*hides behind couch* Yes, I'm aware of how long this chapter has taken. I plead forgiveness. Suffice to say, my enemies list has gained a new member. We'll leave it at that.

Hopefully you'll think that this was worth the wait. Firstly, it's the longest chapter BY FAR (don't expect them all to be this long. I'm a steady 2000-worder), and secondly... *trumpeting fanfare* ... I am now being helped out by Project Team Beta. Gotta say, they've been so awesome. And this here chapter wouldn't be anywhere near as good without them. I should write Love Poems about their brilliance. That is, of course, if I had any talent whatsoever in poetry writing.

Um... some sort of disclaimer? ... I'm not Ms Meyer. I don't own sh*t. I especially don't own the rights to these characters.

When I met Bella at her truck after school ended, I had to ignore the lascivious comments coming from Emmett across the lot, which luckily no humans seemed to hear. I wanted to flip him the bird, but Bella was noticing my distraction. She was looking at me curiously.

"Hey," she said shyly, stopping a foot in front of me. Every cell in my body tingled at her closeness.

"Hi." I had become such a great conversationalist in the last two days. I could see Alice standing across the lot, practically vibrating with the anticipation of meeting Bella. "Can I ask you a favor?"

"Of course." She caught my eye and my dead heart seemed to flutter again.

"My, um… sister" —Well, calling Alice my sister sure felt weird— "She wants to meet you."

"Uh, I guess that'd be okay." Nervousness spiked through her.

"You don't have to if you don't want to."

A tiny frown flitted across her features. "No, no. I'd like to meet your family."

I jerked my head at Alice, and she approached us at a careful, human girl pace.

"Uh, Bella… this is Alice." I stood awkwardly, trying to work out what else to say. I quickly realized that I didn't need to say anything.

"I'm so happy to meet you," Alice chirped, shaking Bella's hand. Bella didn't flinch at all from her cold touch and I looked at Alice curiously.

"Warmed it up on the car engine," she explained low enough for Bella not to hear.

"Uh…. You too?"

"Jasper just wouldn't stop talking about you last night," Alice told the girl conspiratorially.

My face would have been as red as Bella's if it was possible. I quickly elbowed my wife in the ribs and looked at Bella bashfully.

I tuned them out as they chatted about pantyhose or whatever it was that girls talked about, and took in Bella's facial expressions. She was really like an open book; every feeling she expressed was written on her delicate features. She never seemed to be deceptive and seemed truly interested in what Alice was saying.

"…isn't that right, Jazz?" Alice was smirking at me.

I looked between the two girls, unsure how to respond. "Um…."

"My point," Alice said with a wave of her hand in my direction, causing Bella to giggle and look up at me briefly through her lashes.

I'd obviously missed the two of them mocking me in some way. I sent a glare in Alice's direction but I couldn't stay mad at Bella. Instead, I inched closer to her, feeling the warmth emanating from her.

"We really should be going, Alice." She picked up on the frustration in my voice, smirking lightly at me.

"Okay." She smiled. "I'll pick you up from Bella's house when you're done, Jazz." She gave me a pointed look — as if I'd just forget to leave. "It was so lovely to meet you, Bella. I just know we'll be great friends."

Bella was slightly taken aback by the statement but she recovered quickly. "It was nice meeting you too," she said softly before reaching into her backpack for her keys.

As she unlocked the door, I swooped in to hold it open for her and offered my hand to boost her up into the seat. Oh, dear Lord. I couldn't imagine ever getting used to the feeling of touching her skin. The fire that ran through my body was intense. She must have felt something too, because her breath hitched slightly and her skin flushed. Her eyes flicked to mine and our gazes locked. I was so used to gazing into golden eyes, but these brown ones were so perfect — like they were the first set of eyes I had ever seen.

I had to force myself to turn away and move around to enter the passenger side.

"She's nice," Bella said softly as she started the engine, and I couldn't help but voice my agreement.

We didn't say anything else as she drove toward her house, and I didn't mind. I was too busy breathing in her intoxicating scent and watching the minute facial twitches as she tried to concentrate on the road. She was distracted, her emotions racing, and some sadistic side of me hoped that I was the cause.

"Well, here we are," she said unnecessarily as we pulled into her driveway. Having to keep to a human speed, I wasn't fast enough to get to her door before she opened it, but I made sure I helped her out of the cab of the truck. It was the gentlemanly thing to do. Who was I kidding? I really just wanted to touch her again.

Bella let us into the house and gave me a cursory tour of the small lower level. I had to act like this was the first time I had seen these rooms – like I hadn't spent the previous night watching her walk around them.

She stood awkwardly as she directed me to a seat at the kitchen table. I placed my cellphone in front of me so I wouldn't miss a text from Alice. "Do you want anything to eat? Drink? Um…" She felt nervous, and kept glancing around the kitchen and shifting her weight between her feet.

Sending her an ounce of calm, I patted the chair next to me. "No, really, Bella. I'm fine. Come sit."

