Disclaimer: I own nothing and no one except Bianca.

Chapter 9: Proof

When I arrived back at Bella's, I could hear the sound of water hitting the tile floor in the bathroom and the quiet humming of who I assumed was Bianca. Once again I scaled the side of the house and slipped through the window.

"She'll be out in a few minutes," Bianca whispered to me from the bathroom, "Please don't hurt her anymore. She can't take much more of this."

"So, I've heard," I murmured almost bitterly as I settled into the rocking chair. If this was all true then there was going to be hell to pay and if not… Well then I guess there was going to be even more hell to pay. What I couldn't understand was why Alice and Edward would go through all this trouble to keep us apart. I mean, Alice was the one that called me to save Bella from her cliff diving adventure. And she had called me again to advise me on not moving too fast with Bella. That didn't really seem like she was trying to sabotage us. But then again, she was always meddling in other's lives when she wasn't asked to…

My mistrustful musings were soon interrupted by the bedroom door opening and a waft of warm, vanilla scented air flooded the room. Bella slipped through the door dressed in a pair of sweats that hung far too loose and a long sleeve shirt, her wet hair hung limp around her face. Bianca followed right behind her, gently guiding her by her elbow.

She didn't even glance my way as she crawled back into her bed, instead settling under the covers with her back facing the room. "Bella?" I ask softly, "Bella, darlin', please look at me." She gave no indication that she had even heard me. I crawled over her and lay next to her, blocking her view of the wall and causing her to close her eyes tightly. I pulled her hands loose from her hair, enclosing them in my much larger ones and pressing them to my chest, "Darlin' please open your eyes. Let me see the truth."

She hesitated and took a deep breath before slowly opening her eyes, focusing on mine for the first time since I had returned. All the air whooshed from my unneeded lungs as our eyes met. In that instant, it felt like I was falling as my eyes were forced shut.

Images flashed behind my eyelids like a silent movie. I saw every encounter I had ever had with Bella up until that moment but it was magnified ten-fold. I felt the longing and admiration for Bella that I hadn't realized I felt at the time and I noticed the pull that had felt nonexistent at the time but was still there nevertheless.

Before I could even attempt to comprehend what that meant, I was flashed forward again to an image of a vampire Bella. Her sweet red eyes gazed at me with such adoration and love that it took my breath away. Those orbs revealed so much trust, longing and devotion that I never thought I would see in her eyes again. I watched as my body moved without my control, reaching a hand out to her. "Come here, il mio amore, I've missed you so," my voice beckoned. She flitted to my side, wrapping herself around me as she peppered my face with kisses. Her bell-like voice rang out, "Never again, Jasper. Never again will I allow you to leave my side."

"Eternity is a long time, Darlin'," I chuckled. "No, Jasper, eternity isn't long enough," she replied somberly. I pulled her face to mine and pressed my lips against hers in a deep kiss. "Whatever you say, my little mate, whatever you say," I whisper against her mouth.

My eyes flash opened and once again focused on Bella's tear-filled gaze, her breath quick and uneven as if she was trying to ward off an anxiety attack. "Bella," I groaned, "Oh, Bella. My sweet Bella. I'm so sorry. I didn't know. I didn't even know…" My hands released her reaching for her soft waist to pull her against me, to feel her warmth against my coldness. Her shaking hands scrambled against my smooth skin, clearly unsure as to whether or not to grasp me tightly or to push me away.

"You're it. You're the one I've been waiting for all this time," I breathed as I tried to wrap myself around her. "No!" she pushed as hard as she could, not moving me an inch, "No! You left! You left me! You didn't want me!"

"Bella, I didn't know! I never would have left if I knew. It wasn't my fault. I didn't know!" I pleaded, pulling her closer. "No, no, no, no. No! Don't touch me! Get away! Get AWAY! You're lying! You're lying! Leave me alone! Just leave me alone!" she sobbed hysterically, squirming frantically as she tried to escape from my grasp.

"Isabella Marie!" I snarled in a deep commanding tone, "Cease this ridiculous behavior this instant! You are acting like an insolent child driven by emotions. Don't make me treat you like a child!" My fingers curled around her fragile wrists, pinning her in place.

She froze, fear flooding her body as her heart raced. "Do not fear me, love. I won't hurt you. I just need you to calm down. You're going to make yourself ill," I soothed as I released her wrists.

"I don't know exactly what is going on, but I intend to find out. For some reason I wasn't able to feel the pull to you before but now I can. I think Edward and Alice had something to do with that but I can't be certain yet. For now, I think you should try to rest. We'll figure everything out and I'm not going anywhere," I smoothed her hair out of her face, staring into her chocolate irises, "Sleep, my love." I sent out a wave of lethargy and Bella curled into my chest reluctantly. I could sense that she wanted to be close to me but was still unsure about everything. Within minutes her eye drifted closed and her breathing evened out. I closed my eyes and breathed in her sweet scent, simply enjoying this moment. Enjoying the feel of my mate in my arms. Safe.