BPOV

As I lead them back to my apartment, my mind was reeling. I'd been expecting Jasper to show up, and I'd known that Peter and even Charlotte were possibilities too. What I hadn't known was when. I was glad I'd caught sight of Jasper outside the venue before he'd seen me, so I had time to make myself look like I wasn't alone. I really wanted our meeting again after so long and after everything that had happened to be on my terms.

He didn't seem unhappy to see me, but he was definitely annoyed about something. Once, I might have found it frightening.

I knew there was a possibility I'd need to divulge more tonight than I had to anyone in a very long time. I didn't know how comfortable I was with that. It wasn't that I didn't trust them - I did. Even Peter, though we'd only just met; one of the benefits of my inner radar. No, the issue was that it simply wasn't in my nature. I enjoyed maintaining a certain amount of mystery. Even before my 'awakening', I'd been somewhat of a closed book. Back then, I'd hid myself behind a curtain of shyness and insecurity and the occasional sarcastic remark. Now, I just tended to let my instincts guide me. It had seemed to work out pretty well so far.

I'd have to fight against those instincts to let them know what they needed to know. I still didn't know why this was so important, only that it was. I sighed inwardly.

The walk was short and silent. It might have looked odd to anyone who cared to take a second glance: a small woman followed two male creatures who appeared to be men and yet radiated danger, through a dark city at night. To anyone who knew what they were...hm. I let them catch up to me and walked between them. They caught on quickly, and didn't question it.

When we reached my apartment, I opened the door and gestured them inside. It was pretty bare, but I liked it that way. It made it easier to pick up and leave.

"Make yourselves comfortable. I need a few minutes, and then we can get to that talk."

I left them in the living room and went to the kitchen to gather my supplies and my courage. I went for the liquor first, but my radar told me I needed to shield the conversation. Shit, I hope I have the supplies for that. I hadn't needed to worry about it in a long time; I didn't need this kind of protection on my own. I rummaged through the cabinets and eventually found what I was looking for.

I felt them watching me as I returned, arms full, and dumped everything on the closest chair. I held a finger to my lips and looked at them intently until they nodded their understanding. I set the candles out in a circle around the seating area, and then drew a circle in salt connecting them. I lit the candles in order, chanting mentally. I briefly closed my eyes and felt for the result. It was crude, but it'd work. I was a little relieved. I didn't want to blow my reserves on anything fancier right now.

"Almost ready," I said. "I'm going to get a drink before we start. Can I get you anything? I believe I'm all out of your usual, but I have a decent stock of liquor." I turned the small radio on as I passed the shelf on the way to the kitchen.

"Whiskey, if you have it, please," Jasper asked politely, his face still impassive.

"Same here," Peter said.

I grabbed the bottle and three glasses, and placed them on the coffee table before sitting across from them. I poured the liquid into the glasses in roughly equal amounts and lit myself a cigarette. I sat down, scooted back and drew my knees up.

"Fire away." I invited.

They were both silent for a moment, studying me. Once upon a time, I would have wilted under this kind of scrutiny. Now I just stared right back. Peter seemed amused still. I wondered if there was anything that didn't amuse him. He reminded me of Emmett a bit. Jasper's stare was harder to read, and to bear. There was something about that almost-glare that made me want to either cower under it or kiss it off his face. Where the hell did that come from? Stupid, ridiculously attractive vampires.

Finally, Jasper spoke, "I guess we could start with this." He gestured toward my salt circle.

First things first, I suppose. I could roll with that.

"It's for protection. We needed somewhere safe to talk, so I made a space."

Jasper raised his eyebrow at me - again. I internally shivered. Peter busted out laughing, "So, you're a witch now? I thought that was a bunch of bullshit for hippies and bored housewives."

I snorted, "No, but I did learn it from one. I'm not above borrowing. It's important to have a well-stocked toolkit in my world."

"Why did we need this to talk?" Jasper asked. "The walls here are paper thin anyway. Anyone could be eavesdropping."

"Sure, they could hear it. But they wouldn't remember what they heard," I explained. "Besides, this blocks everything. And what I have to say is not for anyone outside this room to know, at least for now." I could tell by twitch of his face that he understood my meaning, but he seemed undeterred.

"Well, go on then," Jasper drawled out sarcastically.

I shot him a look and a dose of my annoyance. I wasn't ready to give everything away just yet, so I decided to divert them.

"Before we go any further, I need to know that this one," I nodded at Peter, "is trustworthy. I know his name is Peter and he helped get you to me, Jasper, but nothing else."

Peter smiled and nodded, but Jasper looked taken aback, and then angry. He growled, "I owe Peter my life. If there's anyone you shouldn't trust, it would be me. I'm the one that tried to take a bite out of you."

"I meant no offense, but I don't know him," I soothed. "My radar is good, but in my world, it's not always wise to trust your instincts. As for biting, we will get to that a little later. Suffice it to say I know you can be trusted." He looked at me strangely, but said nothing.

