Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Authors Note (an extremely long one at that, my apologies in advance):

After a long and hard thought process and some suggestions from other authors, I have decided that the editing process for this story will stop on site; it will go back to the original posting. I thought about yanking it down for the editing, but I have put so much hard work into this story. Plus, so many people seem to enjoy it. *blows kisses to everyone who reviewed and put the story on their alerts*

I had a few questions come up, so I'm going to take the time to answer them as best as I can, right here and now:

I know, that some of the chapters are not coinciding with each other, and there is a reason for that. EVERYONE IN THIS STORY HAS THEIR SECRETS. I know the biggest confusion is with Chapter 2, 3 and 4. Hopefully with this next chapter being posted it will clear A LOT of these issues up. It will all tie in together and you can finally see the whole picture as to how Bella knows so much about Jasper, especially Peter and Char. Then, the story can finally move forward for your benefit. I know that is the most confusing part of this… and I'm sure it flusters everyone. For that, I am so sorry. Just bear with me, even if it's only for this next chapter.

As for Edward and his 'stray' issue with Bella, he is on an emotional rollercoaster. His acceptance of her not being his mate was something that he deliberately held from her. He's at a loss with Bella and he doesn't know how to handle it. It's a very big emotional upheaval for him, so he is resorting to the angry side.

Two people have asked me the question about Jasper jumping to conclusions on Bella's decision to go back to Edward. I will make this very; very clear…Bella isn't going back to Edward. And you will understand why by the end of this chapter.

As for Alice. The Cullens rely on Alice's visions, regardless if she has been deceitful or manipulative about her reactions. It's like the saying "Old habits die hard", but it will eventually catch up with her. Jasper accepted her "truth" from her vision as far as her decision about Edward, but his understanding of Bella's actions is clarified by the end of this chapter.

Again, Heavy…your suggestions at making this story better just astound me. I so love you! *tackles you for a huge hug* Thanks so much…

BPOV

I was scared. I didn't know what was happening to me, and I didn't care. At the moment, I didn't want to know. I felt pure rage as I fought against Peter in Jasper's bedroom. I struggled against his weight, snapping wildly to get to the one place where I wanted, no I needed to be. My mind was processing so much at one time that I really didn't know what I should be doing. I felt my shield force its way out and around Peter and myself. I found that my shield wasn't very useful as a defense against an attack. It was more like a bubble I could encase someone in.

My head whipped around as I heard Jasper tell me to drop my shield. I refused to listen; I didn't want to be controlled. I wanted to run savagely around the world, taking out every possible threat to me and my mate, starting with Edward. Again, I heard him command me to take my shield down. While lowering my shield, I focused on the internal battle that I was having. One part of my brain was telling me to run, while the other half wanted to protect my mate. I felt Peter's weight lift off me, and in a snap decision I crouched defensively protecting myself and my mate.

I watched as Jasper made his way over to the other side of the room, nonchalantly leaning against the bed post, just watching me. I couldn't really focus on what he was saying as my thoughts returned to where I thought I needed to be. That need disrupted any other train of thought that I had, and I sprinted out of the room, straight through the door.

Ignoring the thirst as it raged in my burning throat, I made my way to Edward's bedroom. As I stood there in the middle of his room with my head bowed, breathing deeply, to inhale his scent, my thought process changed. I began to filter through everything that had happened and I realized I wasn't the only one to blame for the acts of violence I had been forced to commit. If Edward hadn't brought me into this world, I wouldn't have lost everything. I wouldn't have lost my human life, my father and my humanity. The more I stood there inhaling his scent, the more pissed off I became. It was his fault I had to pull the trigger that night, his fault that I had to find out the hard way that my mate was Jasper, his fault that I had almost lost the family that still stood beside me today.

As I processed my surroundings, I heard his steps as he approached. I watched him through my lashes, just standing there, again watching me intently. I started to bolt again, but I felt his arms grip me forcefully as we tumbled to the ground. I struggled in his grasp trying to maneuver out of his clutches. He gripped me tighter, forcing me to stand up with him. His hold on my chin was tight forcing me to hold my head still.

"Open your eyes, Bella," he commanded softly in my ear, the grip on my chin even tighter.

