(Bella)

The four of us filed up to my room, leaving my Dad to his packing. I could tell he was put off by Peter and Charlotte, but he didn't say anything.

"Now that is a normal reaction." Peter said satisfied. "I was getting worried I was losing my edge being around you." He gave me a smug look. "You're entirely too comfortable around us Bella."

I shrugged. "I've always been good with weird."

"I'm glad you are." Charlotte told me with a smile. "I've been stuck with Peter for company for too long. It will be nice to have a girl around that I actually like for a change. Jasper's former wife and I never could stand each other."

"That's putting it mildly." Jasper chuckled. "I was afraid to leave you two alone in a room."

"Dare I ask why?" I wondered aloud.

"You've met Alice, right?" Peter snarked. "Inflated self-worth, manipulative, uses her gift like a weapon? Likes to put down everyone around her, insists on improving people who don't need it?"

I laughed, "Yep, we've met."

Peter grunted. "Suffice to say, she didn't take kindly to us from the start. Thought we weren't good enough for her Jazzy and wouldn't let us be around him much. Whenever we'd impose ourselves, she'd insult our lifestyle and appearance the whole time. Charlotte about ripped her to pieces when she tried to cut her hair. It's a good thing Jasper was close."

"Why in the world would she do that? Charlotte has such beautiful hair." I smiled at her. "You're perfect how you are, don't listen to Alice."

"Oh, I have never listened to her. She's just jealous anyhow. When we are changed the length of our hair is what we are stuck with. I guess the asylum kept her hair short, so she's had a boy's hair-do for so long that she tried to take it out on me."

"Poor Jazzy." Peter mocked. "I never could understand what you saw in her really. You could have had your pick and you ended up with that little monster."

"Don't call me that Peter." he warned. "I don't ever want to hear Jazz or any other of those nicknames again. You know I've always hated them."

"I didn't know you hated those names. The Cullens called you them all the time." I said, frowning.

"Yeah, I let it go at first, thinking it was just a passing thing. After it seemed to stick I asked Alice to stop and she just told me I was being negative and refused." He frowned, looking frustrated.

"How about Jay?" I asked. "Do you like that nickname? Jasper doesn't exactly fit modern times very well, and it could be short for your name or for Jason which is more popular."

"I don't mind that darlin'. Especially when you say it." he winked at me, sending his honest approval. "Jazz was just so... emasculating."

I smiled at him, laughing a little. "Yeah, it never seemed to really fit. More like a name for a pet than a person. I could picture a poodle with the name Jazz."

"Exactly."

"Let's go get your stuff out of the pickup before it rains again." Peter said. "It's okay to put it up here?" He directed at me.

"Sure, I don't mind. You should be able to fit the bike under the tarp with mine too. The bungee will stretch and the tarp is big enough."

The guys walked at human pace, only carrying what would be normal at a time. It took them a few minutes, but I think it relaxed my father some as watched them carefully from the living room. He didn't say anything about the two boxes and guitar that made their way to my room or the extra motorcycle wheeled around the house.

I wondered what he was thinking. If I had to guess, I'd say he was just resigned to the inevitable. No point in making a scene about what looked like a man moving into my room when I'd be leaving soon with him anyhow.

I caught my Dad's eye from my spot on the stairs and smiled at him, hoping he could tell how much I loved him. His mustache twitched a little, almost a smile back. He gave me a shrug before disappearing into the kitchen. I sighed lightly. I supposed of all the fatherly responses I could imagine, that was the best possible.

"So Bella, why the sudden introduction to your Pops? Not that I am complaining about being able to use the door like a civilized person." Peter asked when we were settled back upstairs.

I looked at Jasper, unsure if I should let them know what had happened earlier between my father and I. He wasn't giving me any signals at all. I scowled at him, sending him my frustration, but only got a smirk in return. Apparently I was on my own on this one. I considered the risk to my father, but I was going to be part of Jasper's coven, wasn't I?

