I can't believe I forgot to put a disclaimer in the first chapter but here it is:

I DON'T OWN TWILIGHT!!1! In case anyone was at all confused about that.

One last thing before you can move on.

For the sake of this fanfic, I've teased with the timeline a little bit, cause I've just now realized it sorta works but sorta not. Basically Charlie knows about the wedding before Jacob gets his invitation.

I'm going to play around with that can of worms probably in the next chapter.

But for now enjoy this one!

"We cross our bridges when we come to them and burn them behind us, with nothing to show for our progress except a memory of the smell of smoke, and a presumption that once our eyes watered."

~Tom Stoppard~

The first thing Bella heard as she began to pull back from the edges of sleep was a soft voice humming a very familiar tune she'd normally only heard played in the melodic notes of Edward's piano. It sounded nice hearing it in the new medium of Esme's subtlety beautiful voice and she had to fight with herself for a bit not to fall right back asleep.

Bella shuffled under her covers for a moment before finally sitting up slowly, steeling herself. She had to know how bad the situation was and who she would be going with to hide. As if a light clicked on in her head she realized with a start that it was Esme instead of Edward that was currently with her.

They might have already gone to fight…but the more she thought about it the less she believed that.

Anything that could shake Jasper as it had, must be something that would take more time than one single night to fix, right?

While her heartbeat calmed down Bella felt the irritation rise. She was beginning to grow less fond of being human by the day, but she would let Edward have his odd principles and weird demands.

She would finish high school, and marry her love, and then…well…Bella allowed her messy hair to hide the blush she was sure she had developed, chastising herself for thinking of such things at that moment.

After Bella was sure she had calm down her blush and certain scenarios had taken their leave from her thoughts, she ran a hand through her hair-effectively pulling it away from her face- and looked up.

Esme's smile was the first thing that greeted her. Bella was sure that she looked completely ridiculous herself having just woken up, but she returned it readily.

"Is everyone alright?" Edward's absence from his usual spot worried her and she again pictured him fighting, her mind automatically jumping back to the forest where he'd lain, twitching and writhing under Jane's power, his beautiful face set with grim determination to not show Bella just how much pain he'd been.

Her mind replayed the image of Jasper clutching his arm, venom stinging his skin when he'd attempted to be all over the battlefield so as to protect Alice, and then another image of how he'd been earlier surfaced to the very forefront of all the others.

How…drained he had looked, still protecting her and standing his ground when it was all he could do afterwards just to keep upright.

Esme calmed her fears with a light laugh and caring smile. She reached over to gently brush back a wayward piece of hair that was stuck at an odd angle.

"They're fine, Edward went to hunt with his sisters and Emmett. He should be here any second. They're trying to go as fast as they can." Bella nodded, relieved. She leaned back against the wall behind her and sighed.

'How's Jasper's doing?' She thought sadly.

"Jasper…is he…?" It came out mumbled, but she knew Esme had heard her.

Bella began to worry when Esme took a bit longer to answer her, which meant she was probably deciding on the choices to either tell Bella, or keep her in the dark. She seemed like she had made up her mind and began to say something but Bella's cell phone started to vibrate with a call. One that could only be coming from Alice or Edward.

Bella reached for the phone and flipped it open. "Hello?" She answered into the speaker.

"Bella, Alice saw that you were up so I called. I'm going to be at your house soon, I'll watch you the rest of the night and tomorrow morning you'll be coming to stay with us for awhile."

''Until we decide who's going to be watching you while everyone else is out risking their lives. Lucky you gets to sit on your hands and do nothing while the rest of your family goes and puts their afterlife on the line.''

"Alright."

"I…," He seemed to be listening to something for a moment, and he continued, "Alice said you might want to give Jacob a call before it gets too late and ask him and the pack to come over tomorrow. But make sure Jacob's knows this is important and that we do need their help. Tell him we just want to talk for now." Bella nodded, but realized Edward couldn't see her over the phone so she agreed.

"Alright." Edward let her go so she could make the call.

Bella dialed the number to Jacob's cell and waited through four rings before he answered, sounding not at all happy with her once she identified herself.

"Beellllaaa," It wasn't all that late, but it seemed like her call had interrupted her best friend while he'd been trying to sleep. "Do you know what time it is?"

"10:38. Don't tell me I interrupted a dream about fire hydrants and chasing cars." Jacob chuckled from the other line and Bella could hear him moving around on his end, his bed creaking under his massive frame.

