Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, just my own characters.

Renesmee Cullen

When we got to the Town Family Fair, Carter immediately charged for all the first rides in his peripheral close proximity. He loved the amusement park rides so much that he went on multiple rounds on each ride he was old and tall enough to enjoy.

He took three rounds on the Tilt-A-Whirl, two rounds on the Spinning Teacup ride, three rounds on the Balloon Race ride, one round on the Music Express, two rounds on the Paratrooper and then a few other kid rides like the miniature Ferris Wheel, the Carousel, Video-game hybrids, Bumper cars and Base rides.

He wasn't particularly happy about the kiddie rides because he thought they were boring which they were. He was physically five years old but his bones were incredibly strong for an average kid his age, but the public wouldn't know that. He just had to wait a few more years until he was able to go on all the rides.

When Carter got hungry and thirsty and even oddly tired after all the rides, we went to a few vendors to grab hotdogs, corndogs and drinks for lunch then Alex suggested that we do some of the ground fair activity games.

I was on the phone with Jacob when Alex and Carter were shooting at cans to win a stuffed animal.

"You enjoying the fair?" He asked over the phone.

"Yeah, it's fun. CJ is really having the time of his life. He is pretty bummed out he can't go on all the rides though." I chuckled. "He'll be fine. At least he's getting cotton candy."

"That's good that the kid gets to go out. Surprised Blonde Airhead allowed him out."

"Jacob," I scolded.

He laughed over the line. "Jokes, babe. Jokes."

I shook my head. "I miss you, wherever you are. How's Nevada? You working today?"

"Yup. I just got back from the workshop and now Embry and I are taking a break from working on our client's cars. Listen, when I tell you this man has some sweet rides." He whistled.

I giggled. "You're probably in heaven."

"You have no idea." He remarked.

I smiled. It was nice to know that Jake was having fun in Nevada with Embry. He deserved to be with his guys once in a while.

It just sucks that he was having fun without me. I wanted to be there, basking in his testosterone filled joy as he bursts with excitement over damn cars and not knowing what the hell he talks about when he gets all mechanical y'know…

I do know a few things about cars because of Jacob and Rosalie constantly talking to me about it –which you would think would actually bring them closer since they have this one thing in common but I guess not.

But I couldn't fix a car for the life of me and I honestly loved to see Jacob get his hands dirty and greasy when he fixes cars. I can't complain really.

I win regardless.

I don't have to fix my car when it's broken down because I have my guy and I get to see my Jacob all hot, sweaty and dirty as he manhandles a car.

"I hope you're eating properly. I don't want you going to bed hungry." I told him.

"Embry and I are at a driving right now to grab some grub at an In-N-Out." He assured me.

I laughed. Of course he was already thinking about food.

Why was I not surprised? The man ate like a whale.

"That's good. I want my wolf well fed before I see him tomorrow." I joked with a giggle.

"Mmm. Oh your big bad wolf is definitely eating well! I hear the burgers here are off the chain. I'll bring you a sample tomorrow." He told me.

I laughed. "No, you won't."

He'll probably eat it all.

"Okay! Maybe I won't." He admitted. "But I will try, I promise."

I giggled. "Sure sure."

"But if I don't, then I will make up for it by taking you out tomorrow night." He added.

"Great! Maybe we can grab dinner at a Pie n' Burger joint downtown."

"Mmm." He hummed.

"…Get some nice, juicy cheeseburgers with lots of cheese and jalapeno sauce…" I continued.

"Ahh!" He began gasping.

I giggled. "…with tons of crispy French fries and a side of crunchy chicken nuggets dipped in BBQ sauce…"

"Ahh!" He cried out.

"…And then for dessert we get a maple syrup vanilla ice-cream waffle and marshmallows dipped in chocolate fondue!"

"Mmm! Ooh, Nessie Cullen, I love it when you talk dirty to me." He stated.

I chuckled. "Get your ass back here soon though, Jacob. I miss your warm cuddles." I told him.

"I'll be back home before you know it, babe. Just one more night."

"I know. I'm just being needy." I chuckled.

"I thought you were gonna say horny." He teased.

I blushed a hard red shadow against my cheeks and gasped out aloud as I twirled the tips of my hair.

"Jacob!" I scolded.

He wasn't entirely wrong though.

He knew me all too well.

He gurgled in a deep laughter that made my knees buckle and weaken.

"Embry and I are probably gonna be done by tomorrow late morning so I'll probably be around late afternoon around 5pm."

"5pm. Got it."

I was going to Felicity's house to talk to her with my dad. She hadn't yet told us what time she'll be available. Hopefully it's before Jacob returns from his work trip.

