Whitlock: Alright. It's time for the backstory. Ready?
Jasper: As ready as I am gonna be…
Isabella: I don't think they are ready…
Bella: Well we gotta be ready!
Twilight: Future Unbound
Chapter Two
Forks, Washington – Cullen Residence
Bella Swan
So here we all sat, staring at the future versions of Alice and Jasper, both of white were standing in front of us. Future Jasper had his arms crossed as he leaned against the wall while Future Alice sat on a stool beside him.
I don't know why but I felt…Empty just sitting here. Despite sitting next to the love of my life…I didn't really get this feeling until Jasper had left…Was that the cause? It couldn't be, his future self is here so that can't be it…
Hmm…
"So…Are you guys going to talk?" Emmett asked, his patience clearly run out.
Future Jasper grinned and said "We sure can. It's honestly a long story and a part of me doesn't really know where to begin so we'll start a little bit after Isabella's birthday."
"Question!" I exclaimed, which caused Emmett to groan.
"Yes Bella?" Future Jasper asked me.
"Why do you call me…her…Isabella? We both know I hate that name," I asked.
Future Jasper gave me a small grin and said "All in due time."
"Can we start?" Emmett asked with a grumble.
"Alright, alright…So this tale starts right after Bella's next birthday," Future Jasper began. "We were in the middle of celebrating when she suffered a paper cut. Me being weak to the allure of blood at the time, struck. She was sent through that glass table. There was a fight between Emmett, Edward and I that I thankfully lost."
"You sent me through a glass table?" I asked in surprise.
"Yeah. Admittedly, it's really hard to focus on controlling your own bloodlust when there are dozens of other vampires in my general vicinity. And with me being an Empath and feeling all of this, It can break the strongest of vampires," He replied, his voice becoming bitter.
Future Alice slipped her hand over Future Jasper's forearm and gave it a supportive squeeze, which made him look at her with a grateful smile.
"After that incident, I was kicked out the Cullen family," he then said.
We all gasped at that.
"There is no way we kicked you out," Emmett said angrily.
"You're like my twin, I could never do that to you," Rosalie added with an insulted tone in her voice but Future Jasper turned to her with a sad smile.
"You two fought for me. As did you Alice and Esme but…" Future Jasper then looked to both Edward and Carlisle and added "But they decided it was best and I did as well. I never fit in with this family. I always knew that. That incident made me decide that they were right. I never held a grudge."
"Well I will," I said angrily. "How could you guys do that to him? He's your brother Edward and your son Carlisle. You two had no right kicking him from the family. No matter how much he agreed to it. You both should have worked harder to help him instead of giving up!"
"Bella, I'm sure future me and Carlisle had a very good reason for doing what they did," Edward told me but I shook my head angrily.
"I don't care, you shouldn't have abandoned him, especially considering it was everyone's own bloodlust that contributed to my attack," I replied with a scowl.
"Wow…" Future Jasper said with a smile on his face. "That was somewhat the same thing Isabella said when I told her what happened."
"Well great minds do think alike," I huffed out as I sat back down on the couch.
"For what it is worth, I am truly sorry," Carlisle told him with a guilty tone but Future Jasper waved him off with a chuckle.
"Don't look so guilty for that," Future Jasper said before his eyes took on a rather dangerous look which…made my stomach feel butterflies.
No, bad Bella.
"No, feel guilty for leaving Forks and leaving Bella broken, betrayed and empty," Future Jasper responded with a glare.
W-What?
"No…There is no way we would abandon Bella," Emmett said before he turned to Alice, Rosalie and Edward and asked "Right?" He then looked to Carlisle and Esme and repeated "Right?"
But they remained silent. If anything, they avoided his gaze and that…Really fucking hurt…
"B-But why? Why would they do that to me?" I asked weakly.
