The next week was a blur of activity. While we were leaving most of our possessions,

there were a few things that each of us wanted to take. Alice wouldn't let us pack any of our clothes and assured me that each closet was fully stocked at the new house. But I couldn't leave without the bracelet that Jacob had given me for my first Christmas, my favorite books and my favorite painting from the living room of the cottage. My mother was taking all of her jewelry and her book collection as well. My father was taking his CD's.

It felt strange to be leaving everything else behind, but my parents assured me that we would be quite comfortable in the new house. Jacob and I had spent most of our time looking through furniture catalogues and interior decorating magazines. We'd given all of our ideas to Esme and Alice, who were taking care of everything. Alice was also busy planning the party, which was set for Saturday night. Grandpa Charlie, Sue, Billy and all of the wolves were coming, even Leah. She still wasn't completely comfortable around us, but seven years had softened her a bit. Emily, Rachel, Claire and Kim were coming, too.

Tanya, her mate Gavin, Kate, Garrett, Carmen and Eleazar were arriving Saturday morning because Tanya wanted to help Alice with setting up. Zafrina, Senna, Kachiri, Hulien and Nahuel were coming up later in the afternoon. I think my family was pleasantly surprised by the friendship that had sprung up between the South American vampires and me. We had been down to visit them a few times and I always enjoyed seeing them in their natural habitat. They never quite seemed to fit in the Forks wilderness.

We were leaving Sunday so that we could start school on Monday. As the weekend drew closer, I was starting to get nervous. The only humans I'd ever been around for extended periods of time were Grandpa, Sue and Billy. How would I react in a school full of humans? I knew I could control my thirst, but the thought was still nerve-wracking. Most teenagers would dread going to school with their parents, but I was glad to have all the support I could get.

My main problem – I'd spent all week practicing – was remembering to call my parents by their names. By Friday, I was getting pretty good.

"Bella, what do you think of this couch?" Jacob was in La Push spending time with his dad, so Mom and I were seated at the dining room table in the big house looking through catalogues.

"I think it would be perfect in your living room. The color really complements the painting you're taking," she replied. The couch in question was a pale blue with dark blue throw pillows. The painting was an original Monet of his garden at Giverny.

"Great. Then we are finally done," I said with a sigh of relief. Furnishing the new house had taken so much time that I hadn't any time to enjoy my last week in Forks. "Can I go down to La Push for awhile?"

"Of course, honey. Just don't be home too late. You need to be in bed early so that you can greet your company in the morning," she responded.

I left her with a smile and ran out to the garage. My silver Audi was parked at the far end next to my mother's Ferrari that she hardly drove. I grabbed the keys from the hook on the wall and jumped in the driver's seat.

I arrived at Jacob's house fifteen minutes later and he was waiting in the yard for me. He knew the sound of my car from miles away. I greeted him with a big smile and an even bigger hug. He led me inside where Billy was sitting in the small living room watching TV.

"Hi Nessie," he greeted me, his black eyes glinting with happiness.

"Hi Billy. Do you mind if I steal Jacob for awhile? I wanted to see the beach one last time before we leave."

"Not at all. Besides my soaps are about to start," he replied with a wink. I knew that Billy could never say no to me.

Jacob led the way out the door and we headed down to First Beach. It was a warm day but the clouds weren't supposed to disappear until tomorrow and the wind was blowing, so we had the beach to ourselves. We walked hand in hand for awhile, just enjoying each other's company.

Finally, I broke the silence. "I finally picked out a couch. I'm sure Alice will make sure that everything is in place by the time we get there Sunday afternoon."

"That's great! I was so worried that we wouldn't have a couch before we got there," he teased. I mock punched him in the shoulder. "Ouch, Ness. That really hurt." I punched him again and smiled.

"I love you, Jacob Black."

"I love you, Renesmee Cullen." He stopped walking so I turned to face him. "Would you mind if I gave you your present a day early?" His face was serene but he had a strange glint in his eyes.

