Glad to see that we agree," Jacob concluded. "Although, from what you've told me about this guy, he likes a challenge, right? Not hard to connect the dots on that one and why's he's interested in this girl."

"Believe me, we know, but rather than discourage Adrian outright and risk setting him off this early in his lifetime—we're still not sure how fully out of the newborn phase he is—it's better to divert his attention."

"And if a bunch of giant wolves aren't enough to do that, then nothing is, right?"

Bella cringed. "Using Seth that way...doesn't bother you, does it?"

"It doesn't bother Seth, either. Bella, our main purpose is to protect humans, you know; we'd literally throw ourselves in front of them if it's to protect them from bloodsuckers. No offense."

"We're past that, Jake." Bella waved him off.

Nessie was used to being left out of conversations this way when it became "all business" between her mother and Jacob. By now she already knew the story about how Jacob had been in love with her mother once back when they'd been friends. However, it didn't bother her even when they finally told her the truth about it, because the past was the past and, after all, since the moment she had been born, Jacob had been her Jacob; nothing else about the past was important.

Besides which, although she and Jacob hadn't made anything official yet, she sensed that they were getting close. She had fallen in love with Jacob as a mate and not as just a brother around a year back, before her family had come down from Alaska. Her father no doubt already knew—and therefore everyone knew—but Jacob had wanted to wait until they could be sure that Nessie's aging process was finally over. For most of her life, she had aged remarkably quickly, until finally, about maybe two years back, she had stopped somewhere in late adolescence and just stayed there. But whether the waiting was just to make sure that she would be around for a long time or if it was part of Jacob's over-protectiveness in giving her a "choice", in any case they weren't seen by anyone as officially a couple.

Not that it mattered whether they were or not though, because, as Jacob had once told her: "Wherever you go, I go. Wherever you are, I am. I'll always be your Jacob, no matter what happens."

With a declaration like that, how could any girl possibly say no, even if she wasn't already in love?

In fact, perhaps if Adrian wasn't in the picture and the whole family and werewolves didn't have to worry about him first, Jacob might've already proposed and then they could be married and thus be a unity between the vampires and werewolves of Forks and La Push; as it was though, things were just sort of on hold for now.

"Nessie?" Bella stepped forward to embrace her daughter. "I think I should go now, prepare for the weekend. Just...I'm sorry if..."

Nessie smiled indulgently. She knew it wasn't on purpose and that it was just her mother's protective instinct, but Bella often tried to keep her out of serious conversations about what could potentially be unpleasant; that time with the Volturi was the one and only time that Bella had ever put her in even remote danger, and it wasn't a mistake that her mother was ever willing to make. Even leaving her behind with the werewolves for a little while instead of taking her up north to Alaska had been a tough decision.

"I know, mommy, I know. It's to keep me safe." The two hugged lovingly. "Just...if this thing with Seth does work out, could I maybe come back home soon too?" She turned to Jacob. "You know I love La Push and everybody here—" she blushed just a bit—"but I miss our house, really living like a family. I also wrote a new song for dad that I want to hear him play on the piano."

If Bella could have cried, her eyes would be filling up with tears right about now. "O-of course sweetheart. I'll talk it over with daddy and...we'll just see how things go, alright?"

And then, as always, she turned and hugged Jacob, making it quick since while they did love each other as best friends, their own primal instincts just hated each other's "stink". "Take care of my daughter," she said, in what had become tradition.

"I will."

And then, so quickly it was like she had never been there, Bella Cullen left Nessie and Jacob to themselves. And Jacob, who knew Nessie better than anyone—even better than her parents, though both of them would be loathe to admit it—knew that she wasn't as 'okay' with this as she seemed on the outside. "What is it?" he asked.

Nessie knew better than to try and hide things from him. Sometimes, even though her father was technically the mind-reader, it just seemed like Jacob understood her thoughts better. Actually, it was one of the reasons she had grown to love him so much. "It just seems unfair," she said, "but more than that, it seems like they all think I'm more fragile than I am."

"Nessie, you are half-human, you know."

"Yes, but he's been doing well for months around actual humans and hasn't hurt them. I just think that it's not so much that I'm half-human so much as that they still consider me...like something that needs to be protected. A child, a porcelain doll. And I'm sad for them because I know it's all because of the past when I put everyone in danger and we almost lost everything."

"It wasn't—" Jacob cut in.

"I know, I know, but it still doesn't change the fact that we almost all died. And even now, they're on their guard whenever I enter a room, like someone might come in and attack all of us. They're stuck in the past that way, even though ten years have already gone by."

"For them, ten years is hardly any time at all," Jacob reminded her.

Nessie grabbed hold of his hand and started leading them down the beach back towards La Push. "I want to help them get past it is all," she said. "You can't live in the past if you want to go forward towards the future, and that's what I want to do more than anything. I think taking charge of my own life is the way to do that."

There was a long pause before Jacob finally spoke up. "You know I'll support you in anything; but I don't want you putting yourself in danger."

"I don't want that either," Nessie assured him. "What I want is to stand equal to all of them, and to you. And, as a start, I think they should introduce me to Adrian and let us see where things will go."

Jacob tensed. It was clear he wasn't all okay with that idea either; but, on the other hand, he realized it would have to happen sooner or later, so...

"If this weekend with Seth works out, and only if it does...then even if Bella won't find a way for you to meet him, I promise I will."

Nessie leaned over on her tiptoes and pecked Jacob on the cheek, which of course got a big ol' grin out of him. "Thanks, Jake. I'm glad you're on my side."

And Jacob certainly was nothing if not a man of his word, but the fact still remained: only if things that weekend worked out with Seth. He'd have to make sure that the wolf was on his toes for whatever might happen. And make a good impression on a newborn vampire, of course.

A/N: Figuring out the family dynamics of where Renesmee would stand with her family after ten years was kind of difficult, to be honest. On the one hand, it would've been easier to just have her end up with Jacob and everyone be okay with that and all, but then I thought of how much more I could expand on if it was just in an uncertain "middle" phase, and so I decided to go with that.

Anyway we'll get back to Charlotte in the following chapter, but I hope that everyone's enjoyed this little insight into how things are going for Renesmee and Jacob. I haven't decided yet whether or not they'll be major characters to the story, but so far I'm kind of inclining in that direction, but we'll see!

Special shout-out to DxGRAYxMAN, another early fan!

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