Chapter 27
As discussed, Alice and Jasper left first thing in the morning with the cart to go back to Chicago and take care of some things at home. After Alice and Jasper left, Edward and the rest of the group went ahead and sat in the dining room to discuss moving to Forks. Esme was eager to start looking for plots of land that they could buy and build a suitable house on. She even began to entertain the idea of building the tribe's people little houses, but Edward suggested she not mention it. It was something that, Edward knew, Jacob would be highly against even if out of pure principle, at least right now. Edward agreed such a thing would be beneficial for the tribe, but it was certainly too soon to bring it up. As they had their discussion, the Innkeeper's wife finally made her way to their table with a forced, but pleasant smile.
"Good morning to all of you," she said.
"Good morning," they all answered.
"I'm sure you must be hungry. What can I interest you in?"
"Just coffee," Edward lied. It was easy enough to stand and easy enough to get away with.
"Only coffee?" she said. "Are you sure you don't want some oatmeal or fried potatoes at least?"
"No, it's alright. Just coffee for the lot of us," Carlisle answered.
"If you're sure," she said with a sigh and a shrug. "I'll be right back with your coffee." The Innkeeper's wife walked away to fetch their coffee and Edward pinched his nose in irritation.
"She'll talk our heads off when she gets back," he said.
"About Renesmee I assume?" Bella asked and Edward nodded his head.
"Damned mutt makes the poor girl a laughing stalk," Rosalie mumbled. "All these backwater small town beasts have done nothing but talk about her since we arrived."
"It was her decision," Edward said with a groan. "It's not as if she's ever going to be in town, so I doubt it'll matter regardless. I'm sure in a month they'll all forget about this whole things."
"I wouldn't count on it," Rosalie said. "Seeing her pregnant with an Indian's baby," she grumbled, "these people will make a cautionary tale of her, you watch."
"I'm sure they will, Rosalie, but what does it matter? The damned brat makes her happy." Edward rubbed his face again. "And though I dislike admitting it, he's a mildly tolerable young man."
"Edward," Bella said sternly.
"I don't know what more of an opinion you want me to have, Bella," Edward said, keeping his voice very low from this point. "The man kidnaps our daughter, makes a dishonest woman of her, marries her in a pagan tradition and impregnates her all in the span of less than a year. He's lucky I haven't taken Renesmee back to Chicago, their feelings for each other be damned."
"Edward, you've been doing so well trying to see what Renesmee does in Jacob. Just keep trying to see more in him. Yes, it's hard to understand, but if Renesmee sees something in him worth loving, then he deserves a chance."
"If you say so," Edward said, wanting to end their conversation while the Innkeeper's wife was still a reasonable distance from them. He was just preparing for the bothersome busybody questions the woman had lined up.
"Here's your coffee," she said when she was at the table, placing down all the cups in front of them.
"Thank you, Misses..." Carlisle began.
"Oh, just call me Debra," she said pleasantly. "So," and here came the busybody questions, "how are you all related to Mrs. Wallis?"
"She's no longer Mrs. Wallis," Edward said. He had no problem explaining this part of the story with complete honesty. "I dissolved their marriage not too long ago. Given that he managed to lose her only days after marrying her, I saw the man unfit and unworthy of being married to my daughter and saw that they divorce."
"Oh, goodness," Debra said. "So you're her father?" she asked with a shred of surprise. "Why you all look so young."
"We're older than we look," Bella said with a kind smile, which the group reciprocated with a small laugh.
"It appears so," she answered. "So you had Mrs. Wallis, or, I'm sorry, Rebecca?"
"Renesmee," Edward corrected.
"I'm sorry. Renesmee," she corrected herself. "So you had Renesmee divorce Mr. Wallis, but you allowed her to flounce around with an Indian? And pregnant with his child no less?"
"We were apprehensive at first," Bella answered honestly. "And while it took time for us to grow accustomed to it, we realized that our daughter truly loves the man. I recall back in our youth," Bella smiled at Edward and, despite everything, he smiled back, "when Edward and I met. My father was displeased with me marrying an Englishman, but I loved him and I married him all the same. And we trust our daughter. She would not love the man if there simply was nothing in him worth loving."
"What is there to love?" Debra asked. "He's been nothing but a tyrant, that boy."
"Tyrant is a strong word, Debra," the Innkeeper said from behind the bar, overhearing the conversation.
