A/N: So here it is… the next chapter. It's one of my favorites so far… I have a feeling some of you might feel the same way!

Thanks again to everyone who reviewed… you guys are the best! Your input keeps me going… it's a struggle not to edit and post all the chapters at once, just to hear what you all have to say =) I'm anxious to hear what everyone thinks of this chapter… I'm sure there will be many points of view on what goes on! I'll do my best to explain myself to those who review, to the point that I can do so without ruining the story.

Enjoy!

~Crit.

Chapter 18: No Fair Using Nudity to Get Your Way

Jacob was startled out of his sleep by the feel of something warm resting against his body. It was such a soothing feeling. He embraced the sensation for only one quick moment before becoming fully conscious.

"Ness?" His voice was rough from sleep. "What are you doing in here?"

"Couldn't sleep," Renesmee replied, her voice very close in the darkness. She rolled away from him slightly. "I'm sorry… I guess I just thought… I don't know what I thought, actually. Maybe I didn't. I just… It got kind of lonely in my room. I've been thinking about things all night, and I can't get my brain to stop. I was hoping you wouldn't mind. You never used to," she said, and then added, "When I was little."

Jacob could feel his skin burning a little hotter than usual. Why was she doing this to him, after what they'd been through that afternoon? He'd been pretty clear. "You haven't been little for a very long time, Ness."

"No," she said quietly. "I'll go, I guess.' Jacob sighed and groped blindly in the pitch dark until his hand closed around her arm.

"Get back here," he said grudgingly, "You know I don't mind." And he didn't. He was the opposite of minding. He just should have minded, and that was most of the trouble.

"I know." He could picture her tiny ghost of a smirk. Something soft and smooth brushed his leg. And again. And a third time, higher up. It took him a moment to realize that Renesmee was running one smooth leg over his, and that said leg was bare. He reached down reflexively, his huge paw of a hand coming to rest on a bare thigh. His other hand was still against her arm, and he moved it now, up to her shoulder and across... across to where her shirt should have been… but wasn't…

"Renesmee!" He choked out, pulling his hand away as id she was on fire, "You don't have any clothes on!"

Renesmee was silent for a long time, and then a quiet voice very near to him said, "I'm wearing shorts. I… couldn't take them off."

Jacob didn't even bother to analyze the last half of that statement. "You don't have anything on your top half?!" He was panicking. This was wrong, this was not how it was supposed to go! Wrong, wrong, wrong. He never should have let her see his interest earlier. Now she was here, acting on what she'd clearly realized were his fantasies. He couldn't move.

"Neither do you," Renesmee pointed out, putting a hand against his chest for emphasis. "I've seen you millions of times, when you've just phased. Why shouldn't we be even?"

"That's what you're doing, getting even?" Jacob was surprised he could even speak. He wanted to be out of that bed so badly, but he couldn't force himself to move an inch in either direction. She would have to leave, not the other way around, and Jacob couldn't even muster the strength to tell her to go.

"No, Jake…" her voice wasn't teasing anymore, or even unsure. She sounded… weary. Tired, stressed. "I'm not trying to get even. I just... Oh damnit, I'm not doing this right at all."

Jacob suddenly felt his desire pulling back in intensity. He was no less centered on Renesmee, but now his concern for her was beginning to take precedence. She sounded genuinely conflicted, confused. He shifted over a bit, propping himself up against his pillow in a sitting position. His eyes had adjusted now that he was more awake, and his senses kicked in more keenly, and he could see, very faintly, Renesmee laying beside him. She, too, propped herself up, laying on her front and leaning on her elbows. Jacob tried very hard not to look down between her arms at her naked cleavage, and he hoped she would keep her eyes on his face and away from his lower half, which was currently covered by a blanket that really wasn't concealing much.

"Nessie," he said simply, "Just take your time."

