Alice arranged everything for me and in less than a week I was boarding my plane to Jacksonville. I spent ten days with my mom, she was thrilled to spend my birthday together. Then it was on to see Charlie. I had planned for ten days with him as well and was trying to stick to the plan but I already missed Peter terribly. He must have felt the same or Alice had seen because she'd arranged for three days in Seattle before I was due at my dad's. Peter met me at the airport and we didn't leave the hotel until checkout. He took me to the airport where I flew into PA and Charlie picked me up. He was excited and nervous as he told me he was going to propose to Sue. I was happy for him, especially when she said yes when he did pop the question two days later. It meant an extended stay for the small ceremony, which it seemed Alice had planned for. It was three weeks before I was leaving again, I'd gotten to see Peter in PA twice but mostly I spent time helping dad move to the reservation and into Sue's house and getting to know her kids. Seth was great but Leah seemed to hate me on sight. Billy it seemed had never forgiven me for dating Edward Cullen and Jake was distant, it had been a long time though and we hadn't really been close so I didn't let it bother me. After the wedding I kissed Charlie goodbye, happy that both my parents were happy, in love and would have some one to take care of them.

This time when I got to the airport, I saw my ticket wasn't going home. I called Alice.

"It's another birthday present!" Alice announced in lieu of hello.

"Ali?" I questioned as I waited in line to check in.

"Peter's already there. It's his house. Jasper and I will miss you but we'll see you at Christmas! We love you."

Peter and I were living in a small ranch house an hour from Vegas. Jasper had gotten me an ID saying it had been my twenty-first birthday instead of twentieth and we spent plenty of time in the city, we went dancing and Peter taught me how to gamble, I was terrible but we had fun. The sex was still phenomenal, and just from that I was in the best shape of my life but I also spent a lot of time swimming. Halloween was my favorite, we spent all day with the curtains closed watching scary movies and then we got dressed up in a couples costume, him as the mad hatter and me as Alice. Vegas was a riot that night.

November we came across a nomad. A very beautiful woman who went straight for Peter at a club where we were dancing, she clearly thought I was prey. I had never wanted a lighter so bad in my life. Peter seemed to like my jealous side, if my lack of ability to walk properly for the next two days was any indication. It helped that he barely looked at her. He noticed attractive women and even made derogatory comments sometimes but he was a strictly look not touch or even talk to, guy. He wasn't big on being polite either, not if any woman was 'rude' or so 'fucking stupid' to try to hit on him when he had his woman with him.

"Does that mean you'd flirt if I weren't here?" I asked teasingly one day.

"No." That was the end of the conversation. The thing was, with Peter, I knew it was true. He looked at women, appreciated their bodies but he wasn't overly sociable and didn't care about anyone but me, well Jazz and Ali too but everyone else he just seemed to tolerate.

I had decided to take Alice's advice to try to get him comfortable with me. Well he was comfortable with me, we had the whole mate content to be near each other thing going for us and he was more than just comfortable with my body, he was downright inventive with sex. I wanted him to talk to me though, for us to be more than content as mates and sated from fucking like bunnies. So I started to talk to him. It didn't work so well, I asked him a few questions and he'd answer with as few words as possible.

My simple. "Do you remember your human life?"

Was met with a shrug and the unhelpful, "Some."

Another attempt, "Do you have a best friend?"

"Jasper."

"He's your brother."

"Alice."

I let it go. Next time it was, "Where is your favorite place?"

"Texas."

"Least favorite?"

"Texas."

That made me bite back a laugh but explained absolutely nothing. "What's your favorite color?"

"Blood." Ok I laughed at that one and then he smirked and gave me a real answer, "Purple."

"Really?" He just nodded.

"What's you favorite flower?" I only got a lifted brow on that one.

It was frustrating and I wanted to stomp my foot and growl at him.

"Don't try so hard to get him to open up Bella, like you said to me, pushing him won't help."

"So what do I do?" I huffed at Alice. Peter was out hunting so I had called her after the no answer lifted eyebrow moment.

"Talk at him."

"Talk at him."

