A/N: Hi guys!

Thanks to everybody who read and reviewed the last chapter… you guys are awesome!

Here's the other side of the talk… everybody's getting schooled by the grandparents =D

I'm going to have to skip the mid-week update next week, seeing as I'll be on trains and buses, trying to get to the family in time for the holidays. I hope all of you have an excellent holiday season, complete with TIME OFF from whatever it is you work at. I'll be back in a week, and I'll try my best to post Sunday night as usual! I WILL still be responding to reviews, so please leave your feedback! Thanks in advance.

Enjoy this chapter, and happy holidays!

~Crit.

Chapter 23: Esme's Advice

Renesmee felt the sudden, stifling sensation of being trapped as soon as Jacob and her grandfather took off for the perimeter. Over the past three months, she'd gotten used to being able to walk out of her front door and be faced with a million places to go. She had options in New York, things she could do. Distractions, activities. On the compound, there was only family. And as thrilled as she was to see her aunt and uncle and her grandparents, her discomfort at having to police her thoughts around her parents was wearing on her. It wasn't the relaxing, carefree vacation with her family that she had tricked herself into looking forward to, not at all.

Most of her stress derived not from the act of hiding her thoughts, but from the fact that she had to hide them in the first place. Before she and Jacob had gotten together, she'd never really needed to hide anything from her parents. She'd wanted to sometimes, just to get a little privacy, but mostly she'd always been completely open and upfront with them. As much as she wanted to be free to live her own life, her parents were one of the most important parts of her heart. She was finding, to her extreme distress, that it actually hurt her to deceive them, especially since they knew that she was doing it. They just didn't know why.

After some more joking around with Emmett and Rosalie, Renesmee excused herself for a moment, citing the need for fresh air (something her family always fell for hook, line and sinker, an excuse that only she could use) and stepped out onto the front porch of the house. She sat down slowly on the step and put her elbows on her knees, then rested her forehead on in her hands. How was she going to survive this weekend?

There was a soft padding sound of footsteps approaching, and Renesmee stiffened and sat up. Dad. But then the wind switched, and she was hit full-on by the scent of wolf. Not Dad. She looked up and smiled.

"Hi, Seth."

Seth smiled back at her. "Hey, Nessie," He said, a slightly awkward note in his voice. Renesmee wrinkled her nose in dismay as she realized what Seth must have seen earlier, when Jacob had phased and run to meet his pack.

"Um… So. How're you doing?" She asked lamely. Seth shifted his weight from foot to foot and avoided her eye.

"Good… you know, same as always. Nothing much changes around here." Renesmee knew her cheeks were on fire, and she was even more embarrassed at being embarrassed.

"Seth," she said in the lowest voice possible. "I'm sorry you had to see… whatever you saw." Seth's eyes shot up to look at her.

"It's okay," he said quickly. Then his expression softened as he looked at her face and saw her intense embarrassment. He moved forward to sit on the step beside her and put one warm arm around her shoulders. "Aw, Nessie, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make things weird for you. It happens, you know? We're all used to it… just not with you. You're like… it's like watching your family." He made a face. "Well, not quite that bad. But almost. Don't worry… we'll get used to it. It's just going to take a while." He gave her shoulders a squeeze. Renesmee shrank herself into his side. Seth was warm and strong, just like Jacob, but he smelled different, like surf and maple. It was a comforting smell, the scent of the person who'd been uncle, brother and friend to her in equal parts. Jacob's pack brother, the one he looked out for and took care of the most, although neither of them would ever admit it. She'd missed Seth so much.

"I'm glad we can be honest with you, Seth," She said, returning his sideways-hug with vigor. "It's been… hard, with my family." She was speaking as low as she could, knowing that if she talked at normal volume the three remaining vampires in the house would most definitely overhear.

"You know you can always tell me anything." His raised an eyebrow. "So how're you guys dealing with you dad?"