"Oh, Harold, don't say it like it's not true. The boy's threatened Mitch's life more than once."
"I apologize for my wife," the Innkeeper said. "My wife has a taste for exaggeration."
"Don't act as if you think any better of what that woman's done," Debra said before looking back at the group. "Surely you must be very upset," she said. "Why, if my daughter did such a thing, I would absolutely die!"
"Damn it, Debra, we don't even have a daughter," the Innkeeper mumbled.
"It's quite mortifying all the same. Sinful, it is."
"While it is in their pagan traditions," Edward stepped in, "he did marry my daughter. They were married and with child in that order, so it's one less thing I'm upset about."
"I don't know how you can stand it," Debra said with a sigh. "She's all everyone's talking about, you know. Mr. Wallis goes to all the trouble to save her and she just comes back to her captors? It's lunacy, I tell you. Absolute lunacy."
"Our daughter chose what made her happy," Bella said. "None of us will fault her for that."
At the village when Renesmee's family finally came back following what could only be described as the worst cup of coffee any of them have ever pretended to enjoy. After Renesmee and Jacob finally left their tent to grace them with their presence, the first thing Edward did after giving his daughter a hug was hand her a copy of Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre.
"I thought Jacob and I were just going to read Wuthering Heights," Renesmee said when Edward handed her the books.
"I thought it only appropriate to ensure you two had something good to read once you were done with Wuthering Heights."
"Just because you don't like it doesn't mean it isn't good, daddy," Renesmee said.
"Jacob," Emmett interrupted, making Jacob look at him. "Once she's done making you read those women's novels, here's something you may enjoy." Jacob handed over Treasure Island to Jacob and he examined it.
"What's it about?"
"It's about finding lost treasure."
"Forgive me, but I don't know what 'treasure' is," he said honestly. It wasn't a word that had ever come up in his English studies.
"A treasure is something valuable whether it have sentimental value or actual money value. In the case of Treasure Island, they're searching for a buried treasure that was hidden away by pirates and is worth a lot of money that would make everyone very rich."
"What are pirates?"
"They're thieves that roam the seas stealing from merchant ships," Emmett explained.
"Sounds interesting," Jacob said. "But then, I thought The Odyssey would be interesting and that book just made me angry."
"Why?" Emmett chuckled.
"Because for a man that's supposed to be blessed by the Gods with incredible wit and cleverness, he certainly did a lot of stupid shit." Emmett and Edward started laughing. Renesmee swatted Jacob's arm, but she still laughed a little.
"If that's what you think about The Odyssey, I can't wait to hear your opinion on Wuthering Heights," Emmett joked.
"What is it about?" Jacob asked, pointing at Wuthering Heights.
"It's about two people that are very in love with each other but do terrible things to each other. That's all the more I wish to say. I don't want to give too much away."
"What's that about then," Jacob asked about Jane Eyre with a great deal less enthusiasm.
"It's about a governess that becomes employed under an angry man and she's plain looking and there's supposedly ghosts that turn out just to be-"
"Renesmee," Edward interrupted, "you didn't give away the story of Wuthering Heights, so don't give away the ending to Jane Eyre."
"Alright," Renesmee said with a sigh. "We can get started on Wuthering Heights tonight."
"Alright, alright," Jacob mumbled, not terribly thrilled to read either book given the reviews thus far.
"So how has your stay in Forks been thus far?" Renesmee asked as they all started walking to Sara and Caevia so they could socialize.
"Far from a joy," Edward said. "We've heard nothing but mindless, vicious gossip since we arrived. That Innkeeper's wife, Debra, is a viper. She spent much of yesterday engaging and fanning the rumors and tales and had the nerve to come to us this morning to ask us questions about you and Jacob."
"Indeed," Rosalie interjected. "Honestly, you should've heard this woman."
"Her thoughts were worse," Edward said. "She asked what our relationship to you is. When I explained Bella and I are your parents, she was shocked and asked how we must feel."
"'Surely you must be very upset,'" Bella went on to mock. "'Why, if my daughter did such a thing, I would absolutely die.'"
"And her husband said, 'Damn it, Debra, we don't even have a daughter!'" Emmett said and they all shared a laugh.
"I recall her," Renesmee said. "She's very fond of her juicy stories."
"Too juicy for my liking," Edward said. "Honestly, we should have brought you straight here."
