TWO YEARS LATER
"He'll be angry," Jasper warns, his right arm wrapped around Alice's waist as they stroll through the airport. A leather duffle bag is slung casually over his shoulder. The airport is fairly deserted considering the time of the year, much to Jasper's relief. The anxiety he feels concerning their impromptu trip has exerted his thirst.
Alice rolls her eyes. "He's always angry. Besides, I can see his resolve wavering every day. He wants to see her too."
"What if she's attending college elsewhere?" Jasper brushes his thumb across her hip and she smiles coyly at him. He plants a small kiss on her cheek before asking, "Did you call Charlie?"
"Nobody will answer the damn phone. And if she's at college, Charlie will tell us." They nearly bump into a distracted middle-aged woman, and Alice quickly cautions herself and her husband around her as she frantically fumbles with her phone. "I want to be surprised."
"For once."
Alice sticks her tongue out at him and he chuckles.
"If we find her there, we'll tell Carlisle and he can inform Edward," Alice continues as they exit the airport through automatic doors. Ahead at the pick-up area, a balding man holding a sign reading "J. Whitlock" stands patiently in front of a black Toyota Corolla. "That will definitely motivate him to get his act together."
"He's a Shakespearean tragedy come to life," Jasper agrees, nodding formally at their chauffeur and gesturing politely for him to return to the driver's seat. The man smiles and quickly ducks into the car. After loading the duffle bag into the open trunk, Jasper finds himself hesitant to close it. Alice cocks her head quizzically.
He gathers his thoughts, and then quietly asks, "Should we disrupt her life, Alice? What if she has moved on?"
Alice sighs. "I know, Jazz, but… She definitely hasn't forgotten us, and I will never forget her. It wasn't fair to not say goodbye. It wasn't. I want to see her. So does Edward. He just needs a little motivation."
Jasper takes a moment to contemplate his wife's words before closing the trunk and guiding her into the back seat beside him.
As they begin their three-hour drive to Forks, Washington, they stare in silence ahead of them, never once taking a glimpse outside the window. Jasper feels their chauffeur is unnerved by their presence—in fact he's fearful—but can't be bothered to quell his nervousness. Alice is as still as a statue, and he knows by her blank expression that she is searching into the future. Not for Bella, no; he believes her when she claims to want to "surprise" herself.
Alice is seeking Edward, as she always has since he fled to South America two years prior. He had visited once six months ago. His emotionless eyes had saddened Esme and concerned Carlisle. Rosalie had avoided him after they engaged in a terse conversation. He and Emmett had went hunting, and upon return Emmett had merely shaken his head at Esme's questioning look.
"How was he?" Carlisle had finally asked Emmett the next night when Edward had taken off. There were no goodbyes and he didn't elaborate on where he was going. Alice had simply said, "To be alone."
"Quiet. He took down a deer and just… stared at it… Like he had never hunted down an animal before. It was creepy."
But Alice had been strangely optimistic since Edward's brief visit. Three weeks ago she had gleefully told Jasper that Edward had—albeit briefly—made a decision to renter Forks.
"I saw him heading down the highway that leads into town," Alice had beamed while perched on Jasper's lap on the living room sofa. They both ignored Rosalie when she retreated from the house and slammed the front door shut; the wood near the handle cracked. "He was smiling."
But now as they head into the unknown, Jasper can't temper the dread blossoming in his stone heart. Questions plague him and the night of Bella's eighteenth birthday plays in his head like a broken record. Her blood had practically sparkled against her pale white skin.
If she doesn't forgive me… Sorrow overtakes him. It's my fault.
Alice places her hand on his thigh, and although she does not look at him it is enough to calm his demons.
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"I missed it here," Alice says, peeling off a sheet covering the piano—Edward's piano.
"Forks was one of our better homes," Jasper agrees, his hands clasped behind his back and his eyes surveying their family's previous manor. Sunlight shimmers through the tall, wide windows, illuminating the thick layer of dust coating the furniture and floors.
Alice lightly presses a piano key, and the high-pitched sound cuts through the haunting silence that hangs in the air.
"Shall we head to Charlie's in the evening?"
Alice attempts to respond, but she and Jasper are suddenly consumed by an overwhelming stench carrying on the wind and into their house. Jasper, scowling, rushes to the front door; Alice is sharp on his heels.
