Damien

I sighed, rubbing my back. It was my third evening in a row to work at the diner and to have class in the morning also. I ached all over. I stared down at my cute Mary Jane shoes. Perhaps I need to invest in a comfortable pair of walking shoes. I outgrew my shoes so quickly that it was hard to keep up. Hopefully my growth would start slowing down soon.

I plopped down in a chair for a moment. My shift ended in twenty minutes, and I'd completed all of my side work. Though the diner was a twenty four hour joint, we only had two customers, obvious college students, sitting in a booth, drinking coffee. I decided now would be a good time to rest. I closed my eyes and put my chin on the counter.

The ringing of bells stirred me from almost falling asleep. I snapped my head up quickly and noticed Natalie walking in the door, the bells above it ringing. She had a smile on her face. "Hey, Ness."

"Oh, hey Nat. What's going on?"

"Not too much." She sat down in a bar stool across from me, grinning widely. "I just had the most amazing evening of my life!" Her greenish brown eyes widened.

I laughed. "Life changing, huh? I wanna hear all about it."

"OK. His name is Jason, and we have lab together in the mornings. I knew he'd been eyeing me for a while, and today he finally asked me for my phone number. I gave it to him, not expecting much, but he actually called me right after class..."

I nodded, trying to listen intently to my new friend, but then I heard someone enter into the diner again. Great, I thought. A potential rush of customers may have to cause me to stay late, and I just wasn't feeling it tonight. I'd hustled my butt off all night. On the plus side, I'd made a pretty decent amount in tips. Jack, the manager, had been a lot more respectful to me since that first night, and even Janet, the server from the other day, had warmed up to me. I stood up to seat the incoming customer. "Be right back, Natalie. Hold that thought."

As I walked toward the table the man had selected, I noticed that he was sitting in a booth with his back turned to me. I walked around to face him. My heart dropped into my stomach. It was him. His hair was a messy collection of spikes and he had on a t shirt of a punk band from the eighties, with a corduroy blazer over it.

"Um, hi. My name's, my name's Renesmee, and I'll be your server today," I stammered. I had a hard time remembering my own name, staring into those piercing eyes.

He grinned. "Pleasure to meet you, Renesmee. That is a gorgeous name." He extended his hand. "My name is Damien. Damien Adams." He paused, staring at me. "You look exhausted. Why don't you have a seat?"

"Uh..." I shook his hand awkwardly. "I'm not really supposed to..." I scanned the diner and the evening manager was nowhere in sight. What the hell? I sat down across from him.

He tilted his head. "You look familiar. Didn't you almost plow me over in front of this very building a few days ago?"

I blushed a deep red. "Guilty."

He laughed. "You almost knocked me on my ass. You're strong for such a dainty looking thing." Normally, I would be annoyed as such obvious flirting, but I was speechless. I just shrugged.

"Anyway, no harm, no foul. I'll just have a cup of black coffee for now, but it's no rush." I nodded and stood up. "Feel free to join me again if you get a moment."

"Sure." I didn't know what else to say. I felt drawn to this guy for some reason, and I don't think it was just his looks. He had some sort of air about him... I couldn't put my finger on it. Oh, and he smelled delicious. Slow down, I chided myself. You barely know this guy. You might want to stay away. He could be a murderer for all you know.

I made my way back to the counter where Natalie sat. I leaned into whisper in her ear. His back was turned from me, after all. "That's him!" I hissed into her ear. "The one I ran into the other day..."

Natalie lit up with a smile again. "Really?" She turned around in her stool to get a glance, but only could see the back of his head, spiky blonde hair pointed in all directions. She giggled. "Doesn't he own a comb?"

I shrugged as I poured the coffee. "I think he's cute."

She nodded. "I'd love to see his face. I think I need to make a bathroom break." She walked deliberately past his table, trying to discreetly look in his direction. She seemed pleased with what she saw.

I returned to the table with the coffee. "Here you are."

He smiled at me again and I got really dizzy. "Thank you, sweet Renesmee. Such an interesting name..."

I nodded, sitting down again. "It's a combination of my two grandmother's names, Renee and Esme."

He sipped his coffee. "Esmee, huh? That's pretty old fashioned."

Watch what you reveal to him. "I guess it was more popular back then. You can call me Nessie, though, or Ness. That's my nickname."

"I don't know... I really like Renesmee. It's really unique." He paused. "I'm sorry if I'm keeping from your work."

"I actually get off in about fifteen minutes, and all of my work is done."

