Author's Note: I am SOOOO SORRY it took me so long to update. I never meant to go so long without updating. I just fell behind in my school work because of all the bad weather were I live. I missed a lot of school and it took me a long time to catch up on all of the make-up work. Plus I picked up a few extra sifts at the dinner I waitress at. Trying to play catch-up plus working equals me being drained mentally, emotionally, and physically. By the time I got home, I was in no mood to write. It wasn't until I logged on that I saw how long it had been since I last updated. Please forgive me.

Bella's POV

"Yeah now that all the pleasantries are out of the way. What the hell are you doing here in Texas, Bella?"

I could not believe this bitch. She hasn't seen Jasper in so long and the first thing she chooses to do is ask about why the hell I am in Texas.

Now the old Bella would have taken her shit and sat meekly by as she bitching about human this and babies that and blah blah blah. The new Bella though, wasn't going to take her shit.

"When Emmett and I left, we told you to live your life. Not get mixed up in the vampire world again. "

"I mean god do you even appreciate the sacrifices we've made to keep you alive and human."

Just as she was about to open her mouth again to continue her rant I cut her off.

"Shut the Hell up Rosalie. I am livin' my life the way I want to. I never asked for yer input."

"And what sacrifices, you've done nothing for me but leave me alone with a homicidal, revenge seekin, redheaded, cuntpire on the lose."

"Charlie died because of yer so called sacrifices. So I don't wanna hear an' of yer shit. I am twenty-one years old an a legal adult."

"I can do as I dam well please. If ya don't like it than tough shit, I am done caring about what you or yer family think about me."

"All I care about is what my mate thinks about me and guess what he likes who I am. So you can take yer sacrifices and shove them up yer self-righteous ass."

By the time I was done with my speech, I was breathing hard and the room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop from across the room.

As if Peter could read my mind, he pulled out a sewing pin and with a goofy grin dropped it to the carpeted floor.

That seemed to snap everyone out of their trances. Jasper started to chuckle quietly, Garrett whistled in admiration.

Charlotte was grinning at me in fondness. Peter still had his goofy grin in place, Emmett looked shocked as hell.

And Rosalie was staring at me with, wait was that, pride in her gaze.

"Well ok then. All you had to say was but out and I would have. And I am so sorry about your dad, Bella."

"We had no idea that Victoria killed him. If we had known that she was hanging around. Emmett and I would have never left you unprotected."

"Your like the baby sister we never had and I know I can be a bitch at times. But I do love you like a sister."

"The only reason I was so hard on your before, was because I thought you deserved better than Edward could ever give you."

Shocked all I could do was stare at Rosalie. I never knew she thought of me as a sister. I always thought she hated me.

Gob-smacked all I could do was utter,

"Um what?"

She chuckled then said she and I would talk about it later and right now she wanted to hear about how I ended up in Texas.

So I told Emmett and Rosalie the cliff-notes version leaving out the hard parts, that I had only ever told Jasper.

The evening was spent in good spirits with everyone catching up. Or in my case getting to know the people I had only just meet yesterday.

Peter was funny as hell, he and Emmett were a lot alike. They both liked practical jokes and pranks.

I knew that those two would eventually team up to cause chaos around the house. I could only hope and pray. That I wasn't here when they deiced to play one of there jokes.

Charlotte was a sweet little thing but I could see a fire in her eyes. I just knew that if anyone messed with her family she could and would kick their asses.

Rosalie when she wasn't being a bitch was a great person and we got along swimmingly.

Garrett was a bit of a loner, which was understanding, since most of his life as an immortal, has been spent as a nomad.

Once he was more comfortable around me, he loosed up and he was hilarious. Not in the way that Peter or Emmett were funny though.

Garrett was funny in a cynical, sarcastic way. Him and the old me would have never gotten along.

A lot of his jokes were cruel, callous and uncaring towards human life.

The new me though, the one who had lost everything and came out tougher because of it, could appreciate his scornful jokes.

Some of his jokes were a bit dull, tedious, or overused and I didn't hesitate to tell him so. He would just laugh and tell me another one, not at all offended by my criticism.

Jasper's POV

After Bella had told Rosalie off everyone had decided to spent the night catching up. I just sat back and watched Bella.

I watched as she laughed at Peter and Emmett as they told her of all the dumb assed pranks they had pulled.

They were trying to impress her and one up each other at the same time, Bella thought it was funny.

After awhile they seemed to forget she was there, so she left them to there conversation/scheming, and went to talk to Rose and Char.

They all seemed to get along great. I could feel Charlotte's relief and happiness. While she never liked Alice much, Char had hoped that they could be friends.

It never happened because of Alice's stuck up personality and though Char never showed it. I know it hurt her a little.

Since she was brought into this life she had always been jealous of how close Peter and I were. It wasn't the possessive type of jealousy. It was the, I wish I had that, type of jealousy.

