Woo hoo, thanks for all the reviews everyone!! Not too much to say today, just enjoy and review, review, review. Love ya. Tink. XX

JAKE POV

"So Edward...what the hell was that?" I asked once I was fully dressed, and away from the seductive spell that was Renesmee. We walked pacing amongst the shadows, neither of us feeling the chill from the damp night.

"That… I believe is referred to as imprinting"

"Imprinting?" I repeated, testing the word on my tongue, waiting for a memory to accompany it. None surfaced. It sounded foreign, alien to me.

"Imprinting, so I've been told, is a very rare and very beautiful thing which wolves do when they find their...soul mate…you Jacob Black have imprinted upon my child Renesmee" he said ruefully, but he didn't not sound shocked by the statement if anything he sounded pleased. This as much as anything else that had happened tonight, puzzled me.

"I thought she was a baby?"

He shook his head and I saw the flash of his smile in the moonlight, it was doting and indulgent, full of pride for his daughter. Eerily it was the same smile I'd seen on Renesmee's beautiful face.

"Renesmee is half human, half vampire…she has a heartbeat and blood like any normal human but she also has other special abilities like a vampire... extra strength, hearing, rapid growth…chronologically speaking she is nearly eight but in reality she is the age and mentality of an eighteen year old"

"She's eight…I feel like this about an eight year old?" I felt sickened; there was something wrong with me, feeling that way about a child, loving a child in this way. I was pervert, everything I felt was wrong.

"There is nothing wrong with you Jake, in the same way that our aging process is suspended, hers is accelerated… she is an eighteen year old to all intents and purposes, and though her mind will mature a little more, she will be eighteen forever" this time he didn't seem to pleased by the notion.

"Why are you telling me this? Shouldn't you be warning me away from your daughter…we are enemies, I could hurt her badly...and not even mean to" I did not understand why he would be encouraging me and not ripping me limb from limb. One of the biggest concerns I had was the chance that I could hurt her. She was a tiny, fragile looking thing not much bigger than Tinkerbell Vamp; I could do her so much harm and not even know it.

That would devastate me, the thought that I was put on this earth for her and with one wrong move, one ill timed shift, I could end her life as easily as snuffing out a candle. Beside me Edward was silent for a few moment, I knew he was making sense of my thoughts.

" Despite what you think we are not enemies Jake and have not been for a long time…you have been Renesmee's best friend, her greatest protector, since the second she was born…you helped me save both her and Bella and I've never forgotten that…you and your pack helped us when we needed it most…I could never be your enemy"

I digested what he had told me, I had been her best friend since the second she was born and had I felt this way about her, all that time? That was sick! I was sick!

"No Jake, you have loved her like the child she was, a favorite niece or cousin, and her you…but she is growing older and besides she is not as fragile as she looks" he pointed to the tiny scar on my chest and smirked "How do you think you got that"

I glanced down at the tiny crescent shaped mark.

"Does she know… can she tell that I feel this way about her?" the thought terrified me, feeling a love this strong for a person I couldn't remember. I was barely coming to terms with it myself and didn't want to inflict this confusion on her.

He shook his head "No, she doesn't and I would ask for her sake that you do not reveal your feelings for her…no matter what she says or does"

I chuckled, "Persuasive is she?" I asked eager for details of this woman I loved unconditionally yet did not know.

"Only with everyone…you especially… you have never been able to deny her anything, you've given her whatever it takes to make her happy…you always said it was part of the imprint but personally I think she has you wrapped around her little finger…you never could say no to her" he said with a sad smile.

"Why don't you want her to know how I feel…is it because of what I am?" I felt suddenly as though I could never be good enough for this half vampire goddess and I wondered if the Cullens felt this way too.

"You are one of the best men I know Jake and you have only ever acted honorably around my daughter…but in many respects she still is child like…her childhood has gone by so quickly she hasn't had all the same human experiences as you…Bella and I would like to give her a little longer to be a teenager, to be a child, before things change for you both"

I thought about his words, primitive instincts surfacing as I thought about the possibility she could love me too.

Hope lit a fire in my heart "Do you think…do you think that she feels the same about me?"