"Yes." She giggled, "Just, voice whatever you are thinking, he'll either say something or just listen and eventually he'll ask you things and start to tell you things too. Give it time, Charlotte talked at him for almost a decade."

"They were only together a decade." I groan.

Alice laughed, "Ok, well I only talked at him for a half dozen years before he felt natural with me and I only really spent a little time with him over the last half century Jazz and I have been together." I grumbled and huffed at her but she just laughed.

"He is trying darlin." Jasper's voice cut in soothingly, "He wants to talk to you but every time he goes to he second guesses himself and can't get the words out."

"Really?"

"He calls Jasper and whines about it." Alice laughs.

"He does?"

"It was easier for him when I was there to tell him that no you weren't scared of him because he was to rough with you and you don't mind him in your personal space or yes you are happy to see him and you missed him even though you were only at work four hours."

"Maybe we should just come home." I sighed.

"You have to work through it eventually Bella or you'll always have these insecurities. Jazz and I can't be your relationship crutch for eternity."

"How about just a century or two?"

She laughed at that and even Jasper chuckled, "Give it a little time darlin, you two are good together, I feel it."

"And I see it so just trust us a little."

"I thought you weren't using your gifts to arrange my future."

"We aren't, you already decided you wanted it to be with him."

"With you." I corrected. At their silence I bit my lip and whispered, "I didn't mean that."

"If you want to come home darlin, come home." Jasper replied gently. "Just don't give him hope if their ain't none." His accent was heavy, more like Peter's and I could tell how conflicted he was.

"We're mates." I remind him, tears stinging my eyes.

"You feel like mates darlin and Ali sees you two happy in the future, or she did. It don't mean you are mates."

"You mean we might not be?" I almost choke on the words as the tears roll silently down my face now.

"We don't know for sure Bella, only you and Peter can know that and maybe not until you're a vampire."

"He had sex with skankypire and I lost my virginity to Keith, wouldn't we have just been together months and months ago if we were mates."

"Doesn't work like that darlin." Jasper sighs, "Come on home, give yourselves some time, maybe we were all rushin things."

"Alice said we don't come home until Christmas it's only November."

"I said we'd be together again by Christmas Bella not that we wouldn't be before then. I saw us together for the holiday, I was sorry to see you go but happy it wouldn't be for long and that slipped out, I didn't mean for it to affect your decisions. You and Peter can stay on your own or come home to us whenever you want to, now or next August, that is up to you, it's your life."

I was crying on the couch still holding the phone though none of us were talking, when Peter came in, eyes vibrant red.

"What happened?" He demands.

I shake my head and sniffle, "Peter's home." I tell them.

"Pete." Jasper's voice on the other line sounds tired, I don't need to even move the phone for them to hear each other.

"Major?" Peter looks from the headset to my eyes, frowning in question. "What happened?"

"Nothing." Alice speaks up before Jasper or I can say anything, not that I had a clue what to say.

"Major?" Peter asks again, his voice low and demanding.

"No trouble Captain." Jasper's voice is harder, confident and sure, they are saying more than the words and I see a line of tension in Peter relax slightly.

"Call me tomorrow Bella and we can have girl talk, nothing has to be decided right now."

I nod slowly and sniffle again, "Ok Ali."

"I…" Jasper stops from saying whatever he was going to say, "Sleep well darlin."

"Love you both."

"Love you too." They respond at the same time. I hang up the phone and look at Peter.

"Homesick?" He asks gently, tilting his head as he watches me with that intense expression he gets playing chess with Jasper. I shrug and nod at the same time. "We can pack up and go home."

I shake my head and sniffle, "Not yet."

Peter just picks me up at sits back down with me cradled in his arms, I sigh and bury my face in his neck breathing him in and after a little bit, I fall asleep.

There are daisies everywhere when I wake up and a note on the table, Ali says you need girl time and I know you don't like me always on you with the blood this time of the month so I'll be back in two days. I met a friend in Vegas yesterday so I'll spend the time with him and give you space. Call my cell if you need anything.

