JPOV

She was just so warm and inviting. I could watch her sleep forever. Leaving Bella alone in that big bed was hard for me to do but I could hear the car coming up the drive. If they rang the doorbell they would not only wake my Bella, but wake her mother and Phil too. I needed the humans that didn't know of what I was to stay unconscious so I could rearrange the house. Bella wanted this to be perfect and it would be for her.

There were two guys that brought the flowers I ordered over. It took them an extra $100 to get the flowers in quickly and quietly. I paid another $100 to get them to hang a banner at the entrance. It was nothing fancy or over the top, just something so people would know where to turn. As soon as they were gone I ran around at vampire speed.

I dragged two long tables from the basement along with the matching chairs. Five of the chairs were broken to pieces but I doubted that there would be many people sitting anyway. I covered all of the tables with lacy white tablecloths. There was a small bouquet in the center of each table. The tables were easy to rearrange with as much space was in the living room. I barely had to move the couches. The picture of Charlie was placed where everyone could see it on the wall. I had even token the liberty to draw him myself. That picture would only be seen to the people that had to go through the hallway to get to the bathroom. Just because Bella liked my art work didn't mean everyone else would too.

There was a corner of the room that wasn't occupied by anything. I tried to think back to the wakes I had attended in the past. I was sure they still served alcohol at these things. I went down to the basement to look for another table. There weren't any more so I just grabbed a couple of bookshelves. I dragged them up along with some bar stools. Once I stood them side by side and covered them with a table cloth they looked like an actual bar counter. Now, if people wanted to drink their pain away they would be more than welcome to do so.

I was beginning to get nervous. Emmett and Rosalie were only a mile away. When Alice cheated on me I cut myself off from all of the Cullens. I just assumed they would go along with Alice. It would benefit them very much. With Gabe I bet they wouldn't have to move more than necessary because he bit someone. He would keep Alice happy. He wouldn't ever bother anyone with his abilities. He wouldn't be a pain in the ass like I was.

Once we take care of Victoria I was sure they would be thrilled to go back home. Gabe was the perfect brother that never did anything wrong or aggravating. I could never be that person.

I was the closest to Rose and Emmett. Rosalie was usually my twin in most of the places we lived so we had a lot of time to hang out to keep up the charade. She wasn't a mean person like most people saw her as. This life was never what she wanted and it took much from her. She had a right to be bitter sometimes. Emmett and I always wrestled. He was strong but I had years of experience in the wars. It always made Esme angry because we usually broke something. We also played video games when he got tired of me beating him. It was such a human thing but we never had those things as kids so we found them extremely fascinating.

Alice was their favorite though. She was Rosalie's shopping partner and Emmett's little fairy. If they had to pick it would be her which is why I left before they could reject me too. She had the ability that rarely bothered people. She could tell Rose when a new line of clothes were to be introduced or help Emmett out of the doghouse when he screwed up. All I could do was tell the other what they were feeling which they usually already knew. What good would any of that do?

The door opened and in came my brother and sister. Emmett tackled me to the ground making a loud thud. I sent a wave of exhaustion up to keep them asleep. I wrestled with Em for a bit before pinning him. He gave up and I released him. Rosalie was right there, grabbing me in a hug.

"I've missed you so much big brother. Nothing is the same without you."

There was a small ache in my back from how hard she was hugging me but I ignored it. I had missed my sister too. Emmett felt left out so he threw his arms around both of us.

"I missed you too man. When are you coming back? Everything is so boring now."

I took a step back once they released me. "I'm not coming back."

They were silent for a moment. For the first time since they came running in I held my head high. They gasped when they saw my eyes, tainted red. The disappointment flowed heavily, along with the sadness.

"You killed Bella," Emmett accused with a growl.

I glared at him. "Of course not! I slipped before I came back to her."

"Then where is she?"

"She's upstairs Emmett, along with her parents. They are all sleeping so keep it down." It hurt to know that he didn't believe me. I would never do anything to cause harm to Bella, especially if I was the cause.

