A World Full of Strangers

Disclaimer: All the characters in the story are the property of Stephanie Meyer. I have borrowed them for my entertainment and (hopefully) your reading pleasure. I make no profit from their use.

Chapter 10: Confrontation Part 2: In the Yard

Jacob's response to the news that we are moving to the Yukon and bringing Renesmee with us is just as bad as I had thought it would be. His refusal to accept the decision was right in line with his usual sense of entitlement. It took a lot of nerve to suggest that she live with Sam and Emily, but it was not really too big of a surprise either. He never even considered suggesting that he might follow us.

Once outside, he leans against a tree scowling at us.

"I suppose that the others are inside now trying to make Renesmee even more afraid of me than she already is," he complains.

"Just for the sake of argument," says Carlisle. "What do you think that she's afraid of?"

"I think that she's afraid to leave me," he replies. "I think that you are forcing her to go and she is scared to death of that."

"Interesting thought," I say. "You are telling us that my daughter is afraid of her own family."

"No, I didn't mean that," he says. "I meant that she is afraid that you are taking her away from me."

"We are taking her away from Forks, not you," replies Carlisle calmly. "It's your choice a to whether you come with us or not. Contrary to what you think, this is not about you, Jacob. It is about us."

He looks stunned at the suggestion.

"I can't leave La Push," he says incredulously. "It's my land. I have responsibilities there."

Jasper wants to ask what those responsibilities might be since he doesn't even have a job, but I look over and shake my head. That question will only serve to put him even more firmly on the defensive.

"Perhaps you should listen to the reasons why we are planning to leave," suggests Carlisle calmly. "And why Renesmee needs to stay with us. Things are not as simple as you think."

"Starting with the idea that at the age of seven Renesmee will be old enough to be yours," I growl.

"Jasper," says Carlisle giving him a significant look. "Edward, it might be better if I do the talking for now."

I can feel Jasper's influence calming me down. I can tell that he is also relaxing Jacob, probably against his will. But we do need to have a rational discussion and the best person to explain things is Carlisle.

"Let's start with the reason that we are leaving," says Carlisle. "I think that you should realize that the only reason that we have stayed in Forks for this long is so that Renesmee could be close to you. But life is becoming very difficult for all of us. The children still look like they are in high school and yet they are claiming their mid-twenties.

"As their classmates age and the differences become more pronounced, it becomes much more difficult to carry on the charade. I am trying to pass forty. However, there were so many questions at the hospital that I had to 'retire' so to speak. It very much saddens me that I can no longer practice medicine. As you know, it has been my life's work to help humans every way that I can.

"And Renesmee has lived in almost complete seclusion her whole life. You know that her rapid aging would have created even more questions than the complete lack of aging for the rest of us. When the Volturi left we promised that we would make sure that the humans did not learn of her true nature, just as they cannot know ours. The primary law that they uphold is the law of secrecy. We cannot break that law. I doubt very much that any of you want them to return.

"The others have been traveling to try and have some kind of normal life, but Esme misses them terribly. For that matter, we all miss each other very much. A coven is not much different from a tribe with two crucial exceptions. We are bound by venom, not blood. And we have no ties to any land. And although we move around every few years, we always stay together."

"But Renesmee isn't bound by venom," he states.

"She is bound by blood to both Bella and I," I answer. "Like it or not, she is more vampire than human."

Jacob rolls his eyes.

"This brings me to my second point," says Carlisle. "Renesmee is immortal, or so we believe. But we have no idea of what her human vulnerabilities might be to any kind of disease or illness around her. We also don't know what would happen if she was injured. Remember that she can still bleed and she needs oxygen to survive. You cannot bring her to a human doctor and expect him to be able to treat her.

"It would not take him very long to realize that she is not human. We already know that her physiology is very different. In addition to possibly killing her with his treatment, he would learn her secret. Or at the very least, know that she is not normal. In all likelihood, she would end up being a medical curiosity and possibly even a media sensation. Do you really want that kind of publicity in La Push?"

Jacob is silent. This is obviously something that has never occurred to him before. I can see that a great conflict is beginning to arise in his mind. As her protector, he does not want her in any danger. Yet he is finally acknowledging the possibility that it may be dangerous to separate her from Carlisle at least.

"I would make sure that no harm came to her," he finally says. "That is my job. And if she lives on the reservation, no one would question the fact that she isn't aging. The wolves don't age either. Our people are bound by the same level of secrecy as yours are."

"Carlisle," says Jasper. "May I bring up my point?"

"Yes," he says. "I think that it is important that Jacob hear it if he wants to make a responsible decision about how to proceed."

