Previously:

"I love you, too. Always," he said, wrapping his arm around my chest and pulling me even closer to him.

"Jasper?" I sleepily asked him.

"Yes?" he replied, amused.

"Maybe I can start a charity or something, oversee something philanthropic or whatever."

"That would be a very nice thing to do," he whispered. "Good night."

"Good night."

Chapter 25

I woke to the sensation of Jasper's cool fingers running along my side, pushing up my shirt.

"Mmm. Good morning." I smiled, rolling over to face him.

"Good morning, indeed," he replied.

With the sun peeking around the curtains in my room, his skin had a faint warm glow to it, making him look almost human. It reminded of me of how he had looked the first morning I had woken up to him smiling at me—our wedding day. The memory made me smile.

"I'm so happy you're mine. I think I'll miss waking up to you," I told him.

"Well, as long as Charlie doesn't come in, you can wake up to me every morning." He gave my lips a sweet, lingering kiss.

"No, I mean after I'm changed."

We had spoken about us both wanting forever together, but neither of us had mentioned a timetable for when forever would start. Not knowing his plans, I wasn't sure how he would react to my casual mention of it. I cringed a little while waiting for his reaction, but he surprised me by smiling.

"I know I'll miss it, too, but think of it this way, it also means we'll never have to say good night."

"Very true," I said while leaning forward to kiss him again. I could think of so many fabulous ways to fill our sleepless nights.

"I'm glad to see you aren't in any pain," Jasper said, stopping my amorous thoughts in their tracks. Why would he think I would be in pain?

"Pardon me?" I asked.

His hands returned to stroking my side and carefully pulled my shorts down my hip. "It appears I was perhaps a little overzealous last night."

I looked down and saw I now bore handprint-sized bruises where Jasper had grabbed me the night before. I sat up and turned to inspect my other side, which was identical in appearance.

When he had been guiding my hips toward him, I certainly hadn't been in any pain. In fact, his movements had only enhanced my pleasure.

"I would say, 'I hope you're not upset,' but I can feel that isn't the case," Jasper stated.

He was right. Edward had led me to believe that intimacy with a vampire would have disastrous consequences under even the best conditions. With that as a likelihood, a few bruises seemed like a wonderful alternative.

"I'm not bothered by them at all. I would think this was to be expected," I told him.

"I suppose it is par for the course with a vampire, but I promise if I had felt one slight bit of pain or discomfort from you last night, I would have loosened my grip or stopped immediately."

"I know you would have." I reached for his hand and placed it over the purple marks. "To be perfectly honest, I like being marked by you like this." His brow furrowed.

"I find it exciting that underneath my clothes, there will be a sign of our intimacy that only you and I know about." I wasn't embarrassed about expressing myself to Jasper, but I still couldn't help my blush.

He just smirked at me, and I was glad this wasn't going to be made into a big deal. "Be that as it may, I'm definitely looking forward to when we'll both be indestructible." He gently squeezed my hip before removing his hand.

"Speaking of which, when do you suppose that will be?" I asked, sitting up and grabbing a hair tie off my nightstand. I was trying to keep the conversation as casual as possible, despite knowing Jasper could tell how I was feeling.

"You don't need to be nervous," he said as if on cue and kissed my cheek. He gracefully got out of bed and started to put on his clothes from the day before. "It can be however soon or late you want it to be, though I would assume you would like to graduate first."

Graduation was in two and half months, and while that felt like a long time to wait, I didn't want to spend eternity as a high school dropout. I also needed to spend more time with Charlie. I hadn't spent nearly enough time with him over the years, and after being without him during my time in 1862, I knew just how much I would miss him once I was a vampire.

"Yes. I want my parents to see me graduate, and I would like to spend more time with my human friends before they all leave for college."

"I have all the time in the world, so as long as we're together, it doesn't matter to me when you change. You can go to college. We can travel. We can do whatever you want. Physically, I'm still a few years older than you, so that isn't a concern," he said as I got out of bed and crossed the room to get something to wear.

