Author's Note – Thank you so much to all of you who have added HCG as a favorite story, added HCG to your story alert. I want to extend a very special thank you to those of you who have taken the time to review. Well over 100 people have taken the time to read what I've written but only a handful has reviewed, so to those few, thank you very much. To everyone else, I understand you sometimes don't have much to say, don't have much time, but I've put a lot of work into this and I would love to hear what you're thinking, so please, please review. It's cliché, but reviews motivate me, bring me back to the story when I get stuck and want to give up, so if you want me to keep working on this review. Or if you think this is ridiculous tell me, but at least elaborate.

Here Comes Goodbye

Chapter 2

That weekend passed slowly for Jasper and the rest of the Cullen family, but for Bella it all blurred together. When she wasn't asleep, Bella was either just lying in Jasper's arms or crying on him yet again. The only real break from the routine that Bella had settled into that weekend was when Esme brought up her first meal in roughly a day and then a couple hours later when Bella ventured downstairs, clutching onto Jasper's hand, to get some more food. While the whole family had gathered in the kitchen around Bella they were careful about what they said around her.

"Bella, if you'd like, we do have an extra room that we can make over into your room while you stay with us. I know Alice and Jasper do not mind having you stay with them, but this way you can have a place of your own, a place where you can go to be alone if you need." Esme suggested as she thought of the various rooms in the house and which one could be feasibly renovated into a bedroom.

Bella looked over at Esme, a look of mild surprise on her features. "I don't want to bother you any more than I have. I'm going home tomorrow anyway."

The even tone that Bella used was not lost on anyone and they could all pick up on how dejected she was to have to admit that she had to return to reality - home and school - the next day.

"You don't have to if you aren't ready to." Esme replied, looking over to Alice or Jasper for them to pick things up from there.

"Actually, if you decide that you want to stay here, all that it will take is Esme and I talking to Charlie to let him agree for you to stay. Of course he'll come to visit, but we'll explain how you're better off with us for now. You know Charlie, emotions aren't his thing, and he wouldn't know how to help you other than let you continue to stay with us." Alice explained, taking Bella's hand in hers as she spoke.

Glancing down at the hand that was now covered by one of Alice's, Bella then redirected her gaze to her friend. "Are you sure? I've already caused one member of this family to leave and I've inconvenienced all of you."

"That's ridiculous." Emmett immediately said, earning him a few looks from his family at his word choice. "What's happened is that I now have a baby sister and she damn well better live here so I can hug her whenever I want to." To emphasize his point Emmett walked across the kitchen to Bella and carefully took her into a big bear hug. Hesitantly, Bella brought her arms up from the counter and wrapped them around Emmett's large frame, returning the hug.

"Thank you." Bella said after a few moments, her voice muffled by Emmett and his close proximity but that didn't stop the Cullens from hearing what she said.

"You don't have to thank us Bella. What Emmett said goes for all of us. You're our sister, or daughter, and we love having you stay here with us so we can do our best to be there for you and help you right now." Rosalie said, walking over to Bella and Emmett. Putting a hand on Emmett and Bella's backs, Rosalie joined the hug.

As Rosalie's words registered in Bella's mind and then her actions, there was a noticeable shift in what she was feeling. From his spot near Emmett Jasper could feel Bella shift from feeling helpless to loved and mildly hopeful, with a touch of confusion thrown in as Bella tried to reconcile the fact that Rosalie went from disliking her to viewing her as a sister. The sudden shift consumed Bella's thoughts so much that Jasper couldn't help but be amused but also appreciative of the change.

"Have something you would like to share with the rest of us?" Esme asked when she noticed the different expression that now graced her son's face. Rather than a cool, determined guise with concerned eyes, Jasper was relaxed and clearly in better spirits.

Glancing at everyone, Jasper sighed before he answered Esme's question. "Bella had an interesting reaction to what Rosalie just said, that's all."

Rosalie quickly understood what Jasper meant since Bella was hardly aware of what Rosalie did when she was first brought into the home by Jasper the other day. "I never hated you. I envied you for what you had and were so willing to give up to be a part of this family, but these past few days have shown all of us that you are already a part of this family. I love my new sister and it hurts me to see you like this."

