Jacob groaned as light began pouring into his living room and sounds from the kitchen had caused him to stir.  Even though Ness had fallen asleep on the couch, he ended up sleeping there after he had carried her to his room and placed her in his bed.  He sat up slowly and swung both legs over the side of the couch.  He buried his face in his hands and raked his fingers through his hair.  He made his way to the kitchen to find Renesmee rummaging through his fridge.  “We should go hunt,” she announced as she closed the refrigerator door.  “Or grocery shopping?”

Jacob grumbled as he started the coffee pot.  “No,” he insisted. “I have to take you home.”

He turned to face her once again and she exclaimed, “You want me to go home wearing this?”

Jacob scanned her body and found she was still clad in his flannel shirt and not much else.  He sighed, “Definitely not,” as he retrieved two mugs from his cabinet and began filling them with hot coffee.

“Well,” she began, swinging her arms around, “what do suggest I wear then?”

Jacob ran a hand through his hair again and stared up at the ceiling.  No ideas were coming to him.  Renesmee gasped as she thought of an idea.  “Why can’t I go borrow something from Emily?”

Jacob nearly choked on his coffee, but shrugged his shoulders because they were running out of options.  “I can’t take you over there dressed like this,” he reasoned.  He demonstrated by lifting the hem of his plaid shirt, revealing her bare legs.  Renesmee giggled and pushed his hand down and suddenly he felt embarrassed.

They both stared awkwardly at the floor for a moment as Jacob remembered how it wasn’t that long ago, that they would tease and tickle each other all the time.  Jacob used to love to grab her around her midsection and swing her around until she begged him to stop.  But they hadn’t been that way with each other in a very long while.  Things got weird between them when he moved into this house six months ago.

That's because you behaved like as ass, he reminded himself.  You're lucky she's even talking to you right now.

Six months of Renesmee ignoring him was almost more than he could take.  That partially contributed to his horrible mood last night and he hoped that her showing up last night meant things between them were resolved and she wouldn’t be shutting him out like that again.

Jacob opened his mouth to start the conversation between them, but simultaneously Renesmee bolted out of the kitchen and down the hall.  Jacob caught up to her when she arrived at his stackable washer and dryer in the hallway.  She had already pulled out half of his clothes before she found what she was looking for. “Aha!” she exclaimed.

Jacob had to laugh as she slid into a pair of his ratty old basketball shorts.  She spun around once and modeled them for him.  When she turned to face him again, he smirked because they were still falling off her hips.  “Here,” he offered as he reached for the drawstring and pulled it tight.  Renesmee held her breath as he lowered his head and made quick work of tightening the cord.  Her stomach jumped when his fingers lightly brushed her skin. 

The tension between them hung in the air for a moment until Renesmee looked down at herself and laughed.  “Not much of a fashion statement, huh?” She paused and added, “Maybe this will help?”  Quickly, she pulled the tails of the long shirt to tie them in a knot that landed near her navel.  “Better?”

Jacob laughed and rubbed his jaw slowly.  “Flannel shirt and basketball shorts?  It’s a look…”

She shoved him lightly and gasped playfully, “You are so mean to me!”