Edward shrugged his face impassive, his hands jammed deep in his pockets "That I don't know and she would never volunteer the information, to me especially…I know you love her Jake and I know how much this must be to take in… but please don't tell her…let her get used to the idea of you being back at home…get to know each other again…if it is meant to be then it will happen for you"

The leech was right. This was all a bit surreal. I was attempting to come to terms with a whole depth of feelings for this woman child, when I did not even know the girl. Then a thought occurred to me, if I had been her best friend, how had she coped with my disappearance from her life? How had managed, if the pain I felt from this short absence was anything to go by then it must have been hell.

"It was hard Jake…very hard… I'm sure she'll tell you herself but I know how overjoyed she is that you've come back"

" I don't even know her… how can I feel this way about her?" I groaned and shook my head trying to make sense of it all. I tried to ignore the tugging feeling in the pit of my stomach that demanded I go back inside and claim what was mine, claim the body, the love I knew that waited for me. My lips tingled, my body throbbed and I wanted to find her and assuage this ache in me.

"You may not remember her but your heart, your soul does Jake…none of us really understand how imprinting works…just that it does, just trust yourself, your instincts"

I shook my head and whistled through my teeth, attempting to be lighthearted "I wouldn't do that just at this second Ed"

I glanced back toward the house and I knew she was there somewhere watching me, I could feel her eyes on my body and it reacted instantly, my blood heading south, leaving me straining against the sweats I wore. Each surge of blood sent a separate pulse of desire through me and I couldn't help wanting to bury myself in her.

Next to me Edward cleared his throat and hissed a little. I looked sheepish, trying to clean up my thoughts "Sorry"

"It's something I have to get used to I suppose but for all our sakes try and control your thoughts… first it was my wife now it's my daughter"

"Yeah, ugh sorry about that…I was just kind of blown away by her for a little while" I couldn't believe I had even looked twice at Bella when I had Renesmee all the time…there was no comparison between them. Renesmee was like the sun rising, all beauty and warmth.

"Don't worry about it Jake, I've lived through it already" he said cryptically, patting me on the back and turning us back to the house.

REN POV

I watched them from the window as they walked up and down, up and down, chatting .My gaze ate Jake alive, he looked a mess admittedly but to my eyes that had been starved of him for so long, he had never looked so handsome. This had got to be one of only a handful of times I had seen him wearing so many clothes and as much as loved his half naked body and the steady thump of his heartbeat, I had to admit he looked good.

Rather than hide them, the sweats and top highlighted the play and shift of his muscles as he paced beside my father, making him seem bigger, more powerful. Sighing I had forgotten just how huge he was, he was head and shoulders bigger than my dad and judging by the snug tight fit of the clothes also Emmett. I made a mental note to ask him to wear clothes a little more often. He looked so dreamy.

I wished I knew what they were talking about but my mother had her shield up. I couldn't even see what they were saying it was too dark to make out. Frustrated I sighed, and I was still unable to believe that he was here. He was real. Jake was back. And though I knew he didn't remember me, I didn't care. We made a connection. I felt it and I know he did too, it was there when he looked at me. Like I was his lifeline and he was a drowning man. The Jake I loved was in there somewhere and I just had to bring him out and prove to him how i felt about him.

My heart pounded as he looked up, his eyes finding my window and I though I knew he would not be able to see my face, our eyes met anyway and I felt the electric sizzle of our connection. My entire body thrummed with energy. Oh I loved him, so much and I couldn't wait to tell him so but part of me was scared. I was afraid that he would not return my love, that he would push me away as he had done before he'd disappeared.

A muted squeal escaped me as they headed back in the direction of the house and I sprinted down the stairs just as they stepped in the door, my mother appearing at my side, looking at me as though I were crazy.

"Um Hi, Dad, Jake" I said breathlessly, trying to sound casual as I lounged against the stairs as though I had just happened by. I ignored my parent's combined laughter as I brushed my tangled hair from my face with a shaky hand and concentrated on breathing. In then out. In then out. In. Out.

Jake POV

"Jacob Black, this is my daughter Renesmee Carlie Cullen" Edward said introducing us properly, formally. My eyes were drawn to hers like a magnet and I was unable to look away, lost in the golden pools of her gaze.

