Notice: Due to the content of this chapter, the rating of the fic has been bumped up to M. You've all been warned. I tried to keep it less-than-graphic for the younger readers who probably shouldn't be reading it at all.

This chapter is dedicated to my dad, for listening to far too many hours of plotting for Indigo Skies then he would have liked.

It didn't take that long for us to get to my bedroom. I kicked my shoes off while Jasper dried his torso. I didn't want soapy water on my blanket.

I squeaked in surprise when Jasper grabbed me from behind, then started giggling. He carried me across the room, setting my knees on the foot of the bed. He kissed the top of my jaw and then started sucking on my ear while he began to undo my convenient button-up shirt.

He slipped my shirt off, and my bra followed it soon after. Naturally, I felt a little embarrassed knowing my body was now exposed- even if it was to Jasper. A flush of warmth replaced the awkwardness I felt, and I relaxed.

Jasper's hands gently ran down my body, resting on my hips. He mumbled admiringly, "You're so soft, Bella."

"And you're really cold." I said a little impatiently. "Don't point out the obvious. Hurry up."

My body was heating up like it never had before. Such a powerful, distracting inferno of lust had ignited within the pit of my stomach. If he didn't do something soon to relieve that pressure I might just explode.

His deep, rich laugh filled the room and he twirled me so that I was sitting in the center of the bed, facing him. He climbed over me, his intense eyes lingering just a few short inches from mine as his strong hands helped me wiggle out of my remaining articles of clothing. His own clothing joined it a moment later.

I found myself taking several shameless moments to admire his body, despite the fierce blush on my cheeks. His eyes raked me over a couple of times. He sighed, whispering in awe, "You're beautiful, Bella."

I willed my galloping heart to calm down as I demanded nervously, "Come on. Before I change my mind." We were both aware of the deep parts of me that were panicking right now. This was just wrong in many ways. We were not married. I wasn't even nineteen yet. He would have to be exceedingly careful not to kill me, let alone hurt me.

I still wanted this to happen, though. I wanted him to know how much I loved him and trusted him. So much that I was more than willing to share my body with him.

He set his palms flat on either side of my hips and quietly informed me, "This is going to hurt. Get ready."

I braced myself for the pain and he pressed his lips against mine, planting a dozen little butterfly kisses before I felt my body's natural barrier tear.

Something that was half a shriek, half a squeal slipped through my throat and muffled against Jasper's waiting lips. I whimpered a little bit at the first few seconds of throbbing burn. Jasper cheated and eased my pain for me. It wasn't too long before I had managed to relax myself again.

Jasper sat up and gently pushed my knees back so that my legs were bent. His eyes were wary and he asked one final time, "Are you sure that you are ready? You really want this?"

I nodded and his tip brushed my entrance. I forced myself to keep breathing as he slowly slipped himself in, letting me get used to the feeling of being filled with him.

After my body was stretched and the too-tight feeling started to get comfortable I urged, "Okay, you can go on now."

He started to pump in and out of me, and at first I didn't like it. But then the friction between us began to build, and Jasper started to go a tiny bit harder. My body began to heat up.

I curled my legs around his waist, encouraging his forcefulness, and my fingers tangled in his hair. I pulled his face down to mine and eagerly began to kiss him, wanting to contribute something to this experience.

He started sucking and nibbling on my neck. That, combined with his gentle-yet-forceful thrusts, was becoming too much of a sensation for my body to deal with at the same time. I couldn't form a coherent thought except for his name, which I began to mutter breathlessly.

An extra-deep push hit a bundle of nerves inside of me that made me gasp. I felt my body start to float happily and the singularly best feeling I have ever felt in my entire life ravaged through me.

When I had come down from my peak he was lying beside me, holding me in a very intimate way. One of his legs was in between mine, his stomach was brushing mine, and his arm was wrapped around my back. He had his lips against my chest, kissing it gently.

We didn't need words to let one another know how much love was radiating in between us right now.

I pressed my nose against his forehead, feeling my eyes drift closed as his mouth and tongue slowly started massaging my neck. Little flares of warning began to set off in my head. He was getting just a little too happy with my jugular vein.

