A.N. I am terribly sorry for the long wait but I've started University for the first time and I have had so much to do and so many places to go. I've also had a lot of birthdays to celebrate with my friends so yeah; I guess that's enough reasons. I hope this chapter makes up for the long wait though! Enjoy

Disclaimer: I do not own The Twilight Saga; Only Jeremy Jacob ^^

Chapter 22: Alterations to Our Lives

Bella's POV

I was lying down on the comfortable bed Carlisle had prepared for me. The room looked like a very sophisticated hospital private room. I even had flowers on the bedside table; freesias. But at that moment, all I could feel was the excruciating pain. I heard myself screaming but it was like I was an outsider; it felt like I wasn't even in my own body. I wondered if I was having an out-of-body experience. At that moment, I didn't care. I screamed again. I could feel the ripping pain inside my abdomen. I gripped the first two hands I found.

Jasper's POV

Bella gripped my hand and Esme's as we were the two people on either side of her. It pained me to see Bella feeling so hurt but this was necessary. I just hoped she would live through it; she had to – I wouldn't have it any other way. At that very moment I was preparing for everything to change and it all depended on me. Soon, another person would be joining our family and that person had been fathered by me. And after that, I would have to change Bella. Tears were flowing down her porcelain face and her eyes were wide with the jolts of pain that she was feeling. Carlisle had placed his hand on her tummy.

"He's too strong for her," he told me, "He's trying to push his way out but his bones and his skin are too hard for Bella."

"What do we do now?" I asked him.

"Let's create some space," he said. He looked at Edward who nodded and ushered everybody out of the room except for Carlisle, Jacob and myself. Jacob took Esme's place and held Bella's left hand. She looked up at him and I could feel his pain flowing towards me. It hurt him too to see her like that. But nothing was as big as the pain emerging from Bella. She was also feeling embarrassed as Carlisle had to touch her in order to check where the baby's head was.

"He's coming," he told her. Bella started to struggle to push Jeremy out of her. I squeezed her hand in order to encourage her but my mind was solely on the fact that soon I would have to bite her and restrain myself at the same time. The pressure that I was feeling was climbing up to a maximum at that moment.

Bella's POV

I felt Jasper squeezing my hand but as I looked up at him, I could see that his features were almost mangled. I could see the confusion upon his beautiful face. I knew he had to deal with a lot. His being an empath didn't help; he had to feel my pain and discomfort, Carlisle's anxiety, Jacob's mood, the baby's determination and struggle, and also his own pressure. I knew he was worried about both the baby and me, and mostly about his changing me which would soon have to take place. Oh Jasper; the poor thing was probably suffering more than I was; and here I was – selfishly groaning and screaming as if I were the one who was carrying the heaviest load. I squeezed his hand with as much pressure as I could afford; but I wasn't strong enough to really make an effect on his stone hard beautiful marble skin. The coldness of his skin and Jacob's warmth were like two extremes and both were causing me a bit of relief from the pain I was feeling. The coldness was helping to distract me from the abdominal pain (even though this was practically impossible) and the warmth was enveloping me in such a way as to make me feel softer and more flexible. Carlisle was edging me on to put a little more force into it so that the baby could finally get out. Come on Jeremy!

Carlisle's POV

I could see that Bella was more focused on providing comfort to Jasper. We both could tell that he was struggling underneath the pressure of all the things happening to him at once and all the changes which were about to take place and his life and everybody else's and he knew he had been the cause of all this. He had been the one to father Jeremy and now he would be the one changing Bella. These were of course good changes but the risk that they entailed was too much for him to bear. I felt sorry for him but I was also excited because his life would soon be falling into place. I could hear Alice calming Edward down. Even though Edward loved Alice, he still felt concerned about Bella. Alice told him she could see that everything would turn out well. However, even though Jasper could hear, this would not convince him. Suddenly I realized that Bella's baby was about to come. I looked at Jasper who nodded. His face looked like it was made of stone. He was worried. He knew he would have to change her as soon as the baby came out.

"Bella," I said, "push."