"Then they would see me here and assume I was kidnapped again and have the sheriff come and get me. This way, at least they know I'm willing."
"No one can believe you are," Edward said. "They're saying you must be out of your mind."
"Well, that's their opinion," Renesmee said adamantly. Jacob smiled and wrapped his arm around her while she rubbed her belly.
"Renesmee," Carlisle said, "how are you feeling this morning? Have you felt any pains?"
"No, not yet," Renesmee said. "Do you think I'll start feeling pain soon?"
"I would expect you to start having pains within the next week or so. I'm just relieved we didn't have any trouble on the way here."
"I told you we wouldn't," Renesmee answered proudly.
They led the group to where Sara and Caevia were sitting and they all sat together and talked. Esme relayed to Renesmee that she planned to start looking for land for them to purchase so that they could have a comfortable home nearby. They would find land right away and begin construction immediately while Alice and Jasper retrieved their furniture from Chicago. Esme was very eager to get started. It had been a long time since she'd been given the opportunity the build a house. They were so used to living in the city as of late that it was nice to build a house strictly to her liking in a quiet little town.
"You'll be moving here?" Jacob said suddenly as Esme discussed the ideas she had for the home.
"Jacob," Renesmee said, "Of course they would move here. They want to be close to their grandchildren."
"Perhaps, but so close by?"
"You have the nerve not to trust us, dog?" Rosalie said.
"My people have been very kind to you, but don't pretend you don't notice that they're uncomfortable around you. I can't just make everyone alright with vampires living so close to home."
"You made your people accept Renesmee, did you not?" Edward asked.
"I tried to," Jacob said. "They didn't accept her until she saved Claire and Yaloweih from certain death when a hunter shot them. I couldn't force them to accept Renesmee and I can't force them to accept you."
"We don't need you to accept us, we need to respect us as grandparents to their heir," Edward said rather flippantly.
"It's rather hard to respect one you do not accept, wouldn't you say?" Jacob bit back.
"Jacob," Renesmee said. "I thought you two were starting to get along."
"Both of you just behave yourselves," Bella said when neither Edward or Jacob said anything.
"I assure you, Jacob," Carlisle stepped in, "your people have no reason to fear us. We would never harm anyone."
"I understand that," Jacob said. "But you do still need to understand where we're coming from. We have a bad history with vampires."
"Perhaps there's something we can do to reassure the people," Carlisle suggested. "Perhaps boundaries should be put in place so as to make them comfortable."
"So create a treaty?" Jacob asked.
"Exactly that," Carlisle affirmed. "A treaty would certainly give everyone peace of mind, wouldn't you agree?"
"It certainly couldn't hurt," Renesmee said to Jacob. "Do you think William would be open to it?"
"I can't imagine he wouldn't," Jacob said. Renesmee encouraged Jacob to go retrieve his father, but when he went to grab William, he dictated that such a conversation needed to be had in his tent, so he told all that would be involved with mapping out the treaty come to his tent immediately. He whole heartedly agreed that a treaty would be necessary and he insisted that it needed to be handled as any other treaty would be. When Jacob returned to the group, he gave his attention to Carlisle. "You're the leader of this coven more or less are you not?"
"Yes, more or less," Carlisle nodded.
"Then come with me to father's tent and we'll start discussing the treaty."
"Just me?" Carlisle said.
"Yes, just you." Carlisle nodded to Jacob and followed him to William's tent. Sokajili joined them in the negotiations. Due to the language barrier, the negotiations took hours. Carlisle was able to produce paper they could use and assured the treaty would be framed so as to ensure it remained in good condition.
First and foremost, William made it exceedingly clear that the Cullens were to not hunt within the area of the Quileutes or their allies. Carlisle did his best, with Jacob's assistance, to explain that the Cullens consumed the blood of animals and not humans. However, William dismissed his claims and made it clear that he didn't care what the Cullens hunted: it was not to be done anywhere near Quileute territory. It was for that reason that, while William understood they wanted to be close to their grandchildren and daughter, the Cullens were to keep their permanent home further away from the tribe than what Esme was originally planning. Carlisle protested, but for the peace of mind of the tribe, William insisted they be a reasonable distance away. They were welcome to visit, naturally. But never ever were they to visit at night unless given permission from William or, subsequently, Jacob and only when Jacob and the pack were present. They were never under any circumstance to change anyone into a vampire within their vicinity. Not a citizen of Forks, not the Quileute's allies, and most certainly not the Quileutes themselves. Carlisle agreed whole heartedly to such demands and in turn he made it known that all members of the tribe were welcome to come to the Cullen home whenever they pleased. Carlisle also promised that should the tribe need anything at all, be it food, clothes or shelter, that they were welcome to it. Upon his suggestion, William also asked that the Cullens be at their side through any confrontation and agreed the Pack would do the same for the Cullens should they need it. As they negotiated, Carlisle wrote down all things certain and waited for others until they were certain. By the time the treaty was finished, it spanned two pages. Carlisle was the first to put his signature on one line, then offered it to Sokajili and William to sign, however, all they could put was a letter than Jacob suggested. Then, finally, Jacob wrote his own signature on the paper and the treaty was done.
