A/N: as promised, a third update this week. Yay!

A HUGE thank you to everybody who has reviewed this story over the last couple days. The number of reviews has more than doubled, and that's great! An even bigger thank you to all those who've added this story to their favorites… I'm very flattered!

This marks the beginning of the FUN. It's not fun yet, exactly… but it sure was fun to write =) I hope you all like the next few chapters… I think they're pretty swell.

Thanks for reading… please review! And, as always, ENJOY!

~Crit.

Chapter 16: Resistance = Futility

Be home later, okay?

Jacob ran the words over again and again in his head. The way she'd said them, the way she'd looked at him, coupled with their nearly-something-moment the previous evening… Jacob couldn't let himself think about what all the clues were adding up to. If he thought about it, he'd want it, and if he wanted it and couldn't have it, he'd go crazy.

And he couldn't have it.

He had been sitting this way, alone, silent, on the couch where they'd almost… whatever they'd almost… for nearly three hours, waiting for Renesmee to return. He wanted to run, he wanted to explode, he wanted to break something or kill something or cry, maybe. But he didn't move, because he'd promised her, and he couldn't leave, not at the risk of breaking his promise.

And, if he was really honest, he was also hoping, somewhere deep inside, that his thoughts were on track. That something was happening inside Renesmee's head that matched the thoughts in his. Yesterday, he'd been so sure that she was hung up on that jerk she liked to hang out with. And then, out of the blue, she'd suddenly started acting like herself again, laughing, joking, dropping little touches to his arm or hand every now and then. And that moment on the couch…

… and he was thinking about it. Damn.

The phone rang, and Jacob leapt for it. If it was Nessie, good. If it was someone else, even better… a distraction would be more than welcome. "Hello?" he all but shouted.

"Hi, this is Clara DeWalt-Wilder. I'm calling for Ness… is she in?"

Jacob frowned, confused. "Clara? I thought she was…" He stopped, dread setting in. "Um, no. Sorry. She's out."

"Oh." There was a brief pause. "Well, could you please tell her I rang?"

"Sure. Sure. Yeah." Jacob wasn't really listening at this point. He faintly registered Clara saying goodbye and hanging up, but all he could do was sit there with the phone in his hand, stunned.

She'd lied to him. Renesmee had lied to him, Jacob Black, her best friend, partner in crime, and soul mate. Jacob couldn't believe it. Except that he'd seen her do it before, since they'd been here. Yesterday, when her father had called, she'd gotten him to lie for her. And then she'd gone off to the library, late at night, without returning Edward's call…

Jacob shook his head, a sudden thought occurring to him. She hadn't gone to the library at all. He felt so stupid… after all, who the hell went to study at almost midnight on a Saturday? It was a weak excuse, at best. She was sneaking around, lying to her loved ones… Jacob felt himself growing angrier by the minute, accompanied by a mild sense of panic at having no idea where Renesmee was.

He couldn't figure out how long this had been going on. Maybe the entire time they were here. Had she even been going to class, or was that just another lie? Maybe she was off partying all day and all night. In a way, it would make sense… Renesmee had never had a big rebellion in her teenage years, like most kids did. Even Bella had rebelled as a teenager… of course, she'd done it along with him, so he hadn't really objected at the time.

Shit… Bella. She was going to kill him. Both she and Edward would be furious when they found out that Jacob had allowed their daughter to trick him. And now he'd lost track of her completely… who knew where she was, or when she'd come back? She could be in serious danger.

Jacob took a deep breath, and then another. He tried his old counting trick, going backward from one hundred. Nothing helped. He was panicking.

At the sound of a key sliding into the lock on the front door, he nearly jumped out of his skin. Renesmee appeared a second later, looking wind-blown and flushed. She looked up at him with an expression he'd never seen before, like she was somewhere between stunned, elated and afraid, but the last feeling seemed to take over when she caught sight of him.

