This chap is a flashback (of past events is mentioned in previous chapters).

P.S. DISCLAMER-I own Jack. it belongs to Stephenie Meyer... who ROCKS!

Chapter 3 The Incident (Flashback)

Setting: Chicago Illinois Sept. 13, 1918

This was it. I, Edward Anthony Mason Jr., am going to tell Isabella Marie Swan how I feel about her.

Today is her seventeenth birthday. I'm currently standing in a small ball room in Bella's home where most of her guests were congregating. Others were in the lounge and some occupied the small den.

Bella and I are now the same age as my parents were when they married. But I do not wish for an immediate engagement, I simply wish to court her.

I am certain that my feelings for her will be reciprocated; she has shown a certain fondness toward me that one can only hope is love.

But I am concerned with what ifs. For example, what if I tell Bella my feelings and she does not feel the same? What if she slaps me silly for even thinking such a thing? What if she feels the same? Or, what if, she shares my feelings but her father does not approve.

Well that last one is ridiculous, Mr. Swan has known me for years and already thinks of me as a son so it wouldn't make much sense if he were to not approve.

I'm not one who dwells on such things normally, tend to stay rather calm and collected in my thoughts. By allowing my thoughts to fester on such matters, it only makes thinking all the more difficult. Especially when one is blinded by love.

Maybe I should confide in Emmett. No my head contradicted at the very thought. Emmett can't keep quiet, but Jasper…

"That's it!" I said smiling, but also quite too loud. I could tell Jasper, he was the quiet one after all.

The crowded room full of Bella's birthday guests quieted and looked at me in curiosity for my loud outburst.

"The new painting," I said to the still gawking crowd, gesturing at a new addition to the collection on the fine golden walls. It was a small painting in a black frame of the park where Bella and I often went on strolls. "It's lovely isn't it?" I addressed the entire room and, with that, everyone went back to their conversations.

I sighed in relief. I was always good at thinking on my feet.

"What was that about?" A voice came from behind me, with a laugh. I didn't have to turn around to know that it was Emmett.

Emmett is eighteen and over six feet tall with dark brown hair and blue eyes. He also had very wide shoulders and was extremely muscular. I've known Emmett since birth. He's an excellent boxer, I must say, and often participates in local matches when Rosalie is busy shopping with Alice and Bella.

Rosalie Hale is Emmett's fiancée, and is very commanding, which is why Emmett must sneak about when he participates in matches. She is also Jaspers' twin sister; they were soon to be eighteen. Like Emmett, I have known the Hale twins since infancy.

"I was testing to see if I could get everyone's attention while making a fool of myself. Did it work?" I said, sarcasm dripping with my every word.

Emmett stated saying "Actually…" answering with a smirk on his face, when I put my hand up to stop him.

"Don't answer that Emmett, for if you do you will only make yourself sound less of an intellect that you already appear." I said this while looking down at my feet. I let a fake sad smile to play across my face while shaking my head.

His reaction didn't surprise me in the least. His usual booming laughter filled the room, which had the same quieting effect on the room as my outburst did. He abruptly stopped and looked at the faces around the room only to burst into laughter again, this time the room joined in.

"Good recovery," I told him, letting the last of my laughter out and sighing.

When he finally calmed down, he put his hand on my shoulder with a little too much force. This had taken me by surprise and made my knees buckled a little, ultimately causing me to stumble.

"I do my best." He said snickering at my lack of balance.

"Your company is very entertaining Emmett." I said winking at him, "but not at all stimulating. So, that being said, where's Jasper?" I couldn't help but smirk when the smile left his face.

"Over there talking to the Miss Mary, where else?" He pointed to an almost deserted part of the room where Jasper was talking quietly with a petite girl with hazel-blue eyes, and hair so dark brown it could almost be called black.

This is Mary Alice Brandon, but she preferred to be called Alice.

She will soon be engaged to Jasper, that is, when he summons up enough courage to propose. She is a very out going young lady and has a tendency to get a little overly dramatic. Alice is also best friends with Bella and Rose.

"Must you call her Miss Mary? You know she despises the name, and it makes you seem like a pest." I said shaking my head, while thinking of Alice's usual response to being called Mary.

"Mary, which is, after all, her proper first name, and I am a proper gentle man." He said laughing again only this time the room had become so full of chatter it wasn't a disruption.

With that I simply left the preoccupied Emmett, and made my way towards Jasper and Alice.

Jasper and his sister looked very much a like; only his features are more masculine. They both had extremely blond hair, grey-blue eyes and long and slender builds.

"Miss Alice, may I have a word with Jasper?" I asked hoping I wasn't interrupting something of importance.

"Of course Edward, take him if you must, he is, after all, no use to me." She pointed her answer toward me but never took her playful eyes off of him. A loving smile played across her lips as he bowed his head replying with a shy smile and walked off with me through the crowd.

"Should we talk out in the garden?" I asked.

"Was it not you who wished to speak to me? Go where you please to speak. If it's a private matter the garden would be suitable." As he said this, he opened the outside door and gesturing to a small back yard and we entered the back garden.

It was a beautiful place filled with every flower and imaginable. Bella had taken the task of tending to the garden, having helped her mother while growing up.