When Bella's lip started to quiver everyone saw it and was not surprised when Bella embraced Rosalie, all but launching herself at her. Immediately Rosalie wrapped her arms around Bella, hugging her as yet another wave of tears were shed by Bella.

Watching Rosalie and Bella, Esme couldn't help herself and joined the embrace, wrapping her arms around two of her children. When Esme's shoulders start to move as if she was crying to three of the remaining family members glanced at each other while Alice simply closer to the group and weaseled her way into the hug. Now that Alice was a part of the embrace Bella was actually surrounded by her, Esme, and Rosalie.

"Group hug?" Emmett asked, looking to Jasper and then Carlisle.

"I think we'll let them all have this moment together." Carlisle replied, glancing at the women once again before looking to his sons, who merely nodded in response.

"Emmett, please, start thinking about what you would do to Edward to distract me from that." Jasper requested after a few moments of silence and there were no signs from any of the women that the group hug was going to break any time soon.

Rocking back and forth on his feet, Emmett was soon lost in thought, envisioning even more options for his brother's fate. Just as Emmett was thinking about tossing Edward against his beloved piano Alice broke away from the hug.

"Charlie's on his way over to pick up Bella." Alice announced, bringing everyone out of their own thoughts.

Running her hand through Bella's hair, Esme offered her a small, comforting smile. "Don't worry, we'll explain everything to him."

Bella simply nodded in return, though Jasper could sense her anxiety starting to build at the thought of explaining everything that had happened to her father and then requesting his permission to stay with the Cullens. Stepping past Rosalie and Alice, Jasper placed a hand on Bella's back, rubbing it once again since he had quickly learned the effect the simple touch could have on Bella.

"Why don't we go wait for Charlie in the living room?" Carlisle suggested, before leading the procession from the kitchen to the living room.

Guiding Bella to one of the couches, Jasper sat down next to her, keeping his hand on her back since Bella had sat a few inches away from the back of the couch, leaning her elbows on her thighs. On Bella's other side was Esme, who couldn't resist taking one of Bella's hands in hers.

"Wait, we're not supposed to be here." Emmett said, remembering the point that Rosalie had raised earlier.

Closing his eyes and sighing, Jasper moved to stand up but was stopped when Bella grabbed his leg, stopping his movement.

"Please don't go. Please don't leave me." Bella explained in a small voice, though her anxiety and terror came through loud and clear.

"Emmett and Rose are back from their honeymoon and Jasper decided to come back and wait until we could go to school together." Alice quickly said, offering a story for why the three elder siblings were home.

Jasper nodded in response to his wife, but that was the only attention he paid to her or anyone else at that moment since Bella was his focus. Reaching across, Jasper took Bella's free hand in his and resumed rubbing her back. Almost immediately Jasper and Esme could feel Bella's grip relax a bit.

Leaning close to Bella, Jasper whispered in her ear, even though everyone would hear what he had to say. "I'm not going to leave you. I already promised you that and I will never break that promise to you, never." Jasper said before moving to kiss the top of Bella's head.

Bella nodded in response, tightening her grip on Jasper's hand a little bit as she leaned against him. Jasper shifted closer to Bella in response to her actions, though he struggled to refrain from manipulating her emotions before Charlie's arrival. As much as it was going to hurt, Charlie needed to see the state that his daughter was in at that moment, otherwise he would not understand just how the severe the situation was.

Glancing at Jasper, Bella, and Esme on the couch, Alice redirected her gaze to her other family members. "Charlie's pulling down the driveway now."

Stopping his pacing, Carlisle walked over to where Alice was. "Thank you."

A minute later everyone heard the door of the cruiser shut behind Charlie and then his footsteps as he walked up to the front door, sharply knocking on the door. Carlisle was soon in front of the door, opening it for Charlie.

"Chief Swan, please come in." Carlisle said, greeting Bella's father and directing him toward the living room.

"Uh, sure, thanks." Charlie replied, surprised at the invitation since he only expected to be picking up Bella from the Cullen's.

Following the direction that Carlisle gave him, Charlie walked into the home, unable to prevent his eyes from taking it in, and then walked into the living room. Seeing the room's occupants, Charlie almost had to do a double take when he saw Bella on the couch between Esme and Jasper.

"Bells, what happened? What's going on here?" Charlie asked, moving in front of his daughter but directing the latter question to anyone who would or could answer him.

