Goodbyes

"The weather in Portland looks perfect, Edward. No worries," Alice stated matter-of-factly. "Overcast all day. You and Bella should be fine. No major traffic problems, nothing. Would you quit worrying so much?"

Dad sighed deeply. "I just want to make sure that everything is in order." He grinned sideways at me with his crooked smile. "It's not every day that you send your only child off to college." He put his arm around me and gave me a squeeze.

"I'll be fine, Dad," I insisted. "I've got my phone. I'll keep in touch with you guys every day."

Mom looked up at the clock. "Wow, it's getting late. We need to get you to bed, honey."

I sighed. "OK." I trudged out to the front porch. Jake followed me. He wrapped his arms around me and kissed me on the forehead. "I miss you already."

I rested my head against his warm chest. "I know. I feel the same way. It will be OK, though. You can come visit me on the weekends." I smiled up at him. "We can take in the city together."

He nodded slowly. "Sure." Then, my parents stepped outside. I released myself from his arms and kissed him on the cheek one last time. "I'll see you in the morning, OK?"

"OK. Sweet dreams, Ness."

I walked away, waving at him. He looked so sad. Once again, part of me wanted to run back into his arms and promise him I would never leave his side, but I... just couldn't. I turned to Mom and Dad. "You know, I can go back by myself. I'm a big girl," I joked.

Mom shook her head. "No way. This will be our last chance to tuck you in for a while. I'm not missing this chance." She put her arm around me and the three of us walked back toward the cottage at a human pace.

Once we got back to our house, I sat down in one of the chairs in the living room. "So, everything seems to be taken care of. I can't believe that you guys bought me all that new furniture for my new apartment. I have a perfectly fine bed and dresser here, you know."

Dad laughed. "Esme wouldn't have it any other way. She and Alice and Rose had a field day, setting up your new room. Besides, when you come home, we want everything to be exactly as you left it, so that you know you have a home here, too."

"Of course, I know that this will always be my home. This is just temporary." I yawned. "I guess I'm more tired than I thought." I headed back to my bedroom. I snuggled under my soft blankets. Mom sat on the edge of the bed. They both kissed me on the forehead and then Dad sat down in the chair in the corner and started softly humming a lullaby.




"The day is finally here!!!" Alice giggled. She bounced around my bedroom and helped me get dressed.

What a strange choice for moving day, I thought, staring down at the long, snow white gown that I had on. The skirt was made out of tulle, and the bodice sparkled with pale rhinestones. At that exact moment, Jake walked in, looking quite dashing in a tuxedo. He took my hand and we walked outside, where the rest of my family - Mom and Dad, Carlisle, Esme, Jasper, Rose, and Emmett waited. Even Grandpa Charlie was there.

Grandpa Carlisle smiled widely at me and Jake. "Well, let's begin, shall we?" He turned to Jake. "Do you, Jacob Black, take Renesmee Carlie Cullen to be your wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, from this day forward, as long as you both shall live?"

Jake smiled widely and nodded. "I do." At that moment, he took something from his pocket and slid it on my finger. I looked down and gasped. It was the sapphire ring. Something was different, though. It felt extremely heavy. I had a hard time holding my hand up.

Carlisle smiled. "Great. I now pronounce you man and wife. Jake, you may kiss your bride." He stepped back and Jake took me in his arms. Wait. What was going on? Why didn't I have to recite the vows? Where was Jake's ring? Why was this even happening today, of all days? What in the world was going on?

Jake kissed me with his warm mouth, then stared into my eyes. "We're together, Ness, for eternity."



I woke up with a gasp. A dream, I told myself. I shook my head and looked outside. The sun wasn't even up yet, but I knew I needed to start getting ready for the day. It was almost a five hour drive to Portland, but the way my father drove, I knew it would take only half that time.

Such a strange dream. Of course, I knew that there was the possibility that I would one day marry Jake, some day down the road, but I didn't see that happening any time soon. I knew that he would never force me into anything like that. He only wanted what was best for me. That's all he had ever wanted. But something still just didn't feel right.

I quickly got dressed and went with my parents back to the main house. The only thing I had left to take with me was a small suitcase. Everything else had already been packed. The morning went by in a blur. Esme cooked me a large breakfast, which I ate quickly. It was pretty delicious, for human food - French toast, eggs, and bacon. I still felt like I wasn't completely satisfied.

"Do you need to go hunting one last time?" Dad asked as I put down my fork. I nodded.

"I'll go with you," Mom offered.

I smiled. "Great." I took her hand and we dashed out the door and into the woods.

About an hour later, we returned. I'd taken down a large mountain lion. It was so satisfying. The breakfast Esme made for me paled in comparison, though I'd never say that to her. You need to get used to human food, I chided myself. It would be all I'd have access to while I was away.

I mentally went over everything on my checklist. We were about ready to go.

"I think it's about time that we hit the road," Dad said. I walked out with him and Mom toward the garage. He placed my suitcase in the trunk of his car. The rest of the family followed. I hugged each one of them.

"I know you'll make us proud," Grandpa Carlisle said. Esme kissed me on the cheek. Rose had a wistful look on her face. Emmett snatched me up in a big bear hug and spun me around. I giggled. I would miss my big bear of an uncle. After hugging and kissing Alice and Jasper, I turned to the last face. Jake. He looked very sad, but he was trying to smile, obviously for my benefit. I took his face in my hands and tilted it down to face me. I love you, I told him silently. He leaned in and kissed me on the cheek. "I love you, too," he whispered in my ear. "I'll be waiting for you."

