A/N: Hi all!

Hope you like this chapter… I love writing the ensemble cast, and this time we've even got some wolves thrown in the mix. Oh how I love them.

Sorry I haven't responded to reviews from the last chapter yet… I will, but I figured you'd appreciate an update more than responses at this point. I promise to catch up tomorrow!

As always, please review. Especially if you're going to put this story on your favorites… I'd love to hear why!

Enjoy!

~Crit.

Chapter 22: The Talk

Jacob had figured the vamps would be the first to greet them, but he was wrong. As they pulled up to the gate of the Cullen Compound and Edward stopped the car so that he could reach through the window and key in the entry code, Jacob caught sight of three dark, hulking shapes on the other side of the fence, bounding gracefully across the even, green lawns.

"Let me out," He said, already pulling his shirt off, just as Edward drew to a full stop. Bella made a face, presumably related to the smell. The power locks buzzed, and Jacob nearly tore the door off the car as he jumped out.

"Alice will murder you if you shred those pants," Renesmee called after him before he shut the door. Jacob put a few feet between himself and the car, pulled off his pants and phased, tearing his boxers to shreds. He couldn't bring himself to care. He was vaguely aware of Renesmee laughing from inside the car as he gave a few gentle barks towards the gate. As soon as it slid open, he was through it and charging at the other wolves.

"Jake!" Embry.

"Jake, hey!" Seth.

"It's about time, Jacob. What the hell took so long?" Jacob smiled a huge, wolfish grin and bumped his flank against Leah's. She trotted backwards in a comical fashion, and he gave a friendly, overjoyed bark.

"I think she missed me, guys!" He said, trying his best to rile his beta up.

"Get bent," Leah responded, although with considerably less malice than Jacob knew she was capable of. Jacob couldn't help himself… his mind immediately flew in the direction of the activity she'd just suggested, and several very graphic memories came flooding into his head. He shut them off as quickly as he could, but after the hours of mind-control in the car with Edward, he found he was too exhausted to do a really good job.

The other wolves reacted immediately to his train of thought, flinching and stepping off slightly. Seth actually whined. Leah's objections were, of course, the loudest, but not by much.

"Oh FUCK no," She screamed mentally, "That is disgusting!"

"Scarred… for… life," Seth added with a small shake of his shoulders. He was thinking about his little Nessie, to whom he'd been as much like a beloved uncle as Jasper and Emmett. Only Embry seemed unperturbed by the visions of Jacob and Renesmee; ever the practical one, he was thinking of his Alpha's safety.

"Stop thinking about it!" He called to all of them, "Jacob, make them stop!"

Jacob felt a sudden jolt of panic at that, before realizing that Bella was probably still shielding them. Her shield on him would extend to any thoughts he had in connection with the pack. They'd discovered long ago that if one pack member was shielded while in wolf form, all the other wolves would be as well, being that their minds functioned as one. "Bella's got us covered," He reassured them quickly, "But just as a precaution, DO not think about what you just saw, or this conversation, around the vamps." The double-timbre made them all stand very still for a moment. Leah made a low, growling noise in the back of her throat, and gave Jacob the stink-eye, but other than that gave no objection. Jacob knew she hated being forced to bow to the Alpha command, and he hated making her do it, but they had all agreed that protection from Edward was a situation in which the command was always necessary.

It had been Seth's idea to try the Alpha command on their thoughts, years ago after Leah had thrown a tantrum and threatened to break up the pack by moving away because she was "sick of having leeches in her head". When Seth had half-jokingly suggested that Jacob simply order them not to think when Edward was around, they'd all exchanged a loaded look before Jacob did just exactly that. Surprisingly, it had worked; if Jacob ordered them not to let a certain thought enter their minds in Edward's presence, the compulsion to obey was so strong that their minds simply glossed over said thought whenever the vampire was around.

Of course, Jacob's orders didn't work on himself. That would have been too easy.