I was still very nervous about our confrontation tomorrow.

I really hope she would hear us out.

I don't wanna keep secrets from her anymore so I was prepared to be completely honest with her. Or at least be honest with as much information as I am allowed.

"Then we can go grab dinner," He added.

I smiled.

I grew up preferring blood to human food as a kid. I didn't have much patience for human food because it seemed so bland in comparison but it was a form of sustenance for me.

But as I got older, I've learned to love certain foods and appreciated food a lot more than I used to. I think it had a lot to do with Jacob. Ever since Jake and I started dating, I've hunted a lot less and ate a lot more. We loved to do stuff together and he definitely wouldn't love to drink blood like the rest of my family.

When my parents went on hunting trips, I used to tag along with them with Jacob. Jacob used to catch deer, elk, goat, bison and other animals for me to drink when I didn't feel like running after them myself but he never watched me feed with my family.

He still found the hunting part of being around vampires to be uncomfortable so I guess I unconsciously switched my diet up about to accommodate him and to avoid grossing him out.

He didn't mind watching me hunt on my own though. It didn't bother him when I did it –to be honest, I don't think anything I do bothers him. It's only when my family were around that he gets queasy and uneasy.

But I've personally grown to love human food on my own. I craved it a lot more than I used to.

"We can go out with Leah and Mike then? Would love to double date with them before Leah leaves."

I would love to double-date with Seth and Alex but their relationship needed to be kept secret from the public eye. He was a teacher dating a minor. If anyone we know sees them, he could go to jail.

"That would be fun. She's apparently thinking of extending her stay to a whole month over here. Her boss is still on vacation so she doesn't have much work."

"Oh. That's nice!" I smiled.

It seemed like Leah enjoyed being in California.

Maybe it had a lot to do with Seth.

Or it could have a lot to do with her budding romance with Jake's mechanic best friend?

I would love to have a better relationship with Leah. Not only was she Jake's beta and good friend, she was also my step-aunt. She never liked or even cared to acknowledge the idea that she'd be somewhat related to bloodsucking vampires by the marriage of her mom but I know that I acknowledge it.

My granddad cared for Leah like a second daughter and so naturally I needed to make my relationship with her work.

Good thing is, Leah never had a problem with me. At least that's what I gather and what Jacob always says. It is my mom that she has a hard time warming up to but Jake tells me that she's happy that I make him happy so that's why she tries to be nicer to me.

Hopefully there will come a time where we all will get along without it having to be forced.

"Yup. Should be fun having her around. Not." He joked. "Maybe you can spend more time with her. Show her around,"

"I would like to. Hopefully she's open," I replied.

"Yeah…" He just replied. "Anyway, I gotta go. Will call you later."

"Sure," I told him. "I love you,'

"Love you," He stated. "Later, baby."

"Bye!" I smiled as we ended the call.

I curved my lips into a brighter smile as I stared at the photo of Jake and me kissing each other on the lips on the snowy glaciers of the Swiss Alps as my phone's homescreen wallpaper.

We were skiing on the top of the Alps around Christmas in Switzerland last year with my family and the wolves. It was a month I would never forget.

We planned to make it an annual thing as a family moving forward. Switzerland and Iceland were great places to spend Christmas in the winter with family and friends. Our family weren't particularly religious but many of my family members past human lives valued religion in their lives. My grandfather's father was a pastor, so he knows a lot about Christianity and the bible. But most of the family saw Christmas as a time to be with the family that matter most, sharing gifts, sharing laughs and making each other smile.

I wondered what Jacob and I's family traditions would be in the future. Hopefully if we have kids, I'd think we'd still do the same thing many humans do. I hoped we'd be a somewhat normal family.

Jacob cutting wood outside with our sons whilst me and the girls bake gingerbread houses and cookies before we spend the night snuggled up against a fireplace underneath the Christmas tree, exchanging gifts and telling stories in our ugly Christmas sweaters and PJs…

"Nessie!" I heard Alex pull me out of my train of thought.

"Hmm?" I snapped out.

"We're gonna get some ice-cream and cotton candy. You coming?" She asked.

I nodded with a smile. "Yeah! Sure!"

I slipped my phone into my chained-sling handbag and sauntered over to Alex and Carter who were both holding quite large stuffed animals, Carter holding a giant blue fluffy monster with big eyes that was two times his size and Alex holding a smaller grey wolf.

"I won big!" Carter grinned proudly.

"I see that." I giggled as I threaded my fingers through his hair. "Let's go throw this in the car first before we get ice-cream."

"And cotton candy!" Carter reminded me.