Bella's POV

As soon as I heard the word 'push', my heart started racing. All the fears in the world came into my mind. I squeezed Jacob and Jasper's hands as tightly as I could, fearing that this was the last time I would be seeing them; it wasn't that I didn't trust Jasper, because I did…a 100%; but I was afraid that the venom wouldn't be enough to keep me hear after all the pain that I was about to endure. I felt Jacob's thumb caressing the surface of my hand. I looked to the other side and watched Jasper as he kneeled down next to me and looked into my eyes. He kissed me on the lips and smiled softly, but I could tell that he was even more afraid than I was.

I made an effort to push as hard as I could. The unbearable pain that enveloped me as the baby's head hit me hard was indescribable.

Jasper's POV

I felt a pang of pain coming from Bella. That baby was strong; he was a half-vampire half-human and we still didn't know what features he had inherited from which parent but he was surely strong, and Bella was in so much pain. I was half regretting the fact that I had ever got her pregnant. I loved Jeremy with all of my heart already, but to watch Bella writhing in anguish on the bed was too much. Her pale face was lined with beads of sweat and tears which were crossing each other and forming indistinct lines on her cheeks. Her eyes were squeezed tightly shut and her lips were quivering. Her skin was almost yellowing; she looked terribly ill. I felt her weakening a Carlisle pushed her on to keep on pushing the baby down. I could tell that her body wouldn't survive if the baby wasn't born in the next three minutes. We waited and waited and finally, we heard a scream coming from down there; Jeremy had been born, and his scream was as musical as ever; ok, so he had a vampire voice. I felt Bella's hand trembling in my own and I felt all of the strength leaving her. I could barely hear her heartbeat. I could make out the fast beats of Jacob's heart and some middle-paced beats coming from our son, but I could barely make out a simple thud coming from her chest. I watched her as her face settled into an expressionless shape and I followed my instinct. I dug my teeth into her neck and closed my eyes. The moment her sweet blood touched my tongue, I could no longer see. I just wanted more. I felt my feet angling themselves to get into a crouching position and I felt my grip on her tightening. I also felt two pairs of arms pulling me back and I knew it was Carlisle and Jacob and I wanted to stop but my mind wouldn't let me and I was too strong for the both of them. The sweet test of her untainted blood inside my mouth was so delicious and perfect; it was so holy and divine.

But then I heard Bella screaming; her scream was loud and soul-piercing and I opened my eyes and looked at her face, with her eyes rolling backwards and death coming to take over, and immediately I pulled away with my eyes stinging with tears that I couldn't possibly shed.

Her scream went on for a few more seconds and then she stopped and remained silent with her eyes closed. Her heartbeat was so fast; I knew that the change had begun. In one day, her heart would no longer beat. I felt a hand on my shoulder and I looked up. It was Carlisle. I stood up from my crouching position and he pointed towards Jacob. Jacob was holding our son; our beautiful son. He handed the baby to me and I looked at him. He had Bella's beautiful brown eyes with golden specks. His face was pale and he had Bella's nose and lips. He had dark brown hair; just like Bella's. I looked at him. He was the spitting image of my wonderful and perfect love. I just looked at him and marveled at the sight of his beauty. Had we really made him together? Was this real? Was this what it felt like to be a father? It was an amazing feeling; something I had never dreamed of feeling before. Sure I had felt love for both Alice and Bella but this bond was something that nobody and nothing could break; the bond between father and son that had formed in a few minutes. I already loved Jeremy Jacob with all of my heart and I couldn't wait until I could show him the world, and until I could take him to Houston ; my hometown, so that I could teach him how to ride a horse and how to be a real cowboy. I wanted to teach him everything. I couldn't wait until he grew up, but at the same time I wanted him to stay like this so that he would never have to leave us to find his own mate.

"I did some research," Carlisle told me, "just this morning. But I didn't have time to tell you. He will grow at a normal rate and in an extremely regular manner until he is eighteen and then he will stop growing. His eyes will have turned to completely ochre or else red; depending on his diet – but of course in our case it will be ochre. His skin will start turning colder when he hits puberty and it will become harder around that time as well. His powers, if there are any, are inborn and they will continue to mature as he grows up."

