"True love doesn't happen right away; it's an ever-growing process. It develops after you've gone through many ups and downs, when you've suffered together, cried together, laughed together."

Ricardo Montalban

The view was beautiful. Bella could now see why her daughter loved to watch the sunrise so much.

It was all beautiful; breathtaking, in fact. Maybe if she hadn't spent so much time worrying about the weather (which she'd gotten used to anyway), and fearing how to navigate the new environment, she would've appreciated it more. Just like everything else.

And then she got dazzled by Edward who thirsted for her blood and was bewildered by the lack of access to her mind.

Now, three of them stood on the cliff face watching the sunrise over the mountains, the sea, the rivers and the woods: Bella, Leah and Gabrielle. All of whom had come to a point where they'd never expected to come surrounded by people they'd never thought they'd seek out or even heard of, yet here they were.

Who knew, even when the former two had first encountered the supernatural and been a part of it that it would come to this.

"The packs have been informed. The other species are planning to come. They've… well, they prefer to have me here when everything is explained, so we will have to wait until after the trials and sentencing have passed." Gabrielle said quietly.

She cast a glance towards Bella. "Can you take it?"

Bella took a deep breath. "I've wasted more than eleven months of my life before I even got married." She said quietly. "I know I'm immortal, but I'm not going to waste anymore. My daughter needs me."

Gabrielle nodded, understanding.

In truth, Bella was simply trying to put off acknowledging her fear that she jumped into and would someday regret- if she hadn't already- not only marriage, but immortality. Someday, she would have to face this, she knew. But not yet. For now… she had to look forwards. For her daughter's sake and her own- only this time she couldn't falter like Renée. She couldn't go back or be anything remotely like her. Not anymore.

Gabrielle nodded. Leah stood by them. "And how are you taking this?" Gabrielle asked her quietly.

Leah sighed, shaking her head. "It's a lot to take in. It's just… it's not what I imagined."

"But do you not wish for it?" Gabrielle said quietly. "Even as an Alpha- or a ruling Luna- you have choices."

Leah shook her head. "I can't go back. I know that now. Besides, like I said, I'm not the same girl I used to be. Not before Sam phased and then imprinted. I'm not going back. I can only look forwards." Gabrielle nodded. Bella looked at her with surprise. "I just… I just don't know what to do."

Gabrielle shook her head. "I don't think the experts and the experienced Alphas and Lunas themselves plan that far ahead. Wait: if you were chosen for a reason, then there will come a time when you will see what you have to do. Trust yourself. Trust your instincts."

"Our instincts… which have led us to this."

"I said your instincts, Leah." Gabrielle remarked, turning towards her. "If you truly are a ruling Luna- or a Luna-to-be- then you have to trust yourself most of all. You may make mistakes- everybody does. You may make the wrong decisions, and you will have to encounter hard ones and hard choices someday. But don't tell me that you aren't capable of it.

"And in cases like this the best decision would be to do the right thing- whatever it is. The second-best one is to do the wrong thing. The worst decision?" Gabrielle shook her head. "Would be to do absolutely nothing."

She looked sympathetically at Leah. "Do you know what you want?"

Leah was confused. "I want..." she took a deep breath. "I want Jacob and Renesmee's imprint bond to be reversed. I want the same for Quil and Claire. I want them all to be free and happy to do what they wish."

"And what about Sam and Emily?" Gabrielle asked, gently.

Leah shook her head. "They can't know," she said, firmly. Gabrielle wasn't surprised, but Bella was still shocked to hear that.

"I don't want... I don't want Sam or Emily to lose each other after they've lost almost everyone and everything else." Leah confessed. "What happened... it's ruined his reputation and hers. Obviously because people don't know about imprinting, but they can disapprove of what they both did because they both seemed like they could help it and chose to do it. Besides," Leah took a deep breath. "Emily... she's scarred." Gabrielle blinked. "I won't give away her private details, I think you'll understand-" Gabrielle nodded "-but she has scars on her face from an attack from one of our own." Gabrielle absorbed this in silence.

"I can help with that." She said quietly. "If Emily would like, I could brew her a cream to get rid of the scars."

Leah blinked, then nodded.

"That would be appreciated. Thanks." Gabrielle nodded in return.

Gabrielle was silent. "Humans can't feel the pull." She said slowly. "Some species of Loup-Garou, including Gabriel and Vivian's, cannot interbreed and produce offspring with humans- at all. It just isn't possible. There have been members of that species who have had relations with humans, but no children were ever produced. But some species... they can sire hybrid children. However, both types of species- the ones that can and the ones that cannot- typically go for their fellow Loup-Garoux. They feel the Pull. In Vivian's species', however, it's a recent thing. Even more recent than yours even though her species were old by the time Taha Aki started phasing. They've only ever felt the Pull with their own kind though. It's a well-known fact: humans cannot feel the Pull. It is not mutual for them."

Gabrielle narrowed her eyes. "How did Emily react when Sam first presented his case to her?"

Leah looked surprised. "She was horrified." She admitted. "Angry and upset. She told him to get lost and go back to me. Sam refused. He didn't want to hurt me anymore than he already did by pretending and lying to me, knowing that it was useless to keep this from me."

"But she specifically told him to go away?" Gabrielle pressed. "Did he leave?"

Leah opened her mouth in shock. Her eyes were wide. "What are you saying?"

Gabrielle sighed. "Did she consent?" She asked quietly. "You mentioned she told him to go away. Did he respect her wishes?"

For a moment, Leah was unable to speak. "You- you think that he- Sam would never-"

"So long as he did not stalk her," Gabrielle warned. "Some Loup-Garoux admittedly have been known to do that, but it's no longer considered acceptable, even if it was ever romantic in the past, for humans and Wolves alike." She gave Bella a look. "Or vampires. But sometimes it all has to do with balancing it out: the part that is a sentient human and the part that is a wolf. However, even now more and more Loup-Garoux are putting up boundaries between what is acceptable and what is not. Sam not respecting her wishes and going away could be considered that."

"He did," Leah protested. "He did leave..." but then she hesitated.

Sam had returned. They all knew that. Judging from the look on Leah's face both Bella and Gabrielle knew it.

"He couldn't stay away," Leah said quietly. She shook her head. "You don't understand... it's almost painful for him- for any of them to be apart from their imprints."

Gabrielle winced. "Some have mentioned something along these lines, but not to this extreme," she said softly. "Leah... whether you nor anyone else likes it or not your variation of the Moon's Pull is... on an extreme overdrive. That's the only way to say it. I believe that this is largely because there are no female Wolves nor even carriers of the gene in dormant form that aren't closely related to anyone in either pack," Leah grimaced, shuddering "and as no one has ever heard or seen any of the other Loup-Garou species before then, who was there for anyone to mate with except ordinary humans?" Gabrielle pursed her lips, thoughtful for a moment. "It's likely that your Pull instinct, your imprinting, goes on overdrive in order to win a human's love. After all, since humans can't feel the Pull and there are no female Wolves..."