I rolled my eyes and sighed. "Yes, Carter and cotton candy."

We returned to the fair and went the nearest vendor to grab some ice-cream and cotton candy. Carter was on a sugar high after his first swirl of the candy and he wanted more. I knew by the end of the day he'd be wiped out from all the pent up energy so I just succumbed to getting him more candy.

Alex and I were seated on one of the wooden tables where plenty families and friends were having lunch together. Carter was eating his ice-cream whilst watching other kids running around.

"You talk to your parents yet about the senior camping trip?" She asked me as she licked her blueberry and strawberry sugar cone swirl ice-cream.

I sighed. "My mom's okay with it. Still need to convince my dad. He doesn't think it'll be safe for me to be out in the wilderness with a bunch of humans."

Yeah right! Like I wouldn't hold my own with a bunch of teenage humans.

He loved to doubt me, I've noticed.

He has such an 'old man stuck in his ways' mentality about the way he does things. It really does get annoying most of the time.

But I couldn't blame him this time around.

He was still very much disappointed in me with the way I handled the Felicity situation and he had every right to be. I was irresponsible.

My mom tells me I just needed to wait until he cooled off a bit.

"I feel you. It took a lot of convincing my annoying mom to let me go. My dad as well, but he was more overprotective about it. My mom just thought I was gonna use this camping trip to get high or drunk. Ugh!" She mentioned with frustration.

I gave her a sympathetic smile.

She really had an icy relationship with her mother.

I couldn't relate to her but I felt sorry for her. I know she wished she had a proper relationship with her mother but she probably gave up on that ever happening.

I can tell Alex loved her mom but she didn't like her very much. I think it has something to do with what happened in the past but Alex never talked much about it but there was clearly something traumatic that happened to her that she never fully recovered from and I can hazard a guess it had a lot to do with her mother and how their relationship has fizzled over time.

"I just can't wait for graduation so I can leave that hellhole." She grumbled.

"We've only got four and a half months left." I reminded her constructively.

She exhaled. "Those are about to be the longest four and a half months of our lives!" She chuckled. "We still need to plan what we're gonna do for spring break."

I nodded. "I don't know. I'm not feeling up to doing anything for Spring Break anymore."

"What? Why?" She moaned.

"We were planning on doing stuff with Felicity and what's going on with her and us…I don't think it's such a good idea anymore."

She nodded. "You don't think she'll ever forgive us for keeping this from her?"

I shrugged. "I'm always hoping but…this was a major secret we kept from her, Alex. She could've died because of this secret. She still could."

"Okay. Then why don't your family just zap the memory of vampires from her mind? Isn't that what Carter does?" She whispered.

"No. He can compel a person to do whatever he wants but it's in a limited capacity. We don't know how long it'll take for the compulsion to wear off. He's still developing his powers." I said, stroking the bouncing kid's hair beside me as he looked oblivious to our conversation.

"Carter, tie your shoelaces. You're gonna trip on your feet." I told him.

"Okay!" He exclaimed as he handed me his ice-cream cone to bend down and tie his small converse sneakers.

I sighed as I turned my attention back to my friend.

"Besides, I don't want to keep the secret from Felicity anymore. I've always been working on eggshells around her, trying not to hide this part of my life from her. This secret really put a strain on our friendship because she could tell you and I weren't involving her in our conversations. It's much better that she knows. At least that way I can have peace of mind that I've been open and honest with her, even if our friendship is permanently damned."

"I don't think it's permanently damned. Felicity is many things but she's not a disloyal friend. Give her time. Maybe after you and your dad talk to her tomorrow she'll understand why you kept this secret from her."

I sighed. "That's what I hope for," I stated, handing the ice-cream back to Carter.

I had my fingers crossed that tomorrow would go okay.

My father had an ability to sweet talk people into seeing his viewpoint. Maybe he can convince my human best friend that not all vampires were bad and that I was still the same person she considered a sister.

"Ness! I'm done with my ice-cream. Can I please go do a few more fair activities?" Carter asked me, holding onto my forearm.

"Okay. But don't run off too far, I don't wanna lose you or else your mom will kill me! I need to see you, okay?" I warned him.

He whooped and jumped off the wooden seat and skipped over one of the arcade gaming stations close by.

I smiled at him.

"Oh my god! Is that Gretchen Stewart?" Alex exclaimed as she looked over my shoulder.

I turned around to see sure enough, the former student of Oakland Woods High walking with a boy, in just a hoodie and jeans, attempting to hide her protruding belly.

"Wow! Didn't think I would ever see her again." I scoffed.

