A/N: How was everyone's christmas? Anyone find a hot man under their tree? ... Just my wishful thinking? Huh.

This chapter gave me problems, and I'm still not sure it's quite right, but once Jasper and Carlisle started talking, I couldn't get them to shut up. ;)

If you couldn't tell, I'm not Stephenie. So none of the rights belong to me. You knew that already though.

"How was it?" She was practically vibrating with excitement as I approached the car.

I cocked an eyebrow at her. "Really? Don't pretend you weren't watching."

She pouted as she slid into the passenger side. "Well, sure, I saw what actually happened, but I want to know what you thought, and felt and…."

I waved her off with a flick of my hand. "Yeah, yeah, I get it." I slowly pulled into the queue of cars waiting to turn out of the parking lot.

I stayed silent until we turned out onto the quiet highway leading out to our house. Knowing we were now out of view of anyone from school, I slid my hand across the centre console to thread my fingers through hers. She relaxed at my touch. As much as I enjoyed this feeling, I couldn't help but wonder what it would feel like to be holding Bella's hand like this.

"Is there a word that's better than 'wonderful'?" I asked her, smiling softly.

She smirked at me. "That good, huh? What does it feel like?"

"I just... it felt right to be sitting next to her. It was like this tether that had been holding us together wasn't stretched so tightly, and the tension was released." I shrugged. "It's hard to explain."

"From what I've seen, she seems like a truly good person. Very sweet and genuine."

"So I'm not going to be eternally connected to some ornery lass, then?"

"Definitely not," she laughed, and the sound eased my mind. Alice truly was a nice gal. She was handling this situation much better than most people would. Hells bells, I think if the situation had been reversed, I would be having some sort of breakdown.

"Jazz?"

"Hmm?"

"Would it be okay if I met her tomorrow? I don't have to if you'd prefer I didn't. Just... I've seen us being friends for so long, and I'm starting to get rather impatient." She was rambling.

"Sure, darlin'." It felt so unusual for her to be asking my permission to forge a friendship. As much as I told myself I was the man in our relationship, she didn't often hold herself back from just 'doing' without asking my opinion. She really was much more suited to this century, where women were free and could make their own decisions. This new, hesitant Alice was somewhat disconcerting. "You don't have to ask my permission."

She was chewing nervously on her bottom lip. She really had been around humans too much. "I kind of do, though," she said softly, nervousness seeping from her. "With how important Bella is to you, it wouldn't be out of order for you to not want her to be surrounded by vampires. Especially a vampire who is struggling somewhat with the idea of losing her husband to her."

I couldn't deny that I was taken aback by her admission. All afternoon, Alice had been so strong for me. Without her there to hold me up, I would have been an emotional wreck, which is saying a lot for me.

I turned into the long driveway, and looked at her seriously. "I trust you," I told her earnestly, making sure she could feel my sincerity. "Them up there?" I gestured towards the house. "Not so much. But I trust you with my life. And apparently she now is my life..."

"Thanks Jazz. I won't hurt her. In any way."

I nodded my understanding as I pulled into the garage. I could feel Esme and Rosalie's essences inside the house.

"Emmett's still with Edward," Alice explained as we exited the vehicle. "How's the chest pain?"

I looked at her in surprise. "When did you become an empath?"

"Oh, how quickly you forget that I'm practically omnipotent," she smirked.

I rolled my eyes at her, and rubbed at my chest absently. "It's… okay. The pull is stronger out here, almost to the point of pain like you say, but it's bearable."

As the thought flitted through my head that the night would be horrible if I stayed this far out of town, Alice's eyes flickered blank for a second. She looked at me with understanding, and took my hand to lead me inside. As we stepped across the threshold, I could hear the distinctive soft purr of Carlisle's Mercedes approaching on the highway.

"Jasper," Esme breathed, rushing to me. She hesitated before embracing me; I had never been overtly physically demonstrative with my adoptive family. I gave her a quick nod to let her know it was okay and she eagerly wrapped her arms around me. "Rosalie said she thought something was wrong with you; that you were inadvertently projecting something and didn't notice immediately that Edward had lost it. Are you okay, sweetheart?"