"None of us wanted to and Emmett, Esme and I fought for hours to stay but in the end, Carlisle made us realize that even with our vegetarianism, It was just too risky for us to be in your life. As Jasper showed," Future Alice said with an apologetic look to Future Jasper, who frowned in response.
"It must have been some reasoning to convince me to leave Bella," Emmett muttered with a scowl on his face.
"I just can't believe I agreed to that," Carlisle said softly.
"He's telling the truth," Edward said softly, which prompted all of us to look at him. "I can see it in his mind…He's telling the truth."
"I'm glad you realize that," Future Jasper said. "But yes Carlisle you did agree to it because despite us all being your children, Edward is the first of us so he has your ear more than any of us do."
"Are you accusing me of playing favorites?" Carlisle asked him, a dangerous edge to his voice I had never heard before.
"I'm not accusing you. I'm telling you that you do. You may not realize it or maybe you do but he is the favored child and at the end of the day, you will ask his opinion, even before Esme," Future Jasper said, his voice calm, seemingly not threatened by Carlisle's angry voice.
"But that is a conversation for a later time because this is the part where you Edward, really did some damage to her," Future Jasper said, which caused Edward to flinch. Did he already know what Future Jasper was about to say?
"The day that you guys left, you took her out to the woods and revealed that she wasn't your mate and that you really didn't love her and shattered her heart and left her there," Future Jasper revealed.
Shock.
Horror.
Disgust.
Disappointment.
Those were the few emotions that I felt as I stared at Edward's emotionless face. "I-Is that true?" I asked Future Jasper, my eyes locked on Edward's face.
"It's one hundred percent true," Future Jasper replied.
"It is," Edward added on.
"I can somewhat wrap my head around you guys leaving me because you felt it was dangerous. I can get that," I said, trying to make sense of his thought process of doing what he would do. "But you unnecessarily tore out my heart and stomped on it repeatedly. Why would you think that was a good idea?"
"Considering the circumstances, I would have wanted you to live a life without us because it was too dangerous," Edward said as he crossed his arms.
"And what made you, or well future you, think that was the right call to make without talking to me?" I asked, my anger slowly building past the other emotions that were flowing through me. "Did I not deserve a chance to talk it out civilly with all of you? You instead decide to not only force your family to leave, without me even getting a chance to say goodbye, but you then take me out into the woods and deliver this blow. Future Jasper, was there any emotion when he said this? Was he sad, happy, distraught, anything?"
"I can answer that myself," Edward replied before he took a deep breath and said "He…I would have felt relief…"
"Relief?" I repeated with shock.
"Relief…Since it's all coming out in the open anyways, I might as well get something off of my chest," Edward said. "I know how much you love me and my family and believe me, they love you too but I…don't love you in that way…."
"O-Oh…" I whispered softly, my hand pressed against my chest, trying to force my heart to not shatter in front of everyone but from the tears building in my eyes, I think I'm failing in that regard.
"I do care about you. You're a wonderful person and a great friend but recently, I realized that my feelings for you are more platonic…" Edward admitted with a sigh.
"Why didn't you tell me that then?" I asked him softly. "I mean, I deserved to know that I was being led on."
"Trust me Bella, I wasn't leading you on. I honestly wanted things to work out and thought that you were my mate but while you were in the hospital, I started to notice things…Like how while I loved being with you, I didn't really have a desire to be with you all the time and for being mates, being separated is like torture as both Carlisle and Esme told me. All vampires are like that."
Edward paused to think on his next words then said "Also, another thing was that once I found my mate, we would each change to complement each other better whether a full overhaul or subtle changes but nothing changed between us and as we both know, intimacy. I have trouble expressing it but with mates, it should come natural. But, I figured that with you being human and me being a vampire that some of the instincts and "rules" that mates have wouldn't be fully there until you changed so I ignored them and just continued on in bliss."
"Then what changed?" I questioned.