She dropped out of school after rumors of her pregnancy spread like wildfire around school. Her parents pulled her out due to their own humiliation and kicked her out. I heard she was living with her boyfriend and father of her baby who went to Riverlake High. It was considered one of the lower level schools where the below-middle to underclass kids in Oakland Woods went to.

They were frowned upon by the elite, often being referred to as the "peasants from the wrong side of the tracks". Oakland Woods was a very elitist town.

So when Gretchen got knocked up by a junior who went there her family chose to protect their reputation instead of their daughter.

I felt bad for her.

Her life was effectively changed forever.

"I feel bad for her," I voiced my thoughts.

"I don't." Alex chuckled. I glared. "She essentially threw her life away by getting knocked up right before senior year. It was her fault!"

"But she didn't deserve to be kicked out of her own home."

Alex thought and nodded. "I can see why that might seem foreign to you but families aren't always as tight-knit as yours, Ness."

I sighed. "That's not what I mean. I know family dynamics are different but, that's their daughter. Their own flesh and blood. Why would anyone disown their own child because she unfortunately got pregnant? She's already ashamed enough being a teenage mom. Disowning her just seems extra cruel."

Alex was quiet for a long time.

I frowned. "You okay?"

"What would you do if you were in her shoes?" She asked.

"You mean, what would I do if I found out I was pregnant with Jacob's baby?"

She nodded her head.

I thought about it for a second.

What would I do if I found out I was pregnant with Jacob's baby when I was still in school?

Well I think I would be shocked obviously, but I don't think I would ever be mad at the idea of carrying a product of Jacob and I's love in my belly.

I would definitely be surprised because I still didn't know if kids were in the cards for Jacob and me in our future together (although Carlisle and my dad seem a bit more hopeful that it's a possibility) but my happiness would likely cloud my sheer initial shock.

I would be carrying Jacob's baby in me. The man I love's baby will be growing in my belly. The love of my life would be the father of the child developing inside of my womb.

That alone would make me overjoyed with happiness.

And I would be comforted in knowing that Jacob will support me all the way through. He would be right there by my side.

I knew that Jacob would love the baby because I knew he loved kids. Being a dad would come natural to him, I think. He keeps wanting to deny it but I see how he is with kids, he had the perfect balance of being fun and authoritarian. Our kids would love to hang out with him but they would also respect him as the head of the household. He would make the best dad to our prospective children.

And I loved to make him happy. I lived to make him happy in the way he lived to make me happy.

I wanted to give Jacob his own children.

But was I ready to be a mom tomorrow?

Sometimes I think to myself: "Yeah, sure! I would make babies with Jacob right now and give birth to all his bucket load of puppies tomorrow" but until I am actually in that situation, I will never know. I had no idea if I would be a good mother. I have only been alive for less than 9 years. I haven't had much experience with babies let alone tapping into my maternal side.

My mother tells me that mother instincts are never harnessed before you have the baby. They come and develop naturally as your learn to find out what maternal instincts work best for you but I was still hesitant in that regard.

How could I have a baby if I was essentially still a child myself?

Now I know what you're thinking: Weren't you the same person who's been crying for independence to your dad and claiming you were an adult capable of anything?

That's true, I was an adult and I viewed myself as one and I was seen as one in society and I wanted to be seen as an adult by my family.

But would I be truly ready to be a mother tomorrow? Was I ready to have someone be dependent on me after I only just became independent myself?

It was tricky.

On one hand I wondered if I was capable enough to even be a mother and then on the other hand I just can't help but fantasize about the prospect of mothering Jacob's kids, chasing after all our mini-mes and being doting parents to them like you see in movies.

Jacob also didn't seem ready for that future yet.

He tried to avoid the topic of kids as much as he could. I have to constantly convince myself that he hadn't put away the idea of kids away for good because of his reluctance to talk about it.

Maybe he thinks it'll scare me? Maybe he was scared? I don't know. But I wouldn't blame him if he found it scary.

Kids were a scary thought.

After I reflected on Alex's posed question, I tuned my attention back onto her.

"Honestly, if I got pregnant with Jacob's baby tomorrow, I think it would be an initial surprise to me but I would be happy regardless because not only was I confident Jacob would be around to support me, he wouldn't just abandon me but I'd also love the idea of carrying his baby. Our baby." I told her.

"And your family? How would they react?"

I thought.

I suppose no one in my family would protest. My parents and granddad would probably be curious and worried about what a pregnancy of mine would look like initially but I think they would still support me all the way.

"They'd probably be happy for me."

"What about college? Your future? Wouldn't that be throwing your dreams away?"