"Wolves," he murmurs, his fingers lacing through hers.
"Jasper, it's just the Quileute pack," Alice whispers, trying to assuage her husband's worries. "They're probably wondering what we're doing back."
"I thought we agreed not to bother each other. And since when has their pack been so large?" He can count approximately four wolves, perhaps more pounding across the grassy terrain toward them.
Alice rolls her shoulders into a shrug. "Maybe a natural balance? Enough wolves to combat the vampires that popped up in the area?"
"I don't…" Before he can finish his sentence, the wolves suddenly break through the trees. Their nostrils flare and thick saliva covers their teeth. A ripple of snarls pierce the air.
"Jazz," Alice warns, rubbing his arm. "Calm down."
"They're the ones being threatening," he counters. His shoulders are erect, his spine straight as an arrow. "Damn dogs."
"We're just visiting," Alice calls, taking a small step forward; Jasper follows while keeping a part of his body in front of his wife. Endearing, she thinks. But definitely not what we want right now. "We won't stay long. We wanted to visit Bella Swan."
Immediately the growls and snarls still, and all the wolves crane their necks to stare at their pack leader—a black wolf that is stunning in its sheer size. They gaze at each other, seemingly communicating telepathically, before the alpha suddenly lurches forward while remaining firmly planted to the ground.
"He's transforming," Jasper whispers, both marveled and annoyed by the sight of it.
"Or she," Alice remarks, nudging her husband's side.
Suddenly a young man stands before them, nude and muscular. Neither Alice nor Jasper react to his bare skin.
"You're visiting Bella Swan?" the boy speaks, his voice deep and booming. Jasper is startled by the fury rolling off him.
Alice, too, is puzzled. "Yes… She was involved with my brother, Edward Cullen. I'm sure you're aware. Surely your elders discussed it with you?"
"Yes, we knew Bella," Sam snipes.
The dread Jasper had been desperately fighting returned in an instant. "What happened to Bella?" he demands.
Another wolf—russet-brown and nearly as large as the alpha—suddenly 'implodes,' revealing a boy younger than one standing before them yet also taller.
The first boy glares at his beta. "Jacob—"
"She's gone because of you," the boy named Jacob bellows, storming toward them. Jasper instantly reacts, carefully placing himself entirely in front of Alice.
"Jacob, stop," the black-haired boy commands.
Although Jacob obeys, halting in place, he continues to yell. "We all tried to save her. Sam caught her scent first. We ran as fast as we could but it wasn't fast enough. We—"
"Just tell us what happened," Jasper interjects, his voice rising above Jacob's.
"A redheaded bloodsucker caught Bella and threw her off a cliff!" Jacob shouts, stepping even closer. The other boy, having trailed closer, tightly grasps Jacob's shoulder.
"Jacob," he cautions, his tone heavy and assertive. "Calm down."
"No, Sam." Jacob jerks his shoulder away from Sam's hand. "They left her alone and unguarded. Now she's gone."
"Gone?" Jasper furrows his eyebrows. "She was thrown off a cliff and now she's… gone?"
The alpha, Sam, cocks an eyebrow. "She's dead."
Jacob doesn't speak, his fuming glare directed at Jasper.
"Victoria."
Jasper, Sam, Jacob, and the remaining wolves avert their attention to Alice, who has not spoken since Jacob's initial confrontation. She turns her gaze to Jasper, whose long-dead heart nearly breaks from the sorrow he finds in his wife's honey-gold eyes.
"Her name is Victoria," Alice continues, now staring blankly at Sam.
"Why did Victoria target Bella?" Sam's voice is surprisingly calm given the current storm of emotions brewing between everybody.
"Her mate hunted Bella in the past. We destroyed him and she disappeared. She must have… come back."
Sam's scowl deepens. "She wanted revenge."
"You were stupid to think she was safe," Jacob spits. "You could've warned us before you screwed off into the night."
One of the wolves—small and slender with tan fur—whines. Sam turns sharply and glares, to which the wolf bows its head in submission.
"What did he say?" Alice whispers, her voice heavy with grief.
Sam shakes his head. "Seth pities you. I don't. Are you leaving then?"
"We'll visit Bella's father to pay our respects," Jasper declares, circling his arm around his wife's shoulder. "Then we will depart—forever."
Alice, while trying to subdue her heartache, asks, "What's Bella's official cause of death?"
