|Chapter Six|

THE CULLEN HOUSE

The sunlight, pale but still bright enough, shimmered throughout my bedroom as I peered into my standing oval mirror. I was wearing a crisscross ribbed knit cropped sweater (in the shame of caramel) along with a peach tulle shirt to go underneath it. It trailed to the floor, unlike the other one, which fell around my knees. One of Maman's Opal rings were sitting on my middle right finger, while a topaz stoned ring sat to fingers to the right of it. I knew it was ironic, how I was wearing a ring which had the same shade as these vampires' eyes, but I saw it fitting. My hair was pulled in a twisted, messy styled bun with a caramel silk ribbon tied around it securely.

Maman came into the room wordlessly, with a skin tight cream silk button up dress shirt, two buttons were unbuttoned (she was more than risqué). Black dress pants that fell around her ankles, along with a matching dress shirt jacket covered her dress shirt. Black heels that were five inches tall and golden jewelry finished off her ensemble. She was a woman in control, and I was certain she was making sure to let the Cullens know she wasn't someone who was going to be intimidated. She was six-hundred-years-old, older than any of the Cullens.

Taking a deep breath, I turned to my stylish Maman and let her see my chosen ensemble. She nodded her head, proud of how I had become quite stylish to her. I preferred her style to the styles the Cullens had. There wasn't anything wrong with their styles, perhaps I was just accustomed to the seventeen-years-worth of clothes she helped me develop.

The drive to the Cullen house went by without any conversation needed by either me or Maman. We weren't people that often felt as though silence was a rude thing. We both knew when it was appropriate to talk to each other, or we were overcome with emotion to talk to each other.

I was her connection to the human world, and she was my connection to the vampire world, so of course we would have times we would ask things to each other. Or we would simply have one of our mini mother-daughter therapy sessions we often had. We didn't like just throwing words around, at least not to each other. When we spoke to each other we were speaking from our hearts, and we were letting that vulnerable side out to the other.

I knew we were close when Maman stiffened, her manicured fingers curling, allowing me to know she was doing this for us. We knew how important an alliance was, though we cared not the idea of having an alliance with a coven who gained the attention of the Volturi more than a normal amount like any other coven in the vampiric world. We would hear them out, and I would have the opportunity to meet Jasper properly as mates were supposed to.

Just like our house, the Cullens had their house within a meadow, shielded away from human eyes. I noted how our meadow was a little bit bigger than the Cullens'. I also noted how when I saw the house, I hated it. I didn't like the many storied house made almost entirely of ceiling to floor windows. Minimalistic, nothing looked as though it was worth anything to one's heart. The driveway was smooth, almost a reflecting grayness, and quite curved but very angled so there would be no natural touches to it at all. It wasn't anything like our house, and I wanted nothing more than to show them my house so they would know the proper way to have a loving, enriching home.

Carlisle Cullen stood at the bottom of the front porch stairs of the house, dressed in another one of his Oxford button up, dress pants ensembles. His wife on the other hand smiled brilliantly next to him, her motherly essence assuring me I should feel welcomed right from the start.

She resembled the perfect 1950's housewife. She was dressed in a stylish purple long sleeve dress that fell a few inches above her knees and black modestly heighted heels. She wore a silver locket smug against her chest and only her wedding finger, there weren't any other jewelry upon her. Her caramel hair fell in soft waves against her shoulder blades, making her heart shaped headed features even more welcoming and warm filled. One of her arms was hooked around his, devotion in the truest form. I knew she loved him unconditionally and would stand by his side no matter what, so though she was a cliché mother I respected her.

She smiled when I came around Maman's car. She went to come up to me, only for Maman to be in front of me in less than a second. Esme blinked in shock and took a step back, her eyes traveling up Maman's outfit. She would have flushed bright red at Maman's low cut blouse, and how she made it look even more low cut. She pushed pieces of her hair away, before she cleared her throat.

"I'm Esme, Carlisle's wife. You must be Bella, I'm so glad you're here," Esme commented as she looked over at me, knowing things would be more difficult with Maman than with me. I gave a strained smile before saying, "yes, thank you for inviting us over. You have a beautiful home."

Esme's features brightened ten-fold at my compliment. To others they would find this home beautiful but from the outside it didn't look loved. It was too clean, too perfect. At least at my cottage things weren't perfect, it looked like people lived in it. Here it was nothing more than a building for them to live in, I didn't want to hurt Esme's feelings though.

Carlisle cleared his throat, gaining both Maman and I's attention.