"What's wrong?" She asked immediately, rushing over to where he stood. "Jake, what is it?" He still said nothing, and her eyes went wide and watery. "Is it my family?" She asked in a terrified tone.

"Everyone's fine," he said quietly. "Are you okay?" Now Renesmee just looked bewildered. She nodded.

"Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?" Jacob felt his anger surge anew, and he had to tense his shoulders and clench his fists to stop from grabbing her by the shoulders.

"Where were you?" He asked in a low, lethal voice.

There it was: Renesmee's eyes shifted slightly to the side, away from him, before she answered. "I told you," she said, "I was—"

"Yeah, Clara's party. Would this be the same Clara who called for you while you were out, wondering if you were home?" Renesmee went beet red and looked horrified.

"Jake," she said slowly, "I can explain…"

"You'd better."

She took another step towards him. "I'm sorry I lied to you… I promise, no matter what you think it is, it's not that bad."

"Oh yeah?" Jacob said sarcastically. "Because I think betraying my trust and sneaking around and being dishonest is pretty bad, Renesmee."

She looked like she might cry, and she reached out to put a hand on his arm. Jacob flinched away from her touch. "Jacob, please," she said, a note of desperation entering her voice. "Just hear me out."

He didn't even trust himself to speak, so he made a motion with his hand that clearly indicated she should continue. Renesmee swallowed hard and began.

"I know you're not going to believe me, but I was doing research."

"Research." Jacob couldn't believe it… she was lying again. "Just like you were last night, I guess."

"Yes!" Renesmee looked up at him hopefully. "I found this book at the library that was exactly along the lines of something I've been trying to get information on. It was pretty good, but it didn't tell me everything I needed to know. So this morning, I called the guy who wrote it. He thought I was a crazy person at first, but after we talked for a bit he got that I just wanted to talk about the subject he'd devoted his life to. He invited me for tea, so I… ran to Connecticut." She winced and gave him an apologetic look. "That's why I didn't tell you… I was kind of on a mission, I had to get my answers right away, and I knew you'd never let me go if I told you."

Jacob watched her incredulously as she fidgeted her way through her story. It was ridiculous, and unbelievable… and that meant it was probably true. If she'd wanted to lie to him, she could have come up with something much more believable. "You ran to Connecticut?" he said skeptically. "All the way?"

She nodded, and then qualified, "Except for the subway ride to the outskirts of the city. There was enough tree cover and open, unmanned field for me to make a clean trip. Besides, we've run way further than that before." She looked up at him an earnest, apologetic look. "I'm telling you the truth," she said firmly. "I promise."

Jacob shook his head. "Against all logic, I believe you." Her expression brightened, and then fell just as quickly when he added, "But that doesn't change the fact that you lied to me in the first place."

"Jake, I'm sorry… I just—"

Jacob cut her off. "No, let me finish. There's a reason we're supposed to be honest with each other, Renesmee, other than the fact that that's what friends do. We're not normal. We're not regular human beings, no matter how hard you try to fool yourself into believing it. And we're always in danger of coming across things that want to hurt us or destroy us. When you take off on your own like that, you're putting yourself in danger, with absolutely no consideration for the people who care about you. It's selfish, and it's hurtful." He knew his anger was getting the best of him, but he found he couldn't stop. "You parents put me in charge. And it shows just how little you respect them, and me, when you do something like this."

Renesmee looked like she might cry, but there was also a slow, steady rage building in her eyes. "You know I have nothing but respect for my parents," she said in a way that clearly underscored the fact she hadn't mentioned him. "But I can take care of myself, Jacob! Look… I'm fine. I'm not dead, or maimed, nor have I been recruited by the Volturi or taken apart by wolves."

Jacob's breath hitched involuntarily. "That isn't funny," he hissed. Renesmee ignored him completely.