"Thank you for translating Jacob," Carlisle said when everyone had signed.
"Think nothing of it." Jacob looked at his father. "Father, did you want to announce the treaty to everyone?"
William nodded and motioned for Sokajili to follow him outside so the two of them could make the announcement regarding the new treaty that had been written up. Jacob and Carlisle followed after them and stood behind the two of them while William made his announcement.
"My people!" William's voice thundered. "I am pleased to announce to all of you that a treaty has been agreed upon between us and Renesmee's family."
"What's going on?" Bella asked Renesmee.
"They finally came to a consensus on a treaty so now William's just announcing the details."
"What are the details?" Esme asked Edward.
"Jacob and Carlisle will explain after William's announcement," Edward said.
"I understand," William continued once he had everyone's attention, "that you've been unnerved by the presence of so many cold ones on our lands. And I want to thank all of you for being as accepting thus far as you've been. My brother, my son and I have sat down with their leader and we have come to an understanding that I'm confident will bring great peace and prosperity to us all. Firstly, it has been agreed upon that the Cullens are not to hunt in our territory. Their leader has agreed to this condition and the Cullens will not hunt, be it human or animal, within the region of Quileute or allied territory. They have also agreed that no one, neither the people of Forks, our allies nor us will be made into cold ones by their hand. To refute this will mean an immediate termination of the treaty in its entirety." A round of applause followed the proclamation. William gave them a moment to cheer before he ordered them to be silent so he could continue. "Naturally, being family to the wife of your future chiefs, both my son and his sons to follow, the Cullens have been granted permission to visit the tribe, but they are not to come to our lands unless Jacob and the pack are present when they are visiting our tribe. Please rest assured and feel safe among our new allies, as they've agreed should we ever be in need of their help that they would come to our aid. We've agreed we shall do the same for them. If we keep this agreement to heart and not stray from its guidelines, I am confident we'll have a happy and collectively beneficial relationship with the Cullens."
The people applauded again and Renesmee breathed a sigh of relief. She was happy to see everyone was willing to accept her family and embrace them, even if only to show respect for her. William announced that they would hold a feast tomorrow to celebrate their new allies and also as a belated celebration for Renesmee's pregnancy. The tribe was jubilant at the prospect of a feast and people began scattering about to get ready. Claire ran to Renesmee's side with her tiny violin in hand. Bella saw the violin and smiled.
"So this is the little girl you've been teaching to play?" she asked.
"Yes, this is Claire," Renesmee smiled and patted Claire's head.
"Did you hear?" Claire said with a smile. "We're all friends now!"
"That's right, Claire, we're all friends now," Renesmee said with a smile. "You know, my mother was the one that taught me how to play the Violin. Perhaps you could show her what you've learned?" Claire nodded with excitement and propped the violin to her shoulder and began to play what had become her favorite song: Auld Lang Syne. It was also the song she knew best and she wanted to impress Renesmee's mother.
"She's become quite practiced," Bella said while the little girl played. "She shows the same enthusiasm for the violin as you did for the piano."
"She says you're doing very well, Claire," Renesmee told the little girl. Claire cheered and kept playing the song again. "I wonder if you might teach her a few songs," Renesmee said to Bella. "I fear I've taught her all that I'm really knowledgeable of."
"Bring me your violin and I'll be glad to," Bella said. Before standing, Renesmee looked at Claire and rested her hand on the little girl's indicating for her to stop playing.
"I'm going to go fetch my violin and my mother will teach you a few things. She's a far better player than I am."
"A better player than you?" Claire said, in awe of such an idea.