She was peering at him intently through the dark. "Jacob… I know what I am to you." He couldn't respond. He knew that she knew. They'd been over this, sort of, but he could tell from the note of determination in her voice that she wasn't going to let him get away with avoiding the discussion this time. "I figured it out the other day. It wasn't all that tough to piece together once the lightening bolt hit me, with the way it's always been between us, and how everybody in my family acts when our names are mentioned together. And you've never been away from me for more than a few days in my entire life. And you're always worried about me, when you're not busy teasing me or letting me get my way. My Dad trusted you to take care of me without any of our family around… and my Dad rarely ever trusts anyone, for any reason. But it was like, when we suggested you coming here with me, he knew there was a reason that you would be the best person to do it. He just had this look on his face, like it was inevitable." Renesmee paused. "It was inevitable, wasn't it?" Jacob was still frozen, saying nothing. "I've read the legends, you know… about Werewolves. And I know that's not what you are, exactly, but it's the closest I could figure to describe you and the pack, at least where legends are concerned. Some of the books say that Werewolves do something, when they find a mate, that binds them to that person inextricably. From the moment they see that one person, they're tied to them, That's what I was looking into today, when I went to Stamford to talk to that writer… he told me everything he knew about the legends, and explained this… process to me. It's called imprinting." Renesmee paused, her eyebrows raised, giving him a pointed stare. "Would you happen to know anything about that?"

"Yes." Jacob just barely managed to get the word out. Renesmee did not look surprised. He was actually proud of her; she'd clearly worked out that he couldn't tell her himself, and so she had decided to tell him, getting him off the hook on a technicality. He wondered if she'd spoken to her mother on the phone, after they'd had their moment in the hall. It seemed like a very Bella way of dealing with the situation.

Renesmee was examining his face searchingly. "You imprinted on me. Didn't you?" she asked in the same matter-of-fact tone as before.

"Yes."

They were both silent for a moment, and then, much more quietly, Renesmee said, "When? That's one thing I couldn't pin down… when, and how, it happens."

"When you were born. About two minutes after. Rosalie was holding you, and I saw you for the first time, and…" Jacob shrugged helplessly. "I knew."

Renesmee did look shocked this time. "That early?" she whispered. Jacob didn't bother answering; it wasn't really a question. "But… I was a baby!"

"It's complicated," Jacob answered. This was so wrong; he shouldn't be having this conversation, not now, not like this. He still didn't move. "It's not how you might be thinking, not at all."

"Did you want to…" Renesmee was now looking very unsure, her shoulders rigid and up near her ears. She looking like a wary cat, crouching to protect itself. "Did you want to have sex with me?" Her voice was shaking; she could barely even say it without sounding disgusted. Jacob recoiled slightly, both at her dismay and at the idea itself.

"No," he said firmly. "Of course not."

Her head came up a bit, and her shoulders lowered as she went out of her defensive stance. "Do you, I mean, um…" she cleared her throat and tried again. "Do you want to now?"

Jacob looked at her, luminous white skin all but glowing in the dark room, cloud of auburn curls falling softly on her shoulders and around her face, which was staring up at him openly. "Yes," he breathed, and in one short syllable managed to let slip a good portion of the desire he felt at that very moment. Renesmee breathed in slowly. Jacob couldn't tell if that was good or bad.

"Jacob?"

"Yes, Renesmee?"

"I want you to, too." She didn't move, didn't blink, just watched for his reaction. He was frozen too, and then it was as if somebody had released him like a bullet from a gun. His arms shot forward and he grabbed hers, pulling her half onto his chest urgently but not roughly. Screw it, he thought to himself. He'd given Edward's orders due diligence. He'd tried, damn it. And Renesmee had foiled him. She clearly wanted to be with him, wanted it enough to find a way around his obviously reluctant refusal. She knew he wanted it too, and she'd decided to put them in a position where neither one of them would be able to back out or retreat. In a way, that just made him love her even more. Especially seeing as she was mostly naked, and laying on top of him.

Jacob felt Renesmee relax against him as his arms snaked around her frame, warm and heavy, pinning her to him. She touched his face, not to show him memories or feelings but to caress, naturally and needfully. They stared at each other in open wonder for a single moment before their lips came together.

They kissed and kissed, barely coming up for air. Jacob felt as if each particle in the room was vibrating, emitting its own pitch that harmonized perfectly with every other particle. Renesmee was here, she was with him, and she was with him, and there was nothing that could feel any better, anywhere in the entire world.

"Jake," she murmured against his lips. She sounded almost reverent. Jacob couldn't believe it. He kissed her again.

"Nessie," he said desperately as they both back off for a moment to take a breath, "I don't even… I have to tell you… I've loved you so long, I…" He couldn't even manage a proper sentence, overcome with emotion as he was. "I just love you. I love you so much."

