April 26, 2012

Hello, everyone,

Well, one organic chemistry test and hour-long tour in the rain later, it's nice to take a break and post the edits for this chapter. This is by far one of my favorites, as you can likely gather from the title. But I'll let you read ahead so I don't spoil the ending for you.

Have a wonderful weekend, and God bless!

~ evelyn-shaye

Special thanks to my betas for this chapter, Edwardsfavoritebrunette and ChloeCougar. You ladies gave amazing creative suggestions!

Chapter Fifteen: Imprint

Apparently, even though Daddy had gone completely mental over a potential threat against Momma, he insisted that we all attend school on Monday.

"You're off your rocker!" I shouted as he whirled around my room, straightening up my already perfect bed and selecting clothes for me to wear. "Braden's coven goes to our school, in case you've forgotten! Why would we put ourselves at their mercy again?"

"Nessie, please don't raise your voice," Daddy answered calmly. He reached into my closet again, this time emerging with undergarments to pair with my outfit.

I snatched those from him with a red face; I had to convince myself it was my anger and disbelief, not embarrassment. "What about Momma? Are you going to risk her, as well?" I challenged, trying another tactic. The Bella card always worked on Daddy. He was subject to her every desire. Surely, he would have to bend….

"Braden will not attempt a murder in the middle of school," Daddy replied. His face twitched with the effort to remain calm. "And if he does, Bella will be perfectly safe. It would be seven against three."

"Eight against three," I muttered. Daddy sighed. He still didn't like the idea of my fighting.

Though it was true I had never had any formal training in the art of dismembering vampires, I thought that I could be a real asset to our coven. Did any of them consider that I could project any image I desired into their minds? That would sufficiently distract them so someone else could kill them. It was a genius plan!

"The only flaw with your plan is that you have to touch the vampire to project the image," Daddy said flatly. "By that time, he could kill you, and then where would we be?"

I stood up tall. "But I'm quick," I reminded him. "It's a simple matter of catching the guy by surprise—"

"There is nothing simple about surprising a vampire," he countered. "Even vampires without gifts like mine."

I deflated slightly. There was no convincing him. "I still don't think we should go to school, though," I protested weakly.

"If you don't go to school, you don't get a date with Jacob," Daddy threatened. He left the room without bothering to wait for my answer.

The answer was obvious. He didn't need to be a mind reader to guess my reaction.

Even though I was scared to death for my family, especially since Jake and I had been kidnapped and nearly won over to their side—my heart seized with chilling fear again—I was still very much aware of my love for Jacob and how desperately I wanted a normal day to run with him and maybe even experience a different kind of love than I was used to, but that I wanted deep inside of me. At moments like these, when I was afraid, I realized just how integral Jacob was to my existence. He had been there for me since day one, woven intricately into the fabric of my life. He was like air to breathe and blood to drink.

Losing him would rip a gaping hole into my heart.

Shuddering, I reached under my bed and fished out the scrapbook that Alice and Rosalie had so diligently and artfully designed to document my early years. There were more downstairs, including one in progress, but I liked to look back at this one in particular. It made me grin to see all the ridiculous baby outfits my aunts forced me into and the annoyed expressions on my face as they paraded me around like I was in some fashion show. There were pictures with each member of my family, especially my parents. I smiled at a shot taken just a week after the Volturi threat. I sat in Momma's lap, and we gazed at each other adoringly, our eyes shining, our cheeks glowing, my right hand cupping her cheek. It was a beautiful picture that I knew was framed and sitting proudly on display in my parents' bedroom.

I flipped the page and laughed at the sight that greeted me. Jake had me thrown over his right shoulder, his arms hanging on to my knees. My long wavy hair spilled over my head, but I turned my face to show the camera a look of pure delight, like I never wanted to be anywhere else. Jake glanced behind him to make sure I was okay, ever protective, with awe in his eyes.

There were dozens of pictures like this one: Jake and me having a snowball fight; Jake carrying me on his shoulders; Jake and me swimming at First Beach with the pack; Jake and me stuffing each other with Esme's chocolate chip cookies. In each one, we had a light in our eyes and a smile on our faces, his soft and content, mine dazzling.

"What are you looking at?" Jacob's voice greeted me from my doorway.