"Charlie, when I left the note saying Bella was staying here this weekend it wasn't for her birthday." Alice started, though her words did nothing to give Charlie the information he wanted to hear at that moment.

"Someone tell me what's going on here, now. Why does Bella look like this? Why is she holding onto you," Charlie said, motioning to Jasper before continuing, "and where the heck is Edward?"

Unable to control her reaction to her ex-boyfriend's name, Bella flinched. Jasper immediately noticed and hugged Bella against his side. Charlie noticed as well but was too busy taking in Jasper's reaction to comment right away.

"What did your boy do to my daughter?" Charlie finally asked, focusing his attention on Carlisle.

"Edward broke up with Bella the other day." Carlisle explained.

Calming down a little bit at this new knowledge, Charlie asked yet another question. "But why is Bella here and Edward isn't?"

"He was accepted to a music academy in California. He had applied and was initially waitlisted and they had another student drop out so Edward got their spot. Unfortunately that meant he had to leave right away." Carlisle explained as the lie rolled easily off of his tongue.

"All right, I get why Bella's upset right now, but that still doesn't explain why she came here instead of home." Charlie said, looking for yet another explanation.

"Because I found her right after Edward broke up with her, sir." Jasper calmly replied from his spot on the couch, bringing Charlie's attention back to him and Bella.

"How? Why? Aren't you supposed to be off at school?"

"I was, but I decided I'd rather wait to go with Alice so I came back home." Jasper quickly explained before pausing to take a breath, or just look human for Charlie. "I was out taking a walk in the woods and I wasn't paying attention to where I was going when I heard someone stumbling around. Curious, I followed the sound and then I found Bella." Jasper revealed, going with the closest version to the truth possible for Charlie.

Shaking his head, Charlie took a moment to absorb what Jasper had just told him. "Are you telling me Edward left her in the woods, alone, after breaking up with her?"

Listening to everyone talk about her was finally starting to take its toll on Bella. Trembling a little, Bella's lip began to quiver once again as her mind replayed the events of the other day yet again.

"Yes, sir, I'm sorry to say that he did. I know you don't want to think about it, but the state Bella was in then, it was much worse than right now." Jasper said, to which Esme immediately nodded in agreement.

"Charlie, if it is all right with you, we would like Bella to continue to stay with us as she heals. In just a few days she has improved, but as you can see she is far from being the Bella that we all know and love." Esme suggested at that point, her tone of voice full of love and concern.

Shaking his head, Charlie started to reply. "No, I don't want to impose on you folks anymore."

"Please, it would not be an imposition. We just want the same thing as you Charlie, we want Bella to recover from this experience." Esme quickly said, cutting off Charlie's protest.

Sighing, Charlie paced a little bit before he looked down at Bella. Glancing first at Esme and Bella's joined hands then the protective yet comforting embrace that Jasper had her in Charlie cleared his throat before crouching down in front of the couch. Putting his hand on Bella's knee, Charlie finally saw the silent tears that Bella had been shedding. Wiping away Bella's tears with his other hand, Charlie spoke. "Bells, do you want to stay here?"

Bella soon nodded her head in response. "Please. I love being home with you, but I need this dad. Please."

Moving forward, Charlie kissed Bella's forehead. "I can't say no to you."

"Thank you." Bella said, trying to offer an appreciative smile to her father.

Standing up, Charlie looked at the Cullens. "If you don't mind, I'd like to come by, check in on her."

"Absolutely." Carlisle quickly replied. "It would be our pleasure to have you any time you want to come by and see Bella. Stop in whenever you'd like."

"Thanks." Charlie said, holding his hand out to Carlisle, who now understood why a small heat packet had been handed to him by Alice just minutes before. Taking his hand out of his pocket, Carlisle shook Charlie's hand.

"You're very welcome. We're just happy that we can help you and Bella right now." Carlisle replied.

"I uh, I'll bring over some of her things tomorrow."

"Alice and I can take care of that later, don't worry." Esme said from her perch on the couch.

"Sure, thanks, come by anytime." Charlie replied, relieved since he didn't exactly know what to pack for Bella.

Standing in the Cullen's living room, Charlie glanced around at the group once again before his eyes settled on Bella. While Bella had calmed down a little bit, Charlie could still see how tightly she was holding onto Esme and Jasper's hands and how much Bella had brought her body to rest against Jasper's.

