A/N:
Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight. No copyright infringement is intended.
Story is non-cannon and rated for mature audiences only
Thanks for all who have reviews, added as favorite or requested an alert. I appreciate all my readers! I do apologize or the delay, I had intended to have this up much sooner… life got in the way as usual :)
Chapter 3
-Bella-
We left for my house and as nervous as I was about telling Charlie I was leaving, I was also excited to start my new life. I knew Charlie would be a bit sad seeing me go, but it was necessary at this point. As we pulled into the drive I could see the cruiser parked out front. Well here goes nothing…
"Dad…" I called as I entered the house. "In here Bells." He was in the kitchen going over some files for work. "Hey Dad. I need to talk to you." He dropped the files and motioned for me to sit. "So there's this university in Montana, it has one of the best English programs in the Northwest." He was staring at me intently. "Well the thing is, they accepted me to one of their honors programs." Charlie jumped out of his chair and hugged me. "Oh honey, that's great! I'm so proud of you."
It was odd for him to show this much affection, but I treasured it. It was the last time I'd be able to hug him, be held by my father. I committed to memory the feeling of his strong arms wrapped around me, his scent and how his love for me seemed to just flow from him. "Thanks Dad. The thing is, the program starts in a few days. In order to make it on time, I've gotta take off today." Charlie released me from his hold, keeping his hands on my shoulders and looking me in the eyes.
After a sigh he patted my shoulders and sat back down. "I can't say I'm happy you're leaving. I'm going to miss ya kid. I am happy you're moving forward with your life. After they left… I've been so worried you've given up on life. I'm proud of you baby. Just promise you'll at least call or write once in awhile. Don't forget about your old man once you get out there with all those other scholars." I couldn't speak. He was such an amazing father. I wrapped me arms around him once more before retrieving my few belongings from upstairs.
"Bells, you aren't driving the truck all the way to Montana are you?" Charlie hollered from the foot of the stairs. "Nah, I'm going head to Seattle tonight. My flight leaves in a few hours." I walked down the staircase for likely the last time. I should have felt sad leaving behind my life in Forks, leaving behind my family. But in all honesty, I felt only a slight loss. I knew it was what was best for everyone involved.
"Well, stay safe honey. Call me when you get settled." He gave me another one armed hug and glanced at the clock. "I've gotta run kiddo. One of the deputies called in sick today so I'm working the late shift tonight." I nodded and followed him out the door. "I love you Dad. I'll call when I land in Montana."
-Peter-
While Angel discussed things with her father, Char and I rented a truck for the trip. Neither of us wanted to fly back to Montana. It wasn't a control issue, we had excellent control, more than any of the Cullen's, except maybe the good doctor himself. It was more, we preferred our own space. Besides, I'd like to talk to our Angel a bit along the way. As we returned to her house, we passed her father. He didn't seem too distraught. I was grateful that Sam had agreed to look after Charlie. I didn't know much about our Angel, but I did know she'd be upset if anything happened to him.
We pulled into her drive to see her just standing there. Staring off into space. I watched her for a few seconds, long enough for my vampire eyes to see the defeated, lost look in her eyes. Major and I had our issues, we always would, but what his family did to this amazing girl… I didn't know if I could forgive that. I didn't know how we'd do it, but Char and I would help piece this broken Angel back together. My mate squeezed my hand. "We'll help her sugar. We have to… she's family now and we protect what is ours." That's my woman. Sometimes I wondered if her gift was to read my mind. It must have something to do with the mating.
I rolled down the tinted truck window. "Ready Angel?" My voice seemed to shake her out of her stupor. "Yeah, let's get the hell out of this town." She climbed into the back of the cab and we took off down the road. It was silent as we passed through the Olympic National Park. We were just on the edge of Port Angeles when she finally found her voice. "Nice truck Peter. I thought you vampires liked much faster vehicles." Char and I just laughed. I'm sure she was used to flashy, fast cars with the Cullen's. Those fuckers just loved to show off all their money.
"We're much simpler than those assholes Angel. Besides, we're heading to the Rocky Mountains. Those prissy ass cars wouldn't hold up on our Ranch." I glanced at her in the rear view mirror and was graced with a smirk from her. "Glad to hear it Peter. I'm a much simpler girl myself. I never did understand the need to blow large amounts of cash on something so useless." Char busted up laughing. "Couldn't agree more sugar…"
-Jasper-
Alice looked up at me, her eyes wide. "She's gone." It was barely a whisper; just loud enough a vampire could hear her. "What do you mean she's gone Alice?" I demanded. Gone. Where did she go? Alice started dry sobbing and threw herself in Esme's arms. "She's … she's dead. She just jumped." Ok, she was making absolutely no sense.
Thank God Carlisle stepped in at this point. "Tell us everything Alice, start from the beginning." Esme still had Alice cradled in her arms. "She was standing on a cliff. I think probably down on the reservation. She held her arms out and jumped head first into the ocean. Everything went black after that." She sobbed harder. I couldn't believe it. No. Bella couldn't be dead. This is all my fault. If I hadn't lunged for her, if I could just control myself!