I listened to him intently about my son's future. He would grow up to be a wonderful man. I felt a sudden rush of excitement coming from downstairs and I knew that everyone was waiting to meet this bouncing baby. I was somewhat disappointed because I wanted to be with him; just me and him and his mother… but that would have to wait until Bella woke up, all changed.

So Carlisle and Jacob followed me as we made our way downstairs to my weird and annoying family members whom I loved so much. Esme and Rosalie immediately covered their mouths at the sight of him and stared with their big golden eyes. I handed him to Esme and she took him into her arms and cuddled him only like a real mother could. And then she handed him to Rosalie. As soon as Rosalie had him in her arms, I felt a wave of motherly protectiveness, love, adoration and comfort coming from her. The warmth that she was sending off was something I had only felt coming from her once; the day she had married Emmett for the very first time. Emmett looked at his wife with his big eyes and huge smile and watched her as she happily held my son. Edward was looking down at his feet and I felt a hint of jealousy coming from him; I knew he had wanted this to be his son, but I could tell that he was also happy for us and for this I felt grateful. He looked up to meet my eyes. We had communicated in our own special way; like we always had, me and him.

"Congrats bro," he told me as he patted my back and hugged me. I looked at Alice. Her eyes were shining and she was literally bouncing up and down when Rosalie handed her Jeremy. She kept cooing over him and telling him how much clothes she was going to buy for him and how many clothes she had already bought him. And then it was like a brilliant idea had hit her. In the split of a second, she was gone and back with a beautiful boys' outfit which Rosalie had picked. They took him to Rosalie and Emmett's room to change him and it was just us five guys in the living room.

"Congrats man," Emmett said as he patted me on the back, "How's Bella?"

"She's changing," I told him. I winced as a wave of her excruciating pain hit me like thunder. I wanted to stop her pain and to take it upon myself completely.

"I just gotta be next to her," I told them. They all nodded their heads in understanding and I went back upstairs and pulled a chair to sit down next to her. I took one of her clenched fists in my hand and caressed it. I tried to give off waves of calmness and peace and serenity but nothing seemed to be working. She was still hurting and I knew this wouldn't pass. I remembered my change completely and it had been like hell over and over again for three whole days. If I could cry, I would have; for bringing her into all of this pain, and after all of the emotional pain and trouble I had caused. Why couldn't I have let her be happy with Edward? Why did I have to hurt her so badly?

"Jasper…this was supposed to happen; besides…Bella is happy with you…you are soul mates," Alice said as she walked into the room.

"Thank you Alice," I replied.

"You're throwing waves of angst downstairs. Everybody's feeling them. I just thought I'd come and see how you both were…I've seen him Jasper; in the future; he'll look just like Bella but he has your smile."

I smiled at her as I remember Jeremy downstairs and then she told me that Rosalie and Esme were feeling like they had each been given a pair of wings. I doubted none of what she said; I knew my mother and sister figures well enough to know that she was telling the truth.

Bella's POV

I felt him beside me. He was trying to calm me down. And I loved him so much. Sure, the pain was unbearable but dear God, how happy I felt that we were finally together; me, him and Jeremy. The moment the baby was born, I had felt the life being drained out of me and then I had felt an intense pain in my neck; he had bitten me, and he was literally sucking the life out of me. Without knowing how, I screamed and the moment the sound escaped my lips, he pulled away and then I felt the fire spreading within my veins. In the split of a second it felt like I was literally and truly burning on the inside. The pain was pulsating from my neck and spreading downwards and inwards. And it was still burning now and I knew it wouldn't stop. I didn't know how much time had passed but it had felt like days. The pain was just too much to handle.

Jacob's POV

I spent a lot of time with Jasper near Bella and I knew that she felt our presence because Jasper told me that whenever we were both near her, her pain calmed down by just a fraction because she was happy that we were there. He told me that she needed us both, so I spent most of the two nights either talking to Jasper and watching Bella with her eyes closed, in the state closest to sleep that she would ever be from now on, or else sleeping on the chair next to her bed with Jasper trying to soothe her and instead sending me into a deeper slumber as his waves hit me slowly. Sure, Bella was turning into that which would supposedly be my sworn enemy but I could never hate this girl who had proven to be nothing but loving and selfless towards me; no…I would always love her and protect her no matter what, and I knew that Jasper would always be on my team too.