"Suicide," Jacob plainly states, his emotional rampage seemingly stifled by the veil of shame and despair draped over his soul. His misery is palpable to even Alice; she can't imagine what her empath of a husband is experiencing in the wake of such nightmarish emotions.
After the wolves depart, Jasper and Alice turn to face one another. Wordlessly they embrace, and Alice chokes out a tearless sob.
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"Thank you, Alice, for your kind words," Charlie says, a small smile plastered onto his face. Jasper, lingering near the entryway to the dining room, observes Bella's father. His skin is withered and his hair has greyed significantly. It's as though he's aged twenty years since they last saw him.
"I just can't believe it," she responds in a soft murmur, "I really… I loved her like a sister."
"She admired you," Charlie remarked. He placed his hand on hers, flinching slightly from the iciness of her flesh. "You were her first real friend. She talked about you so much when you two went to school together."
And after? Alice bites her tongue, repressing the urge to question Charlie about Bella's behavior before her 'suicide.' Was she happy? Had she truly found meaning in life without the presence of her supernatural family?
"We're sorry to have never visited or called," Jasper chimes in. "With university and travel and the awkward situation with the… break up… Well, we regret not arriving sooner."
"It's okay, son" Charlie dismisses, gesturing at Jasper with a casual flick of his hand. "You entered the adult world and got distracted. Bella understood, I'm sure. How's school? What's your guys' majors?"
"Psychology," Alice and Jasper reply in unison.
"Of course," Charlie laughs. "I always thought you were a wise, old soul, Alice. Perceptive, too."
She smirks. "You have no idea."
"How's the rest of your family?"
Jasper notes the spark of anger carefully hidden behind Charlie's relaxed disposition. He blames Edward. "They are well. Carlisle is volunteering with charity work alongside Esme overseas." A lie. "Emmett and Rosalie are enjoying spring break in South America." Technically true. He does not mention Edward, a notion that consoles Charlie and momentarily pacifies his indignation.
"Thank you for having us," Alice says, faking a yawn, "but it's late and we still need to unpack. May we check in again tomorrow? We'll be leaving at noon."
"Yeah, I better let you guys unwind, must've been a long trip." Charlie stretches on the chair and then pats Alice's hand kindly. "Thank you for visiting. It… It meant a lot, kids."
Guilt once again plants itself in Jasper's heart. "I'm sorry, Charlie. We'll miss Bella forever."
"Don't be sorry, son. It ain't your fault."
Jasper balls his hands into fists at his sides. Even when he and his wife find themselves running through the forest, his body never relaxes.
My fault.
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They're preparing to hunt—anything to distract themselves from their grief—at midnight when the stench of dog returns.
Alice sighs as she and Jasper makes themselves out of the house and into the cool night. To their surprise Jacob appears, clad in jeans and a loose shirt. His expression is unreadable, but his emotions are undeniable to Jasper.
Twice now the wolves have come without Alice's precognition detecting their actions. Both frustrated and impressed, Alice asks, "What's wrong?"
"Bella's not dead," Jacob answers while keeping a careful distance from them as they hover at the front door. All around them the forest sings: nocturnal creatures serenade one another and the trees brush up against each other, swaying in the wind.
Jasper's eyes narrow. "So you've lied to us."
"No," Jacob barks, returning the vampire's haughty expression, "I just don't think she's dead. It doesn't seem right."
"And what does that mean?" Alice is hopeful. She has dreaded the inevitable conversation with Edward that they will have to face.
He will not survive such heartbreak.
"I saw Victoria. I know how she was just by tracking her a few weeks before she caught Bella."
"She's calculating," Alice agrees.
Jacobs nods. "And a week after, I kinda got carried away looking and found Victoria's scent—or what was left of it—near the border of Canada… And I swear I smelled Bella, too."
"You think Victoria kidnapped Bella?" Jasper raises his eyebrows. "For what purpose?"
"I don't know," Jacob snaps, clearly vexed by Jasper's condescending tone. "But you know that bloodsucker, right? You said her boyfriend 'hunted' Bella? What was he like?"
"James was sadistic. He hunted and toyed with his victims like it was a fun little game," Alice explains, her voice bitter. "It wouldn't be farfetched to assume Victoria is the same."
Jasper eyes Jacob curiously. "Why have you told us?"