The pain that ripped through the room was too much. I fell to my knees and sobbed. I'm not sure how long we sat there, mourning the loss of Bella. Esme and Carlisle lost their human daughter. Emmett lost the little sister he always wanted. Rose's loss ran deep. I'm sure she mourned the loss of her sister, but also the utter waste of human life. Outside of family, Rose treasured humanity more than most knew. Alice, well her feelings were indistinguishable as usual. I couldn't put my finger on anything in particular, but I knew something was up with her.
"Oh, poor Charlie and… and… Renee!" Esme sobbed into Carlisle's chest. "He's going to be devastated." She was right. Bella was his whole world. I could feel it every time they were together. He may not have shown it, but he truly loved her. This would devastate Charlie. "We still can't go back." Alice stated in a hollow, cold voice.
At this point everyone turned to her in shock. "Surely Edward would want us to comfort Charlie. We have to go and be there for him. We owe it to him, to Bella." Carlisle tried reasoning with her. I could feel a spike in her anger. She was close to a full on rage. "NO! Carlisle, Edward doesn't want us to go there. At. All. For absolutely no reason. Besides, how would you explain it to Charlie. 'Oh hey, my psychic daughter saw Bella kill herself...' I'm sorry Carlisle, but you know we can't." Esme went to speak again but Alice slipped into a vision first.
"We can't go. If we go, it'll just make things worse. Draw attention from the Volturi." She spoke in a quiet, defeated voice but her emotions told a different story. She was hiding something, something big. "What else Alice? What are you hiding?" She glared at my questioning. "Nothing Jasper." Well, if she wasn't going to tell me on her own, I could certainly make her. Something dark that was once hidden deep inside me stirred.
"Alice, think about this very carefully." I stalked toward her. "You know I'll get the truth, and I promise you wife … if you tell me on your own it'll be much easier on you." She glared at me. "What does it matter Jasper? Why are you doing this? I'm your wife! Your mate! You wouldn't dare hurt me!" She had a point. As vampires, we could not harm our mates, but I didn't feel that restriction. I could have torn her apart without a second thought. Holy fuck she's not my mate! I was reeling from the realization. Alice lied to me, not just about what's happening with Bella, but about us being mates! She wasn't my mate and this thought alone brought something very sinister to the surface. Let me out Jasper. Let me handle the bitch. Major Whitlock roared from his cage deep inside. And for the first time in years, I didn't fight him.
-Alice-
He stalked toward me, his expression was absolutely deadly. I watched him closely as his future went fuzzy. I could see the second Jasper was gone and Major Whitlock returned. Oh SHIT! He's back. He's going to tear me apart! I wasn't sure how I lost control. Maybe I let my emotions out just a bit too much. Surely he was reacting to something he felt with his gift. "Jazz, please. Baby I love you but you need to understand, it's not safe for us to be around Bella's family. You of all people should know. You are the reason we left in the first place. Besides, the Volturi will find out if we go back. The wolves are out for blood and won't hesitate in making a scene. It'll cause the Volturi to rain down on us. We will all die."
I worked to keep my emotions in check the entire time I spouted off the lie. The more dishonesty I allowed leak through, the angrier Major Whitlock would get. After all this time, I can't believe he's back. Fuck. He was mere centimeters from my face. "Logically, you are correct Mary Alice. We cannot afford to bring attention to this coven. What I do not agree with is you are lying to said coven. However, it is neither my coven nor my decision." He turned to Carlisle. "I do assure you Carlisle, she is lying about something big. As I said, it is not my issue. She falls under your ruling." Oh my God, he's leaving me!
Carlisle looked confused. He knew the laws. Any mated female in a coven falls under the ruling of her mate. Males fall under the Alpha's ruling. If Jasper and I were truly mated, he wouldn't be leaving the ruling to Carlisle. This was Jasper's way of informing the family that I had lied about the mating. SHIT! They're going to question everything! Damnit, I wish Edward were here. "Surely you know the laws Jasper. She's your mate; she falls under your ruling, not mine."
Major Whitlock just shook his head. "No Carlisle. She is not my mate. She lied. If she were my mate, I would not have the desire to rip her to pieces. So you see if she was willing to lie to me about mating, what else has she hidden?"
-Carlisle-
Alice lied. Alice lied to Jasper! My family was falling apart right before my eyes. First we lost Bella, then Edward and now it seems that we're losing Jasper. If Alice lied to him, I'd like to think she did it for a good reason. She's always looked out for the better of our family. She's sacrificed so much just to protect us. Having her gift wasn't easy, we all knew the burden she carried with her.
"Jasper, I'm sure she only meant to protect you in some way. Surely she didn't lie about being your mate. She isn't that cruel." He shook his head; a sinister smile appeared on his face. "No Carlisle, she lied. Unfortunately, I cannot tolerate the lies. Jasper may have been able to, but I cannot." Ah, so we're dealing with Major Whitlock, not Jasper.
