I stayed with her. I felt ever ounce of pain as it raced along her nerve endings and razed her insides raw. I absorbed as much of it as I could while I held her quivering, jerking naked body against mine. I felt her pain so keenly it was as if I were experiencing the rebirth all over again. I was no stranger to pain and yet this hurt me more than any of the thousands of injuries I'd had in my experience, because it was Bella feeling it and I couldn't help her. I knew I lessened it but even our bond couldn't obliterate it completely. I pressed kisses onto her cheeks and mouth as I watched with fascinated eyes as her body began to change a little at a time. Her scent changed gradually from warm musky human to sweet delicious vampire impregnated with my very essence. She would smell like me for the rest of her existence, I was her maker and her mate.

The thought of that made me fiercely proud.

Bella was going to be so beautiful and she was feisty too, which was a winning combination in my book.

I smiled at her pale face and placed yet another slow kiss to her panting lips.

Her eyes were wide open as she died. Staring at my face with a single minded determination I could feel deep inside me. She was using our bond to work through the pain. Another moan tore from her lips as her body bowed off of the bed as if she were being dragged upwards by her heart and lungs.

I ached for her, I hated seeing her like this even though I knew the rewards would be well worth the pain.

My cell phone began to ring - again. It had started almost the moment I'd bitten Bella. I knew that it was Alice and I knew what she would say, so I ignored it.

It rang for several minutes and then stopped.

I knew they would be here soon. I had to move Bella somewhere safe so that she could finish changing in peace. Still connected emotionally, I lifted her in my arms and placed her in the centre of my bed, pulling the overs over her nakedness. Dressing at lighting speed I picked up my cell phone and dialled a number I hadn't used for years and yet I still knew it by heart, perfect recall.

Peter answered before it even had a chance to ring. "Hello Jasper." His cool, deep voice said. Unsurprisingly calm and unruffled he was unchanged as we all were and yet even more so because he was Peter and therefore unique.

He'd been my friend for longer than anyone else. We'd been friends, brothers and monsters together. Before Alice had found me, broken and alone, he and I had been an unstoppable force. After Maria had changed me and I'd changed him, we'd eventually left her army and stayed together, hunting for sustenance and amusement whenever we needed to, taking women and feeding far more often than we needed to. We had toyed with many human women and dallied with immortals who shared our outlook on life and death. It had been a pleasurable existence.

We had parted ways when he'd found a mate, a woman called Charlotte whom he had been about to feed off until he'd felt that undeniable pull and changed her instead.

"Hello Peter." I countered. There was little to explain, he had the gift of foresight and never needed to be filled in. His gift was far more powerful than Alice's and he was never wrong. In a world of talented immortals he was a anomaly.

"How the fuck do you always manage to get yourself into these situations Jasper?" He asked dryly.

I chuckled at his humour. "With no effort on my part, of that I can assure you. Will you help me?"

"Have I ever not helped you? You're my brother and family comes first. You know that. Fuck all of them. I'll protect you."

"As nice as that is, I don't need protecting, but my mate does. Where are you?" I said, I had to move fast.

"I'll come and fetch you. Be ready. Wait by the depot on Frasier Street, I'll be the one driving a dodge." He joked and I rolled my eyes to myself, not for one moment did I doubt that he would indeed be driving just such a monstrosity. Peter was a true southerner and loved all things loud and boisterous even though he himself was quiet for the most part.

"Okay. We'll be there. Bring your mate, mine needs protection while I speak to the Cullen's."

Peter whistled through his teeth, "She's still changing. Shit, you know how to pick your moments Jasper."

"Shut up and get your ass down here." I said grinning, my eyes still fixed on Bella's face.

"No need, I'm already nearly in Forks. See you in a few minutes."

I cut the call and gathered some of Bella's clothes from Edwards room. I quickly dressed her, in jeans and a tiny camisole top and wrapped her shaking form in a blanket from my bed. Her teeth were clenched as she tried to hold in the screams. She was so brave she humbled my heart as no one ever had before. "Hang in there darlin'," I whispered into her ear as I lifted her into my arms, "I'm taking you to meet my real family. The most painful part of your change is still to come and you can scream as much as you need to at Peter's house."

"H..how...l...lo...long." Bella murmured.

I was shocked that she was able to talk at all, no changeling I'd ever seen had.

"Soon," I cooned to her.

I ran with her, taking every short cut I knew across the forest to the old depot on Frasier street.

It began to rain as I ran with my precious burden, tiny sparkling droplets of water clung to Bella's hair and face like diamonds.

"Hurts...s. .so...bad..." I heard her say against my chest.

"I know, Bella, and I'm sorry. But it's the only way for us to be together. I can't watch you grow old and die and I can't resist the lure of your body or blood. I am what I am darlin'. I'm just a man and a vampire, as I told you, I want you more than anything. The need I feel for you is killing me softly but don't care because I'd die a thousand times over just to be with you if I could."

I tightened my hold on her body and lifted her against my long dead heart.

