I am so excited to announce that Golden Moon now has a video trailer created by breenieweenie. She did a great job of splicing various clips to create a little teaser for the story. You can find a link in my profile, so definitely check it out! Or, if you're too lazy to go to the profile, here's the link in the only way I can post it within the story: www(dot)youtube(dot)com(forwardslash)watch?v=ZOw9uqzKzio (it's really more of a pain to replace the dots and stuff, so do yourself a favor and just go to the profile -- LOL!)
I'm also excited about a couple of new award nominations. Golden Moon was nominated for The Venom Award – Best Non-Canon Couple at the Sparkle Awards. (voting open now though July 31) and for the Best During the Series Award at the Razzle Dazzle Awards (voting opens June 30). For more information check out the links in my profile under the Nominations heading.
The poll for Jasper's POV chapters is at the very top of my profile and it is open. Some of you have been voting already and the results are fun to watch. It's a blind poll, though, so you will only be able to see the results when the poll is closed, about a week after I post the last chapter.
After all the excitement of the last few chapters, I think we're all owed a little calm, so here you go.
All the Twilight characters belong to Stephanie Meyer.
Chapter 52: No Room to Bleed
Wrinkling his nose in distaste, Emmett continued, "I'd walk over there to give you a hug, Bella, but there's a little too much blood in the air for me."
I looked at him, puzzled, then realized that Mike still had on his bloody clothing. Obviously the scent didn't bother Alice or Jasper, who had just hunted, and Carlisle was so used to human blood he probably didn't even notice, but Emmett was having a problem. He started backing out of the room. I looked to Jasper, silently asking him to carry me over to Emmett. He understood and immediately stood up, complying with my request.
"Be careful with her," he said to Emmett in warning before handing me over carefully to his brother, "she's injured."
I felt a bit like an infant being passed from vampire to vampire and I thought the whole thing was silly. It was just an ankle sprain, for crying out loud. Nevertheless, I appreciated Emmett taking a bit more care then normal as he pulled me in for a hug.
"Missed you, Bella. Things just aren't as much fun without you around."
"I missed you too, Emmett." I said. I turned to say the same to Carlisle and saw he had finished examining Mike.
"He seems to be doing okay. The venom is healing his injuries. You did a great job, Alice. How long do we have before he wakes up?"
Alice shook her head. "I don't know, Carlisle. I can see us driving to Alaska and some of his change, but then the vision disappears.
Carlisle looked at Alice in alarm.
"Disappears?" he asked, "Has this ever happened before."
Alice looked down.
"It's been happening pretty frequently lately with my visions of Jasper and Bella. That's one of the reasons I came here. I saw Jasper heading to battle with Victoria and then he disappeared. I was so afraid . . ."
"You saw Jasper and Bella in a battle with Victoria and you didn't tell us? Didn't you think we would all want to be here to protect Bella?" Emmett asked, obviously confused.
Alice was silent. I glanced at Jasper, whose face revealed his absolute loathing for her.
"Alice hasn't exactly been concerned with Bella's welfare recently," he said darkly. "or ever, for that matter."
The room was suddenly thick with tension. I felt Emmett's arms tightening around me as he protectively pulled me closer. My right knee pressed against his hard bicep and I winced at the pain, eliciting a growl from Jasper.
"I'm fine," I said quickly, noting that he was about to snatch me from Emmett's arms.
Carlisle stood up and walked over to us, his eyes troubled. He noticed the bandage around my foot and ankle and asked Emmett to loosen his hold so he could examine my leg, picking it up gently and rolling up the fabric of my boot cut jeans.
"She thinks she sprained her ankle," Jasper explained. "I wrapped it, gave her Advils, elevated it and applied cold."
Carlisle nodded. "That's exactly right, son. What else?"
"She landed pretty hard on her right knee, but I think it's only scraped and bruised. I put antiseptic cream on it and wrapped it as well."
Carlisle unwrapped the bandages and applied slight pressure to my knee. I winced, though it wasn't too painful.