Leah and Bella both inhaled sharply. "You mean that if there were Wolves of other species who aren't related to us..."

Gabrielle nodded. "Exactly. Because the Pull is always mutual, with no exceptions until now. There has never even been a love-triangle with two males or females being 'Moonstruck' and fighting over a potential mate." She shook her head, smiling slightly, but it didn't last. "Nor has there ever been a case where the Pull isn't mutual, even if one partner leaves the other due to, say, abuse, in the most exceptional and extreme of circumstances. Or if they simply parted ways before they could marry because they feel their romance wouldn't work out for them in the end, if they can't envision a good future for both of them together. It'll take a while for them to feel the Pull with anyone else again, but it always happens. No exceptions." Gabrielle shook her head.

"But there's no room for that now because the gene appears to be desperate," she murmured. "Desperate to expand and evolve into a strong, healthy, population of adequate size. Enough to populate at least an entire town. Your pack-members' gigantic sizes, enormous even for Loup-Garoux in general, the sudden swell in the numbers of the Loup-Garou population among the Quileutes, and the recent surge of Wolves imprinting despite the rarity of it in previous generations... all this despite the fact that the previous two generations never phased and have never seen females do it, support this theory."

Leah was silent and so was Bella. Unfortunately, it sounded too factual, logical and evidence-based to be anything other than the truth.

"So when faced with their potential mates being pure humans who can't feel the Pull..." their resident supernatural scientist gave them meaningful looks.

Both Bella and Leah understood. "It drives them to pursue their imprints even to the point of aggression." Leah realised. Gabrielle nodded.

"Exactly. Although, I have to emphasise that Jacob's actions in assaulting and emotionally blackmailing and manipulating you, Bella- especially considering that he did not imprint on you- was inexcusable regardless of the circumstances." Leah sighed and hung her head. Bella bit her lip. "Even if he had imprinted on you it would still be inexcusable and highly frowned upon by other Loup-Garoux, regardless if the Pull was mutual. But that's because it wasn't the innate biological instincts of a Wolf: just bad decisions, lack of actual mutual respect, good reasoning and discipline, particularly self-discipline, and I suspect a great deal of mental and emotional issues, especially since you not only forgave him, but trusted him more easily than any other person would in your position." Bella flinched. "And as I've said, my suspicion is that- sensing that you, Leah, and Sam are too closely related more than once-" Leah and Bella winced "-Sam's innate biological instincts propelled him to imprint upon the closest person next to you. Close enough to be you. And because of both his prior feelings and sense of loyalty towards you, as well as the fact that Emily was a human who can't feel the Pull, his innate instincts pushed him to pursue Emily in a desperate and aggressive manner until she finally capitulated and believed there was no other option for either of them. Anything to forget his feelings for you; a cousin." Leah cringed. "And to eventually end up with someone whom he can breed with regardless of any initial reluctance on anyone's parts: hers, his or yours. After all, faced with the overwhelming feelings that Sam had, especially since you could see in his thoughts and memories, how could you even bring yourself stand in their way? Even if you aren't an honourable person? How could you not suspect that something might not be right?"

The two of us were silent. Gabrielle sighed. "It's the same with Jacob and Renesmee, although for him it was not because of any biological relations, but because he was so desperate, his emotions wrecked and distraught and his mind crumbling due to the intense heartbreak he felt- for his now-imprint's mother." Bella flinched, guilt evident on her features. "Renesmee, like Emily, was the closest he could ever be with you now that you are well and truly gone, forever out of his reach. And because Jacob's mind's sense of logic and reasoning was crumbling, he was in incredible emotional and psychological pain from you choosing Edward and vampirism, and then suffering and potentially dying..." Bella squeezed her eyes shut, but forced them open again. She wouldn't hide from any truths; not anymore. Gabrielle shot her an understanding look, but did not falter, no doubt believing the same thing. "Not to mention that he was actively about to do something terrible that he would never normally bring himself to do: kill a newborn baby because of something the parents were truly responsible for, despite knowing that the child was not to blame for anything that happened to him or you, and certainly did not choose her parents or method of conception, gestation and birth. She even loved you as you and Edward found out and tried to keep herself from hurting you inadvertently..." Bella took a deep breath. "But Jacob couldn't find it in him to care because he wanted to hurt you. And Edward. But he couldn't bring himself to hurt either of you in person. He was still too emotionally attached to you and he grew to respect Edward for trying to give you up and for genuinely fearing for your life, grudging as it may be. Therefore your daughter was a substitute target for his revenge, and then his innate instinct within the depths of his mind and DNA turned it around to make her your replacement, only far more overwhelming in the draw it created, to make him forget all past feelings for you and animosity towards anything to do with vampires. It was the only solution that made sense to it, as Renesmee was not only the closest thing to you, since she was so young and new to the world, she could be emotionally and psychologically groomed to be his eventual mate." Gabrielle sighed. "It wasn't right but desperate times called for desperate measures."

Leah made a face and looked away. Bella felt faint. But she steeled herself. She would not break down; not now. Not ever again.

For her daughter's sake and her own. For everybody's sakes, including Jacob.

"In the cases of both Sam and Jacob, their Pull instinct was even stronger and more driven than any others in those two, and possibly as strong for the others for fear of similar situations as Sam and Jacob- or maybe..." Gabrielle trailed off. "Since Quil was able to break out of the spell enough think rationally about his and Claire's best interests, future and needs, it may be not as intense or dangerously aggressive to the others... Or perhaps it is, but Quil was faced with irrefutable logic and fact and he genuinely wishes for Claire and himself to be happy, even if they have to part ways." Her voice softened. "He deserves an enormous amount of respect for this alone."

Leah felt ill- then a sudden surge of panic. The thought that she, Seth, or anybody else in either pack, might someday lose their minds, their sanity and do something aggressive, bad and dangerous and it was something that they all faced, if they hadn't already...

"So what do we do?" She whispered, fearful.

Leah was near-panicking. Gabrielle gave her a look. "Remain calm, first and foremost. If they won't listen, then this won't arouse their suspicions until after we can reverse the imprint bond between Quil and Claire and regulate your instincts and hormones to the normal levels within him, you, Seth and Embry. And if you start panicking, who knows what your innate instincts will do?" Gabrielle said, darkly. Leah winced and so did Bella.