"Carlisle told me that when a vampire finds their mate as a human, the way the vampire finds out is when the blood of our mate was spilled. Whether through an accident or life or death situation, we would go into a frenzy to defend them and/or change them if necessary. When James found you in Phoenix and hurt you the way he did, I didn't react in the way I thought I would seeing you. I was furious at what occurred but I didn't exactly go into the frenzy that Jasper had when he saw what had happened to you. Instead of being driven into a frenzy, I instead sucked the venom from your wound to keep her from changing, therefore keeping you alive. That was when I realized it…"
"I see…" I whispered. "I did notice that you were more distant than before…Always deep in thought but I didn't expect it to be because of that…But still, that doesn't change the fact that you should have told me when you felt this way instead of using what happened as a scapegoat to escape that talk. I'm more disappointed at that then anything else."
"I'm sorry Bella," Edward said. "You're right, I should have been more forthcoming but I was scared. You do mean a lot to me. You're one of my closest friends. I don't want to lose that."
"It's going to bother me for a good while that you kept this from me but I forgive you but I will need distance from you after all of this. Just to clear my own thoughts…" I told him. Truth be told, I was far more upset than I let on but I can't just shit on his feelings with my own.
Besides, I should have known someone as perfect as Edward Cullen wouldn't settle for something like me…
"Bella," Future Jasper said, which caused me to look at him.
"Come outside with me," He said as he motioned to the door. I nodded and got up from my seat beside Edward and Esme and followed Future Jasper outside.
Honolulu, Hawaii
Charlotte Whitlock
"I can't believe this rapist is this brazen," I muttered with a frown on my face as my husband stood beside me flipping through a magazine slowly.
"I can't believe you passed on three killers just to hunt this guy," Peter told me as he flipped a page in the magazine.
"Well I would have gotten them but this asshole pissed me off," I replied with a grumble before my phone began to ring. Peter shot me a look as I pulled out my phone and said "Talk to me."
"Hey Babe, it's me Peter," Peter's voice said cheerfully. I looked back to Peter, who had a stunned expression on his face, and blinked in shock before I blinked.
"Ow! Char can you not hit me?! I'm just playing nice" Peter's voice said and then to my shock, I heard my voice as well.
"Stop playing around Pete and tell them already. I'm starving!" She…I…shouted with annoyance.
"Okay, Okay. Sheesh. Well anyway Past Charlotte, you tell that good looking stud muffin aka Past me to get our ass to Forks like pronto. Jasper is going to need you"
"I am?" Jasper's voice asked curiously.
"Duh, we'll fill you in. Anyways, get your hot asses to Forks. That is all. Later guys!" Peter shouted
"Later!" My voice shouted as well before the call went dead. I slowly turned to Peter, who stared off into the distance before he nodded and pulled out his phone.
"Wait, you aren't actually going to follow his…your…orders, are you?" I asked.
"I am. Call it Déjà vu but I remember this," Peter replied as he began to rapidly press his phone screen. "Also, your rapist is getting away," He added, which caused my head to swivel down to see the man walking away.
Damn it!
Forks, Washington – Forest
Bella Swan
The two of us walked a good amount of distance before he opened his arms wide.
I looked at him with confusion before realization appeared on my face and without hesitation, I ran into his arms and hugged him tightly as I began to sob. He wrapped his arms around me and gently rubbed my back.
"I knew when I got to that part that it would hurt you and I'm sorry," He whispered in my ears.
"I should have known things were too g-good to be true," I moaned sadly against his chest as the tears continued to fall.
"I know," Future Jasper said. "Isabella went through the exact same pain you did and it affected her for years before she could heal. A part of me is glad I was able to tell you what happened…It had always been my wish."
I pulled away from him and asked "Really?"
"Really. One of my biggest wishes was to go back in time and either warn you to not fall for him or tell you what would come. I knew that you would be in pain but it would be temporary and you would heal so much faster…Compared to what would happen…"
"A-And what would have happened?" I asked him.