"I don't want to wait much longer than graduation." My face started to burn when I thought of Jasper's comment about us both being indestructible.

He grinned at me, leaning casually against the wall as I pushed hangers out of the way in the closet. I wasn't sure what I should wear around Jasper now; none of my clothing options could compare to what he had seen me in in 1862. I was starting to regret I had packed away all of the nice clothing Alice had purchased for me before the family had left.

"Here," Jasper said, reaching in and grabbing a random shirt.

"Thank you."

"I think you cut a fine figure in whatever you wear." He kissed me on top of my head.

"While we're talking about school, I'm not sure I even remember my class schedule, much less what I was studying after being gone so long. Where does the school think I've been all week?" I asked while changing clothes.

"Alice must not have told you or you forgot, but she called the school when you were on your way to Italy. She told them you were going with Charlie to scatter Harry Clearwater's ashes. It was a delicate enough subject that Mrs. Cope didn't question it, and she won't bring it up to Charlie," Jasper said as I finished buttoning the shirt.

"A mighty fine figure." He winked at me, and I rolled my eyes.

"Not that I don't appreciate the effort or the ability to spend another day with you, but why would Mrs. Cope believe an excuse coming from Alice Cullen about why I wasn't in school?"

"She called as Renée. Mimicry is one of Alice's finer talents. She does a fabulous Carlisle," he said, and I wasn't sure if he was joking or not. "Speaking of, the family should have gotten home last night, and we may want to make an appearance at the house. If you don't feel comfortable with that, we can certainly do it another day. It's your call."

I loved the little bubble we were in, but I knew his family would be curious about what had happened, even if Alice had told them. I was nervous to hear what they thought about me being with Jasper now and if they were upset about me no longer being with Edward. I knew I couldn't face him today. Thankfully, Jasper shook his head as if he knew what I was thinking. I was grateful I would be spared that conversation for at least another day.

Things definitely weren't settled with Edward, and I felt bad about how things had so suddenly been sprung upon him. Then again, I supposed it wasn't much different from the way things had crashed to a halt for me in September. At a minimum, I felt confident about the fact that I had decided Edward and I weren't meant to be in a relationship far before entering one with Jasper.

I could only hope that his family would be understanding about our current situation—not that it was even very comprehendible.

"I guess now is as good a time as any," I told him.

~*LoG*~

On the way to the Cullen house, we spoke more about our plans for the coming months. I was definitely looking forward to starting our forever together, but I knew we needed to work through some things before we added the difficulty of me being a newborn vampire.

As I walked into toward the living room, I couldn't even imagine what being a newborn would be like, but I knew I would be in good hands with Jasper.

After parking my truck at the house, he told me everyone had things they wanted to say to me, but they would each wait their turns. I had thought I was prepared for talking to his family. However, when I nervously spied Carlisle and Esme stand as I entered the room, I regretted telling Jasper to go hunt while I suffered through potentially awkward conversations.

I was glad they were letting me come to them, but the effort to remain still looked like it was killing Esme. I had never truly seen a vampire ill at ease, but she seemed actually uncomfortable with her hands at her sides. Carlisle stood with one of his hands resting on her lower back and the other arm slightly raised, bidding me to sit down. Both of their faces seemed to flash between looks of eagerness and contrition.

I decided to end their discomfort. "I missed you."

Instantly, Esme rushed to me, enveloping me in her arms. "Oh, Bella." I gladly hugged her solid form back. "We missed you every day."

She finally dropped her arms and stepped back so Carlisle could step forward, and though not as enthusiastically, he too came to put his arms around me.

"We can't apologize enough for our role in September—" he started.

"Carlisle, there's no need to discuss that," I told him.

"But we sincerely—" Esme added, but I stopped her.

"I appreciate your apologies, and I accept them. I've had plenty of time to think about what happened and how everyone else might have been involved. I might have felt differently if I hadn't had a few months since your return to process my feelings, but right now, it's sufficient to say that I'm glad you're back," I said, sitting down on the white sofa.

"Ah, yes, we had neglected that, for you, it's been a while since our return to Forks," Carlisle said.