I can see Jacob mentally rolling his eyes. Other than as a fighter, he does not have a whole lot of respect for Jasper. He has no idea that Jasper's strategic thinking capabilities extend beyond the battlefield.

"Jacob," he says. "I believe that you have told us on more than one occasion that the werewolves started phasing and imprinting after we moved to Forks. In other words, our presence revived the dormant species."

"That's true."

"And before that," he continues. "The last generation of wolves was your great-grandfather's. That was the first time that the Cullens lived near La Push."

"Yes," he replies. "That's true. You know that we only need the werewolves for protection when there are vampires in the area."

"So what happens to the wolves when there are no vampires?" he asks.

"They don't need to phase anymore," he replies. "The only enemies that the wolves have left are the vampires."

"Now, if I'm not mistaken," he says. "There were two reasons for the wolf population explosion seven years ago. The first was in response to Victoria and her newborn army. And the second when all of our witnesses came to stand with us against the Volturi."

At this point, I can see that Jacob is getting impatient. Rather than considering where Jasper may be going with this, he thinks that he is an imbecile.

"This is all old history," he says out loud. "What? Did you forget it?"

"No," he replies politely. "I was just establishing the facts. Tell me. How many new wolves have phased since then? And before you insult me again, remember that I haven't been home much in the past seven years."

"No one else has phased," he says. "We have more than enough wolves to protect the tribe."

"What happens when we leave?" Jasper asks, finally getting to the point.

"What do you mean?" he replies.

"When there are no more vampires living in the neighborhood," he asks. "Will you all still need to phase?"

"No," he says. "Why would we? Unless of course a new coven shows up."

"Don't you see a problem then, for you and Renesmee?" he asks.

"No," he replies.

Jasper looks at Carlisle. I can see that he has run out of patience. Besides, this is moving in the direction of a scientific discussion. Carlisle looks at me, but all I can do is shrug. Jacob has not connected the dots yet.

"Jacob, I believe that your legends tell us that once you stop phasing, you begin to age again," he says in his most reasonable tone of voice. "If you begin to age again, you will begin to grow older, while Renesmee remains young. From what we know of Nahuel and his sisters, they are immortal. You know this for yourself, since you were with us when we visited South America."

Finally, Jacob can see for himself the point that Jasper was trying to make. He doesn't like it. But he also knows the legends and he knows that even if there are no vampires in the area, he can still voluntarily phase. In fact, the first great chief to fight the vampires did so after living three lifetimes. Before he can open his mouth, I prompt Carlisle.

"I think that you need to tell him about the chromosomes," I say.

Carlisle nods.

"Jacob, when Bella was pregnant, we had a discussion about chromosomes," he says. "Humans have twenty-three pairs, vampires have twenty-five pairs, and wolves have twenty-four."

"Yes," he says. "Which you found out by testing my blood without my knowledge."

Carlisle ignores him and continues.

"I have never told you how many pairs Renesmee has," he says. "But even before she was born, we knew that she was more vampire than human. She actually has twenty-five pairs, just like us."

"What are you trying to tell me?" he asks. "That our genes don't match? That wasn't a problem for Bella and Edward."

"I can't tell you if it will be a problem for you and Renesmee," he says. "At least in the case of Bella and Edward, there were some legends, based on fact, to go by. But if you consider how difficult it is for both our species to coexist, I doubt very much that we will find any."

"So what are you saying?" he asks.

"I am saying that there are too many unknowns for you to make presumptions about your future and Renesmee's," he replies. "Up until this point, I am presuming that she has behaved like another other imprinted . . . female."

"Yes, she has," he replies a bit triumphantly.

"But this morning she was afraid of you," he says. "How can that be?"

"It's because of all your lies about me," he says, the belligerence returning to his voice.

I look at Carlisle sharply. Jacob is getting very close to losing his temper. We need to end this conversation now before things get out of control and we all do something that we might regret. Out here if Jacob phases and attacks, Jasper and I can easily take him down, possibly even kill him. And I have my daughter's feelings to consider.

"Jacob," Carlisle says quickly. "I know that we've given you a lot to think about. I believe that you should go and discuss this with your elders."

Jacob opens his mouth to protest, but then thinks better of it. He runs into the woods without another word where I can tell that he is phasing. I sigh. Carlisle looks at me.

"He had a difficult time controlling his temper while he was here," I say. "But he managed. He's not going to give up easily."

"We're not giving up at all," says Jasper. "Now we have some packing and planning to do."

I look out into the woods where Jacob took off regretfully. I really don't want to get into a conflict with him and the Quileutes, but unless we want to leave Renesmee behind, there is no choice. And that is not even an option.