Authors Note: So this chapter takes place in the afternoon of the previous chapter. Its the same day.
I'd just like to say thanks to you all, for your reviews and adding this to favourites and story alert. I love it when you do - it really makes me smile.
I hope you like this chapter. Enjoy:
I had been eating some of Emily's cookies – she did take out's when we were in a rush - when there was a knock at the door; not overly loud, but still a firm knock with a familiar rhythm to it. I staggered to the door, a little miffed that I'd been interrupted whilst eating. Seriously, Emily's food was heavenly.
"Nessie?" I gasped, shocked to find a little girl with messy hair and a dirty skirt at my door. "What's the matter? Why are you here? I was going to come round in about an hour." I'd secured an extra play-date with her after I'd taken her hunting this morning.
She didn't answer, but entered my house without waiting for an invitation. Her large brown chocolate eyes were full of sadness, and they shone as a thin layer of tears made an appearance.
"Nessie?" I said, sitting on the floor so I was the same height of her. "Where are Mum and Dad?" I flinched as I thought of Bella and Edward; if she was here without their permission, they would not be happy, and I'd get the blame. I always did.
She remained silent, but she jumped on me. Her small strength toppled me a little and she lay with her head on my chest as she started to cry. Saying nothing, I stoked her damp hair, untangling the ends as she emptied herself. She would tell me when she was ready. And I'd listen. She needed me now.
"Jac-c-cob" She stuttered as she began to calm down. Time had passed, but it felt like no time at all. I could have lay like this for a lifetime.
"Yes, Ness?" I whispered calmly, waiting for her to answer. I didn't want to push her too hard.
Nessie propped her self up on her elbow so she could look at me. Her beauty was overwhelming. I knew her face inside out, better than I knew anything, but it still made me speechless at her flawless pink lips, her large brown eyes and the defined cheekbones.
"Jaco-b-b… what's im-p-printin-ngg?"
Her question made me ache; physically ache. I felt I could not hold myself. I felt… weak. If I was standing, my legs would have buckled. This conversation was always going to happen, there was no getting away from the fact that someday it would come about. But now? She was three, but I could still remember the day she had been born clearer than anything else. I wanted to avoid this at all costs. I'd had this conversation with Edward and Bella; their thoughts on the topic were clear. Allow Nessie to make her own decisions.
"Please?" Nessie pried, placing her hand on my face and showing her confusion and her upset. Before, I could have told her something else because the word 'imprint' had never really come up before. But I couldn't now. I could never lie to her.
"What have you been told Nessie? Why are you upset?"
Her brown eyes absorbed me. They weren't just solid single brown - they were different colours all blending into one; honey, caramel, a rich toffee colour to make a chocolate brown. They were full of sadness. Her dark lashes shadowed them, flickering as she blinked.
"I hear-r-r-d-d Auntie R-Rose and Uncle Emmett tal-k-king… but…they di-di-didn't know I was ther-r-e." She paused and lifted up the bottom of my shirt to wipe her eyes. It was already damp from the escaped tears earlier. "Rose said that i-t-t was a sh-sh-shame that a wolf-f had imprinted on m-m-me, and then Emmet-t-t said that if you h-h-hurt me then he would k-k-kill you. Ar-r-e you g-going to t-take me away J-Jacob?" She asked solemnly. Through what she'd said, it was nothing I didn't already know. I guessed that she thought imprint meant something like kidnap.
"No, Nessie, I won't take you anywhere you don't want to go. Of course I wont, you know that!" I was amazed, gob smacked, really, that a few words from Blondie and Nessie doubted everything I'd ever told her. God damn it, was Blondie good for anything?
Breathing deeply, I hugged Nessie tightly.
"Jacob, what is imprinting?" She said, her voice returning to normal, but there was still an element of fear present in her tone. How could I tell her? How could I describe the way she made me feel, the intensity of the emotions that I felt towards her? I figured now was as good as anytime. I breathed deeply hoping my words would be good enough.
"I'm a wolf, aren't I Ness?" She nodded. "Well, it's a special wolf thing. What happens is when you're a wolf – a shape shifter – there's this thing that happens and its called imprinting. It's like glue that sticks a wolf to someone; it makes you love them, makes you want to be with that person, it makes you want to do anything at all for them." I tried to dumb it down so it wasn't too overpowering. God, everyone knew Nessie was smart, but I didn't want to scare her off.