I shrugged. "I wouldn't say I'd be throwing my dreams away. I would be putting them off for later maybe."

"That's the thing, Ness. Not all of us have that luxury. We don't all have easy, loving, accepting families who will come to our aid when we need them in a situation like that. We don't all have the luxury of being forever trapped at 18 and being able to put off our dreams for 18 more years to raise kids and then get back onto the track of chasing our said dreams. Some of us are human. Some of us only get one shot at having a good life and making a good name for ourselves." She stated.

I listened to her intently.

I never saw it that way.

I was very fortunate to have a loving family who would support me in everything I do.

I had a caring, loving and supportive boyfriend who would do anything to make sure I was safe, happy and content.

I had the privilege of being immortal.

I would never have to worry about growing old and missing out on my youth.

But a lot of the things that some people would think gives me an advantage in life are the things I sometimes found to be a disadvantage. Like growing old with Jacob was never in the cards for us.

We would constantly be trapped in our ages for the rest of our lives and never change. We would never move forward like the rest of our friends and family would.

We would watch our family and friends eventually live their lives until their last breath whilst we continue to be young forever. I was never gonna be old and gray with Alex and Jacob was never gonna have his close friends like Seth, Mike and Quil forever. They would eventually grow old with their mates/spouses and die. Jacob would eventually lose his dad and sisters in death of old age.

Jacob refuses to talk about it but I know it dawned on him regularly.

What she said got me thinking.

What would she do if she was the one pregnant?

If she got pregnant with Seth's child tomorrow, what would she do?

Would she go through with it and put off her dreams of dance school?

"What would you do then?" I voiced my question aloud.

She sighed. "I don't know…I mean, I wish I had a clear answer but I just – I just don't know."

I nodded in understanding, looking at the ground.

"I think I would definitely consider my options." She blurted out.

I shot my head up with bulged eyes.

She rolled her eyes at my glare. "Don't look at me like that, Ness. You know how I feel about pro-choice."

Oh yes. Alex was possibly the most political person of our inner circle. She fought for a lot of causes.

She was a PETA ambassador and advocated for animal rights against poaching and abuse. She advocated for gender equality, she campaigned against gender based violence and racial oppression and discrimination. She campaigned for women suffrage and female empowerment.

She was a feminist. A very strong feminist who believed that every woman has a right to choose what they wanted in life and that also came with their right to choose what they wanted do with their bodies.

Although I agreed with her on many of those same social issues plaguing the world today, I had a different view when it came to abortion. I suppose I was indifferent about it. I wasn't against abortion but I wasn't for it either.

Depending on the situation.

If it's a life and death situation, I would understand if a woman decides to terminate a pregnancy but if someone just decides to get rid of an innocent baby who didn't ask to be conceived into this world after a stupid one night stand then I would think that's pretty selfish.

You don't just terminate a pregnancy because you made a mistake. It isn't the child's fault you were reckless, you know. The child doesn't have to lose his/hers life because of your mistake. They deserve a chance to live as well and there are plenty of people who would kill to have the chance to be parents but aren't able to.

There is always adoption.

I guess you could say I was both pro-life and pro-choice.

I was in the middle.

"'Sides, I'm not even sure I want kids." She stated.

I widened my eyes. "Like at all?"

She paused for a second before replying.

"I don't know. Definitely not now that's for sure. I suppose my feelings could change in the future but I absolutely don't think I want kids in the near to mid-distant future."

Hmm. I wonder what Seth thought about that.

But it wasn't any of my business.

Jacob and I had our relationship.

Alex and Seth had theirs.

We may both be imprinted couples but we approached our relationships in two very different ways.

Jacob and I were spontaneous every so often but we were also very structured. We were very in sync with each other and we knew exactly where the other's head was at most of the time. We were in tune with each other. It was kind of scary how similar we were to each other sometimes.

Alex and Seth were complete opposites of each other. They saw the world differently although they had a common love for each other.

Their differences were trumped by their immense and strong love for one another.

Alex was impulsive and unorthodox whereas Seth was very cautious and measured. He followed a rulebook whereas Alex didn't like to conform to any rulebook.

But their differences also brought them closer together. Because of Alex's free-spirited nature, he also loosened up a bit and was a lot more easygoing than he was before her and in turn, Seth gave Alex more structure in her life as well.

"I think I'd want to be married first before having kids." I told her.

She looked up to smirk at me. "Oh. You thinking about marriage huh?"

I blushed. "I don't know what's wrong with me. Last night I was scrolling through my Pinterest and spent at least 2 hours looking at wedding dresses and pinning them!" I ejaculated.

She widened her eyes. "Wow! You're definitely having wedding fever. Nessie, you're only 8."

