"It's nice to see you again Bella, how are you?"
I glance up at him out of the corner of my eye from my spot on the desert floor after he finally speaks. We're both facing the direction of the rising sun so I can only see him from the side.
He looks the same, curly honey blond hair, golden eyes a shade darker then the rest of the Cullen's, and all of his scars. His clothes are a bit different but you can still tell they're preppy influenced. They don't really match his southern twang that's more pronounced then I've ever heard it before and I wonder fleetingly how long he's been in the South for it to be so strong.
"Yeah, must be fate for us to come across eachother here in the middle of nowhere, Jasper. And how bout you tell me how I've been and I'll just fill you in on anything you've missed?" I guess he has time to spare since he's wasting my time with stupid questions. He knows exactly how I've been.
"I thought it might be better if you told me yourself. After all It has been awhile since we've seen eachother. Didn't mean to step on your toes darlin', my apologies." He turned his head to look at me and I do the courteous thing and do the same. The corners of his lips are lifted slightly in his version of a smile that I notice still looks the same too. It's soft, wise, and bitterly amused at everything around him. I'm the only thing to be amused at though, and I'm sure I know why.
And I can't control the small smirk that's half bitter and half mocking that finds itself on my face. I'm not the only one who's just a little to jaded and a tad bit to broken to be able to completely immerse themselves into a life of pretend and happiness. And I wonder briefly if one day I'll wear the same smile he does, and how many centuries it takes to get it.
"You look well by the way." I snort at that comment and look into his eyes focusing on my reflection in them. My eyes are a bright ruby red from my hunt a couple of hours ago and I notice a spot of blood on the corner of my lips that I immediately lick off. I look like what I am I suppose, a nomad. Black tank, brown leather jacket, ripped and faded jeans from all my travels and black boots. Nothing personal and completely practical, just the way I like it.
"Well I certainly look better then you do." He's the one who snorts this time but he doesn't try to deny it either. He knows he looks like crap in those clothes. He wears them anyway though so kudos to him.
It's silent between us for a moment, and I pretend that it's stuck still in time. But I guess he's got somewhere else to be because it doesn't last long before he asks me what he really wants to know. "Why did you leave them?"
Ah, Peter and Charlotte.
They saved me all those years ago when Laurent found me walking through the forest after the Cullen's had skipped town. Victoria had sent him out to fetch me for her, but he had other plans. He was going to drain me dry and almost did too, when Peter and Charlotte popped out of nowhere to come to my rescue. Well if you consider making me a vampire being rescued that is.
It wasn't 'til about twenty-five years after I had been turned that I found out that Jasper was their sire, and that he had called them and asked if they would watch over me when he and the others left. After all, I was a defenseless human in a supernatural world with a sadistic redhead that wanted my head on a platter.
I never figured out how long they were supposed to watch over me, or what Jasper's plan for me was. For all I know things happened just the way he wanted them to. But I never bothered asking Peter and Charlotte and they didn't bother telling me. They may not have known anyway.
"I left them for the same reason you did. The same reason why you're here right now with me in the middle of a desert and not back home playing house with the wifey and everyone else. It infuriates you when they try to heal you, to help you. Hell, even your mate can't fix you up and make you better."
I'm standing up now right in front of him. I'm leaning forward slightly with my face angled towards his, and I see through my reflection in his eyes that the smile on my face makes me look as cruel as the words that just passed trough my lips. And that makes me smile all the more.
And he bursts out laughing, not his usual soft chuckle from years past but full on laughing. He stops and stares at me for a second with a wicked grin on his face before he turns to leave. I don't wait to watch him as I turn in the opposite direction to do the same. He speeds off right before I do and I catch his parting words at the last second.
" I can't wait to see you again, Bella."
And I'm sure I will see him again. I don't know when that'll be, and I'm not going to ponder on it. It'll be whenever he wants to find me. And I plan on making that as hard as possible. Peter and Charlotte were great teachers after all.