"I can't leave the pack again," he replies, his shoulders slouching. "That leech may come back. But you two can track her, can't you? I've got to admit, you're probably better at it then I am. If I tell you where I last found her scent, will you go there?"
"Of course," Alice immediately responds, her chin raised high as she stares the werewolf down. "She's family."
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The coordinates were set.
At dawn Jasper and Alice departed. She had left a letter to Charlie apologizing for leaving without a proper goodbye, but wished him well for the future.
Jacob described stumbling upon an abandoned cabin nestled deep within the woods. He "smelt blood" but couldn't exactly pinpoint its location; it was faint and old. But buried within the stench of wood, forest, and blood, a whiff of fresh lavender had lingered—Bella's scent.
"She smells clean," he had described, "and warm and good. I would know her scent anywhere. But there was something off about it."
It's snowing when Jasper and Alice arrive at the cabin. The unlocked door creaks as Jasper lightly pushes it open. A broken window has invited more snow into the small space; the white mush falls from the windowpane and onto the floor.
"Blood," Alice announces, "I smell it."
"Yes." Jasper moves toward the fireplace; broken logs and ash are piled inside of it. His eyes trail from the fireplace to the adjacent wall. "There's bleach, too."
"That confirms the missing family's whereabouts, I presume."
Jacob had handed them a newspaper he found while investigating the town. The cabin had belonged to a small family—a pregnant woman, her husband, and their six-year-old daughter. They had disappeared during a routine vacation in the woods, and the cabin could yield no results. There had been not a single sign of foul play and the cabin had been in pristine condition aside from the now broken window. In their home several miles back in town, several travel bags had gone missing as well as their car, clothes, and valuables.
Their relatives had denied that they would "up and leave" without notifying a single soul. Detectives were inclined to disagree due to evidence.
Jacob believed the relatives.
"It was a good cleanup," Alice says while running her index finger down the bathroom door. "Not good enough for us to miss, though." Her nose crinkles in disgust. "Victoria likely fed on the family. And if she had kidnapped Bella, I doubt she'd want to call attention to herself, so she covered up the crime scene."
"Alice… Since when does one vampire require three humans to satisfy hunger?"
Alice's eyes widen as she gazes at her husband in horror. "Jasper, you don't think—?"
"It's a possibility," he whispers, his grief now beyond reckoning. "What better way to torture Edward—and us—than to kidnap Bella and transform her?"
"But Bella would be too strong for Victoria to handle," Alice argues, unwilling to believe that her brother's mate (and her best friend) is roaming earth with skin as hard as diamonds and eyes as red as rubies. "She'd fight. There's no way she could handle a newborn's strength and stamina."
"What if she had help?"
Alice groans then. "Laurent, you mean? He's involved with Irina, remember?"
"But they've been periodically separated," Jasper countered. "I recall visiting Denali only to find Irina's prized 'boy toy' missing on occasion."
Alice pinches the bridge of her nose. "Jazz, I don't want to believe Bella is a vampire and currently in Victoria's 'possession.'"
"Of course not." Jasper rushes to his wife's side and plants a chaste kiss on her cheek. "But under these circumstances, it's not improbable."
They're quiet for several minutes, each trying to gauge the situation. Alice peers into the future, but it is empty aside from Edward's nervous expression as he drives down the highway. (It's clear and warm in the vision; perhaps Edward will return when spring arrives?)
"I can't see her, Jasper," Alice whispers. "I don't know why I didn't try before, but now that I'm looking... She's just gone. I can't find her!"
And yet suddenly her vision spirals and she finds herself gazing into a white expanse—snow peppers the earth and clouds the horizon in a pure white haze. A mane of brown hair comes into focus with a crown of snow forming on top. Alice presses closer into the vision, her icy heart near finding its long-dead rhythm.
Red eyes… Heart-shaped face… Skin as white as moonlight.
She's beautiful. She looks lost.
Jasper, wide-eyed and excited, cups his wife's face between his hands. "What did you see?"
"Bella… I don't know how, but I saw Bella."
He kisses her forehead but then draws back, concerned by her somber tone.
"She's alive… but…" Alice gazes at her husband, frightened by words she doesn't wish to say or even believe.
Jasper sighs and embraces his wife.
"Perhaps we should've never entered her life," he murmurs.
"She'd still be human," Alice agrees.