He had agreed to change me and I was sure he would stick around and make sure I was okay afterward, but we hadn't talked about after that. The old feelings of unworthiness threatened to creep up on me, but I pushed them down. I wanted to think that by introducing me to his coven he was intending for me to be a part of his life more permanently, but they were only here now because the wolves hid them from Alice, right?

"Tell me what has you feeling like that." Jasper said, pulling me over to sit on the bed with him. Peter and Char came over to sit with us.

"I guess I need to know what happens next." I started. "You said you'd change me, and I know that means you'll be in my life for a while afterward."

"That's right. Not only because it would be illegal to leave you alone as a newborn, but because I want to be the one to guide you sugar." He told me, holding my hand gently.

"And the trip to Voltera? Will you come with me for that?" I asked, looking into his eyes.

"Of course. I wouldn't let you go alone to such a dangerous place. You'll need someone with you that knows how to deal with the Kings. I'd be glad to escort you, I've met Caius before back when I was with Maria." He explained. "The guard cleans up the south every now and then, exterminating any coven that isn't being discrete enough."

"And after Italy?" I asked, my voice small.

He hesitated, seeming unsure of himself. He looked like he might be blushing if it was possible. "Well Bella, I hoped you'd choose to join our coven. To stay with me, with us as a Whitlock."

I looked to Peter and Charlotte. They were both watching me, expectant. "We both already think of you as one of our own." Charlotte said.

"That's right. Just say the word and you're stuck with us forever." Peter confirmed.

I felt warmed knowing I had Jasper's true family's approval. I gave his hand a squeeze before pulling away from his grip to give first Charlotte and then Peter a hug, whispering thanks in their ears as I did so.

"No need for that, you are something special. We should be thanking you for being so kind to us, even knowing what we are. You accepted us immediately, red eyes and all, trusting us to be with you at your most vulnerable and around your father as well. It means something to us and we won't forget it." Charlotte said with misty eyes.

I grabbed Jasper's hand again, sending him my affection for everyone in the room, especially him, my happiness and my feeling of belonging. He looked lit up from inside as he felt my emotions.

"Wow." he whispered. "That was intense. Your emotions are so much more than anyone else's I've ever felt for some reason."

"Maybe I'm just destined to attract vampires." I mumbled. "Scent for Edward, intrigue for James, emotions for you..." I trailed off.

"I'd agree that you were meant to become one of us. Everything seems to bring you back to me."

I got lost staring in his eyes, the strange giddy feeling from the other morning taking over. I felt so complete, holding his hand in mine. It was like nothing could hurt me ever again, like I was safe from everything and nothing else mattered. It as all encompassing and a bit disorienting, but I couldn't seem to care. My entire world was in Jasper's eyes, in the way he looked into mine.

I watched Jasper's lips as he spoke, "So were you going to answer Peter's question darlin'?"

"Question?" I was confused for a moment. Then I remembered, before I got all worried about my status among the Whitlocks, Peter had asked me why my Dad was aware of them. I hesitated before, but now, knowing I was to be forever a part of their lives, I saw no reason to keep them out of the loop.

"My father knows I'll be leaving soon with Jasper. He has known since he was a boy about the wolves and learned from them about vampires." I broke Jasper's gaze to look at Peter. "He kept the secret from me and all the Cullens including Edward afraid that I would find out. Dad just wants me to call him when I'm gone. He's going to play ignorant to any changes he notices on the phone."

"Does anyone in this town not know about vampires?" Peter asked, throwing his hands up.

"Just us Swans messing things up, don't worry." I told him. "Oh, and don't go acting all weird around him. Act human, he is going to go back to pretending he doesn't know what's going on. It's worked for him all his life and he's going to stick with it."

"He kept Edward in the dark after all. A combination of having a weak form of what Bella has in her head and learning to block his thoughts." Jasper added. "So no showing off or pranks."

"Shucks." Peter grinned.

I noticed Jasper check his phone and slide it back into his pocket and got curious.

"More messages from Emmett?" I asked.