"No, a much nicer dream. You were in it."

"Jacob!" Bella fumed obviously taking his comment to have an undertone.

The werewolf laughed even harder at her. "No, nothing like that. We were just fixing up bikes again, but this time they would have been able to fly. Your logic behind it was pure genius" Bella found herself laughing along with him finding the seriousness in the way he'd said it funny, but the reason she was calling seemed to overshadow any real humor Bella saw in his joke, which Jacob must have picked up on, for he asked her about it.

"Could you and the pack meet at the Cullen's tomorrow, maybe around late noon?" Esme nodded when Bella glanced over to confirm the time, "We might have a problem." She told him.

"Those bloodsuckers of yours can't do much themselves can they?"

"Jacob." He was treading on dangerous waters with her. She did not feel like arguing with him at that moment about stupid prejudices, but it always ended up that way so she wasn't surprised.

"All right, I'll tell them, expect us probably around two, maybe earlier."

"That's fine." Bella was a little shocked, but glad that Jacob had backed down. With Esme standing right next to her and him putting his foot in his mouth, she didn't want the werewolf saying anything that would make her feel bad.

"I'll see you tomorrow Bella."

"Wait!" Bella wondered if she should ask him about the wedding invitation they'd just sent two days ago, and if it had gotten to him yet.

"Huh?" He asked her, his curiosity piqued. Thinking better of it for another moment, Bella decided to drop the subject and simply say goodbye. She closed the phone with a snap and placed it back on the dresser next to her clock exhaling the breath she been holding probably longer than necessary.

"What did you want to ask him?" Bella jumped, startled. She hadn't even noticed Edward slip through her window and relive Esme from what she'd dubbed in her head as "human sitting duty".

Bella looked down sadly at the phone, thinking back to all the deliberation she'd put into sending Jacob his invitation. She had finally decided for it. Being a special day and all-her special day and all, she would hopefully have her best friend there with her. Maybe not too happy, but still respecting her decision.

"I wanted to know if he got his invite in the mail yet."

Edward made an understanding "Ah" sound and moved to sit on the edge of the bed with her. He leaned over and kissed the top of her head as he sat.

Bella looked up at him as he settled in next to her.

"Do you think it was okay to send it, he didn't even like the idea. I think part of him doesn't even believe I'm gonna go through with it." Edward's arm moved to wrap around her and Bella snuggled into the cool and comforting gesture.

"I don't know if you'll like my answer, Bella, but maybe-even though he wants you to be happy…probably more than anything, he feels as if he's losing you and that feeling is overpowering everything else."

"Since when does me dying, mean that I'm actually dying?" Bella sighed as she began drifting.

With the warmth of her covers and the feel of Edward near her, it was too tempting for her to be anything but comfortable, and Edward didn't respond to her question when he noticed her nodding off again.

Placing one last kiss among the brown locks of Bella's hair he took in the photos hanging up around her bedroom. Photos of all the people she would have to put behind her, and he tried not to feel overwhelmingly guilty that what he'd be doing to her would also be taking her from so many people.

Her mother, her father, step-father, friends, even maybe- especially Jacob. She had connections with all of these people and would have to sever ties with each and every one of them in order to live the life of an immortal with him.

Closing his eyes against the glowering, bright stare of the full moon Edward leaned down and carefully breathed in Bella's scent, ready to wait out the morning.

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"Young one, I ask you to remove yourself from my home and undo whatever it is you have done to my son." Carlisle wasn't showing it on the outside, but in his mind his thoughts were near frantic. As he stared down the small vampire who'd invaded his home silently and completely undetected Carlisle tried to call out again to Edward, but he couldn't be sure if his son was being blocked from him again.

He would need all the help he could get if the boy could focus his strange gift on more than one subject at a time, but the young vampire was still focusing on Jasper and hadn't yet attacked them, there must have been limitations to the newborn's gift.

"You're the one that broke him. Poor frail bones." The boy coated his words with false compassion, setting his mouth in a sad pout and feigning sympathy. Carlisle continued to back up, his hand out behind him lightly and carefully guiding a much too compliant Jasper in the opposite direction.

Carlisle wondered how far of a away Alice and Edward had to be from whoever was able to numb their abilities in order to get a premonition or read his thoughts.

Certainly they would have been back by now if Alice had had a vision or Edward had heard him.

So Carlisle found it safe to assume it needed to be a fair distance, for their hunting grounds were high in the mountains-a fair way from the town.