"Nessie" I murmured smiling down at this tiny, fragile girl before me, unable to help myself. Just being close to her made me smile. Where the name Nessie came from I didn't know but I was thrilled at the result it evoked. Her face split in two with a hundred watt grin that made my heart swell with tenderness and my body stir in interesting ways.

"Not this again…her name is Renesmee" Bella growled from beside us but I didn't pay her any attention too lost in the beauty that was my Nessie.

"Afraid so…seems pretty…instinctual" said Edward and I heard his laughter but couldn't look away from her.

Wearing a pair of pink pajama shorts and a black tank top, her skin was the smoothest I had ever seen and I tried not to notice the impressive and rapid swell of her breasts, the gentle curve of her hip, the rounded twin globes of her heart shaped ass.

Beside me Edward growled and I jumped a little, feeling guilty, reminding myself she was still a child. Yet I couldn't stop staring at her and it seemed the feeling was entirely mutual. For the first time I wondered if she could possibly feel the same way about me. But that was impossible, she saw me like an uncle, a best friend.

"You're home then?" she asked me, tilting her head to study me with rapt attention; her voice sending shivers across my skin, so musical, so perfect.

Was I home? Was this my home? Did I belong here? Did I belong with the pack? I was torn. Right here, right now I felt like I belonged wherever Nessie Cullen was and if that meant moving into a house full of vampires then that was where I would be.

"I'm home" I replied hoarsley and was met with an armful of my Nessie as she flung herself at me with a squeal, wrapping her arms around my neck with joyful exuberance.

I went rigid with shock as she clung on to me and my arms hung limply at my sides for a split second, before her head found a niche in my neck and she tucked herself in with a sigh. Unable and not really wanting to stop myself, I allowed myself to hug her back lightly, burying my face in her hair, inhaling her clean, pure scent and allowed myself to feel the weight of her in my arms, her breasts crushed against my chest, her skin on mine, her legs around my waist, dangerously close to my groin. It was heaven and hell combined.

Behind us I heard a groan from Edward and I fought to keep my thoughts clean. I simply stood there holding her close and enjoying the sound of her rapid heartbeat against mine, lost in her spell. I felt as though I had come home, that I was where I was meant to be and I nuzzled close to her, breathing deeply.

"So you missed me then?" I whispered against her hair and her chuckle erupted as hot sweet breath against my neck. My skin prickled with awareness and I began to recite the national anthem in my head to distract me from the low dull throb between my legs that began again in earnest.

"I missed you so much" she nodded and I smelt the salty tang of her tears. I felt like a bastard all of a sudden, what had I done to make her cry, had I hurt her? Had I held her too tightly, crushed her in my arms?

"What is it? Nessie, what's wrong…tell me, please…did I hurt you?" I begged as I walked in the direction of the den, ignoring the scowl from Barbie Vamp and looked for a place to set her down. Guessing my intention, the arms around my neck tightened just a little and her legs locked behind my back, pulling her still closer to my throbbing body.

"I'm just so happy you're home" she murmured and relief flooded through me, yet I still felt like a fool stood in the middle of the Cullen's living room, with Nessie hanging off me, surrounded by, oh not surrounded by them, they appeared to have vanished into thin air.

"Nessie, where'd your family go?" I asked scanning the room for the vamps; sniffing, the place was still and silent, where only seconds ago we'd had a rapt audience.

She reluctantly lifted her head from its place against my neck and glanced around quickly, before smiling a little then settling back in. It was as though she couldn't bear not to be touching me… I liked it…more than I should. I couldn't help smiling, it was as though our bodies had been designed to fit together and I couldn't help but wonder at all the other ways we would fit.

"Way to clear a room Jake… I think they are trying to give us some privacy" she said softly, her voice a little slurred and her sweet breath tickled again. I bit back a moan; resisting the urges I had was going to be near impossible. It would kill me. I would spontaneously combust with the heat generated between our two bodies.

Glancing around I made for the sofa and sat down carefully adjusting Nessie against me so she rested on my knees without being too close to the throb in my groin. Having her this close was a bittersweet torment; she was too close but not quite close enough.

I couldn't help it. I just stared at her again, trying to take in all the tiny details I had missed the first time I'd seen her, when I had felt the earth shift.