"Eight and a half," I corrected.

It wasn't helping my case at all.

"That's not helping your case at all," She laughed, voicing my exact thoughts.

"I know! It's ridiculous but is it though? I mean Jake and I have been together for a year now. It will be exactly a year in seven days. And it's been even longer since I've started having feelings for him. My parents got married right after high school and plenty of college kids are married."

"Oh! Wait, you're actually serious about getting married soon? Nessie…" She replied.

"C'mon, Alex. It shouldn't come as a complete shock to you."

"It kinda does. I thought you wanted to go to college and explore the world or whatever?"

"I can still do all those things being married to Jacob." I told her. "'Sides, I think it would be better experiencing all of that with my husband."

I couldn't help but smile as I said the word.

"Well you and Jake do act like an old married couple anyway so, I guess it isn't really a complete surprise that's what you want now." She stated.

I grinned widely. "I mean…It's crazy right?! I know it is. But if Jake proposed tomorrow, I would say yes in a heartbeat."

"Do you think he'll propose?" She asked.

I blushed. "I don't know. I don't wanna think too much about it because I don't wanna jinx it but…He's planning our anniversary celebrations and they've all been very secretive but I know they're hiding something. I mean for all I know it could be nothing but…what if…?"

She smirked. "Well, well….Mrs. Renesmee Black does have a nice ring to it."

I felt my stomach flutter and do flips and my skin shiver as she said that.

Renesmee Black.

Wow.

I almost loved it even more than my own name.

"You think Jacob's a traditional 'on one knee' kinda guy or do you think he'll just give you the ring in some other way?" She randomly asked.

I laughed. "I haven't thought that far, Alex. I don't care regardless, I think I would be too shell-shocked to care. I just wanna be engaged to him." I added.

I was talking like he was already gonna propose to me.

I had no factual evidence that he's even planning on proposing.

I shouldn't be hyping myself up and then setting myself up for disappointment.

"I definitely think he's gonna propose on bended knee. He seems like the traditional type."

I chuckled. "Hopefully we'll see,"

Alex hummed in reply.

"Nessie? Alex?" I heard a familiar beautiful voice call out our names.

I closed my eyes shut as I recognized immediately who exactly the voice belonged to.

I turned my head around to see the drop dead gorgeous green eyed blonde approach our table looking so ethereal in her flowy pale yellow midi-sundress and white cardigan draped around her arms, finishing off the look with strappy sandals. Her long, flaxen hair sitting in light waves. Her skin was looking as creamy as ever under the sun. Her scent was a beautiful mixture of orchid and lemongrass.

I suddenly felt self-conscious again.

I quickly looked down at my outfit.

I was dressed in an open red and blue floral, ankle-length maxi duster sheer cardigan, a simple black tank top underneath and some faded and ripped thigh-length cutoffs and white sneakers. My long, wavy bronze hair was braided to one side and flowing at the roots.

I thought I looked good. I was proud of my look.

I smiled and nodded to myself encouragingly, but quickly caught Alex staring back at me in amusement.

Oh shut up!

I rolled my eyes at her and stood up from my seat and spun around to face Jennifer.

"Hi, Jennifer!" I exclaimed enthusiastically. "Fancy bumping into you here. I didn't know you were coming to the fair,"

"I'm actually here with Nahuel." She told me.

My breathing hitched as she mentioned her brother's name.

Nahuel.

God. I haven't seen that man in a while nor do I want to see him right now.

I was still very much on edge after finding out about the nature of his relationship with my best friend Felicity. He took advantage of her human naivety just so he can get some sexual gratification and bloodthirsty satisfaction from her blood by unconsciously feeding on her in the process.

He has spent all the days since the last time we saw each other in New York in December trying to explain himself but I didn't return any of his gestures. I just wasn't in the frame of mind to listen to whatever he had to say right now.

I don't I would believe any excuse he has because what reasonable explanation does one have for irresponsibly feeding on a human? Especially one that is a friend of mine?

Jennifer must have saw my expression and quickly tried to reassure me.

"Don't worry. He doesn't know you're here. I left him to grab some food for us at a restaurant a bit far from here."

I nodded.

Thank God.

"Is Jacob with you?" She asked me.

I had to suppress a growl in my throat as she mentioned my wolf's name in that breezy, sultry tone of hers.

"No. He's on a work trip today so I'm just out with Alex and babysitting my cousin Carter who is somewhere around here. Hopefully not too far," I giggled.

She smiled back. "I suppose the nuisance vermin, Embry isn't around either right?" She inquired with acid, although I could hear the hint of curiosity in her tone, like she wanted to know the answer.

