Author's Note:Whistles and drums erupt from the distance, a parade follows, the author grabs the microphone on a float as it passes by. "I bought a house!" she exclaims. The following procession is much poorer than the front. She has run out of money to continue the grandiose.

The buzz that emanated from Jasper's pocket as he closed his study door piqued curiosity throughout the house. The family had grown more curious as to who had been texting Jasper these last few months but none had brought it up directly. Rose brushed the topic by asking if he had heard from Alice and then Edward, Esme inquired about him staying in touch with Peter, but none were brazen enough to ask who he might be in contact with that was not them.

Jasper checked the message, confirming for himself that Bella's flight landed and she was safely in Florida. Relief settled into his chest just as quickly as discomfort reared its ugly head.

He was going to break the news to his family. That had been their deal. Bella would have no part in the initial disclosure.

After Jasper had taken the time to assure Bella that he was on her side as much as he was on his own family's, they had struck a deal in the oddest fashion. Bella hadn't thought Jasper had any footing to stand on. It had been her idea and she'd said it was her choice to see the family or not and Jasper agreed to an extent. It was her choice whether or not she physically wanted to see the family but Jasper also knew, whether they chose to tell the family or not, the family would eventually find out. It would be easier to contain the fallout if they were the ones coming forward and not, say, Alice. They'd ended up with an array of stipulations.

One of Bella's stipulations to meeting with the family was that Jasper had to be the one to reveal this information and he could not tell the family she was in Ithaca until she was not in Ithaca. Jasper had found that ironic but he understood. Bella did not want the family coming to her. Everything had to be on her terms. Now, her terms explicitly stated that it was his turn.

Jasper had of course added some stipulations of his own to make sure things weren't too uncertain. Jasper would not attempt to stop the family from seeking her out if Bella were to choose to abandon the day they had selected as "the day." Bella hadn't liked that term but understood. There was no turning back once the family was told.

The most important stipulation, however, was that Jasper was also at liberty to disclose Edward's malicious treatment towards her and the family as a whole. Which, Bella had completely refused to agree to. She'd ignored his texts for a day and a half after that but, once he'd stationed himself at her classroom door, she hadn't stayed mad at him for long. He had been able to convince her that the family deserved to know the lies they had been fed and that while it probably would affect their opinions of Edward, wasn't that for the best? Vampires only change under extreme circumstances. A couple of years of exile from the family may actually do him some good, in Jasper's opinion.

Now, he faced a difficult path.

Bella still wasn't aware that the family knew she was inhabiting Ithaca, that they had been giving her space so that she could forge her own path. So, she was unaware that he had been keeping their rendezvous a secret and that was the real nail in the coffin. He'd agreed to let her live her own life only wedge himself back into the picture. He'd hidden his interference from his family and hidden their knowledge from her. He could only hope everyone could understand his reasons.

Having thought over his approach numerous times, he knew he had only one course of action to take. If he were any more fearful of a man, he may have chosen to tell the coven leader first and let Carlisle break the news, but fearful Jasper was not. He may be nervous about the impact but he knew he would need to bear full responsibility for this.

Within seconds of his phone alerting him and the rest of the household to his text message, he spoke. "It's time for a family meeting."

The curiosity that had filled the household nths of a second before was soon cloaked by thin tension. This was nothing Jasper hadn't anticipated. Family meetings were only called when matters needed to be discussed in a calm manner.

Jasper sent out a wave of calm as the family gathered around the large antique dining table Esme purchased at a local auction. They sat in their usual seats. Carlisle sits at the eastern head of the with Esme at his side. Jasper, as usual, chose not to sit but instead stands behind the head opposite Carlisle. With no lines drawn today, Rosalie and Emmett choose to sit closest to him, leaving the spaces directly next to Carlisle and Esme open for their missing members.

"What is this about, son?" Carlisle prompts him, reaching to grab his mate's hand.

Jasper scans over his family, deciding he would not insult them further by suppressing their reactions. Solemnly, he starts from the beginning, "In September, I brought you news of Isabella Swan's attendance at Cornell. Today, I bring you together to inform you that I have made contact with her."

Despite Edward's absence, Jasper could infer Rosalie was jumping to conclusions as her curiosity developed into annoyance. His twin had never been hard to figure out but there were other, more valid, reasons for Rosalie to be pissed with him. Jasper quickly continued, cutting her off before she could begin. "It was not intentional, not at first. Our classes arranged a joint lecture, it is there I was unable to hide our presence from her."

