Re-Imprint

"Where the hell have you been?!"

"God, Bells, calm down. I was just in Forks."

"For five days?!" she screeched, her caramel colored eyes blazing. "Without telling us where you were? You could've called, Jake."

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. It was getting too long, and needed to be cut again.

"I just lost track of time," I shrugged and plopped down onto the couch. I glanced around, the lack of boxes surprising. It seemed almost every room in the house had been set up in record time. "I see my absence didn't stop you from decorating."

"What else did you expect me to do? I had to keep Renesmee distracted somehow so she wouldn't tear apart every building in a fifty mile radius, looking for you."

A twinge hit my chest, right where my heart was, and I rubbed the spot. It felt a lot like guilt, mixed with sadness. "How is she?"

Bella sighed and sat down across from me.

"She's fine, she's in her room with Edward."

I stood up, then all of a sudden Bella was in front of me, pushing me back down. Her hands pinned me to the cusions, her grip unbreakable. I wrapped my hands around her wrists, ready to throw her off, but she growled.

"No. We are not done talking yet," she snapped. "Jacob, I already don't like this whole imprinting thing. But you hurt her, even if it's just leaving like you did, and I won't tolerate it. That little girl loves you."

"She's not exactly little Bella, and you know it."

"Just because Renesmee has the intelligence of someone three times her age, doesn't mean she isn't a child. And a very fragile one at that. You cannot be upping and leaving when you feel like it, Jake. It doesn't work like that," she threw her hands off of me and stalked away. "It's not just you and Nessie. We're a family now, all of us."

"Don't you think I know that?!" I yelled. "Don't you think I--" hate myself for what I'm going to do? I bit back my words before they exploded out of me.

"What? What, Jake?"

"Nothing," I mumbled. "Can I go see Nessie now?"

I didn't even wait for her to finish nodding her head, just stalked off down the hallway in the direction of her room. That too was set up completely, a bed pushed into one corner, a yellow and purple comforter across it.

"Jacob!"

I bent down and Renesmee flew into my arms.

"Hey, little one," I chuckled. She pressed her hand into my cheek, images flickering through my mind of the past few days. "I missed you too, sweetie. I'm sorry I left for so long."

Why? The word whispered through my head, a slight edge of desperation to it.

"I had to go to Forks for a little while." Images of Billy, my father, and the pack went through my head. "Exactly. I went to see Uncle Billy."

"How is he?"

I glanced up, having forgotten that Edward was standing in the corner. His arms were folded across his chest, and his eyes were focused, intent on me. I started humming in my head to rid myself of any thoughts that would snag his attention.

"Good. There hasn't been much activity there since we left. Two vamps went through the territory, but they didn't harm anyone. Sam let them go without anything happening."

"I'm surprised. The old Sam would've attacked without any questions."

Nessie seemed to lose interest and went back to the book lying on the floor. I glanced at the front cover, and my jaw fell open. The Comprehensive History of Algebra?

"She seems to understand and enjoy it and Bella didn't want to fight her on it," Edward shrugged. "Can I talk to you?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Not here," he grabbed my arm and dragged me out of the room, shutting the door softly behind him. He turned back around, the calm in his eyes suddenly gone, replaced an intense worry. "What's going on, Jacob?"

"What do you mean?" I glanced away from him.

"I don't need to look in your eyes to hear you, Jake. And humming Old McDonald may cover up what you're thinking, but you will slip up and then I'll hear what it is you're trying to hide."

"I'm not hiding anything," I grumbled, then winced. Even I could tell I was lying, my voice weak and flat. Edward raised an eyebrow, but didn't question it. "Is it alright if I take Nessie to the park?"

Not even two seconds later, her door opened and she came bounding out, a wide grin across her face. She grabbed my hand and tugged on it.

Park?

"As long as it's okay with your 'rents," I chuckled.

Edward sighed and then shrugged, but a smile was pulling at the corners of his mouth. Finally he nodded. Nessie let out a little squeal and ran back into her room, until to zip back out with her shoes and coat on. She took my hand and started pulling me down the hallway. I felt her eagerness leaking into me, the giddiness building until she was practically vibrating with excitement.

I suppose she really hadn't had a chance to run and play since we had moved, and my sudden leaving probably had put it back even farther. I felt another twinge of guilt, especially when she stopped at the front door to make sure I was coming.

"Where are you going?"

I froze at the sound of Bella's voice.

"The park," I answered, without turning around.

"Do you even know where one is?" she asked, a slight hint of amusement in her voice.

"Duh. I'm not going to take Nessie out just so we can get lost."

I pulled open the door and we left. Nessie started skipping ahead, humming softly to herself. It was a tune I recognized, something that Edward was always playing on the piano. I don't even think he realized it sometimes.

I lead her to the park I had been at the other day. It was still just as crowded with kids and families, bundled up against the cold October air. I must have looked quite odd in my t-shirt and cutoff jeans, but I didn't care. Nessie ran towards the swings, but I grabbed her arm and swung her back around towards me.

"Hey, remember. We're around normal people, so we have to act like them, okay?" She nodded and took off. I plunked down onto a bench and watched her play with the other kids. She was happy to be outside, and I felt happy for her. Nothing as intense as before, but it was still there. She was always going to be my little one, whether or not I was imprinted on her. She turned back around towards me and waved. I grinned back and she ran to the jungle gym.

My whole world shifted on it's axis then, my breath getting caught in my lungs and throat. I felt frozen and stuck right where I was, and I wanted to run away.

It was her. But she didn't have a hat on this time, her long red hair flying in the wind. I didn't care that I was now staring, I just wanted her to look at me, to notice me. I could've sworn she gasped, and her head whipped to the side.

I couldn't see it, but somehow I knew she was staring right at me, And it felt good.