"Jasper, I fear rejection, which, as you know, is something completely new to me." I took a deep breath before continuing. Jasper just looked at me calmly but with slight puzzlement in his eyes.

"I'm going to tell Bella how I feel about her today. I am confident that she will feel the same but I cannot be sure. I've known Bella for years but I can never tell what's going on in her mind like you and the others. Everything I think contradicts one another. Why is that?"

Jasper walked over to a bench next to a small tree with white blossoms. He seemed to be thinking but it didn't take him long before he replied.

"Love is a contradiction in itself." He said, looking down at his hands. "It can be a confusing emotion or state of being. No matter, it seems to me that you are baffled by love. As you said you intend to tell her today, regardless the outcome, I am certain you can handle it with pride." He stood up and placed his hand on my shoulder as he passed me to enter the house.

What Jasper said was true. Love is a complicated feeling. I found comfort in his words and felt more relaxed once in his presence.

I went back inside. I looked around the ballroom to see if I could spot Bella, and there she was, as beautiful as ever. Her brown hair was pinned up in curls. She wore a simple light blue dress, with small vertical black pinstripes, that just barely touched the floor. Her expression was jubilant, yet I could not understand why, she was only talking to Michael.

Michael Newton, how I despised him, he had no dignity or respect. He constantly flung himself at Bella, it was utterly disgusting. But you have to pity him because it is extremely obvious that she wanted nothing more than a simple friendship with him, if that. Yet, I still could not stop my anger from boiling over every I saw is pathetic excuse for a face.

She spotted me and waved me over her face glowing. I could feel her happiness radiating from her as I got closer to her. I could tell her now; all I have to do is get Michael to leave.

"Edward!" She exclaimed once I was within hearing distance. She excused herself from Michael and practically jumping into my arms as she embraced me with such enthusiasm. "I'm so glad to see you, we're finally both seventeen, it's the best isn't it?" Her face was filled with so much excitement I felt she was about to explode with joy.

"It's the very best age, love, happy seventeenth birthday." I said kissing her on the forehead then smiling down at her jubilant expression.

How could I ever doubt she wouldn't feel the same? I'm absolutely certain she must feel the same way now.

"Bella do you mind coming out to the garden with me? I have a surprise for you I think you might like."

"As long as it doesn't take too long father doesn't notice my absence or start the cake while I'm out. Actually let me tell Rose to not let him start till I return, it will only take a moment." With that she skipped off across the room to Jasper's twin Rosalie.

Rosalie was very beautiful and overly confident in her beauty. Most males were often caught staring at her, I was never one of them, she was too much like a sister and I've never had a fancy for blonds.

As soon as Bella left she was back and she grabbed my hand and yanked me through the crowded room out the back door and into the garden. Then she abruptly stopped in her next to her favorite flower, blue orchids, and turned to face me. Her hands were straight out in front of her with her palms up and eyes closed tightly like an eager five year old.

I reached in my pocked and pulled out the velvet box, which contained a silver chain necklace with a small emerald pendent, and placed it in her hands. She opened her eyes wide and gasped as she opened the box.

"Oh, Edward, it's so lovely! Help me put it on." She said as she pulled it out and handed it back to me. She placed one of her hands on the back of her neck just above where I latched the necklace.

She turned around eager as ever. "Edward its beaut…" that's when I cut her off placing my hands gently on either side of her face and leaned in to kiss her.

Before I could reach my lips to her she slapped me across the face. "Edward Anthony Mason, don't you ever do that again!" She yelled at me anger filling her face and tone.

I was in utter shock. How was this possible? What had I done? Didn't she feel the same, I thought she did. I just stood there my cheek sore from where her hand had met it. Ouch, it hurt worse now that I let it enter my thoughts. It only stopped me because I was startled.

After a moment of silence she calmed down and said, "I knew this was coming. Edward, if only you knew. I wish so much to stay friends but this, this I can't handle. Maybe we should…" She paused, her expression pained. "Maybe we should stay clear of each other for a while. I've got to go back inside now; Rose can only hold Father off for so long." With that she gave me a sad smile and quickly went back into the house leaving me standing there shocked.

I couldn't take it. I had to stay strong. I followed after her path back into the house quickly. I weaved my way through the crowded rooms back to the front door hardly noticing my surroundings. I briefly remember Jasper trying to stop me. The sound of guests singing happy birthday and a glimpse of her back as the glow from the cake illuminated her front.

I burst through the front door of my house just next door and ran up the stairs to my room. Nobody was home they were over at the party wishing HER a happy birthday.

This pain was unbearable, I wasn't expecting this. I was anticipating the opposite actually. To be overjoyed, so happy I could sing, but this, this hurt. It felt like my heart had been ripped out of my chest and squeezed until I could feel the pressure where it should be. I crumpled to the floor at the side of my bed, facing the window.

Had anyone ever survived such pain before? Was it possible to fill the hole in my chest? It hurt to even breathe. I started hyperventilating and rested my head on my knees and let out a sob. My chest writhing with pain as I took in another breath.

That's when I passed out from sudden exhaustion.

P.S. Michael Newton is Mike Newton. I know what you're thinking. 'Woo you changed the name! You, qtmelnee, are full of cleverosity,' which is true. I am full of cleverosity, and wisdomosity I might add. But don't be jealous its not you're fault, it's just something I was born with. :-D