After walking for a few minutes and not wanting to get too far away from the light of the fires, Renesmee turned to face Leah. "So why don't we just get all this out in the open, once and for all?"

Leah crossed her arms over her chest and nodded. "O...kay. I don't like you. I've never liked you and I want you to stay the hell away from my brother," she paused to gauge Renesmee's reaction, then added, "Is that what you had in mind?"

"I already know all that. What I want to know is why?"

Leah shrugged her shoulders and groaned. "I don't like you because you're no good for my brother. You like to mess with his head just like your mom did with..."

"My mom?" Renesmee repeated. "This is about my mom?"

Leah took a deep breath and debated if she wanted to keep going or not. "Like your mom did with Jacob," she finished.

Renesmee started pacing and gesturing as she spoke, "So...you're mad at me for something my mom did? And you think I'm gonna hurt Jake? So what you're really saying is...this isn't even about me? It's about the fact that you can't have Jacob?"

"No! That's not it at all," Leah replied quickly and defensively. "I don't want him. We fight all the time."

"Come on, Leah, give me some credit. I've known both of you my whole life. You've always defended him and protected him, regardless of how much you argue. You're jealous of me because you want him for yourself. Just admit it!"

Leah shook her head and clenched her jaw. "Why do you even care? You don't want him! You're so stupid, Renesmee. Jacob is amazing and he's all yours...your soulmate. But that's not good enough for you, is it, Princess? You gotta be a badass, just like your mom, right? Show everybody you know what's best."

"Leave my mom out of this."

"Why? You act just like her. You can't even see what's right in front of your face!"

"Because I don't want to be with someone who has no control over the fact that he loves me? That makes me stupid?"

"You should be thankful that Jacob imprinted on you, instead you doubt his feelings? What is your problem?"

"I don't want to be with him because of a stupid tribal fairytale...it's not real!" Renesmee shouted.

Leah glanced past her to see Jacob approaching. His face was etched with pain and Renesmee saw it too when she turned to face him. "Jacob, wait..." she called as he began retreating from them.

"Just let him go. I think you've done enough for one night," Leah snarled as she pushed past Renesmee.

Renesmee grabbed her by the arm and replied, "I don't really care what you think."

Leah pulled her arm from Renesmee's grasp and smiled. "Finally we agree on something."

.........
By the time Leah caught up to Jacob, he was almost to the parking lot. "Jacob..." she called, "stop!"

Jacob stopped in his tracks. "Not now, Leah..."

Leah scowled as she stepped in front of him. "She doesn't know what she's saying. She didn't mean that."

Jacob squinted as he stared down at her. "I don't get you at all."

She shrugged and bit back a smile. "Don't worry about me."

"I do worry," he said softly. "You know, Renesmee seems to think you like me."

Leah rolled her eyes and sighed. "I could write a book on all the things that Renesmee doesn't know."

"Come on, Leah. Level with me."

Leah turned up her nose and smirked. "I mean...I guess if I was into tall, dark, handsome, and muscular? I suppose...maybe..." she teased.

Jacob shook his head sighed, "You know..."

Leah stepped closer to Jacob and pressed her hand to his chest. "I'm gonna stop you right there, because I already know how this ends." She paused thoughtfully and added, "Why do you think I never said anything? I'm not stupid. I know you really love her."

Jacob covered her hand with his and sighed sadly. "So you know it, but she can't see...that what I feel for her is real?"

Leah shifted slightly and shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe there's a way we could make her see..." she suggested with a gleam in her eyes he had never seen before.

"I would try anything..."

"Okay..." Leah breathed. "Then you have to trust me that this will work."

Jacob furrowed his brow, "What will work?"

Leah took a deep breath, snaked her hand up behind Jacob's neck and pulled him down to her. "This," she replied softly as her lips assaulted his. She used her other arm to hold him against her own body. When he pulled back slightly, she breathed, "Just play along."

Jacob could hear Renesmee approaching so he didn't fight Leah's kiss. He also realized how deeply she must feel for him, but he still couldn't help wondering why she would help him.