I shook my head, wondering what his gift could be that would have him looking like that. As I was thinking, he pulled a small wrapped box out of his pocket. It was wrapped a little sloppily, so I knew that he had done it himself. In the seven years I had known him, I had never seen him wrap a gift.

He handed me the box and I just looked at it, wondering what could be inside. His gifts were usually much bigger. He sighed with impatience so I gently tore the wrapping paper off. Inside was a black jewelry box. I slowly opened the lid.

I was speechless. Inside was the most beautiful ring I had ever seen. It had a silver band with a delicate pattern etched on it. But the main focus was a huge princess-cut sapphire with tiny diamonds around it. I lifted the ring out of the box to examine it more closely and noticed an inscription along the inside of the band. My Forever.

I looked up at him with tears in my eyes. He smiled, grabbing the ring from my hand and slipping it on my right ring finger. It fit perfectly. He wiped the wetness from my cheeks and finally spoke. "It's my promise to you that I will love you forever." I stretched up on my toes and gave him the most passionate kiss I could. Before I could stop it, we were tumbling down onto the sand. I pulled my lips away and giggled, but he crushed his lips back to mine.

We laid there for what seemed like forever, just nuzzling and kissing and sighing. He finally pulled away at last and whispered in my ear. "I should probably get you home, you're parents will be worried." I hadn't noticed that the sun had set.

Reluctantly I agreed and we headed back to my car.

The party was amazing. Alice had outdone herself, surpassing even my parents' wedding. All of the trees surrounding the house were covered in white lights. Dad and Esme had spent the whole day cooking an elaborate buffet for the human guests and it was set up on several tables by the river. Flowers were everywhere and the dance floor was littered with petals. She had used all of my favorites; lilies, roses, lilacs, honeysuckles and freesia. She also had a huge cake specially made, even though I wouldn't be eating any. Emmett was acting as DJ and had set up huge speakers all around the dance floor.

The guests arrived just as the sun was setting - Charlie had yet to see any of my family in the sun and I knew he probably wouldn't want to. In the last seven years, the tension the werewolves felt in our presence had subsided somewhat and it was evident in the way that Leah accepted a handshake from Tanya and Sam casually talked to Garrett. I smiled at how harmonious my life was. All the people I cared about also cared about each other.

A loud shout brought me out of my thoughts. "Happy birthday, Nessie!" Seth yelled as he ran across the dance floor. Before I could react, he had me in a bear hug.

"Thanks Seth," I managed to squeak. He let me go, stepped back and smiled. I thought of how much I would miss him. I quickly pushed that thought out of my mind. I was saving my goodbyes for the end of the night. I wanted to enjoy this party.

"So, do I get to see Jacob's gift or not?" he asked with a knowing look on his face. I knew that he'd probably already seen it, but I held out my right hand anyways. He grabbed it and started examining it closely. "I don't know, those diamonds look fake. And I've never seen a sapphire that big. Are you sure he didn't get it out of a 25 cent machine?"

I let out a huge laugh and he pulled me close for another hug. "I think he might have, I'm pretty sure I saw some of the silver flake off earlier." He gave me a wink after releasing me and then made his way over to the buffet.

I walked across the dance floor to where my parents, Grandpa Charlie and Sue were standing. I hadn't spoken to my grandfather yet because I knew it would be hard to keep my emotions in check. I glanced around until I found Jasper and saw that he was watching me. Good, I would probably need his help pretty soon.

"Grandpa," I said as I felt a wave of calm come over me. I was glad Jasper was paying attention. I practically jumped into Charlie's arms and squeezed him as tightly as possible without hurting him.

"Happy birthday my sweet girl," he whispered in my ear. He didn't know that almost everyone at the party could hear him. He squeezed me back before releasing me. "You look absolutely beautiful. I can't believe how fast you've grown." His smile was genuine. As shocked as he was with my shortened childhood, he loved me completely - though he still preferred to be on a need to know basis when it came to my supernatural family.