I cocked an eyebrow slightly.

Hmm.

I wondered where their relationship went ever since they met at my birthday party over four months ago.

Could Jennifer possibly like Embry but was trying to hide it?

Nah. It couldn't be.

Unless…

"Um, yeah he's also on the work trip. They'll be back tomorrow though." I told her.

She nodded her head. "You look pretty," She mentioned, eying me up and down.

I almost gasped.

Almost.

Did my ears deceive me or did Jennifer actually compliment me?

She's always given me the cold shoulder.

I guess it mostly had to do with whatever issues she has with me being around her brother or what not. But she didn't have to worry about that anymore because I wasn't planning on talking to him any time soon.

"Who me?" I questioned in shock, pointing to my chest.

Of course nitwit!

Who else would she be talking about?

She nodded her head with a soft smile.

"Oh-Oh! Thank you! I j-just threw this on without even thinking," I chuckled nervously.

I lie! I definitely thought this outfit through.

It took me over an hour to decide what to wear for today.

Sue me!

"Well you look great. I love this fabric of cardigan." She said, feeling my clothing up.

"Oh. It's from Club Monaco. Alice brought it for me from her boutique store. You should stop by sometime," I suggested.

She smiled. "I'll take you up on that offer. My two favorite things are flowers and fashion," She giggled.

I grinned back at her.

I could tell.

She had an impeccable sense of style.

I guess it was no wonder that she got along with Felicity so well since they were both beautiful blondes who loved fashion.

"Hello, Ms. Jennifer!" Carter enthusiastically approached my side to look up into Jennifer's eyes.

He cleared his throat and extended his hand out to take hers.

Jennifer smiled with cocked eyes as she extended her hand out to him and he took it gracefully before planting delicate kisses on her knuckles.

"Pleasure to see you on this fine afternoon, milady." He muttered before kissing again.

"May I say you look as lovely as always," He charmed, stating it as a matter-of-factly.

I rolled my eyes.

Oh brother.

"Well look at you being the little flirt." Jennifer remarked with a laugh at the five year old.

I pinched Carter's ear.

He bemoaned. "Hey! Quit it!"

I rolled my eyes and set my hands on his shoulders and pulled him close to me, away from close proximity with Jennifer.

I groaned. "I'm sorry. Emmett influences him a lot. He's never this direct or weird." I emphasized.

"No, it's okay. It's cute actually." She uttered before bending down to Carter's level. "You're adorable, you know that right?"

"I may be adorable to you now but in a few years you'll find me irresistible." He stated confidently, winking at her.

She giggled. "Is that so?" She played along.

"Yup! I may not be tall yet but I'll get there and you'll have to go on a date with me." He said forwardly.

I gasped, pinching his ear again and he protested by waving his hands back at me.

"Ow!"

Jennifer giggled. "How old are you now?"

"I'll be one in a month and a half, milady." He replied.

I shook my head.

"Tell you what, if I'm single in 6 more years and I'm around your neighborhood, I will maybe take you up on your offer." She stated jokingly.

His eyes widened. "Really?"

"Yes. But you have to be taller than me, I don't date short guys. If you're an inch or two shorter then I'm sorry, you've lost me forever." She joked.

He nodded. "Challenge accepted!" He expressed.

I giggled.

Jennifer seemed incredibly sweet in that moment.

For a second I didn't realize why I found her so intimidating. She didn't look like she could hurt a fly.

Maybe I was the problem all along?

Hmm.

I wouldn't never admit it aloud though.

Maybe Jake was right. Maybe it was a pride thing and I was being stupid.

Or maybe…

You know what, Jake's right. He's always right.

It was stupid.

"Okay. It was nice seeing you guys. I better get going." Jennifer said to us.

I smiled. "Bye!" I waved to her as she walked away.

"Call me!" Carter ejaculated.

Jennifer laughed back. "You don't have a phone, kid!"

"I do have a landline! I'll be waiting! Call me at night if you want –" He cried out.

I covered his mouth, scotching his ability to speak before he embarrassed himself (and me) even more.

"Shut up! Everyone's watching," I pulled him away.

We finished up before we prepared to leave the fair. Carter wanted to go on one more ride but this time on his own so Alex and I waited for him to enjoy this last joyride that didn't really need parental or an older person supervision.

"Today was fun," I expressed.

"Yup. Thanks for inviting me," Alex said to me, shoving her hand into her cutoffs to pull out her phone. "Let's take selfies before we leave,"

I smiled and nodded as she put her camera on as she took multiple shots of us together and we both took turns taking photos of us separately.