"Are you imprinting?" Nessie asked me, a few moments after I'd finished. God dammit, where was Bella, or Edward, when I needed them!?
"Nessie, I have imprinted. I imprinted on you." I said, before I could hold it in any longer. Things sure would be easier now she knew. Or not. She could reject me; tell me the same thing as her dad. Just the very thought made me shudder, made me feel… suicidal.
"So you have to love me? You have to see me every day?" Nessie asked, her voice squeaky, her eyes still wet.
"I don't have to. I do, and maybe the imprinting helped. But I'd love you anyway. Who wouldn't?" For the first time ever, I realized this was true. Before now, I suppose I'd never really thought about it, but I'd seen so many fall into the trap that Nessie created. Her eyes – you fell into them and drowned. Her scent – it was so delicious and so captivating, there was no-one who could refuse it. How much of an impact did the imprint have? Enough to make me stop, listen and look at this beautiful little girl so full of love and kindness? Maybe I would have come to love her anyway…
"Is Uncle Emmett going to kill you?" She asked, and her eyes were battling between the humour and the fear in the sentence.
"I hope not." I said, starting to tickle her belly. She screamed out laughing. Nessie was very ticklish. "How did ya get here, Ness?"
"I ran." She replied simply. My mind began racing at the thought of her running through the forest by herself – she was only three! The dangers in there were endless. What if there had been a stray bear? She probably could have killed it easy, but what about a stray vampire, god dammit? It had happened before!
"Where was your dad?" I knew Edward would not have allowed it, so I was curious as to where he was that had prevented him from knowing from Nessie's thoughts.
"With Mummy in the cottage." I cringed as I thought what they were doing in there, but Nessie's eyes seemed innocent so I acted normal.
"So who was looking after you?"
"Auntie Rosalie and Uncle Emmett. They thought I was asleep, but I wasn't." I nodded my head to show I understood.
"Come on, Nessie, they'll be worried if I don't take you home." I murmured. Edward would know I had told her about imprinting, and that would tint the rest of the day with frustration at his hostile behavior towards me. I was due to visit again about now anyway. Hoping Bella would go easy on me, we left.
I didn't phase as we ran – I thought it might trigger another conversation, or remind her, about imprinting. Holding my hand as we ran, we kept a steady pace that was easy. As usual, the wildlife fled as we ran past them, although hunting wasn't our intention I knew Nessie was attracted to them.
It was Jasper that found us in the forest. I never really talked to him; I thought he was quiet and I didn't do quiet, not really.
"Oh, Renesmee! They're all going out of their minds, seriously, it's been hell for me to be near them." He said seriously to me, scolding me with a quick glance.
"I didn't take her! She came to me!" I defended. God, I wasn't some creep who went around taking little children.
Jasper just shrugged and we followed him back silently, my hand gripping Nessie's hard. Words could not describe the connection I felt towards her, and, as strange as it sounds, I felt it strengthen now we had talked about our situation. There were no more lies. I could tell her anything.
"My god, Nessie, where the hell have you been!?" Blondie snapped, coming out of the house. Her face was smothered with guilt, worry, regret. I had never seen her like this; her barrier was down and she was no longer the arrogant, ignorant blonde that I knew and hated so well.
"Don't shout at her." I said calmly. Nessie hid behind me as she looked, scared, at her Auntie.
"No, don't shout at her, Rose." Edward said, coming over to us. "Where did you go, Renesmee? We've been so worried!" He pulled her forwards for a hug. "Someone can ring Bella now." He added, and I watched as Blondie whipped a phone out of her pocket, pressed a digit and held the ringing phone to her ear.
"Dog brought her back." She hissed down the phone, her eyes never leaving me. It was her fault she'd come to find me. I hadn't kidnapped her for god sake.
"Should have kept a better eye on her then, shouldn't you, Blondie?" I smiled at her sarcastically.
"Don't fight, Jake." Nessie whispered as she crept back to stand beside me. I obeyed her order and took a deep breath.
"Where did Bella go?" I asked Edward, whose face was now full of relief.
"She drove to Charlie's. I think she was making her way round to LaPush." He said. "God, I should have heard her leave." He muttered to himself.
"You don't think I kidnapped her then, like Blondie does?" I snapped at him. Stupid freaking vamps.