"When Edward left you broken and discarded, Victoria, James' mate found you and tried to kill you but the pack from La Push saved your life. They are shape-shifters. The can change into wolves," Future Jasper told me. "That woman, Leah, Alice's mate, she was one of the ones that saved you."
"Leah can change into a wolf? Heh, seems the supernatural follows me," I noted with a dry grin on my face, wiping my face dry.
"Yeah. You are a magnet for danger," Future Jasper said with wry grin. "They saved you…her…It's really confusing speaking past tense when you are right here."
I laughed a bit.
"Yeah. It's weird but then again, we do live in a world where vampires and shape-shifters exist. What's exactly normal?" I asked him
"That's fair," he responded with a chuckle. "But yeah, they found you but with what happened to you, you were essentially a zombie for a year but thanks to Leah, she was able to bring you back. Feistier and angrier than ever."
"Wow, she really helped me?" I asked with a surprised look.
"Yeah, I personally owe a lot to her," He told me with a warm grin on his face. "Leah is a hothead but there is a heart in there…"
"So it took a year for her to help me…What about you then? When did you come back? M…Isabella seems comfortable around you," I asked curiously.
He grinned.
"Well, I never left Forks," Future Jasper said, which surprised me. "I kept an eye on Isabella for the next three years when she wasn't in La Push."
"But why? I'm sure Isabella would have loved to see you. I know I would have after being abandoned like I would have been," I muttered, unable to keep the bitterness from my voice.
"I was ashamed," he admitted softly. "I won't lie to you, despite understanding and agreeing with leaving the Cullens, it still hurt to be away from people I called family and knowing you/she had been torn from them because of me, I couldn't face her and when I finally did, I had to do it save her life."
"From who?" I asked.
"Victoria. James' mate. She wanted revenge for his death and sought you out. Little did she know, I was there to kill her. Isabella was shocked to see me but then she was pissed I came back into her life," Future Jasper said.
"She was pissed?! Wow, I didn't expect that," I said with shock.
"Oh yeah, not because of what happened on her/your birthday. It was due to me not bothering to contact her. Turns out she knew I was watching over her for those three years. I don't know how but she did. But thankfully, she forgave me once I was able to explain," Future Jasper said.
"I'm glad…I never realized this but you really look good with those crimson eyes," I noted as I gazed at them. "They are just right…"
"Well thank you kindly," he replied with a smile.
Jasper…He was no doubt very cute when he smiled.
Oh god, snap out of it.
"We should get back…You still have to tell the others about what happened," I told him softly.
"I know. I just wanted to make sure you knew that things will get better," He told me with a warm smile. I flushed from the smile and we began to walk back but then I remembered something.
"Wait…" I said as I stopped.
"Yes Bella?" Future Jasper asked.
"Edward said that in Phoenix, you…our Jasper had snapped into a rage when he saw me…And not just in Phoenix, but in the future as well at my party, right?" I asked him.
He nodded.
"Edward said that when someone's mate is in danger, accident or not, they will jump to defend or turn instantly…So I wonder…What if you and our Jasper wasn't trying to attack me? What if…What if you and our Jasper was trying to protect or turn me and future me? Wouldn't that mean…"
That's why Isabella and future Jasper looked so close and that warmth was between them. That's why I felt that brief…pull…I guess with Jasper. That's why he stayed in Forks to watch over Isabella for three years despite having the ability to leave at any point.
He was her mate and that meant…
My eyes widened in shock. "Oh my god… Jasper is my mate!"
"Ding, ding, ding," Future Jasper said with a smile of approval. "You realized that so much faster than either I or Isabella did. Also, you realized it with a lot less clues."
"Oh my…I-I can't…How?" I stammered out.
"It's a long story," Future Jasper told me. "One I will tell eventually…But keep it a secret for now."
"But why? Your Alice is with your Leah. They know you two aren't mates. Why hide it?" I asked him with narrowed eyes. "I doubt you're ashamed to have Isabella aka me as your mate, right?"