Once the awkward moment had passed, the celebration began anew. Jacob, nearly overwhelmed by the natural beauty of his surroundings, tore off into the wooded area that existed within the compound enclosure, charging through the trees and dirt with all his senses pulsing joyfully. His pack got caught up in the enthusiasm, and they ran together for quite some time, letting their primal instincts take over.

Being the only member of the pack to have imprinted, Jacob tried to keep his thoughts about Renesmee to himself, knowing that the others couldn't really understand at this point in their lives. But after a while, it became unavoidable; his thoughts inevitably turned to her, and he knew he had to get back.

"Guys, I need to make an appearance at the main house," he said, not without a small amount of regret. "The vamps will be wondering why I ran right off, and Nessie's probably pretty pissed that I ditched her before we even got through the gate."

Embry chuckled mentally. "Somebody's sleeping on the couch tonight," He quipped, and then he yelped when Leah snapped her jaws in his direction.

"Could we avoid any reference to the mating habits of Jacob and Junior Leech, please? I think I might puke."

"You guys, come on. We all know Jacob's staying with us in the Wolf house, like usual. Cut him some slack." Jacob sent his mental thanks to Seth, who just gave him a canine grin and replied, "No problemo, Casanova."

Jacob just huffed and started for the tree line. "I'll catch up with you three later," He thought back at them. "Behave yourselves, will you?" Two mental chuckles and a scoffing sound were the only reply he had.

When he reached the edge of the wooded area, Jacob realized he had no clothing. He was absolutely certain that Renesmee had collected his pants and shoes from where he'd left them outside the front gate (at least he hoped so… his phone and his wallet were in the pockets), his shirt was in the car, and his underwear had been torn to shreds when he phased. It would be no good at all if he strode into the big house anything less than fully clothed: if Bella had dropped her shield, Renesmee's thoughts would give them away the second she saw him like that. Not that he wasn't thrilled to know what the sight of him could do to his imprint… he just didn't want Edward to find out.

Just when he was about to turn back and head for the pack house (which was buried strategically in the woods, so that the pack could come and go as they pleased in various states of undress without offending sensitive vampire eyes), he noticed a small bundle of clothing folded on the ground at the tree line, a few feet away from where he stood. Jacob bounded over to it and sniffed. Nessie. He felt his heart swell at the thoughtful gesture. So she wasn't pissed. He caught the clothes delicately in his teeth, trying not to slobber and, leaving the shoes, retreated slightly into the forest to phase.

He dressed quickly and reemerged, pulled on the socks and shoes Renesmee had left him, and then took off at a run towards the big house. The overwhelming smell of vampire hit him full in the face about twenty feet off, and he pulled to a quick halt. He'd forgotten the intensity of the smell. Even in the car, it hadn't been so strong. This would take some readjusting. He took a shallow breath and held it, preparing to go into the house, when the door swung open and out came Carlisle and Esme.

"Jacob," Carlisle said with the same welcoming smile he always wore. Beside her husband, Esme beamed at him and held up the plate she was carrying. It was piled with cookies. "Welcome home."

Jacob felt a genuine surge of affection for the two senior members of the Cullen clan. "Hey," he said, grinning as he closed the distance between them. Carlisle put out his hand, and Jacob shook it firmly, making a conscious effort not to flinch at the chill of the vampire's skin against his own. "What's up, Doc?" From inside the house, he heard Emmett's bellowing laugh. Esme placed her free hand on Jacob's shoulder for a moment and squeezed lightly. Jake gave her his best 'flatter-the-grandmother' smile. "Esme… surely you didn't bake all those cookies for me?" He said, knowing for a fact she had. Esme just shook her head.

"I did, and there's more where they came from. You and Nessie are going to eat a proper, home-cooked meal tonight… god only knows what you've been feeding yourselves while you've been away."