"Did you take care of the bodies," Rosalie asked softly.

"Yes, I handled everything then came here," I paused. It wasn't really any of their business to know how torn up Bella had been but I didn't want them to upset her or cause her to have a setback in her progress. If they did I would ask them to leave early and deal with Victoria with the wolves.

"Bella was about to kill herself when I got here. Edward had really done some damage. She is on an anti-depressant and an anti- anxiety medication. It takes some time to take affect so she's been a little…emotional lately. The Victoria thing and Charlie's death hasn't helped a bit either. Not to mention Renee hadn't told her she was pregnant. Just be nice to her."

I gave them a minute to adjust it all. I knew it was hard to take in. When I first saw her I didn't want to believe our departure had done such a thing to her. I was just thankful she was better now. I would never treat her the way Edward had.

"We never should have left," Emmett said sadly. He cared deeply for Bella. She was his little sister.

"There is also more," I said hesitantly. I wanted Bella to be with me when I told them this but I didn't want to make her uncomfortable. Emmett would surely embarrass her or just say something insensitive. I would like to avoid that as much as possible.

"So the thing is…"

"Just say it Jasper," Rose pushed softly.

"Bella and I are making the transition to being a couple. She is still broken up about Edward and I haven't fully recovered from Alice but we are really great for each other. We've been helping each other through it all and I think I'm starting to fall for her."

As soon as the words were out of my mouth I realized what I had said. Bella was there for me when I needed her. She knew me better than anyone I've ever known. I cared deeply about her but was really in love with her. The thoughts were in my head but I couldn't make sense of them. Bella and I spending the rest of eternity together looked really good but that shouldn't have been the case. We hadn't even officially become a couple yet and of Bella decided not to, we never would. That very thought made me hate not being able to see the future.

A hard shove to the chest had me flying across the room. I had to catch myself from crashing into the decorated table. I snapped my head up to see Rosalie glowering at me with her teeth bared ever so slightly. Anger was flowing freely in my direction. It made my chest ache. Emmett, wide eyed from what he saw his wife do, quickly wrapped his arm around her waist.

"Calm down Rosie,"

"Don't tell me to calm down," she snapped. "He is just like Edward. Why can't you guys just leave her alone? She is just a human. Find someone of your own species! She wouldn't have vampires chasing after her if she were with a human. If you really care about her you will leave once Victoria is dead."

Her words were like fire against my skin. I knew their visit couldn't have possibly turned out well. My own sister wanted me to break up with Bella. She even compared me to Edward. I wasn't like him in the slightest. I would never do anything to cause my Bella distress of any kind. We just found each other, I wasn't letting her go.

"I'm sorry you feel that way. I do care deeply for Bella so I will stay with her for as long as she wants me and if that's eternity then so be it. I will destroy any vampire that tries to harm her, like Victoria. We didn't ask for your help, you offered. If you don't approve of us then you can leave and I can handle her with the help of the wolves."

Rosalie stared me down for a moment before sighing. "Fine but before anything is decided I will tell her my story. She deserves to know how much she will lose. If it were me, I would want someone to vote no for me."

I sighed too. The end of Rosalie's life had been a horrible thing as she had told me. All the things she had wanted had been ripped away from her. Carlisle had always felt a little guilty for damning her to our world when she would so much rather be dead. Emmett hated knowing his wife and mate didn't want this. He loved everything about being a vampire. It hurt his feelings when she said things like that. He would probably do anything to give her a baby and a normal life. To think that Bella could be just like Rosalie made me think this could end terribly.

"Fine Rosalie, but only if you are nice to her. She thinks you hate her so be on your best behavior."

"Of course brother."

"You should go hunt. The color will fade a little. We can watch over Bella for you."

I was hesitant to leave Bella with Rosalie. She could be a bit forceful at times. Of course the way Bella has been behaving lately I was sure she could handle her. Emmett would keep Rosalie in check though, hopefully.