"Get the hell off of him, you bitch!" Renesmee seethed as she closed in on them. She grabbed Leah by the arm and physically pulled them apart.

Leah never broke eye contact with Jacob as she smiled sweetly and announced, "Now that's what you've been missing by spending all your time chasing this cold fish. Give me a call when you're ready for a real woman."

Renesmee stared at Leah with her mouth gaping open. "Why you little..."

When Renesmee turned to glare at Jacob, Leah winked at him and took off. Jacob had to refrain from smiling. He had never seen this side of Nessie before and he rather liked it. "That was weird...." he finally said.

Renesmee crossed her arms over her chest and pouted. "I can't believe you kissed her."

Jacob held his hands innocently and replied, "I didn't know what to do. That came out of nowhere." He dropped his hands, paused and then asked, "You really think I wanted that?"

Renesmee shrugged and dropped her gaze. "I don't know."

Jacob approached her slowly, closing the distance between them. "And you think my love for you isn't real?"

She wouldn't look at him so he held her face in his hands. "And you really don't think imprinting is real?"

Renesmee blinked quickly and shrugged again. "I was really mad at her."

"It's more than that," Jacob replied, taking a step back. "You were jealous, weren't you?" he asked gently.

"Jacob..."

Jacob shook his head as he narrowed his gaze. "Why can't you just be honest with yourself?"

Renesmee searched his face and sighed, "I'm trying..."

"Try harder, Ness." Jacob raked his fingers through his hair with both hands and searched the night sky for answers. His frustration was reaching a boiling point. He wanted to shake some sense into her or just walk away completely. "I gotta get out of here," he announced suddenly.

"You're leaving me here?"

Jacob placed his hands and his hips and nodded. "I can't do this anymore."

When Jacob turned to leave, her heart sank. "Are you gonna look for Leah?"

He paused, sighing loudly and then continued on to where he had parked his motorcycle. She caught up with him as he was getting on. "You didn't answer me. Are you going to see Leah?"

Jacob narrowed his gaze and stared at her incredulously. "Do you realize how ridiculous you sound?"

"That's not an answer," she replied, her breathing ragged.

He cocked his head and leaned in closely. "You've made a big point of saying you don't want me...and you don't think what I feel is real, but you don't want me kissing someone else?"

Renesmee sucked in a deep breath and nodded slowly. "You're absolutely right. Go ahead...I have no right to stop you." She took a step back and gestured to the road in front of him. "If that's what you want..."

Jacob scowled as he reached for her. She gasped as placed his hand on the small of her back and roughly pulled her to him. He pressed his forehead against hers and breathed, "I want...you. It's always been you and me."

"Always?"

Jacob pulled back from her and smiled. "Yeah...since before you were born."

Renesmee crinkled her brow in confusion. "I don't understand."

"When your mom was pregnant," he began, smiling wider as the memory came back to him, "she always wanted me around, like all the time."

Renesmee rolled her eyes. "Yeah because you two were in love..."

Jacob laughed softly and touched a finger to her nose. "There's that jealousy thing again. It's so cute."

Renesmee pulled back, scowling. "Am not," she argued.

"Listen to me. I never could figure out why your mom wanted me around all the time when she was pregnant. But she did. And after you were born and I imprinted, then it all made sense." Jacob paused and smiled widely. "It was you. You were the reason why she wanted me nearby...because you did too. You imprinted on me first, baby."

Renesmee tried to ignore the butterflies in her stomach when he called her baby. "Jake, I'm not a wolf..."

Jacob shrugged. "Well whatever you call it. It's always been there. And I think if you search your heart..." he paused, staring deeply into her eyes, then continued, "you'll see that what I feel for you has nothing to do with imprinting. It's love."

Renesmee lowered her gaze, as panic made her chest tighten. Could this be true? "Come on," Jacob urged as he handed her a helmet. "I'm taking you home."

She nodded numbly and climbed on. All the way home she squeezed him tightly and buried her face in his shoulder blades. And somehow Renesmee felt completely protected and completely vulnerable at the same time.