"Thank you, Grandpa," I replied, a blush coloring my cheeks. I was not like my mother in her aversion to attention, but I still blushed at compliments. I did feel beautiful tonight, though. My waist-length bronze ringlets were piled on my head in an elaborate updo. Aunt Rosalie had added small flowers to it and my mother let me borrow the combs she wore during her wedding. My blue silk dress hugged my curves and flared a little at the bottom. My silver heels accentuated my toned legs and greatly increased my height from its normal 5'10". I'd noticed Jacob staring since he first saw me.

I turned to Sue and gave her a hug. "Happy birthday, Renesmee," she said, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth. She was much more comfortable around us than Leah, and I knew that she thought of me as her granddaughter. I was glad Charlie had found her. Their wedding had been one of the happiest days of my life.

"Thanks, Sue. I'm so glad you guys could make it." I will miss you so much, I wanted to add, but I was not ready for goodbyes. My father gave me a knowing smile.

Alice's voice broke me out of my thoughts. "Time for presents!" she called from near the back door. She had three huge boxes in her arms and Jasper was behind her with several more.

I rolled my eyes and planted my feet. I was never interested in gifts – I already had everything I would ever need. But Alice was not having that. She set the gifts down on an empty table and walked over to where I was standing. "Come on Nessie, there's no use fighting it," she said as she grabbed my hand and dragged me towards the table.

My parents and grandparents followed and Jacob was suddenly at my side. He had been talking to various members of my family, allowing me time alone with the people I would be leaving tomorrow and most likely saying some of his own goodbyes.

Alice handed me the first box and it felt oddly light. "This is from Jasper and me," she practically squealed. I opened it swiftly and it was empty. I was used to this. My family always bought me huge presents and gave me empty boxes to throw me off.

"It's a home-entertainment system for your new house. It's already set up and waiting for you," she said. Jasper simply smiled next to her.

I smiled back as she handed me the next one. This one didn't feel empty.

It was a specially bound collection of all of my favorite short stories and poems. It was beautiful. I looked at Alice but she nodded no.

"It is from your grandmother and me," Carlisle said. I set the book on the table and engulfed them in a tight hug.

"I will treasure this always. Thank you so much," I replied as I released them. Carlisle kissed my cheek and then Esme placed a cool hand on my other cheek.

"You are very welcome, Renesmee."

After what seemed like forever, I had finally opened every gift. Some were things for the new house. Others were special things, like plane tickets from the three Amazons to come visit them. Emmett and Jasper carried all the gifts inside for me and then the music started.

Jacob twirled me out into the middle of the dance floor as my family and friends surrounded us. The first few songs were upbeat and we all had fun bouncing around the dance floor. Alice and Rosalie kept me entertained by trying to out-dance each other. Jacob was doing the same with Emmett and Seth. He was losing horribly. Quil was doing his best impression of MC Hammer, making Claire giggle uncontrollably. It was still strange for me to be around her. She was technically three years older than me, but she was still a little girl and I was officially a woman.

The music finally slowed down and people started pairing up. Jacob found me in the crowd and wrapped his arms around my waist. I threw my arms around his neck and we slowly turned in a circle. I couldn't take my eyes off his face. It felt like tomorrow was a whole new beginning for us and our relationship.

"Are you enjoying your party?" he murmured.

I nodded and pulled him tighter. I leaned my head against his warm chest and his arm slid up my back to my hair and he started playing with my curls.

"You are beautiful. You know that right?"

I smiled against his chest but didn't pull away. We kept dancing like that even when Emmett started playing up tempo songs again. Jacob led me to a corner of the floor so we weren't in the way of the other dancers. I was happy to stay there with him forever.

My father's cold hand on my shoulder brought me out of my reverie. "May I cut in?"