"I am not," came Renesmee's voice from inside the house. "Emmett promised to take me hunting." Jacob laughed at that.

"Don't worry, Esme, I've been making sure she eats right." At the vampire's skeptical expression, Jacob rolled his eyes and conceded, "Most of the time."

Renesmee appeared in the doorway then, and Jacob couldn't stop himself—his heart did a little jig and a slow, silly grin spread across his lips. He caught himself quickly and shot her a horrified look, but she just smiled and shook her head very, very slightly. Jacob took that to mean that Edward was either still blocked out of their minds by Bella's shield, or nowhere nearby. He breathed an internal sigh of relief and moved past her into the house.

Rosalie and Emmett were lounging on the couches in the living room when Jacob entered the house, and Emmett got up almost immediately and came over to slug Jacob hard on the shoulder in greeting. Jacob returned the rather unorthodox greeting with equal vigor. "Game's on in an hour and a half," Emmett said enthusiastically. "You up for a viewing party? Junior's coming. " 'Junior' was what Emmett called Seth; as in, Jacob Junior. Jacob knew that Seth had become Emmett's new wolf buddy when he'd left town with Renesmee, and he was actually kind of glad. The more time the vampires and wolves spent together without killing each other, the happier his life would be in the long run. He nodded, actually excited at the idea. Watching football with Emmett was a no-holds-barred experience.

"Been stuck in a baseball town for almost three months," he replied, "I'd kill for some football right about now."

Rosalie looked up from the magazine she was pretending to read. "I hope you remembered to stock the pantry," she said to her husband. "Last I checked, we were all out of Scooby Snacks."

Jacob just grinned at his worthy adversary. "Hey Rose, what do you call a smart blonde?" When she completely ignored him, he continued, "A Golden Retriever!"

When Emmett howled with laughter, Rosalie chucked her magazine at his head. He caught it deftly, took a quick look at the cover, snorted, and folded it over, tucking it into the waistband of his jeans. " 'Your Man: Explained! 25 pages devoted to why he thinks, talks and acts the way he does.' You are not reading this." Rosalie simply examined her nails with an unimpressed look.

"I read it for the pictures, not the articles. Besides, it would hardly take 25 pages to 'explain' you, Emmett. An index card would suffice."

Emmett looked utterly unperturbed. "She's got a point," he said to Jacob, shrugging. "I'm a simple man."

Renesmee had been moving around the room, and now she came to a stop next to Jacob. He could tell she was trying to look casual while still staying close to him, and it made him feel warm and happy to know she was just as anxious to be near him as he was to be near her. "So are we hunting after the game, Uncle Em?" She said, leaning her weight on the foot closest to Jacob so that their bodies were almost touching. If Emmett picked up on her stance, he didn't comment.

"Sure, Kiddo. Game should be done around 9:30, we can go after that. You'll have to sweet-talk your dad, though… that's your job."

Jacob realized that nobody had mentioned where Edward was. "Where is your dad?" He asked Renesmee.

"Sulking," Rosalie piped up before Renesmee could answer. A chuckle rippled through the room, although Esme and Carlisle made a good effort to look disapproving. Renesmee nodded to qualify her aunt's statement.

"He's still pissy about the ride here. Mom's with him… I they went for a run."

"We all know what that means," Emmett said, making a lewd gesture. Renesmee groaned.

"Disgusting."

"It's a fact of life, Nessie," Emmett said sagely. "One day, you'll understand." Renesmee flushed noticeably, but that could have just been attributed to her humiliation at discussing these things with half her family. Jacob was extremely thankful that his skin tone didn't allow for blushing; otherwise, there would have been trouble.