I started walking toward the car, which Dad had pulled out into the driveway. Alice stepped forward, along with Esme and Rose, and they each held up small bottles, and they started blowing bubbles at me. I laughed. That was so Alice.

"Good luck, Nessie!" everyone shouted. I laughed and got into the car. Looking at the faces of everyone in my family, I started to tear up. I turned my head away and stared forward at the road in front of us as we drove away.

Warmth

I sat on the porch of the main house, strumming my acoustic guitar.

"Hey, Ness." Jake walked up the steps to the porch, grinning. "Sounds good." He put his arms around me in a loose embrace.

"Thanks." I smiled at him. I'd spent less time with him recently than I'd liked. The holidays had come and gone, and I was leaving for Portland next week. I had spent a lot of time preparing. Everything over the last several weeks had gone much better than I'd imagined they ever would. I went with my parents to visit the city and tour Reed College. I'd been accepted and registered for school, deciding only to take two classes this semester, until I got a feel for going to school. I had planned to take more classes over the summer if everything went well. My parents even helped me to find an apartment not too far from campus, and a roommate. We hadn't met in person yet, but I'd spoken to Natalie on the phone and via email several times. I had gotten the vibe that she was a laid back, hippie kind of girl. She was studying full time at Reed.

"Aren't you freezing out here?" Jake asked. I shrugged. It was a chilly day, but I hadn't really noticed until he pointed it out. My temperature ran several degrees higher than a human's, though not as high as Jake's. "Why don't we go back to your place?"

"Sure." I stepped inside the front door and found my family gathered inside. From the looks of it, Alice had just gone shopping and was modeling a new outfit for my mom, who was seated on the couch next to my dad. I smirked as I recognized that my mom was trying to look interested but was really bored out of her mind.

"Hey, Ness!" Alice called. "I just got back from a trip to Seattle. What do you think?" She pirouetted in front of me, her A-line skirt fanning out around her.

I nodded enthusiastically. "I love it."

Alice smiled, looking back at my mom. "Apparently, your great taste is not an inherited trait." She squinted her eyes at Mom playfully. Mom rolled her eyes.

"Jake and I are going to go hang out at the cottage for a while. Is that OK?" Jake slipped his arm around my shoulders.

"Sure," Mom said. "Your father and I will be back this evening. We're going hunting here in a bit."

My father's expression abruptly changed and he began glaring at Jake. "Watch your thoughts, wolf," he muttered. I turned to Jake and found him blushing.





"Your dad's been a little..." Jake paused as we walked back to the cottage. "He's been really grumpy lately."

I sighed. I'd noticed as much. "He's just not happy about me leaving. You know, his only daughter going off to college."

"I completely understand." He scooped me up in his arms, surprising me. "I'm not exactly thrilled about that myself." He began to sprint the last few yards toward the cottage. He carried me in the front door and we went into the living room. He had to duck his head to avoid hitting it on the low, exposed beams. I sat on the rug on the floor and Jake began arranging the wood in the small fireplace and began to light a fire.

He sat next to me on the floor. I held his hands and stared at him. I would miss him. Truly, I did love him. I felt like that love was a permanent part of who I was, existing for as long as I had. Slowly, it had begun to change, to become something more than just the love of a best friend, something that would survive regardless of distance or time. He kissed me on the forehead. Suddenly, I became acutely aware of the sound of my pounding heart. I placed my hand on his cheek, showing him a memory. It was from the day I had started to realize that the love between us was changing, less than a year ago. I felt my face flush lightly and I kissed him on his soft, warm lips.

Suddenly, our kisses became intense, more urgent. I felt our lips part and I twisted my fingers in his dark hair. I felt a rush of warmth, of desire, sweep through my body. It felt like I was in another realm, far away from the confines of the small cottage. I heard the sound of both of our pulses quickening. I felt my hands running down his back while his hands explored as well.

Suddenly, Jake pulled away from me and I came crashing back to reality. "Wow," he said, taking a deep breath. "That was... amazing."

I smiled at him suggestively. "It doesn't have to end."

He frowned. "I don't want it to end. I really don't. I just don't want your father to murder me."

I pouted. I squeezed his hand. There's more to it than that, I said to him silently.

He let out a huge sigh. "You're right. There is." He paused for a moment and looked deep in though. "How do I phrase this? Ness, it's just not the best idea right now, not a good idea for you. I will never do anything that would hurt you, emotionally or otherwise."

I frowned. "I know you would never hurt me, Jake. I don't think it's possible for you to hurt me if you tried."

"You're right. I could never hurt you. But...going too much further is not what's best for you right now, for us. You're so young. We've got forever. I want to do this the right way. You're worth waiting for, Ness."

I sighed. In my mind, I knew he was right, but my body had other ideas. I leaned in to kiss him again, and things started to pick up where they left off. Jake kissed me for just a moment, then leaned away. He stood up quickly, knocking his head on one of the rafters.

I stood up and embraced him. "Are you OK?"

He nodded. "I'm fine. Look, I've got to go, OK? I've got patrols." He gave me a quick peck on the cheek. "I'll see you soon." With that, he turned and walked out the front door. I followed him for a moment, long enough to watch him phase and for the huge russett colored wolf to disappear into the woods.