"Alright. I'll hunt nearby so I won't be gone for long. Don't forget Bella's parents don't know what we are so behave Emmett."

He scoffed. "I wasn't even going to do anything."

"Of course not," I said sarcastically as I left the house. I really hoped they behaved themselves.

BPOV

I woke up to an empty bed and a freezing body. It was weird but I was always warmer when I slept with Jasper. I wondered where he was until I realized it was a little after eight o'clock. He was probably still downstairs decorating the house for the post wake. Butterflies were rushing in circles on the inside of my stomach. Today I would see Charlie again but this time he wouldn't be covered in his own blood and clawed open. He would look pale and lifeless. I didn't want to see him again but I didn't want his bloody corpse to be the last image of him in my head. Tomorrow I would say goodbye to him for good at the funeral. I wasn't sure how to do that but I would just have to figure it out, I suppose.

I grabbed a robe from the bathroom and wrapped it around me before going downstairs. The living room looked wonderful of course. Everything was set up in a way I never would have been able to do.

"Jazz," I called.

"He'll be back later," a female voice said. I spun to see the beautiful Rosalie Hale. "Hello Bella."

Before I could respond I was being engulfed by my massive teddy bear. "Bella! I've missed you so much little sister."

I hugged him back until I couldn't breathe any longer. "Hey Emmett. Where did Jasper go?"

"Jeeze! You've seen us one whole minute and you're already in a rush to get back with Jasper. You must really love him to try to blow off me."

I laughed as my face heated up with a familiar blush. "I wasn't blowing you off. I just want to know where he went."

"Hunting," Rosalie answered. I was surprised she hadn't insulted me yet. She wasn't even glaring at me. I wonder what Jasper had to do to make her be nice.

"Oh alright then. I'm glad you guys are here."

"Of course we're here Bella. We wouldn't miss something like this. I'm really sorry about Charlie." He hugged me again but softly this time.

"Thanks Em."

"Is there anything I can do to help? I can clean or cook?"

I felt my lips twitch slightly. "You can cook?"

"Yes, Jasper and I went to Culinary School together."

"Jasper can't make toast," I stated remembering the first day he attempted to cook me anything.

Emmett grimaced. "Yeah well that was apparently something everyone should know so they didn't teach that. I can make you something else for breakfast though. Does blueberry pancakes and sausage sound good?"

"Yes, that'd be great."

He rushed into the kitchen leaving me alone with Rosalie. I really wish Jasper were here with me. Hopefully he wouldn't take too long to hunt. I needed him.

"Bella, may I speak with you?"

The question caught me off guard. What could she possibly want to talk to me about? "Sure." I went over to sit down with her right behind me.

"Jasper told us how close the two of you have become. If things keep going this way then you will naturally start to think about becoming one of us. Jasper is nothing like Edward as you may have realized. He would never leave you the way Edward had. Alice really hurt him but I know you are more than a rebound to him. I could hear it in his voice when he talked about you. He cares very deeply for you which lead me to believe that there are some things that I should tell you."

"Okay." I wasn't exactly sure how I was supposed to respond to this. Was this the part where she threatened to kill me if I didn't stay away from Jasper? Emmett wouldn't allow her to of course but she had many things to threaten me with. Phil, Renee, and my little sister were upstairs after all.

She took a deep breath and explained to me how she was brought into this world. My eyes burned with tears as she told me of her fiancé, Royce King II. Words didn't express how disgusting that man was. I was glad she killed him, he deserved it. It was terribly sad that she didn't get the little boy or white picket fence lifestyle she wanted. She ended her human life in such a horrific way and she wasn't even able to get the one thing she wanted most. I guess no matter how beautiful you were terrible things still happened. In the end though, she was rewarded with one thing; Emmett. He loved her unconditionally and even if they couldn't have children they were still perfect together.