"Please, come in."

Maman swiftly moved forward, and I trailed after her. Esme and Carlisle followed behind us. I let my eyes wander around me, still not finding anything I liked. The only thing I liked was the fact they lived in a meadow, and it was beautiful. Everything else was too modern, I preferred nature and the imperfections of my cottage.

The moment the glass front door opened I was swallowed whole by mostly white. It was obvious white was their theme, though there were splatches of color that were throughout the large room. It was more of an open floor plan, some of the walls had been knocked down. There were only two walls that were to the left, the kitchen, and the dining room. Or as I would later find out, the dining room happened to be where they would hold their family meetings.

Also, to the left there was a cream marble dais, which matched the marble flooring, where there was a black grand piano sitting atop it. I could tell it wasn't brand new, it was lovingly used. I smiled; I could play the piano. Maman had taught me how the piano along with the violin. She knew how to play a multitude of instruments though the piano and the violin were her favorites.

Near the back of the front room there was a large white sectional with many different colored pillows on them, an oak coffee table in front of it and a Persian rug. An modern styled chandelier was above the coffee table on the high-rise ceiling. There were black beams that were throughout the ceiling, adding some character. Overall, it wasn't too bad, I had expected more modern things, so at least it was a little better than I imagined.

I had barely entered the house when I was welcomed with the rest of the family. Alice came bounding down the modern staircase, excitement lighting across her features. I noted how the girl was wearing her signature Gothic Lolita style, the ribbons and dark clothes still making me think she was too tiny and thin. She beamed brightly at me, not deterred in the least by the fact I wasn't showing the same excitement as her.

"You look even more lovely in that outfit than I imagined," Alice sighed, her hands clasping together in front of her. I smiled, happy with the compliment I was being given by the vampire. I prided myself in my ensembles.

Maman studied everything around her, but she stayed faithfully near me. I knew there was no way my maman would allow me to be alone. Though I did hope my maman would allow me to have a private moment with Jasper. Or she would do what her old-fashioned traditions dictated; she would make sure to stay a good distance away from us but still watch us if we decided to walk around the property outside together.

Emmett and Rosalie came from the direction of the garage, where Emmett lit up when he saw me in the house. Rosalie on the other hand peered at me with intrigue but not too much. I was certain the girl would have shown complete hatred at me if I had human parents and not a mother for a vampire. She was someone who was willing to fight for her family, and to make sure they would not have the Volturi learn about a human knowing about them.

Edward was the next one to come drifting down the staircase, his eyes becoming darker with irritation when he noted Maman here with me. I still didn't know what the hell was his problem, or why he even saved me when Jasper could have. After all I was Jasper's mate, not Edward's.

"Bella."

"Edward."

Formal, to the point. There was no reason why we should act any different with each other. We had already known there was going to be nothing added, we did not care to have a better relationship with each other. I was certain Carlisle and Esme would have wanted us to get along. They wanted me to get along with all their children, but they could keep dreaming.

"Where is Jasper?"

I couldn't help but blush bright red, at how blunt Maman was being. I did wonder where my mate was, but I was going to let him come to me when he wanted to. I could already tell she wasn't impressed how he wasn't here to greet me as soon as we entered the house. I ducked my head down, embarrassed by the whole socialization Maman had decided to start with.

"Oh, he's out hunting, he wanted to make sure his thirst wouldn't be too bad when you come," Esme remarked, earning a nod from Maman. It was the only saving grace for Jasper, I was certain if he hadn't gone hunting then there was no reason why he wasn't here.

"Sylvia, Bella, would you like to have a tour around the house?" Alice perked up as she almost skipped up to Maman and I.

I let my eyes wander up to Maman, she was the one who was representing us today. She was the true reason why we were here; I knew partly it was because I knew about them but mainly it was because Maman was a vampire also. They wanted to know Maman's life story, or how she came across me, but I knew Maman could not be intimidated to tell them information about her life when she first had adopted me or her life before she had adopted me.

The back sliding doors of the room opened, revealing Jasper Hale coming into the room. He was wearing a navy-blue sweater with a lighter blue shirt underneath it, the collar being the only noticeable part of his under shirt. He wore dark jeans and navy-blue dress shoes. His hair stayed still as he shut the door behind him, though it still curtained his features from me when he was looking at me full on.

I noted how his throat trembled as he turned back around and noticed me standing near the front door of his house with Maman next to him. He came forward, wearily, before he reached Maman. She held her hand out for him to kiss it, something I knew others would find rude, but Maman was from another time period completely. She was older than him, she was his superior, so that meant he was to show his manners for her.