"Major, I understand completely. It is unfortunate that you feel she has lied to Jasper. As I said, I'm sure there is a perfectly good explanation. If you'll just let us work this out with Jasper, we'll get everything out in the open." Major Whitlock had little to no compassion. He was cold and methodical. It would be much easier to work with Jasper. "Unfortunately Carlisle, at this moment Jasper is in too much pain to speak with you. You are correct, we will get to the bottom of this, one way or another."
I nodded my affirmation, "Alright Major, let's have a seat in the dining room and discuss this." I had a feeling we were in for a long night.
-Jasper-
Major Whitlock had taken over when I couldn't handle the idea that Alice lied to me. If there was one thing he couldn't handle, it was having lack of information. Lying in itself denied him information. Minor lies and deceit wouldn't bring him forward, but a lie like this, well there was no guessing what he'd do now.
Being in the background in my own mind was a rather odd experience. No matter how often he came forward, it was always overwhelming. I was there, but not entirely. I could see everyone around us. The family piled into the dining room. Carlisle at the head of the table with Esme on one side and Alice on his other. Rose sat next to Esme and of course Emmett right next to Rose. Major took the other end of the table, as far away from Alice as possible. As he said, now that Alice was not our mate, Carlisle was in control of her fate. If he sat too close to her, I could feel he would end her.
"Now Alice, please tell me why Major Whitlock here believes you've lied to all of us." Carlisle was gentle with her, much more than Major would have been if he were in charge. Of course Major Whitlock was not happy and I could feel his agitation with Carlisle. "I'm not lying about Bella. She's gone and we can't go back. Even if we could we must honor Edward's wishes regarding Bella and Forks. She's his mate. It is his call, no one else can change that. As far as the mate issue goes, I didn't lie. Jasper is my mate. It's just that well, Major here isn't."
WHAT? No that's just not possible. Major tensed. He was about to jump across the table and rip Alice apart. I knew the only way to hold Major Whitlock off was to reassure him that I was not Alice's mate. Major. We know she's lying. Hold off, let Carlisle handle it. That seemed to calm him down enough to hold it together. The last thing the Cullen's needed was an out of control Major.
The conversation continued for what seemed like hours. In my current 'locked up' state I couldn't be sure exactly how much time truly had passed. Finally it seemed that things were calming down. I could feel Major Whitlock's control over me slipping. He was willing himself back into his cage. "Alice, I don't know how to tell you just how disappointed I am in you. You've hidden things from this family, from Jasper." Carlisle's voice was tired and defeated.
Major Whitlock had fully retreated, I was now in control. Alice was dry sobbing while the entire family sat across from her. Even Esme seemed reluctant to comfort her. "I just wanted everyone to be happy. I didn't hide anything that would hurt anyone. I love Jasper! I couldn't lose him. If I told him we weren't mates, I knew he'd leave me. Then I'd be alone. Do you know how hard it is to be alone for eternity!"
I could still feel her deceit, but the family was beginning to believe her. Even now, after finding out she lied, I couldn't condemn her to an eternity without her family. She saved me from myself, from my feeding habits. I couldn't rip the Cullen's away from her. On the other hand, there was no way I could remain part of her life, which meant only one thing. I had to leave. The Cullen's were great, and I loved each of them dearly, but they weren't my family. I had my own family.
"Listen Alice. I can understand that you were scared, lonely even. I get that. I can't however forgive what you've done. You've hurt me beyond measure. I loved you Alice. Hell who knows, had you told me the truth, I may have picked you anyway." She had the good sense to actually look ashamed. Unfortunately for her, she exuded pure treachery. "Like I said, I understand but I won't forgive and I absolutely cannot remain near you. Major Whitlock wants nothing more than to roast marshmallows over your pyre."
"You can't make me leave Jasper! I brought you to the Cullen's!" She was in full on hysterics. Whether or not they were real, I wasn't sure. Like I said, I always had a hard time reading all of her emotions. "ALICE!" I yelled over her rant. "Let me finish." I waited for her silence before addressing the rest of the family. "Em, Rose, I love you both dearly and know that no matter what happens you'll always be part of my family. Nothing will change that." Rose opened her mouth as if to speak. I raised my hand to silence her. "Esme, you're an amazing mother. I can barely remember my human mother, but I hope she was half as wonderful as you. I love you Mom." She tucked herself into Carlisle's embrace, sobbing. "Carlisle, your compassion knows no bounds. You're a magnificent leader and father figure to this family. I could never thank you enough for what you've given me. You'll forever hold my love, but also respect." I sighed deeply. "All that withstanding, I think it's best if I take my leave."
I'm sure they knew my decision even before my announcement. "Now I'm abandoning the family. I'm just taking a break while Major Whitlock calms down. Maybe tour the world again. I, we, just can't be around her right now. Nor will I destroy this family. We've been through too much already. It's the most logical choice. I do this for me, for all of us."
With a round of goodbyes, I was driving down the highway, my few bags and guitar in the back seat. I didn't really have a direction, I could go see Peter and Charlotte, but after the 'conversation' earlier, I didn't think it was quite the right time. Maybe a few months of finding myself and I'd return to them. Maybe.