"You did an excellent job, Jasper. I'm proud of you. You were able to handle the cuts okay?"
Jasper grimaced and I did as well. I forgot that Carlisle knew nothing of Jasper's training and how well he had been doing with his self control.
"I was fine. I hunted before I saw Bella and she had showered so most of the blood was gone. Besides, I would never hurt her." He looked at me warmly and reached over to tuck a loose strand of hair behind my ear. His hand remained curled around my chin, his thumb stroking my cheek. I leaned into his hand and closed my eyes. When I opened them again moments later, I saw extreme confusion on both Carlisle and Emmett's faces.
"Hey, what's going . . .?" Emmett started to ask.
"Let me finish examining her, Emmett," Carlisle interjected. "Then we have some logistics issues to work out before we can sit down and discuss this new," he looked from me to Jasper to Alice, "development."
In a typical Carlisle fashion, his tone was calm, completely noncommittal and non-judgmental. I had no idea what he was feeling, though I was certain that he had not known anything about me and Jasper before walking into the house tonight. He unwrapped my ankle and manipulated it gently, watching me for signs of pain.
"Can you stand and walk on it, Bella?" He asked, re-wrapping the bandages.
"I haven't tried since the sprain. It buckled immediately after and with Victoria around it seemed prudent not to experiment."
"Can you try for me now?"
Emmett lowered me to the ground and Jasper was instantly at my side, offering his arm for support, which I grabbed gratefully.
"Try to walk normally, without a limp," Carlisle instructed. I did as he asked, leaning heavily on Jasper. The pain was manageable.
"Nothing seems to be broken," Carlisle concluded, "But you should get some crutches to help you walk normally. Now," he said turning back to Mike, "We need to come up with an explanation of what happened that will satisfy his parents and Charlie."
"We could do nothing," Emmett said, "just let them think he ran away."
Carlisle shook his head. "His parents would never stop looking, then. They would never have closure. For all practical intents and purposes Mike is dead to them now, and it would be more kind to let his parents deal with that."
We can take his shirt and get a bear to rip it up even further, then let someone "find" it." Jasper offered. "Everyone will assume that the bear dragged him away. They'll do some searching in the area, but when the body isn't found, everyone will assume he died."
"Yes," Carlisle agreed, "I think that would work."
"I will take the shirt and find a bear," Jasper said.
Emmett grimaced, but did not protest. The bloody shirt was making him uncomfortable.
"Good. Emmett, you can drive to the Port Angeles hospital to pick up some crutches for Bella. I'll call in the order. It's better if we don't make our presence know in Forks."
"Bella, you should go see your father, let him know that you're okay." Jasper said. "Then see if you can find an excuse to spend the night away from your house."
I frowned as I thought of possible reasons not to stay home. Then my face brightened.
"I'll tell him that I'd like to stay at Emily's because of the ankle. He'll be working on the search, so he won't be home to help me. I think he'll go for it."
"Perfect," Jasper smiled at me and leaned over to kiss me quickly. "And you said you were a bad liar."
I answered Emmett's quizzical look with a guilty half-smile. I knew he really wanted to know what was going on between me and Jasper. I saw him throw a furtive glance in Alice's direction. Alice was focused on Mike again, ignoring the rest of us.
"I can come up with the lies. I just can't deliver them very well."
"I have a feeling Charlie will be distracted enough today that you won't have any problems. Let's go see if we can find Jake."
"Jake?" Emmett asked, clearly confused.
"Jacob Black," Jasper answered. "Bella's Quileute friend."
"Ephraim Black's great grandson?" Carlisle seemed to be putting the pieces together. "There are a couple of wolves patrolling the property. I assume they're Quileutes? Alice told us they helped with the newborns, so we assumed they were friendly and we didn't try to engage them."
"They are friendly," I said quickly. "They'll help me find Jake." I started to turn to head outside.
"We'll need to reconvene here later," Carlisle said. "It seems we have things to discuss, son," clearly he was directing his remarks to Jasper.