"Shh." She brushed her fingers across his lips. "I know, Jacob. I know." And then she brought her mouth down to meet his again and kissed him with renewed vigor, and he kissed her back, feeling like he'd never be able to stop.

They were both caught in the moment, moving and acting on sheer impulse. Her lips, her hands were everywhere all at once. She was kissing his mouth, his cheeks, his neck, stroking and scratching at his chest, his stomach, his… "Ness," he breathed in sharply, catching her hand. "Hold on."

Renesmee froze. "I'm sorry… should I…" she began to withdraw her hand. Jacob wouldn't allow that either. He just needed to stop her for one moment. He held her hand still.

"Wait," he said more firmly. "I just… This is the most important thing I have ever done. I need to know that it's what you want, what you actually want. Not just… the physical part. The rest of it, too. After this… I won't be able to go back, and I'll never be able to give you up. Do you understand? We can't undo this."

"Why would I want to?" Renesmee freed her hand and brought it up to his face again. "I love you, Jacob Black. Do I need to use pictures, or is that something you can understand?"

Jacob felt his heart soar out of his body, burst into a million pieces and gather back up inside of him. She loved him. She said it. He knew she was telling the truth. It was impossible, but it was true… she loved him. "No, No pictures necessary," he replied. Then, a slow smile began to spread over his face. "Unless you've been picturing some sort of game plan…" he hollered gleefully as her caress turned into a forceful but playful smack.

"I haven't," she said, trying her best to look taken aback and failing. "That will have to wait. But I wouldn't be too disappointed… I've got a vivid imaginaaAAAH! JAKE!" Renesmee giggled as Jacob flipped her onto her back and pinned her to the mattress,

"Stop. Talking." Jacob ran one hand down her side from armpit to thigh to emphasis his point.

"Okay." Hands were everywhere again: hair, chests, faces, thighs…

"Renesmee?"

"Yes?"

"I'm not going to hurt you."

"It's okay."

"You have to tell me if it—"

"I'm okay."

"Because I want you to—"

"Jacob!"

"Okay."

oooOOOooo

"Jacob?"

"Ness?"

Cool fingers were tracing over his chest in a back-and-forth motion. "I was just wondering about some things…"

"Okay." Jacob rubbed Renesmee's arm in an encouraging way. "Ask me anything you want."

"Well…" Renesmee was quiet for a moment, like she was trying to work something out in her head. "Have you ever… done that before?" Jacob was not expecting that to be her first question, and he hesitated. "You have," Renesmee said, answering her own question. It sounded like she was trying her best to disguise her disappointment.

"Yeah." Jacob wound his arms further around her. "I'm sorry. I have."

"It's okay… I figured." Renesmee placed a subconscious kiss on the most easily accessible part of him, which happened to be his bicep. "Who was she? Was it anyone I know?"

"No." Jacob felt embarrassed now. "I… don't freak out, okay?"

"I won't."

He sighed heavily. "I paid for it."

"You paid for it." Jacob grimaced, not even wanting to search the darkness and see what look she had on her face. All of a sudden, her felt Renesmee's back begin to shake, and then she began to chuckle. "Really?"

Jacob shook his head. She would laugh at him over this. "Yeah. I did. Don't worry… it was all very safe."

"I'm sure." He could imagine her sarcastic smile. He looked down at her face… there it was, that smirk. "Well? How was it?"

"Pretty terrible, actually. I did it a couple times… thought it would get better. But it never did. She was nice and everything, good looking too… but it just didn't feel right."

"Why did you do it?"

"It was Quil's idea." Jacob sighed. "We were really young, not that it's any excuse, and we were both getting a bit… restless. And there was no way either one of us was going to date, so… so that was it. I'm not proud of it… like I said, I was young, and really stupid. But I'm not going to pretend it didn't happen. You have a right to know."

Renesmee nodded. "Fair enough. Thanks." She paused. "Was she Native?"

"Does it matter?"

"Yes."

Jacob bristled. "Fine. She was."

"Hm. Jake, do you ever wish I was Native?"

"What? No, of course I don't!" He finally understood where the line of questioning was going. "I don't wish you were anything other than what you are." He tightened his arms around her. "Do you wish I was white? Or a vampire?" He had a moment of doubt before Renesmee chuckled again and patted his chest reassuringly.

