A/N: (Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer, and I don't own these characters.) Hey guys! Thank you so much for the support it truly means a lot to me! I can't believe that I already have this many reviews! Each one of them gives me more encouragment to write more! Thank you thank you thank you! I hope that you like this chapter, and please review it! Thank you!
"My father was such a great man, and I know that we are going to miss very much. Most of you knew him very well since he took a lot of pride in our tribe and village. Many looked up to him as a strong leader, and I know I did. When I was younger after my mother passed away we became a lot closer, and I used to go to him for everything. One day when I was about ten years old, I had fallen off of my bike and I went running into the house. He dropped what he was doing, and ran right over to me. He told me that he would always be there whenever I needed him, and he made me feel better."
Tears roll silently down my face as I watch Jacob talk about Billy. My mother, who flew in with the rest of my family this morning, squeezes my hand gently. Billy's death was only a day ago, and I still can't believe that he is really gone. I just can't imagine not having the wise talks with him anymore.
"I know that I'm always going to miss him, but I know that he is going to be in each and every one of our hearts forever. We will always have the memories of him telling tribe stories at the bonfire in his old wheelchair, and the wise words that he said." Jacob says slowly, a small smile tugging at his lips and my heart almost skips a beat.
He is smiling. He hasn't smiled since we heard Sam yelling for someone to call the hospital. That little smile is letting me know that he will be okay. He will be able to fully smile and be happy again, even when thinking about his father. I know that his mom's death was hard on him, and he hardly ever talks about it, even when I asked. I can't imagine how hard this is on him. Am I selfish being sad about his death when Jacob has just lost his other parent? I can't imagine losing even one of my parents, and now he doesn't have one left. I squeeze my mom's hand tighter, as I realize how lucky I am that they are here with me.
"Even though he is gone, he isn't far away. He will always been in hearts. We need to realize how lucky that we were to have him in our lives, even if the time felt short. I am so proud and lucky to call him my father, because he was a great man. Thank you all for coming." Jacob tells the audience, as his hands grasp the podium tightly. As a single tear rolls down his cheek he takes a deep breath, "I love you, Dad."
I watch as he walks off of the podium, and I clap along with the other people around me. He looks handsome wearing a black tux, but I don't focus on that. I focus on the pain that is in his face. Jake sits down in the empty seat next to me, and grabs my hand tightly with his.
"That was an amazing speech, Jacob." I tell him as I give him a quick kiss on the cheek where the tear landed. "I'm so proud of you."
He squeezes my hand back, and then his dark brown eyes lock on mine. "Thank you and I know your speech is going to be great."
"I love you," I whisper to him, as I stand to my feet. My knee-length black dress is covered in lace, and my hair is pulled into a loose bun. I can almost feel my knees wobbling as I get up to the podium. Jacob asked if I would speak about Billy, and of course I said yes. It means a lot to him, and me. I take a deep breath and then start, "Billy was like my second dad to me. When I was younger and I visited La Push with Jacob, Billy used to place me on his lap and would tell me tribe stories. I never thought about how much that meant to me, until I visited again this year. I had a conversation with him about two days ago and he told me how much he enjoyed me being here. I know how much Billy means to everyone, and it is very sad seeing someone you love leave. Like he told Jacob and me, he isn't in pain anymore. So let's enjoy all of the memories that we have of him, as we show how much we love him. I'm going to miss you, Billy. I love you."
When I am done, I look out into the crowd of familiar faces. All of them are clapping. Members of the pack are crying, including Jacob as he looks at me intently, and people that I don't know from the tribe are either crying or smiling. Rachel and Rebecca, Jacob's two sisters who spoke earlier, are holding tissues up to their eyes. My family members look like they would cry if they could, and I can tell how much it hurts for them, especially my mom who used to talk to Billy all the time. It's hard talking about someone, especially at their funeral, but I know that I wanted to.
"Thank you," Jacob whispers to me as I sit down next to him in the rows. He grabs my hand, and places it in-between his two hands. Tears are rolling down his face, and I know that it's the same for me. We watch as a member of the tribe goes up to speak about Billy, and Jacob brings me in closer to him.
All I want to do is make his pain go away, but I know that I'm not going to be able to fix this. I might be able to help stitch him back together, but I can't stop the hurt from coming. He just lost his father, and it's okay for him to be sad about it. I can't imagine losing my own father, and even the thought of it makes me tear up. My parents told me that a down side about being immortal is that you have to watch the ones you love die, as you stay the same. I never thought about how much it would hurt when we lost someone. I've never felt this type of pain before, and I'm not sure if I can deal with it over and over again.