He was forcing me to see myself, forcing me to face my fear. I squeezed my eyes a little tighter wishing that this was all a dream. Again, his grip got a little tighter on my chin. I released the breath that I was holding as my eyelids fluttered open to reveal two sets of crimson eyes staring back at me. As I scanned our reflections, I saw a flicker of fear cross my mate's eyes.

I could see the bite marks that marred Jasper's upper body; they screamed danger, vengeance and revenge. My body relaxed slightly, as I took in his form. He was trying to intimidate me with his half naked body.

Peter barged through the door and brought my attention back to where I was standing. I was in the middle of Edward's room. I inhaled sharply one more time before I launched myself out the open window. I landed gracefully on my feet and took off through the woods.

I could hear their footfalls behind me as I darted through the woods. I pushed myself faster and faster, trailing Edward's scent. It was faint, just barely detectable under the rain that had fallen. I could still hear Jasper, Peter and Char behind me, but the sound was growing fainter. I don't know how far I had travelled before his scent took a turn north. He was headed for the Denali coven.

The burning in my throat flared as I smelled something else even more delectable. A human, I thought, a meal. I pressed myself harder and faster as the smell had made my burning throat flare even more. The human's blood was teasing me like a child in a candy store. With every footstep I took, I knew I was getting closer to my target. I could hear the heartbeat now, pumping in my ears like a drum. Thump, thump, thump…it kept taunting me.

I pounced, hearing the sickening crunch of bones underneath my hands, as we both fell to the ground. I quickly snapped the neck and drank greedily, thirsting for more. I sprang up, fleeing from my first meal and making my way through the woods again. I darted and dashed in between trees, feeling the wind whip around me, in search for my next prey.

I didn't pity the next human or the one after that.

Regret? No.

Remorse? No.

Self-loathing? No.

I finally came to a stop just before the Canadian border. I had lost all traces of Edward long ago, so for now he was safe, but my focus came back to him as my thoughts began to slow a little. I wanted nothing more than to destroy the one who had almost destroyed me. My anger flared, but still I forced myself to sit down on a fallen log.

I knew that most newborn vampires did not retain clear memories of their human lives, but I could tell that I was different. I had retained the memories that brought me pain, just like Rosalie, and I was hell-bent on revenge. But, I had also retained my memories the Cullens, Peter and Char, Jasper, and Charlie. Those people were the best parts of my life over the last year and a half.

*Flashback*

The first time I heard the names Peter and Charlotte, I was listening to Jasper and Edward argue. Jasper wanted to call them for back-up after the incident in Phoenix. He was calculating and planning on taking Victoria out shortly after we returned, although Edward had insisted that she was not a threat to me or the family. It sparked my interest as I didn't know anything about Jasper, his past, or his family before the Cullens.

After a mentally exhausting week of watching Edward and Jasper argue over Peter and Charlotte, and a few searches on the internet, I decided that Jasper's past was becoming a problem in mine and Edward's relationship. I was tired of Jasper's past being such a secret, that I decided taking what few names I had, and went to Texas myself. I explained to Charlie before I left that I needed to get away. I was about to begin my senior year, Edward was breathing down my neck, that I needed to live a little. I told him that Carlisle and Esme had bought me tickets to go see Mom in Florida, but I was going to trade them in for Houston. He questioned why I wouldn't want to go and see Mom, so I told him that one of my favorite bands was playing there; he had to admit that Renee would be the first to understand my need to live a little. I also told him that Alice was going with me. I think that's the only reason he agreed. I had come up with this elaborate scheme in my head, and so far Charlie was on board.

I called Alice to tell her that I needed her to lie for me and steer clear of Charlie for the weekend. Without question, she agreed. I should have known something was wrong when she could clearly see what my decision was. She told me that she would block my deception from Edward by thinking about this fall's fashion line. I rolled my eyes.

Getting past Edward was not an easy feat; I told him that I was going to use the ticket to finally go see my Mom before my change, giving me the chance to say good-bye. He fought with me for hours, saying that Victoria was still out there, and that I was in danger. I countered with the comment that if he was so worried that he should have let Jasper move forward with his plan to take her out. His eyes widened and his expression shocked, like I had just slapped him in the face. After recovering, he huffed like a child, turned on his heel and disappeared out my bedroom window. That's when things changed between Edward and me.