"But we can't tell Sam or Emily any of... of this!" She protested. "Emily and Sam... they've already had the entire world break around them and turn upside down under their feet! But at least they had each other to lean on back then! What about now?" Leah shook her head. "This is going to break both of them! Separately! And completely! They'll never recover." Leah was aghast.

So Leah still felt a strong sense of loyalty towards Emily as well as Sam. Gabrielle was touched, and so was Bella.

Gabrielle looked both sympathetic and understanding of this dilemma. Bella felt the same thing. But the three of them knew that they had no choice in the end.

Gabrielle squeezed her eyes shut and pinched the area between her brows. "So what is the solution then?" She asked quietly. "For future generations of Quileute Wolves to suffer this- without thinking about the consequences of their actions? What if Sam had been arrested? Or Quil? Or Jacob? What if something bad had happened to Emily, Claire, Renesmee or any of the others, indirectly because of the imprinters can't even tolerate rejection and they can't bear to let their imprints go? What if it happens to any of the others in the future?"

Yet another wince from Bella. She seemed to be facing more than enough hard truths and shocks that really shouldn't surprise her these days. This was bad, she knew, but what they could be facing could potentially be worse. Leah fell silent. She closed her eyes in despair. "And what if Renesmee or Emily had reacted... more strongly than they had?" Gabrielle asked quietly. Her violet-blue eyes were pained as she looked at Leah. "What did Sam tell Emily, anyway? That she was his soulmate on the first meeting?"

Leah shook her head. "Second meeting, more like. She told him to leave the first time when he straight-up told her that he'd broken up with me for her, because she was horrified. He couldn't stay away for long- he just couldn't it was too painful for them- any of them- so when he did eventually come back he told her all his secrets and even phased in front of her. She couldn't reject him; not after telling her about her being his..." she hesitated. "His 'soulmate'."

"Leah..." Gabrielle said softly. "Missing your mate or prospective mate after you have felt the Pull is horrible. It's ghastly and terrible, and no one, especially peoples like Loup-Garoux who are driven to mate for life, likes that. But to immediately assume the one you feel the Pull towards is your soulmate without even knowing them that well... How often did the two of them meet before he imprinted?"

Leah hesitated. "I dunno. Maybe a couple of times? Or three?" She seemed bewildered.

"And they didn't even seem to be attracted to each other then?" Leah shook her head. "How much did they interact during these meetings?"

Leah winced. "Not much. Sam liked her well enough, and Emily liked him and supported his relationship with me, she was glad." Leah's eyes softened. "Sam also didn't like Daniel and told me that Emily should break things off with him, because no one deserved to be treated in that way, but we both knew she had to do it on her own terms, so we kept it to ourselves."

Sam would've killed or seriously injured this Daniel if he had imprinted on Emily then, Bella thought.

"But how much did they interact and know each other?" Leah hesitated, wincing.

Gabrielle pursed her lips. "Two or three meetings wouldn't be enough to determine whether or not someone is a Wolf's soulmate. And keep in mind that one of them was one hundred percent human. Emily can't feel the Pull."

"But she couldn't just reject him," Leah said softly. "At least not like that."

Leah's loyalty was nothing short of admirable. It was a pity she was scorned and mocked, pitied and taken for granted. Bella suddenly felt that the other Wolves didn't deserve her. And judging by the look on Gabrielle's face, she could tell she felt the same way.

Gabrielle shook her head. "Your loyalty and sense of kinship for both of them is more than just admirable, Leah." She said quietly. "But Sam did... impose on her. He made her feel that neither he nor her had any other options."

"That's because there were no other options to him!"

"Yes," Gabrielle agreed, to Leah's- and Bella's- surprise. "But even though he didn't know that there were any for himself, she certainly had them."

Leah was silent. "Was it fair on her?" Gabrielle asked, point-blank. "If he truly claimed to be her soulmate back then- when he barely even knew her, much less understood why or what there was to love about her- if he claimed to be truly in love with her... should he not thought of her first? Should he not have respected her wishes when she asked him to leave? After all, he disapproved of her ex-boyfriend and their unhealthy relationship, judging by the sounds of it, not because he was upset someone he was in love with was being hurt and humiliated, but because the Sam Uley that you knew didn't feel it right for anybody to be mistreated."

That was true, Bella thought. She had a hard time imagining Sam tolerating that kind of behaviour towards anyone, even if it wasn't Emily. It suddenly occurred to Bella that Sam had never interacted or seen her and Edward together much either.

"Did he not think about the consequences of what this could do to the relationship between the two of you once he imprinted and pursued her? You said you and Emily were as good as sisters."

Leah winced. So did Bella, listening to this.

"I don't blame Sam," Gabrielle said, voice soft. "Please understand that. As you said it's painful for any of them. But your imprinting is too extreme. It's... it seems like Sam imposed himself onto Emily and gave her no choices, even though he claimed to be her soulmate- and that includes loving her. But not only does he not know any reason as to why he believes that a relationship between them both could ever work, but he basically shoved aside not only his prior feelings and loyalties- not just to you but to his own mother, his flesh and blood- but of Emily's own personal feelings and loyalty towards you, someone she considered her sister." Leah looked stunned. "I highly doubt that anyone would have accepted the notion that they are soulmates with their sister's long-term boyfriend, even ex-boyfriend. Especially on the third or fourth meeting.

"Also, he basically guilt-tripped her into fearing what he would do if she rejected him before she could think things through or decide anything, and made her believe that there was no other option for- not only him- but her. Even at the risk of harming the relationship within your family and two 'sisters'. And then there's the fact that Sam- despite barely knowing and developing the bond between them both- if there is one if one partner doesn't even feel the Pull, the precisely same level of connection to begin with- feels incredible pain when he's not even physically near her." Gabrielle shook her head. "That is extreme. Even for Loup-Garoux who technically mate for life- ideally."

"Even for soulmates?" Bella asked quietly, voicing the same thing on Leah's mind.

"Of course! You don't even see the happiest married couples, even true life-long loves and soulmates between millennia-old immortals going crazy because they can't always be touching, holding or staying close to their significant other, twenty-four seven." Gabrielle exclaimed, incredulously. Bella felt sheepish and chagrined.

She remembered Lady Laima who could only see her husband every two centuries saying something similar. Bella thought that it may have hurt her, but it didn't affect them as badly as Edward and Jacob did with her and Renesmee. Or herself with Edward.

Once again, she felt like a child: a stupid, foolish, idiotic child who had been driven by obsession. No...

Bella froze. Was that what it was? Was she truly that weak and childish?

Maybe Edward, for all his manipulations and disregard, was right about her after all. Or on a more disturbing note, Bella feared that she might have imposed herself on him, just as he had on her- and Jacob. And Jacob could very well do it to her daughter.

