Chapter 7 — Family

Renesmee

I tried to hold myself together for the long drive home, tried not to think about that tearful old man — my grandfather. Charlie.

At first when Jacob walked away with that angry woman with the probing questions, I had half a mind to follow, to hear what they were saying. My parents had told me we had enemies here, after all. Was this woman my enemy? Did she know I was half vampire? But then I noticed the old man wheeling towards me. I smiled and he smiled back — a watery, broken smile.

"Bells?" he croaked. "Is it really you Bella?"

I looked into his eyes and saw that they were the same exact color and shape as my own. I knew the Bella he was discussing was my mother, his daughter, who he thought was dead.

"My name is Nessie," I said, crouching down next to him. "You must be Charlie Swan."

"Look at you, those eyes, you're my Bella," he said, holding my face in his wizened hands. "I thought I'd lost you."

A few people around us began to murmur, but I could not look away from Charlie. I leaned forward and put my lips to his ear.

"Bella is alive. She is safe and happy. She had a daughter. She loves you so much."

Charlie was crying in earnest, tears trailing between the wrinkles that patterned his pale face.

"Thank you," he was saying. "Thank you."

That was when Jacob took my arm and led me back to the car. I knew I shouldn't have said all that to Charlie — what if he told someone what I'd said? But I figured that, as a demented old man, few people were likely to believe him. That was if (my heart sunk) he remembered what I said at all.

"So," I spoke up finally. "What was the woman's deal?

"Who, Leah?" said Jacob. "She just doesn't like strangers."

I could tell Jacob was lying, but so was I. How on earth was this supposed to work unless one of us fessed up? And yet, I could not tell him the truth. If I was wrong about him, he would think I was crazy. Or worse, he'd believe me and then I'd be breaking Volturi law by telling a human our secret. I wondered if I should break things off with him now, before I was any deeper into this. I looked at him and he looked at me.

"I'm sorry that party was… weird," he said.

"No need to apologize," I said. "I suppose I was a shock to the system? Some white girl they've never heard of before."

"Nah, that's not it," Jacob shrugged.

"Then what is it?" I asked.

"We're different in La Push," he said slowly. "It makes us nervous about outsiders. We don't like sharing our secrets with just anyone."

"I can understand that," I said, earnestly. "And, I know I'm a total stranger to you, but you can trust me, you know. I've seen my share of 'different' in my life."

"Sure, sure," he said, but did not elaborate. Instead, he took my hand and kissed it, looking deep into my eyes as he did so. My heart fluttered.

"Eyes on the road," I said weakly.

Jacob laughed. "Don't worry about me. I'm an excellent driver."

"Are you saying you can handle a bit of distraction?" I said, my voice low and eager.

"More than a bit," said Jacob, challengingly.

I moved over towards him, as close to the center console as I could be. I could see in eyes that he was excited. Without looking I placed my hands on the bulge in his jeans.

"Mm," he said, leaning his head back.

I unzipped his pants, his hard cock springing loose. Slowly, I leaned down and wrapped my mouth around it. He gasped and shuddered. I moved my mouth up and down, taking him deeper and deeper. He began to moan loudly. He grabbed the back of my hair with his hand and pushed my head down, forcing me to take more of him into my mouth. I gagged slightly and he released me.

Still panting he said, "sorry."

"Don't apologize," I said. "I like it when you're rough with me."

"Oh, baby," he moaned, as though my words were enough to make him cum. He pushed my head down again, forcing his cock in my mouth. He was thrusting his hips now against the seat so that his cock hit the back of my throat causing me to gag again. I felt him pull over to the side of the road.

"I need you," he said, his voice rough and low.

In one motion he pulled me on top of him, ripping my jeans open with his bare hands. My blouse was like tissue paper. I gasped as he entered me hard. He buried his face in my breasts using his powerful hands to move my hips up and down over his cock. Then he threw his head back and cried out. His thrusts became more urgent and then I could feel his hot cum rushing inside me.

He slowed, becoming soft inside me, panting into my neck as we held each other. I noticed Luna in the back, looking vaguely concerned. I laughed.

"What is it?" said Jacob, still breathing heavy.

"Luna," I said. "I don't think she approves of our pit stop."

He laughed too.

"It's okay, girl," he said, moving his arm back to pet her.

He pulled out of me then, causing us both to shudder.

"Look at this," I said, motioning to my tattered clothes. "How am I supposed to walk into my apartment building like this?"

"Oops, sorry about that," he said. "Guess I don't know my own strength. I owe you a pair of jeans and a shirt."

I rolled my eyes. "I have enough clothes to stock a Macy's, don't worry about that. But I will need something to look halfway decent in."

Jacob kissed me one more time before moving me gently off of him and back onto the passenger seat. Then he removed his own flannel and handed it to me.

"There," he said. "That should be big enough to cover the damage."

He pulled the car back onto the road and drove towards the city lights of Seattle. I wished I didn't have to work tonight so I could spend the night in Jacob's arms again.

Jacob seemed to be thinking along the same lines.

"When do you get off work tomorrow?" he asked as we pulled onto my road.

"Six A.M.," I replied. "You… want to come over?"

"I would love to," he said. "Maybe not at six A.M. though."