I knew the family had all gone on a hunt to discuss what had happened, but I wasn't sure how much Alice had explained.

"I don't know how much Alice told you or if you even believe it. Were you able to contact your friend Eleazar?" I asked.

Carlisle sat down in a white leather chair next to the sofa and casually leaned forward in the seat before answering. "Alice told us all she could. Of course, we believe it happened, and we would have, even without her verification. Clearly, we aren't sure why it came to pass, but I am hoping Eleazar can shed some light on the subject. I did speak to him by telephone, but Edward felt it would be best to have this type of discussion in person."

He regarded me carefully, as if he wasn't sure how I would react to his mention of Edward. Then, Esme came to sit next to me on the couch, placing her hand lightly on my shoulder.

"Even though we don't know all of the whys or hows you came to be with Jasper, we're grateful you're a part of this family again. However, we want you to know our feelings for you certainly aren't dependent on your relationship with any one person; we love you for you," she said, brushing my hair over my shoulder in a motherly gesture I had missed.f

A look of brief sadness passed between her and Carlisle before she continued. "While the roles we publicly portray sometimes change from move to move, I've always felt maternal toward who I, perhaps mistakenly, refer to as 'the children.' I'll just need to balance my happiness for you and Jasper with my sensitivity to Edward's pain right now."

I understood what she meant. However, I thought Edward had thrown away some of his right to the family's emotional sensitivity when he had left me standing alone in the woods.

Seeing the look on my face or sensing my hesitancy, Esme continued. "We now know he lied to you, and Alice told us a bit about how things were for you once we all left. We're definitely angry with him about that, but part of being a family means loving each other in spite of our flaws."

I was grateful for Esme's accepting nature, because it meant she greeted me and Jasper with open arms, but I couldn't help but be a little upset, because it also meant overlooking Edward's actions to some extent. Regardless, I wanted to be a part of this family, and for the sake of the family as a whole, Jasper and I would need to be sensitive to Edward's feelings—to a point.

A part of me would always love Edward, and I hated to see him hurting like I did in the fall, but I wasn't going to hide my feelings for Jasper. Edward left me so I could live my life, and that was exactly what I was going to do—whether it was his idea of how my life should be or not. I held out hope that he would one day find his mate and realize this was all for the best.

"Where is Edward?" I asked.

Carlisle glanced worriedly at Esme before replying, "He left late last night for Alaska."

He was right to worry about my response. Hearing that Edward had not just fled the house but the state made me furious. I had been concerned for his feelings and had wanted to tread delicately around him, but this was exactly the type of behavior that had put us in this position.

I started to shake my head.

"He wanted to talk to Eleazar himself and come up with an explanation for how this could have happened," Esme cautiously explained.

I was so angry I couldn't sit still. I jumped up from the sofa and crossed to the wall of windows. "I hope he didn't go in hopes of finding a solution. I love Jasper, and nothing—nothing—is going to change that."

"Of course not. He just doesn't know how to process this, and Edward does want what's best for you," she said.

I didn't want to take my feelings out on Esme and Carlisle, but I hated how they could always excuse his behavior, family or not.

"He didn't even try to talk to me about this; he just left. He has never wanted to discuss anything with me. All of his actions were done for me but above my head or behind my back." I sighed. "This is just further proof that he always runs from problems instead of facing them head on."

A voice cut through the living room. "Clearly, we chose the right time to come home."

I turned to see Rosalie and Emmett coming in from the kitchen. A huge smile graced Emmett's face, and I could tell he was happy to see me. When I returned from Volterra, I had been barely conscious at the airport, and I couldn't remember if I had hugged him or not. Even Rosalie looked pleased as she entered the room.

"I'm glad to see you've finally opened your eyes," she said with a smirk.

"We'll leave you all to talk, then," Esme said as she and Carlisle breezed out of the room.

Just as Carlisle and Esme hadn't moved when I came into the room, Emmett didn't attempt to come closer, even though I could tell he was excited. Jasper or Alice must have told them not to overwhelm me. Seeing as how he wasn't going to make the first move, I walked over to hug him and soon found myself several feet off the ground and in Emmett's arms.