"I'll be happy to go over everything with you. You need to know the whole truth."
"Is it that serious?" Carlisle asked, thought he resignation in his voice indicated he already knew the answer.
"Yes, Carlisle, it is," Jasper answered curtly.
"All right, you go find Jake. I'll get Mike's clothing."
Jasper picked me up again. I was about to protest when he silenced me with a look.
"It's been way too long since I've had a chance to hold you, Bella. Until you get your crutches this is quicker and easier for you, and truly pleasurable for me, so just humor me, all right, Darlin'?"
Clearly, his logic was irrefutable, even if I had any inclination to argue. And truly, it had been too long and being in his arms felt too good. I felt even better when, as soon as we were out on the porch and out of the Cullens' line of sight, Jasper pulled me into another kiss, this one slow and languid, somehow both sweet and sensual. I let out a small moan and reached up to run my fingers along the side of his face and through his soft, blond waves.
The perfect moment was interrupted by someone clearing his throat. I looked out to find Jake standing close to the porch, his face scrunched tight with anger and disapproval.
"What's going on?" he asked, his voice tight. Jasper sighed.
"Bella and I were taking a bit of time to celebrate our reunion . . ." he started to explain.
"I have excellent eyesight, thanks. I meant with Mike and the Cullens. Are they taking him out of town soon? We don't want to have a newborn vampire anywhere near Forks or La Push."
"There's a bit of work to do before they can leave. Emmett is going to drive to Port Angeles to pick up crutches for Bella. In the meantime, I'm going to find a bear and get his teeth on Mike's clothing. We'll have to plant it somewhere plausible and stage a bear attack. I was hoping you could help me with that. The clothes will have to be found, perhaps by Sam or Jared. If we can convince everyone that Mike was dragged off and killed by a bear it will give his parents closure and avoid the need to find a substitute body, which can get kind of messy,"
Jake scowled.
"We'll make sure everyone buys the story. I don't even what to know how you bloodsuckers would go about getting a substitute body."
"Jake!" I chided him for the insult, but I had to agree. I didn't want to know how they would go about getting a substitute body either.
"While I'm out there looking for bears, you and Bella are going to see her dad. She'll tell him she was out searching with you and that's how she sprained her ankle. She'll also tell him that because of the ankle she'll be spending the night at Emily's." Jasper looked down at me, "You'll need to speak with Emily first, Darlin' to make sure she can back up your story, just in case."
"Wait a second," Jake interrupted, "You'll tell Charlie that you're spending the night with Emily and you won't be home, so just where are you planning to spend the night."
"She'll spend the night here, with me."
"Like hell she will," Jake roared. "Over my dead body." He started to shake with anger. I half expected Jasper to respond in kind, but he remained calm and clearly sent some calming feelings to Jake as well, because the shaking slowly subsided.
"She'll be perfectly safe, Jacob," Jasper's voice was cool but measured. "This isn't the first night she will have spent in my arms," Jake bristled and looked at me with a disapproving expression, causing a flush to spread across my cheeks.
"I've always been a gentlemen and I intend to act like one tonight." Jasper continued, "but we need to settle things with my . . ." he hesitated. I could see his internal struggle on how to categorized the Cullens. He finally settled on the word "family, and we don't have a lot of time, so it has to be tonight. They will need to leave soon to make sure they get Mike to Alaska before he is fully transformed."
Jake thought a moment before speaking. "Okay, I'll go along with it as long as I have your word. . ."
"You do," Jasper interrupted, "for tonight. But hear this, Jacob," his voice dropped and suddenly became menacing. "Bella is an adult woman who can make up her own mind as to what she does and does not want to do, so going forward I will be respecting her wishes in all matters between us. I know she's like a sister to you and I know you're trying to protect her. That and her love for you are the only things that are stopping me from ripping you apart for your interference. But if you ever try to get between us without her invitation or if you disrespect her or make her feel bad about herself in any way, those barriers will disappear for me. Understand?"
