Author's Note: I don't own Twilight. Okay? Okay.

Renesmee's POV-

I examined the expression on my father's face as he analyzed the situation. His expression was unreadable, which concerned me. I didn't know whether he was happy to see me or not. After all, I hadn't spoken to him in over a month. He must have noticed my facial expression transform into one that showed my fear, because his face quickly softened.

"Renesmee…" He spoke uncertainly. The sadness was evident in his voice. I wanted to comfort him, but I wasn't sure where we stood at the moment, so I stayed where I was. "What are you doing here?" He asked, but added another question before I could answer. "Where is your mother?" His expression looked panicked. I would have chuckled if I wasn't so nervous. I decided to answer his second question first so he'd relax.

"She's in Volterra." I answered simply. He seemed to relax a bit, but still appeared tense. He was nervous and confused.

"What are you doing here?" He repeated his first question. His voice was calmer, but still not completely at ease. I knew why I was here, but it was a lot harder to get the words out now than it had been when I was explaining to the rest of the Cullens.

"I was hoping to stay with you for a bit." I admitted. The expression that covered his face seemed to be a mix of relief and worry, if that's even possible. He ran his hand through his messy bronze hair and looked like he was thinking really hard.

"Does your mom know you're here?" He asked.

"Not exactly?" My answer came out sounding like a question. The other Cullens had failed to ask that question and I wasn't sure if it would change their decision to let me stay with them. I know that my dad didn't seem happy. He didn't look mad. On the contrary, he seemed scared and worry etched itself across his face.

"Renesmee, what happened?" He asked. His eyes were pleading with me for a good explanation. I wasn't sure if mine would be quite enough, but I told my story anyway.

"She hates me." I pouted. "She won't even talk to me—I mean, it's been a month! The longest she's ever been mad at me is like two days. She's given up. I tried to talk to her, but she flipped out and told me to leave, so I did." That was mostly the truth. Everything up to the telling me to leave part. She did in fact tell me to leave, but she had been referring to leaving her bedroom.

My dad once again looked like he was trying to concentrate on something, probably trying to comprehend what I was telling him. I took a look at the rest of the Cullens. They all looked sad. I guess I have that effect on people.

"Does anyone else know you're here?" He asked, sounding desperate. I wasn't sure what he was looking for. I basically admitted that I ran away, but it seemed he was trying to hang on to some sort of hope.

"No." I told him. I watched as he took an unnecessary deep breath, and closed his eyes. He placed his hands over his face and tilted his head back. It was not hard to see that he was stressed. This was not the response I was hoping for and I was more than just a little hurt. I crossed my arms and tried to hide my disappointment and sadness. I didn't know why I thought that would work. Jasper could obviously tell what I was feeling and my dad could hear what he was thinking. I actually watched as the process unfolded. I watched as my dad's facial expression softened significantly as his eyes met Jaspers and then mine. He took a step forward, and put his hands on my upper arms, the parts that weren't crossed. I looked at the floor.

"No—Renesmee, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. I just—I don't know what to do. This is all so new to me." I didn't want to look up at him. I was still feeling sad at his initial reaction. "Don't get me wrong, I am so so so happy to see you, but…" He hesitated, and dropped his hands from my arms. He ran his hand through his hair, and took a step back from me. "Shit. You're mother's going to murder me." He groaned.

"Please, she probably doesn't even care. She's been avoiding me anyway, I don't see a difference in whether I'm there or not." I told him. He looked at me with a pained expression and shook his head.

"Renesmee, I know things are rough right now, but I'm sure that's not true. She certainly wouldn't be so upset if she didn't love and care for you very much." He defended her. I should have expected this much. He still loved her. He'd made that clear to me before he even knew who I was. "God, she's probably plotting ways to kill me." He groaned. I chuckled a bit.

"I wouldn't worry about that. If she really cares for me as much as you think she does, she won't hurt you. She knows how important you are to me. Hence why she told me to leave." I muttered the last part. I know she's upset, but to push your own child away is downright cruel. My dad continued to look upset, now even more so than before. He looked torn in his thoughts, and sighed deeply.

"Carlisle, do you still have Aro's number?" He asked and it felt like my heart shattered. I was staring at his face, hoping he wasn't saying what I thought he was saying. He avoided my gaze. I looked at the rest of the Cullens. Rosalie and Alice looked shocked. Rosalie actually looked a mix of shocked and pissed off. Jasper and Emmett looked upset, and held onto their wives. Esme looked sad and Carlisle looked concerned.

"What? No! Please, you can't send me back there!" I pleaded with him. It looked like my words were cutting through him, but he still wouldn't look at me.

"Your mom needs to know that you're here and that you're safe. She's probably worried sick." He said softly. I couldn't believe it.

"She could care less about me." I rebutted.

"Renesmee, she's you're mom. She loves you." He reassured me, unsuccessfully.

"Well she sure has a funny way of showing it." I muttered, and he looked at me with pleading eyes. He didn't want to fight with me, I could see it in his eyes, but this was horrible!

