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Unimaginable Outcomes
A/N: If you have any questions or comments, post them in my reviews and I will answer them in my next Author's Note at the bottom of the chapter! Enjoy! - Bella'Xo
Chapter 14
(Jasper's POV)
I looked over towards the passenger seat where Natalie sat looking out the window into the night sky, my fingers intertwined with hers. She must have felt me looking at her as her gaze flickered over towards me and gave me a small tentative smile. I returned it gratefully and brought our hands up my lips and placed a chaste kiss on her knuckles. I felt the adoration and affection well up in her emotions and I couldn't help but to send her what I was feeling as well; happiness, love, affection… relief.
She looked at me in surprise as she consciously felt the effects of my gift for the first time. "Was that -"
"Yes ma'am," I interrupted her as I confirmed her suspicions.
Her eyebrows shot up and a smirk began to lift at her lips. "Wow," I praised me. "I wonder what else he can do with that gift." She mumbled quietly at the end so that I wasn't supposed to hear. I couldn't help but to start to chuckle at that and a beautiful pink blush began to burn on her cheeks. "Oh, I forgot," she mumbled. "I'm really going to have to get used to this vampire thing."
I chuckled briefly once again and reached over to put my arm around her and pull her slightly closer over the center console so that I could place a kiss on her temple. "You'll get used to it." I smiled at her just as we pulled up in front of her house.
I put the gear in park, letting the car idle as I turned towards her and took both of her hands in mine, looking into her eyes. "You have no idea how good it feels to have everything out in the open between us and to have you accept me. Thank you so much, darlin'."
She looked back at me with a small smile as I spoke and gave me an occasional gentle squeeze. "It doesn't matter what you are, as long as you're mine." She murmured. "It doesn't change the kind of person that you are and who you are to me, let alone how I feel about you."
I looked down at our hands as I spoke. "I hope that you'll continue to feel that way after you learn about my past."
Her lips turned down slightly. "I don't care what you've done or who you were. Like I said, it only matters who you are today. OK?" I didn't look at her as I nodded, though I wouldn't believe it until after I came clean with her.
It was when I looked up that I noticed Bella at her bedroom window as she looked out at my Viper. I could feel her curiosity and impatience from where we sitting.
Natalie noticed that my focus was elsewhere as she followed my line of sight and sighed. "I guess I better go then." She said dejectedly.
I nodded, leaning forward as I untangled my hands from hers and reached up, cupping her face with my hands as I lightly ran both of my thumbs over her cheeks. I continued to move forward and pressed my lips against hers, her lips molding themselves perfectly around my own marble-like ones. I ran my tongue across her bottom lip, causing her to gasp and giving me the perfect opportunity to deepen the kiss as I plunged my tongue into her mouth. Our tongues danced the age old routine as they brushed against each other, massaging the other. It was pure bliss and it was obvious from her emotions that she was loving it just as much as I was.
Finally, after several moments, she pulled back, looking up at me with her sparkling sapphire-like eyes. I continued running my thumbs over her cheeks and leaned forward to press another quick kiss against her heated ones.
"What's wrong, darlin'?" I asked her with concern when I felt dread and emptiness spike in her emotions.
She bit her lip and looked up at me from under her lashes. "I don't want to leave you." She admittedly whispered.
I sighed, turning my hand over to brush a strand of hair behind her ear affectionately. "I don't either, sweetheart." I admitted thoughtfully as I began to contemplate something in my mind before a light bulb went off. "How about this; I have to go back to the house to have that family meeting, but what about afterward, I can come back here and sneak in through your window?"
"But don't you need to sleep too?" She asked and I shook my head.
"No," I answered. "We don't sleep."
"Ever?" She asked appalled as her eyebrows shot up.
"Nope," I couldn't help but to grin at her expression. "Never."
"Wow," She mused for a couple of moments before pulling herself back to the present. "But won't you be bored just lying there watching me sleep?"
"I could never be bored when I'm with you," I told her. "Just leave your window unlocked for me."
She nodded. "Alright."
I leaned in once more to kiss her goodbye before she begrudgingly left my presence and went inside, turning to look at me once more to blow a kiss from the front door before disappearing inside.
Everyone was waiting around the dining room when I arrived, entering the house. The room was, of course, never used for its intended purpose. But it was furnished with a long oval mahogany table surrounded by chairs where everyone was standing around – we were scrupulous about having all the correct props in place. Carlisle liked to use it as a conference room. In a group with such strong and disparate personalities, sometimes it was necessary to discuss things in a calm, seated manner. My gift was often used to help maintain an even emotional level. I had a feeling that I was going to be needed again today going by the emotional levels.
Carlisle sat in his usual seat at the eastern head of the room. Esme was beside him – the held hands on top of the table. Esme's eyes were on Edward their golden depths full of concern, silently pleading with him to stay. He had this notion in his head that it would be better for everyone if he left the family again, or so Emmett had told me earlier.
Edward sat on Carlisle's other side. Esme reached around him to put her free hand on his shoulder. She had no idea what was about to start; she was just worrying about Edward.
Carlisle seemed to have a better sense of what was coming. His lips were pressed tightly together and his forehead was creased. The expression looked too old for his young face.
As everyone else sat, I could see the lines being drawn.
Rosalie sat directly across from Carlisle, on the other end of the long table. She glared at Edward, never looking away. Emmett sat beside her, his face and emotions both wry. I hesitated, and then went to stand against the wall behind Rosalie. I knew what needed to happen in order to keep my human mate safe, even if Bella was her twin sister. Her well-being meant more to me than anything and it would remain that way.