"No, I know you'd never do that." Edward said, smiling a bit. It was then that I heard the screeching wheels of Bella's car as they made it onto the driveway.
"My god, Renesmee, you can't just run off like that. If you're upset, you're angry, or anything, you come and talk to me, or your dad or someone else, okay?" Bella gushed, smothering her in kisses.
"But Mummy, that's what I did. I went to talk to Jake." Nessie said her voice full of childlike innocence.
"Yes." Bella breathed. "Yes, good girl. Maybe just tell us next time." She laughed nervously.
"Come in, Jacob." Edward said kindly. I was a little taken aback by this hospitality. Usually they wanted something when they were kind – they did last time.
"Don't let the dog in." Blondie hissed.
"I'm not holding anything against him. He was there for Renesmee." Edward answered.
I followed Edward into the Cullen house. Esme was there, of course, with a can of coke for me. I drank from it out of politeness although I wasn't really thirsty. It was something to do as silence crept slowly after everyone realized Nessie was safe. It crept quietly and then hit us all, stunning us into sitting still and awkwardly. All of the Cullen's were gathered round – it surprised me that Alice was so quiet, I didn't even know she was here. Glancing over at her, her face was fixed in concentration and I bet she was trying to see the future. It would be pretty difficult with me around, but I wasn't going to volunteer that I left.
"So you told her?" Edward said, surprising me again by keeping his voice so calm whilst talking about this 'difficult' topic.
"I didn't really have a choice." I admitted thinking about how Nessie had practically attacked me with her tears.
"I know," was all Edward said. Of course he knew. He knew everything.
"What did you tell her?" Bella asked, stoking Nessie's hair as she lay on her lap.
"Imprinting." Edward answered for me. "I suppose it would come out sooner or later. Hopefully, Renesmee will be a strong enough girl to figure out what she wants without having to follow the destiny you laid out of her."
"Most teenagers resent their parents for lying to them." Carlisle added. "She won't be growing up with a lie now." It was a fair point. If we'd waited and she'd gotten angry because we hadn't told her, we'd all feel bad about it. I was pleased that it was out in the open. Now, we had no secrets.
"What do you mean daddy?" Nessie asked, lifting herself up to sit vertical.
I didn't understand the question, but Edward answered it anyway, taking the main information from Nessie's mind.
"Destiny is like what is supposed to happen in the future." Edward explained.
"Am I supposed to be Jake's imprinter in the future?" she asked, confused.
"You are already Jake's imprint," Edward said, trying to smile. "But it if up to you how you want your future to be, whether you want to be like Mummy and me, or me and Auntie Alice, you understand?" A brother or a husband? Which one would she pick? I couldn't answer that, and right now, I wasn't sure which one I'd pick. She was young, so how could I begin to see her as anything other than a sister, a friend? Either way, it would be better than no way at all.
"Yes." Nessie confirmed with a quick nod of the head. "Can we play a game?" she asked, changing the topic completely.
"Sure." I replied straight away. "What do you want to play?"
"Monopoly." Edward, Bella and Nessie answered in unison.
"Ooooh!" Alice squeaked. "I'll go and get it." She sped up the stairs and within seconds was back with the board game and a briefcase. I wondered what it was for.
"Alice likes to play with real money. She says it's more fun." Edward explained after sticking his nose into my mind, again. Then, Alice flicked the switch on the black leather briefcase and it swung open. Its entire contents was just masses of money! Wow.
"Let's play." Alice said, setting out the board.
"There's your counter." Blondie snapped, chucking me the metallic dog figure and smiling widely at the, well, extremely clever joke she just made.
"Oh way to go, Blondie." I smiled. "No-one figured that one out." I said my voice thick with sarcasm. She just shrugged and took her own piece: the car.
Everyone seemed to have their own piece, and seeing as Nessie was usually the dog (something that made me actually glow with a mixture of smugness and happiness) she paired up with me. Edward and Bella had the top hat, Alice and Jasper the shoe, Esme the iron, Carlisle the horse, and Emmett was settled with a train.
"I'll go first." Alice offered, of course, after she'd handed us all out one thousand five hundred dollars of real money. It was true, it made the game more interesting, and it's not like they would miss it, but it was still… like, wow.
"Maybe we might have a chance at winning, now." Carlisle joked, referring to Alice's ability to see what the outcome could be and Edward's ability to read the mind. Of course, Alice couldn't see this time because I was here. We were all crowded around the dining room table, shouting when the dice didn't roll in each other's favor.