"Basically, we're not." Renesmee sighed. "We've pretty much been doing anything we can to keep our brains full of other things when he's around, which as you well know has the exact same result as if we'd hired a skywriter to spell out 'We're Hiding Things From You'. I actually think my mom's finding it kind of funny… but Edward is pissed."

Seth was about to reply when the front door swung open and Emmett appeared behind them. "Oh, hey Junior," he said with a nod. Then he turned to Renesmee. "Esme wants you, kiddo. She's upstairs."

Renesmee gave Seth another quick hug and hopped to her feet. "Thanks, Uncle Em, she said before going back into the house and mounting the stairs.

She knocked on the door to her grandparents' room and, at the sound of Esme's gentle 'Come in', opened it and went inside. It was actually more of a suite of rooms, with a large, elegant sitting room in the front, two matching walk-in closets that doubled as dressing rooms, a bathroom and, separated by an ornate sliding wood door, a large, brightly lit bedroom. The elaborate design was, in Renesmee's opinion, a bit unnecessary, considering neither of her grandparents slept. But then again, she knew that their bedroom was more than just a place to put the bed, in her Grandmother's eyes. Esme's first marriage had been difficult. She'd never had the chance to live like a lady in her human life, and Renesmee knew that as long as her Grandfather walked the earth, he would spare no expense or trouble to make sure his wife had the best of everything. Not that her Grandmother would ever demand or expect it. But Carlisle would give it to her just the same.

It warmed Renesmee all over to think of how very much her grandparents cared for each other. She couldn't help but compare their enduring love to her blossoming romance with Jacob. Although they known each other their entire lives, she and Jacob were just starting to discover each other as romantic partners. It would take years, decades, maybe even more than a century before they would know and understand each other as well as Carlisle and Esme did. But, rather than being discouraged by that knowledge, Renesmee found that she was bolstered by it, and filled with excitement at the idea of passing those years with their lives joined together.

Renesmee could tell as soon as her Grandmother met her eye that Esme knew everything she was thinking. She was so empathic sometimes that Renesmee wondered if she might not have a latent gift, similar to Jasper's. She rose from where she was seated, in front of her vanity mirror, and crossed the room to embrace her granddaughter. Renesmee inhaled the familiar scent of her grandmother; she couldn't get enough of it. Esme was as beloved to her as her own mother. She sighed into her honey-colored locks as the firm, cool grip of Esme's arms surrounded her.

"My darling," Esme whispered against her cheek. "You must tell me everything."

Renesmee pulled back and gave her grandmother a rueful smile. "How did you know?" She said, shaking her head. "We were so sure we'd have everybody fooled…"

"Alice phoned while you were in the car attempting to pull the wool over your parents' eyes," Esme replied. She started for the bedroom, and motioned for Renesmee to follow. They sat on the bed, cross-legged and facing each other. "That was a very nasty trick you two played on your father, by the way. He seems thoroughly confused."

Renesmee shrugged. "If he'd stay out of my brain, he wouldn't have to be confused."

"Now stop that. You know he can't help it." Renesmee sighed and nodded.

"I know, I know. But mom can. It would have been nice of her to offer, without Jacob and I having to force her hand." She looked over at Esme with a pained expression. "I hate having to give them the work-around, but you know we couldn't have told them. I don't have a Juliet complex… I have absolutely no desire for my relatives and the man I love to start going around killing each other."

"Certainly not." Esme gave her an encouraging smile. "Your parents aren't completely unaware, Renesmee. They knew this would happen eventually."

"Yes, apparently everybody did," She said with a hint of bitterness. "Oh, except for me, of course, but it's not like it has any bearing on my life."

It was funny to see her sincere, gentle Grandmother rolling her eyes, but that was exactly what she did. "Renesmee, most of us are willing to treat you like the grown woman you are, but if you insist on acting like a sullen teenager, we may have to rethink that strategy." Renesmee felt a flush of humiliation at her Grandmother's admonition.