"Life is just not as much fun without you," he said as I felt the air squeezed out of my lungs.

Rosalie coughed, interrupting our reunion. "I can't believe Alice is okay with this. As you seem to be hopping from brother to brother, I warn you now that you better not even so much as look at my husband."

Emmett set me down and plopped on the sofa next to me. When I looked at Rosalie, I could tell she was joking. I wasn't sure why she even wanted to talk to me, let alone why she was being somewhat pleasant.

"So, Jasper, huh?" Emmett asked. He looked thoughtful for a moment and then nodded. "I like it, but you know me, I'll take you however I can get you. Even Rosie thinks you two could work." He winked.

I didn't know what to think about that. It wasn't as if I needed Rosalie's approval to be with Jasper, but I was surprised to hear Emmett say that, especially because I knew how she felt about me.

My face must have been an open book because Rosalie piped up. "Bella, despite what you might think, I don't hate you." She paused, and I assumed she was running through her mental thesaurus to rectify that sentence by saying she abhorred, loathed, or despised me instead.

"I suppose you could say I envy you."

What? "What? There's no reason for that," I said, looking to Emmett for some sort of confirmation, but he remained quiet and focused on his mate.

"It's true. You had so much ahead of you in life; you were moving toward things. We aren't moving toward anything. Don't you see we're stuck? Things just move around us," she said, moving toward the window.

I hadn't really considered that, but I would never consider myself stuck with Jasper. I started to defend myself, but she kept talking while staring out the window.

"In all of my wishing that you would move on from Edward, I never could have imagined it would be for another vampire."

I started to say, "But Jasper wasn't a vamp—"

"Let me finish," she said, turning to look at me. "I can see things are different with Jasper. You were in a place where you could have had all of those human possibilities with him, but they were taken away from you. I know how that feels." Her voice dropped, and she looked away again.

"I know Edward thought all of our stories were for us to tell, and I need to tell you mine," she said.

Emmett stood and went to hold her hand, and she took it without a word. I was amazed Rosalie would ever need support from anyone. As she told me her painful story, though, I was grateful Emmett was there and that she allowed him to be. I could see how much he loved her and admired her bravery. I knew Rosalie would never want my pity, but my heart ached for what she had gone through.

When she was finished, I wasn't quite sure what to say. I just sat on the sofa with my hand over my mouth, shocked at what she had had to endure. I was glad she felt she could open up to me, but I wasn't sure what the details of her change had to do with my situation with either Jasper or Edward.

Emmett had his arms around her, whispering something in her ear before she spoke again. "Besides wanting you to remain human, I was opposed to you and Edward because you were conforming too much to who he wanted you to be. I had been in that same situation where I was trying to mold my life into what I thought was the perfect image. Now, you know that ended badly for me. I didn't really know who I was, and I foresaw the same thing happening for you."

Rosalie echoed many of the thoughts I had agonized over what hadn't worked in my relationship with Edward while in Texas. I smiled at her, relieved to know some of the reasons for her previous hostility toward me.

"Don't think this means I'm going soft, but I like who I think you could be, Swan," she said, and Emmett snickered, happy Rosalie was making an effort. "So help me, though, if you ever hurt Jasper, you'd better watch your back."

Rosalie turned to leave the room, but Emmett stopped her. "What about the book, babe?" he asked.

"I have a small scrapbook of the information I could find about Jasper's life as a human and his family. Alice said you had grown quite fond of them during your stay and that you would be interested to read about them. Jasper's never had any desire to know, but he may now that he has more human memories. I left it for either or both of you on Jasper's desk upstairs."

"Thank you, Rosalie," I said as she moved to walk upstairs.

She called back down, "For what it's worth, I'm happy for you, Bella."

I was so shocked at her words that I was nearly tempted to peek out the window and check for flying pigs.

"See, my woman isn't half bad," Emmett said, reminding me he was still in the room. He had been so unusually quiet through the whole exchange, but he had been whatever Rosalie had needed in the moment.