"It's my photo album," I answered, waving him over.

Jake settled on my bed and looked at a picture of him pushing me on a tire swing. "This is a good one," he commented happily. He flipped a few more pages. "I had forgotten all about this album."

"I haven't pulled it out in a long time," I confessed. "But with all the fear floating around our house, I thought it would be a good distraction." I bit my lip.

Jacob reached over and cradled my head. "Don't worry," he murmured. "Everything will be alright."

The amazing feeling from the movie theater rushed back as Jacob held me close. It startled me, though. My furiously beating heart was nothing new, but I had never experienced this—whatever it was—while Jacob was comforting me. He brushed my thick hair out of my face, leaving a blazing trail across my cheek.

"I know a way to distract you," he whispered. My heart pounded. Was Jacob about to kiss me? "I just talked to Edward. He said we can have our date today, if you'd like."

I brightened considerably. Going for a run would definitely distract me from our impending doom. "I'd love to!" I enthused.

Jacob smiled broadly and slid off the bed. "Let's go!" He offered his hand, which I took eagerly, reveling in the warmth and strength I felt there. His hand was familiar and secure, but now my heart rushed and butterflies fluttered in my stomach at the contact, a feeling that I was slowly becoming more used to. I never wanted to let his hand go for as long as I lived.

We walked hand in hand down the stairs, passing my parents on the way out the door. "Where do you two think you're going?" Momma asked half-suspiciously.

"Just for a run," I explained. Daddy was staring at our joined hands, his face unfathomable.

I stared at him resolutely, even giving Jacob's hand a small squeeze. "You promised," I reminded him.

Daddy's eye twitched, but at Momma's touch, he forced a small smile. "Don't forget what I told you, Jacob," he ordered. I could tell that he wanted to say more, but at the same time I wondered what was so important for Jacob to know.

I continued to fix my gaze on him and sent him a message. Daddy, if you've talked to Momma at all, you know that there's nothing to worry about.

Daddy nodded imperceptibly and pulled Momma toward the living room.

I looked up at Jake to find him grinning. "Nothing to worry about, huh?" he joked.

Damn it! I forgot that as long as our hands were connected, he could hear my thoughts. This is going to take some getting used to, I informed him silently.

Jacob laughed as we walked. "I don't mind the inside look," he reassured me. "You really have nothing to hide."

I know that! I answered defensively. We were at the trees bordering our house now.

Jacob stopped. "Don't you trust me with your thoughts, Nessie?" he asked, frowning.

I held his hand in both of mine. It's not that at all, I assured him. I hoped he could hear the sincerity of my thoughts. "It's just…sometimes it gets tiresome having my dad in my head, and now I have to share them with you, too. It's a privacy thing."

A smile tugged at my friend's face. "Nessie, your dad feels the need to delve into people's thoughts and use the information he finds for his own selfish purposes. I know it can be useful," he added as I opened my mouth to defend my dad, "but he always feels the need to comment. I won't do that. I won't pry unless your thought is so urgent that I want to help you through it."

I met Jacob's eyes and could read his honesty there. I sighed. "I believe you, Jacob." His smile widened at my words. "But you'll understand, won't you, if I want to take a break from holding hands just so I can let my mind wander a bit, figure some stuff out by myself?" I bit my lip self-consciously.

Jake laughed and squeezed my hand. "Of course I will, Ness," he replied. "It's like when I have to phase to catch up with the pack." He looked longingly at the forest that we had yet to enter.

I smiled encouragingly. "Go ahead, Jake. I'll be up a tree or something."

He smiled back but then eyed me seriously. "Stay close," he warned. "I'll be just over there." He gestured to a nearby area.

"Nothing's gonna happen, Jake," I teased. But my eyes swept the woods anyway.

Jake frowned at my teasing. "All the same…" He motioned for me to turn around so he could phase, and I obliged. "When you say nothing will happen, that's when it does," he muttered. I heard a rush of air and knew that my friend was in his wolf form.

I took my own words to heart and scaled the nearest tree quickly. The rough bark didn't scratch my hands—my skin was too strong for that—but it rubbed against them pleasantly and left a light scent of forest, like my Jacob.

