This was inspired by two beautiful fanfics: Seven and Eighteen.

I do not own twilight and I do not make any money from this.

I can walk in and out of the Cullen house as I please. Staying in here doesn't mean that I'm accepted by the leeches. I know that, and I endure this because of Nessie. She's the only reason that I choose to be here, the only one that makes this alright.

She'll be eighteen tomorrow. Seven years of existence.

Seven whole years…

It's still noon, so she's still awake. I can see her walking around the house, trying to find something to do before Bella or Edward tell her to go to bed.

Yes, physically, she'll be an adult tomorrow, but she's still their little kid. Mentally, she's a lot more developed than the average seven year old, yet not the age that she appears to be.

I'm proud to compare her to a twelve year old.

Bella would slap me if she knew that this is what I think of Nessie, because she swears that her baby is possibly more mature than herself!

Still, judging by Bella's crappy decisions, I'd say that this statement is true.

She stopped in the middle of the hallway and looked my way. She's smiling brightly, almost surprised to see me.

"You're still here, Uncle Jake?" She exclaimed, skipping my way. She walks just like Alice, more like dances, I guess.

I can't help but smile back. She's so pretty, so delicate, so… perfect. I wrapped my right arm around her shoulders as soon as she was within reach. This stopped her from hugging me, like she usually did.

"I was just about to leave, actually."

She looks a little confused, probably because of the distance that I created by gently pushing her away. I don't know how she does it, but she noticed that something wasn't right.

"Are you okay? You look… sad."

I sighed and walked with her towards the door. It was pointless, I knew that they could still hear what I was about to say. "Where are your parents, Nessie?"

"They went out…" The uneasy look in her eyes told me that they went hunting. This meant that she was probably left under the care of Rosalie. "Do you need to talk to them?"

I shook my head no. "I'm leaving, Nessie."

She must have noticed that I meant it literally. "But… why? You can't just go!"

How could she be so adorable? She wanted to cling on to me, to keep me here with her! If only she knew that I can't. I don't want to hurt her; I have to go.

I love her too much.

I bent down and kissed her on her forehead, and then, while ignoring the sadness in her eyes, I turned around and left.

I could hear her calling my name. I could hear Rosalie rushing to Nessie, asking frantically if she was alright. I could hear my heart, telling me to go back to her.

No. That wasn't my heart; that was the imprint.

I have fought against this kind of force… I've walked out of a pack before; I've betrayed my own nature to protect the one I loved.

Now it's time for me to take control.

It's wrong to love Reneesme this way. It's wrong to wait until she's old enough for me, old enough to be my wife. It's wrong to leave her without a choice.

It's wrong to love her so much!

So, without looking back, I made the transformation and made a run for it, like the coward that I am. Then again, I'd rather be a coward than what I was turning into.

That beautiful love that I felt for her was one of a protector, her friend, her brother… whatever she needed. Lately I'm feeling the need… I need more of her, more than she can give. More than anything I deserve!

I helped her parents raise her, damn it!

There's no way that I could justify what I feel for her, or that her parents won't stop me! Edward knows how I feel, he reads it directly from my mind, and yet he does nothing.

"This is how it's supposed to be, even if we don't like it, right? You two are tied together in ways like no other. It's destiny…"

I should kick his sparkly ass. I should rip him apart for not stopping me. I should face my problems instead of running. I should do so many things… but I chose to go away.

I choose to run, to leave my love, my friends and life behind.

She deserves to choose too.