"I literally could not care less what race you are. And as for being a vampire… don't tell my family, but I'm glad you're not. I like that you're warm, I like that you have a heartbeat. I like the idea that, when I wake up next to you, you'll actually have been sleeping too." She kissed him briefly. "I just wanted to know if it mattered to you at all."

"Not only does it really NOT matter, I've never even thought about it before now. Although, now that I think of it, I'm kind of glad you're not Quileute."

"What?" Renesmee turned to squint at him through the dark. "Why?"

"Because, for one thing, I kind of like your family. And if you tell the bloodsuckers I said that, I will have to kill you."

"Like you could."

Jacob rolled his eyes. "And secondly, you might have turned out like Leah." Renesmee made a small, doubtful noise. "I don't mean her personality. I mean, you might have turned out to be a wolf. And if you were, there's no way you wouldn't be in my pack. And no offense, but I don't think it would be a good idea for you to be in my head all the time. Having your father there is already bad enough."

"Point taken." Renesmee shook her head. "I don't think I want you in my head all the time either. Sorry."

Jacob felt a smile creeping onto his face. "Oh, sure. Keeping secrets from me already?"

"Not exactly…" Jacob massaged her scalp with one huge hand.

"Oh? So what have you got going on in there that you feel you need to keep from me?"

Renesmee didn't say anything; instead, she reached up and placed her fingertips against Jacob's cheek. Suddenly his head was full of images much more vivid and lively than the real world ever was. It had been so long since Renesmee had shared her gift with him, and he could tell it had gotten stronger. He wasn't just watching… he was inside the moving pictures. Jacob and Renesmee on a huge bed, legs entwined, lips together, hands flying in every direction. Jacob and Renesmee underneath the spray of their shower, definitely completely naked, and definitely not washing each other's hair. Jacob and Renesmee in every room of the apartment, in positions he hadn't even thought of… just as quickly as they'd appeared, the images vanished and the dark room came rushing back.

"Um." He cleared his throat, trying to focus on something, anything, other than the fact that all the blood in his body was pooling around his midsection. "That is… wow. Now I'm really glad you're not in my pack."

She chuckled softly. "Yeah. That would be awkward, I guess, having everyone see." And then her cheeks turned scarlet, and Jacob knew exactly what was going through her mind. "Um, Jake… the pack, are they going to…"

"Yeah," he said, cutting her off. "They're going to see… us. I'm sorry, Nessie, but there's really no way around it. But if it makes you feel better, everybody's used to it. It happens all the time… and you have nothing to be embarrassed about. You're beautiful." He stroked a finger down the curve of her jaw, as if to accentuate his point.

"I'm still going to be mortified next time I see them," She said, putting a hand over her eyes. "I'll never be able to look them in the eyes again. Can't you just… not phase for like forty or fifty years? By then, I'll be so old I probably won't care."

Jacob laughed and lifted her hand away gently. "One, you're going to look exactly the same in fifty years, and two, I could tell you things about every single wolf you've ever met that would make you much, much less embarrassed about what we just did."

"I'm not embarrassed by that," She said quickly. "Just at the fact that they're going to relive it."

"Well, for the record, they may relive it, but trust me when I say it will not be a sexy experience. They're probably going to try very hard to forget it as best they can."

Renesmee looked a bit more comfortable at that. And then another slightly concerned look crossed her face. "Um, Jake? Don't be upset, okay, but I think we might have a bigger problem than the pack mind." Again, he knew exactly what she was aiming for.

"Your father," he said, feeling his own creeping sense of dread. "Yeah, I know. And actually, it might be worse than you're thinking. I sort of… promised him that I wouldn't tell you about the imprinting until he gave me permission. He wanted to have you find out in a… safer setting, I guess. A family-type setting."

Renesmee shrugged. "I sort of figured. From the way you acted earlier, I knew there was something pretty scary holding you back. That pretty much had to be my dad."

"And your mom," he muttered, a bit tersely. Renesmee made an incredulous face.

"My mom? But she loves you!"

"Yeah, well… let's just say, not as much as she loves you."

"Fair enough." Renesmee shook her head a little, her hair brushing tantalizingly across his chest. "Anyway, I don't think that will be a problem… you didn't tell me. I found out. You can't be blamed for that… you kept your promise." She looked mightily pleased with herself. Jacob hated to burst her bubble, but he figured she might as well have the whole truth now, rather than later.

