A/N: Had this idea, had to write it. Enjoy!
TITLE: What Happens Next
SUMMARY: Edward and the Cullen's left, and they didn't come back. Bella married Jake - but it's thirty years on, and Bella and Jake see a face they never thought they'd see again.
WARNING: No smut, just a harmless T rated fic. Bit emotional.
PAIRING: MAIN is Bella/Jacob, mentions of Bella/Edward.
BPOV
It's been twenty years of marriage. I look at my husband - he has aged very well. He is not quite forty, I celebrated my birthday two months back. It's winter here, and it's snowed already, although it's just November. I look out the window, watch my husband playing with our children. The children still at home. My youngest. My babies. The last too. No more children. I was very plain when Maria was born. No more kids. Six is more than enough. Twenty years, six children and no more to show for it than a few extra pounds and a few grey hairs threading their way down. Jake has some too.
Married at twenty, first child at twenty-one. I settled, I realise, with a little laugh. Boy, did I settle. Living on the rez, it's so easy to forget that time passes.
I don't know what it was that day that made me think of the name Cullen. Nothing outside could possibly have reminded me. I hadn't seen the Cullen's for twenty-three years. They'd gone, I'd broken. But I found a cure for my broken heart. Edward had destroyed me, and Jacob had fixed me. He'd married me, God knows why. Sure as hell nobody else was willing to have me. But he married me, loved me, and I loved him back. I didn't love him like I loved Edward, but I loved him just the same. So I don't know why, after twenty three damn years, I started remembering them again. Alice, Esme, Carlisle, Jasper, Emmett, Rosalie. And Edward. Damn him.
"Damn who?" I hadn't realised I'd said that out loud. I hadn't even noticed Jake come back in.
"Oh, it doesn't matter, sweetheart."
"The Cullen's?"
"Yeah, the Cullen's." He frowns, slipping long arms around my waist.
"Yeah. I've been thinking about them too."
"Why now?"
It's not a normal question to ask. Most husbands would be asking why their wife was even thinking about her former lovers family. But most former lovers are not the undead. But why now, why today? What is so special about today? Why are we both thinking about them today? But we put it aside when the children come home, over dinner. But we talk about it whilst we're alone on the couch that night.
"Is - was -there anything special about November 3rd?"
"No, nothing. I've been racking my brains since this afternoon. Can't think of a single thing."
"And you've been looking at your old school photograph." We stare at the picture together.
"Junior year, class of 2009. Me, Edward, Alice and Jasper. No Emmett or Rose in this picture, they were seniors." I think hard. Something comes back to me. "There was something. Of course! Rose's anniversary! November the 3rd, the date that Carlisle changed Rose."
"Hmm. Strange."
"Well, I can't think about them anymore. I'm tired."
The scream and the dropped glass is enough to rouse Jacob the next morning. He rolls out of bed, pads along in his boxers and bog all else and joins me. The puddle of milk is spreading around my feet. And I'm staring with my mouth hanging open. Because sitting at my dining room table, where he certainly wasn't three seconds ago, is Jasper Hale.
"Hello, Bella."
"What in the name of…"
"Mummy?" My six year old son peers round the door, rubbing sleep from his eyes. My three year old daughter is right behind him, peeping at the stranger.
"Go back to bed, children."
"Daddy -"
"Go, kids. Look, Daddy will come with you." Jacob picks up our daughter, takes my boy by the hand and he walks out without a backward glance.
"Jasper?" I know it's him. But I double check it.
"You look good, Bella. You've changed."
"You haven't." We stare at each other. He hasn't. Amber eyes, chalky face, dark circles, same hair. "What the hell do you want, Jasper?"
"I've got news."
"It must be fairly big news, Jazz. You just broke the treaty."
"It is. Bella, sit down, please. I don't want you to fall down." I drop into a chair.
"So, how is everyone?"
"They're good. Emmett and Rose are touring Ireland together. Carlisle, Esme, Alice and me are living in Toronto. Everything's good. How's it been for you?" I don't miss that Edward wasn't mentioned. But I go along with him.
"I settled."
"How old are you now?"
"Forty."
"You look good for forty, Bella."
"You look good for over two hundred. I settled. I got married, I had kids."
"Ah yes, those two."
"No. Those are my youngest two. I've got six. Eldest - Esme - working in Toronto, ironically. Next two are both at college. Named them Jacob and Robert. My youngest three are all still at home, although my daughter is at a friends for the weekend. Her name is Mary. The two you saw a moment ago are named Alice and Phil."
"You missed me, Emmett and Rose. And you missed Carlisle."
"I did not. Esme's middle name is Rosalie. Phil's middle name is Jasper and Rob's middle name is Emmett. Jacob's middle name is Carlisle - and before you ask, it was Jake's idea to call them after you lot. He said it wouldn't be right for me if I didn't."