A long buried memory, one that had been my most painful; one my mind shied away from the fastest, suddenly surged forward with quite the vigor.

"Bella, before we left for Jacksonville, you promised me you would love me forever."

"Yeah, I did, because I will."

"Bella... You don't have a forever, did you consider that?"

Silence.

"Yeah, I didn't think so. I wanted to ask you something."

"Anything."

"I wanted to know if you'd thought about... becoming a vampire, sometime. Then you could really join the family, and we could have forever together."

Together forever. My Jasper and me. The core of my existence. The blood that ran through my veins. The very air that I breathed.

Together forever with the man that was my everything.

Suddenly, I didn't seem so frightened with that idea. In fact I had probably never felt happier with something than I did at that moment. The moment that I realized I would have a forever with Jasper, and that it was going to start right now.

"Bite me." I whispered intensely, reassuringly running my fingers through his hair. I didn't give him the chance to protest. I demanded, "Do it, Jasper. I want you to turn me."

I felt a wave of shock radiate off of him. He set his forehead on my neck and his body stiffened. He sounded miserable when he spoke. "I can't, Bella."

I sat up, looking down at him with wide and adoring eyes. I honestly and truly adored this man. I loved him more than the world, more than my own life. He had no choice but to live forever. He had suffered a long time being lonely until we found one another. He told me he wanted me to be his for the rest of eternity.

I wanted that too. I would happily give him that. I promised, "You can, Jasper. I know you can! You've let go before. You're stronger now than you were then."

Jasper sat up, too. He looked conflicted, which meant I was convincing him. It meant he wasn't going to say no again, because he was considering the fact that I might be right. He wanted this just as much as I did. We both wanted it this time. What could he possibly object to?

"Alice isn't here to save you again." He reminded me seriously. "You can't change your mind. I'd never have the strength to suck the venom out. You have to want this. If I bite you, that's it Bella. Everything changes."

He tore his eyes away from the bed and looked directly at me. "You'll have to leave Silas with Charlie for a few years. You could never have a child of your own. Accidents will happen; you're going to kill people. Some part of you is never going to stop wanting to kill people."

I had been given a long time to consider all of this before. I knew it was going to break my heart to leave Silas behind, but it was safest that way. Being bluntly honest, it was best for him to get all vampires away from him- that included Jasper, Alice, and Edward. If I could be used as an excuse for my baby to have a shot at a normal human childhood then I would gladly become a scapegoat.

I never wanted kids. Silas was enough for me, and always would be. That problem was solved.

The whole blood-diet was my biggest problem. There were nights that I would stay up late thinking. I tried to come to terms with the idea of… becoming a killer. I had tried to ease my fears, reminding myself that there were humans all over the world killing other humans for no reason. Vampires needed to do it to survive. I had tried to tell myself I could be like Carlisle and Rosalie; I would never bite a human because I would fight the urge.

But I was not stupid. I knew that the possibility would be there. I knew how difficult it had been for Emmett, and even gentle Esme, to resist the temptation of blood. I knew how much suffering Carlisle had gone through to avoid it.

I knew what becoming a monster had done to Jasper.

What alternative did I have, though? Was it a physical possibility for me to let Jasper leave me? If I chose to remain human, some day he would have to go his own way. We could not keep hurting each other in this relationship. Jacob would absorb me again. My heart would die. I would never, ever be able to live a complete and actual life if Jasper was not a part of it.

I was in too deep. There was no other way. Yes, I would probably kill a few humans. No, I would never be okay with that. But Jasper knew better than anyone else how to help me through the guilt and self-hate that would accompany an accident. He would be there for me every step of the way. I just knew he would be.

"I want this." I decided finally, firmly. There was no other option. I was ready for the pain this time. I was ready for the horrors that being a vampire would bring to my life. I was ready to have my happily ever after with my knight in shining armor.

All he had to do was come and whisk me away. It really was that easy.

Jasper got up from the bed, slipping back into his clothes. He handed me a durable pair of jeans and a thick sweatshirt. His eyes were troubled as he watched me stiffly get dressed.

