A/N: Thank you everyone for all the awesome reviews! I am absolutely loving everyone's theories on what is going on, a lot of them a unique! I really appreciate everyone telling me what they think on this story. It makes my day and makes me want to write faster! Anyways, I hope you like this chapter!

Bella stared at the screen in front of her blankly. Another dead end. She folded her arms on the desk, burying her head in them.

She felt Jaspers gentle hands soothingly rub her back as he had done so many times in the past three weeks. Three weeks of running into non-stop dead ends, three weeks of finding more questions than answers, and three weeks of constant disappointment. It was beginning to be more than Bella could bear.

She sat up, and wearily looked into his sympathetic darkened gold eyes. "Again Jasper. Again. I finally found a way to hack into that damn government website and their tax records, showing proof that you lived with them and you were completely erased from them. How is that possible?"

"I don't know. We just keep trying."

Keep trying. That had become their mantra at this point. They had first gone into Forks school records, Bella feeling optimistic about what they might find. The Cullens were wiped clean from the databases. With the other schools that they had gone to prior to Bella, Jasper had been erased from the records as never having attended them. It was beyond maddening.

"I can't look at this… thing anymore." Bella responded, waving her hand towards the laptop. She stood up suddenly and moved to the window, watching the sun set on yet another day.

"Why don't you both take a break?" Charlotte walked in. "I know you both could use one."

Bella turned to look at her new friend. "We don't have time to take a break."

Charlotte raised her eyebrows. "You don't have time? Bella, all we have is time! You are going to become burnt out and then you will be useless to Edward and Alice."

"Edward and Alice would not give up."

The blond rolled her eyes slightly enough for the both of them to see. "Who said anything about giving up, Sugar? I said, you need a break. Besides, Edward would want you to have a little fun." Charlotte walked over touching her gently on the arm. She could be almost as soothing as Jasper sometimes. "I wasn't especially close to Edward, but would hate to know you were like this. This is not living. It's been nearly a month and you have been chained to this desk, barely moving from it except when Peter and I implore you to. When was the last time either of you hunted?"

Bella had hunted a week ago, by herself for an hour before rushing back. Since everything occurred, she had not been able to allow herself to hunt frequently, only taking in enough to barely satisfy her bloodlust. Jasper by all accounts had not been much better, only going a couple of times more than her, both of the hunts just as quick.

"I don't know, Charlotte…"

Charlotte's hands rested on her hips, looking at her expectantly. Jasper had told Bella that when she does that she does not take no for an answer, but it was usually only reserved for Peter. "Well, the both of you need to go. I have it on good authority that the town is celebrating its 150th anniversary this weekend, so it is wise to assume that there will be hikers in the area. Unless you have changed you minds about your food source, I suggest you go before you make a mistake."

Bella knew she was right. Still she hesitated, looking at Jasper, who gave her an encouraging smile. "Come on Bella. Charlotte's right. Who knows? We might even have a little fun."

She had never gone hunting with Jasper before. Anything had to be better than this. She returned his smile. "Alright. We'll go."

Peter's voice floated down from above. "Good! It's about time! Just do me a favor… don't come back too soon."

Jasper sighed exasperatingly. "Great. We will leave the both of you alone for some private time. Thanks for the heads up, Peter."

"Anytime, my brother." Peter responded.

Charlotte did not even bother to look embarrassed. She simply turned around to head up the stairs. "Have a good time."

Jasper stood up. "We better go. They won't wait long if they-" a loud crash rang from above followed by a shrill laugh from Charlotte, "are in the mood." He finished, looking up at the ceiling. Bella and Jasper exited quickly through the front door, stopping at the edge of the forest.

"How long do you think they will be?" she mused out loud.

"Peter and Charlotte? All night, I am guessing. They are kinda like Rose and Emmett. Only at least they wait until we are out of the house… usually."

"I see. So it looks like we have some time to kill then."

Jasper ran his hand through his blond curls. "We do at that. So where have you been hunting?"

"Just right back here. Not more than a mile or so away from the house."

Jasper cocked his head. "There is not a lot of big game in the direct vicinity. What have you been eating?"