"And soulmates on the second meeting after the imprint and two or three unremarkable meetings before?" Gabrielle shook her head incredulously. "Poof! Just like that?" She shook her head again. "Please remember what I am telling you now- if you don't remember or don't want to remember anything else- though I hope you will, for your own sakes because I never say any of these things lightly- then remember this: finding 'the One' is not enough. It is only part of the journey. You must grow love; cultivate and nourish it. Nurture it. Like caring for a plant, an animal or even a growing child, see where the path leads you both. Whether or not you truly feel you can do this. Sometimes, it's just as much about timing and being prepared for entering a long-term or permanent commitment, as your parents found out." Bella winced. "Because couples who truly did love each other can still fall apart because of that. They can choose to go separate ways. And that includes Loup-Garoux. Also, you have to respect the other partner. There has to be full trust between the two of you, even if you do keep secrets. Love alone is not enough: mutual understanding, trust, respect, sacrifices and appreciations, including for the significant other's family and friends, are some of the strongest pillars in any relationship.

"Of course humans stand apart from immortals and those long-lived like Loup-Garoux. Because their lives are so short, nature expects that they have to repopulate. So emotionally and mentally, as well as biologically, it's different. People tend to get married faster and marriages- and sadly, families- often fall apart." Bella winced again. "But it's still the same when it comes to relationships: love alone is not enough. Passion certainly isn't. They need trust, respect, understanding, and so forth. And the longer a being lives, the least likely they are to make a bad commitment. Even wizards and witches. Yes, there have been a few divorces or broken marriages, but it is less likely because they live far longer than humans. And for Loup-Garoux, they have a built-in natural instinct to make better choices on whom to commit to. All because living longer means you will be truly, genuinely happier if you have the one you truly love by your side. If it is indeed true love." She sighed.

"But even immortals- not just vampires, but completely unrelated species- who are monogamous and remain with the one partner for eternity know better than to jump into long-term commitments too quickly. Even the ones who experience eternal love may also experience unrequited love and have wasted away because of that. And even these immortals have broken off relationships in their early stages and even had betrothals cancelled and weddings called off, before then moving on and finding another special someone they have a better chance of making things work for them- because they will stick with that one person for eternity, and this means they have to be more careful before making a decision to commit." Leah and Bella were both silent. "The High Elves, who are my ancestors on my Veela side, are immortal and eternally monogamous. They gave each other silver rings upon engagement. They exchange them with gold rings during their wedding ceremonies. But if a couple chose not to go through with marriage, they would then melt the silver rings and formally terminate their betrothal. The silver is requisitioned for other purposes, but would never be used by either of the individuals again- nor anyone else for their betrothals. Both parties will eventually find other partners and use new silver rings when they get betrothed. It's no use wasting even eternity for a relationship that will never truly flourish, if you do not understand each other, or if there is little trust or respect between a couple."

Both of them were silent for a while, and Bella stared motionlessly at the rising sun.

"Think about the future generations of Quileute Wolves, Leah." Gabrielle said quietly. "And think about their potential mates. Can you imagine the implications this extreme imprinting will have on them? The consequences if the extremity that is your current version of imprinting is allowed to run rampant?"

Leah closed her eyes in despair.

"Sam is an Alpha," Gabrielle whispered. "He has to know."

"He would never believe me." Leah whispered back. "He wouldn't want to; none of them will. They all think I'm just the bitter ex-girlfriend. Because that's all I am to them: that's all I'll ever be."

Gabrielle sighed, closing her eyes. "Then we'll just have to wait. And you will have your turn to prove them otherwise."

Suddenly, a new arrival made the three of them turn.

Renesmee was standing behind them.

"The basis of peace is for people to understand the pain of others."

Susan Southard

Renesmee

"Can I talk to you?" She mumbled to her mother.

Gabrielle looked at Leah. They both understood what was about to happen: Renesmee's world had been shattered and spat at onto her feet. And she wanted to know exactly why.

Slowly the two of them left, shooting her understanding looks.

Mom took a deep breath. Her chocolate-brown eyes, so like her own, one of the first memories that she'd had, gazed sadly but warmly at her. She managed a small smile. "Good morning, sweetie."

Nessie, nodded, mumbling a good morning to her mother.

She sighed, inhaling the fresh, clean air and looking out over the lush greenery of the trees and the layer of dew that coated them glistening in the golden glow of the morning sunrise. The sky was a crisp and clear blue, tinged with the sun's golden rays. For a moment, they both stood side by side in silence, as they gazed at the view.

"It's beautiful," Bella murmured. "I never noticed that before."

Renesmee blinked. "Why not?"

Bella sighed. "I guess that's because I spent too much time dreaming about how things should be that I never noticed the beauty of the world already around me; in any case, I feared it."

"How come?"

"Because Phoenix was familiar to me; I can't say that I was happy there-" nor was I happy anywhere. The words were never spoken aloud, but Renesmee heard them nonetheless. "-but I'd grown used to it, after all those years. I learned how to navigate things as they were. Going someplace new and unfamiliar, having to start somewhere on my own all over again... it made me terrified." She admitted. Her mother looked at her.

"Only one person could put my fears at ease," she confessed, chocolate-brown eyes still focused on Renesmee. "Only one person made me feel like I was in a storybook of fairy-tales, instead of whatever the mess that was the world around me and my life was."

"Edward." Renesmee stated, point-blank. Bella winced, but did not reprimand her. She must've known that Renesmee was never going to call Edward 'Dad' ever again.

"Did Jacob make you feel that way too?"

Bella hesitated, but then sighed. "Not... to the extent that your fa- that Edward did."

She must've noticed Renesmee tensing up when Bella tried to refer to Edward as Renesmee's father, even though he was. Not to her; not anymore.

Renesmee was silent for a while. "Why did you marry him? Why did you even go out with him? Why did you fall in love with him?" She asked. "If everything about your marriage was a lie, why did you choose to be with him for eternity?"

Bella flinched. "Renesmee," she said, almost pleadingly. "What we had- what we felt for each other wasn't a lie."

"Wasn't it?" Her voice came sharper than she thought it would. "Everything he claimed to be to me was a lie."

Bella looked anguished. "Your father loves you-"

"No, he loves you. Or who and what he thinks is you." Renesmee said bluntly. "He sees me that way too: a little Bella. If I was nothing like you, just like him seeing your eyes on me, especially if you died, he wouldn't want to be near me." Her face twisted in anguish. "He'd kill me. Like he was planning to, whether or not you would survive. Especially if I had his eyes. Or maybe if I had your shield and he couldn't hear or see my thoughts..." she trailed off.

