Thanks as always to Nikki and Dani for their encouragement and ideas.

This was a really quick update thanks to Angelz1114577 & Whitlocked from PTB and their super fast beta'ing :o)

I've set up a blog page as an easy way to display pics, etc for this story. Please see my profile for a link to the pics that I based Rosalie & Emmett's house on (imagine Rosalie's own take on the furnishings & décor though!)

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Twilight or any of the characters, they belong to Stephenie Meyer.

Chapter 11

Renesmee PoV

We drew up under a tree in Rosalie's driveway, next to a large dark SUV. Rose cut the engine and popped the lid of the trunk as we opened our doors and climbed out. We walked around to the back of the car to lift our bags out and then Rosalie slammed the trunk down again and led the way along the path that followed the edge of the lawn to the double door at the front of the house.

Rose pressed the door handle down and pushed the door open, calling out at little above her normal volume.

"Emmett? We're home." Her voice echoed slightly off the wooden floor and her heels clicked loudly as she walked down the hallway toward the living room which was set down two steps. The house was light, the neutral cream-colored walls in contrast to the dark wooden floor and keeping an airy feel, helped by the light that streamed through the floor to ceiling windows in the living room.

As we reached the top of the steps, my large, muscled uncle had just walked in through the door on the left that led onto the sheltered terrace outside. As he saw me, his handsome face broke into a huge grin, a deep dimple in each cheek.

"Hey, Ness!" he held his arms open and I dropped my bag on the floor, jumping deftly down the two steps and running toward him. He scooped me up in a big bear hug, my feet dangling above the ground as he crushed me against his chest with his huge arms. I squeezed back until he finally placed me down on the floor, kissing me on the cheek as he did so. His smile was still fixed firmly in place as we both turned to face Rose and Nahuel, still standing at the top of the steps watching us, both smiling. I cleared my throat to speak.

"Emmett, you remember Nahuel?" I gestured toward him and Emmett nodded his head.

"Of course, good to see you again, man." He stepped forward and Nahuel came down the steps, grasping the hand that Emmett held out to him and shaking it.

"You too, Emmett," Nahuel replied, before both men let their hands return to their sides. Rosalie bent to retrieve my bag from where I'd let it drop.

"I'll take your bag up to your room for you," she said, smiling kindly at me. "Nahuel, if you follow me I'll show you where you'll be sleeping." She gestured for him to follow her, as she walked across the raised area and started up the staircase. With a quick look back at me, he followed after her.

When they were out of sight, Emmett draped his arm casually around my shoulders and guided me through the open door, onto the terrace, and over to the railing that looked over the waterfront. We stopped and I leaned forward, resting against the top rail. I gazed out across the water, focusing on the few buildings on the other side and wondering what scenes were playing out over there in other people's lives.

Emmett stood close to me, playfully nudging my shoulder with the side of his arm and smiling at me when I looked up at him.

"So, I hear Jake's not too happy at the moment!"

I rolled my eyes at the understatement and scoffed.

"Erm, yeah Emmett, just a little." He looked back at me carefully, his mouth still smiling but the teasing sparkle now gone from his eyes. I bit my lower lip and turned back to the water. Emmett put his arm around my shoulder, squeezing me gently.

"Hey kid, it'll be ok. Jake'll come round, he's just worried about losing you."

I straightened up now and Emmett removed his arm as I turned to face him.

"Why the hell would he think he's going to lose me Emmett? You see? This is what's making me mad, he's behaving so irrationally! We've never been less than one hundred per cent committed to each other, ever." The feelings of frustration had risen again, and as they did my voice grew louder, my heart rate increased and I fought the rising tears. "I just wish I knew where all of these insecurities had come from!"

Emmett pulled me into him now, wrapping me up comfortingly in his large frame. I was standing there, enjoying the feeling of being totally cocooned, when I heard Rose and Nahuel talking as they made their way back. I pulled away from Emmett, not wanting to be seen needing any sort of comfort, but giving him a look that showed I was grateful for his concern and support.

Emmett and I moved across and sat down at the table that was on the terrace; Rosalie and Nahuel joined us a moment after. We chatted for a while, the conversation never slipping from light-hearted for more than a few seconds, mainly thanks to Emmett. He often tried to avoid the serious issues anyway, but I was certain that he was making an extra effort now to ensure that I didn't become upset again.

After a while the men's conversation turned to sports. As I listened disinterestedly, Rosalie suddenly gasped and brought her hand to her mouth.

"I'm so sorry; I completely forgot to think about food for you two!"

I was amused at how mortified she looked as she realised she'd forgotten such a simple thing. Emmett was chuckling too, when Nahuel smiled and spoke.

