Chapter 5: Hot & Cold

Jacob knew the second he saw Renesmee Cullen that she was not for him.

Something - no, everything about that girl screamed 'unattainable' to him.

Maybe that was why he wanted her even more.

He had always wanted things he couldn't have.

From the moment he caught her gaze in the police station earlier that day though….he couldn't get enough.

Renesmee wasn't like any of the other girls he was used to.

She was different.

He couldn't place what made her so irresistible to him. Was it her pale, flawless skin? Her long, coppery waves that hung over one of her eyes? Or was it the way her warm brown eyes bore right through him?

He hadn't been looking to meet anyone like her when he came to work that morning. It had been a long night, and he was looking forward to going home, having a few beers, and crashing on his couch to a little ESPN. It had been a taxing morning; several men had drunkenly attempted to knock over an ATM and had been none too pleased to be caught. His jaw was still aching from the surprise left hook he had taken from one of the guys before he had gotten him in handcuffs.

That was all alright though. All in a day's work for him.

To Jacob, there was nothing as satisfying as coming home after a long day of work while his law-breakers sat on the cold, hard floor of a holding cell. Hearing the locks click into place was his favorite part.

It had started out like any other day, really. A few arrests, a meeting about a future undercover sting, and a bit of paperwork. Then, things had taken a turn for the worse when he least expected it.

He would never be able to shake the mental picture of the crime scene his partner and Chief, Charlie, had taken him to that morning. The image of the young girl, bloodied and mangled on her own kitchen floor was not one he would soon forget. Charlie had been completely astounded to find that it was the best friend of his granddaughter, Renesmee.

That was where Jacob's trouble had begun.

Needless to say, the safety of Charlie's granddaughter had become their number one priority ever since.

Of course Jacob had seen random pictures over the years of Renesmee. Charlie's desk was scattered with dog-eared photos of the girl as a child and a knobby kneed teen. However, he hadn't been ready to see the beautiful girl that stepped into the precinct and asked for Charlie.

He had wanted to see more of her that day, but sadly the brief glance they shared as he wrestled with a booze-soaked man in handcuffs was all they had gotten. He had soon put two and two together and figured out who she was, thus igniting a personal interest in this particular case.

(Earlier that day)

"Hey Chief," he replied, sitting down in the worn chair off to the side of Charlie's desk.

"Jake," Charlie grunted.

"Everything okay? I uh….saw that your granddaughter was here," he asked nonchalantly. He hoped the old cop couldn't sense the excitement in his voice.

Charlie glanced up at him from his computer screen, his face more scrunched up than usual. Jacob straightened his face, matching Charlie's somber expression.

"Something wrong?"

He paused again, waiting. "Ness…..got into a bit of trouble, that's all."

Jacob's heart wrenched slightly. He hoped it wasn't anything serious. He would hate to see a girl as gorgeous as his granddaughter having problems with something illegal. It would make the fact that he was already attracted to her even more taboo.

She's not for you, his mind chanted. Shaking his head to clear the errant thought, he tried to focus on what Charlie was explaining to him. He shared the terrible story of what had happened to her friend Jessica, and that he had to go down to check out the crime scene soon.

"Someone…someone's out to get her?" he asked, leaning forward. He placed his elbows on his knees, staring down at the crime scene photos the Chief had placed in front of him. The gory scene made his stomach turn because he knew it was connected to her. Normally, things like blood and dead bodies were just another aspect of the job that he didn't think twice about.

These photos made his heart practically beat out of his chest.

Someone was clearly after Renesmee.

"Can you help me with this?" Charlie asked him. His voice was rough with emotion and worry, and Jacob knew that the Chief was desperate.

"Of course. I'll go over there myself - right now if you want," Jacob answered quickly.

Charlie gave him a strange look, but his worry was clearly getting the better of his normal demeanor.

"You're sure?"

"Positive."

Charlie leaned back in his squeaky desk chair, ignoring his ringing telephone. His dark eyes were distant and worried.

"Good, then. I'd feel better if someone was there with her….in case."

"Sure Chief. I'll be there….just in case."

Jacob stood up quickly, pushing his chair back. "I'll take care of her Charlie, I promise. I owe you, and I'll never forget that."

Charlie nodded him off, shrugging. "You don't owe me anything kid."

"Sure, sure," Jacob laughed, clapping him on the shoulder. "But I'd do anything to keep her safe. Can't have the granddaughter of Chief Charlie Swan in trouble now, can we?"

Charlie nodded, looking up at him gratefully. "Just be careful. Don't do anything I wouldn't do," he tried to joke. Jacob watched him carefully, recognizing the worry that was so clearly laced on his features.