Twenty minutes in and Alice was winning. She had hotels on three properties and we all dreaded it when we landed on her.
"No!" Blondie practically screamed when she landed on Illinois Avenue with three houses of Alice's on. She all but threw the money at Alice and scowled at Alice's cheerful whoops of success. Alice was very good.
"Throw the dice, Ness." I encouraged and she rolled a six and a five. I dramatically kissed her head as we landed on 'Community Chest' and everyone had to give us one hundred dollars because it was our birthday!
Carlisle went next and luckily for him, landed on an undeveloped property and bought it, placing two houses on it straight away. Esme then went and landed on the Carlisle's newly bought houses and had to pay a hundred and twenty seven. Delivering it with a kiss, she was a better loser than Blondie who still sat with a pained face.
"Your turn, love." Edward said to Bella passing her the dice. They were too sickly sweet together, it was kind of disgusting. Bella rolled herself straight into jail, so Edward had to play the 'get out of jail free card' to release her. "Sorry," Bella mumbled, but we'd already moved on. Emmett casually rolled the dice with a double three, landing right on Alice's most expensive property. He was forced to roll again, only to then land on Carlisle's. He shouted abuse because he was no bankrupt. He had only bought one property, not developed it well enough, and even with a mortgage he didn't have enough to pay up.
After that, we all seemed to lose money. Esme, Nessie and me all seemed to go bankrupt pretty quickly, and Alice kept raking in the money. I was a little bit jealous. Edward and Bella were up against Alice and Jasper in the final battle. Every property had an owner, and it was a pretty fair spread too. We all sat in memorization as we watched the quick hand movements as the dice was rolled, the pieces moved and money given to whichever person earned it.
The final minutes passed quickly, and darkness was pressing itself against the glass windows which made up the Cullen house when Alice shouted "Yes!" She scrambled all the money together and my stomach ached at the amount of it! Somehow, it looked less when it had been evenly spread between all of us.
"That," She said, "is going to buy me a brand new outfit." She squealed happily. Just one? I thought.
"Tell me, Alice, how do you do it?" Emmett asked, his eyes narrowed. "Jake was here, so you couldn't see."
Alice shot him a look. "So I'm only ever good at something because of my gift? Well, thanks!" Alice moaned with sarcasm, still sorting out the money whilst Esme packed the board away.
"I best be going." I said, "It's late and Nessie's tired." We all looked at the tired little girl sitting in my lap; her eyes were red where she'd been rubbing them, and still not recovering from her tears earlier.
"Do you want to put her to bed?" Edward asked. I looked up at him in disbelief. Did Edward just say that?
"Yes, I did." He chuckled. "You deserve it."
"And there's no catch?" I checked, knowing how sneaky the vamps were.
"None."
I analyzed it for a minute, before picking Nessie up in my arms and carrying her out the door, murmuring my goodbyes as I went.
The cottage door was open – there wasn't really any point in having a lock, except I knew that Edward and Bella's room had one. Nessie yawned as I carried her into her room, decorated beautifully with little purple castles around the border of the bright yellow walls.
"Come here." I encourage, sitting her on the bed, and turning my back whilst she swapped from her dirty t-shirt and skirt into her blue pajamas.
"Do you want a story?" I asked. Tiredly, she nodded her head and picked one out of the huge bookshelf in the living room. Cinderella. A classic.
"Once upon a time…" I began reading on in my mono-tone voice. I didn't really like reading, but Nessie enjoyed it. She nestled her head into my chest as I read, keeping her eye on the pictures in the book. It was times like this when her child-like side came out instead of that mature grown up girl she liked to pretend she was sometimes. I smiled as I continued to read.
I quietly closed the book when I finished, thinking that she'd fallen asleep during the story. Carefully, I stood, gently kissing her soft sweet smelling hair before I left.
"Jake?" She whispered, opening her eyes.
"Yeah?"
"Will we have our happy ending?" She asked, yawning again.
"Sure we will, eventually." I smiled, kissing her hair once more before closing the door behind me as I made my way home.
So what did you think?? I like this chapter - it's my favourite out of them all, so far.
If you have any ideas about future outtings then please let me know; I think I'm all out of them for now, so I'll greatly appreciate them!
All feedback is welcome :) Thanks to those of you who have already xx