"The skyline fades
Trading red for blue
But I don't care
'Cause I'm here with you:

(Summertime's End- In Stereo)

Title: Family Time

Summer was almost over and I had yet to visit Renee. Pulling money that I had saved up from working at Newton's, I bought two round trip tickets to Jacksonville. There was no way I could be that far away from Jake for that many days. Jake managed to convince Sam to let him free for a week since there hadn't been any sightings of vampires in quite some time. We'd be staying the last week of summer vacation, coming home a few days before school was scheduled to start. We would be leaving from Seattle on the 28th of July and coming back August 4th. Our flight would leave at 11:30 and get stuck with a two hour layover in Houston. Jacob was excited out of his mind to get out of the state. He would have his first experience flying.

"Finally!" He exclaimed, putting the rest of his clothes in the suitcase I loaned him. "We get to have a real summer vacation, in a place where there is sun!" I laughed at his excited face. His excitement was amusing to me.

"I just have to finish packing, then we'll be ready to leave tomorrow morning." I smiled as his eagerness grew. He reminded me of a kid on Christmas morning. He came and sat with me on his bed.

"I'm excited to stay with your mom and Phil." He grinned, wrapping me up in his arms. It was the most content that I had been in a long time. I had to leave not long after he finished packing to cook dinner for Charlie. We shared a long kiss before I got into my truck and prepared for the drive back to Forks.

Charlie wasn't home when I got there. I pulled out some chicken and made him shredded barbeque chicken sandwich with a salad. He'd have a laugh at that. He greeted me happily when he got home. He was excited for his camping trip the week that I would be in Jacksonville.

I cleaned up the kitchen then headed for my room to finish packing. After I was content with everything, I curled up into bed and prayed for a restful sleep.

Flight to Jacksonville

Flying wasn't everything Jake thought it was going to be. He got queasy about an hour into the flight. My heart ached to see him sick and not feeling well. I did what I could to ease his mind. Every couple of hours he was back in the small bathroom on the plane. I'd followed him a couple of times to rub his back soothingly. He was more than grateful when we had our two hour layover in Houston.

"Jeez, I knew there would be turbulence, but I didn't expect to puke my guts out the entire ride." He whined, looking at the menu at the Taco Bell we found. Subconsciously, I rubbed circles into the palm of his hand, trying to ease my love. Jake smiled down at me and kissed the top of my head.

"I'm just glad you bought a pack of gum before we left." I teased, smiling up at him. He stuck his tongue out at me. I couldn't help giggling at his childish behavior.

The lay over passed quickly and we were back on the plane. For being in coach, it wasn't too badly packed. Many people had gotten off in Houston. There was an elderly couple sitting in the seats across the aisle from us. I couldn't help but overhear some of their conversation.

"I can't believe it." The little old lady whispered. I could tell by her voice that she was very frail. She had white curls bound on the top of her head. Her face had very defined laugh lines and the creases of wisdom as I always call them. Her husband held her hands in his, pressing his forehead to hers. It was such a pure moment that I felt as if I was intruding.

"He was so brave." I heard him whisper. His voice reminded me of Charlie. I couldn't picture Charlie having white hair yet. Jacob's pulling on my hand brought me back into reality. His molten eyes were full of questions as he looked at me.

"What?" I asked, confused. I wasn't crying or having an outburst, so why is he looking at me like that? He kissed my forehead and smiled.

"Just trying to figure you out, love." I smiled and laced my fingers with his. Drowsiness was starting to overcome me and Jacob positioned me so I was snuggled into his side. Sleep took me in before I could get the blanket over me.

It was late when we finally arrived in Jacksonville. Renee said she would pick us up at the airport. I knew she'd want to talk, but I hoped she had a long day so we can save all the girly excitement for tomorrow.

Jacob carried most of the bags while I took our light carry-on bag. Renee was standing by the exit to the airport, rolling on her heels excitedly. Her light brown hair was pulled into a messy bun on top of her hair. Her smile was huge when she spotted Jake and I. She must not have expected Jake to be so tall because she had to double check him. I laughed inwardly at my loving and erratic mother.

"Bella!" She cried, throwing her arms around me. We squeezed each other tightly. I guess I never realized how much I missed my mom. Even though I had spent most of my life taking care of her, she had always been my best friend. We hugged for a little while longer till she pulled away.