Jake pulled himself up to his full height and I realized that he was actually taller than Jasper and a lot more muscular.
"I won't disrespect Bella, but if she needs my protection I will get between the two of you without hesitating and without waiting for her invitation. I'm not afraid of you, leech."
As fascinating and flattering it was to watch two of the three most important men in my life squaring off against one another in an effort to show who cared about and respected me more, this wasn't getting us anywhere. I needed to step in, figuratively if not literally, and break up this dispute.
"Jasper, do you think there's a measuring tape in the garage? 'Cause you're both being ridiculous and maybe the easiest way to settle this would be for you guys to just whip 'em out and take stock?"
Jake and Jasper both looked at me in shock, Jake's mouth hanging open. I heard Emmett's guffaws from inside the house, and soon Jasper and Jake joined in. I started laughing too.
"Way to go, Bella," Emmett called. "And if anyone's measuring I want in on it too! I bet I win!"
"Shut up, Emmett," Jasper and I yelled in unison though our laughter.
"Shouldn't you be halfway to Port Angeles by now?" Jasper added.
Emmett stepped out onto the porch.
"I wanted to give you some privacy. Of course, had I known that you all would try to negotiate world peace out here tonight I would have left before you. Hi," he said, holding out his hand to Jake, "I'm Emmett Cullen."
Jake shook his hand reluctantly "Jacob Black."
"Whoa, Dude, you're hot!" Emmett said pulling his hand away. "I meant your temperature," he said quickly and then, after appraising Jake, he added, "though it would work as a general assessment."
"Emmett!" I said, shocked.
"What?" he said looking at me and winking, "Just because I'm straight as an arrow doesn't mean I can't appreciate that wolf boy here is almost as good looking as I am. By the way, nice come back. Way to put these two in their place." He held out his hand, palm facing me, and I clapped mine against his in a high five.
"Though I do have to question your taste in men, little sis. I mean, Edward and Jasper over me and Jacob, here? You sure like 'em scrawny."
Jasper hissed at Emmett in warning and Emmett quickly backed away towards the rental car.
"Take mine," Jasper called after him, tossing him the keys. "It'll be faster. I left it at the end of the driveway near the road."
Emmett caught the keys and ran off down the drive. I was still basking in the glow of Emmett referring to me as his 'little sis' even though by now it was very obvious that Jasper and I were together. I realized I had been so prepared for all the Cullens to hate me, that Emmett's easy acceptance completely took me off guard, in the best possible way.
Jasper looked down on me, sensing my emotions. "He loves you, Darlin', just like Jake does. And he's missed you." He kissed me quickly and then turned his attention back to Jake.
"We're wasting time. You need to take her now and get her back here as quickly as possible," he said, handing me over to Jake. This really was getting ridiculous. I felt like a sack of potatoes. I couldn't wait for Emmett to get back with the crutches.
Jake turned without saying a word and ran for my truck, depositing me in the passenger seat before getting in to drive. As Jasper suggested, we went to La Push first to speak with Emily. When we got there she pulled me into a long, tight hug that felt absolutely wonderful.
"Sam told me about Jasper," she whispered, "but I would have known even if he hadn't, just by looking in your eyes. I'm so happy for you, Bella."
Sam had already filled her in on the fight with Victoria and what happened with Mike, so Jake and I only needed to tell her about the plans for tonight. Emily easily agreed to play along. We paused only long enough for me to eat some banana bread that she had made earlier and for Jake to devour three platefuls of leftover spaghetti and meatballs before heading out to Newton's store to see Charlie.
Despite the late hour, the parking lot was abuzz with activity. The Newtons were popular in town and it was clear that many residents of Forks were here to show their support. There was a tented canopy set up in the parking lot and I could hear Charlie inside speaking with volunteers both in person and through two-way radios. He excused himself when he saw Jake walking with me in his arms and ran over towards us.
"Bells, are you all right? What happened?"
