I do not own any of the characters in this story. Stephanie Meyers has that distinction.

Two days later I awoke on a Saturday morning feeling calm for the first time in weeks. The calmness was welcome and I felt as if I could relax and think though the events since the Cullen's absence occurred. If I was honest with myself I was honestly tired of being alone and self-imprisoned within my bedroom. As much as it pained me to confirm the Cullen's were not going to come back. They had left me to stand alone in the world. Yes, it was time for me to move on but the question was how to do it.

I looked next to my bed at the small basket that held pictures and tokens from my time with the Cullen's. Depression waving over me once again I decided that as much as it would hurt I would need to dispose of this basket full of memories. The question now was what to do with them? Simply throwing their images out in the trash caused its own brand of pain. I sat up in the bed and causally cast my memory backward over time. A particular memory came back in a gust. Spurred on by the thoughts I got up and began getting ready for the day.

After getting dressed I gather the basket, bucket, and matches I would need for my goodbyes. I knew that Charlie would be fishing all afternoon so it was me, my supplies, and my truck driving toward the woods. I was sure that I would find the meadow on my own, however long that would take would be anyone's guess. I opened up my senses and my heart hoping to find the open area to the sun. Bella hummed a soft lilting tune as she drove to the pull off that Edward had used many times before. Putting her car in park she picked up her bucket filled with her supplies and slid out of the truck.

It would take Bella a few hours to find the meadow and not without suffering some scrapes. Sitting down in the sunlight she placed her weight behind her on the ground and smiled into the warmth. She had never been to this location without Edward and has not truly been able to be amazed by the simple beauty. It had always seemed more important to focus all her attention on the sparkling vampire. It seemed that he had never reciprocated those feeling or perhaps he had convinced himself that she had never been alive in his world.

Bella knew that Edward had always impressed upon her how dangerous the world was that circled around her. It seemed impossible to feel this way as the afternoon spun around her like warm silk. With the beauty of the meadow and a calm attitude she knew that she was safe in this place that brought her peace this day. Lying on her back Bella choose to search the puffy clouds that so infrequently visited Forks for shapes passing the time peacefully. Before she realized the sereneness of the afternoon caused her to fall asleep relishing in the heat on her skin.

Jasper had been watching Bella since the previous night. He had run all night and day to reach her after Alice's conversation with him. Never having wanted to leave he had only needed a small push back to Bella's side. The emotions she had been sifting through last night had hurt Jasper's cold heart. She felt unlovable and abandoned. Depression circled around her heart and told her that this was all her fault. Jasper knew that he could never let her feel these emotions again even if she never became aware of their connection. He would stay with whether or not she choose to be human. He did know that from now on he would make sure that Bella was given the opportunity to make her own informed decisions.

Being in love was something that I had never truly happened to Jasper before. Infatuation? Yes. That had been more of a boys' game and he was decidedly not a child anymore. He had often questioned himself as to why he had let Edward take his place with Bella. The truth was that he was scared by the feelings he felt for her the first time his eyes has brushed across her beautiful face. Truth be told that if Edward had not had the gift of faster speed than he, Jasper would have been the one to protect Bella from the van.

Honesty and openness with Alice had helped him realize that not only was he desperate to be in Bella's life but that they were destined to be mates. He trusted in Alice's gift and understood that vampires knew their mates on site. There was a reason that Jasper had never touched Bella to this day, the touch of two who are to be mates' seals their fates together for the rest of their lives. Jasper knew that that was a fate he would not choose for Bella.

He now knew why all the roads he had walked in his life had never led him to home. Jasper could feel that Bella had truly relaxed in her sleep. Wishing he was next to her he noticed that the sun was beginning its decent for the day. Jasper had made many mistakes in life but now he swore he would change and be the man that Bella could depend on. He sent a surge of adrenaline toward her and watched her start to stir. He was unsure if he should stay and watch over Bella or give her space for her project. The need to be close made up his mind for him. He happily sent Bella the feeling of peace as she roused.

Bella slowly awoke to see that the sun was setting. It had cooled off some since she had laid down on the warm grass. She sat with her legs crossed next to the bucket. Gingerly she pulled out the pictures that reminded her of the fairytale feeling of being with the Cullen's.

"I wonder, did you all already forget that I was even alive? Can vampires erase memories?" She asked of the darkening sky. "There's no one left here to remind me about us. This is where I'm left." Bella spoke strong and clear. She hungrily looked over each image before putting it in the bucket. "I know this is what I have to do but I just don't know where we went wrong."

Taking the matches she pulled one out and struck it against the box. Slowly Bella lowered the match to the pictures hoping to burn them out of her mind. However match after match was not able to engulf the faces of the Cullen's. Scorched was the best outcome occurring for Bella.

"Good God!" She huffed. "I can't even burn a few pictures."

Bella looked around her and saw that the field was filled with twilight. The soft sounds of animals getting ready to rest for the day, soft light hung around the middle of the meadow and that edges were filled with deep dark colors. She felt safe and as if she was not alone but near a true friend. She had felt so lonely and cast ashore but that seemed to be defined as now and before.

Thinking over having felt so lonely she realized that all her life she had felt out of place until the Cullen's. She simply straddled the fence between the two worlds. She had been able, somehow, to escape Edwards's gift but Alice and Jaspers were able to locate her. Perhaps she was one of a kind. To be truthful she had hoped that becoming a vampire would bring her home and no longer alone in the world.

Suddenly Bella felt and intense gaze focusing on her. She was sure that fear would come over her but instead she relaxed. Searching through the dim light she searched for a figure. Instead eyes of honey were filled with light shining at her. She knew by the eyes it was vegetarian vampire but the question was it one of her vampires? Instinctively she knew that it was. The strangest peace filled her from head to toe. Before she had even thought to move toward the eyes her feet were flying at human speed toward them. She needed to see the face. She needed to be whole.

As she put her toes off the meadow grass she could see that it was Jasper and her heart hammered in her chest. Someone had come back for her. Never for once had she blamed Jasper for the incident on her birthday nor the aftermath that occurred. In her desire to feel whole she threw her arms around Jasper's neck. His skin felt cool and soft to the touch. It felt incredible but she felt her own skin flush with electricity every place their skin touched.

"Where have you been?" Bella asked in a dreamy haze.

"Sorry I am so late Darlin. I am here now and I will not leave your side again.

Bella could see the sincerity of the Major in both his words and manner.

"Not alone…" Bella whispered.

"Not alone." Jasper agreed.