"And as far as honesty goes… are you sure you want to go making statements about friends being straight with each other? Think really carefully about your answer, Jacob… you wouldn't want to lie, now." Her voice had taken on that cruel undercurrent that it sometimes did when she was upset. Most people, hearing her speak so harshly, would think she was just being mean and furious, but Jacob knew that when she sounded that way, it meant that she was feeling hurt, badly. He hated that, but he was still beyond upset with her, and he also had no idea what she was talking about.

"I'm always honest with you, Renesmee," he said sternly. "You know that."

"Are you?" She was looking at him as though there was a very important point that he was missing.

"Yes!" At the sound of his answer, shouted a bit too loudly out of sheer frustration, Renesmee's shoulders slumped, and she shook her head.

"Fine," she said, a look of surrender on her face. "That's fine, Jacob. Keep it up, why don't you… you've done a fantastic job so far." She dropped her hands to her sides and began to stalk towards the stairs. When she was almost there, she looked at him over her shoulder. "This can't last, you know," She said quietly. "I don't know why you're fighting so hard." She looked incredibly sad and hurt. Then, instead of climbing the stairs, she leapt into the air, grabbing the balcony railing and swinging herself over the top. The movement was sudden and tense and violent, and Jacob was surprised by her ferocity.

What in the world could she possibly be talking about? It sounded to Jacob's ears like Renesmee had just accused him of being dishonest with her. He had never lied to Renesmee, not in her entire seventeen and a half years on the face of the planet, except for one very important piece of information that he'd been concealing for the very same amount of time. And he never would lie to her. He couldn't figure out what she thought he'd been dishonest about.

It hit Jacob full force, like a ton of bricks. He was glad he was near the couch, because it took the strength out of his legs and he collapsed, landing heavily on the cushions. Renesmee wouldn't ever accuse him of lying to her unless she knew for certain that he had. It just wasn't her style; too easy to be corrected and proven wrong. Renesmee hated being wrong, and so she almost never put herself in a position where she'd have to be. So, if she was accusing him of lying to her, and there was only one truth he'd ever concealed from her, then there was only one logical explanation.

She knew.

The second the thought entered his head, Jacob realized that it had to be true. It made everything so perfectly clear: her strange behavior towards him, her sneaking around, making excuses to get away from him. She had found out, some how, some way, about the imprinting. Jacob thought back to just moments before, when she'd looked at him with all the hurt and betrayal of someone who'd just lost their best friend. She probably thought she had. He groaned quietly into his hands. What was he going to do?

This wasn't a situation he could avoid. This can't last, you know… That was what she'd said. Well, Renesmee was right… it couldn't, especially now that she knew. And he knew that she knew. Jacob wasn't sure what that meant, exactly. Her behavior had run so hot and cold lately when it came to him that he couldn't be sure what she was thinking or feeling anymore. But she knew what she was to him, and she'd been expecting him to tell her, make some sort of grand confession or gesture. She'd been disappointed when he hadn't, although Jacob wasn't sure if it was at him or in him. He couldn't handle not finding out.

Jacob stood up, resolutely, and started for the second floor. He took the stairs, carefully and one at a time, feeling like he was climbing to his own doom.

When he reached her door, he stopped and took several shallow breaths before raising his hand and knocking. The resulting cracks of his hard knuckles on the wooden surface made him flinch. A moment later, Renesmee responded.

"What, Jacob?" Her voice was curt and angry. He squeezed his eyes shut and steeled his nerves.

"Can I come in, please? I have to talk to you."

There was no response, but a moment later Renesmee swung the door open and looked up at him. Her eyes were red. "Make it fast," she snapped, "I have to call my father."

"Please don't do that," Jacob said quickly. "That's really the worst thing you could do. Just… let me talk to you first."

"I didn't say you couldn't. I just said 'Make it quick'." She crossed her arms over her chest and looked up at him expectantly. Jacob hadn't gotten this far in his planning. This was not at all how he'd expected things to go. Plus, the mention of Edward had only served to remind him of the deal they'd made. He couldn't just come out and say it, not without very severe repercussions that he didn't even feel like contemplating. He took a deep breath.