Peter spoke up then, "Look, sugar. I know we don't know each other, but you could say I also have a good radar. It told me and Jasper to get to you, and it's tellin' me you are gonna be an important part of our lives from here on out. I protect my own. If you don't trust me yet, that's fine, but I wouldn't ever do anything to hurt Jasper, and hurting you would do just that." Jasper shot him a look that said 'what the fuck', but Peter just rolled his eyes.

I nodded at him. It made sense that he had a radar. I filed the information for later and continued.

"Alright then. Next question."

"Just like that?"

"Yes. I'd know if you were lying." Jasper looked suspicious, but let it drop.

"What did you mean when you called yourself part-human?" Peter blurted.

"That's what I am. Part human, part something else. Vampires aren't the only supernatural badasses around, you know."

Jasper's face was expressionless. "You don't have the bloodline to be a shapeshifter. There are no Children of the Moon on this continent, maybe in the world. There's no such thing as a hybrid vampire," he challenged.

"True, well, mostly true. Vampire-human hybrids do exist. But do you really think that's all there is? Think about it. If there are vampires, werewolves, and shapeshifters in the world, then why not anything else? Myths have to come from somewhere, after all. As it happens, they usually start out with a seed of truth. I just told you I learned a spell from a witch. I wasn't talking about someone who dabbles here and there with books they bought off the internet."

"If that's the case then why don't we know about it? I've been on this earth for a century and a half. I think I would have encountered something like that before now," Jasper argued.

"Not if they didn't want you to, you wouldn't," I countered. "Have you encountered shapeshifters anywhere except La Push? You do know not all Shifters are wolves, right? And that being one is not exclusive to being part of a native tribe? There are all kinds of beings in this world, and secrecy is as paramount to them as it is to you. They don't want vampires knowing about them any more than you want humans knowing about you."

"But why?" Peter spoke up.

"For a few reasons, not the least of which is the fact that the last time your leadership became collectively aware of another species, they went out of their way to make them extinct. Add to that Aro's delightful ability, and we've got a very good reason to stay hidden from all of you."

"But the Volturi haven't been in power forever. Just the past five or six hundred years. There were the Romanians before them, and others before that, I am sure," Jasper argued. Peter shot him a look but nodded his agreement.

"In terms of possible vampire lifespans, you two are quite young. And they have not always been hidden. You know as well as I do that most vampires don't live eternally. They live until they get killed, and only the very smart or very lucky manage to last. How many vampires do you know of that are older than the Volturi?" I challenged. They were both silent. "There aren't many. Most of the ones left have either stayed off Italy's radar by avoiding other vampires altogether or had their memories wiped to protect our secret."

"You can do that?" Jasper gasped while Peter demanded, "Why would they agree to that?"

"Not me specifically, but there are some who can, yes. As for why...I'd say you'd have to ask them their reasons, but they probably don't remember them anyway."

It was a non-answer, but I wasn't feeling particularly inclined to give up any information. Jasper's pissy attitude was irking me, so he could fucking wait as far as I was concerned. I wasn't lying, exactly. I just wasn't telling them exactly what they wanted to know just yet. I refilled the now-empty glasses on the table and lit myself another cigarette, gathering my thoughts. This conversation was not at all headed where I thought it would go.

"Uh...may I?" Peter interrupted my musing, pointing to the pack of smokes on the table.

"Oh! Silly Bella, I forgot!" I jumped up. "I'll do you one better," I winked and flitted to the kitchen, returning with four unopened packs. I tossed two to Peter and one to Jasper, and the last onto the table. That one was mine.

They both looked at me blankly. "What?" I asked. "Are those not the right kind?"

Peter answered first, "They are, but how did you know? And why do I have two?"

I shrugged, "I wasn't sure if Charlotte was coming with you or not. Either way, I'm not a menthol fan, so please give them to her for me."

"Bella, how could you possibly know...what are you?" Jasper asked again. Damn that gaze.

He definitely wasn't getting this information yet if he couldn't be nice. I shifted uncomfortably for a minute, thinking about how to best divert. Then it came to me.

"Did Edward ever tell you how I came to know that you all were vampires?" I finally asked.

"No."

"Well...that would have made things easier. You see, according to the previously mentioned secrecy issue, I can't tell you outright. If you were to figure it out on your own, however…" I trailed off.

"That's bullshit." Yep, it was, but they didn't need to know that. I had to do it this way, though. I knew it as soon as the words left my mouth, but not the why. Sometimes my radar was annoying to me as it apparently was to Jasper.

"Them's the breaks, darlin'." I drawled, exaggerating the accent and flashing him a grin. "You can tell me what you think you know, and I'll tell you what I can, if you're looking in the right direction or not."

"You can't possibly be serious."

"As a heart attack," I quipped. Peter snorted, and Jasper looked incredulous.

