A/N: So I changed my mind and decided to just continue on with this story instead of making a sequel. I think it's more cohesive and easier to follow this way. And if it's not, I'm sorry! :P

*Amanda's POV…finally*

"Dammit, Hale, do you really have to go?" I whined as Jasper and I waited on the couch downstairs for the rest of the family to get ready to go on their little excursion.

He laughed softly. "It's this or eat you. I'm afraid the latter might upset you."

"Maybe a little. I'm more afraid Alice'll do something unspeakable…like take me shopping." I grimaced at the thought. At least Bella was here to distract Alice's attention a little.

"I told you where the car keys are!" Jasper reminded me with a smile. "Not that it will help much with her around…but at least you know you have an escape. Just don't plan ahead and you'll make it out."

I jumped a little inwardly as the rest of the Cullens, minus Edward, floated silently down the stairs. I figured I'd never get used to the creepy way they appeared out of nowhere. Of course, I could never give them the satisfaction of knowing I was slightly intimidated…except Jasper, who probably had noticed. And Edward probably saw it in my head and tried to be polite and act like he didn't.

Emmett smiled devilishly at me from the bottom of the stairs. He'd been wanting to take me on a ride in his new Hummer since he got it a few days ago, and we hadn't gotten around to it yet. Not that I was too disappointed. Jasper's driving didn't bother me so much because I knew he didn't intend on killing me. I knew that Emmett didn't either, but he did tend to be a bit rougher than Jasper. And I liked all my bones intact and attached, thank you very much.

Jasper flung his arm around my shoulders and shook the hair out of his eyes. He seemed relaxed today, that made me happy. Some days he seemed tense. He kept telling me about the vampires in Seattle and I knew that worried him a lot. But I did wish he wouldn't let it get to him so badly, it wasn't his responsibility to shoulder alone.

A moment later, Edward glided downstairs followed by a morose looking Bella. I felt a pang of sympathy for Edward, Bella being overly dramatic was making leaving a lot more painful for him than it had to be.

Jasper stood up to leave. Only for him, standing up was a more graceful and fluid motion than it ever was for me. He held offered his hand to help me up. I scowled a little, but accepted anyway, choosing to ignore Emmett's snort of amusement. Alice had told me just to deal with the chivalry, that it was a generational thing and I'd grow to appreciate it one day. Either way, I still didn't like feeling helpless.

The Cullens chatted idly among themselves and Alice loomed menacingly in the doorway. I could nearly feel her eyes bore into the back of my head…no doubt thinking of all the "fun" we were about to have.

"Should I be afraid?" I asked Edward.

"Maybe a little," he confessed.

Jasper laughed softly, his velvety deep voice nearly calmed me as much as when he did it intentionally. He absentmindedly played with the end of a lock of my hair.

Carlisle headed out the door and the others followed. Emmett boisterously declared he was ready to go, and dashed off into the woods, followed by Rosalie. Esme came up and hugged me and Bella, before following after them with Carlisle. Before I could blink, both couples were well out of sight. I jokingly wondered if they were in northern California already.

I could tell Jasper was anxious to go but was lingering behind for my sake.

"Get going," I told him, gesturing after the others.

He stood absolutely still and looked at me with an unreadable expression. He looked out of it; maybe he had started seeing visions like Alice. He snapped out of his daze in a second and bent down to kiss my forehead.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he reminded me quietly. "I love you."

My heart nearly melted. "And I love you. Quit procrastinating."

He laughed at me and kissed my hand before bolting off into the forest. I went back into the house, avoiding Alice's pointed stare, and went back to the couch where I had left my book a few days before.

Bella came back inside a few minutes later, too, with tears streaming down her face. I resisted the urge to gag and/or roll my eyes. She sat down in the armchair and stared at me like I was the strange one.

"How do you do it?" she asked.

"Do what?" I had no idea what she was talking about…as usual. I liked Bella, but sometimes her logic completely lost me.

"Just let him go like that. I felt ridiculous clinging onto Edward and you were practically shoving Jasper out the door. How is it so much easier for you?"

I shrugged. "I don't want Jasper to go, but he has to…it's the only way they can stay here for so long. I know he feels bad enough leaving for just a day or two already, without me being difficult and adding to it. It's not like he's not coming back."

