First of all, just wanted to say I just read Last Christmas, and it was a delight to read! However, I'm a bit confused about something.
In Last Christmas, why didn't Aro take Jacob as a hostage when he knew Jacob was one of the two most important people in Bella's life? Yes, Jacob was grooming Renesmee, which was bad for her (and I'm sure he wasn't thrilled this had been happening to a little girl), but what did that have anything to do with not taking Jacob to the catacombs or something like Carlisle thought he would?
It just doesn't make sense no matter what or how I try to think of it. It ... kind of felt strange for him to banish Jacob instead of making use of him to lure in Bella so he could kill her (and maybe possibly Jacob, too, later).
It can't just be because his presence would make Renesmee uncomfortable, because while it's not great if she knows he's there (which she doesn't have to, by the way), one child being temporarily a little uncomfortable with the idea of her grooming babysitter being in the same castle shouldn't have Aro giving up one of the greatest ways to bring Bella to the Volturi (especially when Edward is there too, which means more likely Bella will come). He can always banish or kill Jacob Black later on when Bella is taken care of if it comes to that.
Sorry, that was long, but I don't really know. Could you explain Aro's reasoning in the fic?
Last Christmas by me and @therealvinelle
And ooh, thanks for the praise!
I believe Aro muses on this in the fic, though I forget which chapters.
The Context of the Fic/ Or Bad Day for Aro
By the time Jacob rolls around, Aro is swimming in hostages. Renesmee is a hostage, Carlisle Cullen turned himself in to be a fucking hostage/ensure Renesmee's safety, and now he has fucking Jacob Black.
And the thing is, Renesmee should be the golden ticket. This is the daughter that Bella raised an army for, that she nearly sacrificed everything for. This is the daughter Bella loves more than anything and should be the shortest leash for Bella imaginable.
Instead, Aro's jaw drops in real time as Bella somehow blames Renesmee for her being kidnapped when they forgot her at the airport.
What is even happening?
And alright, fine, they've decided they... hate Renesmee, for some reason, surely Carlisle... no Bella doesn't seem to care about Carlisle.
Basically, by the time we get to Jacob, Aro is past done. He has the daughter, he has the father, he doesn't want Jacob and he shouldn't need Jacob. The fact that he might is ridiculous. He should not be in this situation! Harrumph.
More Practically
But it's not just that, it's that Jacob's middle name is "liability". See, it's not just that Aro doesn't approve of the Jacob/Renesmee thing, which he very much doesn't, but that if he keeps Jacob around the chances of Something Bad happening are very, very, very high.
Not to mention Jacob's mortal, prone to shifting and attacking when stressed, and it's not unlikely an accident would befall him in Volterra that wasn't intended. And now Aro has a dead hostage on his hands that he has to explain to the external Cullens.
Jacob is far more trouble than he's worth, especially when Aro has two hostages that he knows at least mean something to Edward. Well, at least Carlisle means something to Edward.
For all Aro knows, he'd keep Jacob and suddenly Jacob would be Satan incarnate to Bella.
Basically, he doesn't gain much by having Jacob and the risks of something happening vastly outweigh the rewards. Also, Aro is done and tired and he does not like Jacob and does not wish to deal with him.
(And it keeps him on better terms with Carlisle and Renesmee.)