I sigh and sink into the kitchen chair picking up the phone as it rings, already knowing it's Alice. "Morning Ali."

"You ok?"

"How did he know I like daisies?"

"He called after you fell asleep and said you asked him about flowers and wanted to know which you liked best."

I rolled my eyes though she couldn't see it, "He thought I was complaining about him not buying me flowers so he filled the house with them?"

"You were upset Bella and he doesn't understand why, he feels like he's doing things wrong with you but doesn't know what and he's frustrated because Jasper doesn't have the answers or wont give them to him, just like you are frustrated we wont give you any."

"Why?"

"Why wont we give you any?" She clarifies the question and at my affirmative sound she sighs, "Because you need to figure things out on your own, to grow as a couple. Jasper and I had a lot of the same issues when we met."

"You did?" Ok now that shocked the shit out of me.

Alice giggles, "Maybe worse."

I get up and move to the couch settling in for a long chat. "Ok, explain."

"Ok." She agrees as there is a knock.

I sigh getting up, "That's the door."

"I know." She responds as I open the door to see her standing on the other side.

"ALICE!" I shout jumping forward and crushing her in a hug.

"Don't you know by now I'm always here when you need me?" She laughs skipping inside and pulling me with her.

"Where's Jasper?" I ask looking behind us though she'd swung the door closed already, "Is he the friend Peter is in Vegas with?"

"Nope." She laughs, "Jasper is on a hunting trip with Emmett, Peter ran into Garrett, sexy American Revolution era nomad, he's fun and always down for any tiny adventure."

"Alice!"

"What?" She laughs, "I love Jasper and I'll never want another man or vampire the way I want him, it doesn't mean I don't appreciate a sexy male when I meet one." I laugh and shake my head at her. After a minute I frown and she nods, "Peter was fighting the attraction to you, that's why he slept with Chloe, before he ever met you there were a few others over the decades, a couple vampires and some humans but no one he's been drawn to like he is you. No one he's cared for except Charlotte, he never let himself care after her, not for anyone, except me and I was only let into his inner circle because of Jasper. Anyone else, including nomads like Garrett, earned his respect and maybe some small affection over a long time and he's still closed off from them in a lot of ways."

"You still think we're mates?" I whisper.

Alice nods, "More than I thought you and Edward could be." She sighs, "I don't have an absolute for you but I believe it and Jasper believes it and I think you believe it too, the question is, what do you want to do about it."

I shrug and then frown, "Jasper's with Emmett? Do they know…" I wave between us in question.

Alice shakes her head, "We've never said. They know Jasper ran off after what happened and I went after him and we've both spoken to them a few times since but they never bring it up and neither do we."

"They must miss you, you must miss them."

"No more or less than you." She shrugs, "We made the choice that was right for us Bella. We love the Cullen's but you are our sister, one day we'll all see each other again, forever is a long time after all but I don't know when and I don't know what will happen then yet either, there's to much in the way, to many decisions not made yet."

"Alice?" We settled on the couch and I leaned against her, "I do really love him."

"I know." She murmurs playing with my hair. "He loves you too." Then she chuckles, "Just look at this place, he must have bought out every flower store of daisies that was open this morning."

"He's sweet like that." I agree with a chuckle, reaching a hand over to pluck one from a water jug. "Alice?"

"Yes, Jasper and I really had issues when we first met."

"Will you tell me about it, about meeting him, not just the you waited forever and he finally came and then you found the Cullen's parts, the real you and Jasper part."

Alice chuckles and her cold hard body snuggles against mine as she wraps us up in a heavy fur blanket, the fire is going and I know if her cool frame wasn't cuddled with mine I'd be roasting but now it feels nice.

"I did wait for decades for Jasper." She sighs, "I saw him in my visions but I didn't know him, like you and Peter before the sex. Then he showed up and well since I was a vampire too the sex part was even more than you and Peter though I'm pretty sure you could give some vampire's, including Chloe a run for their money on the lusty scale, at least Jasper will swear it."

I giggle with her. "So you and Jasper find each other and there is lots of hot vampire loving." I urge her to continue.