"You know, Maria probably shouldn't have sent me. I can only change them, and they smell so good when they're human, especially him. I would have eaten him on the way."

"How many are you?" Carlisle wondered asking as polite as possible. Seeing as the boy like to talk, maybe some useful information could be gained.

"Do you think I'm stupid? How many are you? Does the little human girl count? Do you count those flea-ridden mongrels as apart of your coven? I suppose not. That would be just disgraceful. Even for you toothless human lovers." Carlisle froze.

How long had they been watching his family? A month at the most…since the battle with Victoria's newborns…possibly longer?

"Maria has been planning this for too long. I was kidding earlier about eating him, but the girl, now she smells irresistible." Carlisle only just managed to keep from growling at the playful, but deadly words the boy spoke.

"Have you a name, boy?"

"I had a human name- Julian. I remember my mother sobbing it one last time before I snapped her neck."

Maybe if Carlisle still possessed a human stomach he would have been sick. It seemed like the vampiric nature in the boy was amplified by his own gift to manipulate it in others.

Coming back from his thoughts Carlisle figured he had probably moved far enough back to feel safe. He was close enough to the side door if he needed to grab his son and escape so he stopped.

He was beginning to wonder if his children had been ambushed by others while hunting, but remembered that they had only left about an hour ago and were unaware of his and Jasper's current predicament. They were hopefully almost done.

He only had to stall for a little longer, and the boy didn't seem like he was in a hurry, which struck Carlisle as odd.

"Did Maria really send you to steal my son from us so quickly. He only received her message some few hours ago, hardly enough time for him be able to think her proposition over."

"Oooh, I've been found out," The boy said, chuckling as he held up his hands in mock surrender, "I was only ordered to watch you, but he was all alone and I could help but take the opportunity for what it was."

Did that mean that if the chance turned sour he would retreat, this boy seemed fairly strong and cruel, but also smart. Would he still fight when there was more than just one capable enemy standing against him?

"Your power seems to be an interesting one. I've never- in all my years, seen anything like it. Judging by how long you seemed to have been watching us I'm shocked that none of us smelled you. Was that your doing?"

"Isn't it cool?" He gloated, puffing out his chest and looking quite proud, "Maria says she loves me the most. My sister hates it as well-which is great…but even if Maria has me she's not happy." His eyes sharpened, his voice and posture grew more threatening.

"She's never once stopped wanting that weak, toothless bastard back!" Julian growled, his red eyes burned with jealousy as he glared past Carlisle at Jasper.

"Even if I can weaken our enemies. He was the only one that made her army stronger-united. She's having to go through more newborns than ever, and all I ever hear about anymore is his goddamn name!" Julian's anger had obviously begun to cloud his judgment and with an enraged roar as the only warning he lunged forward to attack.

Having to move quickly, Carlisle grabbed his son as gently as he could and barely managed to avoid the enraged boy. Unfortunately he had gone in the wrong direction and now Julian stood between their escape and left them with near no room to run. Julian laughed and got ready to attack again.

"Carlisle, Jasper!" Esme's surprised shout caught their attention, and before he could warn her, they had been abandoned in place of his wife.

The small vampire was faster than even Edward and had already grabbed Esme's arm before she had realized it. She couldn't overpower Julian and break his tight grip enough to pull away. Smiling widely up at her with his face hardly betraying any of the grisly thoughts he was more than likely thinking, he spoke.

"You're his momma, right? I love mommas, but I never killed one like you before. Will your neck snap even louder?"

Esme cried out and tried to pull away again when Julian dug his venom dripping teeth into the skin above her wrist, his mouth wrapping all the way around her thin forearm. The venom hissed as it burned her. She cried out when the fire quickly started creeping its way up from the wound of her torn skin to the rest of her body.

Carlisle moved to attack as soon as he heard his wife's cry, but before he could, the front door flew open and Emmett, dirty and bloody from their hunt charged in, reaching them first.

"Get the hellaway from her!" He growled out as he charged.

Swinging his leg out faster than Julian could dodge, he connected hard with the boy's torso, sending him away from Esme, and crashing through a glass window out into the woods. The sound of snapping tree bark echoed through the forest as at least three trees were left splintered near in half from the wake of his kick.

Alice and Rosalie were right behind him, each looking much less disheveled than Emmett. Alice helped her mother to the couch letting Rosalie take over before she turned to a slightly stunned and extremely relieved looking Carlisle.