Crouching in front of Bella once again, Charlie locked eyes with his daughter and hated just how red they were and how much sadness they conveyed. "If you ever need me call, I don't care what time it is, all right?"

Bella nodded as she took her hands out of Esme and Jasper's grasp. Leaning forward, Bella brought her arms around Charlie's neck and Charlie moved to a kneeling position so he could return the embrace. Wrapping his arms around Bella's small waist, Charlie spoke once again, unaware of the fact that the Cullens would hear every word he whispered to Bella. "I love you kiddo and all I want is for you to be healthy and happy, which you will be here. I'm sorry I can't be what you need right now."

"You're perfect dad. I love you." Bella replied, sniffling before she kissed Charlie's cheek.

Squeezing Bella's mid-section briefly, Charlie then pulled out of the embrace, but not before kissing Bella's forehead. Once Charlie was standing again he focused his attention on Jasper, holding out a hand to the young man. "Thanks for finding Bella and taking care of her."

Jasper stuck out his hand and shook Charlie's outstretched hand, withdrawing his own as soon as possible. "You're welcome."

Moving to the side of the couch a little, Charlie spoke once again, but to all of the Cullens. "Thank you, all of you."

"You're very welcome Charlie. You know we're happy to host Bella any time she wants to stay here, we're just sorry that it is under these circumstances." Carlisle replied for everyone.

"Yeah, me too." Charlie muttered before redirecting his attention to Alice and Esme. "Uh, if you want I can drive you over to the house and then drive you back. It's the least I can do with all you're doing for Bella."

"Sure, that will be great." Esme replied, standing up from the couch.

Just minutes later the three were gone, leaving Bella, Jasper, Emmett, Rosalie, and Carlisle in the living room. Without a word or even a look to anyone Bella stood up and walked out of the living room and up the stairs. All eyes were on her, but no one followed, unsure of whether or not they should.

"If she had wanted you with her she wouldn't have let go of your hand." Carlisle said to Jasper once he could clearly read the indecision on his son's face.

Jasper nodded once before looking to Carlisle, Emmett, and Rosalie. "How is she going to get through this?"

"Time will be Bella's best friend and worst enemy right now." Rosalie offered, starting her explanation of how girls react to heartbreak, especially when it is inflicted by the guy that they believed to be the one. "She will eventually get past this, but until that point comes each day is going to be tough, but as those days turn into weeks and months the pain will lessen. It will always hurt for her to remember Edward, what they had together, what she thought they would have, and then what he did, but that pain won't consume her. She'll eventually be a version of the Bella we all know, but she won't be the same no matter what we do."

As Rosalie spoke Emmett walked over to her, wrapping his arm around her waist, tucking her against his side since everyone knew of Rosalie's experience with men and when they failed to meet expectations.

"Why don't we go work on clearing out a room for Bella." Carlisle suggested after a momentary silence, not wanting to dwell on the subject anymore since that would only result in he and his children becoming more upset.

"Which room will be changed?" Emmett asked, curious about which room was about to be renovated.

"I think Esme's studio will be best for Bella. It's smaller, near Jasper and Alice's room, and would just be the easiest room to convert in a short amount of time." Carlisle replied, doubting that Esme would mind having her studio changed into Bella's bedroom.

"Let's get to work." Jasper said, standing up from the couch and leading the group upstairs and into Esme's studio. As Jasper walked past the closed door to his and Alice's bedroom he tried to not read Bella's emotions, but it was unavoidable as they were all over the place, going from extreme love to devastation then confusion and anxiety. Bella's heart and mind were moving at rapid paces independent of the other, wreaking havoc on her emotions and subsequently Jasper's state of mind.

Pausing inside the doorway of the studio, Jasper tried to collect himself and block some of what he was feeling from Bella. Rosalie quickly picked up on his actions and grew concerned.

"What's she feeling now?" Rosalie asked, drawing Emmett and Carlisle's attention to Jasper.

Shaking his head, Jasper focused on the floor, still trying to control what he was feeling. "It's all over the place but it's all so strong. I've never felt something like this. Her emotions have been strong all weekend, but nothing like this."