He smiled and sipped his coffee. "I guess I may have to stick around for a while then."

Bloodlust

I stared into the ice blue eyes from across the crowded coffee shop. He drew me in like a magnet. Suddenly, I was right next to him. His scent.... I stood up on my toes and brushed my mouth against his neck. Something instinctual kicked in, something buried from a long time ago.... I sank my teeth into his neck, warm blood flowing from his jugular. It was the sweetest thing I'd ever tasted. He stared back at me, shocked. The beautiful blue eyes suddenly morphed into a bright, burning red. No, I thought. This isn't right!! I'm not supposed to be venomous. What's going on? The eyes became deeper and deeper red. His skin and hair darkened, but the eyes remained blood red. I stumbled several feet back and suddenly found myself staring into the face of Jacob Black.


"What's wrong?" Natalie stumbled into my room, rubbing her eyes. My screams must have woken her up. "Why were you screaming bloody murder?"

My eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room. Her shape was outlined in the doorway by the light in the living room. "Uh.... I had a nightmare. A really bad one."

She flipped on my lamp and sat on the edge of my bed. "What was it about? Sometimes talking about it helps."

I chewed on my bottom lip nervously. "I dreamed that my best friend was murdered." Close enough. That's all the information that I was going to supply at this time.

She hugged me. "Oh, Nessie, that's terrible. I'm so sorry. It was just a dream, though."

I nodded. "I'll be OK. It was just a dream. I'm going to go back to sleep now."

"Do you need anything? I'm about to go back to bed if not. I have an 8:00 AM class."

I shook my head. "I'm just going to try to go back to sleep now." She nodded and left my room. I pulled the covers over my head and prayed for a dreamless sleep.



"Are you guys still hiring?" A tall dark haired lady looked up from the register at the diner in which I'd seen the help wanted sign the day before. She eyed me critically, looking me up and down.

"The sign's still on the door, isn't in?" she said with an edge in her voice. I sighed. "Let me go get the manager." She turned around and went through the kitchen door. A moment later a short, pudgy man walked up to the counter.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

"Yes. I was interested in the server position."

He stared at me for a moment, looking me up and down. I self consciously tugged the front of my shirt up just a bit, realizing it was a tad low cut. "I have plenty of experience cooking and serving others. I come from a large family..."

"You're hired. You can start tonight." He leaned behined the counter and tossed me an apron. This took me by surprise. Didn't he want to interview me? He smirked at me. I couldn't help but notice that he was staring at my chest. "Come back at six for the evening shift, sweetheart. Don't be late." My fingers brushed across his hand as he gave me some paper work to fill out. I felt the pulse in his finger tips.

Don't call me sweetheart. THAT may be something you'd live to regret. I gasped as I realized the violent nature of my thoughts. I was NOT a violent person and couldn't believe what had just popped in my mind.

"Uh...I'm sorry if that sounded forward." He had a look of absolute shock and terror in his eyes, and then he stared down at the ground. "I really appreciate you helping us out. We'll get you trained and ready to go this evening. By the way, what's your name?"

"Renesmee Cullen." I swallowed hard. I think that I was still touching his hand when that dark thought crossed my mind. Oops. I had to be more careful. "You can just call me Nessie."

He smirked again, but then look like he had second thoughts about his reaction. He quickly took on a professional expression. "My name is Jack. I'll see you later tonight, Nessie."

Imprint

I stared up from my steaming cup of coffee and out the window. My first day of class was over. I had English composition and although I got a little lost on campus, I really felt as though I was going to enjoy school. I had talked to a few students. Truthfully, it made me a little nervous, as if they could just look at me and tell that there was something different about me. Don't be ridiculous, I told myself. I was just a normal college student. A normal, six year old, half vampire college student. I sipped my cappuccino and tapped my fingers on the table. I stared down at them. I'd painted my nails a pretty cobalt blue, but now they were chewed down very short. I had been a little anxious this morning and now I was trying to wind down at the coffee shop near my new apartment, the one where Natalie worked.

After I became bored people watching, I pulled out my cell phone. I miss you. I tapped out the message on my phone and hit send.

About thirty seconds later, my phone rang. "Hello?"

"I just wanted to hear your sweet voice," he said with a laugh. "How was your first class?"

"Enlightening." I smiled. "What's been going on back home?"

"Same old, same old." Jake laughed. "OK, I lied. A new guy came to town. His name is Derek. He's taking quite a... liking to Leah." He started laughing louder, as if I was missing some inside joke.

