AN: This is my second attempt at writing this story. So please, enjoy.

BPOV

"Swan!" My name rang through the air from my commanding officer. I jogged over to where he stood, and slowed my breathing back to normal as I stood tall and proud. Next to him, was a man with sandy blond hair and bright blue eyes. He stood as straight as every other man in this base.

"Sir, yes, sir?" I inquired, waiting for the reason as to why I was called.

"This here, Private, is Jasper Hale! He will be your partner! He will be your bunkmate! He will cover your hide as much as you will cover your mother's!" He shouted with uneccessary volume that one quickly becomes familiar with. My face remained emotionless as he barked out orders, mentioning a mother that I no longer had.

"Sir, yes sir!" I returned, a phrase that a Private quickly becomes accustomed to. The Drill Sargeant turned in fluid motions, and left to the Drill Sargeant Bunk. I allowed my tough facade to disappear, and I gave Jasper a small smile. "I'm Isabella Swan, but call me Bella."

He stuck his hand out to give me a firm hand shake. "I'm Jasper Hale, pleasure to meet you." I took note of his southern drawl as I began to reach for his bags. "No, please, I will get it." I ignored his protests and led him to where we would be spending our next ten months.

"These are our beds." I explained as we reached a set of bunk beds that had recently just been occupied by me. There were only two other women in the cabin of twenty. Which was actually more than most. "I have the bottom bunk."

Jasper nodded to this, accepting my role as Senior. As I showed him how our beds were to be made every morning, I asked him questions.

It was a good idea to know your partner. They will be your other half while you are here. You have to trust them.

"What made you join?" I asked, folding over exactly four inches of our blankets.

"I've always wanted to serve my country. However, my wife wouldn't let me until we were married. She claimed that it would make me want to come back alive." He chuckled, love shining in his eyes.

"You miss her." It was more of a statement than a question. Quite obviously he had missed her, just in the very few words he spoke of her. He nodded in confirmation and rummaged his bag for a picture that had gotten crumpled by all the luggage. In the picture was a woman that was about two heads shorter than Jasper. She absolutely bubbled excitement in her gorgeous princess wedding dress. Pink petals seemed to cascade around them as if they were doing so just for this picture. Jasper looked at her with love as she seemed unable to stay put.

"She's beautiful." I whispered the truth, and he beemed at the compliment. They were so perfect for each other that I could not help but feel a tad envious. Sue me, I'm only human.

"Thanks! I feel that you guys would get along. She loves everyone."

"I've never been good at befriending girls." I admitted.

"All the more reason she would want to make you her friend." I suppose her needed a picture frame more than I did. I took the picture that I had tucked under my mattress, and removed the picture of Renee and Charlie holding a tiny Isabella.

I did not want nor need to reminisce.

I handed him the frame.

"What about that picture?" He asked, looking pointedly at the one I had just removed. I shook my head.

"It's my past. Alice is your future." He took it, once I continued to insist.

"So, Bella, why are you in here?" I gave a sad smile and began to explain my past.

Flashback

"Bells, we're sorry!" My father called through my locked door. I huddled into a corner, trying to stop the tears that were staining my face. "We still love you."

"It's best for us. All of us." Renee chipped in.

"Leave me alone!" I screeched, young and confused. I was irrational, now that I look back on it. The anger was just misinterpretted fear. Fear that if they could stop loving each other, they could stop loving me. I wanted to beat them to it, so I began to shout hurtful words at the door.

"Don't you dare talk to your mother like that, Isabella Marie Hayden!" I didn't know that those were going to be some of the last things I would ever say to my dad. I wouldn't have said that if I did.

Instead, I opened my window and climbed down the tree that made it easy to escape. I left for the one person I knew would fix everything.

The only person I thought I could trust. I ran through the rain. I ran through the hate.

I rang the doorbell to Emmett McKarty's house.

A very tired best friend opened the door for me.

I threw myself at him and allowed his confused arms to snake around me and hold me in that bear hug I knew so well.

He was like my brother.

"Bells, what's wrong?" He asked, leading me into his house. His mother and father came down to see what their son was doing.