"All right," Carlisle interrupted the conversation before it had a chance to get even more uncomfortable. "I need to have a discussion with Jacob, to get an update on the pack, before you get entrenched in your game. Jacob," the Cullen patriarch had a way of drawing people's attention directly to himself, and he did so now with Jacob, "I think perhaps we should walk the perimeter, if you're not planning on doing anything else in the next little while." They had started the tradition of 'walking the perimeter' when they had lived in St. John's, in what Jacob referred to as Cullen Compound version 1.0. It was the first time, at least to Jacob's knowledge, that the family had lived on a property that was fully contained within a fenced perimeter. It helped to deter intruders and nosey neighbors, who generally assumed it was something more serious and official than a private residence, and the extra security measures added peace of mind, as they would likely alert the family to any and all intruders, supernatural or otherwise. The fence that surrounded the property had become a make-shift route map for conversations that needed to occur in private, being far enough away from the main house in all directions that the other members of the family, including Edward, couldn't overhear. It was a formal family rule: When somebody was walking the perimeter, they were not to be disturbed.

Jacob nodded. "Sure, Carlisle. I'm ready whenever you are."

Carlisle smiled at him. "Have a cookie first. Then we'll go."

oooOOOooo

Since it was a hassle to phase, Jacob ran alongside Carlisle in human form. It took them a couple minutes to reach the gate, considering that Jacob's human speed was a little bit slower than Carlisle could run. When they were at the fence, Jacob looked for as far as he could see in either direction, but all he saw was chain link and grass.

"I kind of assumed Edward and Bella were walking the perimeter, too," he said to Carlisle, who nodded.

"Your assumption was correct… they are, but they're on the other side of the property. No need to be concerned about running into each other."

"Oh." Jacob followed the vampire's lead and began to stroll at a very leisurely pace along the inside edge of the fence. Carlisle walked between him and the rest of the property.

"So," he said after they had travelled several feet in silence, "How long have you been having sex with my granddaughter?"

Jacob froze completely. How did Carlisle know? It wasn't possible, was it? They'd been so careful. Edward hadn't even figured it out.

Had he?

"Carlisle," Jacob said, immediately going into a defensive stance, "I… we… it's not…" The vampire put one hand up to silence him.

"Jacob, I'm not upset with you."

"You're not?" Jacob was thrown for a loop. He'd definitely expected eight sets of fangs pointed directly at him the moment any member of the Cullen clan figured out their secret. Well, not literally… they didn't have fangs. But the point remained the same; Jacob had expected to be gutted for touching their precious Renesmee.

Carlisle gave him a small, comforting smile. "No, I'm not." Then, to his surprise, the vampire patriarch put a cold, hard hand on Jacob's shoulder. "We've all been prepared for this to happen for a very long time. And, with the exception of Edward and Bella, we all accept your relationship with Renesmee. I'll admit, I wasn't anticipating things would develop so rapidly, but looking at the two of you it's obvious that this is the outcome you both desire. It is not my position to stand in the way of that." He began to walk again, and Jacob followed his lead. "I did not bring you out here to berate you, Jacob, nor to tell you what to do, but I do feel that you and Renesmee would both benefit from my having a frank and open dialogue with you."

Jacob, flabbergasted, eyed Carlisle carefully as they strolled. Indeed, the man seemed collected and content. There was no anger or hostility directed towards Jacob, whatsoever. He felt a smile tug at the corners of his mouth. "I… don't really know what to say, Carlisle, except thank you. I'm really glad to have you on my side. On our side." It was true. He honestly felt a million times better just knowing he had the support of the eldest and wisest member of the Cullen family. Edward would be a lot easier to handle if Carlisle was willing to help.

"There aren't any sides in this, Jacob," Carlisle insisted firmly. "I know it might feel like Edward and Bella are your adversaries… but you have to understand, your situation is unprecedented. Nobody quite knows how to handle the situation."

"Tell me about it," Jacob said, shaking his head.

"With Bella's protective instincts as strong as they are, we all need to proceed with caution. I know it seems that the best way to operate is to keep the details of your relationship from Renesmee's parents, but I have a theory that hinges on the idea of being completely honest. I may be mistaken, but I believe that Bella and Edward are likely to come around rather quickly if we simply operate on a policy of full disclosure."