"Sorry, Grandma," She muttered. "I'm just a bit irritated about nobody bringing this up to me. Do you have any idea the kind of detective work I had to do to figure this whole thing out? I spied on Jacob and Dad's phone conversations, I spent hours in the library, I did everything on my own while you all just sat there with the answers I needed and kept them to yourselves. And I'm trying not to be mad about that, but it kind of hurts that none of you, not even Jacob, trusted me enough to give me the whole story and let me decide things on my own."

Now it was Esme who looked ashamed. Renesmee couldn't stand it; everything she did just upset her family. "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. And maybe we should have told you before now. Maybe we didn't act in the most prudent way. Perhaps it would have been best if we'd all been honest with you from the beginning… the only excuse I can offer you is that your parents are very young—"

"My dad is over a century old!"

"Emotionally,"Esme said, and Renesmee caught a twinkle in her eye, "You parents are both very young. And as for the rest of us… we are inexperienced when it comes to a situation such as this. There has never been a situation such as this. And we've made mistakes, errors in judgment. Your grandfather and I are responsible for the actions of every member of this family, and as such, we feel it's our job to correct the mistakes we've made. On behalf of Carlisle and myself, I apologize to you for not being completely honest with you before today. And, if you'll accept my apology, I'd like to tell you everything now."

Renesmee's jaw hung slack, and she just stared dumbly at her Grandmother until she could find her bearings. "Grandma," She said, frowning, "Of course I accept your apology. But I think you'd better tell me quickly what exactly is happening… you're kind of freaking me out."

Esme gave her a smile and placed one cool hand on her arm. "Not to worry. I don't think it's anything we can't handle… anything you can't handle. I have incredible faith in your abilities, Renesmee."

Now she was truly confused. "What is it I'm supposed to be handling, then?" She said, trying to quell the rising panic. Speculations started to crop up in her head, and she pushed them back and waited for an answer.

"It's your mother." Renesmee started; whatever she'd expected, it hadn't been that.

"Mom?" Esme nodded, and the panic rushed back, stronger this time. "What's wrong with her? Is she okay?" She started to get up, but Esme held her in place.

"Yes, and no. Don't worry, she will be fine, eventually. But she's been… troubled… since you left."

Renesmee couldn't understand. "But I've talked to her on the phone… we talked almost every day, she seemed fine. Normal. Maybe a bit distant sometimes, but I just figured she was missing me, or distracted by something." She tried very hard to keep the prickling feeling behind her eyes from turning into tears. "What do you mean, troubled?"

Esme sighed quietly and patted Renesmee's arm in what was supposed to be a comforting gesture. "Darling, your mother is the first vampire that we have ever known of with her own biological child. You two were always close, and nobody gave it a second thought… she's your mother, you're her child. What could be more normal or beautiful?" Renesmee nodded, and Esme continued. "It wasn't until very recently, just after the decision was made for you to go away with Jacob, that we began to notice certain things about her behavior. The way your father describes it, she began to have rather… violent thoughts and impulses, similar to those of a predatory animal protecting her young."

"Protecting me from…" Esme's point finally locked into place. "From Jacob?" She practically shouted, feeling shocked and horrified. "When you say 'violent', how violent do you mean?"

"It was enough for your father to insist that Jacob was removed from her presence. Edward was very concerned that he wouldn't be able to control Bella, should she lose control of herself. You can't tell me you weren't surprised that you and Jacob didn't meet more resistance over moving out to the city together."

Renesmee nodded slowly. "I did think it was kind of weird how he just changed tunes the way he did, objecting so hard one minute and then being pretty much fine with it the next. But I… I kind of just thought he wanted me to be happy." She shook her head. "Guess not."

"Of course you father wants you to be happy, Nessie." Her grandmother took her hands and looked into her eyes. "Don't ever doubt that. Your mother too. But they were both much less prepared than they thought they would be for the speed at which your relationship with Jacob progressed."