"A very much better player than me," Renesmee smiled. She stood as Jacob and Carlisle were returning to the group.
"I'm sorry that took so long," Jacob said when he approached Renesmee.
"No, I understand," Renesmee said. "I'm going to grab my violin so mother can teach Claire a few things. Why don't you and Carlisle explain the treaty to the group?"
"Alright."
Jacob and Carlisle sat with the group while Renesmee went to their tent so they could discuss the treaty. Carlisle allowed everyone to read the treaty so they could fully understand what would be expected from both parties in this agreement. Esme was saddened that they couldn't move as close to the tribe as she's initially wanted to, but with no specific mileage agreed upon, Carlisle discussed with Jacob the possibility of being allowed the build their home within ten miles. Knowing that wouldn't please his father, Jacob insisted it be further. While Carlisle tried to explain it was further from the tribe than Forks, Jacob advised ten miles was still a little too close for comfort and suggested 20 miles. Edward stepped in and insisted that the treaty agreed they could be close enough to be a part of their grandchild's life and 20 miles was too far. They inevitably compromised on 12 miles away from the tribe. There was plenty of land in that area that could easily be purchased once they spoke to the right people. When Renesmee returned, she handed her violin to mother and Bella got Claire's attention before playing a Scottish medley that her father used to play. The song was upbeat, fast paced, and had Claire mesmerized. She felt the need to stand and twirl around. Bella stood up and joined Claire in her little dance while she continued to play.
"Your mother certainly has Claire entertained," Jacob said.
"I knew she would," Renesmee smiled. "So Esme," Renesmee turned her attention, "when will you be purchasing land near here?"
"We need to locate who we need to speak to. I would imagine we need to speak to the mayor first do we not?" Esme looked at Carlisle. "Surely there's land 12 miles from here that would be suitable for us to settle."
"We will address the matter with the Mayor tomorrow morning. He'll at least be able to point us in the right direction. Then we can start construction right away. Maybe we can even have a little trail from the tribe going to the house, or we can make sure the house in near the water so they can always just follow the shore line."
"Oh, that would be lovely," Esme said. "We could make up a little cobblestone way following the shoreline! That way coming and going from our home will be easy for everyone."
"That's a lovely idea," Carlisle said. "It would certainly make coming and going between us much easier for everyone."
As promised, the next morning, Carlisle went to the Mayor's office personally to see about purchasing a large stretch of land within the limits that had previously been specified the day before. The Mayor was surprised to finally see one of the Cullens he'd been hearing so much about. Though he'd heard far more about the rumors regarding Mrs. Wallis returning arm in arm with Jacob and, so he'd heard, pregnant with his bastard. Carlisle refused to discuss the matter with the Mayor and ensured their conversation was strictly business on the matter of finding a plot of land. The matter took more time than he'd initially anticipated, meaning the Cullens were forced to remain at the inn for much longer than they wanted. They were still basically living at the inn by the time Alice and Jasper finally returned to Forks with all their furniture and possessions. It was well into September by the time they were finally able to purchase a plot of land to which they immediately started building a house, even if only to get out of the inn and away from the incessant gossiping and questions about Renesmee.
"I'm happy to hear you've finally managed to buy some land," Jacob said when the Cullens were visiting for the day.
"It took far too long," Emmett said. "But now we can finally get to work."
"Is there anything you want me to help you with?" Jacob offered. "I realize I'm not used to your people's structure of building homes, but I'm a fast learner. Just show me how to do whatever you need me to do and I'll get it done."
"I've actually seen those toys you carved for little Embry," Esme said. "I would love it if you would help us with crafting railings for our stairs. I can draw out the look we're going for and we can provide all the tools and wood you'll need."
"Alright," Jacob agreed. "Just let me know how you want them to look and I'll make them look that way. When do you want me to start on them?"
"As soon as possible. The way we work, we'll have the house done by December."
"Well," Jacob raised an eyebrow, "I wasn't expecting to be so crunched for time. But I'll start once I have the wood and design you want."
"Jacob," Carlisle spoke up, "I'm sure you realize that Renesmee is getting close to delivering the baby. And there's no way of knowing what time it will be when the baby arrives. So what I would like is for you or one of your men to come and get us, if we aren't here already, so that we can be here when the baby is born."
"We can arrange that," Jacob said. "You said the baby's expected around October right?"
"That's my estimation, and it's getting very close to October. So I think we need to have a set agreement for when the baby comes."