"Renesmee—" He started, but I didn't want to hear it. I don't think I could handle hearing anything else. This had been a wasted trip. I could see that now.

"You know what? This was stupid." I said, annoyed and looked again at my father. "I'll save you the trouble of having to call. I never should've come here." I said, my voice breaking. I ran from the living room out the door, and most of the way down the extremely long driveway. I could hear that as soon as I was out of the living room, the girls all started yelling at Edward, and followed me. As I said, I stopped running halfway down the sidewalk. The girls were close behind me, and I didn't want to be by myself anyway, despite my dramatic exit.

"Nessie! Oh, honey. Please don't go." Esme cried out to me.

"Don't listen to him. He's being an ass." Rosalie said, earning herself a look from Esme. Alice just hugged me, stroking my hair and letting my tears, which I didn't even realize were falling from my face like crazy, stain her shirt. I let out a sob and soon, I was surrounded by all three girls hugging me. When they pulled away, Alice spoke.

"Ness, you should get some sleep. I can't imagine that you got much rest today." Alice said to me softly. "You can stay in Jazzy and I's room." I started to shake my head. "Please Ness. It's getting late and you're tired and upset. You shouldn't be traveling in this state." She told me.

"She shouldn't be traveling at all." I heard Rosalie mutter under her breath, earning a look from both Alice and Esme this time.

"I can't! He doesn't want me here." I cried. Esme put her hands on both sides of my face.

"Aww, sweetheart, that's not true. We promise, he really does want you here. He's just overwhelmed, that's all." She told me, trying to soothe me. I wiped my tears and looked at them, unsure of what to do. I really didn't want to go back and talk to him. Whether he's overwhelmed or not, it really hurt to know that he really thought that the best solution was to send me back. As I thought about what to do, I could feel my eyelids growing heavier. I really was tired. I took a deep breath, looking back in the direction of the house. Rosalie reached out and grabbed my hand, offering me a smile when I looked at her.

"C'mon." She said, and I allowed her to lightly pull me back in the direction of the house. Before we walked in, my heart started to race again. I didn't want to listen to my dad freak out at Alice, Rose, and Esme for bringing me back. We walked toward the stairs that lead to the bedrooms, and passed everyone but my father. I was sort of relieved. When we got to Alice's room, Rose and Esme both gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Sweet dreams, Dear." Esme told me lovingly, while Rosalie told me she'd see me in the morning, and offered another genuine smile. Alice lead me into her room and sat me on the bed.

"I'll find you something to wear." She told me.

"Aunt Alice, you really don't need to do that. I'm fine in what I'm wearing now." She smiled at me, probably because I called her Aunt Alice again, but walked into the closet anyway. She came out with a long sleeve white shirt and a stylish pair of sweatpants. I was surprised that she even owned a pair of sweatpants.

"They were a gift from Emmett, or more like a prank actually. He'd ruined one of my pairs of pants, and Esme told him he'd have to buy me a new pair of bottoms. I told him I liked shopping at Nordstrom, so he ordered them from the Nordstrom website and gave them to me. I was pissed at first, but now that I actually found a use for them, I'll have to thank him." She joked. I reluctantly took the clothes from her hand and changed. Meanwhile, she grabbed extra blankets and pillows from her closet, laying them on the bed for me.

"Thanks Ali." I said, hugging her. She quickly hugged me back and smiled sincerely at me. When she pulled away, she stared at me, still smiling, like she was studying my face. She was probably thinking about how much I looked like my mom. My face fell at the thought, a mix of guilt, anger, frustration, and sadness filling me.

"It'll be okay, Ness." She told me.

"That's what you said last time." I reminded her.

"Just be patient. Things will work themselves out. We're family, and family doesn't give up on each other." She stroked my cheek, and I sighed. "Goodnight, Ness." I laid down in the large bed and she left the room. I rolled onto my side, facing away from the door. I could feel how tired I was, but my brain didn't seem to want to go to sleep. I couldn't stop thinking about the situations with both of my parents. The emotions from earlier came back and I started to cry. Maybe crying would help me to fall asleep. I heard the door open slowly after a few minutes. When they didn't say anything, I realized who it must be.

"Please spare me the verdict. I'll get out of your way in the morning." I told him and I heard the door shut. Initially, I wasn't sure if he was in the room or not, but soon enough, he was sitting on the bed, on the side I was facing.

"Renesmee…" He whispered, staring sadly down at me. I felt a tear start to fall, and I went to wipe it, but his hand stopped me. He wiped my tear with his freezing cold hand, and brought the hand that he had caught to his lips, kissing it lightly. I pulled it away from him, and he seemed hurt by my action.

"Baby, I'm so sorry for making you think I don't want you here. That was never my intention." His velvety voice spoke quietly, lovingly. I didn't respond. His hand stroked my cheek, and I closed my eyes, not wanting more tears to fall. "Renesmee, I'm going to be honest—I don't know what the hell i'm doing. In fact, I don't even know where to start." He said in a resigned voice. He sounded broken and I opened my eyes to look at him again. He wasn't looking down at me anymore. He was looking at his hands which were folded in front of him, resting on his knees.

