Are You Happy, Bells? (open to Isabella & Edward Cullen)

"Watch Renesmee!" Bella smiled at Edward and then sped up ahead of the group. She was sure Jake might be a little upset and she just wanted to make sure he wasn't- after all, he was the one who slept in. She slowed to a walk as she neared him.
"Hey Jake." She said cheerfully. It had been a good hunt- she'd found another mountain lion. "How are you this morning?" The sentence seemed to imply more then the usual refferal- she really did want to know. After all, they'd left without a note, and with Renesmee. Bella's thoughts flickered back to her family. They were probably stopping for one more snack. A topper.
Bella sat down beside Jake, watching him slightly warily. He seemed to have a bit on his mind.

Bella smiled back as Jake started to smile, but it faltered suddenly. He asked if Nessie was okay, sort of rudely, and then apologized. Bella fought back a grimace.
"Its fine, Jake. And yes, she's alright- I left her with Edward. I think they're just finishing up the hunt." She examined him briefly. "Are you alright Jake?"
He hadn't answered her question before. Bella knew how infatuated, or... obsessed he was with Renesmee, but Bella still thought of Jake her best friend. Even if sometimes she wished she could rip his head off.

((I was invited to join this RP too... so it's not just open to Bella, and I'm not being overprotective and barging in because I'm jealous... erm...))

A wave of red curls, so similar in color to his own, danced in the corner of Edward's vision. The curls bounced as his daughter ran towards him, clearly full from the hunt. Renesmee was beginning to be good at hunting, enjoy it even. Though she would still always prefer human blood, she knew the difference between blood received from a blood bank, and blood that was taken by killing. Since she wouldn't always have blood from a blood bank, or from Carlisle's hospital, it was imperative that Nessie learned to like hunting, or at least enough for her to exist by.

He caught his daughter up in a hug, holding her tightly as he carried her back towards the house. Inhaling her half-vampire and half-human scent, he marveled at how completely he and Bella had been captured together in one human being. "I think I bagged more lions than you did," he teased her, ruffling the top of her hair. She placed her hand against his cheek in response, clearly showing him that she had caught just as much as he had- in fact, had caught one more. With a smug smile, she snuggled closer against his body as Edward ran smoothly back to the house.

As soon as he reached the Cullen residence, his entire body tensed. The familiar repulsive smell of dog filled his nostrils, and with a snarl he crouched protectively in front of Renesmee. Though he knew who it probably was, who it had to be, it was his first instinct, and his only instinct when it came to werewolves. For Bella's sake, he had tried to overcome his natural hatred towards the wolves, knowing that Jacob was her best friend and his daughter's... something.

Edward took Renesmee's hand in his own, walking her carefully to Bella. Though he no longer stood protectively over his daughter, the snarl had not completely gone away. "Hello, Jacob," he said in his best attempt to be pleasant and ignore the fact that this dog had already taken his daughter away from him.

Bella smiled happy that Jacob was alright, and her smiled widened slightly when she smelled Edward's aproach, but she sensed something teasing in Jake's actions. She patted his back, and again felt grateful that their friendship was still intact, the way it was supposed to be.
"Are you happy Bells?" He suddenly retorted. Bella's brow furrowed, and she wanted to push him away gently so he could see her incredulous expression- Bella hadn't been happier since the Volturi left! She was about to answer, but Edward then came into view and Jacob backed away. Edward had Renesmee behind him, and Bella grinned at the site of the both of them... There was no way her heart could contain any more love for the two of them. They were her life. The corner of Bella's lip twitched slightly in annoyance when Jacob swooped Renesmee into his arms, and played with her. Bella knew that she owed Jake too much to be annoyed with him, so she tried to shove those thoughts away. Jacob then proceded to greet Edward, and Bella moved closer to her husband and layed he head against his shoulder smiling contently. She would wait until they were done greeting each to answer Jacob's question.

Was she happy?! Why was Jacob asking her that? Edward had heard parts of the conversation on his way back to the house with Nessie and was thoroughly confused about Jacob's intentions. He could hear Jacob's thoughts now, even the parts he clearly had forgotten that Edward could hear. Why was Jacob wondering if he was still in love with Bella? Edward frowned- hadn't that all been taken care of when he imprinted on Nessie? As much as he completely hated the idea of his old enemy ending up with his daughter, it was at least a situation that simplified things between the three of them- and eased Bella's guilt.

He hated anything that made Bella distressed on any level, and he sure as hell hoped that the fleabag wasn't doing anything to frustrate her. Jacob's thoughts now were of Nessie and how absolutely perfect she was, and Edward couldn't help but agree. Plus, Jacob was making a conscious attempt to be civil towards him- a pleasant change from the beginning of their rocky friendship.