"Nessie, whatever you think of me right now… please just know that I never wanted to be dishonest with you. Everything I've ever told you has been the truth. And as for the things I haven't told you… I'm sorry for that. But sometimes there are reasons for things, beyond what either one of us can control." He looked at her pitifully. "I'm so sorry. I didn't want it to be this way."

Renesmee looked confused and upset. "What way, Jacob? What is it, exactly, that you didn't want?" When he didn't have an answer, she shook her head and looked away. "You can't even say it. Even now, you can't bring yourself to tell me."

"No," he agreed miserably. "I can't."

She made a strangled, frustrated noise deep in her throat. "This isn't fair, Jacob."

"I know." He looked down at her face, overwhelmed even in the midst of his emotional turmoil by how beautiful she was. His hands reached for her of their own accord and clasped gently around her upper arms, encircling them easily. He could see all sorts of different feelings and thoughts swimming behind her eyes as he stepped forward, their bodies separated by the smallest possible distance. As he watched, her face softened, and an understanding dawned in her eyes. Their faces were being pulled towards each other, Renesmee rising on her toes and Jacob bending slowly to meet her. He could smell her breath, hot and sweet, like tea. He could feel the slight tremble of her muscles as she attempted to stay still while standing on her toes, and the heat that rolled off of her small body in waves, almost as warm as his own. This was going to happen.

This was not going to happen.

Jacob gently and reluctantly stepped backwards and righted himself again, giving her arms a lingering squeeze before releasing them. He watched as Renesmee sank back onto her heels, shaking her head.

"I'm sorry, Nessie," He said, his voice coming out barely more than a strangled whisper. She shook her head.

"Why?" She looked like she might cry again. "I mean… why not?"

He almost choked on his own breath. What emerged from his throat was actually more of a sob than a sigh. "I have to do what's right," he said, in equal parts to her and to himself. "It's not that I don't…" He couldn't finish. It was too difficult to put into words. Renesmee nodded slowly. Her eyes were soft, but her face was hard.

"Okay," she said, her voice trembling. "All right, Jacob. All right." She went to close her door, slowly, and he put out his hand to stop it swinging shut.

"Nessie, I…"

She squeezed her eyes closed, as if in pain. "I know, Jake," she whispered. "Me too." She opened her eyes and looked at him, a loaded look, full of regret and longing. Her hand came forward and rested for the shortest of moments against his chest, where his heart was quickly thumping away, and then she backed off and closed the door, shutting him out.

Jacob stood outside her door, planted there like a silent mountain, for what felt like hours before he finally strode back to his own room. He closed the door, crossed the room and collapsed onto the bed, his stomach clenching painfully, his muscles tight and tense. It was killing him to stay away. He knew he was causing her pain, and his entire being was meant to protect her from harm and discomfort. It was like trying to move in the opposite direction of a powerful current; a horrible struggle that he knew he couldn't possibly win, yet he continued to fight. His head pounded and his joints ached. It was the most horrible feeling he'd ever experienced.

A few times, he got up and walked back into the hall, standing outside Renesmee's door with a forlorn expression, pressing his hands to the hard wooden surface as if she might be able to tell he was there. Maybe she could. If she did realize he was standing there, she didn't offer any sort of response. The door remained firmly closed, and after several minutes of debating whether or not to call out, he inevitably returned to his own domain.

He repeated this cycle for several hours after the sun went down, until finally his mental and emotional exhaustion were such that he could no longer pace back and forth, and he had to lie down. Jacob slowly pulled off his t-shirt and jeans, not bothering with pajamas, and collapsed onto the bed in his shorts, falling at last into a fitful yet dreamless sleep.

In the Next Chapter:

"I tried to talk to him about it… but he got upset. And then we almost kissed, and then he…"

"Yeah?"

She sighed heavily. "He ran away."

"He what?"

"He chickened out. He acted like he really wanted to, but there was something huge stopping him."

Clara made an angry clicking noise with her tongue. "Is there?"