Bella swallowed, hard. "Ness-" she hesitated, seeing the tensing of Renesmee's shoulders. She knew Renesmee would never want to be called anything coined by Jacob any more than she would call Edward Dad again. And she knew Renesmee was right.

"But it's not really you he really loves is it?" Renesmee said, refusing to back down. "If he did know what you liked, what you felt about everything and how you would feel about things before you even got to see them, what you felt or how you would feel about everything, he never showed it. Never did anything or gave you anything that you liked. The cottage was Grandma's present. The Ferrari was Da-Edward's." Bella winced. Renesmee gritted her teeth. She would not back down. Not after this. Her mother saw that and she saw something in her brown eyes that looked remotely like... what?

Not the kind she used to look at Edward with, but the kind of look she got when she hears or reads on the news about someone doing something nice or brave, like the guy who went in and saved two kids from a fire someplace in Seattle. It struck Renesmee what it was: respect.

The shock was enough to floor her. Almost.

"Edward never cared to give you anything you might want," Renesmee pointed out. "Edward never cared for how you'd feel when he left you in the forest, like you meant nothing to him, or when he immediately started to make plans to kill your baby without even thinking to ask how you would feel about that. He thought he knew." A harsh, bitter laugh bubbled up Renesmee's throat. Her mother pressed her lips together at the sound, and her brown eyes glistened, like she was crying tears. "He already thought he knew everything there was to know, and that you'd someday see that he was right, even if you didn't see it then. And if he didn't know what was going on, he'd still know what to do." She scoffed. "He was wrong."

Bella took a deep breath. She closed her eyes and pressed her lips together to keep from crying. Renesmee let her mother have some time to compose herself before speaking.

"Or maybe he just couldn't care that much for how you really feel or would feel." Renesmee said bitterly. "So I wanna know: why did you fall in love with him?" She asked quietly. "How could you ever choose him over Grandpa? Someone who actually did care about and loved you, even letting you go no matter what he wanted, because you wanted him to and he wanted you to be free and happy." Bella looked like she'd been slapped. Renesmee hesitated, but then pressed on: "I know you didn't see Grandpa a lot when you were a kid. But that didn't mean that he didn't love you or showed you how he cared." She whispered. It was obvious that if Charlie or Sue hadn't been talking to her, she'd clearly overheard a lot of their conversations, if not all of them.

Bella looked like she was on the verge of crying. "Yeah- I- I guess you're right."

She took a deep breath. "Grandpa Charlie let you go because he knew that was what you wanted." Renesmee repeated in a low voice. "And I don't think you would've listened to him anyway, anymore than Edward ever did to him." Bella flinched at the tone Renesmee was using behind his name. "So he just wanted to make sure that he could at least make sure that you were okay."

Bella stifled a sob. "I know."

"What I don't understand is how could you choose to go with Edward instead of staying with Grandpa?" Renesmee whispered. "How could you warn him that you would leave him if he didn't accept Edward? I accidentally heard him talking to Sue about this other girl who went wild. He said she skipped school and all her exams. She started partying and hanging out with bad people, including boys. And then one day, her parents had enough and kicked her out. He said that it wasn't because that they didn't love her but because they did. But if they let her back in and everything they'd already tried to get her to stop ruining her own life didn't work, they didn't know what else could make her realise what she was doing was wrong and only hurting herself in the end. If she did come back and nothing they tried on her worked and they let her do what she wanted, she would've someday gone to jail or died." Bella closed her eyes. "Grandpa said she's better now: she's got a job, gone back to school, caught up on everything she'd missed, retook her exams and went back to her old friends. And now she has a new place and she's speaking with her family again. They helped her out even if they never let her back in then. She's not hanging around those people anymore, including the boyfriends who introduced her to everything that was wrong, including drinking." Bella took a shuddering breath. "But Grandpa also said that no matter how badly she did, or how wrong it was, she never broke the law or treated her family as badly as you had."

Bella flinched, as if she'd been stabbed. Because now she knew her daughter and her father, were right. She'd been forced to accept that. "Grandpa let you stay and didn't kick you out, even when you threatened to choose Edward-" Bella recoiled at how Renesmee spat the name "-because he knew that he didn't accept Edward being around you, you'd go running straight to him and who knows what else Edward would do," Renesmee continued. "Otherwise... he said that he should've done what that girl's parents did. And it sounded like he wished he did it once he heard about how much better the girl was doing now." Renesmee finished.

Bella's eyes stung. There was a lump in her throat. "He said that he thought that it might've been the only thing that would've snapped you back to your senses, instead of marrying the boy you'd dated for just eleven months." Renesmee finished. "But he couldn't take the risk. Not if it means that something could happen to you because of Edward and he wouldn't have known. He knew you would do it anyway. You went behind his back to let Edward in through your window."

This startled Bella. "He- he knew?"

"Da-Edward's not that good at sneaking around," Renesmee stated, point-blank. "He might be able to sneak in, even without your help, but Grandpa heard his footsteps when he was inside and the floorboards creaked. He knew it wasn't just the wind and the house settling, he said."

"Then why did he never say anything?" Bella asked, aghast. Renesmee shrugged. "You would've taken Edward's side and let him in anyway, once Grandpa had left, or left Grandpa and went with Edward, and he didn't think you would ever go back or even want to see him again. After all, you didn't want to even listen to him." Bella looked like she'd been stabbed. Not least of which because she knew that Renesmee was right. Bella had taken Edward's side over Renesmee, her own daughter. "Anyway, he said he was planning to sue Edward after you got married, but stopped when he found out the two of you had me. He just wanted to wait until after the honeymoon, so he didn't spoil everything and once again, get all the blame because Edward's never the bad guy. Not to you. So it would have had to be him." Bella took a step back. She looked like she'd been slapped.

Renesmee knew what her mother was thinking. "He was too worried about you," she said quietly. "And then you had your illness and you had me."

She fell silent. "After me... he said he didn't want to see the family divided up or have to worry about you and me from a distance." Renesmee pursed her lips.

"Grandpa still loves you. He said he would no matter what."

Bella closed her eyes. "I know," she whispered. Renesmee could see that her mother was hating herself.

"He cares about you." Renesmee said. "And even though he regrets not throwing you out of the house-" Bella flinched "-so that you would've been able to fix things like that girl did for her own life, he was too scared of what you would do if you got kicked out and ended believing everything Edward had said and did more than you already did, despite everything."

Bella didn't speak. Renesmee watched her mother for a long moment, before speaking. "Why did you fall in love with Edward?" She asked quietly.