I knew then that my attempts to lighten the mood weren't going to work. Nope. Not at all the discussion I'd wanted to have. So much for catching up and getting to know each other before he noticed something was up. I needed to give them a choice now, I realized, and save everything else for later. Or maybe never, if they declined. I locked eyes with Jasper, willing my sincerity and the seriousness of the situation to be conveyed through my stare. Something told me that Peter would go where he followed.

"This isn't a game, or a joke. If I tell you outright, I would be taking away your choice. Right now, you could take what I've said and walk away. It would be no different than if I'd chosen to ignore the hand-shaped dent in Tyler's van that day and told Edward to fuck off. Anyone who might access your memory would find an unbelievable story told by a fanciful human girl, and maybe you noticed that she was a little weird, but you were a little drunk, too."

"If you choose to pursue this, you must understand. You and I would be bound, forever," Wow, really? I didn't know where the words came from, but my radar told me they were true. Serious shit. I continued, "You won't be able to change your minds. You won't be able to walk away. You would be required to keep my secret at any cost."

"I don't know much about what's happened to you in the past seven years, Jasper, but let me be perfectly clear about what I am saying. Letting you into my world would require you to be separate from the Cullens, because of Edward and Alice's gifts, and Carlisle's association with Aro. Possibly permanently. Peter, the same goes for you and Char and any vampires you might know with similar gifts."

"I know it's a lot to ask, so please, take some time to think about it. I'm sorry it needs to be this way, but I just can't take the risk of letting you in otherwise. I understand completely if you choose to walk away," I finished quietly.

For the first time in a long time, I felt fear. I 'knew' I had to give them this choice, but I didn't know how they would decide. Even though I understood now that this was the way my life was meant to happen, I still mourned the loss of the Cullens. Once, I had planned my entire life around them. I had felt like I could belong for the first time with them. I wished my radar would give me the heads up about shit like this before it happened. Being caught unprepared was a feeling I didn't care for one bit. Something told me that I would never even question if I belonged with these three. I didn't want them to leave before I had the chance to know what that was like. Old feelings of abandonment began to creep up in my chest, but Jasper interrupted them as he spoke.

"Bella, it seems I owe you an apology. I was so focused on figuring you out that I completely disregarded the fact that you might have some questions of your own. You seem to know so much already…" He trailed off. "We can go into the details another time, but for now you should know that I am no longer a member of the Cullen coven; I only keep in contact with Emmett and Rosalie. Peter, Charlotte, and myself make up my coven now."

I felt my eyes widen at the shock of it. So he and Alice were no longer together? I knew they were not mates, but I didn't know that they had figured that out. I felt pangs of relief and regret about him no longer being in contact with the Cullens. It would make things much easier if he chose to accept me, but I did miss them.

"I told you before that I trust Peter with my life, and that's true, but there's more to it than that. We were there tonight because Peter...knows things, sometimes. His gift," Peter snorted, but Jasper ignored him and continued speaking, "lead us to find you tonight. He is never wrong, so there must be a reason for it. Since this decision involves our entire coven, we will need to speak about this with Charlotte.

"Regardless of the outcome, however, you and I have some serious catching up to do. I think in light of the situation, it might be best to save all that for another time. Can we contact you when we've reached a decision?"

"Sure," I replied.

I wrote down my number on a napkin and handed it to Jasper. I hoped they didn't have any eavesdroppers until I heard back from them. Alice might have dropped Jasper but she probably kept an eye on him through her visions, the nosy bitch. Just as they were about to leave, it struck me.

"Wait!"

I ran to the kitchen and rummaged around looking for...ah ha!

"Here," I said, thrusting the items into Jasper's hand. "Take these. They'll protect you, kinda like my circle. You just have to keep it on you, like in a pocket or something. Keep them hidden, obviously. And if you're really in a pinch, throw it."

He looked at what I'd put in his hand, puzzled. His eyebrow lifted once again, so I winked at him. He smirked - finally! - and nodded. He pocketed my gift, and they left.

I sat for a few minutes, replaying the evening in my mind, but those few minutes were all I allowed myself. Worrying wouldn't accomplish anything, anything, anyway. I'd laid as much as I could on the table; it was up to them to decide whether or not to take it. I briefly wondered how long it would take them to figure it out. It hadn't been my intention to hide it at all, and I still wouldn't. The almighty radar seemed to think this was the best way to go about it, though. I hoped it wouldn't take them long.

I cleaned up the coffee table and took out the supplies I'd need to unload the evening. I'd been expecting Jasper to show up for quite some time, but his presence at the concert tonight and his willingness to participate had certainly made my purpose there easier, even if they'd derailed my plans for our reunion a little. I smiled. The haul tonight would be really good.

Moving back and forth from the kitchen to the coffee table so I could take advantage of the protection bubble already in place, I set out the various jars of finely ground materials and set to work.