"He also made it very clear that I was not to touch you."

"Oh." Renesmee frowned. "Well, I guess that is a problem. What did he say he'd do to you if you did? Or was it sort of more of an abstract type of threat?"

"No, it was pretty specific." He sighed. "He said he would 'remove me from your life'. His exact words."

"Ha!" Renesmee snuggled into his chest and looked up at him through her eyelashes. "Is that all? I'd like to see him try."

"Nessie, I think you underestimate your father's determination."

"Jacob," she parroted, "I think you underestimate mine." He couldn't help it, he had to laugh at her stern, gutsy tone and the look of determination in her voice. She smiled too, and then said, "Don't worry about my parents… we'll handle them together, when we have to, and for now we'll just focus on not having them find out."

Jacob was touched at the idea that she was willing to take on Edward and Bella for him, and he relaxed a bit. "Good plan. Besides, it's not like we're anywhere near them, or likely to be for a while." Renesmee flinched, and Jacob had a sinking feeling. "What?"

"Well…" She shifted so that she was facing him, her arms resting on his chest. "Don't be mad, okay?"

"Okay…" Jacob knew that anything prefaced by that disclaimer usually wasn't a good thing.

"I talked to my dad earlier in the evening, when we… weren't really speaking to each other. And he sort of implied that we should go home for Thanksgiving weekend." Jacob gave a derisive snort, and Renesmee rolled her eyes. "Not for the holiday, obviously. But for appearances sake. And also I think they miss us pretty badly."

"You mean they miss you pretty badly."

"You too." She eyed him seriously. "You know they love you. And you love them." He groaned.

"I never should have admitted that." She grinned in response.

"But you did. Anyway, I already told him yes. It'll smell funny to them if we back out."

"Crap."

"Yeah." She pouted a little, and then appeared to grow resigned and accepting. "I guess we'll work it out. Can't be that bad. We'll manage, right?"

"Right." Jacob wasn't fully convinced… but what other choice did he have? He'd have to face the vamps sometime… might as well be in two weeks, rather than two months. There would at least be less for him to not think about that way. A sudden thought occurred to him. "The pack! Do they know yet? Leah's been hounding me to come back for a couple weeks now…" Renesmee shook her head.

"I figured you'd want to tell them yourself." Jacob broke into a real, honest, untroubled smile.

"Excellent! It's so weird being out here without them… not that I mind, you know… but I just—"

"You miss them," Renesmee finished for him with a wistful smile. "I know how you feel." She planted a quick kiss on his chest, just below where her chin rested. "Maybe, when they come back, they can come visit for a week or so. I bet they'd love New York… well, Seth and Embry would, and Leah would probably tolerate it pleasantly enough." Jacob's loud guffaws rang throughout the room.

"Harsh," he said, still laughing, "Harsh, but apt." He ran a hand absent-mindedly through her messy curls and she smiled at him. "You're not too embarrassed about the pack-mind thing to have them hanging around here?"

"Nah," Renesmee said, drawing lazy circles on his chest with one fingertip, "The way I see it, it's your job to control your thoughts around them. Just like it's my job to control mine around my dad."

Jacob nodded. "That's fair. And it's not like I don't have a vested interest in keeping my thoughts clean… I don't want to share you, with anybody." Just to add to his statement, he wrapped his arms around her and squeezed as hard as he could. It wouldn't do her any harm, of course, but he thought it proved his point pretty nicely. Renesmee giggled and wrestled her way out of his grip, only to press her body against his once again after she'd managed to get free.

"You'd better try your best to forget what's about to happen, then, if you don't want Leah, Embry and Seth to see…"

"What's about to—oh." Jacob let his head fall back. "Okay."

"Okay?"

"Okay."

In the Next chapter:

Rideau opened his notebook. "So what's new? Tell me the most exciting thing about your Sunday."

Renesmee had a momentary flash of images, all of them of her and Jacob and the things they'd been up to the past few hours. None of these images were entirely appropriate for sharing. "I just hung out around the house," she said lamely, "with Jacob." She couldn't avoid the fondness that crept into her tone when she mentioned his name. Jacob. She suddenly wanted to be home very badly.

Rideau's expression had turned stony. "Great," he said in a way that suggested it was anything but.