Over Esme's shoulder, I glanced first at Alice and then at my 'sister'. Rosalie was filled with concern; people really did under-estimate her ability to care for others.

"I'm fine," I reassured her, letting her feel my honesty. "In fact, I'm great."

Rosalie was curious - my word choice was probably not at all what she was expecting - and getting rather impatient for answers.

"We should all sit down," Alice suggested, moving into the living room. By now everyone was aware that Carlisle was very close to the house, so nobody pushed for me to explain myself until he arrived.

Alice was loitering awkwardly near the couch, unsure where she should sit. Cringing inwardly at her circumstance, I took her hand as I passed by her, and led her to the armchair, where I took a seat, and allowed her to sit on the floor between my legs, where I could play with her hair. One of her hands automatically wound its way around my leg, which helped to ground me and reassure me of her unwavering support.

Carlisle gave us questioning looks when he arrived home, obviously only having heard about Edward's slip, but silently took a seat next to his wife, waiting for any new information.

I wasn't sure what to say, or even how to start. What I was about to tell them was going to affect their lives greatly, especially if Bella was going to be a part of our family.

"I'll explain," Alice said softly to me, and I let her feel my gratitude. I squeezed her shoulder gently as she began to speak.

"Today was a much more significant day for us than just Edward encountering his singer," she stated.

"His singer?" Carlisle questioned, his eyebrows raised, and Alice nodded. "And he didn't harm the human?"

"He would never have made it past me," I muttered, trying desperately to quell the rage that surged through me at the thought of him attacking. Rosalie looked at me in confusion, and began to open her mouth to speak, but she closed it quickly again. She was obviously wanting to reiterate that when Edward was becoming consumed by bloodlust, I didn't make a move to restrain him.

"Her name is Bella," Alice continued, and I felt myself relax considerably at the mere sound of her name. Alice must have felt this, as she became amused when the tension left the leg she was gripping. "She is the daughter of Chief Swan. And nothing can happen to her. There must be no mistakes, and Edward needs to be kept far away from her. Having a slip is just not an option with her." I could feel myself nodding vigorously at her commands. "She is Jasper's sufletul pereche." The three not already in the know all gasped loudly.

"Is this really true, Jasper?" Carlisle questioned, standing. He had a very human trait of pacing the room when he was trying to work things out in his head.

"Yes, sir."

As I looked at him, I could see both Esme and Rosalie's eyes flicking between Alice and myself. Their first thoughts at hearing the news seemed to be going along similar lines as my own had. I let my fingers caress her neck and shoulder lovingly.

"What does this mean?" Carlisle asked.

"Well, first of all, it means that I won't hesitate to rip Edward to pieces if he tries to attack her..." I looked him dead in the eyes as I said this to ensure he knew I was serious. Being his first 'child', Carlisle had a soft spot for the boy, and would protect him almost as passionately as he would Esme. He needed to know that there would be no second chances if one hair on Bella's head was touched. Our eyes locked, almost in a stare-down, before he lowered his in submission. He felt resigned, knowing that my threats were real and legitimised.

"Don't get me wrong," I said softly. "I don't WANT to hurt him. I really do see him as my brother. But he is a huge threat towards my pereche, and if I feel neutralization is the necessary course, I won't hesitate."

Carlisle nodded his understanding. He seemed to understand that my connection to Bella was out of my hands, and there was no use fighting it.

The seriousness of what we were facing as a family seemed to sink in around the room. Esme was filled with worry, betraying the calm facade she was trying to hold on to as she watched her mate pace the room silently. Rosalie didn't bother, as she never did, hiding her emotions. She was confused, even more so when I leaned over and kissed the top of Alice's head. The look she sent me was bordering on a glare, and I could tell that she was wondering how my bond with Alice was still so strong.

"Carlisle," I began, and he stopping his pacing. "You've studied with the Volturi. Can you tell us anything about the phenomenon and what will happen to me?"

Alice chimed in. "All I could tell from my vision was what she was to him. The rest was fairly innocuous - everyday stuff."