I hoped that didn't come off to harsh, I didn't mean to hurt her feelings. Jasper had told me about the year before when Edward left her…I assumed her clinginess was largely based in that but had enough sense not to voice it. Maybe I didn't understand her reasoning since I had never lost Jasper.

She nodded slowly. "They all like you, you know."

My head shot up at that. I had never thought that the rest of the Cullens really liked me; I just thought they were making the effort for Jasper. Beautiful and majestic beings like them didn't like nerdy little people like me.

"What?" I asked incredulously.

"They adore you," Bella elaborated. "I was over here one day last week and Emmett asked Esme what room you could move into. And then Alice volunteered to give up her closet space for you! Carlisle proposed adding on an addition…and Rosalie offered to help Esme design it. They all love having you here."

I was completely floored. I had a special relationship with Emmett, I knew he liked me, but I never thought he wanted me around all the time. And Alice even considering giving up closet space (which was the size of a large master bedroom) was surely a sign of the apocalypse.

"I hope you do plan on sticking around. Jasper's so much more pleasant to be around with you in the picture." She murmured this so softly I wondered if I was supposed to hear.

"What was he like before?" I asked, intrigued by her assessment. It was hard for me to picture Jasper any other way than the person I had come to know.

"I don't want you to think I disliked him, but I was, and still am, intimidated," she admitted. "He always seemed so detached and disheartened… and was always off brooding in a dark corner, never really a part of things. I thought it might've been just around me, being cautious and all, but Edward said it wasn't. He seems so much happier now and relaxing to be around…so alive."

"He still broods a lot, though," I pointed out, laughing. Anytime something serious came up and I couldn't think of anything to say, I deflected it with humor. It was a stupid and obnoxious habit I'd picked up, but Bella laughed with me, though I suspected it was mainly out of pity for my lameness.

"I wish I knew him the way you did," she said more solemnly. "I'm sure there are so many layers under his stoic façade that he doesn't let anyone see…except you. He's so mysterious."

I nodded in agreement. I knew I had let him in more that I'd let anyone in before, but I had never considered he did the same for me. I thought that in this family there weren't any secrets with a mind reader and fortune teller. It touched me to find out that he felt secure enough to show me that other side…the real him.

Alice cleared her throat from the doorway. Bella jumped and I groaned.

"I foresaw you'd be difficult and it hurt my feelings," she sulked. Surely she wasn't going to try and guilt-trip us into anything. "Do you at least want to see what I got you? You can try them on later."

Bella agreed reluctantly and I nodded. Alice's face lit up and she pulled two giant shopping bags out of nowhere. One day I'd have to ask how she did that. She tossed one to me and one to Bella like they weighed nothing.

I dreaded opening the bag, but was pleasantly surprised. They weren't necessarily clothes I would have picked out, but I liked them. They were all mainly in purple and red, my favorite, with some other colors throw in. I thanked Alice and actually meant it. She then started to point out the shirts she had gotten with my new leather jacket in mind. After a few moments I tuned her rambling out. Honestly, it's just a shirt or pair of pants to me.

Bella thanked her too, but perhaps less genuinely. Alice whispered to me that she'd end up dressing Bella herself which made me chuckle. Bella's glare shot daggers at us, but she wasn't too intimidating no matter how hard she tried.

"Ooh! I need your opinion, Amanda!" Alice shrieked and darted out of the room only to return a second later holding a magazine. I was flabbergasted; Alice never needed anyone's opinion. Unless she was about to ask me a food related question. But you don't need magazines for that. Whatever.

"What do you think of this ring?" she asked, thrusting the open magazine in my face.

"It's pretty," I assured her. "Very pretty." The ring had a square face with alternating bars of a blue stone and a diamond bar on a silver band. It was very understated and intricate. "I'd like it better in red, but the blue's pretty too. Why, are you designing an outfit around it?"

"You know me so well!" Alice chirped, looking very satisfied with herself.

Bella looked very tense during all this.

"For God's sake, calm down, Bella, I don't have anything planned!" Alice waved her arms around erratically as if to validate the point.

For some reason, I didn't entirely believe her.