Sunset (Book 5 in the Twilight Saga)

Grievance

Chapter Sixteen - Nessie's POV

Jay didn't speak as he bypassed the main house, and I kept silent as well. The wall between our thoughts was thicker than ever, which I didn't mind. I didn't want to hear the condemnation that was surely in his thoughts; I already felt awful enough at what had taken place.

I had always prided myself on being the more level-headed twin, but with Jacob I'd had no control. My desire swept him along, sending us to soaring heights of passion that had drowned us in its wake. In the gasping aftermath, I'd barely had time to sift through my turbulent feelings before my brother had descended upon us with a demon's wrath. He'd have probably killed Jake if I hadn't thrown myself onto him, and even then, it was only my tears that had cut through his anger.

We reached our cottage, and Jay swiftly carried me into our room. I didn't dare raise my gaze at he sat me on my bed, staring down at the wooden floorboards as he crouched before me. "Mei. Mei, look at me."

When I didn't respond, he grabbed my face and lifted it. I stubbornly closed my eyes, chin trembling in his gentle grasp. But when I heard the word sorry, my eyes opened to stare at my twin in shock. "What?"

"I'm sorry, Mei," Jay said, his green eyes full of agony. "I'm sorry that I didn't warn you in advance. Dammit, I should have known that you'd be in rayen, too. It was my stupidity that lead to this situation."

"Stop!" I couldn't stand to listen to him berate himself any further. "What are you even talking about?"

"You're in heat." His eyes stayed firm on mine as he uttered the statement, seriousness written across every line.

And still, I laughed.

It wasn't until tears were rolling down my eyes and I was gasping for breath did he finally shake my shoulders and yell, "I'm not joking, Mei! You're in heat!"

The words sent me into another fit of uproar, and I briefly feared for my demise as I wheezed and guffawed. Mustering up the willpower to tone it down to barely restrained giggles, I asked him, "So, he he, what you're trying...trying t-to tell me is that...ha ha, I'm, ha ha ha, in heat? Like a, like a dog?"

The thought of that sent me over the edge again, and Jay swiped the tears from my eyes so that I could meet his again. "Yes."

It was then that I realized he was actually being honest, and that sucked the laughter right out of me. Gulping, I said in a now hoarse voice, "Explain."

"Once dhampyre females begin to reach the end of their aging cycle, they emit some sort of hormones that attract non-related males - and make them attractive - to encourage the...furthering of our race."

"Sex," I whispered as I began to understand the implications. "You mean sex."

"Well, not exactly," my brother began, scratching the back of his neck nervously as he looked up at the ceiling. "It's more than just sex, actually."

"What do you mean it's more?" My voice was no longer hoarse, but still quiet.

Jay flinched as though I'd already exploded, sensing my rising anger now that the barrier between our minds was gone. "Uh, well, it's like I said: the furthering of our race."

"And by furthering, you wouldn't mean having children, would you?"

"Um...no?"

"So," I whispered, glaring at my twin until he met my eyes. "You mean to tell me that I could be pregnant because you had the nerve to forget to tell me that I was in some kind of goddamn dhampyre HEAT?!"

I was screaming at him by the end as Jay cowered before me, his leafy irises full of contriteness. "I'm really sorry, Mei - "

"Sorry doesn't cut it, Edward James!" I snapped back, shoving him so hard that he slammed into his bed on the other side of the room. Rising to my feet, I began pacing as he straightened out, unharmed. "How the hell could you forget to tell me something like that, huh?!"

"I just forgot - "

"And thanks to your 'bad memory', I could pregnant! What the hell am I supposed to do if I'm pregnant? Me, a dhampyre, by a - a werewolf! What kind of baby would that combination make, hmmm?"

"Technically, Jacob's a wolf shifter - "

My screech was so high, I wouldn't doubt the rest of our family could hear me all the way from the main house. "I don't give a damn what he is!"

With that, I fell back onto my bed, throwing one arm across my eyes to hide the tears that rose within them. Jay walked back over to sit down next to me, taking my other arm to press my palm to his cheek. No words passed either of our lips as I shared my thoughts with my gifts, sending images of Jake and my belly along with the overwhelming fear I had. He said not a word in response once I was done, simply laying along beside me and wrapping his arms around my side.

I took in one shuddering breath before lifting my arm and rolling so that I faced him. We stared at each other, the bond between us sharing our thoughts as my brother tucked one of my wayward ringlets back behind my ear. He left his palm on my cheek and pulled me towards him until our foreheads were touching. It will all work itself out in the end, Renesmee. I swear it will.

The tears fell then, and I burrowed my face into Jay's chest as he held me close, lulled to sleep by the sound of his rapid heartbeat and the soundless words of his promise.

~~~~~

Short chapter, I know, and it should've been longer considering how long you all have been expecting it, but I had to end it there. Next chapter needs to be in EJ's POV, and it'll be about the next day: Saturday! The day of Chelsea's party, where major happenings are going to go down. So, what do you think of Nessie's predicament? Is she right to be worried about what might be in her belly? What'll happen to poor Jake? And will the rest of the Cullens find out about what happened?

Stay tuned to find out! Sorry it took me so long to actually get around writing this - I promise the next update will not take nearly as long! If all goes well, it'll happen next Thursday; until then, see you around. ;3