"We're going to the mountains." He informed me, pulling the window open. He gestured for me to put my shoes on as he explained why. "It takes three days. The screaming will frighten your neighbors. Charlie will panic, but this is the best way."

This was his area of expertise. I trusted his logic wholly. Tying my shoes on I crossed the room and let him take me in his arms. It was not long before we had reached a cold little cave in the heart of the Olympic Mountains.

It was not long after then that Jasper pressed his lips against my collarbone, and the fire began to burn me alive.

The first thing I did as a vampire was hunt. The second thing I did was sit with Jasper on the edge of a clear mountain stream. I was staring down into the water, grimacing a little bit.

Jasper, sounding tense, anxious, and nervous at the same time, asked me quietly, "What do you think of the new you, Bella?"

I was shocked. I didn't know if it was possible to look so beautiful! I didn't have Rosalie's stunning looks. I didn't have Alice's exotic attractiveness, not Esme's elegant ravish. I didn't need any of that, though. In my own way, I was dazzling. I liked it, not feeling plain.

I would eventually get used to the sparkling. My eyes, though, were unsettling me. I confessed to Jasper, "I don't like them so red. It's just… ghastly."

A serene smile spread across Jasper's face, and he gently clasped my hand in his own. His eyes stared intensely and unblinkingly into mine for a long, long while and we remained silent. I didn't mind. All we had now was time.

"I used to hate the color red." He decided to share his thoughts with me after some time. "Blood is red, and there were days even as a human in the war that I was simply soaked in it. Maria's eyes were red, so dark with greed and superiority that I started to feel uneasy around it."

His smile vanished, and his face contorted into a bitter scowl. He leaned over the stream, gently touching his own cheek.

His whisper was quiet, but my extra-sensitive newborn ears heard him easily. "It's still impossible for me to look at myself and not see those terrible red flames glaring back at me. The always thirsty, always hateful, fiery eyes of a demon. A monster that had to see the blood of his countless victims staring back at him every single time a reflective surface was near."

I squeezed his hand reassuringly. After a while he shook his head a little, allowing the contempt to drain away from his face. He released a small, peaceful sigh before looking at me again.

"I see you with those eyes, Bella; those breath taking rubies; and I know that it is not the color I hate." He whispered quietly, intensely. "If your eyes are red, then I will always love red eyes. More than brown, and if you choose, more than golden. I'll make red my favorite color."

"I love you, Jasper." I informed him.

"I love you more." He countered, smiling at me.

I chuckled and moved closer to him, leaning into his warm arms as they wrapped around me. Warm. Jasper was warm. It was shocking and wonderful at the same time.

"How much do you love me?" I asked jokingly, peeking up at him playfully.

He asked, "How much do you want me to love you, Bella?"

"More than the world!" I declared, only half joking. Of course some deep part of me did want him to love me like that. Wanted him to put me above everything else like I did him.

A soft, adoring smile spread across his face. His hand gently traced the scar on my collarbone and he promised, "Bella, you are my world. You are my everything. I love you more than I ever thought I was able to love a creature. Far, far more than anyone else in the world ever could."

We just held each other, smiling and sitting contentedly in one another's arms. I heard a faint frequency emit from his pocket, and he clicked his cell phone open just as it vibrated. He had a text message from someone. With an irritated growl he snapped it closed and shoved the phone away.

"Who was that?" I asked curiously.

"Edward." He answered tensely. "He said Charlie has search parties out looking for you all over. Even in Seattle. Your mutt is on the war path. Edward said he set up a meeting, midnight tonight in the clearing just outside of La Push. You need to end this relationship, Bella, tonight."

He was right. Jacob couldn't be a friend with me now. Not now that I was what I was. We just had to go our separate ways- once and for all. I glanced at the sky. It was twilight.

"We might as well go meet up with Alice and Edward now." I sighed lightly. I don't know what it was, but something was giving me a bad feeling. Jake would not take this well. I just knew it.

But that was just a storm I'd have to deal with. Werewolves and vampires simply could not coexist peacefully. That was all there was to it.

Today I recommend the one-shot High School Reunions written by shaelove. It's an all-human Rosalie/Mike, written for the Team Mike movement. Mike/Rosalie people! (I'll read it soon, Shae!)