She waited for another long moment, before her mother looked up. Chocolate-brown eyes met their match in each other. "What did you even love about him?" She asked softly. "What do you love about him then and now?"

Bella couldn't speak. "I-I... he was..." she trailed off after a while.

"Love is an unconditional commitment to an imperfect person."

Erich Fromm

Bella

What was I going to say?

He was beautiful? That he was dazzling? That he swept me off my feet?!

It all sounded foolish, trivial. Like the stuff a high school teenager talks about their crush or their imaginary Prince Charming. Not the things a grown woman would talk about their loved ones having or being like.

But maybe that's because I was a teenager; I was a teenager then when I married him and decided upon immortality, and now I was permanently frozen in this state:

A foolish, naïve teenage girl, with extreme personal issues.

"He... he paid attention to me," I whispered. "He kept me safe."

It was true. But again, it felt weak.

Surely I had better than that! Because now we know that Edward did more than just keep me safe. He kept me safe, alright. But not from himself.

"But you said he only noticed you to begin with only because of the smell of your blood and because he couldn't read your thoughts." my daughter pointed. "That's why he was so interested in you in the first place. And after you came together and went out, he made you wear stuff you didn't like and wouldn't normally wear, and took you to the prom even when you cried and said you didn't want to, and gave you cars you never use or liked to show off even if you tried to protest or complained about it..." Renesmee trailed off.

"It's like he doesn't really care what you want or feel. It's like he wants to do those things with someone but didn't know who to do it with, so he did them to you when he finally found that you were interested in him, and that you wanted to go out with him."

I was speechless.

"Maybe because he couldn't read your mind he started putting things in there," my daughter pointed "and heard what he wanted to hear from your head and your voice. He called you the most beautiful woman in the world, but he always had Auntie Alice dress you up. Even now, she gets you clothes." My daughter's nose wrinkled. Her lip quivered and her eyes filled with tears. "Mom... it's like he loves somebody else. Someone he wants to see in your place, someone he imagined, who thinks, says, feels and acts what he wants her to, who wants the things he wants her to have and do the things he wants her to do with him, like going to dinner or the prom his way. And the little things like your complaints can just be ignored." She shrugged bitterly. "It's the same as Aunt Alice and... and..." Her lip quivered. My daughter took a deep, shaky breath. "Him. Jacob." She spat the word and then swallowed, as if forcing down a bitter pill. "They all think I'm you or I'm like you... or what they both think you to be. They don't really care or want to know me, like or love me the way I am- the way I really am." Tears leaked out of her eyes. "They all see what they think is you, someone who they think should want or feel or think the way they want you to think, and do all the things they like or want to do with someone else... and they see me the same way. Why else would they ask if you really feel this way, or tell you you don't know who or what you really want, like they did to me? Why else would they force you to stay in this place or that, or with this person or that one, the way they did to me?" She whispered.

I could see how deeply Edward and Jacob's betrayals had caused her pain, along with my willful blindness, stupidity and inaction. I could also see how much she hated to say this, because for all she felt betrayed, Edward was still her father, whom she had known, looked up to, trusted and loved for all her life. Same as Jacob, the man she looked up to, trusted and loved. Whom she once totally believed in, despite her chafing at her lack of freedom and her frustrations. And Alice... she was her aunt. Part of her family. The one who went all out to gather witnesses and find another Dhampir in order to save her life and prove to the Volturi that Renesmee could be left in peace. In the end of the day, she could be forgiven but Edward? And Jacob?

But me... How could I not have seen this?

Moreover, how could my nine-month-old daughter, even if she was a fast-growing Dhampir, spot this when I- who had eighteen years to her- couldn't?

Or did I simply choose not to?

I felt my heart freeze, even more than it already had. The last of my remaining strength inside crumble.

She was right; it was as if Edward had been seeing somebody else in my place. Someone who would wear what he and Alice both wanted, who would ride in and drive the cars that he wanted her to have and felt she should have. Who would do the things he wanted her to do with him by her side, like he'd probably imagined; feel, think and say the things he'd wanted her to say. Why else would he constantly say that I was imagining things and call me irrational, silly, unreasonable or childish whenever I said something that could potentially veer off the highway he'd so carefully constructed? He gas-lit me- like the woman in the play that Gabrielle had described. At least Alice had Esme's guidance when she gave me a fairy-tale cottage while Edward had given me a Ferrari and called me silly when I'd wondered if I'd hurt their feelings, or made them worry that I might not like the gift they'd thought out and built for me.

My breath froze. My vision spun. Jacob felt the same way too; he thought I was into his bikes and didn't even stop listen to a damned word I'd said in protest before he'd kissed me. Heck, he'd refused to even be upset or sorry after I got angry and tried to punch him; he was all jazzed up and happy. He knew that I would forgive him easily because I was scared of losing him, of him abandoning me too, he wouldn't have felt remorse otherwise. He didn't as a matter of fact; he was sorry that I was upset with him, but he wasn't sorry he'd kissed me, not when he held me down and forced me to accept his unwanted touch, not when he emotionally blackmailed me into kissing him by threatening self-harm, regardless of my personal feelings about him.

And he kept questioning my judgment, my reasoning, my sanity... Just like Edward... Just like the husband with the gas lights in the play. How many times did Jake take subtle digs and cheap shots at my sense of judgment, reason and sanity? For choosing Edward over him? For actually having the guts to get past my own petty issues and narrow-minded prejudices to treat everyone equally, vampires or Wolves? How many times did he question my sanity for that alone, simply because he was jealous?

I tried to argue to myself that afterwards Jacob had tried to give me up. But did he really? Even without me insisting that Jacob stick to my side during the pregnancy, I remembered how Jacob tried to remind me of the story of King Solomon and how he understood that the one who truly loved the child, his real mother, was the one who was willing to give him up in order to let him live. Even at the cost of her own happiness and seeing her baby grow up in another woman's arms. And while Jacob was forced to accept that Edward had tried to do the same, even when forcing me to live the life he wanted me to live with or without him, without my consent, even then during that precise moment, when Jacob looked me in the eye and reminded me of that story, I knew he was still hoping that I'd get the message: that because he was willing to give me up in order for me to be at peace and to be happy, he was the right one for me- and he expected me to know that.

I remembered the wedding reception: how Jacob arrived and how we danced and made small talk, and he tried to make light of things, despite his own feelings of heartbreak. Then I remembered how Jacob had reacted after I revealed to him that I was going to have a 'real honeymoon' and how badly he took it; but was it really just my safety he was concerned for that night, or something else?