"It's fine Rosalie, I hunted this morning." As his words registered, we all froze, staring at him as an uncomfortable silence descended. It was the first time that I'd thought about the moment in front of the Volturi when Nahuel had told Aro that his diet was made up mainly of blood. Rose, Emmett and I looked at each other; all worrying about the potential implications if Nahuel had killed a human close to where my family and I lived. Suddenly Nahuel seemed to realise what he'd said that had caused such a reaction and he looked from one to another of us, speaking quickly. "Deer I mean, I hunted deer." I cocked my head to one side, looking at him curiously as I processed this new information. He shrugged, embarrassed at being the center of such intense attention. He looked down now, speaking more quietly. "I was intrigued the first time I visited by the way that you live, I decided to try it. I found that I can manage quite well on animal blood." A deep laugh began to rumble inside Emmett, until he threw back his head and guffawed loudly.

"Man, you had us going there! Did you see the girls' faces?" He laughed loudly again; it was infectious and gradually we all joined in, the hilarity building until Nahuel and I were wiping tears from our eyes. Eventually, our laughter subsided and we sat peacefully, smiles still in place on each of our faces. Nahuel caught my eye from the chair next to me and his smile grew a fraction wider. I suddenly realized that we had both unconsciously angled our bodies, my left arm and his right resting on the arms of the chairs we sat in, so that we were leaning toward each other.

I straightened up self-consciously, but not before I caught the look on Emmett's face that told me he'd noticed the look that had passed between us and the way our bodies had been mirroring each other. He glanced at Rose and she attempted to diffuse the edge of tension in the air by asking Nahuel if he ate much human food.

"More than I used to. My sisters and I have been trying to eat it more now that we're able to live among humans; it makes it easier if we conform to the same norms as they do. I still can't say that I particularly enjoy it though," he laughed before turning to me. "What about you Renesmee? Do you enjoy human food?" I shrugged my shoulders.

"I don't mind it as much now as I used to. I still prefer blood and I'll hunt with my family sometimes, but usually it's just easier to fit in with Jake."

Emmett laughed again.

"Ness, the amount that Jake eats doesn't leave you time for hunting after you've finished cooking for him!" I laughed too, picturing Jake at mealtimes, devouring huge platefuls of food. Suddenly, I felt a pang at the image and wanted nothing more than to be at home with him. I wondered where he was and what was going through his mind. More than anything else, I felt angry that he kept running out on me when there was so much we needed to sort out. I knew we'd called a truce of sorts when I got home yesterday, but we hadn't actually discussed anything before he'd got upset and left me again. Nahuel's voice brought me back to the present as he began to speak.

"Well how about we go shopping for groceries, then when we get back I'll cook you some Mapuche food and you can cook something for me? We can try and convert each other." His face was playful as he challenged me and I couldn't help smiling.

"Ok, it's a deal," I agreed, turning to my aunt and uncle. "Would it be ok to borrow a car?" Rose's face changed quickly, becoming so panic-stricken at the thought of us taking her beloved sports car that Emmett quickly agreed to let us borrow his SUV.

****

I'd stayed with Rosalie and Emmett enough times to know my way to the nearest town. As I drove, I was aware of the close proximity between Nahuel and me, although I was glad that Rose hadn't offered to lend us her smaller car, as we'd have been considerably closer than we were now. Nahuel appeared incredibly relaxed, considering the events that had occurred since yesterday morning and the circumstances we now found ourselves in. He sat back in the seat as I drove; his knees bent and parted casually. His left hand rested lightly on his thigh and his right arm was draped across the window ledge on the door. He was easy to be with, his conversation light and often amusing, his body language warm and friendly.

I wondered if he was immune to the feelings that I experienced when we were together, if maybe it was one-sided on my part? I knew that there was no way I looked as relaxed as him; I couldn't possibly when my stomach lurched the way it did whenever he looked directly at me or nearly touched me. Still, the look in his eyes when they did meet mine, made me think that he was aware of something; they seemed bottomless.

We parked up on the street and made our way around the smaller stores. Nahuel was looking for a specific Chilean spice which we found eventually in the last store we visited, a well-stocked deli. We were laughing again when we reached the car and Nahuel dumped the bags he'd insisted on carrying, on the back seat. We climbed into the car and I turned the ignition key. The radio blared out and I started, as a song by Jake's favourite band came on; I realised I hadn't thought of him the whole time we'd been out. Guilt washed over me and I reached forward quickly, trying to tune the radio to a different station. As I did so I felt Nahuel watching me and I glanced up, meeting his gaze. It was possibly the first time all day that I'd looked at him and he hadn't been smiling; instead his eyes were serious, intense with emotion. I felt a burst of increasingly familiar stars shooting through me, and suppressed the shiver as best I could, quickly looking away, embarrassed. I managed to find a new radio station and increased the volume. It was loud enough to erase the possibility of conversation for the short drive back to the house, but I'd managed to trap myself alone in my head with my thoughts in the process.

A/N – Please click review, I love to read your thoughts on the story.