Jacob pulled her hand from his chest and held it tightly in his.  “Let’s go,” he urged as he led her down the hall and out the front door.

~~~~~~~~~

Renesmee sighed as she walked by Jacob’s side. They had opted for a walk instead of a full speed run. She knew this must meant he wanted the extra time to talk. Several minutes went by before he began to speak, so she took the opportunity to start the conversation.

“Jacob?” she started, ensuring she had his full attention.

He turned to smile at her, “Yeah?”

Suddenly she got nervous and stammered, “I...I just wanted to explain about last night.”

He smiled wider and squeezed her hand, silently giving her strength she didn't know she needed. “You already told me everything. I don’t…”

“I thought maybe you wanted to know why I showed up at your house last night,” she began, effectively cutting off his argument.

“You don't have to explain anything to me,” he pressed. “I’m just thankful you trusted me enough to tell me. You know,” he paused, stopping in mid stride as he turned to face her. “You can always count on me.”

She stared up at him, nibbling on her lower lip as she nodded her head slowly. “That's what I wanted to tell you. That even though I've been keeping my distance from you...I know you worry about me and you're protective of me. Even to the point of being annoying,” she added playfully.

Her words stung.  Even though he knew she was right. He cast his eyes away from her and started down the trail again. “Let’s keep walking,” he urged, nodding in the direction they needed to go.

She already missed his warm hand being wrapped around hers.  “You're mad?” she quizzed, when she had finally caught up with him.

“Not at you.”

“Hey! Don’t do that…” she grimaced, silently cursing herself for hurting him.

“Do what?” he asked innocently, finally slowing down enough for her to catch up with his huge strides.

She sucked in a deep breath and then blurted, “Say we can talk about something and then get mad at me. This is hard for me to say…” she trailed off.

He stopped again and turned to give her his full attention. “I’m sorry. I don’t like having you be mad at me or ignoring me, even if it is my own fault. I know my presence in your life is overbearing at times, but I never meant to push you away....or hurt you.”

She pressed her fingertips lightly to his chest, her delicate fingers splayed over the thin material of his t-shirt. She felt his heart pounding and chose her words cautiously. “I’m a big girl now. I know your friendship with my mom makes you feel like you owe it to her to be my bodyguard or something, but I’m fully capable of taking care of myself. I did fine last night.”

His whole body tensed and he shook his head quickly, almost as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “You think that’s why I’m always around? For your mom?”

She pulled her hands back quickly and raised her palms to the sky, “Why else?”

He squeezed his eyes shut and sighed deeply. Nevermore in his life had he regretted his promise to her parents that he would not tell her about the imprinting. At first he had agreed that it was a great idea. Jacob hoped that she would fall in love with him naturally when the time came. He never wanted her to feel like this was an obligation on her part. While he had no control over what he felt for her, she did. And that power over him was doomed to destroy him if she ever ordered him away. That’s what this beginning to sound like and it was killing him.

“That’s not why I protect you,” he argued weakly.

Renesmee crossed her arms protectively over her chest and sighed, “Then why? It has never made sense to me that for someone who hates vampires, you sure spend an awful lot of time with me and my family.”  She dropped her arms to her sides and started back walking the trail, not caring if he was going to to join her or not.

Jacob caught up with her, squeezing his fists together in an effort to maintain control. He didn’t know how to respond without breaking the promise he’d made. Finally, he blurted, “I like you. Is that so hard to believe?”

She glanced shyly in his direction and mused, “As a friend?”

“As anything you need me to be,” he answered a little too quickly. But it wasn’t a lie. Imprinting meant he would be anything she needed him to be. Even though he obviously wanted there to be more, he knew there was a strong possibility that she might never want more. The whole thing was a cruel and unusual experiment. The imprinting caused him to want to be near her at all times, but who has feelings for someone that’s known you since you were a little kid and knows every single detail about you? If he had his way, he could have stayed away all these years and then suddenly approached her naturally, forming a friendship first, then love.

But you have a friendship, he reminded himself. Build on that and don't blow this.

“So tell me what to do,” he began. “I can’t bear another six months of the cold shoulder from you, Renesmee Carlie Cullen. If I’m too overbearing, then I’ll back off. What else?”

She smiled down at the trail, feeling braver by the moment. “No more bodyguard stuff, okay? You gotta ease up on that.”

He steeled his jaw and nodded tensely. “Okay but i can’t see you getting hurt…”

“I don’t mind you keeping me from being hit by a car, but...I want to feel like I can talk to a guy or hug him without setting you off somehow.”

Jacob scrunched up his face and shrugged, “Like who?”

“Anyone!” she exclaimed. “I thought you were going to crush Wyatt’s hand when you met him last night. He was scared of you,” she added quickly.

“Yeah but not scared enough to try something…” his voice trailed off. “And I was right about him. Total...punk.”

Renesmee watched his jaw tighten as she agreed, “Yes, but that doesn’t mean you can stop me. I have to start making my own mistakes and decisions, too. Do you have any idea how frustrating it is to live with people who read my mind and tell my future before I can have a chance to live it?!”

Jacob furrowed his brow and nodded, suddenly realizing how much all this really bothered her. He turned to study her now, watching the soft auburn curls around her face bounce up and down as she stomped down the trail. He reached for her elbow and readied for her response to his gentle touch.

Renesmee sighed and squeezed her eyes shut as she stopped to face him. Before he could say another word, she threw her arms around his neck and rested her head against his chest. “I’m not trying to be a brat, I swear.”

“I don’t think you’re a brat,” he sighed, wrapping his arms around her back and pulling her closer. “I hear what you’re telling me. You want more freedom.”

“And fun and boys…”

“Boys, huh?” he chuckled, releasing her from his grasp, but not before reaching out to twist a lock of hair between his fingers. “Like Seth?” he added, trying not to sound bitter.

Renesmee gently pulled her hair from his fingers and smiled. “I don’t know, has he said something?”

Jacob groaned as he scooped her up in his arms and set off towards Emily’s again. She protested by squirming in his arms but he wasn’t budging. Renesmee finally relented, encircling her arms around his neck as she asked, “So...what about Seth?”

........
Author's note : Just to let everyone know, I do have several more chapters of this ready to post. If you get a chance, I would love some feedback. And I know it's going slow but I promise it will be worth the wait!