I made my way to Galveston, Texas, the last place that I had knew Jasper had been after hearing him and Edward argue. Through all the arguing, my curiosity had gotten the best of me. I wanted to see where Jasper came from, rather than hear it from a third or fourth source and because of Edward's over protectiveness I couldn't go directly to the source. I don't know what was behind this sudden surge of curiosity, but whatever the reason, I felt as though I needed to know why Jasper had become the vampire that he was.

I searched for two days, going on what little information I had after finding out that they bore the same last name as Jasper through Alice, trying to find Peter and Char. I was on my last leg, only a few hours from heading back to Forks, when I found the road that led to their place. My instincts were screaming, telling me to run as I stepped out of the woman's car I had hitched a ride from. I politely nodded, gave her a gentle smile and stepped onto the long driveway. Every part of my body screamed and tried to force me to turn around back to the woman's car. I pushed forward though, my curiosity getting the best of me.

I stopped the just outside a quaint little house, breathing deeply because I had absolutely no idea why I had done this besides the hidden secrets of Jasper's past. The home was buried deep in the plains of Texas, not a neighbor in sight for miles and it seemed like there was no exit to the property. The vast expanse of the property showed that it was well taken care of.

I watched from just beyond the porch as the door opened to reveal a strikingly handsome man, who ironically looked a lot like Jasper. He was tall, around Edward's height, and his blond hair fell to his shoulders. He was the epitome of a cowboy, from his weathered flannel shirt, straight down to his scuffed up cowboy boots.

My posture stiffened as the reality of the situation came crashing down on me. I looked into his crimson eyes, before closing my eyes and shaking my head to remind myself that I came here for a reason. I took a tentative step towards the porch, as I watched who I had assumed was Peter. I watched cautiously through the slats on the porch railing, as they distorted this vampires feature some.

"Bella…" He trailed off, a smile gracing his lips.

I stopped mid-step and stared at him. I hadn't expected him to know who I was, but his knowledge further cemented that I had made the right choice by coming being here. I managed to mumble something in response, my stuttering clearly showing that I was human. He chuckled at my struggle for words and waved for me to follow him inside.

I made my way into the house, and stood awkwardly in the entryway, waiting for some sort of instruction as to where I needed to go. Suddenly, a blonde head that I assumed belonged to Charlotte popped her head out of the next doorway.

"Hey there, sweets. You thirsty?" she asked, chuckling at her own joke.

"Umm…" I trailed off, shifting back and forth on my feet. I suddenly felt extremely uncomfortable in the presence of these human drinkers.

"I wasn't talking about blood, Bella," she said, rolling her eyes. "I made some sweet tea," she finished.

I only nodded in response, earning a small smile from her before she disappeared back into the kitchen.

"Make yaself at home, sweets," she called behind her.

I made my way through the entryway into the living room and sat down on a couch. I took in my surroundings and was pleasantly surprised that it smelled of sunshine and old leather, very Texan. I smiled thinking that of how one day; I would like to live down in the sun again. Clearly, even as a vampire I could, just as my hosts were.

"Bella, why did you come here?" Peter asked, bringing me out of my reverie.

I hadn't even realized that either of them had come into the room. They stood there staring at me like I was insane for being here.

"Jasper," I whispered quietly.

"What about Jasper, Bella?" Char said, walking over to hand me my tea. She sat down and gently patted my knee while Peter stood there with a smirk and his arms across his chest.

"I don't know," I sighed. "All I know is that I'm curious about him. Edward never answers when I ask questions about him, and according to Edward, he's far too dangerous for me to talk to face to face," I said, throwing up air quotes around "dangerous".

"Again, why did you come here, Bella?" Peter asked me again.

I looked at him, thoroughly confused by his question. As I stared at him, feeling quite perplexed that I didn't know the answer to his question, he just stood there staring right back. I didn't know what I was supposed to say. I had made my way down here on a whim for no other reason than I was curious about Jasper. As I searched Peter's features, he gave nothing away; his expression was completely neutral.

"How did you know I was coming?" I asked, my eyes darting back and forth between them.

