Chapter 2:The Arrival

Sarah's POV

I had been packed for 2 days. After Stephanie Meyer had called in response to my letter, pleading with her to tell me the Cullens were real, and asking if I could visit them, she had called me, telling me she would meet me at the Portland, Maine airport where she would travel with me to Seattle. Carlisle would pick us up from there, just my son and myself. Stephanie would be going home after dropping us off into his care.

I was getting excited at seeing the Cullens, even knowing they were all happily mated, believing that nothing would change that. Nothing in our apartment held any sentimental value, other than a few things of my son's from his infant years, and a few pictures. All we needed were the two large duffel bags with our clothes and toiletries. Benjamin has been potty trained for over a year now, and hopefully he wouldn't regress with the sudden move. He too was excited to be traveling completely across the country.

We drove with a friend of mine to the Portland airport, leaving the car for him to keep. Knowing I would never see him or any of my other friends again, I hugged him just a little closer, a little longer than I should have. I turned and walked through the terminal to our gate and boarded the plane, never looking back. I was going to my new life, if the Cullens would have me.

Stephanie Meyer came down the aisle shortly after I boarded the plane and I found that her seat was right in front of mine. She had been very pleasant to speak with, reassuring me about the Cullens, saying she had known them since her childhood, and as an adult had gotten their permission, and the Volturi's, to share their story with the world. She had even called them to see if Alice had seen my arrival in a vision, which, surprisingly, she had, and most of the family was excited about us coming to stay with them. As she said most, I wondered which of them didn't like the idea of another human being so close to them, let alone living in their house. Probably Jasper, as he had always had a problem with Bella.

After a few hours, Benjamin fell asleep and I even took a few human hours to relax and sleep before I met Carlisle. I knew he wouldn't have a problem with our blood, but I still felt a little bit apprehensive. More on my part than his. I just hoped that I wouldn't ask him a million and one questions before we arrived at his home.

The plane landed on a soggy runway, the rain coming down in sheets. Definitely something to get used to, but I could easily get used to it if I spent the rainy days in the company of the vampires I had come to really love. I felt I knew each one of them intimately, and dear God, Jasper was the vampire I especially wanted to get to know more intimately. At this thought, I blushed a deep red, and tried to get that image out of my head before we got home, as he would surely read my emotions. As we walked through the gate, a blonde man who looked 30 years old if he was a day, came forward with his hand outstretched. Taking my hand, while I was holding my son's hand, he pulled me into a half hug. My blush crept further up my neck to my cheeks, getting a chuckle from Carlisle.

"What?" I asked sheepishly, spoken so softly I was barely even sure I had said it out loud. But I knew I had when Carlisle replied.

"Its just been a few years since someone in my home has blushed. I am sure you will be a huge hit."

"Oh." was all I could say, thinking immediately of Bella.

As he loaded our 2 bags into his Mercedes SUV, I positioned Benjamin into the car seat that Carlisle had thoughtfully remembered. Taking my seat in the front, I made sure to buckle up. I knew the Cullen boys drove fast, and I was sure Carlisle did too. And being a doctor, he could easily get away with it if we were stopped.

Riding toward Forks, the weather didn't seem to improve. Of course, it was winter in the rainiest state in the country, so I shouldn't have been surprised. Before I knew it, we were driving past the Welcome to Forks sign. My heart began to race as Carlisle drove through town, every turn bringing us one step closer to my fate, and hopefully, my new family.

Sensing my anxiety, Carlisle reached out and took my hand in his cold, stone-like one. "Its okay, my dear, we don't bite!" Which immediately made me laugh, breaking the concrete tension I felt. Soon, we turned onto the wooded lane and came upon the glass-walled home where the rest of the Cullens waited for our arrival.

Carlisle turned off the car and just sat with me for a few seconds before the smallest woman I had ever seen came flying out of the adjoining room, practically ripping me from the vehicle and hugging me tightly.

"Welcome home, Sarah. We have all been waiting."

Jasper's POV

Alice and I were on our way to Port Angeles to get some things for Sarah and her son. A car seat for the ride home, a toddler bed and other furniture for Benjamin's room, plus some things that Alice said they would need. It had been more than one hundred and twenty years since I had even thought about what a child would need, and so much has changed since then.