"Uh... OK. What am I missing?" My finger tapping increased. Leah was the only female member of the wolf pack and hadn't yet imprinted on anyone, as Jacob had on me, and some of the other members had with other girls in the area. Some people wondered if she ever would imprint, or if this was strictly a male thing.

"He's been following her around everywhere. He's from the Makah rez, and a lot of the guys think that he's actually imprinted on Leah. He can't seem to leave her side. She's flattered, of course, but a bit overwhelmed." He snorted. "At least we don't have to hear her thinking about Sam as much." Her former boyfriend, Sam Uley, had imprinted on her cousin, Emily, and broke her heart. Sam hadn't meant to hurt her, but it had been very difficult for the pack, since they could hear each other's thoughts while in wolf form. Sam and Emily had wed last year.

"Wow. I thought only members of your pack could imprint." That was interesting.

"Who knows? I just hope that Leah can be happy one day, whether there's anything supernatural involved or not." He paused. "As happy as we are."

I smiled. Jake did make me happy. For my whole life, he'd always been there for me. There was no denying that there was an attraction. He was my best friend. I was still undecided about where our future was headed, but he was definitely very close to my heart. Maybe I was looking at this the wrong way. Jake had no doubts about me - I am his imprint. I felt guilty about having doubts myself. "Me too," I simply said. "Leah deserves happiness after everything she's been through." So do you, I thought guiltily. I was glad that we weren't talking in person.

"Oh, no doubt," he agreed. "Derek has definitely been showering her with attention. He has brought her flowers every day since he met her, which has only been three days, but still." He laughed again. "I'm sorry. I'm rambling. It just seems so weird, not having you here."

"I know." I wrapped my hands around my warm mug of coffee. "I do miss you. I like it here a lot, though. My roommate is really cool. I think you'd like her."

"Maybe I can come down this weekend."

"Maybe."

We chatted for a few minutes, then I let him go. I wanted to go back to my apartment and review some of the material that I'd gotten in class that day. I walked out of the coffee shop, the cold air hitting me in the face when I walked out. I wandered down the sidewalk and walked a few blocks. The city was bustling with lunchtime foot traffic. I walked past a small diner with a help wanted sign in it. Hmmm. I had thought about getting a job in the city, not that I needed the money. Coming from an affluent family, I'd never had to think about getting a job. My parents had sent me off with enough money for me to cover school expenses, groceries, and other necessities. But it wasn't MY money. I'd love to work, get more of the life experience I'd craved when I left Forks. I stared at the sign for a moment. Maybe, if it's still there tomorrow. I whirled around to leave and walked right into someone.

"Oh, pardon me," I mumbled, blushing. I looked up and stared into the face of my victim. He was almost as pale as me, with ice blue eyes and pale blonde hair which was spiked in every direction. He looked like he was in his early to mid twenties. I suddenly found myself blushing for a completely different reason.

"No worries." He laughed, staring at me for a moment. I closed my eyes, trying not to focus on his warm, appealing scent and accompanying bright smile at me. His perfectly white teeth.

I stared back down at the sidewalk and walked away as quickly as I could.

Natalie

I wrapped my long black trench coat around me and threw my scarf over my shoulder. I waved goodbye to my mother and father as they drove away. With a sigh, I turned toward my new apartment, brass key in hand. I walked up the two flights of stairs and twisted the key in the door. My parents had spent the morning helping me settle in to my new home, and then we ate dinner at a local diner before they departed to go back to Forks.



I smiled again at the plate of homemade chocolate chip cookies my new roommate had left on the small kitchen counter. Make yourself at home, Renesmee. I'll be working until around 8:30. I can't wait to see you! Natalie. I placed the note, written in slightly sloppy scrawl, back down on the counter and helped myself to a cookie. I was only slightly nervous about meeting Natalie face to face. I'd talk to her many times on the phone and online, but I was slightly anxious about being in the presence of a human so frequently, especially one I didn't know well.



Still chewing the cookie, I walked into my bedroom. I took in my surroundings, shaking my head and laughing to myself. Esme, Alice, and Rose had bought me a beautiful new white four poster bed and a pretty purple and green bedding set. I sat down on the edge of the bed. The room wasn't large, so it took up the majority of the space, but there was a small desk with a lamp and chair. I had set up my laptop on this table. I smiled up at the bulletin board, filled with pics of my parents, family, and Jacob, that was hanging on the walls above my desk. They had really thought of everything. I even had a chair in the other corner of my room in which I had propped my guitar. That would be my favorite part of the room. There was also a small dresser (I opened the drawers to reveal a load of cosmetic and hair products. Alice.) and a mirror.