"It will be over soon and then I'll teach you all you need to know...and some things just because you will love them...there are many rewards to this life, for those who know where to look."

Bella nodded slightly her teeth still clenched, her fists held so tightly I saw droplets of blood along her nails, where they had sunk into her palms.

I saw Peter and Charlotte standing beside the old dodge pickup and raced towards them. "Hello brother." He greeted me easily holding out his arms for Bella as Charlotte reached out to kiss my cheek.

"Hello Peter, Charlotte. Take care of her. Guard her with your lives, I must go back and see to Carlisle and Edward."

Peter nodded amusement plain on his face. "Do you think I'd do anything else? She's my family now too. Go and do what you're needing to do."

"Yes, Jas, she is our family now. My sister, no one will mess with her, I promise." Charlotte reassured me.

I handed Bella over to Peter and kissed her head softly. "I'll be back soon darlin', you can trust them, they're my true family."

I felt her fear as I left but also trust in what I had told her.

I watched as Peter and Charlotte placed Bella in their truck and drove off before heading back to the Cullen's house.

There was a whirlpool of emotions waiting for me there, the Cullen's were there.

As soon as I'd entered I was face to face with Edward. His face contorted with rage.

"Where is she?" He hissed at me grabbing the top of my shirt. "You're eyes are red, you fucking cheated!"

"Bella is safe."

"Safe! I should never have trusted you with her...when I think of what she must have gone through! Take me to her!" Edward said through his teeth. "You drank from her. It's her blood that clouds your eyes."

With a growl he shook me and I let him. He had every right to be angry- I would feel just the same in his place. I tried to ignore the other emotion surging through him; jealousy - not over Bella herself, but over her blood. Now wasn't the time nor the place to sate my anger about Edward's true motives towards Bella.

"Yes it is Bella's blood which is inside me. But you are not going to see Bella until she's done changing, that just won't be happening, Edward." I said as calmly as I could. "She ain't yours anymore."

Edward flew into a rage at my words. "You think she's yours? What the fuck are you playing at Jasper? Bella and I are meant to be together, you know that, everyone knows that...why would you even...think that she'd wants to be with you. ..just ..." his face contorted in rage as he tried to read my mind and failed once again. "Stop fucking reciting your regiments names and titles - stop blocking me."

"I really think you should listen to Edward, Jasper, and please stop talking like a commoner. 'Ain't' is not even a word in the English language." Alice said, sullen, from her place in the corner of the room, besides Rosalie.

As nicely as I could I removed Edwards hands from my self and grinned at him, before I could stop myself. "Well okay, if you insist, but you may not like what you see Edward, I'm actually blocking you for your own good. Bella does want to be with me and it's not by either of our choosin' either. This is just the way things are gonna be from now on."

Edwards face was pained as I let down my mental block and allowed him access for the first time in months.

Alice gasped from the corner, "Oh my God." She whispered as she saw what Edward could.

"I told you that you wouldn't like it much. All we ask is that you leave us alone. We will come back to speak to you when Bella is able to. Leave it for now. And Ally?"

"Yes?" She whispered in a strained voice.

"This is who I am, I say darlin', ain't and gonna. I wear jeans and boots and I am proud of who I am. I tried to be what I'm not for you, but that's over now. I'm sorry for any hurt I may have caused you, I truly am. Look after Edward."

Rosalie scoffed at my heartfelt words her face disdainful. "I always knew Bella would betray you, Edward."

"Is this how you show your family loyalties, Jasper? After all we have done for you." Carlisle said stepping out from the shadows beside the door.

"And I'm sorry about that. It was never my intention to hurt any of you, but we all know I don't belong here with you. I belong on my own - with my mate."

"She isn't your mate! You've lied to her and made her believe that she wants to be with you. Bella would never do this alone. " Edward spat at me. " I'm going to find her."

"That wouldn't be a wise move on your part brother." I said pleasantly. "I won't allow you touch her."

Alice came towards me then, eyes wide, face pained. "So I meant nothing to you?"

"You saved me from myself at a time that I needed it and for that I will always be grateful, Ally. But we were never mates and we both know it. I hope you find yours, like I've found mine."

"You were my future, I saw it, just like I saw Bella and Edward together and they were happy." She shook her head slowly, tiny arms clasped around herself in a completely human gesture.

I shook my head, my eyes locked with hers. "You know your visions are subjective Ally, that was what could have been if Bella and I hadn't discovered what we are to each other."

Carlisle shook his head at me. "Leave now. You're no longer a part of this family. Maybe you never were."

I stared at him, pained despite myself. "No, I never was good enough for any of you. I am a Whitlock and a trained killer - not a vegetarian like you all. But still, I thank you all kindly for all you have done for me and I'll be on my way now."

With that I ran.

I felt Edward try to follow me but Carlisle stopped him. I knew that it wouldn't be the last I saw of the family I'd called my own for decades, but that was okay with me.

They could try and take Bella away from me.

They would not succeed.

At immortal speed I ran towards Bella and our future together.

Nothing else mattered.

Just her and our happily ever after.