AN: The End! I might right a one-shot about Nessie and Jacob someday because I feel like there's a lot more stories to tell. But until then...thank you!

Can't Stop This Thing We've Started

Part 5.2: With Arms Outstretched

"I feel horrible," Bella muttered. Nessie's head was nestled in her lap. She continued to stroke her sleeping daughter's long bronze-coloured curls away from her face.

Edward sighed and watched the two most important women in his life, both of them feeling terrible. Edward really wanted to go find Jacob and kill him for hurting the women he loved...again. First Bella, now Nessie. Damn him. Couldn't he just leave Edward alone? Jacob always had to find some way to annoy him.

"You reacted in a normal parental way," Edward said softly.

"No, I acted like a complete idiot. Ugh, I can't believe I actually did that...and said that. I ruined their relationship," Bella stressed, looking at Edward with disturbed eyes. Edward brushed his hand across her jaw, Bella closed her eyes. They shared a meaningful stare.

"You didn't. It'll pass over quickly. Nessie didn't mean to say it. It'll all be back to normal as soon as she wakes up and gets herself over to Jacob's home," Edward reassured his wife.

"You sure?" Bella needed to feel better; she already felt retched. Edward leaned over and kissed her lightly on the lips. "What about Jacob? He must feel horrible."

"Mmm," Edward nodded.

"Oh, poor Jacob."

"You really think that?"

Bella looked down. "Well, it kinda serves him right."

Edward stifled a laugh. He agreed with Bella. But at the same time he could imagine Jacob's pain. It would be identical to the pain he felt when he left Bella all those years ago. She didn't remember it much; when it came to her memory of her human life, it was selective and for obvious reasons she chose not to remember the painful separation.

"Let's wake her up," Bella said, thinking about Jacob. He was her best friend and she was a tiny bit concerned. Mostly she just wanted to see Nessie smile again.

"Bella," Edward said sternly. "Let her wake up when she wants to."

But Nessie was awake. She was listening to her parents the whole time. She didn't really feel like having her parents bombard her with questions, but it was the only way she could get to Jacob. Her parents seemed glued to their bed, waiting for her to wake up.

She slowly got up into a sitting position. Her mom was still stroking her hair, methodically.

"How are you, Nessie?" her mom wondered softly.

She grunted, and shimmied off the bed. Bella watched her worriedly.

"Nessie, do you want to talk?" her mother hedged.

"No, I don't." Nessie was firm as she found her shoes and quickly slipped her feet into them.

"Can I help at all - ?"

"No!" Nessie snapped.

"Renesmee," Edward warned.

"I just -," Nessie looked at her parents frantically. "I needto go." She gave her parents an apologetic look before running out of their bedroom and outside - into the woods. She didn't stop her pace as she pushed the tree branches away from her face. She couldn't concentrate on running - she was part human, and her emotions were clouding her vision slightly. All she kept repeating in her mind was: faster, faster, faster. Dammit! This was a critical moment where she wished she was a full-fledged vampire. That way she'd be faster.

But would Jacob love her less?

Did he still love her, after the way she treated him? Nessie was doubtful that he could.

But how could she be? He had imprinted on her. It wasn't something you could just forget. It was permanent.

...Right?

It should be.

She prayed it would be.

Faster, faster, faster.

Not fast enough.

Nessie actually tripped over a root and stumbled a little bit, before regaining her footing. Why was La Push so far? She finally burst through the trees and found herself near the beach. She decided it would be easier to run across it then the highway, or through back yards. Jacob wasn't too far now. But as she struggled through the sand she noticed a dark figure waiting for her, it seemed. The sky was a dark grey and the rain was pelting hard and blurring Nessie's vision.

Was it Jacob?

No.

It was Leah.

"You've got a lot of nerve," she had her arms crossed, glaring furiously at Nessie.

"Please, Leah, just let me get by," Nessie slowed to a stop. There was no way Nessie could see herself beating Leah in a fight.

"You have no right to be here. Go away Nessie. Jacob is truly hurt and it's all your fault," Leah growled.

"Does he want to see me?" Nessie asked. There was silence as Leah seemed to weigh her options.

"He doesn't know what he wants. All he knows is that it hurts like hell because you turned him away when it wasn't his fault your parents were being such assholes."

Nessie ground her teeth. "It's over now. My parents are...okay." I mean, weren't they? They seemed it. Things must have changed while she had passed out.

"Go back home Nessie. Jacob will find you when he wants to. If he ever wants to again."

Her words were deep stabs to Nessie's heart. Why couldn't Leah just shut up? For once.

"I didn't mean to hurt him. I was confused," Nessie said. Her confidence and clarity were getting hazy while she was speaking to Leah. Why had she come here again? Did she seriously have hope that Jacob would just welcome her with open arms? She was such a bitch to him, after all. How long had she been asleep, anyway?

Leah sneered. "Well, don't expect him to understand -"

Nessie cut her off, feeling increasingly angry. "No! You don't understand! Which is what this is all about. You don't get it. You can't understand why Jacob would be forgiving because you haven't imprinted yet! You haven't been in any relationship since Sam! You haven't been loved by anyone...which is sad, really. I mean, here you are trying to protect Jacob from me. From me. That's ridiculous, Leah. Why would you do that unless you were jealous...is that what this is all about? You like Jacob? I can see it now. You do," Nessie's anger faded as she came to the realization.