I lied down on the bed, sinking into the plush pillow top mattress. I was exhausted. The entire day had been, go go go. My parents may not get tired, but I certainly did. I closed my eyes and hugged up to a pillow.



"Renesmee? Are you here?"



I opened my eyes, pulling my cell phone from my pocket. It was 8:20, and I'd been asleep for over two hours. I rubbed my eyes and walked into the small living room. Standing in the door was my new roommate, Natalie. She was slightly taller than me, with long dark brown hair and hazel eyes. I smiled at her. It was nice to put a face with a name and voice.



"Natalie!" I walked up to her and hugged her. "It's so nice to meet you finally."



She returned my smile. "It's nice to meet you, too." She stepped back and stared at me. "Wow, you're so pretty. I love your hair." She spoke with a very slight southern accent which I hadn't noticed when we'd spoken on the phone.



I felt my face flush slightly. "Thank you." I ran my hair through my curls. "It can be annoying at times."



"Ugh. I look rough," she said with a laugh, motioning to her outfit - a long sleeved black top and matching black slacks. "Since it's a Saturday, I pulled a double at the coffee shop."

I nodded. She was actually quite pretty, for a human. Her greenish brown eyes sparkled. "I had a long day, too. I nodded off for just a little while," I told her.

Natalie pulled her hair down from its pony tail, shaking it loose, and a delicious aroma wafted through the room. My mouth watered instinctively. "I'm sure you did." She sat down on the small sofa in the living room and motioned for me to join her. "Did your parents leave already?"

I nodded. "They did. They didn't want to be rude, but it's a long drive back to Forks." And there's just no way to explain to you how they are really my parents, when they don't look that much older than me, I thought.

"Oh, I completely understand. Forks sounds like it's a lovely place. You grew up there, right?"

"Yeah. I've lived there my whole life. I can't wait to get out and about here in Portland."

"I know how you feel. When I first moved here last year, I was so excited. I grew up in a small town outside of Mobile, Alabama. My parents thought I was crazy when I told them I wanted to move all the way out here." She laughed.

"I know what you mean. My parents weren't too keen on the idea either, even though it wasn't such a long distance for me. Don't you get really homesick?"

She shrugged. "I do. Mostly, I miss the beach." She smiled. "My parents used to always say that my eyes are the color of the ocean. Well, the Gulf of Mexico, anyway." She had a distant look in her eyes. "I love going to the beach out here when I can, but there's just something about the warm, humid Gulf breeze." She laughed.

"I'd love to visit one day." I paused, not sure how much information to disclose to my new friend. "My Aunt Alice is from Biloxi, Mississippi, originally, and I've always been kind of curious about the south."

"Well, apparently you're not alone. The guys around here seem to love my accent, anyway. We should go out tomorrow night. I can introduce you to some friends." She paused. "Oh, wait. I forgot. You have a boyfriend back home, right?"

"It's complicated. I do have a guy that I'm more than friends with, but... I just feel like things are moving a little too quickly. I want to be open to whatever happens here in the city. If it's meant to be, he and I will end up together."

Natalie laughed. "That's the spirit! You are going to love Portland."

I smiled at her. I was so excited to start this new chapter in my life.

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.

A Visit with Charlie

I stepped out of Dad's car and onto the sidewalk, scanning for Grandpa Charlie. We were meeting for lunch at his favorite restaurant, The Lodge. I hadn't seen him in several weeks and I wanted to spend some quality time with him prior to leaving for school.

"Hey, Ness." He walked up and gave me a quick hug. I inhaled his scent, savoring it. It was still rather difficult for me to be around humans at times, but I was pretty much used to it at this point. He and Sue and other humans smelled differently from Jake and the other shape shifters. He smelled delicious. I faintly remembered having a penchant for biting Mom while she was still human, and Jake as well, as a baby.

"Hi, Grandpa Charlie." I pulled him in closer, hugging him tightly. I missed him so much. The fact that my time was limited with him made me want to spend even more time with him. I would leave for school in just a couple of months.

He released from my embrace and stared at me. "I swear, you have grown a foot since I saw you last." He wasn't entirely off by too much. He shook his head. "I don't understand it. I'm not going to pretend that I do."

"I know," I assured him. "I've had a ... growth spurt." My whole life had been a growth spurt. I was six years old and already 5'5".

He took a deep breath and then we walked toward the restaurant. He held the door open for me. "I hope you're hungry."

