I still don't own Twilight.

Chapter Three!

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JPOV

When I woke up the sun was still shining though the bedroom window, and Nessie still slept at my side, out cold. I took a few minutes to admire the sleeping girl on the other side of the bed. Every time I look at her, I swear she's grown another inch. They say kids grow fast, but I know this is ridiculous. I sat up and lifted myself from the mattress carefully in hopes of not disturbing her. The television was on downstairs, and that made me sit back down. Go away, I thought while I regretted very quickly ever having given Gloria a key to the house. I normally would have slept until morning of the next day with how long I'd gone without sleep, but sleep wasn't easy with something else on my mind. Forks was an issue I was planning to be able to push off for at least another three or four years, so I hadn't prepared much for what was going to happen when the issue was forced into my face prematurely.

"Morning, Gloria." I was groggy coming down the stairs, and my head spun. I must have only been asleep for a few hours.

"Good afternoon, sleepyhead." Or... maybe not. Her smile was beaming. Her shoes were off, and one leg was up on the couch, with a skinny tan arm around it. Should have never given her the key. I thought it might help when Nessie and I were sleeping if she came in and did her work and left, but I never thought about her actually being here when I woke up. I was suddenly grateful that Ness had been asleep. Otherwise, I'd be hearing it right about now. She didn't like Gloria, though Gloria seemed to adore her. Nessie would have hated anyone I'd tried to date. It wasn't easy for me to try to lead a normal life. How suspicious would it look to see a twenty-something year old male and a preteen girl living in the same house, sharing the same bed, and looking nothing like each other? People jump to conclusions instantly. With Gloria over here, it offered peace of mind to a lot of the neighbors, and the very last thing I want in the world is to have Nessie taken from me all because some asshole finds my intentions unpure. They'd find a reason to take her away, and it didn't help at all that we were both Americans. Some people thought it was neat. Others... and I do mean most others... didn't like it at all.

I was using the poor girl. As wrong as I knew it was, I'd told her from the very beginning that my time, love, and devotion would be solely for Nessie. She seemed to understand, but I didn't think the werewolves, or 'Children of the Moon' imprinted on people the way shapeshifters--I cringed at the word, I now had yet another word to get used to applying to myself--did. Trying to explain that to someone who doesn't know anything about it is like trying to explain colors to a blind man. That, and it would be misinterpreted into feelings that you shouldn't ever have with a thirteen-year-old. That was what I was mostly worried about.

"Coffee, Jake?" Gloria followed me into the kitchen.

"What? Oh. No, thanks. I don't need it." I needed to sleep again soon.

Her head cocked to the side as she leaned against the door ledge. "Well, that's too bad. I made it especially for you."

Now I really didn't want any coffee. For all I know she could have put some freaky ass date rape drug in there or something. I wouldn't put it past her. As hard as she's been trying, we still haven't done anything sexual yet. Sure, I'd make her think we were getting close... but she makes up reasons in her head that should apply to me of why I don't want to, most of the time. Usually she thinks it's because she thinks Nessie will hear, or something. It's not like Nessie ever left for school or anything or ever went out of the house... so we remained abstinent. That must have been unusual for her, due to the fact that we'd already been 'dating' a solid four months.

I plopped down on my couch with a tall glass of ice water, hoping I'd get sleepy again before I finished it. Gloria of course followed me, sitting down on the end of the couch closest to where I was, and crossed her legs. I looked over at her, and shook my head to myself. The water felt wonderful the first sip, and actually was cold enough to wake me up even more. I lowered my glass to the coffee table.

"Ah ah ah!" Gloria threw a coaster at me, and crossed her arms. "I know it's your house, but you don't have to be such a pig."

I stuck my tongue out at the blond and grabbed the thing, shoving it under the glass before I set it down. "Ooo, a ring on the coffee table. Oh my god, call the police! The horror! The- Ow!" The pillow that had connected with my head fell to the floor at my feet. I snorted, and leaned back. "Well. That was uncalled for. Don't you have a home to go back to?"