"Yep." he said, sighing. "He said he'll wait for my call, but he wants to know what is going on. I think it's time we talked about the Cullen situation."

I reluctantly nodded. I knew this had to come eventually. Jasper needed to finish things up with them. Alice, despite her faults, deserved to know it was over between them. Besides, I was starting to feel more for Jasper than I was comfortable with knowing there was a woman out there that still thought of him as a husband. I would never be happy as the "other woman".

"We got Jasper out of there under false pretenses." Peter said. "I convinced Daddy that Char and I were going to try going veggie and we needed a guide. We were on a side mission to check on you in the process. We flew out here, telling Carlisle that we were running the whole way so he thinks we just got here."

"So you had to eat some animals?" I asked, trying to picture Peter with golden eyes and failing. His eyes suited him.

"Yeah, let's not talk about that." Peter said, disgust on his face. "It was horrible, let's just say we tried it and we won't be doing it again."

"That bad, huh?" I said, laughing a little. Edward described it as tofu, but going by Peter and Charlotte's faces, I don't think that would be an accurate comparison. Peter shuddered and stuck his tongue out. "How do you guys normally pick your umm... meals?"

"We consider ourselves a public service." Peter answered. "We take out the trash."

Charlotte nodded, continuing. "We actually have a home office back in Montana. I guess you could call us private investigators. In a pinch, drug dealers are easy to spot."

"Wouldn't the police notice that all the criminals were dead?"

"We travel." Peter said simply. "And we don't always leave a body for the cops to find."

"Oh." I thought about it. I wasn't sure my police chief father would approve of their methods, but at the same time, I couldn't exactly disapprove. It seems like they put a lot of effort into their hunting and I respected that about them. "Sounds like quite the system you have set up. Are we going to Montana after we deal with the Cullen situation?"

"Of course we are! The Whitlock home is there, just waiting for you and Jay to move in." Peter said, trying out the new nickname for Jasper.

"First, the Cullens." I said. "I really don't care if I ever see them again, except for Emmett. I spent a lot of time thinking about him and how Rosalie treats him and I don't want to leave him there without talking to him. He needs to realize he doesn't need to put up with her abuse." I said, getting angry. "I mean, she hits him, makes fun of him, and treats him like crap. It has to stop, and it won't because he lets her get away with it."

"I don't think he knows any better." Jasper said.

"I want to talk to him." I decided. I would face the rest of them, I could be brave if it meant my brother bear would hear that he needed to stand up for himself. "How long do you need to finish up what you have to do Jasper?"

"They're in New York, so we should fly there. I would probably only need a couple hours at the house to settle things. We should stay in a hotel before flying back, unless you want to spend the night with them?"

"Hotel, definitely." I scrunched up my nose at the thought of Edward creeping around while I was sleeping. On hindsight, I found it less romantic, more stalkerish. "If we leave soon, we can be back before Charlie's fishing trip is done."

"Are you sure you're ready?" Jasper asked.

"No, but I'm going to be." I said honestly. "I'm done being pathetic. I want to move on with my life and I'm sick of letting other people stand in my way. So let's get this over with, then we can come back here and I can give my father a proper goodbye." I sent a wave of determination to Jasper.

"You might want to send a message to Emmett now, before he flips out and causes a problem. We don't need to walk into a panic." Peter suggested.

"Good idea." Jasper pulled out his phone. "Do you want to talk to him now or do you want to surprise him when you get there?" Jasper tapped instructions out on his phone.

I thought for a second, picturing getting my ribs crushed in a hug if I tried surprising Emmett. Worth it? Probably not. "I'd better talk to him. He needs to let his excitement out now, otherwise he might crush me when he sees me." I rolled my eyes.

Jasper held his phone up, showing me the latest message from Emmett which simply read. "It's safe."

"When it's safe." I repeated, touching my own phone which had Emmett's number in it. I remembered Jasper saying I could use it when it was safe, not understanding what it meant at the time. His nod to me indicated that I guessed right and I smiled huge before dialing Emmett's number on my own phone for the first time.