"Far from it," He said with narrowed eyes. I hit a nerve, wasn't trying to but that feeling in my stomach returned. I kinda liked that annoyed look on his face. "No, I have a bone to pick with Edward. A lot of what happened that caused all of this stemmed from him finding out we were mates when he did. By the end of this night he will know what Isabella and I are but for now, that's between us, alright?"
I nodded, albeit a little concerned.
Edward was the cause of what made them come here…That was foreboding.
"Okay…But I have a question…before we go back...C-Can I…" I frowned at myself. Why am I hesitating?
"You want to know how Isabella and I came to be, don't you?" He asked with warm smile on his face.
I nodded, a blush forming on my face.
"That my dear Bella, I cannot tell you. That is something you will need to discover with your Jasper," he responded with a smile on his face.
"My Jasper…" I murmured, my hand pressed against my chest. "My Jasper…" I repeated, a small blush forming on my face.
It felt so foreign to say that but at the same time, It felt…Nice…
"C'mon, let's go back," Future Jasper said but as he began to walk, he paused and look to the left, which prompted me to look as well to see future me, Peter, Charlotte and Jasper walking towards us.
"Welcome back," Future Jasper said with a grin on his face as Isabella ran up collided with him in a tight hug.
"I'm finally home," I heard her say against his chest before she pulled back and pulled him down in a deep and rather loving kiss, which caused me to look away with a large blush on my face.
It was then I looked at my Jasper.
His sweater vest was now gone and his button down shirt was slightly messy and untucked with three of the buttons at his neck was unbuttoned and there was a small amount of blood on it.
And his eyes, they were a mix of the amber gold the other Cullens wore but also ruby red of blood drinkers. And I…I felt my legs begin to weaken. He looked every bit as predatory as a human killer could look but I couldn't tear my eyes away from him.
"Bella," He said with a nod in my direction, his voice low and husky with a pleased grin on his face.
"J-J-" I paused to take a deep breath before I said "Jasper."
"Wow, her face is redder than a cherry tomato," Peter said with a laugh, which caused me to look at him with a hard glare, which made him grin and reply "Sorry, sorry. I couldn't resist."
"Stop teasing her," Charlotte said as she smacked Peter's stomach.
"We should get back inside, I'm sure everyone is worried," Future Jasper told us before he motioned back to the door before he turned back to me and placed his finger against his lips.
I nodded with a small grin on my face before I took one look at my Jasper and blushed faintly.
I need to get control of myself otherwise I'll give it away…
Forks, Washington – Cullen Residence
Bella Swan
So here we all sat again but this time, something was different.
Everyone kept distance from Jasper and I knew why.
The scent of human blood on his clothes.
It makes sense really but it made me feel angry for him. Jasper was always the outsider of the family, I knew that from jump but to see it more angered me and the more I took stock of their faces, the angrier I got.
Esme didn't even look at Jasper.
Rosalie, Alice and Emmett made it a point to be around me in some attempt to protect me from him.
But what made me upset was that both Edward and Carlisle that had the look of total disgust on their faces.
I had noticed that the last two had this look when they saw the future group for the first time but seeing it pointed at Jasper was burning me up!
"Can you guys stop it?!" I suddenly shouted, causing all of their heads to look at me. "I get that you don't like Jasper drinking blood but does it warrant the looks?!" I exclaimed.
"Bella…What he did was against the rules of the family," Edward immediately replied.
"And? Look at them," I said, referring to the future group. "All of them have red eyes, including Alice and me! Does it look like it matters to them? And Carlisle, you said it yourself. Jasper drinking blood from a human wouldn't change how you guys felt about him and yet you look at him with disgust on your face! That's not right."
Carlisle had the decency to look ashamed at this and murmured "I am truly sorry. I wasn't trying to look so disgusted…I still love you Jasper. You are my son but I…It doesn't matter. We should continue."