"This life is not glamorous. So much has been taken away from us. You humans can have anything you want which is why you should stay that way. You may love Jasper but there are humans that you could have a normal life with"

"I appreciate what you are trying to do Rosalie but I don't want a normal life. I want to be with Jasper. He understands me and we have this connection that doesn't make any sense but we're perfect for each other," I insisted. The more I talked about it the more I realized it was true. Jasper and I were perfect as friends so in an actual relationship we would be made for each other.

"You may think that now but things will get harder."

"I understand that you must think this is just a simple crush but this is much more. Jasper and I can feel each other. I can block my emotions from him and I can control his. Could Alice do that?"

She looked surprised by this. "No, she could not."

"We are really close to each other that we can share his ability. I know I can't have children but honestly I never wanted them. I wouldn't even know how to take care of them. All I need is Jasper and I will be happy."

She sighed. "I didn't really think I could change your opinion. I just wanted you to be informed."

"And I thank you for it but really this conversation may not have even been necessary. I don't even know if Jasper would want to spend eternity with me."

"He does. I could tell."

"Bells breakfast is ready," Emmett called.

Done with our conversation, we went into the kitchen. I realized Emmett offered to cook to leave Rosalie and I alone to cook. I probably should have seen that coming. What other reason would he leave me alone with Rosalie?

"Emmett, humans don't eat this much," I said as I took in the site before me. There was a plate in the center of the table stacked with at least 15 very wide pancakes. Beside it were a bowl full of sausage links and a bowl full of fried eggs. It all smell delicious but there was so much of it.

"I know. Phil and Renee are about to come downstairs. According to TV, pregnant people feel as though they can eat for two even if in reality that is unhealthy toward the baby and athletes need to keep their strength up so they need a lot of food."

Vampires would be the world's best nutritionist for humans.

Emmett had three tall glasses of orange juice on the table before Phil and Renee walked in. By their expressions I realized I had forgotten to tell them they were coming.

"Guys this is my mother Renee and her husband Phil. This is Emmett and her girlfriend Rosalie. They are Jasper's adopted brother and sister. They came back for the funeral."

Renee didn't look happy about this. She probably blamed them for my zombie mode as much as she did Edward. She put on a fake smile though and shook their hands. "It's nice to meet you."

"I cooked breakfast," Emmett offered.

Renee's eyes widen as she quickly made herself a plate. Yeah, I could do without being pregnant. As we sat down to eat Emmett and Rosalie excused themselves saying they ate already. Renee was practically drooling over Emmett's cooking. Phil didn't say anything but he was shoveling food down his throat as quick as he could chew. There was very little conversation besides asking where Jasper was. I lied and said he was making last minute plans at the funeral home. After the three of us finished off the breakfast I pushed Renee and Phil to the living room so I could do the dishes in peace. I was sure Emmett would keep them entertained.

A feeling of dread appeared in my stomach. I gripped the sink to keep myself up. It had come out of nowhere and I wasn't sure why it was there. I felt anxious and afraid. I inhaled deeply, trying to keep myself from collapsing. The feeling was so strong and sudden. This wasn't something I was feeling. There was something wrong with Jasper.

Focusing on the emotional attack I tried to block it. It wasn't something that came easily to me. I wasn't even sure how to do it exactly but soon my emotions went back to normal. I pushed myself from the counter and rushed to the back door. Jasper was already coming through it.

He didn't say anything but he pulled me into his arms. I could smell the scent of woods on his clothing. I ran my fingers softly through his hair. He pressed his face into my neck and inhaled deeply. He was mumbling something but I had no idea what.

"Jasper, what's wrong?"

"I almost did it. They were just lying there. It must have been Victoria. She was probably watching me. They were dead. I wanted to feed so badly but I didn't for you. I didn't want to upset you."

"Shh," I breathed softly. "Calm down. What happened?"

"While I was put hunting I ran across two dead bodies. Only one of them one completely drained. There was still a little left in the other. I think they were campers. Victoria must have fed from them and tossed them there. It was far too sloppy to be done on accident. She wants them to be found. It was a message. We need to start hunting her down."

