I stayed in the cottage for about an hour, pondering over what Alice had been telling me. Jasper was probably not making desicions to block Alice out for some reason. Why would I matter to him. I, who had almost ruined his immortal life so many times. I, who when I was only hours old had avoided human blood, something he couldn't do sometimes now, and led him to believe he was the weakest vegetarian in the family once again. It was when I heard six vampires leave to hunt and smelled Jasper not with them that I got up and started to go to the main house.
I decided to play innocent and pretend I didn't know what he was planning. You never know, maybe he changed his mind. Alice was wrong sometimes after all.
"Hey Jasper," I called as I walked into the house and saw him sitting on the couch. "Why didn't you go with the others hunting?"
"I just went yesterday. Remember, I'm on a 'better safe than sorry hunt every three days' diet. I just went yesterday. I could ask the same to you." All this was said in a very dry, sarcastic way. Not like Jasper at all.
"I'm waiting for Jake to bring Nessie home from Charlie's," I said brightly. "I'll go with you this Thursday."
"Are you sure you can restrain me when I start going after more humans to slaughter and-"
"Jasper, Jasper, Jasper," I said, slightly exasperated as I went to sit down on the couch with him. "Do you really not no why I'm here?" He stared blankly at me, so I continued. "Alice saw you leaving again."
"Shoot!" he said. Well actually he said something a little stronger but whatever. Then he looked puzzled. "So why did she send you here?"
"I care to Jasper! I don't want to make you force yourself to leave!" I thought it was best not to mention that Alice had come to me specifically to ask me to to this. "Do you have any idea how guilty I feel now?"
"Actually I do." he said dryly. "But Bella, you aren't forcing me anywhere. I'm leaving because I am not right for this family. You all don't derserve me. Especially Alice. Do you no what I've done to her? She is perfect for this lifestyle, the whole vegetarian thing and all. I can't sit here, with her and everyone else telling me it's not my fault, that I couldn't help myself, that they understand why I killed that boy. And they're right! I didn't mean to! But does it matter! His life is gone, he will never breath again, his whole existance demolished all because of one second of my carelessness and letting my guard down!"
I waited for Jasper to speak again but he didn't. He put his head down in his hands and I realized that he wanted an answer to his question.
"Actually Jasper, I agree with you," I said. His head sprang up looking a mixture of surprised, confused and a little hurt. "On some parts," I finished. "It shouldn't matter. You took someones life away form them. But Jasper, you mean to much to Alice, to me, to everyone in the family to let you leave like that. You know you did something wrong but it really was an accident. You can't help it, right?" He nodded. "Alice would die if you left, literally of course. She doesn't like it that you killed someone, obivously, but she doesn't want you gone. Its the problem she wants gone and she can't help that. But she knows that it is a two-for-one deal. You come with the little issue, she knows she gets you with it or no deal. And she loves you way, way, way to much to let you go. So, you have to stay"
"Bella, I want you to be honest with me," he said rather suddenly. "Is that all true?"
"Of course! Why would I make something like that up?" How could he even think that for a second?!?
"Okay, okay. So me leaving would kill Alice that much? I'm just one, lousy person afterall. She'd have to get over it sooner or later. But I will stay. I owe you and Alice that much."
"But Jasper-," I started to say but I heard Jake pull into the driveway and I knew the conversation was over. For now, anyway. "We are hunting tomorrow, got it? I've got a lot more to say to you."
He only nodded and went back to moping on the couch.