"The hunt was nice," he replied to Jacob's unspoken thought. As Bella moved over to Edward and put her head on his shoulder, his irritation and anger was replaced with the peace and sheer happiness being near her always brought. He put his hands around her waist and held her tightly, very conscious of the thoughts running through Jacob's mind.

Bella closed her eyes as Edward wrapped his arm around her. The question Jake had asked seemed so... silly now. Here in Edward's arms with Renesmee not three feet away from her, how could she be any happier? She opened her eyes at the thought, smiling slightly. She watched Renesmee press her palm against Jacob's cheek. He seemed to relax slightly. He said he wished he could have been there, and made a comment on how his brain thought he needed a rest.
"I'd think so." Bella muttered, rolling her eyes. "You do need to sleep more often Jake. You know Renesmee's going to drain you out playing anyway." She chuckled.
Her gaze switched to her daughter. She was so beautiful. But Bella's forhead creased slightly- Renesmee wasn't always going to be so small. Bella wondered what her little daughter would look like when she was older. Gorgeous, no doubt. Another Rosalie walking around. Bella had to supress a chuckle at that thought. She hoped that she'd been a good enough mother to at least have raised Renesmee not to make some kinds of comments that Rose made sometimes...

Edward's demeanor softened as Jacob's thoughts registered in his mind. Perhaps the mutt couldn't help the residual feelings left over from the past few years. Looking at his wife, he couldn't exactly fault anyone who grew infatuated with her- it was an easy thing to do. One look from her and he had certainly fallen head over heels, so he couldn't exactly blame Jacob for loving Bella too. He'd always tried to keep this in mind when the three of them were all together, but sometimes Jake's thoughts weren't exactly as innocent as Edward would like. In addition, Jacob's resentment of Edward's ability certainly made things more tense between them.

And now that he had already taken Nessie away from them, well... it was harder to like him these days.

Suddenly, Edward could feel Jacob's guilt like a hot knife. He hadn't thought anything terrible, just a harmless thought about Nessie. Still, the emotional pain this had caused Jacob's mind softened Edward's dislike a tiny bit. He really did care about her- it was evident in everything Jacob did and thought. "It's probably a good thing you got some sleep," he said finally, extending a metaphorical olive branch. "You've been practically on guard duty ever since the Volturi."

Bella nodded, and held Edward's hand as they stepped over a couple steps onto the porch. She gazed at her daughter serenely, who appeared to be not very pleased at this part of the day. She definitely preferred human blood, that much was known. Bella smiled wryly at the dim memories of while she was pregnant.
Her smile grew warmer as she moved her head to the other side to face Edward.
"So did I miss anything? Sorry I left a bit early." Bella said quietly. But, all in all, she supposed it was a good thing she had. Jake did have a bit of an odd mood swing there, and Bella wasn't exactly sure how anyone else would have taken that.
She squeezed Edward's smooth hand as she spoke. It was impossible not to feel relaxed and happy with Edward and Renesmee near. Unless, of course, they were in danger. Bella shied away from the horrid memories.

Edward growled furiously under his breath, baring his teeth at Jacob. Ungrateful, insolent dog. How dare he think of Nessie like that- she was his daughter! But as he instinctively went into a protective crouch, Jacob's apologetic, worried thoughts broke in.

I didn't mean it, I wasn't thinking clearly - I definitely don't see her like that! She's like my little sister, nothing more, nothing more.

There was something in Jacob's eyes that made Edward believe him. It was an anxiety, a desperate need for Edward to believe him. Maybe he was afraid to hurt Bella- but then, he hadn't had any problem doing that several times in the past. Edward relaxed, his face becoming more composed. Jacob began to talk, but he wasn't paying attention.

Jacob hadn't meant any harm- in fact, he had only been stating the inevitable truth. Imprinting, complex as it seemed, was a simple idea in reality- Jacob was exactly what Nessie needed him to be. Right now, he was a protector, but eventually, Edward thought painfully, he would be her husband. It was important for Nessie's happiness- and Bella's- that he at least try to be accepting.
How original of him: a father who disliked his daughter's boyfriend. Smiling at the twisted humor in the situation, Edward walked up to the porch with Bella.

"So did I miss anything? Sorry I left a bit early."

"You didn't miss anything," he assured his wife, squeezing her hand in his. "Just our daughter showing off again. She thinks she can out-hunt her father already."