"Ravenous," I agreed. But not so much for food. I would survive, though. Part of being a Cullen was playing this public role. It was more difficult for me to have to do with family, though. We took a seat at a small, quiet booth near the back of the diner. Our smiling waitress brought us two menus.

"I think I'll have a veggie burger and a small green salad," I told the waitress.

"I'll have the works cheeseburger." Charlie handed the menu back to the waitress. "And we may split some cobbler for dessert."

"That sounds great." I did occasionally have a craving for sweets.

Charlie stared across the table at me. "I just can't get over how much you are starting to look like your mom," he mused. "You have exactly her shade of eyes, or the shade her eyes used to be." He shook his head. "I guess there are some things that it's just better I don't understand. One thing that hasn't changed is how much she loves you, and so do I."

"I love you too, Grandpa."

He laughed. "You even ordered the exact same thing that she used to when we ate here. Are you becoming a vegetarian too?"

You don't know the half of it. I simply nodded. There was so much I wanted to share with him. I longed to share it with him. It almost physically hurt for me not to tell him, but I knew that the more he knew, the more danger he would be in. "So, what have you been up to lately?"

"I went fishing with Billy the other day. He's been really lonely lately, since Jake has been gone so much. That kid really needs to take a hint. You're much too young for him."

"Jake...understands me. He gets what it's like, living the life that I live. I think you know what I mean."

He nodded, deep in thought, and then cringed at what must have been a memory. "Yeah, I do and I don't, Ness." He smiled, easing the tension. "As long as you don't change into a giant wolf, I think we'll be OK."

I laughed. "That's one thing you don't have to worry about."

The waitress soon arrived back with our food. "Here you are, Charlie." She turned to smile at me. "Ness, I can't believe how much you've grown. You really do look a lot like your uncle Edward." This was the public story. I hadn't really gone out in public, away from the reservation or the Cullen's house, very much until recently, when my growth had started to slow. I was introduced to the people in town as Dad's niece, the teenage daughter of his older brother. Both of my parents had recently died and I was left in their care. Charlie had met me as a baby and this was the story he was originally told as well, though he saw through the story almost immediately.

I smiled politely. "That's what people say, though I really have my mom's eyes."

She nodded. "She must have been a very beautiful lady." She walked away slowly, leaving us to enjoy our meal.

"Anyway, yeah. Jake is great. I'm not exactly sure where that's headed, but...I do like him a lot."
"The feeling seems more than mutual," Charlie laughed.

I chewed my veggie burger in silence for a few moments. "Grandpa Charlie, there's something I wanted to tell you," I said finally. He look up from his plate. "Well, I'm almost grown now... and I've decided to go off to school in Portland for a while. I'll be back for holidays, and some weekends. I just really think it's time I experienced life outside of Forks."

He nodded slowly. "I knew this was coming eventually. I know that you're growing up so fast. How...how are you going to explain this to your roommate, your classmates? Hell, I don't even understand it."

"Well, see, that's the good thing. By Grandpa Carlisle's estimate, I should be done growing pretty soon. I'll just look like an average college student."

Charlie sighed. "One of these days, you're going to have to quit talking in code like this. I love you so much, Ness, but I don't understand." He stared at me. "I just keep thinking that I'm going to wake up one day and you'll be gone, like you were a dream."

I swallowed. "We just can't really talk to you about that right now. I'll talk to Mom and Dad. I'm hoping, one day, we will be able to tell you everything. Just know that I do love you and I will be back." I shoved his arm playfully. "You can't get rid of me that easily."

"I hope not." He sighed. "You're just a kid. I don't mean to dump all this heavy stuff on you. I just hate to see you grow up so fast. I hope you know what you're doing and you make the right decisions for you."

I nodded. "That's the thing. I don't know what the right thing is yet. That's what I'm hoping to find out. All I've known my whole life is life here in Forks. There seems to be such a big world out there, and I want to explore it."

"You're a smart girl, Renesmee. I'm sure you'll figure it out. You know, you remind me a bit of your grandmother, Renee, in that way. So curious about the world. I wish you could meet her, but I understand why you can't. Not right now anyway. Maybe once you quit growing like a weed..." He laughed.

"I'd really love to meet her. Mom's told me so much about her. I'd like to try to meet her one day. We'll work out the details." No matter what happened in life, I felt like everything would work out. I'd already overcome so many obstacles. My mere existance was a miracle. I knew that, with the love of my friends and family, I could overcome any obstacle. I may be being naive, but my mom always said that she believed that magic existed. How could I feel any differently at this point?