And the notes, I remembered with a jolt. All the messages he'd written to me after Edward had come back. He could've sent me emails or text messages- heck, he could've called me, especially after learning that Edward hadn't been stopping me from going to La Push and that it was Charlie who grounded me. Instead, he chose to write painstaking manual letters with obvious lines of text disagreeing with my relationship and choice of boyfriend as well as threatening to break things off between us because of my relationship with Edward, sentences which were barely crossed out. Like I couldn't see and read the messages. Like he didn't know that I could, because a phone call, a text message or an email would be much easier and quicker if he wanted a response, which I knew he did. Why else would he leave any crossed-out messages whose lines I could easily see through and whose supposedly erased text I could easily discern?

He was trying to manipulate me even then. He played with my guilt, and my cowardice, my selfishness and pathetic clingy nature made it easier for him. But it was my fault too: I'd flirted with him. I'd led him on and gave him mixed signals, just as he had to me, and Edward. And now he'd imprinted on my daughter because of me; because of my stupid mistakes. Because of the girl he thought me to be. I shook.

"He doesn't care about what you actually want or feel," Renesmee was still talking about Edward. "Or how you would feel if anything happens, unless it would make you all quiet and peaceful enough for you to accept whatever he's doing or about to do. Like he did to me. But actually more than what he did to me. He either didn't think you didn't care about Grandpa that much, or he just wasn't that important to him with or without you."

My vision blurred. I crumbled.

I sank to my knees, sobbing my heart out as it broke.

I didn't know how long I knelt there, sobbing, feeling my heart break and its pieces scatter to the winds, inwardly pleading, begging for the universe to forgive me for the mistakes I'd made, but it was long enough. I clung to my daughter's hand, as if to beg her forgiveness in making the mistakes which put us both in this place, led us to this single, horrifying moment.

After a while, slowly, Renesmee stepped away.

"It's a dream to him, isn't it?" She asked, her voice numb. I could feel her grief along with mine. She was mourning; mourning for the father, the brother and the life and happiness she once thought she'd had or would have, as flawed as it had been, as disillusioned as she became. Now, she was forced to come to terms with the fact that it was also a lie; and that the men who sought to keep her safe and loved her the most, Edward and Jacob, whom she had chafed against yet trusted their good hearts and love for her as being the reasons why she was caged... had also loved a lie. Two lies, in fact.

"He's playing games: with our minds, with our guilt. With how little we know and lived for and how we know about that fact... he's using the fact that he lived for much longer than we have, his mind-reading and easy way with words to get what he wants: his perfect family. The ones that does what he wants."

She turned around. "I hate it," she whispered, miserably. "I don't want to be perfect. I'm tired of thinking and doing what everyone else wants me to. I'm tired of pretending. Of feeling bad whenever I want to be normal but can't get it. I'm sick of being told that I'm young and don't know anything, like I'm stupid, when I'm feeling angry or upset. Maybe I am stupid," she said bitterly. "But I'm also tired. I've had enough."

She turned back around. "I want to leave, Mom," she whispered. "I don't want to live in Forks in the cottage anymore. I want to see Sue and Grandpa, Seth and Leah. But otherwise, I want to go."

Suddenly, she sounded vulnerable. Like a little girl, instead of a fast-growing Dhampir. Both of which she was. I held my arms out, my vision still blurred slightly, and she fell into them. Her tears wet my hair. Her silent sobs shook her slender little body.

"I hate it if I can't leave," she sobbed.

"If none of it is real..."

"I know," I whispered. "We'll go." I promised. And then we both wept together. We wept for what we lost; in my case, it was what I carelessly threw away without even caring to know. In my daughter's case, it was something that she never had, and may possibly never have.

"The easy decisions are usually the wrong ones."

John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Gabrielle looked sympathetically at the two from a distance.

Leah looked bone-weary and tired in all ways. She felt drained. Her heart clenched when she accidentally heard Renesmee's words and saw her sobbing. She knew she hated it when she couldn't leave.

She was just a little girl. Never mind who sired her, never mind that she was half a vampire. She was just a little girl who had her life stolen from her before she was born and felt the world around her turn itself upside down and shatter on her feet. And all for a bunch of lies and something that happened before she was born, something she had zero control over.

Leah knew what she had to do. It was just so hard to do it.

Jacob... for all that she hadn't liked the little piece of crap, at least at first, he was still her Alpha. The one who accepted her, albeit grudgingly at first.

Gabrielle looked at her sadly, but pointedly. She cast a charm to ensure that neither of them would be overheard.

"If Jacob doesn't agree," she asked quietly. "What will you do?"

Leah was silent for a while. "He's not going to let Renesmee go without a fight. If he forced a kiss on someone who wasn't his imprint, emotionally blackmailed her and did other things, he's going to be even worse with her, his imprint. You have to be prepared." Gabrielle informed her.

"For what?" Leah whispered.

"I'm going to prepare for the soul-link to reverse the imprint bond between Quil and Claire," Gabrielle warned. "And Renesmee and Jacob. He can't know- none of those that don't already know can- until after Quil and Claire's bond is reversed. In the meantime, I'll also look into soul-magic and mind-magic while I'm at it and find something that will regulate the Pull instincts in your species. But while the Council of Elders has given me their permission, and so has Quil along with Seth, Embry and yourself, I need an Alpha's permission to work on the pack and the future members that have yet to phase, alongside future generations that have yet to be born. Either of them. Though preferably both."

Leah couldn't speak. "You have to tell Sam." Gabrielle warned.

Leah bit her lip. She looked down. "I can give the cream to Emily and help her rebuild her life, same as him, and anyone else if they don't want to stay together- but they might." She insisted. Leah's eyes shot back up to her. "If I do this, there is still a chance that the imprint-couples can work things out. But they can also leave if it doesn't work out between them. Believe me, having the freedom of choice makes all the difference in the world; more than you know. Choosing to open one's heart and give it to someone freely, rather than because they were forced determines what is real love."

"I know," Leah whispered. "I'm glad he and I never imprinted- or anyone else with me." She suppressed a shiver.

What she once wanted more than ever, now felt like a nightmare. Like hell.

"But even if I can convince Sam to give it a chance- not just for his and Emily's sakes, or the rest of the pack and the imprint couples... what about Jacob? He's not like Sam. He won't listen. Not to me; and certainly not on this."

Gabrielle was silent for a long moment. "I examined your DNA samples." She said quietly. "And Billy's. There's Alpha genes in Billy's sample but they're dormant. I suspect there are some in Sam. But there's definitely some in you."

Leah hitched in a breath. So? What did that mean?

"You're a female Alpha, a ruling Luna." Gabrielle warned her. "If push comes to shove, only you will be able to stop him."

"What?" Leah whispered, hoarsely.

"He broke away from Sam's pack, is that right? Once he's old enough?"