"Sure thing Chief."

So now here he was. Renesmee had allowed him to crash on her couch, and that was just fine with him. He had a perfect view of the front door should anyone barge in, and he had a gun on the coffee table and a knife in his boot.

He was ready.

Jacob glanced around at her lush surroundings as the darkness settled over him. He could hear Renesmee in her bedroom, rummaging around. She seemed jumpy and restless - not that he could blame her. He couldn't imagine what it was like to find your best friend murdered and then receive a death threat on top of that.

Nothing will happen to her as long as I'm around, he thought determinedly.

In all honesty, he was looking forward to a good hunt. The animalistic side of him loved a good case, preferably one where he got to get in a good old fashioned fist-fight (those were usually frowned upon down at the precinct) and ended with his perpetrator in handcuffs.

He smirked to himself. He had always been a bit of a bad boy - ever since he was a kid he had nothing but energy, and that paired with his intelligence had quickly gotten him into trouble as a teen. It was all of his pent-up energy that he didn't know how to handle - he wasn't a bad kid. He got arrested several times as a minor for stupid things - breaking curfew, fighting, and trespassing. Nothing too serious. The fourth time he ended up in the backseat of a police car, the small town cop who usually caught him had given him a bewildered glance in the rearview mirror.

"Why don't you use some of that whip smart attitude and determination to be on the other side of those bars kid?"

It had made perfect sense to him. He never did anything bad or cruel when he broke the law - he was just a bored, small town kid. It did make perfect sense for him to try to opposite side of the law, so he did. As it turned out, he was a good cop. He enjoyed doing good deeds and stopping criminals even if his tactics were sometimes frowned upon by his superiors. He had a hot temper and a quick hand which usually got him in trouble. However, his track record of catching criminals was too high to be ignored.

Yes, Jacob Black was definitely a bad boy.

He sighed, straining his ears to listen to what Renesmee was doing. After a few moments, he got up and silently made his way towards her bedroom.

He just wanted to check on her.

The white door was cracked ever so slightly, and he relaxed a little when he heard her steady breathing from inside. Instantly he felt better. She needed sleep - he could tell. There had been dark circles under her gorgeous brown eyes and her pale face looked tired and stressed.

Give the girl a good night's sleep and she'd be a complete knock-out, he thought as he crept back to the couch.

Unsuccessfully he tried to push the feelings he had for her down. It wasn't his place to get involved with someone like her. Especially someone like her.

Renesmee Cullen was not for him.

Girls like her usually rolled their eyes and turned the other way if a guy like him ever hit on her in a bar.

No, she was certainly not his type and he was sure he wasn't hers.

Bet Daddy would have a real fit if she brought a guy like me home, he thought with a smirk. Resting his head behind his arms, he tried to catch a few minutes of sleep if his body would allow it. He had been riled up all day, and being in Renesmee's apartment guarding her wasn't doing much to relax him.

He was just drifting off to sleep when he heard it.

Creak. Creak. Creak. Clank!

His eyes flew open. They adjusted quickly to the darkness around him, helping him find his gun. Sitting up, he carefully tucked it into the waist of his jeans.

Clank!

There it was again.

It was quiet, but it was there. He knew he wasn't imagining this.

He stood, his senses immediately on high alert. The noise was coming from the balcony that ran all the entire length of the front of the apartment.

All was quiet again. Jacob's ears strained, the hum of silence nearly driving him mad.

Focus, Black, he chided himself. He walked quietly to the window, his eyes trying to see through the gauzy curtains. The balcony was empty. Quickly, he moved down the hallway towards the bedroom and glanced inside. Renesmee was still in her bed, lying perfectly still.

Good, he thought. He snuck to the guest room at the back of the apartment, peering out the window. Something moved.

I might only get once chance to nail this guy….don't fuck this up, he coached himself.

His heart began to pound as he reached for his gun. There it was again. The window didn't allow him to get a good view, but there was definitely something out there on the fire escape.

He was trying to get in.

Suddenly, he heard Renesmee stirring in her room. All thoughts of James were sucked from his mind as his number one priority was immediately shifted to the bronze haired beauty that was now in danger.

Moving quickly, he rushed down the hall to her bedroom. She was peeking out, but her gaze was on the living room. Her breaths were low and quick, and he could practically sense her panic. He watched her exit her bedroom, heading towards the living room where he had been.

Silently, he moved behind her and put his hand over her mouth to keep her from screaming. Instinctively, his arm went around her waist and held her against his chest. Her pale skin sizzled pleasantly against his, and he fought to remain focused.