I frowned at this and narrowed my eyes but Jasper replied "Don't worry about it…" but I could see from the annoyed look on both his face and Future Jasper's face that they were bothered by this as well.
"Question before we start," Alice began, pointedly ignoring the annoyed glare Emmett shot her. "Jazzy, how are you feeling?"
"I feel whole…" My Jasper admitted with a small grin. "Strangely enough, I feel stronger than before…"
"Good…" Future Jasper said with a grin of his own.
"And look, he's not going out of control trying to feast on past me," Future me said with a pointed stare to Carlisle and Edward. "I think he's safe."
"Now…" Future Jasper began slowly, his grin melting away. "As I explained to Bella outside, Edward walked out and left her in the woods and all of you left. I thought of leaving for a split moment but instead, I stayed and before anyone asks, the reason was that I didn't want to leave her alone in case Victoria, the mate of James, would come back."
"Wait, she came back?" Edward asked with surprise.
"She did Eddy," Future me said, a wry smirk on her face as looked to him. "When you…Well your future self decided to break my heart like a dick, she was in the forest that night. The minute you left is when she tried but Leah saved me."
"She's the one that kissed your Alice, right?" Emmett said with a cheeky smirk, which caused our Alice to smack him upside the head.
"Thank you," Future Alice said to our Alice.
"Anytime," Alice replied cheekily.
"The very same," Future me chuckled out. "She saved my ass and took me back home where I spent the first few months in an emotional coma after losing the "love of my life" I was so weak back then…"
"And during that time and the next three years, I watched over her. I watched her shake off her zombie-like status effect and become friends and an ally to the shape-shifters of La Push. Watched her grow into a wonderful woman who, despite her family abandoning her, kept her heart as large as ever," Future Jasper continued as he looked to Future me, who gave him this beautiful smile in return.
Did I really look like that happy when I smiled?
I glanced at Edward and noticed he had a small frown on his face at the smile.
Did he notice it as well?
"But, that all changed one night when Victoria returned…" Future Jasper said as his tone became grave. "While Isabella and the pack took a week to visit Texas, Victoria broke into her house in an effort to kill her but instead…She found Charlie…"
I gasped in horror while Future me looked down in sadness. "S-She killed Charlie?" I gasped out, my hand touching my chest.
"I'm sorry Bella," Future me said, a look of pain on her face.
"No…No…" I said as I gripped my shirt. "You have to be lying! Please tell me you're lying!"
"I'm not lying," Future me said with hurt in her voice. "She killed him…But he never gave up where we were located," Future me said, her voice filled with sadness.
I turned to Edward and said "Read their minds! This has to be a sick joke!" But Edward merely looked away from me.
"Alice, can you see into the future and tell me this is wrong?" I asked as I looked to Alice, who gave me a sad look. "Someone! Anyone! Tell me they are lying!" I screamed but in their silence, I got my answer.
I could feel the tears wanting to burst from my eyes as I began to curl into a small ball but it was then I felt a wave of calm hit me and realized that it was Jasper, my Jasper, who was sending it.
"Jasper…You?" I murmured with surprise. I wasn't expecting him to do that. He normally never used his gift on me unless absolutely necessary.
"We can change this," Jasper told me as he leaned against the wall. "We will change this," he said strongly.
"W-We can…" I repeated.
"We can," he replied with a smile.
Despite not wanting to, I smiled as well but I still couldn't stop myself from feeling despair.
Charlie…I'm so sorry…
"Wait, was Jasper in Texas with you?" Esme asked curiously, trying to change the subject which I really did appreciate considering I was sitting over here drowning in my sorrow...
"I was," Future Jasper said. "I was visiting Peter and Charlotte since they mostly stay in Texas. Figured I would hang with them and begin the process of drinking blood again. But I wish I had known about Charlie. I would have stayed otherwise."