"It's good to see you, Mom." I smiled. "This is Jacob, my boyfriend." Jake had a gleam in his eye every time I referred to him as my boyfriend.

"It's so nice to meet you!" Renee squealed, pulling him in for a hug. It was a sight to laugh at considering Renee is about my size, squeezing the life out of my 6 foot 8 inch tall boyfriend. The term boyfriend didn't really seem to fit what Jacob and I had. It didn't do us justice.

"I'm glad to finally meet you too. Bells has told me so much about you." Jake laughed when Renee finally let him go so he could breathe.

"Where is Phil?" I asked, looking at Renee. She sighed, rolling her eyes.

"He said it was too late for him to be up, even though tomorrow is Saturday!" She laughed as we headed out towards her car. Renee had never been practical. She drove a slug bug. I couldn't help but laugh when Jacob squeezed his way into the front seat. His chair was pushed all the way back against the back seat so he could fit comfortably, making me sit behind Renee.

The drive to her house from the airport was fairly short. She lived on Ponte Vedra Beach, which was only about seven minutes away from Deep Forest Airport. Lush green trees and grass surrounded the area. I was satisfied knowing that Renee was living in a nice place. The air was thick and humid as we parked at the fairly nice house Renee and Phil had bought. We were at the back of the house since the technical front led straight to the white sand. The back of the house looked to be made of white brick. It was two stories high and so far looked very beautiful. Renee had always been good at things like that, I mused to myself as we began pulling luggage out of the back of the bug. Renee had flitted up the stairs to the wrap around deck to unlock to the door. Jake once again carried almost all the bags while I took a couple.

"Are you ever going to let me do anything for myself?" I teased, looking at him lovingly as we made our way up the steps. The bright full moon lit up the entire place, making it seem like it was glowing.

"Nope." He laughed, popping the 'p' as he said it. Renee had disappeared somewhere inside her home. I was overwhelmed with the smell of apple cinnamon. She must have been burning incense or something, I thought as I made my way through what appeared to be her laundry room. The laundry room connected with the kitchen, which even in the dark, I could see that it was a vibrant yellow. Renee had always been such a pack rat, and that was only confirmed when I saw things around her kitchen from the many trips we use to take.

"Bells, just follow the sound of my voice and you'll find your room." Renee called from what sounded like upstairs. Jake and I made our way to the stairs and headed towards her voice. The hallways had so many pictures from the various things we had done in the past. I was surprised when I saw a picture of Renee, Charlie, and I when I was a baby. It was at the top of the stairs. "There is only one guest room, but I'm sure I can trust you two to be alone. Then there is a bathroom right down the hall on your left." She said as she opened the door to the guest room.

I felt as if I had just stepped into a movie. The room was beyond beautiful. There was a white dresser with a matching vanity and headboard to the bed, which was fairly large. The bed frame was made of what looked to be bamboo and had a white netting coming down on both sides. The bedding was white satin. There was a door that led to the patio, which was open and the fresh breeze was blowing the ocean smell all over the room.

"Wow." I breathed, setting the luggage down on the floor. "This room looks amazing. You did such a good job, mom." She smiled at me and hugged me close.

"I'm going to let you two get settled in and rest, then we'll have an exciting day in the morning." She beamed, hugging us again and flitting down the staircase. I could feel Jake's burning arms wrap around my waist.

"Your mom has really good taste. This room looks awesome." He mused, resting his head on my shoulder. I nodded in agreement. My body was screaming that it needed sleep and I yawned loudly. "Time to get Bella in bed." Jake laughed, sweeping me off my feet and carrying me to the large bed.

"I need to change." I whined, squirming out of his arms and rushing to my suitcase. "I can't sleep in this humid weather, next to a wolf, in sweats." He laughed, shaking his head at me and pulling off his shirt. Jake was one of the most handsome men that I have ever seen. His body was so toned and I could see him flex his muscles unintentionally. He climbed into the bed as I headed off to the bathroom to clean up from the flight in.

Once I felt not so disgusting, I headed back to the guest room to find Jake still awake, waiting patiently for me. He smiled once he saw me and beckoned for me to lay in his arms. "There is my beautiful woman." He murmured into my hair as I cuddled into his embrace. I knew it wouldn't be long before sleep overtook my body, and I sighed in content. There wasn't a place in the world that I'd rather be.