"This past month, I have been wishing for an opportunity to talk to you, but now that you're here, I have no idea what to do. I'm trying to be responsible and look out for you. I want more than anything to be a part of your life, Renesmee—I need to be a part of your life." He clarified. "But to do so, I know I need to prove myself to you and your mother, and I'm pretty sure harboring you here without her knowledge isn't going to do much to help my case." He finished. I didn't know how to feel. I understood what he was saying, but I still didn't want to go back to Volterra. I knew I was putting him in a difficult situation, and for that, I felt bad, but I would do anything to stay here where I felt appreciated rather than Volterra where all I got were glares from Jane and the silent treatment from my mom.

"At least you're trying. It doesn't matter what she thinks anyway. It's not up to her." I told him and he shot me a look of disapproval. "What? It's not! It's my choice and even if she did have a say, you have just as much power over me as she does." I continued, not backing down. At this, he smiled at me and rubbed the back of my hand, the soft movements making me sleepy. "What?" I asked, referring to his goofy smile. He shook his head, chuckling a bit.

"Considering your genetics, I guess it was hopeless to ever think there was a chance you wouldn't be so stubborn." He teased, and I smiled. I was glad we were getting along again. It was silent for a minute. He was still rubbing the back of my hand, just about putting me to sleep. I realized there was something else I needed to say to him before I drifted to sleep though.

"I really appreciate the effort that your putting in, and I'm sorry for flipping out earlier. I know you're trying. I just really missed you this past month." I admitted, another tear rolling down my face at the memories of the past month. He wiped it from my face quickly.

"I missed you too, Princess…more than you could ever know." He said, and slowly stood from the bed. "Get some sleep. I'll wait until the morning to call and we can call together. I have a feeling your mother would be more willing to listen if it was you calling." He explained.

"Not necessarily." I retorted. He smiled a bit and started walking toward the door. I grew more sad with each step away from me he took. "Wait!" I called. He stopped and turned around to look at me. I didn't really know what I was meaning to say, I just knew that I didn't want him to leave. I blushed, realizing that he was waiting for me to say something. I sat up in my bed, crossing my legs.

"Could you stay with me…at least until I fall asleep?" I asked nervously. "I mean, you don't have to if you don't want to or if you're busy—" I rambled. I was embarrassed for even asking. I'm a hundred years old, I don't need anyone to protect me. Sometimes, my human nature got the best of me and subconsciously caused me to act like a sixteen year old girl, but even then, a sixteen year old doesn't need someone to protect them while they sleep either.

"Renesmee." He interrupted me from my rambling and smiled. "Of course I will." He answered, and I relaxed. He took a seat once again, next to me on the bed. I was half sitting up as he took his place on the bed. Once he sat down and rested his back against the headboard, he spoke again. "Nothing will ever be more important to me than you." He told me, which unsurprisingly caused my eyes to water again. I leaned over and hugged him. At first he seemed surprised, but then he relaxed and wrapped his arms around me.

"I love you, Dad." I told him. I was surprised as the words escaped my mouth. I didn't regret saying them, and I knew I meant it. It wasn't just a heat of the moment thing, but I was still impressed with myself for having the courage to say the words. I could feel him smile as he placed a kiss on my forehead, hugging me tighter like he never wanted to let go.

"I love you too, Princess." He said, still hugging me and rubbing patterns on my back, making me sleepy. I didn't make an attempt to move away from him. Rather, I laid my head on him and let the darkness take over.

Author's Note:

I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Next chapter describes Bella, so you'll get to see her response. I'm not sure if that one will be posted midway through the week or next weekend. I'm still working on finalizing the outline for that one.

Leave me your thoughts and predictions! Reviews were amazing last time. I noticed more of you are switching to Team Bella. I like hearing your thoughts, whatever they are, so feel free to share.

Goal is 515 reviews! Sample subjects:

1. How do you like Edward's reaction? Too harsh/soft.

2. Predictions on Bella's reaction

3. Suggestions or predictions about other events with the Cullens and Nessie while she's there.

4. *(Also a NEW poll on profile—round 2) Should Jacob be involved in the story?

Thanks for all the reviews, favorites, alerts, and honestly just for reading! There's still time until this story is finished (I'm thinking 6-7 chapters, but don't quote me), but I'm starting to think of ideas for the next story I'll write, so you can leave suggestions about that too, or add me to your author alert list so you'll be able to see what I write next.

Until next time, Taylor

*Jacob would barely be mentioned other than just being said to Nessie's partner, and wouldn't be used as another conflict in the story. I'd have a decent explanation for his being alive. Another suggestion would be to have a relative of Jacob's, or just not mention a love interest for Renesmee.

***If there are any questions, feel free to PM me.