"I'm real glad we're back, kid," he said while ruffling my hair. "If you ever go back in time again, you should go meet me as a human. I was a real stud," he joked, "but I could only ever have eyes for my Rose."

"I'm glad you're back, too," I said, purposefully bumping my shoulder into him while heading toward the stairs to go find the scrapbook.

"Race ya," he called out then blurred up the stairs in front of me and toward his bedroom.

I chuckled as I climbed the stairs and wondered how much longer Jasper would be gone. Talking to his family wasn't necessarily the painful experience I thought it might be, but I still missed him.

I walked into Jasper's room and crossed the plush carpet to his desk where I found a large leather binder. Carefully lifting the cover and glancing at a few of the pages, I could see it was filled with newspaper clippings, photocopied documents, and handwritten notes. I was curious, but I wanted to wait for Jasper before reading anything, so I softly closed the cover.

"Hello." I jumped slightly and turned to see Alice standing timidly in the doorway.

"May I come in?" she asked.

I was worried about how things would be from now on with Alice. When we had had the conversation about her and Jasper not being mates, she had been so sweet and understanding. She had said that everything would be different in the morning, which had later led me to believe she had an idea of what was going to happen. She had confirmed that after I woke up in Edward's bedroom, and she had seemed pleased with Jasper and me then, but I wasn't sure how she would behave when it was just the two of us.

"Like you don't know what I'm going to say," I said jokingly, smiling slightly and testing the waters with her.

The next thing I knew, I was enveloped in her iron embrace. "Don't ever worry about us," she said, leaning back and looking into my eyes. "I told you nothing would ever change between us—no matter what happens."

Tears of relief sprang to my eyes. Alice dropped her arms and had a huge grin on her face.

"Thank you, Alice." I couldn't express how relieved I was that she still wanted to be my friend, my sister.

"Things will be different. What was that?" I asked. "You could have given me some warning." I rolled my eyes.

"Now, where would the fun have been in that?" she asked in a singsong voice, hopping up on the desk.

Everything seemed to be going well, and she told me not to worry, but I couldn't help but still be a little concerned. I shifted my weight back and forth on my feet and bit my lip. "So, you aren't mad at me?"

She pursed her lips in mock aggravation. "Of course I'm not mad. Who am I to argue with the Fates? Like I told Edward, it was meant to be. Plus, nothing could be better than my two best friends making each other happy."

One look at her face and I knew she was telling me the truth. It meant a lot that the rest of the family was supportive of us, but no one's opinion mattered as much as Alice's did. I was glad to know she wasn't hurt by the consequences of my time travel. I only wished the same could be said of Edward.

"Don't mention it," she said before I could thank her again for her acceptance. "There is someone out there for me; I know it."

"Do you know anything about Edward?" I asked, sitting on a trunk at the foot of Jasper's bed.

She stared at the far wall, her eyes seeming to unfocus for a moment. "No, nothing yet. I haven't been able to see him very well, because other than going to see Eleazar, he hasn't made any concrete decisions."

I supposed that no news was good news at this point.

"You aren't Edward's mate, but he did always want what was best for you, even if he sometimes had an odd—or terrible—way of showing it. I don't need my visions to know when he realizes you and Jasper are meant to be together, he will support you simply because it's what is best for you."

We didn't continue that line of conversation because Jasper appeared at the doorway and sauntered over to us, giving me a breath-taking smile.

"Ali, thank you for making my girl feel better," he said, never taking his eyes off me.

"Oh, okay. Sure thing, Jazz," she said before making a hasty exit.

"What was that about?" I asked as he swiftly pulled me flush with his body.

"Well, she does see the future." He winked and kissed me lightly on the lips.

I was slightly mortified that Alice would have visions of us being intimate, but as he trailed his mouth down my neck, all was forgotten. He lifted my hands to the first button on my shirt.

"Umhmm," I murmured, seeing where he was going with this, and my hands slowly started undoing my buttons while he watched.

"She had her turn to make you feel better, and now, I get mine."

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