"Fox mostly."

"That can't sustain you."

"It did its job." Bella felt self-conscious as her friend looked at her critically.

"Barely. You need more than that." Jasper responded thoughtfully before perking up and grabbing her hand. "Come on. I am going to take you on a real hunting trip. It's about time you had one."

Bella jerked forward, walking quickly in the direction Jasper was taking her. "I've been on real hunting trips. With Edward."

Jasper turned around and laughed. "Edward? No, you haven't."

Bella was amazed to see true excitement reflecting in his eyes. It was the first time that she had seen Jasper like that since before the incident. It was true he had smiled over the past few weeks and his overall demeanor was calm, but he, like herself, had not allowed himself to even feel an inkling of real happiness or contentment. She lowered her shield letting the feeling of excitement he was radiating melt into her. It was refreshing and it felt incredibly good.

Her shoulders finally released the tension they had been holding, and she decided that she needed let her worries sit aside for the evening. She desperately wanted to just feel something, anything, again that wasn't marred by the situation with the Cullens.

Jasper, as always, understood what she needed, and squeezed her hand tightly. "Come on. Let's go for a run. Bet you can't catch me before we get where we are going."

"I'll bet you I can." And with that, they took off.

Running really was just what Bella needed. They raced through the forests and riverbeds, places that perhaps no human had ever seen in centuries. She did not have time to really focus on anything but the race, as a result of the direction that Jasper sending them in constantly changing. Jasper and Bella were about evenly matched; Bella was probably a little faster than him, but she was aware that Jasper knew the terrain better, giving him the slight advantage. Sometimes, she lost sight of him; but she could always tell which way he had gone, his scent never being masked for more than a second or two.

As Bella was contemplating how to get ahead of him, she almost failed to notice that the line of trees ended abruptly, Bella barely stopping at the edge of a cliff before falling off. She looked down briefly at the large fissure, to take stock on where Jasper went. The gap was deep and wide, she was almost positive that he did not attempt to jump over it. A slight breeze confirmed her thought and she could tell that Jasper had fled to the right, around the crevice only a minute or two before. She estimated that it would have taken him a while to get around it. Bella impulsively decided to jump the crevice to head him off, hopefully giving her the advantage she desired.

She moved back about five hundred yards from the cliff, before running, launching herself off the edge over the cliff, flying through the air. With a thud, she landed hard on the ground, albeit scarcely, only to look up and see a very surprised Jasper in front of her. She grinned and poked him playfully in the chest. "Gotcha!"

Jasper looked at the gap and then back at her, astonishment in his voice, a smile creeping over his face. "You're crazy! Peter or Emmett wouldn't even attempt to jump that!"

Bella put her hands on her hips, her smirk still playing on her lips. "Had to get the tactical advantage somehow, didn't I?"

Bella then heard herself do something that she had not done in ages. She laughed. Full on, no holds barred, laughed. It felt strange at first, somehow wrong, but then she gave in and out of the corner of her eye, caught Jasper laughing right along with her. When it finally subsided, she sat down with a large contented sigh. "That felt good."

Jasper plopped right down next to her. "The laughter?"

She waved her hand in the air. "All of it. The running, the laughter, and but most of all, I like feeling somewhat normal for a change. It's been a while. I wasn't sure if I was ever going to really laugh again."

"I know what you mean." He agreed. And before they could pause too long to let the reality of everything come crashing in, he smirked. Jasper jumped suddenly and took off again, heading northwest. "Catch me if you can!"

They finally stopped after an hour in an open field. She looked around the field, noticing it was eerily quiet. "Where are we, exactly?"

"We're on the outskirts of Yellowstone." Jasper walked around purposefully, looking at the ground. He pointed to some tracks that were from at least two days ago. "There is a large grizzly population this way. Excellent."

"Emmett's favorite animal." She smiled at the memory.

Jasper grinned. "Mine too."

"Why?"

"Ever wrestled a grizzly?"

"That would be an emphatic no."

"Well, you hopefully will get to tonight. Time to go hunting."