My Jacob. I considered those words as I perched on a branch. Jacob knew me more intimately than my parents did. On some level, we had connected before I was even born. I recalled all of the same memories that I'd revisited before we left Forks, but then added some to the list:

The day that he dropped me off at Emily's house with a kiss that left my forehead burning.

Our encounter with the other coven and the protective way he wrapped his arm around my waist and shifted me behind and up close to him, out of reach and perfectly secure.

The almost-kiss in the kitchen.

Our subsequent conversation on my bed, ending with his holding me close on his lap.

I smiled. These were beautiful memories to treasure, but so different from those in Forks. Who knew that my heart would open up to him this way once we left home?

Which begged the question, why hadn't it? Yes, Jacob had his responsibilities to his pack and I had home school, but we really spent as much time together there as we did here. And physically, mentally, and emotionally, I was sixteen. Perhaps I was slightly inexperienced due to my sheltered upbringing and my mere six years of existence, but I was at the ripe "age" to develop romantic feelings.

I settled myself on the branch and let my feet dangle. Maybe I had started to love him and our move had merely coincided. Didn't it sometimes take months or years for two friends to develop and admit feelings to one another?

But Jacob already loved you, the voice in my head reminded me.

Yes, he had already loved me. Jacob had said it himself last night. But he never pushed me. The hand-holding, the light kisses anywhere but my lips, were shows of affection for him while only friendly gestures to me. He was patiently waiting for my perception of him and his gestures to change.

A tidbit of my conversation with Momma entered my thoughts. "He's been watching you for some time now, waiting for your feelings to change." How could he have possibly known that I would fall for him? I mean, had he hung out with me for a constant five years since the day I was born just so when the time came, he would be the perfect guy for me and I would feel obliged to love him?

And then it hit me, so suddenly and abruptly that I lost my balance and had to right myself on the branch. Another snippet of conversation, this time with Jacob many years ago, dominated my thoughts.

"Look at the way Quil and Claire get along," I marveled to Jacob from atop his shoulders. "He's perfect for her, like he was designed for her or something."

Jacob patted my leg and smiled up at me. "That's because he imprinted on her, Nessie," he explained. "When you find your imprint, nothing else matters to you. You become the best thing that ever happened to her."

I swung down lithely from branch to branch and dropped the last ten feet, scanning the area quickly for any sign of Jacob. "Jake!" I called urgently.

He appeared instantaneously. In his powerful wolf form, he ran and leapt to my side, growling as he glanced around for any sign of danger. When he found none, he trotted to a nearby tree to phase and dressed quickly before reappearing in front of me, his eyes concerned.

"Nessie? What's wrong?" he asked earnestly. He placed his hands on my shoulders and met my gaze with worried eyes. I felt a pang of guilt for taking him away from his pack and making him so concerned, but I had to know. I had been wondering for some time now, and I finally had a reason and the courage for my question to be legitimate.

"Jake, I need you to answer me honestly." I met his eyes as seriously as I possibly could. "Jacob…did you imprint on me?"

Jacob inhaled sharply and dropped his hands. His reaction was enough to answer my question. Yes, I, Renesmee Cullen, was Jacob Black's imprint. I felt my expression shift from stoic to almost delighted to fearful. Eventually, I settled on disbelieving. How had I lived for five years without knowing that Jacob had imprinted on me the day of my birth? Why hadn't he told me?

No wonder Momma had asked me about Claire that morning. She knew. But she didn't know if Jacob had told me when we admitted our feelings to each other.

At this point, I couldn't decide if I wished that he had. My thoughts were too muddled to determine how I felt.

Jake slowly brought his hands back to my shoulders and eyed me carefully. The deep love that he had confessed to me the night before was still evident on his face, but now, fear and concern marred his perfect features.

"Nessie…" Jake bit his lip hesitantly. "Ness, please show me what you're thinking. I can't…bear to hurt you in any way." When I didn't answer, he tried again. "I'm sure you must have questions. I swear that I'll do my best to explain whatever you want to know."

I opened my mouth to speak. "I guess…I guess I'm not exactly sure what imprinting is," I admitted. Sure, I had grown up around the pack and their significant others and seen imprinting at work, but while it seemed cute and romantic to them, I wasn't sure how to reconcile myself to it.

