I don't own it, I just play with it. Thanks Steph…

If you want to thank someone for this chapter, you can thank some of my favorite reviewers JaspersBella, Jessi ver2.0, shellebean, and especially NCChris, without whom I wouldn't have written a word of fanfic yet! Thanks, guys… for spurring me on.

Jasper was waiting at the door when we pulled up to the house. I would have paid anything to see the amazing smile on his face.

"What has you so happy?" I asked him as he opened my door. Alice was already inside with her first load of bags, no doubt hanging them all in her closet.

"I was about to ask you the same thing." He told me. "I could feel your emotions before you hit the driveway. So, you tell me… what has me so happy?"

"Family meeting." I whispered in his ear.

"Family meeting." He said at a more normal volume. They would hear. "My lady…" he said, offering me his arm.

"Good sir." I accepted, heading in to face my future. They were all at the table before we had walked through the door.

"Bella," Carlisle nodded "welcome home. I trust you had a pleasant shopping trip with Alice?"

"Now, Carlisle…" I asked "Why would you trust that? Shopping has never been my favorite thing, you know." Emmett laughed until Rose smacked him rather loudly. "However," I continued before he could be too disappointed "as a matter of fact, I did have a pleasant time shopping with Alice today. Thanks for asking."

"I assume it was you who called this meeting?"

"It was."

"And what is your business?" he continued.

"I've come to a decision about becoming a vampire."

"And what decision is that?" he asked.

Jasper reached around Alice to squeeze my hand and I felt a surge of confidence and strength; I felt ready for anything. "I've decided I'd like to be a part of this family… if you'll have me. I want to become a vampire."

The reaction in the room was overwhelming and instantaneous. All at the same time, Carlisle nodded his understanding, somehow looking happy and relieved and yet saddened at the thought of voluntarily taking human life, Esme cried out her joy for me, Rose sat back in her chair clearly wanting to murder whoever was responsible for this waste of human life, Emmett boomed his big laugh, welcoming me to the family in style, Alice was bouncing up and down and squealing loudly.

Edward stormed off, absolutely enraged the moment the words left my mouth, which didn't surprise me; he had never wanted this for me and I knew he wouldn't take it well. Jasper's hasty departure, however, caught me off guard.

Just a few days before, I might not have noticed his disappearance at all, but things had changed in the last couple of days, and he had become a central part of my world. My new best friend, a man whom I had come to care a great deal about, upon hearing my intention to become a vampire, joining his family for an eternity, had walked out on me.

"Bella?" Alice asked, clapping her hands in my face to capture my attention. "Bella!"

"Hmmm?"

"Where did you go? I've been trying to get your attention forever."

"Sorry, Alice…" I managed to mumble through the fog that had descended over my mind. I shook my head to clear it, turning to meet her eyes. "It's been a long day. I… I think I'd just like to go home, now. Okay?"

"Sure, hon." She told me, rising from the table.

I should have known, of course, that I wouldn't make it out of there that easily. Rose huffed out without another word, but everyone else wanted hugs, wanted to tell me how happy I had made them, and to discuss the details of the matter. I conceded to the former two, postponing the latter, and made it out of there in less than fifteen minutes. I never saw Jasper.

Though Alice drove, we took my truck, which meant it was still a longer drive than I wanted to endure and for probably the first time, I actually wished for Cullen driving at its finest. Though Alice tried to talk to me a time or two during the ride, after my apparent temporary lack of communication skills, she gave up, leaving me to my thoughts.

"Thanks, Alice." I mumbled as I stepped out of the decrepit truck. Until she opened my door, I'd had no idea that we'd arrived.

"See you Tuesday." She told me.

"Tuesday?" I asked, absently.

"Yep. Tomorrow's going to be sunny again. It's a really weird year. Most sun we've ever seen in Forks…" She trailed off, realizing I wasn't really paying attention. "Anyhoo…" she said, waving and turning toward the woods "Have a good night."

"Goodnight, Alice." I managed "Thanks again."

"Bells? That you?" Charlie questioned as I walked through the door, juggling my bags.

"Yeah." I called back.

"Have a good weekend?"

"Yeah. I'm really tired, though. I think I'll head up early."

"Okay." He said, already immersed again in the game on TV.

I flopped into my bed with a huge sigh and threw my pillow over my head.

I didn't want to think; I tried not to, but the thoughts were pounding into my head, crashing into me with every heartbeat. Angry, I threw the pillow across the room, put in some of Phil's music and turned it up as loud as it would go. Charlie had never heard me blast any music before and surely he wouldn't begrudge me this. At any rate, I didn't care what Charlie thought at this point. I only wanted to escape the thoughts that were torturing me.

Edward hated me. He didn't want me around him for all of eternity, and I understood that; I expected it. Rose hated me. She had always hated me. I didn't expect that she would be all sunshine and roses when I told her I was giving up the human life she envied without another thought.

Jasper…

Jasper… He had walked out of that room without a word and disappeared. He didn't want me… We had gotten along so well. He understood me. I could see through him. We hit it off from the very beginning and got so close so fast and now…

He didn't want me around. He didn't want me to become a vampire. What could that mean? Maybe he had just been being polite. He had felt my pain and did his best to make me feel better. He would have done that for anyone and I had taken it the wrong way. He didn't want me in his family. He just walked away…

No. That couldn't be right. We had more than that. He and I had connected. I had never connected like that before with anyone. He was my best friend, but… if he was my best friend, why did he disappear the moment I said 'forever'?

Somewhere in my musing I drifted. That night I dreamt of Jasper…

"I'll be your friend forever Jasper." The sunlight shining through the southern windows to his study lit him to a brilliant glow. I stepped closer, reaching out to take his hand.

He flinched away from me. Stepping back, he shook his head slowly, turned and walked away, closing the door behind him. I stood frozen. I couldn't move. I couldn't call out to him. He didn't even say goodbye. How could he not have even said goodbye?

"Jasper! Wait!" I called out, racing to the door. I opened it, looking down the hall, but couldn't see him. "Jasper!" I yelled again, dashing down the stairs as fast as my legs would carry me, not caring if I fell. I saw him in the entryway.

He turned back to glance at me, his expression disappointed and full of pity, before stepping through the door forever. "Jasper… Don't do this… Don't go away!" I pleaded, making my way toward him. Ignoring my cries, he stepped through the door and I knew he was not coming back again. "Jasper! No! " I screamed, chasing after him.

I watched in helpless horror, tears streaming down my face, as he stepped into the woods and disappeared. I couldn't catch him; I knew I couldn't, but I still tried, running toward the place I had seen him dissolve into emptiness. My life would be emptiness without him.

"Jasper… I whispered into the isolation of the forest. "I love you… I'm in love with you… Don't go…."

Short, I know… but it's something. She knows she's in love now, at least in her dreams. Hope you liked the little snack. Please review. It makes me smile to see all those little hugs and kisses in my mailbox.