The feeling of dread returned. This was my fault. If I just let Victoria kill me three people would still be alive. I wasn't worth anyone's life. This had to end.

Jasper's low growl filled my ear. "You are mine. She can't have you."

I liked the sound of that but there were so many people dying.

"I would rather the whole world die then lose you."

I sighed. "Are you reading my emotions or my mind?"

He pulled back to look at me. His eyes were brown now with only a few speckles of red. "We just got together. I refuse to have you taken away from me now." I leaned up and kissed him. When I pulled away he returned to hugging me. "I'm sorry I wasn't here when you woke up. I could have returned quicker but I wanted to look for Victoria. She wasn't anywhere near her so it will be safe for everyone to be here."

I pulled away again. "You went after her by yourself. Why would you do that?"

"I told you about the wars I've been in and you still undermined my fighting abilities. I'm hurt."

I rolled my eyes. "I don't care how good you are. I'm still going to worry about you. How could I not?"

He smiled. "I guess that's fair. How was your morning so far?"

"Um…"

I wasn't exactly sure if I wanted to share about my morning. The talk with Rosalie just didn't seem like something I should be telling him about. I mean I wasn't agreeing with her or anything but she had a point. I would lose a lot, but I would be gaining Jasper and that was more that worth it.

"Rosalie spoke to you," he guessed.

"Yep."

"She gave you a lot to think about then." He looked down at the floor to avoid my eyes. It was kind of offensive that he thought I would dump him for human life. I cared about him. If I had to die to be with him then I was okay with that.

"Nope."

He graced me with another smile and wrapped his hands around mine. "Okay then."

We went into the living room with the rest of the family. Emmett and Phil were playing video games while Renee and Rosalie were discussing the baby. Jasper and I just silently curled up together on the couch. We talked softly to each other about simple things like our lives as children, music, and our taste in art. We kept everything light and careless. It was always so easy to talk to Jasper.

Around 1 Jasper left me to go make the desert that he had been dying to make me. After Emmett heard that he was going to cook desert he felt like betting. He bet a thousand dollars that he could make a better dish than he could. Renee and Phil thought it was a joke until they pulled their wallets out. Now, two thousand dollars was sitting on top of the entertainment stand as they went against each other in the kitchen. It was nice to see Jazz so happy.

Rosalie played some shooting game with Phil as Renee and I talked. Her life was still as chaotic as usual. She was in a yoga class for pregnant people back home. She quit her Pilates and Tybo class when she realized doing all three in a week was unconventional. Now after yoga she had an art class. I told her about Jasper's art and she was eager to see some of his creations. I hoped he wouldn't mind me telling her but he was really good.

After an hour I decided it would probably be alright if I got dressed. I went up to shower and wash my hair. My hair was one thing I hadn't thought about. How did one style a hair for a wake? I didn't want to curl it because that was too prom. I didn't want to put it up because that doesn't seem like I was going to an event that meant anything. I sighed. I honestly didn't care what my hair looked like. The only one whose opinions counted was Jasper and he saw me when I was suicidal so I didn't care.

For a moment I considered applying makeup but I highly doubted Charlie would mind if my face was bare. I dried my hair and dragged a brush through it a few times. When it was relatively straight I went over to the closet where my wake outfit was at. Once I dressed I stared at myself in the three way mirror. I thought I looked alright, not like I was torn up inside. People would look at me and think I was handling it well. So maybe all of the pity looks would be at the bare minimum. Though, the accusing looks would be at a high. They all thought I was sleeping with Jasper instead of grieving, or they thought I was using him as a tool for grieving. I never really understood the people in this town, or anywhere.

"You look great. Not like you're trying too hard and not like you don't care at all. It's a good balance, right in the middle."