"Stand on the rock!" I told her as I situated the camera facing at her.

She hopped the rock and did a little pose.

"Like this?" She asked.

"Perfect! Just scoot to the left for proper lighting." I told her. "Nice!"

As I took a series of photos of her on the rock, a strange, unfamiliar scent flooded my nostrils. I breathed it in to get a better lock on it.

Two things were determined at that very moment.

The scent wasn't human.

And the scent was dangerous. Very dangerous. Deadly even.

A mixture of overwhelming sweetness and death.

My sense of smell was never ever gonna be acute as my vampire families but I could smell a vampire from 3 miles away.

I halted in my tracks and darted my head around the vicinity, tilting it back and forth.

"What's wrong?" Alex demanded.

My breathing hitched as I looked back at Alex.

"Nessie?"

I gestured for her to come over to me.

"We have to get outta here!" I whispered as she hopped down. "We have to leave. Now!"

"Why?" She muttered.

I took her hand in mine and projected my thoughts into her head.

I didn't do this very often with Alex because it freaked her out a lot but we were surrounded by humans walking past us and now a vampire with superhuman hearing was in our midst.

A vampire. I projected.

Her eyes bulged as she followed my scrutinizing gaze around the area.

"Here? Right now?" She whispered so low, no human could ever catch that but she knew I would.

I nodded my head. "We need to get Carter and run now!"

The scent was unfamiliar which made it even more terrifying.

If it was a scent I was familiar with, like one of my family's easily distinguishable scents. I think I could even remember our vampire friends we haven't seen in a while like Senna and Zafrina or Siobhan's coven's scents and I could probably make out members of the Volturi's scents if I needed to.

This was an entirely new scent.

It seemed very recent. Very new.

Definitely not matured like say my grandfather.

I saw Carter getting off his ride and I called for him and gestured for him to quickly run over to me.

"What's wrong?" He asked in concern, looking at my panicked face.

I gave him a reassuring smile but I'm sure it came out as a panicked grimace.

"We need to leave now. It's getting late."

He pouted but didn't protest.

I hadn't realized Alex was still standing in the same spot I left her.

I ran over to her and I gripped onto Alex's hand tightly as I went to direct us out of there when she stopped me in my tracks.

"Oh my god!" Alex gasped, looking into the horizon.

"What is it?"

Her breathing became uneven and I could suddenly hear her heartbeat rising.

Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Her heart was beating out her chest but her body was immovable, only her hands were trembling like tambourine as she gripped onto my palm and used her other hand to grip onto my wrist, shaking uncontrollably.

"Alex!" I questioned.

She exhaled a gasp, her eyes widened.

I followed her gaze to see her looking directly at a young man, probably in his early to mid-20s, pale as a white sheet of paper that was slightly burned by fire leaving flakes of ash.

He was dressed in dark clothing. A dark leather jacket, dark sweatshirt with a hoodie over his head, dark jeans and dark combat boots. I noticed through the slight reveal of his skin on his forearms/wrist and neck that he was covered in tattoos, it was almost hard to notice the glimmer of his skin as his body hit the sunlight over the tattoos and dark clothing.

Glimmering skin.

I squinted my eyes and noticed as he looked around the crowds, his skin on his face was shining bright like broken crystal diamonds. His square jaw seemed like a hard marble like rock with various scar imperfections, very akin to Jasper's skin. He was wearing a cap underneath his hoodie so I couldn't see what his hair color was but judging by his eyebrows they looked to be a very dark dirty blonde hair color and the thickness of his cap made me think he had long hair underneath.

Alex began recoiling back as her knees failed her.

"Alex!" I uttered.

She began hyperventilating.

"He's here! He's here! Oh my god! He's here for me!"

"Alex?" I frowned.

What was she talking about?

"Who?" I demanded. "Do you know that man?"

Alex widespread eyes looked to me.

"T-that's…Connor," She strained the name out as if the name would mean anything to me but I was blank.

"Who the hell is Connor?" I questioned.

She looked back at the man before spinning around on her heel.

"I have to get outta here!" She cried out as she clutched onto her stomach and ran off.

"Al –" I tried to call back.

I then turned back to the mysterious man in the crowds.

His eyes were suddenly landed on me, looking directly at me. The second I locked eyes on him I knew. He was the scent. If the glimmering, pale and hard skin wasn't confirmation enough, the blood red eyes would have done it.

He had a face that was looking ready to kill.

I quickly moved my eyes away from his uncomfortable gaze and took Carter's hand in mine.

"Let's go," I said, holding him tightly and walking off.

A/N: Please tell me what you thought of the chapter!

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