"We were hiking together, looking for Mike, when Bella tripped and sprained her ankle"
Charlie's eyes shifted to my wrapped foot.
"Oh Bells," he sighed, "maybe you should have found a job to do here instead of in the forest."
"I know, Dad, I just really wanted to be out there, looking. And I'm all right. It's just a sprain. Is there any news about Mike?" I asked because I knew it would be expected.
"Nothing yet, but we'll find him. We're abut ready to stop tonight, but we'll start again early in the morning. The Port Angeles police department will bring in search dogs then. That will help. We're doing all we can, Bella."
I remembered that I was supposed to be distraught over the fact that it was my boyfriend who was missing. I deliberately moved my ankle in a way to cause pain and bring tears to my eyes.
"I know, Daddy," I said. "I know everyone is trying." I looked past him and saw Mrs. Newton. I looked around but could not see Mr. Newton. He must have been out searching.
"Dad, with my ankle and all, I was thinking that maybe I should spend the night in La Push, with my friend, Emily? She has a pair of crutches from when her cousin had broken her foot," It was amazing how easily the lies came when it was absolutely necessary, "and her house is all one level, and she'll be home if I need any help. I know you're really busy here and I don't want to distract you from this."
Charlie looked at me, his hand rubbing the back of his neck as he thought.
"All right, Bells. That sounds like a good plan."
"And I probably won't go to school tomorrow. I want to be here and it would be too hard with my foot . . ."
"Sure, kid. I doubt anyone will be doing much studying at school tomorrow anyway."
"Thanks, Dad," I leaned away from Jake's hold to give him a hug. "Are you doing okay? Did you eat?"
Charlie waved his hand dismissively. "The volunteers have been feeding us non-stop."
"Okay, I'm going to talk with Mrs. Newton," I said. "Jake, can you put me down and help me walk over there?" In her state, I didn't think Mrs. Newton needed to see me carried over in the arms of another guy, no matter how innocent it might be. After Jake complied, I hobbled over to her, leaning on him for support.
"Hi Mrs. Newton," I said, gently, when she didn't look up as we approached.
"Bella!" her face was drawn and her eyes were red and puffy. "You're back," She stood up to hug me. "Have you heard anything? Did he try to call you? Was he going somewhere?"
She sounded so desperate and her pain absolutely overwhelmed me. I knew that by this time tomorrow she would be grieving over her son's death. I knew that as far as she was concerned, the son she raised was already dead, lying in the Cullens' living room, slowly transforming into an immortal vampire. I wished there was something I could do to ease her pain, but giving her false hope would be worse than not giving anything at all.
"No. I haven't heard anything and he didn't tell me of any plans. I'm sorry. Jake and I were out searching and I sprained my ankle, so I'm even more useless now," I said, apologetically.
"Oh, no, Bella. But, that's okay. You can stay here with me tomorrow. I'm sure if we spoke with your dad he'd let you skip school."
"I already arranged it," I said, gently. "And of course I will be here tomorrow."
"Oh, Bella, I'm so scared," she said, as she started crying again.
"Me too," I said, and I have never felt so awful in my life. This was her one and only son, a boy who had always stood by me and been my friend, who helped me get through such hard times, and who was now dead to his family and friends because of me. The guilt, pain and loss washed over me and suddenly I was weeping too. We stood together and cried for a long time, Jake standing nearby awkwardly, just in case I needed his support.
Finally we broke apart and wiped our eyes.
"I'm sorry, Bella. I need to get myself together. I know you must be tired form traveling and searching, and you're in pain, too. Go get some rest, sweetheart, and I'll see you tomorrow."
"Are you sure, Mrs. Newton?" I asked, reluctant to leave her even though I knew I should.
"Yes, of course. It's all right. We're almost done here for tonight. There's nothing they can do in the dark. You need to rest. I know this has been hard on you, too. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Okay," I said and leaned on Jake again. "I'll be back in the morning. Good night."
"Good night."