"It's so much more than we deserve."
"Too bloody right. And I'm going to ask you not to track down Esme. Stay the hell away from my daughter, Jasper - all of you. You're too bloody enchanting. I'll not let her go through what you left me to go through."
"Was it bad?"
"It was hell. I couldn't feel for months. Not the sun, not the rain. I didn't even realise the world was still going. And then I met Jake. He saved my life, Jazz. So many times. Laurent and Victoria came after me. Laurent nearly killed me. Victoria was in my house. She held Esme hostage - my girl in her arms. I was about to hurl myself at her and consequences be damned. I tried to kill myself. I didn't want to damn well live. And Jake made me see why I had to. Charlie died. My mother died, my stepfather. I lost everyone within three years of you leaving. So I'm asking you to say whatever you have to say, then get out, go back to Toronto, remember me to Alice, Esme, Carlisle, Emmett and Rose and give me your word that I'll never see any of you again."
"I will."
"Then tell me. Why haven't you mentioned Edward yet?"
"I'm sorry, Bella, but -"
"Is he dead?"
JacobPOV
I come back into the kitchen in time to hear the end of her tirade, Jasper's promise, her question, him beginning to answer and her question.
"Is he dead?"
"Bloodsucker, if you and your family are back to destroy my wife, you'll have me to deal with."
"Don't worry, wolf, I'm just here to deliver a message."
"Jasper, is he dead?"
"He might as well be."
"What's that meant to mean?"
"Edward is no longer a vegetarian. He's lost his mind, Bella. He went to the Volturi, but they wouldn't kill him. He's gone mad. He's become little more than a wild animal. I haven't seen him for months. When I saw him last, he was living rough, feeding off humans, and he couldn't talk."
"And you're telling me this…"
"Because he's going to die. In five minutes time, Edward Cullen will be dead. An insane vampire is a dangerous one. The Volturi will take him down." He gets up. "This chapter of your life- the chapter with us in it - will end. And I'm sorry Bella, I'm so sorry, for everything we did."
I breaks the dead silence. I square up to Jasper, towering over him, Jasper becomes the perfect soldier, taking one precise step back.
"Come on, bloodsucker. You didn't come back just to tell Bella he's going a bit bonkers and he'll die. And you certainly didn't come back on your own. You broke the treaty to get to her. You didn't come alone."
"Carlisle is here. And we're leaving, I swear, we're leaving now. And breaking the treaty was the only way to get to her."
"You could've -"
"Called? Written? You wouldn't have met us Bella, and you know it. I am sorry, Bella. I really am." His phone buzzes. A text. "It's over. Goodbye, Bella, Jacob." He turns away, swiftly.
"Wait, Jasper. Just wait here a moment."
She pads back in on bare feet, and hands Jasper a scrapbook.
"Its every single photograph I have of him. Take them, please, give them back to Carlisle and Esme. I loved your brother very, very much - but he's gone. That part of me died when he left and didn't come back." He stares at the photo album. And then he does something every bone in my body protests against. He puts his arms around her and holds her tight. She hugs him back. His voice sounds choked when he speaks.
"Thank you so much, Bella. Thank you. You've given us so much more than we deserve. I always knew you were exceptional - when you went to deal with James alone, when you dealt with me - I can never apologize enough for that day. All of this is my fault."
"Don't say that, Jazz. I don't blame you, I don't blame anyone. I absolutely forbid you to keep on blaming yourself for this." She puts him away from her gently and strokes his hair. "Give my love to everyone, yes?"
"Yes."
"And please, God, stay away from my Esme, stay away from my daughter. Not just for her, for you too. You know what and who her father is, and you know what she could potentially become and I'll not have my baby girl go through that. And damnit it to hell and back, will you tell Alice I love her?"
"Every day."
He left. I drove her to the boundary line and she said her goodbyes to Carlisle. We watched them walk away. The pain behind her eyes was lessened somewhat. At least she didn't have to sit with all that uncertainty, wondering whether or not he was alive, whether he was with someone else. I think that, even after all these years, she got to say goodbye, and it helped her so much. We never spoke about it ever again, and even though she'd think it, it would never be brought up. If I tried, she'd stop me, and I knew that it still hurt her. Jasper never came back, none of them did. But to the blond vampire who'd been so kind to my Bella, my love, I wrote to him once or twice, receiving replies that all was well.
I invited them to her funeral, and they came, standing in the background. 95 she was, and full of life right up to the end. I have not heard from them since, and in a way, I am glad. I too am dying, and soon I will be with my Bella again. And I know I have them to thank for my peace.
A/N: Little T rated fic for the first time, just a little reflection on what might have been. Review?