"Well, let me ask you this: once you start building the house, what will your visits be? Will you still come daily?" Jacob asked.
"Well, of course we will," Rosalie said. "We don't sleep, Jacob. We can easily work at night and visit through the day. That's not an issue at all."
"Then if she goes into labor during the day, there'll be nothing to worry about. If she goes into labor at night, I'll send either Embry or Quil to go and get you guys."
While they all spoke of what they would do and how it would be done, Renesmee just rubbed her belly and felt the baby kick. She attempted to push her thoughts to the baby, but it didn't end up working. She'd tried a few times and never got a response back. And the baby's thoughts were always pitch black in image and just a thought of preparing to kick. They were always very simple thoughts though she could tell each one given to her was filled with a base affection very innocent in nature.
"Is the baby kicking?" Sara asked when she looked at Renesmee and saw her rubbing.
"No, not now. He's relaxing."
"As he should be. All that growing is quite tiresome." Renesmee and Sara shared a laugh. Renesmee waited for a kick, but this time there wasn't one. While still talking with Carlisle, Jacob placed his hand over Renesmee's belly and gently patted it. When his hand became stationary, Renesmee rested her other hand over his, keeping his hand there.
Renesmee's family visits became slightly less frequent in the next few days while her family worked on their house. Esme came to the village with a piece of paper and several long pieces of wood for Jacob to carve. She stayed for a while to see over Jacob as he made the first railing and when the beginnings of it looked as beautiful as she pictured, she left Jacob to it and promised the family would visit again a little bit later. Days went by of Jacob meticulously working on the stair railings for Esme. Renesmee was happy to see him work so diligently on them.
"That looks beautiful," Renesmee said as she watched Jacob carve at a piece of the wood next to the fire as she and the others were preparing food.
"Your grandmother has very needlessly complicated taste," He mumbled as he tore off another huge chunk.
"It's a shame we don't have room. I'd tell you to build our baby's crib."
"Crib?"
"It's the bed our baby will sleep in."
"Mother already made you one," Jacob said, referring to the tightly woven basket they'd been given a few nights after the celebration.
"That's a basket, Jacob. A crib is much bigger." Renesmee reached her hand to Jacob's cheek and showed him the image of a crib. "It lasts a little longer too."
"You're right," Jacob said. "We don't have room." Jacob finished the last detail of one section of the railing. The two were quiet a moment, but Jacob eventually took a deep breath and stopped a moment. "I take it you would like to make room?"
"Don't say it like that, Jacob," Renesmee smiled. "Besides, I never said a word." Jacob smiled and brought his hand to Renesmee's belly.
"I remember when I was little. My sisters and I were basically sleeping right on top of each other. One long leather blanket under us with another fur blanket to keep up warm while we huddled together in the winter."
"I imagine the addition of Leah and Seth wound up making it all the more crowded?"
"It did," Jacob confirmed. "Mother and Father were on the other side of the tent sharing a bed. Though most of the time, father spent the nights out on patrol. I remember times when Seth would wake up crying so mother would let him sleep with her."
"I can't say I know the feeling. I never had to share a bed or even a room. I remember most of our homes being quite extravagant and I always had a beautiful room all to myself. Even during the war, we had a lovely house. In fact, I remember one home we had while Carlisle was a doctor for the Northern Soldiers. It was reminiscent of a plantation style home. Caevia hated that house. She said it reminded her of a former master's home."
"What did it look like?" Jacob asked.
Renesmee rested her hand on Jacob's, still over her belly, and showed him her memories of the lovely plantation style home. She remembered the beautiful porch and second floor entryway that looked out on the front lawn and dirt road passing the home. She remembered seeing Northern Soldiers march down that road with their flutes and drums playing and the American Flag flying as they walked. She remembered playing on the swing as she watched them go by. She remembered the large Drawing room they had with the piano and many chairs for visiting friends and family and the small section of the room that had been reserved for the tree. She remembered the large kitchen they never used until Caevia came along. Then she remembered her lovely room that had the canopy bed surrounded by toys and white and pink wallpaper.
"Do date, that was my favorite home we lived in," Renesmee said. "Despite the times, I have very fond memories of that home."
"I can tell," Jacob said, pulling his hand away. "It's a far cry from the homes we keep."