"So what happened next?" Emmett asked softly.
"Well not knowing about Charlie, we kept having a great time but a few days after it happened, the pack and I were at the mall and I went to go to the bathroom and when I did…Victoria was the face I saw before she knocked me out and when I came to, I was tied up in some warehouse and it was there that she showed me Charlie's dismembered body…"
"Oh my god…" I whispered with dread.
"She taunted me with it….Told me how he screamed as she ripped off all of his limps," Future me said, her voice becoming void of life. "But she told me something that could never forget. "Despite the hell I put him through, he never gave you up. A part of me respects that and wishes I didn't have to do it but because he was with you, I had to do it." And that tore me apart but when she saw me at my worst, she decided that she was going to do the same thing to me…"
"But that was when I arrived," Future Jasper said softly as he placed a hand on her shoulder. She smiled up at him and nodded in thanks, which made me smile as well. Despite suffering here, I knew she was going through worse. Having seen that horrific image…I don't know how I was still standing…
"Charlotte, Peter and I went back to my hotel room that I got during my time there but as we were heading back, we heard that the pack had lost her and it was then I made my presence known to the pack," Future Jasper said.
"They immediately wanted to attack us but Leah, being the cooler head surprisingly heard the Major out when the others didn't and together, we searched for Bells until we found her at some abandoned warehouse. Victoria must have thought she was with the Cullens because there were a lot of newborns around that place," Peter said as he slipped his hands into his pockets. "You guys should have seen it, three vampires and four shape-shifters against seventeen vampires…Whew it was great!"
"Aww man," Emmett grumbled. "That would've been awesome to be in!"
Rosalie smirked and said "You're telling me. It sounds great…"
"I broke away to get into the building and it was then I saw Charlie's remains and Victoria getting ready to kill Isabella. Without hesitation, I tore her apart. I tore her remains apart then destroyed her," Future Jasper said with a dark, satisfied smirk.
"Good," Jasper said with that same smirk on his face. I felt the heat in my face begin to build at how…sexy it was…Calm down Bella. Edward is still here…Edward…He doesn't care. He already admitted he didn't love me so why should I care about his feelings?
Who am I kidding? Hearing him say that out loud was still hard for me to hear…Will this pain ever stop? Once again, I could feel myself calming down and shot another look to Jasper and gave him a subtle smile of thanks, which he returned with faint grin of his own.
"Thank goodness…I thought she was going to be the reason you became a vampire Bells," Emmett said to Future me, who snapped out of her own sadness enough to give him a tiny smile.
"That came later…" She replied. "When I first saw Jasper again, I was upset…Not because I didn't want to see him but because I knew he was watching over me and never said a single word or interacted with me…Nothing…"
"Why?" Edward asked.
"I was ashamed at the time," he responded softly. "I had slip ups before where we just moved and started over but this one had a heavier cost and that was Isabella's vampire family abandoning her…I couldn't face her because of that guilt."
"Major…You have to realize that it wasn't your fault," Peter said, which prompted him to look back at Peter.
"I know…But even though I made peace with it and like who I am, a part of me is always going to feel that shame for how that night went down…" he responded.
"Damn, it's so fucked," Emmett said.
"It truly is," my Jasper said as he opened his eyes, causing us to look at him. "The fact of the matter is this is a constant reality for me right now. This never-ending guilt about my slip-ups…And the way you guys treated me after them…Giving me the cold shoulder and acting like I wasn't a part of this family…Like I was some sort of deranged beast."
Future Jasper shut his eyes and took an unnecessary deep breath and said "No one ever took into account that I was and still am, harboring that guilt despite going back to that lifestyle. Imagine that, feeling guilty for who you are."
"You're right…" Esme suddenly admitted softly, which prompted all of us to look at her.
Esme had been strangely quiet during all of this but that was Esme.
She was very strong willed but tend to stick to the shadows until she was ready to speak but when she did, we all listened. "I wish to say something to my sons," She said as she looked to Jasper and Future Jasper.