"Alice called, told us to be on the lookout for you. You know her and her meddling," Char said, rolling her eyes. I giggled because it was just like Alice to do something like that. Peter vanished, reappearing right in front of me seconds later. The look on his face was thoughtful as though he was trying to figure out exactly what to say.

I watched as he raised his clenched fist and released his fingers. The necklace dangling on the end of them was beautiful. I swayed, back and forth, following the hypnotic motion of the pendant as though it was an instrument made specifically for hypnotizing. I watched as it became still, glittering in the rays of light coming in from the window. It was stunning, a simple silver cross with gold angel wings wrapped around it.

"Here," Peter said, placing the necklace gently around my neck. "This is for you," he finished, letting the necklace slip below the neckline of my shirt.

"What is it?" I asked. "And, why are you giving it to me?"

"Your place in this world, sugar," he answered cryptically.

I looked at Charlotte, asking for an explanation with my expression; she smiled back gently before getting up and walking towards the kitchen again. Char's disappearance, left me and Peter in a staring match again, and the silence was consuming, like there was a huge elephant in the room.

"Why did you come here?" he asked again.

"I don't know what answer your looking for, Peter," I said angrily. "But, I assure you that your assumptions are probably wrong."

"I'm never wrong," he answered swiftly.

"Again, I assure you that you are," I said, my expression hardening.

At that point, I had known these vampires for all of ten minutes and Peter was getting under my skin already. At the same time, I felt more confident being around them on my own, and not shrouded by some over-bearing boyfriend.

A sudden movement caught me off guard and I jumped. I scrambled further onto the couch as my eyes widened in shock. I took in the two forms standing before me. They both looked dangerous, very dangerous. My heart sped up, my vision blurred, and my head became light. I felt like I was swimming in an ocean, the waves crashing around me as I tried to catch the only breath that I had left.

*End Flashback*

JPOV

I followed Bella's scent as we headed north. I told Peter and Char to dispose of the human remains we passed in her wake. I trailed her to just before the Canadian border, realizing she was clearly tracking Edward. I could feel her emotions a mile away. I stopped just short of where she was and watched her. She gently fingered a necklace that I hadn't noticed before.

BPOV

*Flashback Continued*

I sat there, mouth agape, just staring at the two vampires that were standing in front of me. Neither moved, just staring back at me.

My mouth was parched, my mouth opening and closing as I took in both figures again. I couldn't find the right words to say, a coherent thought somewhere in the recess of my mind. I palmed my face and groaned.

"Why me?" I whispered.

A low chuckle escaped Peter's lips, followed by a tinkling laugh from the kitchen. Again, I groaned.

"Ahh," Peter said, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "So my assumptions are correct then?" he asked, another chuckle escaping his lips.

"Cocky bastard," I said, rolling my eyes.

"What a mouth ya have on ya!" Char said as she wrapped her arms around Peter's waist.

"You don't know the half of it," I replied, eyeing the vampire that was standing next to Peter.

I thought Edward was beautiful when he 'sparkled', but this vampire was beyond beautiful. He was captivating me, just as Edward had. I shook my head, trying to steer clear of being dazzled. I don't think he was intentionally trying to dazzle me, but he sure as hell was giving Edward a run for his money. I sighed. Finally, my thoughts began to filter back into my brain and I was able to at least say something that didn't sound stupid.

"Don't you have better things to do with your time?" I asked, pointing to the other vampire.

"Who me?" he asked innocently, pointing to his chest.

"Yes, you," I said. "Did you think I was talking to that wall behind you or something?"

He laughed and shook his head.

"I like her…" he said, turning to Peter and smiling. "She's feisty," he said, eyeing me up with a smirk.

"Well, maybe if she wasn't so repressed by Edward, and when I mean repressed, I mean repressed," Peter said wagging his eyebrows, earning a smack upside the head from Char.

"What?" he asked, looking down at her, confusion crossing his face.

"It would be right of ya to remember that a gentleman doesn't take advantage of a lady," Char said, chuckling.

"She ain't a lady, if the word 'bastard' comes out of her mouth…" he responded, earning another smack upside the head.

I threw my hands up in the air and huffed. This was getting ridiculous. I was getting even more pissed off by the moment.