Just as she was going to move into the forest, Bella sensed an elk along the edge of other side of the field. Bella quickly sprinted over to it, she grabbed the animal by the neck, snapping it effectively in two, lowered the animal down to the ground, finding its main artery and draining it. She then brought it into the forest and buried it. When she was done, she noticed that Jasper peered over her.

"You can tell Edward taught you to hunt."

"What is that supposed to mean?" She asked indignantly.

"Well, I am just saying, the way you hunt, it's very mechanical. It's like you are saying to yourself, find animal, drink from animal to get nutrients, dispose of said animal. There is no pleasure behind it. If we are to live this kind of lifestyle, you need to give into your instincts. You are thinking way too much about it."

"But I am giving into my instincts. True, I do not enjoying hunting tremendously, but I am killing an innocent animal so I could survive! What is there to enjoy?"

"Bella, did you enjoy a juicy hamburger when you were human?"

"Of course."

"Same idea." Jasper smiled at her. "You just need to let go. Let your instincts take over. It will be a totally different experience. Okay? Watch me."

Bella was transfixed as she watched Jasper hunt.

Jasper was a predator at his finest; he plotted and circled around his prey, never revealing himself until the last second when it was too late and impossible for his victim to get away. His strike, while powerful, was also a thing of beauty. Bella was not sure how to explain it, but the attack was somehow merciful. More merciful than when she drained her own Elk. She was sure that the animal felt almost no pain and was granted a quick and easy death.

After draining the last of the life from the mountain lion, Jasper stood up from his kill, striding towards where Bella stood a few hundred feet away. Every muscle in Jasper's body was still tightened and flexed, his form exuding total control. His eyes, that were already beginning to lighten a shade, looked straight into Bella's as they had so many times before.

But this time was different. This time it was the vampire that was looking at her, and she was sure if she had a heart, it would have been racing. Bella would have been lying to herself if she did not admit that she found Jasper very attractive in that moment, which surprised her, because the only two men she had ever thought attractive were Edward and Jacob.

Jasper stopped just mere inches before Bella; his lips nearly touching her ear as he bent down to speak to her. If she hadn't known better she would have sworn it had a slight seductive tone in it when he whispered. "It's that easy. Just let go and let your instincts take over. The vampire will do all the rest."

Bella nodded and stepped away quickly. She needed space to think and set her in the right frame of mind because right at that moment with how Jasper was looking, her instincts were telling her something very different and that feeling unsettled her.

Bella closed her eyes, taking in the scents of the world around her, doing her best to ignore Jasper. She smelled the maple and pine trees that surrounded her, she felt the dew that was just beginning to form on the forest floor, and then she sensed it. It was a faint scent, but nonetheless potent to her nose. She inhaled it deeply, letting it permeate her entire being. As the scent shifted suddenly, she took off. Bella ran, but harder than before, as if her life depended on it. She jumped over boulders and fallen trees, the scent becoming stronger, more potent. She ran through one last thicket of bushes before stopping, just short of her prize.

The grizzly stood there proud before her on its hind legs, slightly uneasy as it felt her gold eyes on it. The bear moved around, circling the enclosed area it was in, trying to locate the unseen intruder. Bella moved around slowly, making sure that any viable means of escape for the animal was almost impossible. She moved when the bear moved, their movements a dance of sorts. The grizzly roared at its unseen attacker, hoping to draw it out or scare it off. Bella crouched down, confident that the bear would not be able to escape.

She then lunged at the animal, toppling it over. The bear swiped at the vampire, before making an attempt to scamper off into the forest. Bella held it down, wrestling with the large omnivore. The animal was powerful, tossing Bella off it several times, each time the female vampire coming back more determined. Bella straddled the animal, finally sinking her teeth deeply in the neck, the bears movements slowing underneath her. The blood was sweet as it flowed down her throat, Bella relishing the nectar as she finished off the bear and gently rested its carcass to the ground.

Bella was well aware she was beaming as she stood up. She was not surprised to see Jasper there, looking at her proudly, albeit a little differently. She felt accomplished, but more importantly, she felt for the first time truly satisfied, the vampire in her sated, complete.

"How was that?"

"Now darlin', that was a real hunt."