"That'll give me time to take a nap anyway," I said. "Come over for brunch. Is 10 good?"

"Anytime is good if there's brunch," said Jacob, excitedly. "What should I bring?"

"Just yourself," I said.

"Fair enough," he said, pulling up outside my apartment.

He parked and looked at me.

"I know we've only known each other for… what? 24 hours? But I don't want to leave you," he said.

I stared back into his dark eyes, feeling an ache beginning in my chest at the thought of being away from him.

"I feel the same way," I said.

I leaned forward and kissed him slowly, his lips hot against mine.

"But I really do have to go to work," I continued.

"See you tomorrow?" he said.

"Come over as soon as you wake up," I said. "I'll leave the door unlocked just in case I'm still sleeping."

Jacob smiled. "Nessie… I — I really like you."

"I really like you too, Jacob."

I could feel the unsaid word in the air. Love. But it was too soon. With one last kiss I got out of the car and walked into the apartment, still wearing Jacob's flannel over my tattered clothes.

"Hi Drac—"I began as I opened the door, but stopped abruptly as a familiar, but unexpected, smell hit me.

"Aunt Alice? Uncle Jasper?"

My aunt and uncle stood as still as stone in the middle of my living room, their eyes wide with something like fear or shock.

"Renesmee, what the hell is going on?" Aunt Alice demanded.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, closing the door behind me and greeting Dracula with absent-minded pets. He was whining as he always did whenever my vampire family was around. They made him nervous.

"First, you go all blurry in my visions — even blurrier than usual — then you show up looking like this! And on top of it all, your apartment reeks of… of…" she shook her head instead of finishing. "The point is, what has been happening?"

"Nothing!"

"You've always been a terrible liar, just like your mom when she was human," said Uncle Jasper, smirking slightly at my blush. "But Nes' we need to know if something's going on. You look like you've been attacked. Who did this—"

He stopped abruptly as my emotions screamed, unbidden, from my mind and into his. Shame, embarrassment, lust.

"Oh," he said. "She's got a boyfriend."

Aunt Alice was at my side in a flash. She sniffed Jacob's flannel and her face twisted in disgust.

"You smell worse than your apartment does," she said.

"Wow, nice to see you too," I said, walking away from her into the apartment and filling Dracula's food bowl with kibble.

"Where have you been today?" Aunt Alice asked.

"Listen, I'm a grown woman. I don't have to—" but I stopped talking under the heat of the look she gave me.

"You've been to La Push, haven't you?" she said, her voice hard.

"Have you been following me?" I asked, outraged.

"We wouldn't have to," said Uncle Jasper. "There's only one place where you'd find a smell like that. The Quileute Reservation."

"And why exactly would I find it there?" I asked, my heart racing slightly. Was I about to finally get some answers about Jacob?

"Because that's where the wolves are," said Aunt Alice impatiently. "The werewolves. Our enemies. The only major threat to our lives, with the exception of other vampires."

I did not look at Aunt Alice as she said this, not wanting her to see the look on my face. I had known enemies lived in La Push. I had always assumed they were vampires. Werewolves? How was that possible? And if it was possible, did that mean—

"How on earth would I know a werewolf if I saw one?" I said, my voice sarcastic "Just so I know to run if I see one?"

"It's not a joking matter, Renesmee," said Aunt Alice. "I don't even know if there are any werewolves left on the reservation, but it certainly smells like it does so you need to be more—"

She stopped, staring at me.

"Wait, that's not the boyfriend, is it? Oh please tell me you're not dating a werewolf!"

"That's crazy, of course not," I said.

"She's lying," Uncle Jasper murmured.

"Snitch," I growled.

"We're trying to protect you," said Uncle Jasper, although he did look a little ashamed.

"I don't need your protection!" I burst.

"You do if it's from werewolves," said Aunt Alice. "Their entire existence is based on killing us."

I shook my head. I couldn't believe it.

"This guy… I don't think he's a werewolf. He's different but… he's different like me. Maybe he's like me. I met his family today, the rest of the tribe. There was no one else there like him."

"The werewolves are a lot like you when they're in human form," said Uncle Jasper contemplatively. "High body temperature, fast heart rate, stronger than the average human, fast healers. I'd never really thought about it before."

"Oh my God, Edward's going to lose his mind," said Aunt Alice.

"Dad isn't going to know," I said sharply. "Please, Aunt Alice. We don't know anything for sure."

Aunt Alice stared at me with her golden eyes, her lips pursed.

"Fine. I won't tell Edward anything. Yet. But you have to promise me something," she said.

"What?"

"You won't go to La Push again," said Aunt Alice.

"Fine," I said.

"And you won't see this werewolf again," she continued.

"We don't know he's a werewolf," I said. "And I can't promise that I won't."

"What's his name?" she asked.

"None of your business," I said. "Now, I really have to go to work. As wonderfully stressful as this visit has been, I have to ask you to leave my apartment. You're freaking Dracula out."

"Fine," said Aunt Alice, throwing her hands into the air in exasperation. "Jasper and I are going on a trip down south to see some of his old friends. We'll stop by on our way back up. Please try not to get yourself killed by a werewolf in the meantime."