We walked back to the truck slowly. I wasn't in a hurry, lost in my thoughts of Mike and the grief caused by his friendship with me. And it wasn't just limited to his friends and family. How would he feel about the decision I made for him when he emerged from his transformation alone among virtual strangers, crazed with blood-lust, with an eternity stretching before him. Would he agree that extending his life in the only manner available was the right choice, or would he hate me for not letting him die a natural death?
"Did I do the right thing about Mike, Jake?" I asked as he helped me into the truck.
"I don't know, Bella. I'm wondering the same thing."
We drove back to the Cullen house silently, each pondering the wisdom of our decisions. Finally, Jake turned to me and said "If I was watching you die and the only way to save you would be to turn you into a vampire, I would do it without hesitation, consequences be damned. I think that's how you felt about Mike and that's why I allowed the Cullens to breach the treaty. So I don't know if we did the right thing, but we did the only thing we could do."
He reached over, took my hand in his and squeezed.
"It'll be okay. The Cullens will take care of him. And maybe some day, once he learns to drink animal blood like the rest of them, you can go up and visit."
"Thanks, Jake. You don't know how much I appreciate what you did for me today. And I'm sorry that I make it so hard for you to be my friend."
Jake shrugged.
"If it were easy, it wouldn't be worth it," he said. I was going to respond, but we were pulling up in front of the house and I saw Jasper come out to meet us. He opened the passenger door and pulled me out into his arms.
"We need to have a family discussion now," he told Jake, "but can you come over in a few hours so we can stage the bear attack scene?"
"Sure, sure," Jake said. "I'm not going anywhere. I'll just phase nearby and catch some sleep. Call out whenever you're ready."
I looked at him in alarm.
"You're going to sleep out here? Why not come inside, there are beds. . ."
"No thanks," Jake said, wrinkling his nose, "It reeks of bloodsuckers in there. I wouldn't be able to sleep if I tried."
I sighed. I knew I wouldn't be able to change his mind.
"Be safe," I said.
"I will," he assured me, "and you too. One of the other guys will be here too, running patrols just in case." I had a feeling that statement was as much for Jasper's benefit as for mine. "And when you're ready tomorrow, I'll take you back to the store. You won't be able to drive for a while with that ankle."
"Thanks," I said again, and it seemed so inadequate. "I'll see you in the morning."
"Goodnight, Bells," he said as he got out of the truck and jogged into the forest.
"Alice and I already told them everything while we were waiting for you." Jasper explained after Jake disappeared. I sighed in relief. I really didn't want to listen to everything for a second time."
"How did they take it?" I asked.
He didn't answer, but he gave me a reassuring kiss. "I'll let you find out for yourself," he said and he carried me inside.
Carlisle, Emmett and Alice were waiting for us in the living room. I noticed that someone had re-dressed Mike in clothes that I could only assume belonged to Jasper. Alice was sitting on the sofa now, with Mike's head resting on her lap over a bed pillow. The fingers of her right hand flitted over his face, making random patterns as they barely touched his skin. The fingers of her left hand stroked his hair. Mike writhed in pain silently, his face twisted into a grimace so horrifying, I had to turn away.
Carlisle and Emmett both looked up when we entered the room. Emmett looked a bit shell shocked and angry. Carlisle walked up to us and took my hand in his.
"Bella, I am so sorry for all of the pain my family has put you thought in the past year. Needless to say the actions of some of my children have been a deep disappointment, but I haven't exactly set a good example. I should have never listened to Edward about the family leaving you the way we did. I am deeply ashamed of it, especially after hearing from Jasper what Edward did when he left. We have all hurt you and we should all beg for your forgiveness."
"Some of us more than others," Emmett growled, glaring at Alice.
"When we left, Bella, we thought we were doing it to keep you safe. Clearly we were mistaken, but what was done cannot be undone. We have Mike to think about now, so we have to go back to Alaska and, at least in his first year as a newborn, you will not be able to visit us there. Afterwards, though, I hope you will forgive us and that you will come up to see us. And in the meantime, I know Esme would love to visit you here."