"Shut up, Peter!" I screeched. "Jesus fucking Christ, I just want to know why Jasper is standing in the middle of your fucking living room. It's not so much to ask when I made the fucking trip by myself, I could have just hitched a fucking ride with him as showed me the way. Alice fucking knew I was going to do this, she could have at least told me he was here. I'm the one who searched for your place for two days…" I trailed off, eyeing Jasper irately.

"Whoa there, darlin', take a breath before ya pass out," he said, holding his hand up to stop my rant. "Take a breath, then I will explain."

I inhaled through my nose and out of my mouth, trying to let my anger pass. Jasper watched me as I took each breath in and blew it out. He smiled gently, letting me know that my emotions were not affecting him as badly anymore.

"Well?" I questioned him.

"I'm on vacation," he deadpanned.

"Are you fucking kidding me? You're on vacation? How convenient," I scoffed, my anger flaring back to the surface.

"Yes," he answered simply. "Now the question is: why are you here?" he said, raising his eyebrow at me.

Again, I felt all plausible explanations evade me.

"I…I…I" I stuttered, silently pleading with Charlotte to help me out on this one.

"She came here to learn about you," Char answered for me. "Edward keeps her in the dark."

"Hmm, how thoughtful of him…" he trailed off.

I noticed there was something different about Jasper, now that he wasn't with the Cullens. He seemed to have a sense of humor, a lightness to him, which seemed to be buried underneath what I saw when he was with the Cullens. He turned on his heel and left the room.

"Gah, stupid fucking vampires…" I said, crossing my arms over my chest. "I swear they're all alike."

"What are we, human?" Char laughed.

"Sorry," I said, rolling my eyes. "Clearly, I'm not going to get any answers even with Jasper right in the other room." I said, glancing at the clock on the mantle.

"Be patient, sugar. You will get your answers," Char said, walking up and embracing me lightly. "There is a lot of time between now and forever."

I had spent just a little over an hour with them and I had to leave and make my way back to Forks. I would go back to living as a repressed, obedient, and loving girlfriend. Char programmed her and Peter's numbers in my phone before I left, and she even included Jasper's for good measure, knowing I would never use it.

I travelled the few hours back to Houston with Peter in dead silence, catching a later flight then I had intended. While I sat there, I thought of a million lies that I could tell Edward about my new gift. I had finally settled on that I had saw it in a jewelry shop and bought it. It was a simple enough lie that would get me through until I could do some research on it.

Over the next few months, I had noticed subtle changes in Edward. He was even more overprotective. Every time I brought up my change, he would push the question aside. I was beginning to become desperate in my search for forever. I had called Charlotte quite a few times, to ask basic questions about Jasper, and help me figure out what I was going to do. She was becoming more and more worried that Edward was changing his mind on my change. A few times, Peter had gotten on the phone to reassure me that it was still going to happen.

*End of Flashback*

A twig snapping brought me out of my daydream. I crouched and hissed, as his scent became clearer.

"Bella, do not move," he commanded.

I hissed again, crouching further into a defensive position, and throwing my shield up.

"Drop it," he commanded, coming out from behind the tree. "I need to feel you."

"You're not going to control me, Jasper," I stated.

"Bella, I don't want to manipulate your emotions or control you, I just want to feel you," he replied, concern washing over his features.

I watched as he walked toward me with authority. Although my mind was screaming at me to not listen the part of me that trusted him won the battle, and I lowered my shield.

"Your control of your gift is amazing," he said. "But that is not what interests me at the moment. What interests me is that," he said, pointing to the necklace. "Where did you get it?"

"Peter," I said, straightening back up to my full height. "He gave it to me when I first made it to their place that day,"

"You know what it symbolizes, don't you?" he asked, looking suddenly serious.

"No," I replied.

I watched as he leaned in close to my ear. My eyes darted back and forth around the forest, watching for any sign of Peter and Char. His voice became husky as he spoke.

"You are wearing the Whitlock crest," he whispered seductively.

My eyes widened as the explanation sunk rapidly into my mind. Peter had given me this and I had unknowingly been wearing my mate's family crest since my visit to Texas. I searched the surrounding area through the dark of the night for Peter and Char. When I honed in on the sounds of their whispers off in the distance, my eyes narrowed.

"Peter," I said.

All I heard was a chuckle in the blowing breeze.