Rosalie bristled, "At first?" Emmett gripped her hand but it did nothing to calm her. "How did your intentions change from keeping this family safe? What are your intentions now Jasper?"

He ground out, "My intentions have always been to keep this family safe, Rose. You know that."

"What about Bella, then? What are your intentions there? You are just drawing more attention to us."

Unable to admit his reasoning, he dodged the question. "All I have done is kept her happy and safe."

She scoffs, "You are starting to sound a lot like Edward, brother. Did you even try to avoid her?"

She knew that would dig at Jasper but Jasper wouldn't let her get to him. "Given the number of students on campus, our familiarity with her scent, and the slim likelihood of Isabella taking higher-level philosophy classes, I should have been able to avoid her with ease." Jasper bit out before admitting, "If we had been more strategic, I would have obtained a copy of her class schedule. I see my own error in that."

Guilt consumed him, Isabella would be hurt to know she was being talked about in such a manner, as though he regretted their meeting.

"Since that day, I have met with her several times a week."

Rosalie seethed, "You speak as though this has been happening for some time. How long have you been meeting with her?" Teeth bared, she continued, "I never smelled her on you. How long were you planning on keeping this from us?"

Jasper tasted the betrayal in the air, not just from Rose but from Carlisle as well, before responding, voice hardening, "It was Bella's request that I keep our meetings to myself. If you would let me finish, you would know why. As for your earlier question, the first occurrence was days after your return from Europe."

He let that settle in. He had kept this from them for two months. He had met with her, successfully without their knowing, for two months.

He felt his sister's rage grow and was surprised when interest quickly overtook it. He thought she would have chewed him out first. Jasper watched as an intense look of focus fell over her face. If he knew her, she would be trying to piece together his strange behavior those first few days, puzzle through how he'd kept Bella's scent away from the house, she'd probably already put together who all of the texts had been from.

Carlisle spoke next, severing the focus Jasper had on Rose "Jasper," he began, his tone betraying how displeased he was, "as sure as I am that you had your reasons, what reason could you have for withholding this from us? We'd decided as a family to let Bella live a life unaffected by our existence. You should have come to us immediately."

Jasper snapped, "I do not believe that anyone here can claim that Bella Swan's life would ever be unaffected by us." Venom poured into Jasper's mouth as he thought about what his brother had done. "Edward made sure of that by leaving her in the forest."

Carlisle became swiftly disillusioned. The shock and disbelief that flew off his family did little to hide the edge in Carlisle's voice."What do you mean Edward left her in the forest?"

Jasper held his gaze. "Edward lied to us. Bella never asked for us to leave. Edward took her into the forest and fed her lies. He made the decision for everyone by telling her we were relocating, that the family had already left the area. When Bella said she would come with us he further tormented her by telling her he no longer loved her and that our leaving would be like we had never existed." Jasper locked eyes with his sister for the next part. "How well do you think Bella fared that night after the person she loved brought her into the forest, broke her heart, and told her not to follow him?"

Rosalie growled, her temper flaring. "That imbecile."

Carlisle's disbelief echoes in his voice while heartbreak rises in him, "Edward is not here to defend his actions and I will not have us condemn him without such an opportunity. I am sure he had good intentions."

Rosalie's noise of disgust didn't seem to spur him further.

The heartache and longing coming from Emmett was concealed to the others by Emmett's stoic appearance but Jasper knew the connection he'd felt to their human. Even then, nothing compared to Esme. Esme's worry and heartache grew to a point that Jasper could ignore no longer. He softened his voice, soothing his mother figure, "She is doing well Esme. I have made sure of that." Hope trickled in beside the relief.

He gauged the mood of the room as he contemplated how to disclose the impact Edward's actions had on Bella's life. "However, Rose was right to call Edward an imbecile." He felt Rose's pride at that statement, he'd garnered his sister's favor. "We know how dangerous the forest can be and he knew the extent to which certain members of this family cared for Bella. He lied to us, made us believe that it was Bella's decision. Not only did he endanger her life but he prevented her from getting the closure she needed." He shot Carlisle a look. "If she had closure she would not have lain in bed without talking to her father for months. She could have had normal human girl experiences but she didn't. Edward removed all traces of us, our gifts, pictures, all taken from her. When Bella told me she was nearly catatonic for months upon our leaving I felt like the most repentant but I've come to realize the cause of all of that was Edward's decision. The negligence and cruelty he showed her are inexcusable."