This close I could see the gold flecks in her amber eyes, make out the smattering of freckles across the bridge of her pert little nose, see the dainty shadows cast by her eye lashes on her impossibly high cheeks and her slightly uneven yet adorably pouty mouth. Her soft breath was warm against my neck and so fragrant that I wondered if she tasted as good as she smelled. Clearing my throat I tried not to gape like an idiot and instead focused on her feet, her tiny adorable feet, with pale pink toes.

I felt her breathe deeply and she stifled a yawn behind her hand, as I looked around for a clock. It was nearly 4am and instantly I felt guilty, I was keeping her from her sleep.

"You tired Nessie...wanna go to bed?" I asked nearly choking on the unintentional innuendo, trying to keep my mind from the gutter.

REN POV

I thought my heart would stop when he looked down at me and asked me, so gently, so tenderly if I would like to go to bed. My first response was to scream yes and throw myself at him but after a deep breathe or two I managed to shake my head. For so long I had waited for him to come home, dreamed about this moment, about our reunion and now it was here I was having trouble keeping my eyes open. Fighting the urge to sleep, I forced my eyes wide, I didn't want to miss a thing.

I couldn't help but stare at him, afraid to blink in case he vanished. My eyes measured the changes he had been through since I'd seen him last, he seemed bigger, his hair longer, dark and matted, setting off his midnight eyes, making them look almost black. There was the dark shadow of a beard along the powerful line of his jaw. And he still looked perfect to me. I sighed and relaxed against him, my body going boneless in an instant.

"It's been so long since you held me like this" I murmured and stared at his large hands where they rested loosely around my waist. I marveled at the differences between us, he was like night to my day, so big and dark where I was so small and pale. His fingernails were dirty and the skin on his palms tough and calloused with some faint scarring. Idly I reached out and traced one of the scars, hearing his rushed intake of breath and my stomach did a weird flip flop, clenching and releasing.

"I wish I could remember" he confided shakily, the words more a rumble I felt than anything else.

"What do you remember?"

He huffed out a breath "Not too much.... all I can really remember is waking in the forest and finding you...must have been a hell of a shock"

JAKE POV

She giggled her body quivering against me "You could say that, but I knew you were in there you know…everybody tried to tell me you were gone but I knew you were there, hiding" she whispered, huskily and I could hear her pain, feel it inside me.

"Why were you so sure?" I was intrigued by everything about this girl, the way she spoke, the way she looked, the way she felt, how she thought, what she liked, what she disliked.

"We've always been a team Jake…you would never have given up on me and I couldn't on you" she plucked at the hem of her shorts uncertainly and she suddenly appeared very young to me. I was brought back to reality, she was young, she was a child and I shouldn't feel this way about her.

"I still don't know if my memory will ever come back, I sometimes get flashes of things, images but that's it" I spoke softly, moving my face to her hair to inhale her sweet scent, enjoying the way her curls tickled me as I moved my face from side to side slowly.

"Anything about me?" she pressed, and though her words and tone were light, she was clearly vulnerable.

"No…you don't know how much I wish I could remember you…remember us…I've missed out on so much of your life and I'll never get that again…all those memories, gone forever" I murmured against her head.

I would never know Nessie as child, as a little girl, never remember my best friend. All I would ever think of now is this woman child I held in my arms and wanted with every fiber of my being. The innocence of her childhood would be corrupted with the knowledge that I was very sexually attracted to an eight year old, that I wanted her with an animal passion I would have to learn to control for all our sakes.

Nessie looked up at me, her eyes heavy, looking tired and she yawned behind her hand as her lids began to creep shut.

"That's not strictly true," she slurred before sleep claimed her and she was snoring softly in my arms. I grinned, the love of my life snored, her breath escaping in soft little puffs I found adorable.

Pondering her words, I let myself fall back against the sofa, resting her head on my chest and tucking my arms around her. I had to leave, to go back to La push but I needed to rest my eyes for a few minutes, to hold Nessie close to me without barriers, without worrying that she would see the feelings I was trying to protect her from. Five minutes, I promised myself, five minutes, then I would set her down on the sofa and leave no matter how much it hurt me. The last thing I saw as my eyes drifted closed was the beautiful face of my soul mate, sleeping peacefully at my side. I was home.