"Thank you for comin', Ms. Dupont, and for allowin' Isabella to come too," Jasper spoke, his deep southern accent sending warmth through me. I needed to control my hormones but that richness of his voice, that deep whisky-tinged accent was enough to make me more flustered than I already was in his presence.

"May I?"

Jasper gave a glance at Maman, and she turned to me, seeking to see if I would accept his kiss upon my wrist. I nodded my head, before reaching my hand out. He held his breath, his eyes darkening, and he closed his eyes before he bent his head down and gave a soft brush of his lips against my hand. I inwardly made myself keep from having my knees tremble from the light brush of his lips against my skin. I wanted it to happen again, his lips upon my skin…oh…

Jasper took a step backwards, standing an appropriate distance from me. I gave a small smile before breathing out his name, "Jasper…"

"Isabella," he breathed back, his eyes darkening. I started to drift forward, without thinking, only for Maman to reach out and put her hand upon my arm, before she began to lightly pull me back again. She shook her head, later I would learn it was the mating pull, which could flare out at random times (sometimes at inconvenient times).

"Bella?"

I turned my attention away from Jasper, noting that Alice was slowly coming forward. Edward stayed where he was, his eyes a deep, smoldering golden hue. Without thinking, I spat out, "What the hell is Edward's problem? And why didn't you let Jasper rescue me instead of him?"

"Isabella!" Maman hissed, not pleased with my outburst but for once I didn't care about her disappointment. I wanted to know why the family allowed this vampire to come and save me from getting crushed by Tyler's van when Jasper was my mate.

Jasper shot a look over at Edward, his eyes darkening as he let him know through thoughts, he was going to tell me what their deal was. He turned back to look at me, before he asked, "may I take a walk around the garden with Isabella?"

"Yes, you may," I automatically said, before he came up to me and held out his elbow for me to put my elbow in his. We made our way towards the back doors of the house, Maman went to follow but I shook my head. "It's fine, Maman. I trust Jasper."

Maman bit the corner of her lip, hard enough I was certain if she were human, she would have blood trickling down her chin. She bowed her head, letting me know she trusted me. I unhooked my elbow from Jasper's before reaching Maman. She let me kiss her on the cheekbone before I went back to Jasper and put my elbow back in his.

Jasper opened the back sliding doors when we reached them before we walked out. He shut the doors behind him, before we made our way down the back porch of the house. An intricate, beautiful garden was in front of us with a gazebo off in the distance and a small, antique fountain in the middle of the garden. Since it was winter time, there weren't any flowers that were blossomed, but I could tell it was still going to be beautiful during spring and summer. I admired it, a little more, though I preferred my gardens back at the cottage and in France.

As we made our way around the garden, I looked up at Jasper. He glanced down at me, studying me, before he started, "I'm certain since you were raised by a vampire, that you have been informed about mates."

"I never thought it would be this intense. To be honest, I expected to meet my mate after I turn into one of you. I'm happy that I've moved from France now. Before, all I did was miss France," I admitted, earning a small smile from Jasper.

I frowned, as Jasper wordlessly let me know he did know we were mates. I stopped us and sat down at one of the benches that were spread throughout the garden. The wind came and played with my hair; my lips still pressed in a frown as I looked at my hands that were now intertwined together and were sitting on my lap. Jasper reached his hand out and put it on top of my hands, as though letting me know he was waiting for what I would say next, but he would be patient.

"Maman also told me how vampires when they meet their human mates, they don't want their blood. It's not supposed to make them want to suck them dry, because then it wouldn't make sense. There are Singers though, they are never mates with these humans. They have constant bloodlust for the human, and the only way they are relieved from this bloodlust is for the human to either die or for them to become vampires, themselves," I mused, my eyes caught on his hand holding mine. I smiled a little bit, before realization struck me.

"Are you telling me I'm Edward's Singer?"

My eyes went towards the house, wondering if Edward were near the doors and could hear our conversation. I knew mostly everyone would be able to hear my conversation with Jasper only because of their vampiric hearing. I just expected Edward to be the one who was the closest to the back doors, in order to make sure he wouldn't be dragged into the mud.

Maybe he hated me because I constantly made him thirst for my blood. Still, that didn't excuse the fact that he was an asshole to me, and probably thought he had power over me because I was his Singer, but he wasn't my mate, so he didn't have any say in my opinion. Only Jasper would be the one who was worth an opinion with me (well other than Maman but I was talking romantic wise).