Jacob smiled and released me into my father's tight embrace and we whirled around until we were in the middle. I saw my mother dancing with Charlie out of the corner of my eye. I glanced back at Jacob and saw that he was dancing with his sister.

"Thinking it's time for goodbyes?" my father said, bringing my attention back to him.

I let out a breath and nodded. "I think so. It's just going to be so hard." I felt my face turn into a frown, but I couldn't help it.

He put a hand under my chin and turned my head so I was looking at him. "I know it will be hard for you, but you are strong. You can handle it. And if you can't, we'll come right back next weekend so you can see everyone."

My father always knew how to calm me. I was convinced he also possessed Jasper's talent when it came to me. He gave me a tight hug and whispered in my ear. "You can do this."

I found my mother and Charlie on the other side of the dance floor and decided I should get the hardest goodbye over with. "Can I dance with Grandpa?" I asked my mother.

"Of course, Renesmee. Be gentle with him, he's been stepping on my toes a lot tonight," she said with a laugh. I smiled as she kissed my cheek and went to find a new dance partner.

"Come here darling," Charlie said as he took my hand in his. It was more work on my part to dance with my grandfather. I still couldn't believe that my mother had ever been clumsy, but seeing Charlie in action helped a little. Instead of twirling around, we mostly swayed in place.

"I love you, Grandpa," I said, deciding it was best to just get it over with. I felt the tears forming in my eyes, but couldn't control them.

"I love you too, Renesmee. Promise me that you'll come visit whenever you can?"

"I promise. As often as Mom and Dad will let me," I answered. "And you can always come down to see us. I'm sure you'd like Newport."

"I will, don't you worry." I knew Charlie wasn't good at the sentimental stuff, so I left it at that. We continued dancing until the song changed and he released me. "I know you have a lot of people to say goodbye to, so I won't hog you. Will you call me tomorrow to let me know you made it safely?"

"Of course." I gave him a swift kiss on the cheek and embraced him once more. He gave me one last smile and then walked away to find Sue.

That wasn't so bad. It's not like we're moving across the world, I thought to myself. Maybe this goodbye thing won't be so hard.

I spent the next hour saying my goodbyes to those that were being left behind. I promised the Amazons' I would use the plane tickets for Christmas break. I told Seth I'd fill him in on Jacob's second high school experience in full detail. Emily, Rachel, Kim and even Leah gave me hugs and wished me luck in school. Billy warned me about Jacob's snoring.

I was finally exhausted, so I thanked Alice for the party and excused myself. I knew that at least the vampires would be celebrating all night. Sometimes I wished I didn't need sleep, but then I realized I wouldn't be able to dream and I got over it. Jacob took my hand in his and we made our way back to the cottage.

I changed into pajamas and went into the living room to find Jacob curled up on the couch. I could tell by his breathing that he was almost asleep, but he didn't look very comfortable. I knelt down by his head and pushed a lock of hair off his forehead. His eyes slowly opened and he smiled.

"Would you like to sleep with me?" I asked, with a hint of nervousness in my voice, but I pushed that feeling aside. "I figured that we'll be living together tomorrow. Why not start practicing?"

His smile faltered. "Ness…" he started, but I put a finger to his lips.

"That's not what I meant. I just want to sleep next to you. Just sleep," I clarified. I definitely had no plans for that in my parents' home.

He regained his smile and got up off the couch. I grabbed his hand and led him down the hall to my bedroom. I got under the covers and watched as he took his shirt off. He left his pants on and crawled in after me, lying on his back. I turned onto my side and rested my head on his chest. He wrapped his arm around me and pulled me closer. I put my hand over his heart and used my gift to tell him that I loved him.

I felt his head move, so I looked up to see him looking down at me. "Happy birthday my love." He kissed my forehead softly and then rested his head back on the pillow. I stayed where I was on his chest with my hand over his heart and we drifted off to a peaceful sleep.