"I'll come with her," Emmett added. "I've missed hanging out with you, Bells. And now that I know you like pinball. . ."
I looked over at him and smiled. "I'm not very good, Emmett. It won't be much of a challenge to beat me."
"Who said I was going to let you play? I was just gonna to let you watch the master!"
"Um . . . I've already seen the master," I said, looking up at Jasper. "And I also figured out a way to make even the best player lose a turn."
Jasper growled at me playfully, knowing I was only joking.
"Hey, no fair with the inside jokes," Emmett complained.
"Bella," Carlisle spoke again, and the jocular atmosphere was gone. "No matter what happens now or in the future, I hope you know that you and Jasper will always be part of our family. And from now on we will always be there for you when you need us. Jasper will add all of our contact information to your phone, so that you can reach any of us anytime you need or want.
"There's obviously not enough time right now to work out all of the difficulties between us, but I hope in time we'll all be able to come to terms with one another the way a family should."
I looked at Carlisle and saw that he was sincere. I was grateful that he didn't seem to hold anything against me or Jasper, and that he still considered us part of the family, but I really wasn't sure Jasper and I were ready to be as forgiving as we would both have to be in order to re-join the Cullens. I looked up at Jasper and, as I suspected, his face was tightly drawn. He didn't look at all ready to make nice.
"I really appreciate that, Carlisle," I said cautiously. "Jasper and I will have to discuss how we want to proceed. But, as you pointed out, with Mike being a newborn we don't really have to come to any conclusions for at least another year. For now, just please take good care of Mike. He is one of my closest friends and I hate the fact that he was hurt because of me. I know with your help he can experience the best of the vampire world, so please, help make his transition as smooth as possible."
"Of course, Bella. We will do everything we can to make him comfortable in his new life. And speaking of that, I was thinking," he looked at Jasper. "With the exception of Edward, each time we welcomed a new member to the family we had Edward's mind reading abilities to help us with training. Now Edward is away and Alice seems to have lost her power as well, and we really could use some help. Your power and your experience with training newborns would prove invaluable, Jasper. Would you consider coming back with us to Alaska to help train Mike?"
Jasper took a step back. His hold on me tightened and his face turned hard with anger.
"I know you haven't forgotten what I told you earlier this evening, Carlisle. Bella and I have just been reunited today. There is no way I'm going to leave her to go to Alaska with you and . . . his creator," his voice was cold and full of contempt.
"We'll be okay by ourselves, Carlisle," Emmett added, and for once I knew it wasn't just his natural arrogance and self-confidence talking. He was trying to help Jasper and me stay together. "Between the five of us we can handle one newborn, even without any special powers."
"Of course," Carlisle retreated. "I simply thought it might be easier. But, of course we can manage without you."
I glanced over to the sofa where Mike was still silently writhing in pain. I didn't want Jasper to leave just as we found our way back to each other, but I owed it to Mike to make his transition as easy as possible, and Jasper had both the experience and special ability to make that happen. I couldn't be selfish about this. I had to ask him to help.
"Jasper," I whispered, looking up at him, "We have our whole life to be together, but Mike will only go through this once. Would you consider going up to Alaska for a little while, just to teach Carlisle and Alice what you know, so that Mike can have an easier time with this? It's bound to be pretty crazy here over the next few weeks anyway, with the funeral and mourning and all. It would be difficult to find time to be together anyway, especially since I can't drive with this ankle. Maybe this is exactly the right thing?"
He didn't look convinced, but I could see his resistance was lower now.
"Please, Jasper?" I couldn't believe I was asking him to leave me again, but I knew this was the right thing to do for Mike.
"Please, Jasper, go to Alaska to help, and then come back to me." As soon as the words left my lips our eyes locked together in shock and I knew we had just had the same thought. I had said such similar words to him before. It was Alice's vision coming true. Jasper would go to Alaska, but it wasn't to be with her, it was to help with Mike. Suddenly it all made sense. Recognition dawned on Jasper's face. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then opened his eyes and turned to Carlisle.