(I hope it's ok if I take my role now. Bella seemed to think I should ^^)

Renesmee was pouting, just slightly. She would have rather gone hunting again than eat human food. Putting that thought aside she looked over at her parents, who were holding hands and speaking quietly. She liked the way they looked; happy.

The only thing that Renesmee couldn't get her head wrapped around was why her Jake seemed so tense. She kept trying to pose her questions and he would calm down for a bit whithout really answering her. Once in a while he would look at her daddy and they seemed to exchange feelings.

Even now Jake seemed to be little at ease. Finally Renesmee decided that if he wouldn't tell her what was wrong she would just have to do the best she could to comfort him. She put a small hand on his cheek and smiled the most gentel smile she could muster- it wasn't that hard. Putting all of her effort into it she showed him memories of the happy times they always shared, over and over she gave him pictures of them smiling and blissful times of love and care.

"Happy," she whispered into his ear.

Bella giggled. "Getting confident!" Bella's smile was genuine. She remembered her first hunting trip. Now that had been something... She looked away shyly before remembering she couldn't blush anymore. Renesmee caught her eye as she did, and she heard what she had whispered to Jake. For some reason, as she said 'happy', Bella felt anything but happy, despite how much she was a minute ago. Her brow furrowed slightly, as she tried to recognize all the swirling thoughts and emotions that had appeared. It would make a human dizzy.
Did they really have to be this close? Already? How long did she and Edward have with their daughter before she ran off with wolves? Bella sighed before she could stop herself, and quickly regained composure. No. This was good... Better then good. Great. Renesmee would grow up with the love of her life, always be protected, be safe... Ugh. But with Jake? Jacob Black? Bella had once realised that she... loved him.
Not anymore- not like that, anyways. And yet Bella couldn't help but feel highly uncomfortable with all of this. Renesmee and Jacob...
She supressed an involuntary shiver and pressed closer to Edward. Things seemed more sane the closer he was.

Jacob looked at Nessie fondly, his eyes clouding over as he resisted blinking. He tossed her gently in to the air, letting her fly a good ten feet up in the air, then he leaped up and caught her before she even started to fall. He grinned guiltily Bella's way, but not really feeling guilty.

As the 'family' (if you could even call it that) walked in to the Cullen house, he wrinkled his nose in disgust.

"Does nobody ever wash in this house?!" he demanded jokingly, his eyes dancing in the dim light overhead.

((Nice to see you alive, man! ))

"Unlike some people, we don't sweat," Edward said jokingly. This playful banter was as close to friends as he and Jacob ever were, but it was something, nonetheless. He had been nervous watching Jake throw his only daughter ten feet in the air, but at the same time, the werewolf had the best reflexes of anyone he knew- aside from his family.

This felt uneasy, and judging by the way Bella was sticking close to his side, she felt that way too. It wasn't easy to think of Jake as his future son-in-law- Edward much preferred to think of him as a free babysitter for the time being. How could he possibly break this tension?

"So, Jacob," he began, taking Renesmee's hand in his. "Any plans to return to school soon?"

(I hope I'm not misunderstanding again, but I think this time I actually do have permission? Oh well, I'm gonna try)
Renesmee giggled as she flew up and up, and up... The smile that was planted on her Jake's face was genuine and seeing that made her happier than flying high could ever make her. Finally he crouched, jumped up high to catch her, then held her gently, a smirk playing across his face now.
"Does nobody ever wash in this house?", he joked, wrinkling his nose as Renesmee's family made it into the house.
"Unlike some people we dont sweat," her dad countered playfully. Her daddy walked over to them, seeming calm, but Renesmee thought she could detect a flicker of nervousness in his eyes. He smiled at her then and took her hand, then turned his attention back to Jacob.
"So, any plans to return to school soon?" School?
"Jakie? Where do you go to school? Can I come with you? I wanna see school." Renesmee was usually sparing with her words, but the questions flew out of her mouth in an instant. What did her Jake do at school, she pondered.

His daughter's questions made Edward smile. She could be very childlike in some instances, such as now; but all too well, he knew that she was also extremely mature, more mature than any child should be. Renesmee was special, but with her extraordinary talent and abilities came a steep price- she wouldn't be his little girl for very long. Occasionally this thought caused pangs of sadness in Edward, but he reminded himself often how lucky he was to even have a daughter. Even if she would be gone all too soon.

Her question about school brought this tension to the surface of his mind, and he attempted to deflect his thoughts. "You can't go to school with Jake, Nessie," he teased her playfully. "You're much too smart. It would make him look bad." Though his words would have sounded harsh spoken only a few months ago, the smile on his face said a different story. Jacob Black was now someone he could joke with, rather than someone he felt like killing every day.