Esme's soft cry was nearly muffled by Emmett when he finally spoke. "No." He shook his head. "Something has to be missing. He read our minds. He knew she was family." His words neared a growl, like his mate's had moments before. "He knew telling her about our world was sentencing her to a life in our world." He shook his head again, his mate now gripping his knee. He whispered, "How could he put her in danger like that?" Jasper was sure Emmett was thinking of his own fatal experience in the woods.

A sudden urgency flooded Emmett and warned Jasper seconds before Emmett stood. "Where is she? We have to see her! She has to know we didn't abandon her."

Emmett was giving Esme a look like he expected her to leave the charge but she continued to sit heartbroken. Jasper restrained himself from pushing out a wave of calm. There was a reason why Bella didn't want to be in town when this was discussed. "She is not in Ithaca at the moment. She is visiting family for the holidays. She planned it this way. Bella needs some sentiment of control right now and I am doing everything in my power to give it to her."

Carlisle sat back in his chair, a move Jasper was certain came from all of his work with humans. Picking up their mannerisms put them more at ease. It was what followed that put Jasper at ease. A sliver of pride peaked through Carlisle's torment. Even though Carlisle had found out his closest companion and deceived the family and psychologically tormented a human they held dear, he approved of the way Jasper handled it. Jasper was sure of it.

Rosalie, who'd settled upon something during the previous discussion chose that time to speak again. "If Edward hurt her in the way you are telling us, I can understand why she was hesitant to reveal any of this to us. It would make sense if she felt she came second to a first-turned son but you did tell her we did not take part in that decision, did you not Jasper?" After Jasper nodded, Rosalie continued firmer than before, "Then I think her requests were fair. She wouldn't know how we would react to this and an unknown reception after all of that would be nerve-wracking. My question is, if our leaving truly affected her like you say it did, how did her circumstances change?"

Jasper worried that much of what they wanted to know would be very personal for Bella. He wanted to save some for her to tell, sure that she had omitted information even from him, which was her right. There were things his family had every right to know, however. "We owe the Quileutes in ways I do not think we will ever be able to pay back." Defensive concern and confusion bloomed around the table, its members straightening.

Rosalie muttered, "Wolves," but Jasper continued as though she hadn't interrupted.

"It was their new generation of wolves who recovered Bella from the forest the night Edward left her. They saved her that night and I have a strong belief that they saved her again after that. Bella's friend from the reservation changed while she was in processing our leaving and though he wasn't a part of the party that recovered her, he was the one she credits with bringing her back to the land of the living." Jasper smirked at the irony of that statement. "From what I was told, he protected her not only physically but mentally. He was the reason she was able to graduate and apply to colleges, the reason she was willing to try moving across the country. It has been good for her, it sounds, even before our reintroduction. Jacob Black has my many thanks."

Carlisle nodded, "Ephraim Black's grandson. Has he taken up the position of Alpha?" Carlisle's curiosity won out as the others hedged between disgust and gratefulness.

Jasper shook his head. "Bella was unable to tell me much, they prefer to keep her out of pack business but from her description, a wolf by the name of Samuel Uley is the alpha and Jake, as she refers to him, is trying to avoid taking the position altogether. However, there is one more piece you need to know about the wolves." Jasper readies himself for the final blow. "Due to circumstances out of the Alpha's control, Charlie Swan is now aware of the pack. Bella did not take the situation well and is greatly worried about him finding out about our existence as well. I reassured her that the treaty keeps them from divulging this information but if he is anything like his daughter I am sure it will not take him long to connect the dots. I tried to make it clear to her just how much danger Charlie is in if he were to figure out our secret. We are both working to make sure that does not happen."

Carlisle who had leaned his head against his steepled hands, nods and lets out a gust of air, each action unneeded, and looks up. "When can we see her?"

Stunned at the lack of rebuttal and overall acceptance of the situation from his family Jasper responds quietly, "December 14th, she requested I bring her by after her last class. Out of respect for her, she would like the family to give her some space to prepare until then."

Emmett frowns as Rosalie takes his hand but Carlisle nods again and rests his own hand on his mate's shoulder, giving her a loving look before answering, "Then we shall respect that and make sure we are ready to receive her."