My Life as Renesmee Carlie Cullen

Captive

I stared into his deep brown eyes.  "Do you mind if we go to the beach, Jake?"

He stared at me for a moment.  "Why not?  You've held me captive for the past six years."

I laughed loudly, then studied his face more carefully.  There was no sign of humor in it.  His face twisted deeper, almost into an angry expression.  I saw his hands and arms begin to tremble.  This wasn't good.  I stepped back several feet and watched as he phased into a giant wolf.

His face now seemed more serene, in this form.  I walked back to him and sprang lithely onto his back.  He started running through the woods toward the coast, and I held onto him as tightly as I could, gripping at the russet fur.

I woke up with a gasp to the sound of my phone ringing.  It was obviously late morning.  I saw that it was my parents calling.  "Hello?" I said as I wiped the sweaty hair from my temple.

"Hey sweetie," my mom said.  "Your father and I will be there in about 30 minutes.  Are you just now waking up?"

"Yeah, I guess so."  I shivered as I pulled the blankets from me and stood up.  "I'll be ready when you get here."  We exchanged goodbyes and I went to take a hot shower.

My dreams just keep getting weirder and weirder.  It was true that I was Jacob's imprint and that he'd been by my side from day one.  But did he really think I was holding him hostage?  He seemed pretty happy to me.  Just a dream, I told myself.  There hadn't been a moment that Jake hadn't been happy I was around, that he didn't love me and want me.  Had there been?  Not that I could remember, anyway, and my first memories went all the way back to my first day of life, the day I was born.  No, he had always loved me.  I was the one who should feel bad because of the doubts that I was having, and the time I'd been spending thinking of another guy.  Damien and I were just friends, though.  Nothing more.  It was OK for me to have guy friends, right?  I mean, my mom and Jacob have been best friends for years, and she's clearly in love with my dad.  There were many different types of love....

I was still drying my curls when there was a soft knock at the door.  I made my way through the living room to answer the door.  My parents were standing there.  I threw myself into their cold embraces.  

"Ness." My mom tightened her arms around me.  "I've missed you so much."  I hugged my dad as well.  "Sweetheart, we're so glad you called."  He kissed me on the top of my head.  I looked up at them.  They studied me for a moment.  "You seemed to have grown since we saw you last!  Your hair is definitely getting longer...." My mom played with a ringlet of my hair.

"I really think it's slowing down."  I hoped so anyway.  

"You'll always be my little girl." My dad smiled, his golden eyes sparkling with pride.  "Let's get going, shall we?"

We had been riding for about an hour, and it was getting rather quiet.  My dad had classical music playing softly, but those were the only sounds.  I had been contemplating asking them something....

"Mom?"

"Hmmm?"

"Uh... how did you and Jacob become friends?"  I saw my dad exchange glances with her in the rearview mirror.

"Well, you know, your grandfather was friends with his dad for years.  I used to come to Forks for the summer, but I don't really think we were formally introduced until I moved back to Forks to stay, which was about eight years ago.  Jacob helped rebuild the old truck and I was given it as a gift.  We've been friends ever since.  Nothing special."

She seemed reluctant to say anymore.  "Oh, OK.  I mean, I knew that.  Never mind."  I decided to drop the subject, for now.  My dad looked back at me again and sighed.

"Ness!" Jacob was standing on the steps of the Cullen house when we pulled in.  As soon as I got out of the car, he grabbed me into his arms and spun me around.  I giggled.  His warm arms felt so good.  I didn't want to let him go, but I didn't want to be rude to my other family members either.

"Welcome home, dear." Esme smiled widely, her dimples flashing as she hugged me.  I also embraced Alice, who seemed to be almost dancing with excitement, and Rosalie, who, while more reserved, seemed no less excited to see me.  Then I turned to my uncles and Grandpa Carlisle, who I hugged next.  

"Welcome back, Ness." Jasper smiled at me and I hugged him.

"Look at you!" Emmett cried, hugging me so tightly that I thought he'd snap me in half.  "Geez, when are you going to quit growing?  Guess I'll have to challenge you to an arm wrestling match next, huh?" He raised his eyebrows.  I laughed.  "Maybe."

Jacob put his arm around me as we went inside.  Esme had made a large lunch for Jake and me, and we ate it while I caught up with everyone.  It seemed nothing terribly exciting had occurred in my absence.  Esme had found an aging house just outside of Forks that they'd bought and she was renovating.  Emmett and Jasper were discussing an extended hunting trip, and Alice and Rosalie were trying to convince me to go shopping in Seattle, but I told them that I just wanted to relax in Forks for a while.  I'd had my fill of city life as of late.  I turned to Jacob and squeezed his hand under the dining room table.  Let's get out of here, I told him silently.  

I dropped my kill, an elk, after I'd drained it.  I instantly felt more heat in my hands and my cheeks.  Jacob (in his alternate form, of course) has just finished his meal as well.

"Hey Jake.  Let's talk.  We have a lot of catching up to do."  He stared at me and bobbed his head in agreement, disappearing into a thicket of trees and returning just a moment later dressed in only a pair of cutoff shorts.  I couldn't help but find that distracting.

"So what's up?" He scooped me up into his arms, hugging me to his warm chest.  My mind drifted...

"I, uh, just wanted to ask you about Leah.  Is that still going on with Derek?"

He paused and then snorted.  "Yeah.  The rest of the pack can hardly stand to be in her head, with all the gushy thoughts she's having all of the time."

I nodded.  "So this imprinting...does she really have a choice?  Does he?"

He stared into my eyes.  "Of course.  There's always a choice.  But once you see the one....why would you let anything stop you?"

"Is that how you felt when you first saw me?"

He kissed the top of my head. "Yep."

"So...." I wasn't sure how to phrase this.  "You always felt like this... even before I was born?"

He paused.  "Well, it's hard to explain.  With imprinting... it happens after you see the person for the first time."

"So you didn't love me until you saw me?"

He sighed deeply and put me down on the ground.  He didn't seem to want to answer me.

"The truth, Jake."  I stared into his eyes.  I knew that, as his imprint, he would give me anything I wanted, or that I needed.  I needed this like I needed air to breathe.  The truth.  Whatever Mom and Dad were hiding.  The full, unadulterated truth.  "I need to know everything.  I'm not a little kid anymore."

He sighed again, but gestured for me to sit down next to him on the ground.  "It's a really long story..."