"Yeah, long after Sam offered to step down for him when the time came. He didn't agree with them attacking Bella."

"Just Bella?" Gabrielle shook her head, and now Leah could see what that made Jacob sound like. Even though Bella was innocent and pregnant at the time, they turned out to be dead wrong about Renesmee and the rest of the Cullens hadn't done anything wrong...

She caught the look on Gabrielle's heartbreakingly beautiful face, the furrow within her brows. The apprehension. She knew what she was thinking: Jacob was an Alpha, but he was driven firstly by his emotions, his desires and impulses, his fears and anxieties, his own wants and needs. He thought about and used them in his reasoning and leadership, more than anything. And his imprint's well-fare, or what he believed was Renesmee's well-being. Not the overall well-fare of his pack. While Sam hadn't been right to attack a pregnant Bella and the unborn Renesmee, nor any of the Cullens, and Leah could certainly see that now, at least he had been thinking about the best interests of the pack, the Quileutes in general and the safety of people in this town when he made that fateful decision. Jacob would have never gone and broken out of Sam's pack and became an Alpha if the pack hadn't decided to attack the one girl he was madly infatuated with and Seth followed him. Leah herself didn't want to actually kill Bella or her unborn child, or any of the other Cullens, as much as she disliked her, and had then feared what her baby would do. She simply would have abandoned the pack if Seth hadn't gone, and she'd followed out of care for her little brother. She'd mellowed out her dislike of Jake, and her hatred of the Cullens- with the one exception of Edward- but while Jake was a great guy...

"Would the pack have supported him if he had challenged Sam for the leadership?" Gabrielle questioned. "If he hadn't broken away? If Sam wasn't being reasonable and Jacob had considerable support within a portion of the members of the pack, or even some of the more influential members, and they had a valid reason to prove that Sam's leadership was compromised or wasn't reasonable..." she trailed off, eyes meaningful as they looked at Leah.

Leah inhaled sharply. "You don't mean..."

"Seth, Embry and Quil are all members of Jacob's pack." Gabrielle deduced. "Am I right? Have any of the others imprinted?"

When Leah mutely shook her head, Gabrielle pressed forwards. "Then three of the most senior members would be enough support if Jacob doesn't listen to reason. They look around the same age, for Embry and Quil. And Seth was the first to follow him. That gives them more traction and influence than most. Otherwise, you'd have to get a majority of the pack to support your claims if and when you confront him about his reasoning and judgment- if only to prevent him from doing something else morally dubious, like preventing Renesmee from leaving. Who's the Beta of the pack?"

"The second-in-command? That's me."

Gabrielle winced, nodding. "And I see that this is definitely going to be hard for you. He is your Alpha, after all. But think about Jacob as well: does anyone deserve to stay and pine for someone who will never wish to return? Who only feels caged and trapped with them?" Leah was silent.

"If his mind wasn't already stable to begin with and imprinting hasn't solved any issues, merely exacerbated his need to have his supposed 'mate' with him at all times... and he isn't going to let go of her and she's underage and reluctant overall... Merlin, if he's already involuntarily imprinted because deep down he knows he would never have harmed a baby out of revenge against her parents in his right mind-" Leah winced.

"I wish it wouldn't be like this either," Gabrielle whispered. "Your honour and sense of loyalty are some of the things I admire about you, along with your internal strength, even when some people don't deserve it or take it for granted. And in the end, the choice will be yours and yours alone. Sam could challenge Jacob for the control of his pack, but for what reason? If he's also emotionally and potentially mentally compromised-"

Leah inhaled sharply. Her vision blurred.

"You might be their only hope," Gabrielle whispered "for the Quileute Wolves and Renesmee. You're already an Alpha female, Leah. A Luna."

Leah swallowed. "Give him a chance first." She whispered.

Gabrielle nodded. "Of course. Just be prepared."

Had to edit this chapter. So what do you think about my- or Gabrielle's science-based reasoning and logic as to why Sam and Jacob imprinted on Emily and Renesmee, respectively? And passed over both Leah and Bella? I can't believe that Stephenie Meyer only put Sue's maiden name- and the subsequent details about her and Leah's relation to Sam- in a semi-canon source when it would've made so much sense!

My reasoning for how Jacob saw Renesmee as a substitute target for revenge against Edward and Bella: his own thoughts in Breaking Dawn just before imprinting when approaching Renesmee with the intent to kill:

'If Bella'd survived, she would've hated me for this. She would have wanted to kill me personally. But I didn't care. She didn't care what she had done to me- letting herself be slaughtered like an animal. Why should I take her feelings into account?'

And the last thing he saw right before he imprinted:

'The murderer stared past Rosalie's shoulder to me, its gaze more focused than any newborn creature's gaze should be.

Warm brown eyes, the color of milk chocolate- the exact same color that Bella's had been

My shaking jerked to a stop; heat flooded through me, stronger than before, but it was a new kind of heat- not a burning.

It was a glowing.'

And that was what triggered Jacob to imprint: seeing Bella's eyes. And notice that he imprinted just before he could kill the baby, as soon as he had his first clear look. Imagine if Renesmee had inherited Edward's eyes like Bella had imagined. Imagine if she'd been the boy that Bella herself initially envisioned. He would not have hesitated. But would Jacob Black even take out his anger on another person just because their relative hurt him? He knew deep down that the Cullens weren't really monsters, especially after being forced to cooperate then hang around them. And after learning, once Edward could hear the baby's thoughts, that the baby genuinely loved Bella and was trying not to hurt her, Jacob couldn't find it in him to care; he didn't want to. Read Breaking Dawn again. He goes out, angry that Edward had changed his mind- because as it turned out he still wanted Edward to suffer. He'd 'counted on him to suffer, more than I had" and he was angry he didn't. So he charges out of the house and tries to imprint on any girl he sees, creepily staring at them. And for the basis of my logic that he doesn't really know Bella that well: when Jacob encountered a girl named Lizzie who'd admired his borrowed car and was nice enough to be kind to him, even though he was in a real mood he thought this:

'Nice girl who knew cars.Wow. I stared at her face harder, wishing I knew how to make it work. C'mon Jake- imprint already.'

That's his idea of what his perfect soulmate would be like. As mentioned, Bella only took an interest in his hobby of motorbikes because she needed someone to reach out to after her traumatic dumping, and she wanted to hallucinate about Edward which an adrenaline rush enabled her to.

Jacob didn't really know Bella anymore than Edward did: like Edward he only loved what he wanted to see, whom he thought she was. And him loving Bella was what set out the pathway of him loving Renesmee. Plus, like Gabrielle said here, what does Jacob Black know about pregnancy, including hormones?