Morning

This had to be one of the weirdest dreams I have ever had. Renee and Jake were beaming with happiness, looking down at me. I could faintly hear Jake's gruff voice singing 'I've got sunshine, on a cloudy day'. Had the plane ride really whacked me off so much?

"Bella, you aren't asleep." Renee laughed, shaking my shoulders. I jumped up in bed. This wasn't a dream?

"What are you two doing?" I groaned, laying back down when I fully comprehended that I wasn't asleep.

"Guess where we are going to go today!" Renee was bouncing with excitement. Jake's eyes held the same abducted look as hers. I raised my eyebrows in response. "Disneyworld!" She nearly screamed.

"Oh boy." I murmured. Renee definitely did not plan for this vacation to be boring.

A/N: Never been to Disneyworld so I don't think I would do it justice if I tried to describe it, so therefore, we are going to skip to when they have a family dinner.

It was surprising to find that my body allowed me to enjoy myself on all the rides. It came as a shock that I didn't get sick at all. Usually, I wouldn't have been able to go on any thrill rides. I suppose being with Jake has also changed that in me as well. Renee threw a fit when I said I would cook dinner, she almost beat me out of the kitchen. Whatever she was cooking didn't smell terrible. Jake's stomach growled from next to me on the couch. I laughed and poked it.

"Inner wolf calling?" I teased. He smiled and rolled his eyes, focusing back on the movie we were watching. Renee finished dinner not long afterwards, and I braced myself to what I would find in the kitchen. She made pasta salad and rosemary chicken. It looked delicious!

Phil sat across from Jake. He wasn't a bad guy, but something about him was different. Maybe that's why Renee liked him so much? He wasn't the shy, gentleman that she once was with. As long as she was happy, I could be happy for her.

"So, how long have you two been together?" Phil asked, reaching across the table to grab the salt.

"Four months." Jake said. I don't think it was noticeable to anyone else, but I could hear the sound of pride in his voice. Renee smiled at me warmly. She was so ecstatic that I was happy again. Phil nodded, taking another bite of his food.

"What happened to that Edwin guy?" Jake's chest rumbled at the sound of his name. I kicked him underneath the table. Charlie and Phil weren't that different, I suppose.

"Um, he and his family moved to California." I lied smoothly. I had gotten so use to telling people this at school. My heart would always have a spot for him, but it was not that big or dominant. I could cover the sound of my voice very easily to make it seem like it didn't hurt. Edward wasn't just someone you could forget, no matter how much you love someone else now. Jake looked apologetically towards me, and I shook my head, telling him it was fine. I could hear my mom kick Phil underneath the table.

"Thanks for dinner, mom." I said, grabbing my plate and rinsing it off. Jake hurriedly ate the rest of his food so he could join me. The sun was just beginning to set as I headed out onto the beach. The white sand felt so soft and warm between my toes. I sat where the tide was coming up, letting the warm water run across my feet. The ocean was so vast and open. The sky met the sea with perfect harmony reminding me of how Jake and I worked together. His legs slid down next to mine and he pulled me to his chest. We exchanged no words but I felt as if we were having a full conversation. The unspoken feelings between us were screaming to the heavens. I couldn't picture how life gets any better than this. Jake softly stroked my cheek, letting his fingers linger.

"You are so beautiful, Bella." He whispered in my ear, sending chills up and down my spine. I looked over my shoulder to softly smile at him.

"Thank you." My heart was beating fast and I knew he could hear it. He was truly my sunshine in the dark. Jake completed me in every way possible. I don't know how long we sat there together, but the sun sank in the sky and stars replaced the purple and pink haze. There was no other way to describe everything I was feeling besides complete happiness.

For the first time in a long time, I was excited for the future.

Visiting Renee was so cute. I really enjoyed it. I hope you guys enjoyed it as well. I have written an entire timeline for all the events in this story and I'm basing my writing off of it. I'm so excited to get to the good stuff that writing the in-between is making me impatient. The next couple chapters are going to go like this till it gets to the actual start of the timeline:

Chapter 4- Bella and Jake head back to Forks and they both start school.

Chapter 5- Bella and Jake's one year anniversary

Chapter 6- Bella's graduation

You'll just have to wait and see what happens next!

Love,

GVE