Quickly closing the distance between himself and Jasper, Carlisle put a hand on his son's arm before he spoke. "Go, be with her. We can take care of things in here. Bella needs you."

Looking up from the spot he had focused on, Jasper nodded to the three before exiting and walking back down the hallway to his bedroom. Lightly knocking on the door, Jasper waited until the action was acknowledged by Bella to enter to the room.

Once inside the bedroom Jasper immediately saw Bella sitting in the middle of the bed, her knees raised up to her chest and her arms wrapped around her legs. Between how Bella was sitting, hugging herself and the large bed that she was on she looked even smaller and more fragile than usual to Jasper. Without a word Jasper went over to the bed and sat next to Bella. Draping his arm across Bella's shoulders, Jasper guided her head to rest on his shoulder. Moving his hand from Bella's shoulder to her head, Jasper ran his fingers through her hair.

Minutes passed and still neither Jasper nor Bella had said anything. However, Jasper did start to feel Bella relax and her emotions calm down a bit. While her thoughts and feelings were still erratic they were less severe.

Suddenly the silence was broken by Bella. "Help me Jasper."

"Whatever you need, I'm here." Jasper quickly replied, curious as to what had prompted Bella's request.

"Make this go away, please." Bella explained, her voice quickly taking on a pleading tone. Looking at Jasper, Bella sought his hand with hers. Squeezing Jasper's cold, stone-like hand, Bella continued her plea. "I don't want to feel this anymore, please help me."

Jasper could only nod his head before he sent out a powerful wave of calm and lethargy, quickly sending Bella into a state of dreamless sleep. Feeling Bella's body quickly relax, Jasper carefully moved Bella so she was lying on the bed, her head resting on the pile of pillows that Alice had managed to rearrange before she left with Esme and Charlie.

Moving away from Bella, Jasper took a step away from the bed, looking at Bella's still form as the feelings he manufactured for her offered her the escape that she had requested.

"What the hell were you thinking Edward?" Jasper quickly and quietly said to himself.

"Can we go tear him apart now?" Emmett asked, drawing Jasper's attention away from Bella.

With one last look at Bella Jasper walked out of the room and then down the hall to Esme's former studio, which was now empty and ready to be decorated by Esme. Looking straight at Emmett, Jasper offered a response to his question. "Unfortunately I think that would only make things worse. But I will think about that moment and many others the next time I'm around the bastard."

"Jasper…" Carlisle warned, though he knew that somehow Jasper and Emmett were going to avenge what happened to Bella.

Turning to Carlisle, Jasper wasn't speaking to his surrogate father at that moment, but another man who cared for Bella. "Edward is entitled to nothing after what he did to Bella, don't even try to tell me otherwise. I'll leave him in one piece, but that is where my restraint will stop."

"Mine too." Emmett chimed in.

"I can't make that promise." Rosalie said after a moment's pause. Feeling the eyes of the room's other occupants land on her, Rosalie continued. "You all heard her, have seen her, hell, we've all felt her and Edward has to know some pain for what he's caused. Carlisle, how can you control yourself after what you just heard? Bella just begged Jasper to sedate her because she can't handle what she is feeling anymore."

Walking over to Rosalie, Carlisle put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Bella has my sympathies right now, but we can't let this situation tear this family apart."

Shrugging off Carlisle's hand, Rosalie moved to stand next to Emmett. "The way I see it Edward has to deal with the consequences of his actions. He showed Bella no mercy, why should we do that for him?"

"Because he is your brother and ultimately he was acting out of his love and concern for Bella. This is all the result of an unfortunate mistake and it is one that we all have to get past together for Bella's sake." Carlisle explained in a firmer tone, letting Rosalie know that he was not going to stand for an attack on Edward.

"Rose, as much as I agree with you Carlisle does have a point." Emmett carefully stated, instantly earning him a sharp look from his wife. "We all want to hurt Edward, even Esme does, but we can't get caught up in wanting revenge and then not do the right thing for Bella. We all need to focus on her because she is the one that needs our attention right now."

Pursing her lips, Rosalie crossed her arms and then looked down for a moment before she nodded her head. "You're right."

While the four were busy discussing avenging Bella they did not notice Alice and Esme's return. Only when the two walked into the room did they realize that the two women were back.

"Bella's going to get restless soon, go back to her." Alice said after greeting Jasper.