Jacob didn't like that idea. "Listen, Carlisle… I understand what you're shooting at, but I don't think it'll work. For one thing, I know for a fact Edward and Bella aren't ready to let their daughter grow up just yet, regardless of the fact that she's basically been an adult for years now. And for another thing… Edward already knows about my feelings for Renesmee. And he made it pretty clear before we moved into the loft exactly how he feels about the two of us being together. And I…" He sighed heavily. "I made a deal with him. I promised him I wouldn't do anything to change our relationship until we'd discussed things further."

"You broke that deal," Carlisle stated unnecessarily. Jacob shook his head, ashamed at having it laid out so plainly.

"Yeah, I did. I went back on my word. And I really hate that, Carlisle. Believe it or not, I don't want to be at odds with Edward. I tried really, really hard to keep my promise. But I'm not the only one involved in this."

"Renesmee also has a say."

Jacob looked over at the vampire. "Yeah. Exactly. And it was hurting her. I really messed with her feelings when I tried to push her away. And as much as the promise I gave Edward matters to me… she matters more." He shrugged. Carlisle nodded sagely.

"I'm very glad to hear that, Jacob," he said. "Renesmee should be your top priority. I have no doubt that you have her best interests at heart. Which leads me to my next point, and the question you never answered: how long have you and Renesmee been sexually active with each other?"

Jacob tried really hard not to be completely mortified by the question. "Uh… about two weeks." Carlisle made a sound of confirmation and nodded.

"Have you been taking the appropriate precautions?" Jacob felt a surge of dread.

"Yeah… we're being careful. But… well, the first time, we didn't." Carlisle frowned.

"That was very careless, Jacob. I expect you to exercise better judgment in the future."

Jacob was quick to agree. "I know. It was just… it happened so fast. I'm not proud of how I handled myself. I've been really worried about it, actually, but Nessie said… something about her cycle, and there being a low probability of… well, anyway, she seemed pretty sure." Carlisle nodded again.

"That's good. I'll still have to give her a full physical exam, but that gives me reason to believe there will be few, if any, consequences for the two of you with regards to pregnancy. Now then… when was your last STI screening?"

Jacob said a silent prayer of thanks for his doctor back on the reservation, who had convinced him to get screened at his physical after he'd admitted to his few… dalliances. "It was years ago," he admitted, "But so was the last time I… you know… before… you know." It felt very odd to be having such a conversation with Carlisle… how many thirty-two year old men had the awkward sex chat with their girlfriends' grandfathers? But Jacob supposed Carlisle was more than just that… and these were strange and special circumstances.

Carlisle looked relieved. "I'm not certain whether you or Renesmee can even acquire those sorts of illnesses… but if we're going to be introducing the idea of you two as a couple to Bella and Edward, we need to be sure that everything is one hundred percent safe and above board. I don't want them to be able to pull out any excuses."

Jacob laughed at that. Evidently, Carlisle knew his kids.

They were back in time for kick-off. Seth had already taken his place on the sofa, and made a bowl of popcorn for each of them. "Hey, Jake!" He said with a grin as they came through the door. Jacob flopped down next to his pack mate.

"Where'd Nessie get off to?" Jacob asked, ignoring the slightly grossed-out look that flashed very briefly across Seth's face.

"She and Esme snuck away somewhere. They disappeared a while ago. Not sure where to."

Jacob met Carlisle's eye very briefly, and he swallowed a groan.

He had a pretty good idea what they were up to.

In the next chapter:

"I understand how you feel," her Grandmother said in a quiet voice. "I'm sure we all could have handled things better than we did. You mustn't blame Jacob… he was under a great deal of pressure." That surprised her… Esme's first thought was to defend Jacob. "As for the rest of us… there has been a great deal going on back here, while you've been away, that you don't know about…"