She straightened. "Yeah, wanna' go back with me?" She stood up and winked at me, carrying the glass of whatever it was she was drinking that probably came from my fridge into the kitchen and I heard it settle in the sink. She strode back in the room to stand in front of me, waiting for me to answer the question I thought had been rhetorical.

"I really can't. Nessie will be up soon, no doubt."

"You shouldn't worry so much about Vanessa. She's very much a woman. Very grown up."

She was? When did that happen? I sure as hell hadn't noticed. I believe I'd be the very first to notice Nessie all grown up. You just don't get it, do you? "I can't help it. Ever since her parents-"

"Oh you poor thing!" She hugged me, but it was odd. With her standing up, my head was pressed firmly against her chest. I wasn't sure that this was accidental. "You're not over her mother, are you?" I felt my eyes widen. I wasn't prepared for that one.

I managed to squirm out of her grasp and... Fix my hair. Nessie said it looked good long, and ever since I've grown it out, I've been paying a lot more attention to it. Normally, I'd just have thrown it up in a ponytail and left it alone for the rest of the day. But now.. I wanted it to look nice for her every minute of the day. My eyes went to Gloria's face. She was pouting at me. "Uh.. Well..."

"Well! I think..." She pushed me back on the couch, and jumped into my lap. "That is..." She leaned down so that she was laying on my chest now. My hands gripped the back of the couch. "So sweet of you. It's so nice that Vanessa has such a loving, caring...sexy..." Her legs scissored my lap, and she leaned up to kiss me. I didn't realize I was leaning away from her until her head came up and she was looking at me with that look that made her look like a lost Pomeranian. "What's wrong?"

I caught a glimpse of curly brown hair behind the platinum blond, and my eyes widened. Nessie. She was giving me a death glare, very similar to the ones Edward used to give me when I'd done something stupid to Bella to piss her off. I'd seen that look a lot. She jumped the last step, and the whole floor shook a little. "I'm going swimming." She was gone out the door, just like that.

I'd forgotten the woman on my lap and sprang for the door, leaving Gloria on the floor behind me. I turned around once I'd heard the thump, but she was already standing, straightening the wrinkles out of her dress. I winced. "S-sorry."

"I should get going."

I paid no attention to her. I was already sticking my head out the door, looking for my Nessie. I heard the woman inside clear her throat from behind me. I spotted her while a wave of relief swept over me. "She's on the beach...she's fine, she's on the beach." Nessie was in the daylight. She never went out in the daylight. What if her skin started to sparkle? It was all I could do to hold myself in the door and keep from rushing to her, scooping her up and cuddling her. Nessie was so beautiful, such a wonderful young lady. Why was she out in the daylight?! Oh Nessie, please be careful...

Gloria cleared her throat louder, annoyed this time. "I really, really need to go."

But I was already gone. I was running to the shore I'd just seen Renesmee disappear off of. I stood at the edge of the water, and smiled when I saw her eyes lock on me with a little grin. I smiled at her and waved... like an idiot. She had that effect on me. The little girl turned around and swam out. I watched her until it was hard to keep my eyes on her, and the sun made me squint. I could barely make out a little brown head, even with my keen vision. "Hey hey hey hey!! Not so far! Come back in a little!" Nothing. I couldn't see her anymore. My heart throbbed, and I was taking deep breaths to calm myself. She probably just went under the water... nothing to worry about...nothing..

Before I knew it I was in the water, flailing toward her. I dunked my head under and pushed myself off the first sandbar, jetting my body out further. I was out so far that I couldn't see the beach anymore though the waves, and I spun around, looking for the little girl. Shit.

"NESSIE!!" I splashed, letting her know where I was. "NESSSIIIIEEE!!" Oh God. Oh God. Where is she? Where.. My breaths caught in my throat, and my diaphragm bunched up, making it difficult and excruciating to breathe. I went under and spun around, searching, splashing and flailing. I came back up to take another tight gasp of air when something wrapped around my ankle and drug me under. I saw her smiling face under the water. Bubbles of the last breath I'd been holding came out of me, and I was sinking. I let myself drift to the bottom and I pushed myself off the sandy floor, catching the little girl on my way up. She giggled in my arms as we broke though the surface. I searched her eyes for something else... maybe she was still bitter about earlier? But there was nothing but laughter in her eyes. I tensed as best as I could through the relief, and sounded off. "Are you insane?! You nearly gave me a heart attack! What the HELL was that all about?! What's wrong with you?! Do you know what you almost did to me Nessie?! HUH?!"