"Alice, when are we going to talk about how you are breaking my heart?"

"Oh Jasper. I know this is too sudden for you, and if I had seen this earlier, then it might have been easier."

"Easier? Alice, we have been together for more than fifty years! Doesn't that mean anything to you?" I was practically begging her to still love me, and that made me angry. Major Whitlock did NOT beg.

"Of course it means a lot to me that we have been together all these years. You have been my friend, lover, and protector. I will never forget that you were my first love, but you aren't my true mate. Think about it Jasper. Have you ever bitten me to claim me as your own? A true bite, from which everyone would know I was yours? A bite that would never truly heal? No, you haven't."

Now I was stunned into actually believing what she said was true. When I had been with Maria, I had to bite Peter in order for Maria to let him live. It wasn't a true mate bite, but was deep enough to make Maria think he was my mate. The truth was, somewhere deep inside my undead, subconscious mind, I had always known Alice wasn't my mate. It actually repulsed me to think about permanently marking the skin of my sister. I had just come to fully accept what she said about us. But for me to feel love for a human, even one that wouldn't be a human for much longer, that I just couldn't fathom. Why, less than 10 years ago, I had barely been able to be in the same room as Bella when she was human, let alone have the control necessary to change her into one of us.

"Jasper, you WILL be able to be near her. You won't be able to be anywhere else but right by her side. Trust me. You won't hurt her, no matter what. She isn't as clumsy or accident prone as Bella was. She has dreamt about us and being a vampire for so long. But she doesn't know about our separation. I will only tell her if you think it will make things easier for you. After you see her for the first time, you will never truly see anyone else. Now, we have to get home. Garrett will be here in a few hours, and we have to get your things moved from my room to your study. Good thing you have one of the larger rooms, you are going to need it."

When we got back to the house, Emmett and Rosalie had rearranged my room, even dividing it into two smaller rooms, one for Sarah and I, and another smaller one for Benjamin, so we could at least have some privacy. Against one wall was a king sized bed, with royal blue bedding and lots of pillows. Kind of fluffy, I thought, but if Alice thought she would like it, I would make Sarah comfortable. Hmmm, where did that come from? Was I willing to share mhy private rooms with another person, human or vampire? even Alice had never been in my study for more that a few hours. However, having Sarah stay anywhere else in the house hadn't even crossed my mind. Looking around my newly decorated room, I noticed my couch gone, to make more room for Benjamin's room and things. As a surprise for Sarah and her son, I decided to paint and decorate the smaller room with what a young child would like. I would need Esme's help with the decor.

Garrett arrived a few hours later just as Alice predicted. Not that I would ever doubt her. True to her vision, his eyes were indeed light gold like ours, instead of the bright crimson they had been at our last meeting. Alice, of course, wanted to be alone with him, and fill him in on the reason she wasn't with me anymore. I was sure that bit of information would result in some passionate lovemaking, if the lust I felt in the room was anything to go on. They also both needed to hunt. I was good for a few days, but would definitely hunt the morning before Sarah and her son arrived. I didn't want to be around them if my thirst wasn't under control, no matter how much Alice reassured me that I wouldn't hurt them.

The morning of the day she was due to arrive, Emmett yanked me out the door, going with me on a hunt. I had hoped it would have been Rose, so I could get another female's thoughts about the whole situation, but she had just gotten in from her own hunt. I hated hunting with Emmett. He always played with his "food".

As I came down the stairs a couple hours later, after cleaning up from my morning hunt with Emmett, in which he had gotten me completely covered in bear fur, I sensed new emotions in the home, as well as heard two heartbeats coming from the kitchen. Passionate love, adoration, gratitude, and awe, but never fear, was filling the room, heck, the whole house. I sensed some anxiety, but it was a very underlying emotion. What made me stop in my tracks was the heavenly scent. It smelled so familiar, and I immediately recognized it as being close to my own. Cinnamon mixed with a hint of vanilla and sandalwood. Never did I think of the blood that was pumping through her veins, and as I approached the kitchen, I could hear her rapidly beating heart stop for a full beat as she saw me for the first time.