Nodding, Jasper left the room without a word and walked back into his and Alice's bedroom. Sure enough, now that he was near Bella Jasper could feel her emotions starting to surface once again and could see her tossing and turning on the bed. Immediately Jasper sent out a wave of calm and carefully waited for his power to affect Bella. Once he noted the change Jasper crossed the room and moved his favorite chair so he could sit and watch Bella as she slept, ready to assist her when necessary.

Hours later Alice walked into the room and saw Jasper in that very spot. Going over to Jasper, Alice ran her hand through his hair, bringing his attention to her. "She has to wake up soon so we can get to school on time."

Jasper nodded, reducing the feelings that he was projecting on Bella. "Take care of her."

"I will." Alice promised, looking from Jasper to Bella and then back to Jasper. "She will get past this Jasper, I've seen it. She just needs time."

"Time, time, time. That's all I've heard this weekend." Jasper fired back. "I'm sick of it. That does nothing to help Bella right now. She begged me to numb her and make her sleep Alice, she begged for me to take away her ability to feel, think. I don't care what you or anyone else says, time will never heal that part of Bella."

"Jasper, I know you're upset and that you've experienced a lot of emotions this weekend in addition to your own, but you have to trust me when I say that Bella will make it through this. She needs you, she's even told you that, so you have to try and stay in control of yourself for Bella's sake."

Clenching his jaw, Jasper took a moment to respond to Alice. "What else have you seen of Bella's future?"

"It isn't definite, her constant mood changes make it difficult, but I have seen her smiling and it is one of the greatest visions I have ever had." Alice replied, remembering the vision she had when she and Esme packed up Bella's room.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Going through Bella's drawer Alice suddenly stopped, slipping into another vision about Bella's future. The haze that had previously accompanied Alice's visions of Bella was all but gone, with a picture of Bella smiling being the first thing Alice saw. Then, her mind pulled Alice away from the scene that she was viewing, allowing her to see that Bella was not alone.

Standing with her arms wrapped around Jasper's waist, Bella was looking up at Jasper with a wide smile; Bella was so happy at that moment she was almost radiating happiness. Jasper, with his hands on Bella's back, was returning her gaze with an intensity that immediately caught Alice's attention. In all of the years that Alice had known Jasper she had never seen a look such as that one, with all of his emotions evident. For once Jasper was completely open to another, making no effort to mask his state of utter contentment and love.

No, it can't be, but the way that Bella and Jasper were standing with one another, looking at each other, there was no other explanation for it. Alice's suspicions were confirmed when Jasper moved one hand to the back of Bella's neck and lowered his head, bringing his lips down to hers.

"What is it Alice? What happens?" Esme asked as Alice started to come out of her vision.

"Jasper and Bella…" Alice trailed off, her mind working furiously to believe what it had just seen.

"What happens to them?"

Shaking her head in disbelief, Alice looked over to Esme. "They love each other."

"Of course they do. Jasper wouldn't have been able to save Bella if he didn't and Bella would not be relying on Jasper so much right now if she didn't love and trust him." Esme replied, unaware of what Alice had actually meant by her earlier explanation.

"Not just that, they fall in love. The way they were looking at each other, I've never seen that before." Alice corrected, leaning against Bella's dresser as the ramifications of her vision started to invade her mind.

Pausing, Esme could only look at Alice in shock. "No, you must be mistaken. Jasper loves you and Bella would never come between you and Jasper."

"You can't fight how you feel Esme. And that love, there is no stopping that. I can't come between them."

"Oh Alice…"

"I never did see a long future with Jasper, now I finally know why. If he is going to be with anyone else I am glad it is Bella." Alice replied, reason starting to take over her thoughts.

"What are you going to do?"

"I don't know when or how, but I have to speak with Jasper."

Her still heart breaking for Alice, Esme swept her up in a hug. "Please promise me that you won't leave us."

"Never."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Looking curiously at his wife, Jasper spoke. "There's something else. What else have you seen?"

Alice shook her head in response. "I can't tell you about the rest, not yet. You'll find out eventually though."

Jasper merely nodded, trusting Alice's judgment regarding the future and her visions. Glancing back over to Bella, who was now starting to stir, Jasper missed the look of envy that had briefly appeared in Alice's eyes.