She waited patiently for me to vent on her, and then I felt her little hands on my face.
I saw her making faces at the fish under the water, and they watched her, making the fishy-lip faces back.

She giggled, removing her hands from my face. My eyes narrowed at her. I knew better than that. "Okay. Now you can tell me what you were really up to."

Her little shoulders raised and fell, and she glanced at me sideways. "Calm down. I was just swimming."

"In broad daylight?"

"Why not?" She smiled. "What's so strange about that?"

Maybe because you've never done it before. Maybe because you tell me all the time that you hate the ocean because it makes you get sand in your hair. Maybe because I've never even seen you actually swim before this day. Maybe bec- Is that a bikini? "Since... when did you know how to swim?" I was sounding like her now, with all this 'since when' crap.

Her eyes trailed up, feigning thought. "It had to have been about the same time I saw you sucking face with Malibu Barbie earlier."

"She was kissing me," I corrected.

"You guys have to keep that crap to yourselves. I have a weak stomach."

I rolled my eyes, just thankful to have her safe. "Come on. Let's go back in the house. Look at how white you are! You'll be barbecued here soon. Get in the house."

We started back for the shore, but it wasn't before long I noticed I was swimming by myself. I looked back, and she was treading water several feet behind, looking at me. I blinked. "Aren't you coming?"

"I want to swim."

Yeah, okay. "Nessie.."

"... To Forks!"

Good grief. So this is what that was all about. I grabbed the flailing little girl and darted back to the beach. "What did I tell you earlier?"

"I am older! See!" She gestured to the little bumps on her chest. "I'm almost fourteen by now."

I couldn't deny it. She was getting older everyday, and with the puberty kicking in, it would only be going faster. I swallowed. "Forks isn't going anywhere. We'll go when you're fully grown. It won't be very much longer. No big deal."

I walked up the beach and out of the water, shaking the water off of my limbs. She followed me. "Well... if it's not a big deal, why would it be a big deal to take me now? We don't even have to be there for that long. Just go, take a look around, and leave."

"Nessie, not now."

"Tomorrow, then!"

I did my best to ignore her, but she was a hard one to ignore. Gloria was gone when I reached the house. I guess she figured any goodbye she'd get by the time I'd come back would be a sanduy wet one, and she'd decided to pass.

Nessie was relentless. "Your father will be missing you"
But I could be, too. "So? I'm an adult."

"And Grandfather Charlie will be missing me." She pouted at me. "And what if I miss home?"

I sighed. "Nessie, please-" She wasn't going to let me get another word in.

"And Charlie and Billy are human. They won't be around forever! Don't you think they deserve a real explanation about what happened, and don't you think I deserve to see them before I lose them, too?!" She crossed her arms, but then let them drop to her sides, begging. "Please, Jake? What's the absolute worst that could happen? We wouldn't be there long enough for anyone to track us! Just show up, say a few words, and leave. I'll never ask you for anything else again, never ever ever!"

I was kneeling down to her now, my eyes on the floor. "Yeah, right."

"Please, Jake."

"Ugh."

"Please!"

"Ne-"

Her arms came gently around my neck, and she was running her fingers though my hair. It felt amazing. "I love you."

I crumbled right underneath her. This little girl owned me, and she knew it. "... You better never ask me for anything ever ever again."

She squealed with victory, her arms tightening around my neck, and my airway. My god, she was strong. I picked her up and carried her to the couch.

"I love you I love you I love you!"

"Heh. Yeah. You'd better." I sprawled out on the sofa, exasperated.

"Forks?"

I looked at her, and couldn't help returning her smile. "Forks."

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