She was on her way to having it now, I could tell that the three of them were going to be as close, as Peter and I were.

I was a little concerned about how Bella would get along with Garrett. He was a hard man to get to trust you and because of how old he was.

He could be a bit harsh to new people. Bella being the amazing person she was, seemed to understand Garrett, and they got along great.

I had never seen Garrett so carefree before. Even after knowing Peter and I, for almost half his life he wasn't as open with us.

As he was with Bella, it was amazing to see. She seemed to fit in perfectly and everyone was slowly coming to love her.

It was late and Bella was getting tired but she didn't want to leave yet. She came over to were I still sat and plopped her cute little ass down on my lap.

She snuggled her head into the crook of my neck and before long she was out like a light. If it wasn't for the fact that I knew she had to work tomorrow, I would have taken her up to my room and let her sleep.

Saying goodbye to everyone, I gently picked Bella up and walked outside. Before I left, I reminded Peter to bring the horses into the barn and to check their feed and water buckets.

Then I ran to Bella's truck and gently without waking her, laid her in the front seat. I got in the drives seat and lifted her head unto my lap. She snuggled closer and whispered my name.

I was beyond happy that even in her sleep my scent brought her comfort. Starting the truck I pulled out of the driveway and drove took her home.

When we got there I gently woke her up with kisses. She blurrily opened her eyes, yawned and ask where we were.

"Yer home, lil' Dralin'. I 'membered ya told me you had work tomorrow. So I brought ya back home." I whispered softly to her.

"Mkay," was her groggy reply before she closed her eyes and tried to go back to sleep on my lap.

"Come on darlin.' Ya need to go inside and get ready for bed, set yer alarms and get some sleep." I said as I gently shuck her shoulders to keep her awake.

Noticing that I said she instead of us. She woke up a bit,

"Yer not stayin' with me tonight?" she asked in a meek voice.

"I shouldn't. Ya don't need me to distract ya 'for going to work like I did today."

"But Jas yer not a distraction and I've never slept as well as I did last night. Please stay with me. Having ya by me as I sleep keeps the nightmares away." Her voice was small and frighten.

"Sh sh baby girl, quiet down. I'll stay if ya want. Ok, I'll never leave ya, you hear me, Never." I told her in a soothing voice.

She didn't reply just held on to me more tightly in fright and hide her face in my shirt. Realizing I would get nothing from her tonight.

I opened my door and hoped out with her still in my arms. Closing the truck door with me foot. I didn't bother locking the door or taking the keys from the ignition.

This far out in the country was nothing but farms and farmland. Plus I would hear if someone came onto the property, so her truck had no chance of being stolen.

I walked up to the front door and opened it. One of the best things about living in the country, hardly any crime. So no reason to lock your doors when you leave the house.

Bella was still snuggled up to me and as I looked down at her. I realized that sometime between me jumping out of the truck and opening her door, she had fallen asleep again.

I simled fondly at her and decided to let her sleep. She had a long emotional day and she deserved all the rest she could get.

Taking the stairs two at a time, I was upstairs and in her room in no time.

Laying her on the bed, I looked through the dresser, shoved up against the window. And found a tank-top and short-shorts similar to what she wore last night.

I undressed her and redressed her in her pj's as quickly as I could. When she was dressed, I put her under the covers and looked for an alarm of some kind.

I didn't find one, but I did find her phone, which had an alarm set for five-thirty A.M., figuring she used her phone for an alarm,

I set the alarm to on and curled up under the covers with her. As soon as I was within touching distances of Bella. She rolled over and laid her head on my chest.

Snuggling closer to me, she breathed in my scent like she did in the car. It seemed to clam her down and helped her fall into a deeper sleep.

In the morning I would ask her about the nightmares. For tonight, I just held her close and closed my eyes.

Not for the first time in my endless life, I wished I could sleep, wished I could dream. I knew that it was impossible, knew that I would never sleep again.

That however, didn't stop me from wishing I could. Though I could not dream, I did have my fantasies and my photographic memories.

So I closed my eyes and thought about my beautiful mate. About her smile and her laugh, her charming, witty, sarcastic nature.

Her coy looks and her sexy giggle. How it felt to kiss her, how it felt to hold her close to me. I thought about my life before her, how incomplete it always felt.

And I thought about the future, a future where I would get to keep her for eternity. To me our future looked bright.

I never in a million years thought that our future would be filled with the bloodshed of my past. Or that the secret that Peter was hiding from me. Was of me possibly losing my mate.

Of losing the only thing I ever loved more than life itself. Its like they always say, ignorance truly is bliss.

And for that moment, when all I had to worry about was if Bella would let me turn her or not. I was in bliss.

I should have known that my life could never be that simple.

Author's Note: So what do you guys think? Was it worth the long wait? You got a hint as to what secert Peter is hiding. Any guesses on what it will be? Or why Peter isn't telling Jasper abou possibly losing Bella? Review and let me know what you guys thought.