A/N: Eagle-eyed readers will have noticed that I have gone back and edited chapter 1 so it is now in their person. This happened as when I was writing this chapter, halfway through I slipped into third person and it felt so natural that I carried on. I hope you all agree with was a good call.

Disclaimer: The beautiful Stephenie Meyers put all this fanatstically well rounded characters into my head. I am just messing with them slightly.

Bella was nearing twenty-one now whereas Jasper appeared nineteen. It was only a matter of time before people started questioning why she was flitting across the country with a boy who was growing to look steadily younger than her. If only they knew.

She had been to see Mom for the last time today, they had held each other as she tried to explain that she would be going away for awhile. That she had been given a research grant to set up a new science facility in the Antarctic. Bella knew Renee did not believe her yet she said nothing as if part of her knew. This was impossible of course but she could not shake the paranoia it started inside.

She took my time as she walked the couple of blocks in the night time air to where Jasper was waiting in the car. He would not say where he got the car from but she had spotted him admiring one that looked exactly like it in airport car park. It was the same one, she knew.

It felt amazing to walk freely without looking over her shoulder. Even though one of the Cullen's or the Volturi could appear any second, she did not care and that was liberating. She had approximately four hours of her human life left and she was going to enjoy it.

The shiny black Aston Martin parked next to curb at the end of the street came into her view. Her heart burned as her body realised her love was close. She knew he could see her even though he was still too far away for her eyes to comprehend so she smiled widely and waved.

"I love you," she whispered. At that instant the car door opened and she heard his lyrical voice call back.

"I love you too."

The blow came from nowhere. A strong pair of hands gripped her tightly to their chest and Bella instantly recognised the hardness of the body to be that of a vampire. Panic surged through her like poison and she struggled violently as the vampire began to drag her back down the street. Jasper ran at his customary lightening speed to her rescue but stopped a few yards away, gaping at her attacker in shock.

"Remove your hands," he whispered, still a short distance away although he had begun circling them like a hungry pack of hyenas. The vampire did not answer, remaining silent as they slowly continued along the pavement backwards.

"Please do not make me hurt you. You know that is not what I want but if you give me no choice…," his threat hung dangerously in the air. The body behind her stiffened and the grip of her body tightened to a painful level.

"Like it would be the first time, Jasper." Edward's snarl ripped through Bella's ears and she almost cried out in shock. Jasper took another step forward as her body sagged in the arms of her ex-fiancé. The man who swore he would track them to the ends of the earth.

"Let Bella go and we will talk. Come with us to our apartment where we can talk freely without attracting any unwanted attention. No one wants to Volturi anywhere near tonight," Jasper said calmly, holding his hands open wide in front of him. Edward stood shock still, holding her in a iron grip to his chest. He used to hold her like this before, it was tenderness that filled her before, now its was just pain.

"What is there to talk about? My family is destroyed because of you two. You shattered us," Edward hissed. Finally, the pain got too much and Bella whimpered, a tear spilling down her nose.

"I will give you one more chance, Edward. Free her or I will be forced to attack. We are brothers, I do not want that." Jasper's voice was more urgent now.

"We are no longer brother, traitor!" Edward whispered but released Bella nonetheless. She darted into the no mans land between the two warring vampires not wishing to anger Edward anymore by rushing into her lovers arms.

"Please come back with us Edward. We need to talk," she pleaded, her eyes connecting with his for the first time since they left. He was beautiful. His eyes were a vivid red.

"Alice is with me. She is already outside your apartment," Edward said. Jasper stiffened at his words. His confrontation with Alice had been far more violent than hers with Edward.

"She is here?" he breathed. Despite my worries for Edward, I reached out to touch his angelic face, my fingers sweeping his jaw.

"We both knew this day would come," she said. He leaned into her hand, closing his eyes for the briefest second.

"We shall take the car, you are welcome to join us," Jasper offered quietly, already steering Bella back up the street.

Edward shook his head, "I will run right behind you, do not try to run again." Nobody said another word as Bella and Jasper climbed into their questionably-acquired car. The ten minute car journey was in complete silence although Bella kept her hand resting lightly on his thigh as he drove.

Their apartment block was a typical modern structure. They pulled into the small underground car park and apprehensively opened the car doors. Edward was instantly there, with Alice at his side. Her eyes were mere slits as she surveyed her former husband and best friend.

"You've gone down in the world Jasper," she said confidently in her musical tone, surveying the building with disgust. Jasper sped round the car to stand with Bella, slightly in front of her in a subtly protective stance.

"This is temporary. We have been travelling for the past two years. This is the first place we have stayed longer than a month," Jasper said. "Shall we go up?" Alice nodded ever so slightly and they began the short walk to the elevators. Bella, who usually found it so easy to be in the company of murderous vampires, found the ride on the confined space incredibly uncomfortable, the tense silence deafening her.

Their home was on the third floor. Jasper unlocked the door and stood back to let the others in. Alice looked around painstakingly, although it was a mystery to Bella what she was searching for.

"I am surprised to find you still breathing, Bella," she announced suddenly. "I presumed Jasper would have changed you or killed you by now." Jasper flinched.

"We have plans," he said simply. Bella did not know what would come of telling the two Cullen's their plans.

"Elaborate, please. You will never change," she sighed. Jasper glanced at me and I nodded silently. Edward already knew of course, but he was not making it easier for us by saying it out loud.

"I plan on turning her tonight at midnight. The wedding is in three months after I have trained her."

Alice screamed. "WEDDING? YOU ARE MARRYING HER?"