"Hello? Jasper?" Emmett's deep voice answered. He sounded anxious.

"Hey there, brother bear." I said, my happiness leaking into my tone. "This isn't Jasper's phone, try again."

"Bella!" he gasped. "Is it really you? Oh my god, Bella!" He squealed out, I could almost see him jumping up and down.

"Yep, really me. Alive and well, despite rumors of my death."

"Bells, I missed you so much! I kept hoping you would call me, but when you didn't Edward said it was because you didn't want anything to do with us anymore and I was so sad. I love you little sister, don't ever leave me hanging like that again!" He rambled.

"Slow down!" I said. "I couldn't call you, I didn't have your number."

"But I gave it to you." He said. "In the letter I wrote you."

"I never got any of your letters Em."

"You didn't?"

"No, Edward never gave them to me."

"That lying bastard!" I heard something explode in the background amidst growling.

"Emmett?" I said, getting no reply besides more smashing noises. "Emmett!" I yelled.

It got quiet for a moment, and then I head some soft rustling.

"Sorry, I killed a tree." He said bashfully. "I'm going to kill that pansy when I see him."

"No, you're going to keep him out of your head and play it cool." I told him, annoyed. "Jasper, Peter, and Char are taking me to New York soon and you need to keep the rest of them from figuring it out until I get there. Especially Edward and Alice!"

"Oh! Really?" He sounded excited.

"Yes, really. Can you do that?"

"Sure, anything for you Bells. I'm just glad you're okay. I didn't want to leave you like that, but the rest of the family all voted against me and I had no choice." He said dejectedly.

"We'll talk about that when I get there, okay?" I assured him. "For now, just act like you have been before and keep Edward out."

"I will. Have you been okay Bella? I have been worried about you."

"Not really, but I'm doing a lot better now." I said honestly. "I'm going to put you on speaker so Jasper can ask you about what you heard about me being dead, okay?"

"Sure." He said.

I figured the vampires could all hear just fine, but it felt too weird to hold the phone up while they talked around me otherwise, so I tapped the button for speaker phone. Nodding to Jasper.

"Emmett," Jasper began. "You mentioned Rose was talking to Alice on the phone. Has she gotten back from Alaska yet?"

"She's getting back today. She stopped by NYC on the way home to do some shopping. Rose told her that you had taken off with Peter and Char and she flipped out. She said she couldn't see you, so she started arranging for her purchases to be shipped right away and is heading home."

"It's the Quileutes. They block Alice's visions. She will probably see us coming as soon as we get out of the area." Jasper scowled.

"Neat, I didn't know they did that. Anyhow, Edward picked up something from Carlisle about you guys checking on Forks and has been throwing a hissyfit around here. Rose and Alice were saying something about how you couldn't go to Forks because Bella was dead. I couldn't catch the whole conversation without getting caught, sorry."

"No problem Em, you got enough. Still keep your mind guarded, and act like you were before. We don't want to give them anything to work with if we can help it."

"Okay, do you know when you'll be here?"

"Tomorrow probably, but we haven't locked anything in yet."

"Good."

"We'll see you soon Emmett. Hunt and take a good long run to burn off steam before going back. Put your game face on."

"Will do. See you soon Bells!" He said before hanging up.

"Odds on Emmett pulling off his act?" Peter asked.

"Fifty-fifty." Jasper said. "He has the motivation, but he's still Emmett. Looks like Alice is going to be a problem. She'll see us coming the second we head to the airport."

"Maybe not." I said. "We could ask a wolf to come with us, if you think it's worth delaying her visions."

Jasper thought about it, shaking his head. "No, we don't want to drag them into this any more than they already are. Plus, it's only postponing the inevitable."

"I agree. Is there anything we can do to stop her from seeing anything useful?" I asked.

"We could have a wolf with us when we buy the tickets, or maybe even have one of them bring us to the airport." Charlotte suggested.

"That wouldn't be a lot to ask." I chimed in. "Would that be enough to keep her from knowing where our plane was heading?"