Leah was fuming, her fists were clenched at her side. "Fuck off."

Nessie stood very still. "Why hasn't Jacob told me?" Nessie frowned.

"Fuck off, Nessie."

"I don't get it." Nessie gazed longingly down the beach. So close.

"And you never will! You don't understand what it's like to be a wolf. A female wolf. You don't get what it's like at all when you're life is perfect! You have the guy you love and you didn't even have to try! It was all just handed to you!"

Nessie didn't know what to say because she couldn't exactly disagree. She had it pretty good. She had both her parents, who loved her unconditionally. She had her aunts, her uncles, her grandparents; all of whom were completely devoted to her. And she had Jacob.

"I'm sorry," was all Nessie could think of saying.

"I don't want your pity," Leah spit.

Nessie looked out into the ocean; which was wild with the winds. "If I stay any longer here, all you'll get from me is pity. So you might as well just let me past," Nessie said.

Leah shook in rage.

"I want you to be happy one day, Leah. I truly do. And I think it will happen, you just have to be patient," Nessie turned to look Leah in the eye.

Leah bit her lower lip. She seemed to struggle finding a reason to stay here. She couldn't. So she just turned and left, away from the beach, away from Nessie and away from Jacob. Nessie smiled faintly before tearing off in the direction of Jacob's house. She was breathing hard, trying to calm her thudding heart and ease her mind. She was so close to Jacob's house now, she could see it perfectly.

"Nessie?"

She stopped suddenly and turned to the voice.

Sitting on a fallen down birch tree was Jacob, soaked in the rain.

"Hi," Nessie's voice cracked.

"Hi," Jacob said sullenly. "Are you here to break it off for good?" His tone was only slightly bitter. He could never be truly bitter when Nessie was here. He couldn't help his heart from skipping about six beats when he heard her, smelled her and finally saw her race toward the direction of his house.

"I didn't mean it, honest."

"Mmhmm," Jacob tutted doubtfully.

"Honestly," Nessie stressed.

Jacob opened his mouth to retort when Nessie began to walk in his direction. There his heart went again. Fluttering and skipping. He caught his breath when she settled between his legs. He forgot about the pain he had been experiencing for the past day instantly. Why weren't they kissing right now?

"I love you Jacob. I was just being emotionally stupid. I regret it. I wish I was capable of keeping my head while being bombarded with so much - but I'm only half-human. I can't do it all," she muttered in his ear. Jacob shivered. Her breath on his ear and neck was too much to bear.

Oh yeah! Now he remembered what had happened; but only vaguely. "You don't want us to stop?" he breathed.

"Hmm, only about as much as you do," Nessie teased, biting his earlobe. Jacob jumped to his feet, surprised. Nessie laughed up at him and Jacob broke out into a grin, her presence was intoxicating. She pushed Jacob so he was sitting on the tree again. She crawled onto his lap and he wrapped his warm arms around her. "Why didn't you tell me Leah liked you?"

Jacob wasn't expecting this question at all. "Does it matter?"

Nessie sighed. "No, I guess not."

"It's not like you're jealous."

"Of course not."

Jacob smirked and kissed the top of her head.

"Okay, maybe a little."

"Good."

"Why is it good?" Nessie asked, affronted. "It's horrible. I hate feeling jealous." She cuddled closer to him before admitting, "To be honest, I always have been of Leah."

Jacob's brows furrowed. "Why? You should never have been. You had no reason to be."

"Well," Nessie touched his bare chest; she kissed his neck, she couldn't help it. "She gets to see your every thought. And you hang out with her a lot, and I get that, you have to. But when I'm not there do you ever think about her?"

Jacob chuckled. "When you're not there all I think about is you. I can't stand being apart from you. It's brutal. It annoys everyone to death, naturally...especially Leah. And I don't think about her that way; I never have. I never will too. It's impossible when all I ever see is you."

"Yay," Nessie murmured.

Jacob laughed. "Yay," he agreed. "So has the storm cleared?"

"Uh, no. It's still raining."

"I meant at home."

Nessie smiled at how he also saw the Cullen's house as home. It made her feel all warm inside. "Yeah, my parents seem cooler now. Emmett and Jasper might be glaring at you for forever though."

"Whatever."

"You'll probably have to have some best friend one-on-one time with my mom. To clear some things up."

Jacob held her closer. "Like the fact that we have to wait until marriage."

"Yeah, that's not gonna happen."

He barked out a laugh. "Right, you don't want to get married."

"Nope, not at all. Does that bother you?"

"No. But if you ever change your mind -"

"I won't."

"Okay."

Who knows how long the two of them sat in the rain talking. It was almost as if it was any other day before yesterday; when they had realized and admitted their feelings to one another and to everyone. They were just Jacob and Nessie; together. The only difference now was the huge feelings of sexual tension. As much as they tried to act normal about their conversation, all they really wanted to do was get somewhere warm where they could kiss.

And, yes, eventually they did.

...Nessie suggested it. Jacob complied.

Happily.

R/R!