"Your people never have a need for such extravagance. You're a practical people. I must say I greatly admire that. In truth, most things in any house were needless to us. My family doesn't eat, so there's no need for a kitchen. They don't sleep, so there's no need for bedrooms. It's pretense and keeping up appearances before human's and their predispositions of how a well off family should appear."
"You miss it, though," Jacob said a little solemnly.
"I'd be lying to you if I said I didn't miss some of those things. But the plain truth is a don't need them. And I'll not have you upset because you haven't given me things I don't need." Renesmee took a hold of Jacob's chin. "So cheer up." Jacob laughed and kissed her hand.
"Alright, Renesmee," he finally responded.
Later that night, or very early in the morning the next day more appropriately, Renesmee was in bed alone. Jacob had finished his railing he'd been working on that day, rested it with the others he'd completed, and had given Renesmee and her belly a little kiss before going on patrol for the night. She was sound asleep until she felt an intense discomfort in her back and lower abdomen. The pain woke her and made her whimper a little. She eventually came to the logical conclusion that she would go into labor shortly once she recovered from her foggy haze of sleep. She wrapped herself in a knitted blanket and stepped outside to wait for her water to break. She knew what it looked like and she didn't want it all over their tent. It would be impossible to clean. She did not call for Jacob right away. It was too soon and, frankly, she probably wouldn't need to worry until closer to morning. She calmly paced back and forth, stopping only momentarily when she felt a brief contraction, then continuing to pace once the pain was gone.
Sometimes she would get a little tired and would allow herself to sit and rest. She dozed off for a while until another contraction woke her. She pushed herself to stand and returned to walking around. Sara awoke at dawn as was her usual routine and saw Renesmee walking around outside the tent and rubbing her belly. She rushed over to Renesmee and took a gentle hold of her arms.
"Are you alright, dear?"
"Oh, I'm fine," Renesmee assured. "I'm just waiting for my water to break. I think the baby will come today."
"Where is Jacob?"
"I haven't called for him. I didn't want him coming back early only to needlessly worry. He can worry all he wants when he gets back."
"I'll fetch Sokajili," Sara said before patting Renesmee's shoulder.
"No, no, not yet. Let's wait until my water breaks."
"You're right," Sara smiled. "Forgive my eagerness, dear. I've never been present when my grandchild is born."
"You'll be here for this one," Renesmee smiled back. "Not right now, though."
Sara stayed near Renesmee, but kept her distance while she walked around. She returned to her when a contraction arrived, but would step back again and let her walk around. Jacob didn't return until roughly an hour following dawn and when he saw Renesmee walking around near his mother, he went right to her to see what was wrong.
"What's wrong?" Jacob asked his mother.
"She's waiting for her water to break. The baby will be here soon!" Said in a giddy tone. She was simply beside herself now.
"The baby's coming?" Jacob asked Renesmee.
"Calm down, Jacob, don't look so worried. My water hasn't even broken yet. We still have a while." Jacob stepped away and went right to Sokajili's tent.
"Don't worry, dear," Sara said. "They're all the same. The first time, they worry themselves to death. All children that follow, they're calm as the flowing river." Sara and Renesmee laughed a moment, then Renesmee stopped and groaned a little at a contraction.
"Sokajili!" Jacob barged into his uncle's tent, waking the man violently. "Wake up! Renesmee's having the baby!"
"Has her water broken?" Sokajili asked as he rubbed his eyes.
"Not yet, they're waiting for it. Come out here and make it happen faster."
"You still have a talent for impatience," Sokajili mumbled. "Come get me when her water breaks." Sokajili laid back down in his bed. Jacob was about to say something, but Sara approached the door and patted the wall politely.
"Brother, Renesmee's water broke!" Sara looked at Jacob with a broad smile. "Oh, Jacob, this is so exciting! One of my grandbabies being born and I get to be here the whole time! Oh! I nearly forgot! You must have someone fetch her family. Let them know. Oh, Sokajili, do hurry up,"Sara said with a smile. She ran off to return to Renesmee and Jacob looked at Sokajili, who was finally pushing himself out of bed.
"It appears you've infected your mother," Sokajili said. "Though at least she had the decency to knock."
"You heard her! Renesmee's water broke!"
"Calm down, Jacob, the world is not on fire. I'm getting up and I'll be there in a moment. I'm certain Renesmee isn't being so overly worrisome. Be more like her. And you heard your mother as well. You or one of the wolves go fetch her family."