Fuck she feels good, he thought.

Renesmee jumped, her body trembling in his arms. She didn't realize it was him yet, he thought. Looking over her shoulder, he could make out her relieved sigh when she realized it was him. Slowly, he lowered his hand from her mouth and put his finger over his lips.

"Shhhh," he urged. She nodded, pressing her pink lips together into a thin line. She understood.

He knew he had to make sure she was safe. There was a noise on the balcony now, and he knew that whoever it was had shifted their attention to the door off the living room.

"Go lock yourself in the guest room. If I yell run, go down the other side of the fire escape," he whispered. She nodded, and he could feel her heart beating rapidly against his arm. He released her slowly, watching as she moved into the room in the back of the apartment. Their eyes met as she slowly closed the door. He didn't move forward until he heard the click of the lock being secured.

"It's you and me now," he whispered, turning to the living room.

There was another noise from the balcony as he crept closer. The clouds shifted over the moon, allowing a stream of light to briefly illuminate the outline of the figure.

James.

He felt his adrenaline start to rush again. He tightened his grip on his gun, clenching his jaw.

He was going to end this - tonight.

Pressing himself against the wall, he watched as the figure picked the lock on the sliding glass door from the balcony. His stomach tightened as he fought to remain still. The only way he was going to get the better of James was to catch him completely off guard.

The door slid open.

James stepped inside, looking around. Jacob took his chance. He leaped at him in the darkness, a loud grunt escaping from his chest as they went crashing through the glass covered table on their opposite side. He heard James growl in surprise as they rolled to the floor. He could feel shards of glass digging themselves into his back as James pinned him, and he braced himself for the blow.

Crack.

He winced as James's fist came in contact with the side of his head, and he feigned hurt for a second to distract him.

Jacob's fist connected with his face, another loud pop echoing in the dark room. They both growled out in anger as they swung at each other, fighting for dominance on the living room floor. The drapes came crashing down around them as they fought and rolled, adding to the already chaotic scene.

Jacob got out of his grasp, rolling himself up onto his feet. James mirrored his movements, and they circled each other. Jacob caught his menacing gaze in the faint light, giving him a slight chill.

This guy is absolutely psychotic, he thought to himself. He lunged again, unsuccessfully for a second time. He was about to reach for his gun when James delivered a tough roundhouse kick to his jaw.

Fuck, he thought. This guy can actually fight. Well….bring it, fucker.

He stretched out his neck, hearing it crack as James positioned himself again. He dodged another blow, falling to the side slightly. He caught himself quickly, readying himself for another shot.

And he got it.

"Argh!" he gasped.

The small blade cut across Jacob's side, barely grazing him. Still, the small cut stung like a thousand bee stings and made him stagger backwards. He punched James square in the nose, surely making him see double. With a crash, James fell back into the wall and grunted in pain. Jacob was still reeling from his gash, but he knew he had to end this now. His hand flew to his gun that was still tucked in his jeans. He saw James fall back again, clearly caught off guard.

Jacob watched as James looked up, realizing he had a gun. With one quick movement, he tossed a glass picture frame at his head. Jacob ducked, feeling the item whiz past his head by a few centimeters. He looked up just in time to see James dart onto the balcony and jump.

He rushed to the window to see him get up from the ground and stagger for a moment, only to disappear into the darkness.

"Fuck," he muttered. He had gotten away. That never happened.

He gasped a few times, trying to get himself together a bit. His heart was still pounding in his chest, and he was still reeling from the scuffle.

A few ragged breaths later, he stood up straight and looked toward the back bedroom where Renesmee still was. He had to see her.

He collected himself some more before moving to the bedroom door and knocking. "Renesmee?"

The door flew open and he was taken off guard yet again as she flung herself at him.

"Jacob!"

She hugged him tightly against her body, and he could feel her heart pounding wildly through her thin pajama top. He could also feel the way her soft, round breasts were pressed against him, only a thin layer of fabric separating them…

Stop it, he thought.

"Uh, you're welcome?" A cocky laugh slipped from his mouth as he lightly hugged her back. It felt wrong to hug a girl like Renesmee only minutes after a fight - he was still bloody!

"What happened?" she demanded, pulling away. He reached over, flipping on the hall light so that she could see.

She followed his gaze, her eyes widening when she saw her destroyed living room. Glass was everywhere along with broken furniture, spatters of blood, and various personal items were strewn everywhere.

It was an utter disaster.

"We had a….slight scuffle," Jacob replied, running his hand through his hair.

He explained what happened, and confirmed that it was indeed James that was out to get her that night. He watched her face grow with fear the more he talked, and he knew that he had to so something - anything - to keep her safe.