Frowning slightly, she acquiesced and slid into place only inches from my side. Again, my skin tingled at her proximity. Even though I could feel she was enjoying my company, she was still tense as she pulled her notebook out of her backpack and opened it in front of us.

"Would you like to hear about what I saw at lunch?" I asked, hoping that the tid-bit of gossip would help loosen her up.

She looked at me curiously. "Uh, sure."

"I have a feeling that you and I are the first ones to know this," I told her conspiratorially, leaning close. Girls loved this gossip stuff, didn't they? And the drama of the telling was part of fun, from what I had observed. "There's a potential new couple who were at our lunch table today. And even they don't know it yet."

She frowned at me. "What do you mean?"

"They have feelings for each other – little crushes I guess you would call it – but neither knows. In fact, both seem to feel that they have no chance."

"How do you know this?" She wasn't accusatory - simply curious.

I paused, making sure that my wording was just right, and proceeded slowly. "I just have a knack for these things. You could say that I'm tuned in to the emotions of those around me more than most people." That was technically the truth – I hated the idea of lying to her – it still made me sound human.

She nodded thoughtfully, seeming to accept my explanation. "Are you going to tell me who?"

"Do you want to guess?" I teased.

"You know what? I really don't." Her voice stayed light.

I smiled at her and touched her arm with just the tips of my fingers, revelling in the electric feeling for a second. "Angela."

"And…?"

"And Ben."

And hopefully you and I, I added in my head.

She raised her eyebrows in surprise. "I thought you were going to say Mike and Jessica. Because that's not a secret at all. I've been at this school two days and I worked that one out. But Angela? Those are impressive deductive skills you have there, Sherlock."

"Good secret?"

"Definitely a good secret." She smiled shyly before ducking her head to look at her notes.

After a few seconds, she looked back up at me. "One day you're going to have to tell me how you discovered this 'knack'."

I studied her carefully. She seemed genuinely curious, not suspicious. "I will." I knew that the day would come when she would find out everything there was to know about my darker life. It didn't matter whether she worked it out for herself or because I told her.

The way her lips moved as she spoke about the project mesmerized me. There was something about the way she formed her words —each sentence almost feeling like it had to be forced out of her mouth— which was fascinating. She seemed both forthcoming and like she was holding something back at the same time. Then she would look up at me, and for that second her body would relax as, if she were reassured of my presence.

"Are you okay, Jasper?"

I shook myself back to the present. "Uh, yeah."

"You seemed distracted by something."

Distracted by you, I thought —and by her sudden blush I almost believed that I had spoken the words out loud.

She sat in rapt attention as I told her what I knew about the Battle of Chickamauga, making my ego swell.

"Do I even want to know how you know all this?" she muttered, and I was unsure if it were to herself or a legitimate question. Her eyes settled on my face, urging me to answer still.

"Yet another thing that you will find out in time, sweetheart," I said softly, running my finger along the prominent vein in her hand.

Her startled eyes met mine at the endearment I hadn't even meant to say. My mind whirled a mile a minute. Too soon. Too much. You'll scare her away, you imbecile. Panic flared through me in the indeterminate seconds that ticked by. I debated whether I should use my gift to confuse her enough that she would forget the slip of my tongue.

She wasn't any ordinary girl, though. A shy smile spread across her lips. I felt awe and contentment flood her, quickly followed by an overwhelming happiness.

My long-stilled heart ached – but in a good way. She really liked the endearment. If that was truly the case, how many more words of love could I bestow upon her before she had enough?

She bit down on her bottom lip, almost breaking skin in the process, and I held my breath until I could stop myself from staring at the site and imagining the tempting liquid beneath. I may not be enticed by the scent of her blood, but that didn't mean I was made of stone- metaphorically, of course. Thinking about it still made me thirsty, even if it wasn't for her.

My mind drifted on and off as she talked about the research she had already done, hypnotised by the undulations of her speech.

She paused and glanced up at the oven clock. How was it possible that two hours had already passed? Had I really zoned out that much while observing her that I'd lost track of time like a human?

"My dad will be home soon," she told me, nibbling on her fingernail. She was disappointed and a little frustrated, and while I couldn't be sure, I hoped that it was disappointment that I would be leaving.

I didn't want to get into the habit of altering her emotions, but just the teeniest amount of reassurance wouldn't hurt, right?

"Hey." I took hold of her hand and gently removed it from her mouth. My skin sizzled at the contact. "I'll see you tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah." She sighed contentedly, and I knew that my manipulation had been successful.

I shifted in my seat, inching toward her. The knowledge that our time was almost up made my body ache. I began to wonder how I could get her to invite me to stay longer. As I opened my mouth to inquire what her plans for the evening were, I was interrupted by my cellphone vibrating on the table.

Rolling my eyes, I punched the screen to read the text from Alice. 'Don't, Jazz. Come home. Don't overwhelm her; leave her wanting more.'

Sighing, I pocketed the phone as Bella stood. "I have to go, too," I told her, frowning slightly.