"All right, I will go to Alaska to help. But I'm not leaving with you tonight – I need to spend a little more time with Bella and to set up the bear attack scene with Jake. I will be there by the time he wakes up, though. Also, I will stay for a limited time, only until the rest of you have a good grasp on how to handle him," he looked back to me. "And I will come back instantly if at any point you need me, Darlin'."
"And you," he said, looking at Alice who suddenly looked up at us. "Consider Bella and me off limits. Don't try to look into our futures and if you have any more visions involving either of us, keep them to yourself. We're not going to play your games anymore. Stay away from us and maybe we can all stay civil for Carlisle and Esme's sake."
Alice looked away again. I knew Jasper's words had hurt her, but I agreed with him wholeheartedly. The last thing I needed in my life was Alice calling to tell me of her visions. One experience with that had been enough to last me a lifetime.
"Thank you, Jasper," Carlisle said quietly and he placed his hand on Jasper's shoulder to gave it a squeeze. "I know how much of a sacrifice you and Bella are making and I really appreciate it. So will Mike, though probably not for a while. We'll leave right now, while Emmett can still carry him over the border in the dark. We will wait for you in Alaska."
"Carlisle?" I asked. "Do you think before you leave I could have a moment with Mike? He can hear me if I talk to him, right?"
"Yes, he can, and of course you can have a moment with him, Bella."
Without being asked, Jasper carried me over to the sofa and set me down on the floor near Mike's head. He glared at Alice until she got up and the four vampires left the house to give us some privacy. I kept my voice low, though I had a feeling that wouldn't be enough. I stroked his face as I spoke.
"Hey, Mike, it's Bella. I know this is so painful for you, but I swear it will get better. You might not remember this or me when you wake up, but I'm sending Jasper with you, and he will make sure that the Cullens know exactly what to do to help you. You'll be a vampire, Mike, an immortal. But you won't kill people. You'll live on animal blood and over time you will get stronger and you'll be able to interact with humans too. And then I will come up to visit. Or maybe by then I will be a vampire too and we'll be able to hunt and run together.
"I'm going to miss you so much, Mike. I'll miss reading with you at lunch and hanging out after school. I'll do what I can to help your parents. I know they will miss you horribly. They can't know that you're a vampire, so we'll have to convince them that you died. But I will try to be there for them.
"I'm so sorry that you got dragged into all this because of me. Believe me, if I could change any of this, I would. If I could save your human life, I would. I tried to trade my life for yours, but Victoria, well, you heard her yourself. She lied. She never intended to let you go.
"I owe you so much, Mike. But all I have to give you is my friendship, forever, and Jasper for a little while, to help you in your hardest days. I won't be able to see you for a while, but I will call and, if you want to, you can always talk to me that way."
Mike had calmed while I spoke to him, and the expression on his face was now almost peaceful. I lifted myself to my knees, ignoring the pain, and leaned over him to place my lips over his still human ones in the briefest and lightest of kisses.
"'Now cracks a noble heart," I whispered. "Goodnight, sweet Prince.'"
Then I sat back down and called for Jasper. He and Emmett came in to pick up Mike and me. Emmett carried Mike and his pillow to the back seat of the rented SUV where Alice was already waiting. They settled Mike so that he was as comfortable as possible. Emmett turned to hug me and promised to visit again soon. Carlisle hugged me as well. Then they too got into the SUV and drove away, leaving just me and Jasper in front of the house.
The title of this chapter comes from the song of the same name by Ben Lee. There's a link in my profile (the latest song link is always at the bottom of the profile). Bella's farewell to Mike is a quote from Shakespeare's Hamlet.
I know this was a bit of a filler chapter, but I couldn't just bring Emmett and Carlisle in and send them out without giving them a little narrative. The next chapter will still be the last one, but because this went a bit longer than I initially planned, I might do an epilogue. In the meantime, let me know what you think. Did this chapter measure up?