"Lots." She agrees giggling again. After a moment though she sighs, "Jasper was very… damaged, after Maria. Peter came back for him and the bond they had built over decades grew that much stronger but Charlotte left Peter and Jasper was already suffering, it was hard for them both to be together so even though it hurt them both, and they parted ways."

"They were alone in their misery." I sighed.

"Together they felt their own and each others pain, it was a bad cycle." She explained, "They did it for each other." I nod and she sighs again, "Jasper was trying to find something, anything to balance out the turmoil inside of him and one day, he found me." Her smile was sad as she remembered that day, "Jasper was the first being, human or vampire, I'd ever met that didn't think of me as a freak. I was so alone for a very long time Bella. I saw Jasper and I loved him and I saw our place with the Cullen's and it gave me so much hope. Jasper didn't have that and when he found me, Jasper didn't know how to live Bella. Peter, he doesn't know how to be… social. Jasper, he knew blood and death and war and pain and the only good thing, the only… anything, he knew was Peter and Charlotte. She left Peter and so she left Jasper and then Peter and Jasper parted ways so really all Jasper knew outside of the war and pain and death was sorrow and loss. It took him a long time to trust me, to let himself love me to know I was never leaving him and he'd never have to be what he used to be again. Jasper is my everything and I love every part of him, every dark corner in his soul but I was able to bring him light and laughter and love just as he brought me security and affection and warmth. It wasn't easy, when we found the Cullen's we were still… trying."

"Did it take a long time, to be the way you are now?"

"It took as many years as we have been together and what we will be in a century will have taken that long as well. A relationship is always growing, changing with the people in it, the only thing that wont change is how much I love him and want to be with him in every way."

I sigh and snuggle into her side, "Did you fight?"

"Jasper and I still fight." She laughs, "Not often but we do it well and make up even better." I laugh with her and blush.

"What about?"

"Hmmm." She taps her fingers on my blanket covered arm as she pretends to think, "Some memorable Jasper fights, there are so many to choose from." I laugh and nudge her with my elbow. "There was the mini dress fiasco of the sixties."

"Mini dress fiasco?"

"Vampires can be possessive in nature and I jumped right on the short skirt band wagon. Jasper threw a fit, tossed me over his shoulder carried me back up the stairs of the house to our room and swatting my bum six times while he growled at me like I was a disobedient child."

I laughed and she huffed indignant, "What did you do?"

"Screamed at him, threw things and then wore an even shorter dress the next day." She shrugged making me laugh harder. "There was also the day I had a layover in Austen on a flight to South America. He was positively drooling venom he was so angry. I'm barely allowed to fly over Texas without him throwing a shit fit."

"Why?" I frowned at her, Peter clearly had a thing about Texas too.

"It's where she still lives. It's not like it was in the southern wars, the Volturi finally cracked down on that insanity in the early seventies really hard but she's still there and Jasper hasn't completely gotten over that part of his past." She sighs sadly, "I don't know if he ever will, Peter either though I still hope, in time, he can put it behind him and be completely at peace with who he is and where he came out of."

"I take it you took that fight sitting down." I whispered back.

Alice chuckled and shook her head, "Lying down more like it, and against a wall and bent over a dresser and in everyway he could give it until the crazy passed and he was secure that I was with him and safe and nothing at all bad had happened."

"How long did that take?"

"Three too short days." She sighed dramatically making me laugh again.

We giggled and talked and she told me stories about her and Jasper jumping from one decade to another in no discernable order. We ordered me pizza and watched some romantic comedies and I slept, in Peter's shirt and then we did it all again the next day with some shopping added in and then gambling.

I was a little drunk when I stumbled into bed that night and in the morning Peter was sitting in the room reading and Ali was gone again.

"She left?" I whisper. Peter just nodded setting his book aside. "How was your visit with Garrett?" I got the infuriating shrug again and swallowed down the urge to growl at him and stomp my foot, made easier by the fact I was lying down, so I just stretched and groaned instead.

It was a couple hours before I ended up getting up after that, I guessed he not only didn't mind me sleeping in only his shirt but rather liked the idea.