She looked down at the floor, filled with disappointment.

It hurt to leave her standing on the front porch as I walked out to the curb. I couldn't help turning back to look at her several times. She was gripping the doorframe tightly and smiling softly at me.

Alice was smirking at me as I slid into the car. "It was a good afternoon then?"

I tried to keep my face straight as I took a last glimpse of the Swan house. "It was the second best day of my existence," I breathed, as Alice sped away.

"Second?"

"Yesterday was first, obviously."

I looked over at her slightly tense posture, and frowned. "The day we met comes in third, you know."

"I know." She didn't look over at me, and kept her eyes unnecessarily on the empty road.

We sat in silence for the remainder of the journey. Her nervousness spiked as we pulled up to the house.

"Ali? What's wrong?"

She exited the car and looked at me over the roof of the vehicle. She could only just see over the top. "I just… have something to show you."

Confused, I looked at her and walked around the hood.

"Upstairs," she indicated and took my hand, threading her fingers through mine.

We paused in front of our bedroom door and she turned to me. "Before you say anything, hear me out."

"Uh … okay." I nodded as she opened the door.

I was taken aback at the sight before me and froze in the doorway.

"Come on, Jazz. Come and sit down."

I looked around as she pulled me to the bed— the bed which was no longer covered in a frilly pink comforter. It was now striped brown and blue. Everything around me was just … wrong. To be specific, everything around me was mine. All of Alice's possessions seemed to be missing. I looked at her questioningly.

"I've moved into the guest room."

"No. You don't have to …"

"Yes. I do."

"But …"

"Jasper, I love you. So much. But you already knew that."

"I lo-"

She interrupted me. "Shhh…." Taking both my hands in hers, she looked up at me with pained eyes. "Honey, we can't stay together. You know that. And as hard as this is for both of us, we really do need to separate. You can't be bringing Bella over here while we are still living together. We need our own space, and time to ourselves to really accept what's happening to us."

I stared at her in misery. My wife was moving out of our bedroom.

"I'm only going down the hall, honey. And I meant everything I said since you first saw Bella. I do love you. This is just the first step to wean us off each other."

She reached up behind her neck and removed her necklace – the necklace on which she kept her wedding ring while we pretended to be students.

"And that's why I'm taking this off."

I looked at her, aghast. I couldn't understand how she could be so calm as she basically ended our marriage. My own emotions were all over the place. If I had been human, I would have been crying, as evidenced by the wavering breath that escaped me.

"What is happening with Bella doesn't just take away everything that we've had, Alice — everything that we've shared."

She smiled sadly, and her distress spiked quickly before she tamped it down again. "No, it doesn't. And that's why I'm not giving the ring back to you, just taking it off." Anguish soared through her, and I fought the instinct to take it away. "This ring still represents our time together, and how much we loved each other— love each other. Nobody can take that away from us, just like nobody can take this ring away from me. Because in a hundred years' time, when this no longer hurts, I'm going to be able to look at this and only feel happiness. This is a symbol of you and me, and the decades of bliss we had."

She was barely holding herself together. I gestured at her. "May I?" When she nodded, I eased away the harsh edges of her pain; just enough so she could finish the conversation in one piece.

She smiled wanly at me. "I guess the up-side of having false identities all the time is that we don't have to get a legal divorce."

I nodded, watching my fingers caress hers. Even back when we first married, we didn't sign a marriage certificate — legalities meant little to our kind.

"So, we're not married anymore?" I whispered.

She shook her head. "I almost wish Bella were here so that I could symbolically 'give' you to her. But, I guess that's just me being dramatic." A flicker of amusement spread through her.

Lightening the mood wasn't a bad thing. I rolled my eyes. "Because that wouldn't both freak her out and make her ask questions we couldn't answer."

Alice grabbed my chin, forcing me to look at her. "One day very soon you'll be able to answer them for her."

"Soon?"

She nodded. "Sooner than you expect."

We sat in silence, the acceptance slowly sinking in.

I sighed, breaking the quiet. "This is no longer the second best day of my life, I gotta admit."

"Yeah, sorry about that."

"It's okay. You had to do it."

We both stood and walked to the door. This was it; the second she walked out that door, our marriage was over. Sure, I knew that technically I couldn't stay with Alice and have Bella too, but it had still thrown me for a loop. The one constant in my life, my bright spark in all the darkness of my existence, was burning out.

I pulled her into a tight hug, kissing the top of her head. I didn't want to let go — not with the finality that letting go would bring.

"I love you so much," I whispered against her hair.

"I know," she replied, her voice wavering. "I love you too. Always."

Before I could process that she was no longer in my arms, the door was closed, leaving me in a room lacking in any feminine objects. I could hear the guest room door closing. My palm rested against the door she had left through. The warmth of the wood was like the warmth that Alice had brought to my world for decades. Pulling my hand away, the warmth receded.

I took the two necessary steps and flopped down onto the mattress.

And two doors down the hall, I could hear Alice's tearless sobs echoing around the room.