Jacob grumbled at Sokajili but left the tent and went to Renesmee. He saw the pool of blood and water and saw Renesmee standing still with Sara hold her shoulders and cooing words of comfort to her.
"Renesmee," Jacob said and get Renesmee to look at him. "I'm going to get your family."
"Okay," she said.
"Mother," Jacob said to Sara. "Get Renesmee inside. I'm getting her parents." Sara nodded and helped Renesmee get back in the tent so she could start relaxing.
While Sara helped Renesmee get back into their tent, Jacob rushed for the woods and shifted into a wolf. He ran straight to the plot of land where her family had already started building the house. Edward heard Jacob's thoughts when he was a mile away from the house, so by the time Jacob was in front of what was currently only a large frame of a house with wood, Edward and the others were already outside and ready to leave. Carlisle had all his medical supplies that he'd need in his bag ready to assist at any time. Jacob noticed Esme carrying a small pile of blue in her arms as they ran. When they arrived back at the village, Renesmee was inside their tent. Edward ordered Jacob to return to a more appropriate state of at least partially clothed and, though it was with an irritated grumble and plenty of thoughts about pale faces over thinking something so trivial, Jacob called for his mother to bring him some leather pants for him to put on before returning to their tent. Since it was so cramped with Renesmee, Sokajili and Jacob's mother already in the tent, Jacob and Carlisle were the only new people to enter. The door was left open so her family could still look in, as well as Caevia, who'd come over after hearing the news.
"How're you feeling, Renesmee?" Carlisle asked when he was seated near Sokajili.
"Uncomfortable," she answered.
"Jacob," Sokajili said, "Get behind her and rest her back to your chest." Jacob did as Sokajili said and crawled around the crowd of people until he was behind Renesmee and lifted her up so her back was to his chest and his hands were rested on her belly.
"Is that more comfortable?" Jacob asked.
"Not especially, but it's comforting at least." Renesmee adjusted herself a little so the back of her head was resting on his shoulder and Jacob rubbed her belly. "You ready to be a father?" Renesmee asked Jacob when she was slightly more comfortable.
"As ready as I'll ever be," Jacob said with a nervous smile. Then he took a deep breath of the scented air that Sokajili had started burning to calm Renesmee. It helped him to relax a little too.
Another two hours or so passed of Renesmee getting contractions, then periods of calm, followed by another contractions. It was only when those rest periods reduced in length and the pain of labor dominated the time. Only when there were no periods of calm between those pains was she told to start pushing. Jacob kept holding Renesmee and whispered encouraging words in her ear while she whimpered from the pain. It was after two good pushes that she heard a faint little cry start to erupt. She opened her eyes having finished the last push and looked to see her little boy. Sokajili took the baby to some water right away and cleaned him off. Esme squeezed in and handed a blanket to Sara, who handed that blanket to Sokajili so he could pat dry the baby and wrap him up so he was comfortable and safe from the cold. Finally, he approached Renesmee and handed the baby to her.
"I knew you were my little Kevin," Renesmee said with a smile as she looked at her little boy. He looked so much like Jacob, yet he was paler and he had her hair color. He was such a cute little baby. Kevin finally looked up at Renesmee and she saw her own eyes. Crude, simple thoughts entered her mind that were meant to express hunger. "Jacob, could you untie this for me?" she said, pointing at the strings on her left shoulder holding that side of her dress up. Jacob did as Renesmee asked and when she was able to pull the fabric away, she allowed Kevin to have his first meal. He reached for her eagerly and made contented sounds once he started his meal.
"He has your eyes," Jacob said.
"He has your nose and ears." Renesmee began lightly trailing her finger over Kevin's little face. "He has your chin too."
"He's so beautiful," Sara said as she got teary eyed. "What's my grandbaby's name?" she asked eagerly.
"Kevin," Jacob answered with a smile. It took a moment, but Sara eventually managed to force the n to leave her mouth and she repeated the name.
"I will fetch your father," she finally said. "He will be so excited to meet his grandson."
Jacob smiled at his mother as she hurried out of the tent to get William. Then he looked at his son watching him eat. He looked so content. Jacob kissed Renesmee's chin and gave her a gentle, yet tight hug.
"I love you," he said.
"I love you too," Renesmee answered back as she rested her head against Jacob's shoulder. For that moment, it felt as if it was just the three of them, and it was just the way she liked it.