"Possibly. She could always guess and there is a chance she'd get a vision that included a pilot's announcement or had something else in view that tipped her off, but it would help lower the chances of the family waiting for us at the airport."

"Good, what else can we do?" I asked, excited to learn ways around the evil pixie.

"Don't decide on anything, go by your instincts. If you have to decide, keep changing your mind on as many different options as possible, not picking one until the last second." Jasper advised. "You can also confuse her by deciding a lot of things that have nothing to do with what you are really after. Especially if it's the kind of thing she's interested in."

"So think about shopping and fashion?" I joked.

"Exactly!" He laughed. "Don't forget make-up and hair."

I shook my head, the woman's interests were extremely shallow. I was glad now that I wouldn't have to spend eternity as her best friend. How may times could you fake an interest in painting toenails before going nuts?

"Once when I slipped I got her off my trail by thinking about going to different Fantastic Sam's and Super Cuts to look through their magazines to find a hair cut I liked for myself. While she was panicking and searching every one in the city to try and find me, I accidentally ran across the scent that I had found earlier and drained them before she caught up to me."

I grimaced, knowing that Jasper's slips weren't criminals. I didn't blame him, but it was still slightly disturbing. I sent him my acceptance, not wanting him to get the wrong idea. It was just as disturbing the lengths he had to go to just to do something without his wife's permission. What if he actually had wanted to cut his hair?

"I'm glad you didn't actually cut your hair." I tugged on one of his locks, giving him a smile. "But you should have the option to shave your head bald if you want to. It's your hair, the fact that she was chasing you around the city is horrible."

I got up and made my way to my ancient computer. I hit the power button, letting it go through it's slow power up process. It groaned and beeped at me before flickering to life.

"Better get on finding those tickets." I said. "I'll see if any of the wolves are free to take us to the airport once this thing is online. We can arrange a rental car too, that will be one less decision to make."

"Good thinking." Peter praised.

I went downstairs for a drink while the machine puttered to life. Charlie had his bag setting next to the door, all squared away.

"Hey Dad." I said as I pulled a bottle of lemonade out of the fridge.

"Hi Bells. Your friends staying for dinner?" He asked, looking confused. I guess he didn't know much about the mechanics of being a vampire.

"No, they already ate." I told him. He looked relieved. "Jake or Sam might stop by though, but don't worry about feeding them. I made plenty of extra food." I winked.

"That you did." He laughed.

"I decided I'm going to help Jasper out with his paperwork with the Cullens this weekend." I told him.

"You're coming back though, right?" He said, sounding concerned.

"Yeah, we'll probably beat you home on Sunday. Depends on the flights though."

"Okay then. Just call me if anything comes up." He said. "Do you need any money?" He reached for his wallet.

"No, I've got it Dad. Don't worry." I told him, holding up my hand. "I just didn't want you to worry if you called the house. I'll have my phone with me if you need me, okay?"

"Sure Bells, just keep me in the loop. I know you're grown up now, but you'll always be my little girl."

"I know Dad." I smiled at him as I went back upstairs, hearing the modem connecting through the open door.

Dad's offer of money got me thinking, however. I had a few thousand dollars still in my account, but flights were expensive, especially without notice. I would have to accept Jasper paying my way out of necessity. Next time I got him alone I was going to have to talk to him about it. I had a lot of stubborn pride, but I knew that being a newborn didn't lend itself to getting a job and I would have to accept that.

I called up Jake, hoping he would be willing to help me out.

"Sup Bells."

"Hey Jake, I need your help with something."

"Sure, you need me to tear up one of your vampire friends?" He said eagerly.

"No." I huffed. "I need some Alice blocking. Can you come over?"

"Sure, I was just patrolling Forks anyhow, so I'm not far from your place. Be there in a minute."

"Okay, Charlie's home so just come on up when you get here."

I hung up, motioning Charlotte away from the computer. "Not yet, we want full coverage."

She moved away from the computer quickly, as if being close to it would summon up Alice. I giggled at her and we sat down to wait. A few minutes later, Jacob came stomping up the stairs and burst into the room.