Jacob considered for a moment. Finally he said, "Imprinting…it's like knowing even before you've gotten to know someone that you've found your soul mate. It doesn't create blind love that's impossible to resist—"

"But it is impossible to resist!" I interjected. "Look at all the guys in the pack, even Leah! Imprinting takes over you. You can't ignore it!"

"Why should we ignore it, Nessie?" Jacob argued. "Imprinting isn't a willy-nilly crush. You don't imprint on the first person you see. You imprint on the one girl that is meant for you, and when that happens, there's nothing to do but pursue her and love her with every ounce of your being!"

His voice softened. "Nessie, I would've fallen in love with you even if I hadn't imprinted on you."

"How can you be sure?" I asked. The tears were welling up in my eyes. "We're both hybrids, so different from each other. Why would you ever fall for me otherwise?"

"Because you're my soul mate, Renesmee." Jacob's voice became very serious. "Not that many people ever find their true other half. Most humans settle for less because they're not patient enough. Many vampires"—he grimaced slightly—"are too overcome by their thirst for blood to develop a real relationship. Even I…" Here, his features turned into a deep frown. "I thought I loved your mother, Bella. I probably did. But I was short-sighted. I drove miles out of town in desperation to find somebody to love, when you were only hours from being born!" He flinched.

"Nessie, when I saw you, my world was revolutionized." His expression brightened. "Suddenly, I knew exactly who I was searching for, and it was you. You, Renesmee Cullen, are the girl that I am meant to love for my entire life. Imprinting is a different kind of love, but it's also completely right. I'm glad that I imprinted on you, because it means that I discovered you that much sooner!" Jacob beamed at me, waiting for my response.

My little heart that I hadn't even realized had stopped suddenly thrummed to life inside of me. Jacob didn't love me because his imprinting forced him to. He loved me because I was perfect for him. And he had been pursuing me since the day I'd been born.

Completely overwhelmed with amazement and desire, I stretched up on my tip-toes and kissed his warm cheek. When I pulled back, Jacob wrapped his hand around my neck and drew my face closer to his. He gently touched his lips to mine.

A colony of butterflies stirred in my stomach. I gasped quietly and kissed him back. The butterflies transformed into an explosion of fireworks that flooded my body with heat. Suddenly, there wasn't enough of Jacob. I had to orient myself closer to him, feel his strong body against mine. Jacob twined his fingers in my hair and kissed me urgently. His other arm curled around my waist and cradled me against his chest.

We kissed with all the love and passion of two soul mates that had been growing closer together for six wonderful years.

It was Jacob who finally pulled back with an awed smile. He gently ran his fingertips from my forehead down to my jaw. My knees nearly buckled, and I sighed happily.

Jake laughed. "I must be better at this than I thought," he joked.

I giggled. "That was amazing," I confirmed. He smiled widely. "Why did you stop?" I complained teasingly.

He laughed again. "Well, for one thing, we should probably still go for a run so your dad doesn't wonder what we were doing out here." He grimaced, and I had to follow suit. Who knew what Daddy would say when he saw into our thoughts? I wasn't sure I wanted to know.

Jacob continued. "For another thing, we just admitted our feelings a few days ago. We don't need to be in a hurry to get physical." He watched me carefully to see how I would react.

Part of me wanted to argue with him—what was wrong with enjoying ourselves now? We were in love, right? But my conservation with Momma came to mind, and I knew that Jacob's words made sense. We weren't in any rush. I hadn't even had time to decide what I was comfortable with.

I had to admit to myself, though: after that kiss, it probably wouldn't be difficult to become comfortable with Jacob.

Still, I agreed. "Let's go for a run," I enthused.

Jake grinned. I turned to let him phase and then clambered onto his back. He let out an excited howl and lunged forward. I gripped his fur tightly, laughing with sheer delight as he ran with awesome strength and speed. It was like being back in the woods of La Push.

My thoughts wandered as we passed through the trees. Jake and I were quickly realizing—well, I was realizing—just how much we loved each other. As true soul mates, our love wasn't about to diminish, and we had forever to enjoy that love. My heart thrummed happily as I clung to my Jacob and imagined our eternal future together.