"Yes, he is. He was able to get to you faster than I was, because he's the fastest in the coven. I still wanted to get to you. I still wish it were me instead of him who had saved you," Jasper confessed, his head tilted down so his wavy curtain of hair fell in front of him. Without thinking I reached my hand up and pushed pieces of his hair behind his ears, causing him to widen his eyes and turn to look at me. I blushed and ducked my head down.

"Please know, Isabella, in times like this when it's just you and me together we can do these things, especially since we are outside. If Edward were any closer to us, we wouldn't be able to do this. Since I am an empath, I can feel his bloodlust. Add the others, and it is a disaster in the making. So please be careful with doing things like that," Jasper informed me, there was disappointment in both his voice but also his body language.

I nodded my head, taking in all he said seriously. The back doors opened, revealing Maman a moment later. She shut the doors behind her as she went down the porch steps and came in our direction. She smiled when she came closer to us, noting how we were keeping a respectful distance from each other. She had taught me the way of courting, and so I blushed brightly when Maman appeared, having a mischievous glint in her golden irises.

"You two look beauteeful. There is one thing you forgot to do, Jasper."

Jasper nodded his head, knowing what he was to do now. He cleared his throat before looking up at Maman. "Ms. Dupont, your daughter, Isabella, is my mate. I ask permission if I may be with her, I will respect your decision in the end."

Maman smiled again before she said one thing, "Oui."

I smiled brightly before I got up from the bench and wrapped my arms around Maman. She held in her arms. I pulled away from her, tears falling down my cheekbones in happiness. She bent her head down and kissed me on the forehead before she pulled away from me. She stiffened, her eyes rolling, as she gave me an apologetic smile.

"Carlisle and Esme insist for us to have a tour of the house. There is also a matter of importance we need to speak about." Maman moved swiftly, having after informed me why she was a little aggravated before she began to make her way towards the house again. Jasper and I followed her.

Esme came forward before she took Jasper and I's hands in hers, she smiled brilliantly. "I'm so glad you are here, Bella. Now our family is more complete than before. I can already tell you're the perfect mate for Jasper."

If it weren't for her being so sweet, and pure, I would have told Esme her opinion didn't matter. Yet there was this kind of relief that came across Jasper's features at the knowledge the matriarch of the coven approved of me.

So, I surprised both myself and Maman by pulling my hand away from hers and hugging her, happy the spouse of the leader of the Olympic Coven ended up accepting me. I pulled away from her, giving an awkward smile. "Thank you, Esme."

"Of course, you're family now. That also means you too, Sylvia!" Alice was the one who said this, making Maman almost have a bitterness appear on her face. She shook her head, "no. no. I ahm perfectly fine naht being a pahrt of a cahven."

The disappointment was obvious from Esme, Carlisle, and Alice. Emmett held no true emotion outwards, Rosalie seemed quite pleased how there was a vampire out there who knew it was smart to be nomadic in nature. Maman didn't need them to be happy, she just needed me (and now Jasper) for her to be happy. She didn't see how appealing it was to have enough vampires for the Volturi to have her and said vampires on their watchlist.

"Maybe things will change in time. Our door is always opened for you, Sylvia," Carlisle declared, before Esme seemed to remember something, "Oh! Lunch! You must be starving, Bella. The food is already there for you. Let's go to the dining room."

Sadly, Maman had told me I would have to eat here so I would show appreciation in having been invited into their home. At least, the food looked good. Jasper pulled an antique chair for me, and I sat down at the matching antique table. There was French meals in front of me, and as I took some bites, I could tell the food was quite decent. They weren't handmade, something I had been spoiled with when it came to Maman making my meals, but it was good.

As I ate the meal, they had made for me, and Jasper sat next to me, one of his hands intertwined with mine, Alice froze for a moment. Her gaze went away, she must have been seeing a pathway being made for the future. A butterfly effect, and as she came back to focus on the dining table and her coven sitting around me and Maman she gave a strained smile.

"Carlisle."

I frowned, as Carlisle gave a sigh, "there's another reason why we invited you here, other than for Bella to meet Jasper properly, and to acknowledge their bond. Bella, when you're finished with your meal, we need to talk to you and your mother about something just as important."

author's note: I decided to rename the fanfiction to Petit Papillion (Little Butterfly). I hope you enjoyed this chapter. -Emmy

as always: Twilight doesn't belong to me

edited: 12/18/2021