"Wow, all of you in here." He said, recoiling a little bit.

I opened the window for him, letting fresh air in.

"We're going to New York this weekend to officially end Jasper's relationship with the Cullens." I told him. "Would you mind shielding us from Alice's peeping while we made our flight plans? We could use a ride to the airport from a pack member as well."

"You're coming back right?" He asked, mirroring Charlie's question.

"Yeah, this is just a weekend trip. Charlie knows I'm going, I wouldn't just leave him like that." I told Jake, giving him a death glare. Jake looked relieved.

"Sure then. You should all fit in my Dad's truck as long as you aren't bringing a lot of luggage. The folks are taking Harry's van to go to Seattle, so Dad's leaving me his."

"Thanks Jake!"

Charlotte got to work on the computer, finding us tickets leaving tonight at just after midnight. Jake said it wouldn't be a problem, since he was about to go home and sleep for a bit after patrolling. She added on the rental car from the travel site, picking out a SUV. On the payment screen she simply held out her hand and Jasper put a credit card in it.

"No return flights?" I asked.

"We'll just buy them after we deal with the Cullens. Easier than worrying about being at the airport at a specific time." Peter said.

I nodded, figuring that made more sense. Besides, I didn't want to spend any extra time there and if we finished up early, I wanted to leave as soon as possible.

"You on the way home now Jake?" I asked my friend.

"Yep."

"I'll make you something to eat first then." I winked. "As partial payment for services rendered."

"Thanks Bells. Got any more of that stroganoff left?"

"Sure, I'll heat you up some."

Jake followed me downstairs and I pulled the container out of the freezer, popping the lid before tossing it into the microwave. I told Dad that Jake was taking us to the airport tonight and he seemed relieved that I would have someone I knew taking me into the city. My Dad wasn't a fan of the city, small town man, through and through.

After Jacob left to get some sleep, I went upstairs and chatted with Charlotte while packing a bag. I didn't need a lot, just a few changes of clothes and my toiletry bag. I decided to shower before dinner, knowing how gross flying made me feel. I changed into comfortable clothes knowing I'd sleep on the flight and finished my packing before having dinner with my Dad.

On my way out of my room, I noticed a lighter next to the scented candles I had on my dresser and pocketed it on impulse. I wasn't sure what made me do it, but I had the feeling going off to meet with my potentially hostile ex-family of vampires, it might come in handy.

Dad quizzed me about where I was going and where I was staying while we ate. I gave him general answers, skirting around things as much as possible. We slipped back into our old patterns of evasion easily. We were almost through the meal when he finally cornered me.

"Bells, just tell me this isn't going to end up like it was with him." He said seriously. "I like this one better than Edward, but I don't want to see you hurt, and don't try to deny that you like him."

"Dad!" I said, embarrassed.

"No, don't 'Dad' me. Just be careful this time, alright? Keep your head together and don't give yourself away like you did before. I hated seeing how much you changed for that boy. You just be yourself. Any man that doesn't like you for you isn't worth your time, you hear me?"

"I know that now Dad. I thought a lot about that, and I think some of that was from living with Mom. She never made me feel worth it, maybe I wasn't ready for a boyfriend." I admitted.

"I should have fought harder for custody. I thought it was better for you to live with your mother. I'm sorry." He said, looking angry and ashamed.

"Don't be. You did what you thought was best. I couldn't ask for a better Dad." I kissed his cheek and took the empty plates from the table.

"You turned out okay kid. I'm proud of you." He said. "Enough with the mushy stuff now. You be careful in New York. Don't take any crap from those Cullens. If they give you any trouble, call me and I'll be there."

"Don't worry, sir." Jasper said, appearing in the doorway. "I'll make sure they won't even touch Bella."

"Call me Charlie." He told Jasper. "Give Edward one for me, will you?"

Jasper smirked. "You have my word."

I laughed, knowing Jasper wouldn't go back on his word. Edward wouldn't know what hit him!