I looked up to see Rosalie standing in my doorway looking as gorgeous as ever. She was wearing a beautiful black turtleneck sweater dress. She had her feet buried in black knee high boots that made her look even taller. Her blonde hair was in natural waves that framed her face. She looked liked those women in the Prada magazines Alice used to love forcing me to look at.

"Thank you," I said as I slipped my feet into my shoes.

"Wow. You're willingly going to wear heels."

"I haven't been falling as much as before and I figure if I do trip Jazz will catch me." The shoes were only three inches tall so I figured I could handle it. Of course it didn't hurt that I had practiced walking in them.

"You two are really cute together," she said softly.

I met her eyes. "Not that I mind but why are you being nice all of a sudden. You were really mean to me when I was with Edward but now that I'm with Jasper you haven't said anything rude yet. Is it because you guys are close and you don't want to upset him or because I was less opinionated then?"

She shifted her weight to her other foot in a very human movement. "May I come in?"

"Yes." I moved over to the chase that was in the corner of the room and dropped into it. Rosalie settled into the chair across from me.

"I never had anything against you Bella, just your choices. I told you how I never wanted this world. I always thought you were throwing your life away and honestly if you were still with Edward I would still think that. He didn't treat you the way you deserved to be. He was obsessive and controlling and nobody needs that. Jasper treats you as his equal. And yes, I do like the more opinionated Bella."

I was touched by her words. Edward was never right for me. Now that it was over I understood that. At the time though, I just loved that someone that wasn't a creep was interested in me. Edward had been controlling though. Whenever he didn't get his way he pouted about it and complained. At times I thought it was cute but it got annoying after awhile.

"Yeah, you have a point."

"I just want us to try to be friends since one day you'll probably be my sister."

The thought brought a smile to my face. "I would like that."

We went downstairs where everyone was in their wake attires. Renee had managed to find a dress that fit over her belly. She looked beautiful. I wished we were going somewhere else instead of a viewing. I sighed and looked for Jasper. My heart skipped and by the smile on his face he heard it. He was in black straight pants and a simple button up shirt. He was ridiculously beautiful, vampire or not. He walked over and wrapped his arms around my waist.

"It'll be okay," he said softly. Sometimes it was great to have your boyfriend know what you are feeling. He never had to ask what was wrong or if I needed anything. He already knew. I was very thankful for it. He kissed me softly on the forehead. "Rosalie and Emmett will leave the service early so they can come back here and set the food up. If we do it now, nothing will be at the right temperature."

I nodded. I hadn't even thought about that. For the first time today I realized a table with barstools at it. I gasped. There was another thing I hadn't thought about. Jasper, noticing where I was looking, said, "We forgot to buy liquor."

Renee cleared her throat. "Excuse me?"

"It's not for us," I told her, "but liquor should be served at wakes."

"How were you going to buy it? You're only 18."

"I'm 21," Jasper told her.

That didn't make the situation any better.

"You're that old and you are dating a child!" She was being a hypocrite. It wasn't like Charlie and Phil were the exact same age as her.

"Mom I am legally an adult and I don't have to ask you permission for who I can date. That isn't even what we were talking about. We need to get the liquor." I stressed. Renee was about to continue her rant but Phil stopped her. I ignored them as they began speaking softly speaking to each other. The matter of the alcohol wasn't what had me upset. It was the fact that I had managed to forget something. I just wanted this day to be perfect since it would be one of the last things I would do for Charlie.

"Calm down darlin. We have some time before the wake we can go pick some up."

"Are you sure? We can't be late Jazz."

"I know and we won't be. We can pick it up and Emmett and Rose will bring it back here."

"Yeah Bells we'll handle it. We would go buy it but my dish is still cooking. Perfection takes time."

Jasper scoffed. "He would be done but he burned the first batch. Do me a favor and stay away from his food."

Emmett crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. He looked like an oversized little boy. "I haven't cook in a very long time. I had to get back in the flow. Mines will still whoop yours."

"Sure Em," Jasper replied with a cocky smile.