"I can admit to myself when I've done something wrong and I've done wrong by you both. It was pointed out earlier that what caused you to snap was Bella being cut…I realized that every time Jasper slipped, it was because we were always around when it happened…We contributed to him slipping each and every time and every time he did, we would shame him Ostracize him…"
"Esme…" Carlisle began.
"No…This needs to be said now before we continue," Esme said before she stood up and marched to Jasper and gave him a tight hug. "I'm sorry Son. Truly…It wasn't fair for me to be disappointed in you when I should be disappointed in myself."
"Mom…" Jasper whispered.
"No…" Esme told him as she pulled away and touched his cheeks. "I've been a terrible mother…A mother should be there for her child, no matter what and I realized that I was never truly there for you. I have failed you Jasper but if you let me, I promise that no matter what happens, I will never abandon you like I have ever again."
I could tell Jasper was touched by Esme's words but it looked like he struggled for the words. He instead pulled her into another tight hug, which she returned.
Esme pulled away and smiled at him before she walked over to Future Jasper and hugged him as well, much to his surprise but I could see both sadness and love in his eyes. "I don't know if my future self ever said it but everything I told him, I'm telling you as well…"
"Well hell…How can I not forgive you Mom?" Future Jasper replied as he returned her hug. Esme pulled back and seemed to notice what I saw in his eyes and rubbed his left cheek.
"My dear Jasper…Whatever happened to bring you here…We'll fix. I promise," Esme told him as she pulled away from him and after he nodded, she returned to her seat.
I could see that Peter, Charlotte, Future Alice and Future me were happy at what had gone down but when I looked to both Carlisle and Edward, their faces had changed from disgust to guilt.
I could also notice that Alice, Emmett and Rosalie had the decency to look guilty as well and it made me grin. Even when Esme wasn't trying to, she still found a way to make her family feel bad for their mistakes.
Carlisle frowned and nodded before he said "So what happened next?"
Future Alice decided to pick this up and said "So while that incident in Texas was happening, I saw the vision of Victoria about to kill Bella and told Rosalie who mistakenly tells Edward, who at that time harbored some major guilt for how he left you and getting you into this life and took a flight to Italy to convince the Volturi to kill him."
"Edward!" Carlisle yelled. "You went to the Volturi?!"
"Who are they?" I asked curiously.
"The Volturi are the largest and most powerful coven of vampires. They enforce the laws of the vampire world," Carlisle said as he stared at the shameful looking Edward.
"They basically royalty in our world. The Volturi consists of 5 core members: Aro, Caius, Marcus, Sulpicia, and Athenodora. Five very strong vampires. Aside from them it also consists of a collection of powerfully imposing vampires, known as the "Volturi guard", the most powerful being Chelsea, Jane, Corin and Alec," Esme continued.
"And you went to them…Holy shit," I said with shock.
"Not only that, he told them that he broke the biggest rule and that Bella found out he was a vampire. Aro refused because of his gift and then I caught a vision of him stepping into the sunlight which gets him horrifically killed," Future Alice continued.
"This is turning out way worse than I wanted it to. I thought that there would be some fun hijinks in our future and yet it's dark. Boy Edward, when you fuck up, you fuck up really hard," Emmett added jokingly, despite the air around being tense.
"You have no idea…" Future Alice said softly before she continued with "I couldn't allow that to happen so I immediately flew to Texas. The minute I got there, I told the entire group what was happening and despite the intense agony Bella was feeling emotionally, she decided to go to Italy to stop him from his death…And we got there right on time to stop Edward…"
"But that feeling of relief didn't stay for long," Future Jasper said with a sigh. "Because on that day, a new face would enter the vampire world and they would change everything…"
Rain: And that is the end of this chapter. Such a heft one. The next chapter will be coming soon so I hope you guys enjoyed it!