Carlisle nodded slowly, and perched himself on the arm of the chair next to Esme. "Some of the Volturi's learnings on the topic are just retold from Romanian defectors. There have only been a few instances that the brothers have seen for themselves. But I can probably fill in a few of the gaps in your knowledge."

I nodded at him to go on, subconsciously rubbing at my chest, which was becoming slightly more painful.

"The theory is that for any one being, there are probably thousands of potential mates for them out in the world. It is once we meet one of these thousands that the mating bond occurs, and as you know, it is pretty much unbreakable. As... callous as it sounds, yes, you have more than one 'perfect match', and it just depends which one you come across first as to who becomes your mate."

It was an interesting concept. I had always thought of mates as being the 'one true love', but he was right - if there was really only 'one' match out there, then most vampires wouldn't find them. The world was just too vast to meet everyone.

"A sufletul pereche isn't just your perfect match - they truly are your other half. The ancient greeks believed that people were created with four arms, four legs, and two faces. We are then split apart and forced to walk the earth without the other half of ourselves. Only the lucky few will ever be reunited with what is essentially their other-worldly siamese twin. Like I'm sure is common, Jasper, you and your pereche were not born into the same time period. So you are doubly lucky - if you hadn't been turned, you never would have had the chance to experience what I understand is the fulfilment of becoming one entity again. Metaphorically, of course."

I ran my hands up and down my wife's arms, bracing myself for my next question. "What happens to Alice?" I asked softly.

Carlisle tapped his chin in thought. "That is something I myself would be very interested to know. Not that I want to treat you as a research study, you understand. Am I correct in my understanding that your visions have shown a future where Jasper is with Bella, not you?" He looked at her, questioning, with a hint of sympathy in his eyes.

She nodded. "It seems fairly concrete. So far, no decisions have been made that have changed it even slightly. And no, I can't see anything that happens to me. Just that I'm around them."

"And Bella will be changed?"

"About an 80% probability. That wavers somewhat, but right now it is the course she is on."

I could see his mind whirring, and I thought about everything I knew about mating. A thought occured to me in that moment. "While the pereche bond is already there, a true mating bond can only happen between two vampires," I mused out loud. "So theoretically, the bond won't be confirmed until Bella is changed. That could be why I still feel the same regarding Alice. We'll still be joined until the bond is broken by Bella's change." I could feel Alice's sorrow at the prospect of that day arriving. And I couldn't pretend I didn't feel something of the same.

I could feel her body tense, and knew that her eyes would be fluttering with a vision. When she slumped slightly, I knew it was over.

"Don't tell Bella that," she whispered, turning on her knees to look at me. "She's very selfless, and is willing to not go through with the change so that I can keep you. But... everyone is happier longterm if it happens."

"Sure, darlin'."

We lapsed into silence, and it was Esme who made us remember just what we had to deal with. "What do we do about Edward? If she truly is his singer..."

I looked at Carlisle and shrugged. I had no idea how to approach the Edward problem.

"I'll admit," Carlisle sighed, "I'm in something of a quandary. You are both my sons, and I can't just choose between you. And I can't just send him away."

"I wouldn't want you to have to do that, either," I pointed out, well aware of the anxiety coming from everyone in the room at the suggestion.

"I'll talk to him. Maybe suggest he spends some time in Denali until things settle down. But you have to know that can't be a long-term solution."

I nodded my understanding. "Now, as much as I'd like to stay here and chew the fat, I need to be closer to Bella before my chest explodes or something."

Chuckling, Alice rose gracefully and took my hand. "I'll come with you. Make sure you don't do something creepy like climbing in her bedroom window." She smirked at me.

I didn't release her hand as we stepped off the porch and began a slow run back towards town.

"Are you going to be okay?" I let her feel some of my anxiety, hoping she understood just how much I wanted her to be happy.

"I will be." She squeezed my hand. "And when the day comes that you no longer love me, I'll be ready for it."

"Hey. Even if you're not my mate, I'll still love you in some way. I promise it."

We came to an abrupt stop just before the trees came to an end. I could smell her from here, and my body tingled at the scent. She was here. This tiny run down house was her home. And I could finally breathe again.