Bella's POV

The pain melted away as fast as it had come in a split second. It felt like it had been months, but I knew that this was my third day; they had told me all of this before. I opened my eyelids and I was dazzled by all that I saw. Everything was much more detailed and beautiful than before; I had the eyes of a vampire now. I looked around me. The whole family was standing there and waiting for me to do something. I smiled at them. I could hear two heartbeats. One was in the room and the other one was downstairs.

I looked to my side and saw that Jacob was in the room, but wait where was Jeremy?

"Jeremy…"I said. My voice sounded different; it sounded musical…there was a femininity to it that there hadn't been before.

"He's downstairs…remember he has human blood and a beating heart."

"Can't I see him?" I asked.

They all looked at me like I was crazy. It was like they were all waiting for me to go crazy and start running around the room stark naked and screaming my head off. I felt quite normal; just a bit more poised and balanced. I sat up in bed and got down onto the floor. I looked down and saw that my belly was now flat again. I also found myself feeling weird because it had been incredibly easy to stand up straight without staggering or falling or even stumbling.

"Don't you feel it yet?" Emmett asked.

"Feel what?" I asked feeling puzzled.

"The burning," he said. Rosalie smacked him on the back of his head.

"What burning? I thought it was supposed to stop after the change was over…"

"Wait! So you really don't feel a thing?" Emmett asked, "So you don't feel the urge to drink all of Forks' blood?"

"No," I replied, "not really. I really don't feel a thing."

So that evening, they let me see Jeremy but I couldn't hold him yet; they were afraid that the smell of his blood would make me go crazy. Well, I did smell him and it smelt delicious but I didn't crave for it; not Jeremy's – I loved him too much. And Jacob's blood smelt very different than Jeremy's…I connected the smell to a dog's…so they had been right when they had compared his smell to that of a wet dog…but I loved him anyways and I was so grateful that he had stayed in a house full of vampires for three whole days just for me, and that he was still here in spite of what I had become.

Jeremy was beautiful. I loved him immediately. The emotions I felt for him brought me to the tears I couldn't cry. My eyes were stinging but no water was coming out. I wanted to hold him so badly but I couldn't. So Jasper held me close to him and rubbed my arm while we looked at our amazing son in Rosalie's arms. She would have been a great mother.

Jasper said that he was proud of me but extremely jealous of the fact that I could control myself so much around blood. Before we went out for a hunt that evening, Alice took me to her closet to look into the full-sized mirror. She told me I would love the way I looked and she was right. My pale face was almost flawless. I still didn't find myself as beautiful as Alice or Rosalie, but I looked much better than I had before. Still, my bright red eyes looked like something out of a horror movie upon my face. But my nose had become daintier and my lips fuller, my teeth had become whiter and my eyes had opened up wider. My lashes were longer and my hair looked fuller and shinier. My shape had been evened out and I had more curves than I had had before. I liked it.

The hunt was fun. Jasper and I went on our own. Running was the part which was most fun. We raced throughout the forest and I beat him every time. He said it wasn't fair since I was a newborn and I replied by saying that I would have beat him anyway. We wrestled over some deer and I ended up having twice as much as him. The first time their blood hit my tongue, it was like I had reached the paramount of my being. I felt ecstatic and high. I needed more and more; it wouldn't stop – the craving was now here and as I quenched my thirst, it felt so good; I felt so whole and so satisfied.

Jasper was pleased that I had found animal blood so satisfying and said that at least it wouldn't be that hard for me to hold to this diet.

That night, we lay down in bed and I found it weird not trying to sleep – it felt like a huge chunk of my life had been pulled out and now a big gaping hole had been left. But Jasper soon found a way to fill my emptiness and I was in a state of ecstasy once more.

A.N. the wait is over. I hope you enjoyed it :) Review please and I'm sorry for the long wait. I promise that the next chapter will be up soon. take care peeps. xxx

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