"They did it, Em. They got the divorce." His parents excused themselves so they could call my parents and let them know that I was here. So they wouldn't worry, and to perhaps spend the night.

I had always spent the night at Em's.

We were young enough that it didn't seem weird or suggestive.

"Bells, look, it's not your fault. They love you. Don't believe otherwise." Of course, he knew exactly why I was so distraught by their divorce.

He grabbed me some of my sleepover clothes, and I changed.

His parents hadn't come downstairs to confirm that I could sleep over. They hadn't come down to explain that they would be taking me home as they usually did.

I just explained my troubles to Emmett as we ate cookies and milk.

Emmett was never serious, very much opposite of me. I kept him grounded, and he reminded me that it was okay to have fun.

I think an hour had passed before we both started to feel very sleepy.

I rested my head on the table, ready to allow sleep to pull over me like a warm blanket, until Emmett's parents finally came down.

They did not smile. They stared at me as if I were about to break.

"Bella, sweetie... Charlie got into a car accident. And... he didn't make it." No.

Three weeks later

Charlie's funeral was today. I glared at my mother as she sobbed in the arms of another man, his name was Phil, and they were dating.

I stood on the other side of the rectangular hole from my mother and her lover she had left my father for.

It was her fault that he was dead.

It was Phil's fault as well.

Most of all, it was my fault.

If she never met Phil, they would have never gotten divorced, I would have never ran away. Charlie would have never chased after me in a frantic search, blinded by the heavy rain and worry. He would've never collided with that tree.

The doctors assured me that he did not suffer.

They did not realize that we had already made him suffer.

I glared at the lovers. I allowed Emmett to hold an umbrella over the two of us. My best friend was my only rock, my only anchor.

He steadied me as my knees buckled once they began to lower the casket into the ground. Sobs that did not sound human shook my body, clawing their way out my mouth.

I was able to cry, because I had Emmett.

When I had to leave with Renee and Phil, I told them I hated them both.

"Now, Bella, it's hard for us all-" Phil said in a fatherly voice.

Ass hole. He didn't even seem sorrowful. Maybe it was my overactive imagination, my bias towards Phil, but I remember him as being smug as he said this, so I snapped.

"It's your fault any of this happened!" Venom was dripping from my voice, and I was glad that it was. The car was driving through the heavy rain, typical Fork weather.

"Bella, don't you-" Renee began, her voice distraught. I misinterpreted her sadness as defense for Phil, so I said something that I would regret.

"I hate you!" I threw open my door, not caring that we were driving. They called my name and Phil stopped the car. I took the opportunity to exit. And I ran.

No one knew this town like I did. No one spent their time in the rain like I did.

I ran, ignoring their calls of protest behind me. I knew they were going to try and chase me. At least, I had thought they were going to.

I didn't hear the car turn, and I didn't see anyone following me.

They were letting me run away.

I appeared at Emmett, and stopped on the street across from them. Men were loading a moving truck.

Emmett was standing in the door way, still wearing his funeral attire. He saw me, and ran over to me.

"Bella, I'm so sorry." He pulled me into a bear-crushing hug. "I'm moving. My Gammy is sick in California, and I have to go! We have to go! This week... My mom's siblings live there but they got tired of taking care of her- so we have to. We just found out..."

I just cried in my best friend's arms.

That was the last time I ever saw my best friend, Emmett McKartney.

That was the last time I ever saw Renee and Phil. I became an orphan of the state.

Present

"And, well, now I'm here. I wanted to do something noble." I shrugged. We were already a couple weeks in with Jasper as my new partner. Slowly, I had shared some of my story. He made it easy to trust him.

"What did you say your friend's name was, again?" He asked, his eyebrows scrunched together. It was an odd look on Jasper, someone whom one just assumed had all the answers. I didn't understand how that was the part that he was confused about.

"Emmett McKartny... Why?" His eyes searched mine.

"Bella... I- I think I know him... He's my twin sister's boyfriend."

Could it be?

AN: I hope you enjoyed :) Please review, read my other stories, follow, and favorite!