Alice was the last to take her seat. Her eyes were focused on something far away – the future, still too indistinct for her to make use of it. Without seeming to think about it, she sat next to Esme. She rubbed her forehead as if she had a headache.
Edward took a deep breath. He knew that he had to start this. It had been determined earlier after Natalie and Bella left the hospital that he was to blame, because I had covered us using vampire speed with an emotional distraction and didn't show off my vampire strength to an entire parking lot of humans. Edward, however, acted brashly and foolishly without thinking of the consequences. I could have saved Bella too without using my vampire strength and save her the same way that I did Natalie; by pulling her into the bed of their truck with Natalie and I.
"I'm sorry," Edward said, looking first at Rose, then me and then Emmett. "I didn't mean to put any of you at risk. It was thoughtless, and I take full responsibility for my hasty action."
Rosalie glared at him balefully. "What do you mean 'take full responsibility'? Are you going to fix it?"
"Not the way you mean," Edward said, working to keep his voice even and quiet. "I'm willing to leave now, if that makes things better."
"No," Esme murmured. "No, Edward."
He patted her hand. "It's just a few years."
"Esme's right, though," Emmett said. "You can't go anywhere now. That would be the opposite of helpful. We have to know what people are thinking, now more than ever."
"Alice will catch anything major," Edward disagreed.
Carlisle shook his head. "I think Emmett is right, Edward. The girl will be more likely to talk if you disappear. It's all of us leave, or none of us."
"Wait a minute," I interjected. "I won't leave Natalie."
"No one's asking you to, son," Carlisle clarified. "We would come up with a story to take her with us."
"But she won't say anything," Edward insisted quickly. "And I'm sure that Natalie will be the first one that Bella would confide in if she said anything in the first place, so she could warn us or stop her before she tells anyone else, but that won't be the case."
"You don't know her mind," Carlisle reminded him.
"I know this much. Alice, back me up."
Alice stared up at him wearily. "I can't see what will happen if we just ignore this." She glanced at Rose and I.
No, she couldn't see that future – not when Rose and I were so decided against ignoring the incident.
Rosalie's palm smacked down on the table with a loud bang. "We can't allow the human a chance to say anything. Carlisle, you must see that. Even if we decide to all disappear, it's not safe to leave stories behind us. We live so differently from the rest of our kind – you know there are those who would love an excuse to point fingers. We have to be more careful than anyone else!"
"We've left rumors behind us before." Edward reminded her.
"Just rumors and suspicions, Edward. Not eyewitnesses and evidence! Especially when we have to worry about Jasper's human mate being discovered!"
"Evidence!" Edward scoffed, but I was nodded, my eyes hard.
"Rose -" Carlisle began.
"Let me finish, Carlisle. It doesn't have to be any big production. The girl hit her head today. So, maybe that injury turns out to be more serious than it looked." Rosalie shrugged. "Every mortal goes to sleep with the chance of never waking up. The others would expect us to clean up after ourselves. Technically, that would make it Edward's job, but this is obviously beyond him. You know I'm capable of control. I would leave no evidence behind me."
"Yes, Rosalie, we all know how proficient an assassin you are," Edward snarled and she hissed at him furiously.
"Edward, please," Carlisle said. Then he turned to Rosalie. "Rosalie, I looked the other way in Rochester because I felt that you were owed your justice. The men you killed at wronged you monstrously. This is not the same situation. Natalie's twin is innocent."
"It's not personal, Carlisle," Rosalie said through her teeth. "It's to protect us all, including Natalie."
There was a brief moment of silence while Carlisle thought through his answer. When he nodded, Rosalie's eyes lit up. She should have known better. Even if I hadn't been able to feel his emotions or read his thoughts, like Edward can, I could have anticipated his next words. Carlisle never compromised.
"I know you mean well, Rosalie, but… I'd like very much for our family to be worth protecting. The occasional… accident or lapse in control is a regrettable part of who we are." It was very like him to include himself in the plural, though he had never had such a lapse himself. It was mostly me. "To murder a blameless child in cold blood is another thing entirely. I believe the risk she presents, whether she speaks her suspicions or not, is nothing to the greater risk. If we make exceptions to protect ourselves, we risk something much more important. We risk losing the essence of who we are."
Rosalie scowled. "It's just being responsible."
"It's being callous," Carlisle corrected gently. "Every life is precious."
Rosalie sighed heavily and her lower lip pouted out. Emmett patted her shoulder. "It'll be fine, Rose," he encouraged in a low voice.
"The question," Carlisle continued, "is whether we should take Natalie and move on?"
A/N: So, what did everyone think of the chapter? What does Jasper want to do regarding Bella? Will the Cullen's take Natalie and move on or will they stay? Review!
If you have any questions or comments, post them in my reviews and I will answer them in my next Author's Note!
To see more, go to my FF page: Xo BellaItalia oX
If you enjoyed this story so far, check out some of my other stories on my FanFiction page! Also, I am still accepting Twilight stories that involve Jasper/any female leads or Bella/selected male leads if anyone is looking for a Beta Reader. I will make exceptions on the characters depending on the plot. I am also now accepting Phantom of the Opera FanFictions that include Erik! I will also be accepting Bones featuring Agent Seeley Booth, Dawson's Creek, Titanic FanFictions featuring Jack, Snow White and the Huntsman featuring Snow White or Eric (the huntsman), The Ghost Whisperer that feature Melinda and Law and Order SVU that feature Elliot. I will accept OC characters as well depending on the other lead character. PM me for details!
- Bella'Xo
Xo BellaItalia oX