It made me happy to see the two of the joke around like this. I knew Jazz had missed this brother so this was definitely good for him. I was getting him over the break up but he still needed a little help to get his self esteem built up. When he won Emmett's little bet he would feel really great about himself and I was sure he would win the bet. Emmett's breakfast had been nothing compared to Jasper's. I was actually looking forward to eating all of the food we had cooked up. Food would make me feel better, and if not I was sure there would be some left over alcohol.

We left without a fight from Renee. I think she was hormonal from the pregnancy. Normally she wouldn't throw a fit over so small, especially since she was the first one to give me a glass of wine. The age thing was also ridiculous. Just looking at Jasper and she had t o know he wasn't in high school. Though, if he could fake every school he has ever attended then of course he could fake Renee.

Jasper had to go into the liquor store without me since I was underage. He was hesitant about leaving me alone but I insisted that this was really important. After smelling the air and looking around he was sure Victoria was nowhere around and ran into the store. I giggled a bit because he looked like he was about to rob it.

I was a little uncomfortable being alone in the open. There were very few other people here. It was Forks after all. I turned on the radio to drown out the silence. It was on a news channel. The words the man was saying made chills run down my spine.

"Earlier this afternoon, two bodies were found in the woods. Their identities are unknown as of late. One was a female with black hair and a fair skin tone. The other a male was African American with black hair. They were both in her early to mid twenties. It is assumed that they were married by the wedding rings that were on their fingers. They seemed to have been camping when they were attacked by a large animal, suspicions say a wolf. Their bodies were terribly scarred. We will have more on this update when we have more information. In later news…"

I pushed the button to turn the radio off. Silence didn't seem all that bad anymore. I was starting to question if it was really Victoria that had killed those people. According to Hollywood, werewolves fed off of human flesh. Maybe Victoria hadn't done it. Jasper had said it was sloppy for a vampire.

A tapping on the window made me scream. I looked over to see my old friend Jacob Black. I blushed for being so jumpy and got out of the car. The man that stood before me was not the little kid I use to hang out with. He had changed so much since I last saw him. All of the silky black hair he once had was gone. It was unnatural how tall and muscular he were to be only 16. He reminded me of Sam Uley. Could he have possibly have been a werewolf?

"Hey Bells. Sorry to scare you. We were on the way to the wake and saw you sitting here."

I looked behind him to see who he was with. Across the lot Billy was in Jacob's Rabbit staring at us. The last time I had seen the car it was just scrap metal. I wondered when he had finished it.

"Come on Bella. I know we haven't hung out in awhile but can I at least get a hug?" I turned back to see Jacob giving those puppy dog eyes.

I smiled and threw my arms around his waist. I quickly gasped and jerked away from him. He was burning hot, just like Sam. "You're a…" I couldn't bring myself to say the words.

His face hardened into a scowl. "What did that bloodsucker tell you?"

"Nothing," I stammered.

He scoffed. "Then why are so afraid of me?"

I took a deep breath to try to calm myself. "Well, you eat people right?"

"What? Is that what that bloodsucker told you?"

"No and stop calling him that."

He shook his head and mumbled something about too much TV. "We are called the protectors Bell. Why would we protect people if we are only going to eat them?"

"Oh," I said lamely. That was a good and a bad thing. Good because one of my very good friends wasn't a monster. Bad because it meant Victoria was the killer which meant I had caused a married couples death. "I'm sorry Jake."

"Don't worry about it. Look I uh, I'm sorry about Charlie. How are you doing?"

I only heard the question once today and I was already tired of it. I guess I would have to get use to it because I was about to face over one hundred people soon.

"I'm fine. The whole Victoria thing isn't helping though."

"Victoria? Is that the red haired leech? She is fast. We've been after her for awhile now but she keeps dodging us. Since we are only allowed to cross the border today it's impossible to catch her."

"If you are willing to wait until the post wake is over we can disgust the boarders then," Jasper said as he slid his arms around my waist. Jacob frowned as he did so. I really hoped he still didn't have a crush on me. That would really make things awkward.