And he would.

As he watched her brown eyes fill with tears of relief, he knew he had to formulate a plan. An idea came to him and he suddenly felt a little better.

He knew how to keep her safe.

He wiped his stinging cut, just then noticing another small gash on his arm. Renesmee's face was clearly shocked.

"He had a knife?"

Jacob heard the slight tremble in her voice. He knew he had to play this down to keep the poor girl from coming unhinged.

"Yeah…or something. Got me a couple times…but I'll live."

He watched as she was hit with realization. Renesmee bit her trembling lip, wrapping her arms around herself tightly as her entire body began to shake. It felt horrible for her to realize the danger she was in, but he didn't want to lie to her. Lying wouldn't do her any good in a situation like this.

"I'm…I'm glad you're okay," her soft voice cut through the silence.

He nodded, giving her a light shrug. "Sure, sure. So uh…he's pretty determined. I think you need to get out of town. Soon."

"Really?"

Renesmee looked up at him in shock, and he nodded again. "I mean that. You're not safe here. He made that pretty clear tonight. I think your best bet is to leave for a few days."

"Leave?"

"Just for a day or two. Week tops. Just let things settle down. Let Charlie and his guys get on the case. They'll get everything sorted, just…it might help if you were gone."

"Come on," she replied softly, taking his hand. Sucking in a breath, he followed her to the bathroom. Flicking on the light, she opened a drawer searching for something. He reached for a white towel, picking it up off the rack.

"Care if I use this to clean-"

"-Not the white!" she gasped, taking it from him. Jacob's jaw dropped open awkwardly.

"Um…sorry,-"

"-It's okay. Just…here, I was going to help you clean that up."

"Okay," he replied, watching her. She pulled out a first aid kit, carefully wiping the blood off his stomach and side.

"You might need stitches," she said softly, looking up at him. He shrugged, taking the gauze from her and wiping more blood away. Examining the gash, he tried to ignore the singing pain as she wiped some antiseptic over it.

"Nah. I'll watch it for a few days. Just needs a bandage. I'll be right as rain in the morning."

She bandaged up the rest of his cuts and scrapes, commenting on his already visible scars. Jacob decided that he was probably the first person she had met besides Charlie that he would consider blue collar. Renesmee was intelligent, yet very sheltered and that was clear.

"Do you get injured like this a lot?"

He shrugged, surveying the damage done to his face in the large mirror before him.

"Oh yeah, all the time," he replied nonchalantly. "Part of the job. Wouldn't be exciting without getting a little banged up every now and then, would it?"

"Cocky," she muttered, opening another bandage.

He took it from her, frowning a bit.

"Mouthy," he chuckled. She yanked it back from his hand, bending over slightly to apply it to his side.

"Just let me do it!" she snapped slightly. He looked down at her quizzically, slightly annoyed with her but still completely enamored. How did this sassy, uppity young girl make him so….worked up?

"Are you always like this?"

"Like what?"

"So….wound up."

"When was the last time you had a killer after you?"

"I'm usually the one doing the chasing, actually."

"Never mind," she sighed, tossing the garbage into the bin. "I hope that doesn't need stitches."

"Nah, it'll be fine. Just relax - he's not coming back. No one would-be that stupid. You're at least safe for tonight."

"Whatever you say," she replied, leaving the room.

"I know where we can go," he replied, following her out of the bathroom. She stopped, surveying her destroyed living room.

"Do I have a choice?"

"Do you want to live?"

"Well…yes," she replied stubbornly.

"I'm not trying to put you out here Princess, but-"

"Just…." she held up her hand, silencing him.

"What?"

"I…I don't want to go, but…I guess I need to," she mumbled, biting her lip again. He briefly wondered why she did that so often, but said nothing.

"Renesmee….we'll figure this out. I'll keep you safe - I promise."

Renesmee turned around, a very relieved look on her pale face. "You will?"

He nodded curtly, turning to face her. "Of course. It's my job."

Oh, don't you love how hot and cold these two are? I tried to bring out the stubborn-assy-ness of Jacob and play up the girly, uppity bitch in Renesmee - no Mary Sue characters here! You guys asked for a chapter in Jacob's POV, so I hope you enjoyed it!

Speaking of that - Witness, along with Untouchable (my other Jake/Ness fic) and Love This Pain (My Seth fic) are all in the running for the Hopeless Romantic Awards! I would really appreciate it if you're reading it you would please vote - Witness is up for best Jake/Ness! I'm really excited, so if you have the time to give them a vote, please do so!

Link to the voting is on my profile page : )

Review?