"But," Renesmee protested, "Nothing happened between us until just a few weeks ago!"

"No, but darling… your father can hear people's thoughts."

Renesmee squeezed her eyes shut. "Oh. Then, Jacob was… right, I get it. And Dad told Mom, and Mom got all… feral, or whatever."

Esme laugh a little, albeit humorlessly. "Feral is a fairly accurate description." She sighed again. "I won't lie to you, Nessie, it's been difficult. There have been times when we've all been terrified of her… and for her. Jasper has worked hard at keeping her subdued while your father and Carlisle help her work through things rationally. As long as we can neutralize her protective instincts, her rational side is strong enough to keep her in check. She knows that what she's feeling is irrational and out of line… but it's so much stronger than her. I can't imagine that any of us would be able to control ourselves any better than she has, in her situation."

Renesmee let that new information sink in. So her mother was acting like a homicidal maniac, and it was all because of her. She knew it wasn't her fault, or her mothers, but she felt awful nonetheless. Not to mention terrified for Jacob. "Wait," she said, "If it's been that bad, how come she was able to be in the car with me and Jacob for hours and not attack him? She was even pleasant to him. She seemed fine… she shielded us."

Esme gave a small, wry smile at that. "That may have something to do with the little bit of misdirection you and Jacob threw at your father the other week."

"Misdirection? What do you…" suddenly Renesmee recalled the conversation she'd spied on between her father and Jacob, when she'd realized Jacob thought she had feelings for Rideau. "OH no."

"After that, your mother calmed down. When she thought you would begin to develop feelings for Jacob, she panicked and her instincts kicked into high gear because she knew you two were meant to be together. We believe that, whether she is conscious of it or not, she instinctively knows that he's the only one who will ever be able to take you away from her."

"That's not what's happening—"

Esme cut her off. "I know, dear. You mother knows it too, when she's at her most reasonable. But her instincts react independently of her mind, and she can't control them. At any rate, when she thought you were falling for a normal human boy rather than your soulmate, her protective instincts flared up at first, but they were deflected from Jacob, and she began to be able to look at him through more rational eyes and see that he was not the threat she'd imagined, at least not yet. And then her violent tendencies ebbed, to the point where she relaxed somewhat about the whole situation. She knows that you're not meant for anyone other than Jacob, and she instinctively trusts you to make the proper decisions. She's still very distraught about the idea of you being involved with some stranger, but she no longer believes you've found the person in him that will take you away from her. You two bought yourselves some time to work things out by dropping that bit of false information on your father."

Renesmee felt simultaneously relieved and concerned, but she couldn't help laughing at the comedy of errors that was unfolding around her. "Well, I'm glad about that… but we didn't mislead him on purpose." At Esme's confused look, she explained, "Jacob actually believed everything he told my father. You know he's not that good of a liar. He picked up on the fact that I had feelings for someone… he was just way off base about who." She shook her head. "It wasn't exactly fun between the two of us for a little while there. That conversation between Jacob and my father was actually what tipped me off… I, um, listened in."

Esme smiled back at her. "In that case it's a good thing you're so sneaky." Renesmee laughed at that, but quickly sobered.

"What are we going to do about mom?" She said, knowing her grandmother already had a plan.

"You're going to talk with her. The only way she'll be even close to being able to accept it is if it comes from you. You're going to tell her the truth."

From the Next Chapter:

Renesmee knelt in front of her seated mother, directly between her and the rest of the room. If Bella wanted to move, she'd have to throw her off first, and Renesmee wasn't going to let go easily. If all this was for her protection, her mother would have to decide what would hurt her more: a broken arm, or a boyfriend.

"Mom," she said quietly, "It's Jacob."

Her mother's grip tightened on her hands, and her jaw locked and went rigid. Renesmee winced, but didn't draw her hands away. "No," her mother said harshly, "No."