Jacob is going to be with me through it all, though. He will be the person that I go to, and he will want to try to make all the pain go away. We will always be here to comfort the other, and that makes me sigh a sigh of relief. I don't think that I could make it through my pain without Jacob to help me. He's my other half, and even if he doesn't know what to do to make me feel better, all he has to do is be here with me.
The rest of the funeral goes on slowly, as I grip to Jacob for strength while tears roll down my face. I'm still holding on tight to him, as we sit in the limo on the way to the gravesite. I don't know if I'm ready to say goodbye to Billy for good. It was only a day or two ago when we had the talk about my future, and now he is gone. Jacob and I don't speak as the limo driver opens the door and lets us and my family out. We follow the crowd as we make our way through the graveyard, and I cling tighter to Jake.
When we get to Billy's grave stone Jacob and I stand in the back as people place flowers down on it. When most of the people are done, Jacob squeezes my hand, and we make our way up to it. We both kneel down, and Jacob places the flower bouquet so it is leaning against the stone.
"Goodbye Dad," Jacob whispers to the stone, and then he starts to cry more. He wraps an arm around me, and we both cry in each other's arms. "I love you."
I take a deep breath, and try to recompose myself. Billy's smile comes to my mind, and a smile tugs at my lips. "Bye, Billy, I love you."
I can tell that it takes everything Jacob has to stand up from the ground, and to go back into the crowd. I stand still as we watch his sisters, the pack, and members from the tribe say their goodbyes. Jacob is shaking, and I wrap my arms around his waist. He has had an extremely emotional past few days, and I can tell that he is on the urge of breaking down.
We aren't on the site very long, but the ride home feels like it takes hours. The people who are in the same limo as us say sorry to Jacob on the way home, and Jacob thanks them politely. It's nice to see how many lives Billy touched. I know that Billy will never really be gone, like Jacob said, he is in so many hearts. When the limo pulls up to the Black's house, I can feel Jacob tensing up between my arms. We step out of the limo and as it drives away, we stand still, staring at the house.
Billy left this house, and everything that belongs in it to Jacob. In his Will, I know that Billy left more items to Jacob, but I don't know what they are. I tear my eyes off of the old, red house, and up into Jacob's face. His eyes are red and vacant, as he stares at his home. We've been in the house since Billy died, but now it feels different. Everything in this house will remind Jacob and me of Billy, and I know that is going to be hard.
"Did you want to go in?" I ask him, as I wrap my arms around his waist. A strong arm slides over my shoulder, and he pulls me in closer to him.
Jacob stays silent for a while, but I know that he will answer when he can. His voice comes out a whisper, and if I wasn't a vampire I probably wouldn't be able to hear it. "I'm going to have to someday."
"I'm here," I remind him, as I rub his back. "I'll be with you the whole time."
With that Jacob starts walking over to the house, not letting me go as we enter it. The house is just like Billy and Jake left it: messy. Dishes are in the sink, and newspapers cover the countertops. Tonight is not the time to clean it, though. Jacob doesn't stop; instead he walks straight to his room, and closes the door behind us.
"Renesmee," Jacob whispers softly, as he walks over to where I am standing in his room. He wraps his strong arms around me, and he pulls me in tightly. He lowers his head down to kiss me on the forehead, and I feel that electricity bolt surge through me. I pull backwards in his tight grip, and I look up to his face. Without words, he leans down to touch his lips to mine. He places his hand on the back of my head, and he brings me in tighter to his mouth. His lips go along my jaw line, and down my neck. He stops suddenly, "We need sleep."
I nod in agreement, half dizzy from kissing him and half emotionally drained from today. I feel guilty for feeling the electricity bolts in a time like this, but I know that Jacob needed that.
He walks over to his bed, and slumps into it. "I'll go sleep on the couch tonight. You need good sleep," I tell him sadly, not wanting to leave him, but he does need sleep.
"No," His voice breaks as he reaches out for me. "I need you here with me, and I'll sleep better with you here. Please don't leave."
The desperation in his voice makes my heart feel like it is broken in a million different pieces. His own pain shatters my world, and I almost cry again. With just a few words he can make me never, ever want to leave his side. "I'm not leaving you," I whisper as I walk over to where he is laying.
I lay down on his bed, and he wraps his arms around me. He pulls me in close, as I lay on his chest with most of my upper body. We lay here silently as he absent-mindedly strokes his hand through my bronze curls. We don't need to say anything to know that we both are on the same page. We've gone through a lot these past few days, and I know that it will only make us closer. So I just hold him as his world is shattered into a million pieces, and I try to help him put it all back together. I know that it will be a while until Jacob heals from this, but I know that we will be okay. Billy was a wise and loving man, and he told us that himself. Until he heals from this pain, I have to be the light in his world and I am willing to stay in his arms as long as that takes.