"I'll talk to Sam about it."

Ha! I knew Sam was a werewolf.

"Good. Now we must be leaving or we will be late," Jasper said formally.

"See you later Jake," I said as I opened the door.

"Yeah, see you." He jogged over to where Billy was still watching. I blew it off and got into the car.

"I leave you alone for five minutes and the wolves descend."

I ignored him and started rummaging through the bags. I didn't know much about this stuff but I was pretty sure it was all expensive. There were a few familiar names like Jack Daniels, Jose Cuarvo, and Smirnoff. There were more that I had never heard of in my life like Jaguar, Plymouth Gin, and Grey Goose. I would love to know how they name their products. In another bag there were bottles of red and white wine. I was confused when I looked in a bag to see nothing but Monster and Red Bull energy drinks.

"Uh Jazz, you know these aren't liquor right?"

He smiled. "Yes, I know. It's for the people that can't handle their liquor without something to take the bite out of it."

"You use to drink a lot didn't you?"

"Yep! That was the only way we could celebrate in the army."

I just shook my head. I bet anything I would catch him drinking a shot, even if he couldn't get drunk. I wondered why he had bought so much. We weren't trying to make anyone drunk, just tipsy enough to not care anymore. It didn't matter though. If we had a bunch left over I could just get Emmett to drink it.

JPOV

If I didn't get out of here soon I was going to burst. The ceremony was finally over but we had to wait for everyone else to leave. In the beginning I knew I would have trouble being here. Everyone was so full of remorse or pity. It was disgusting. I felt like I would be sunk into a dark whole at any minute. Humans felt far too much for their own good, or mine.

When we got there I had to stand by Bella's side as she greeted people. There were several problems with that. Bella was a bundle of nerves when we first arrived. I think it finally sunk in that she was about to see him because her eyes were red and rimmed with tears. Everyone saw so their emotions were magnified by her pain. I couldn't even use my power to soothe her because there were so many people clogging it up.

People were far too touchy in this town, especially the old people. They didn't just hug Bella, but me as well. Humans were supposed to shy away from us but all of they kept hugging me. And none of them even knew me! I know times had changed but that was just not proper. It made my throat burn like crazy. Their blood was pumped up with all of that medication making it smell even sweeter. It was pure torture.

When we finally got inside it got worse. All of those people locked into a small space with their emotions being absorbed by me. I now knew how it felt to drown. I tried not to let it show because Bella didn't need the extra stress. I was silent throughout the whole ceremony though. We sat in the front row in perfect view of the body. I had seen many dead bodies, most of which I had caused them to be only bodies. Bella on the other hand had only seen her grandmother but she was far too young to truly remember. I held her hand since that was the only thing I could do at the moment. I was envious of Emmett and Rosalie because they got to leave early. I wish I could but Bella needed me and I wouldn't leave her.

Finally I shook the last hand and everyone was leaving. We walked hand in hand back to the car. The emotions simmered down until it was only Bella's I could feel, which was how it was meant to be. Now we would have 15 minutes to ourselves until we had to get back to the house where it would all start over again. I wrapped my arms around Bella and breathed her sent in. Her blood soothed the ache that all the others had caused.

"I'm sorry you had to sit through that," she whispered.

"Don't be darlin. I'd do anything for you."

"I know but if you want to avoid the post wake you can just drop me off…"

I cut her off with a kiss. Her lips were so warm and soft against mine. I pulled her tighter against my body. The disgusting scent of wet dog had finally faded off her. I ran my fingertips down her spine. She let out a shiver of pleasure before pulling away.

"I'm not going to leave you in the swarm of all those people, especially if Mike Newton is there."

She smiled. "Alright then we need to go."

"If we must," I sighed and opened her door. Too quickly we were on the road speeding back to my house.

AN: Soooo what do you think? I love and appreciate all of the reviews. Thanks a bunch! I'll have another up soon.