"He wont be coming back. I'm sorry we took so long, but Bella is safe with Edward and…" Her eyes finally found her lover and her thin eyebrows knitted together as if she was horrible pain at the poor sight of him.

Everyone's attention changed, focusing on Jasper who had slumped down to the floor with his back against the wall, his blue eyes trained on the hole in the glass where Julian had been thrown.

"…Oh god," Alice raced over to Jasper and pulled him to her, taking his warm face in her hands so that she could meet his eyes. She had seen it already but she was still shocked to find Jasper's eyes a different color- a human color.

For a second there was nothing that let Alice know he even recognized her, but after a moment Jasper's blue eyes flickered and something sparked in them akin to wonderment. He gasped, his breath catching in his throat, and everyone heard his heartbeat begin to quicken.

He looked up at her with wide eyes as if he was seeing her face for the first time.

"…Like an angel…" He murmured, completely mesmerized.

He tried to reach up to touch her face, but Alice grabbed his hand before he could and she pulled it to her, placing it over her silent heart. She tried not to cry out when she noticed how his other arm lay uselessly on the floor, oddly angled and obviously broken, instead Alice lovingly smoothed back his damp, and matted blond hair with shaking fingers. It was almost as if he couldn't feel the break, the only thing his thoughts could focus on were Alice as he whispered her name like a mantra.

"Jazz…" Although after that, Alice found she didn't know what to say. They could all smell it, the human smell that was coming from him had them all impossibly amazed, but she knew from the small pieces of her vision that the powers would begin to weaken without Julian there to control them, and she could hardly stop herself from the overwhelming relief that swelled as she watched.

The human smell of sweat and blood were fading and the sound of her lover's heartbeat slowed to a stop. Red leaked into the blue of his eyes spreading like blood until it completely replaced the color, and after a moment the gold returned as the bright red weakened and altered.

Recognition returned to those eyes and he blinked up at her. He sniffed the air, a nervous habit Alice remembered Jasper did when he was bothered, more than likely sensing their unease. The rest of them began to relax as it seemed he had gained back his awareness.

"What happened?" He asked her, and Alice, unable to reply with only the small knowledge she possessed turned a questioning gaze to Carlisle. Their father stepped forward and helped Alice pick him up from the floor. Together they carried him over to the couch to sit with Esme.

"What do you remember?" Carlisle asked as Esme who, despite the pain she was in, still took his hand and held it comfortingly in her uninjured one.

Japer seemed to be thinking it over before he answered. "I was cleaning up the vase I'd thrown." His eyes flitted past Carlisle to the remaining pieces of glass on the floor. The pile he'd just gathered up was scattered more than it had been, as if someone had kicked it and sent the shards spreading out across the wood. The trash bin he'd been using was now lying on its side and he couldn't recall how it had gotten like that. "Did something happen?"

Hadn't everyone just left a half hour ago? Surely his siblings and Alice hadn't finished hunting so quickly?

Emmett was the one who answered his question, motioning to the broken window and the table the newborn Julian had broken.

"There was an attack."

"What?!" Emmett then pointed to their mother, and Jasper with a jolt realized that the smell he noticed earlier was the smell of quickly fading vampire venom. He'd been so disoriented he hadn't even recognized it.

Rosalie returned to the room with a wash cloth, and she gently tried to wipe the torn skin of Esme's forearm doing her best to clean the wound and prevent it from scarring too much.

Jasper groaned when he thought about the scar the venom would undoubtedly leave on his beautiful mother's skin.

"Where's Bella and Edward?" Esme eased his worries with a gentle touch to his back, and her touch helped as it always did. He leaned his head forward, running his hands through his hair.

"Their fine? And you and everyone else-are ya'll alright?…" He mumbled and Esme nodded confirming it.

Everyone was okay-save a few scrapes. How many had Maria sent…five? More than that?

Jasper growled, hating this lack of memory he was experiencing.

"Edward will stay with her the rest of the night, and tomorrow morning Bella is to inform Charlie that she will be staying over here to plan for the wedding with Alice." Jasper nodded. That was a believable enough lie. They would be able to keep her safe here-well…safer than she would be at her home. Any more attacks on the house would hopefully find them more prepared.

"She's also contacted Jacob, and the pack and will be coming, and hopefully they will agree to help us with this." While Esme explained what they had planed so far Jasper still couldn't take his eyes away from the deep wound on her arm.

He grew more frustrated with himself by the second that he'd been absolutely no help to his family, especially when it was his entire fault they were in this current mess.

"Why don't I remember the attack?" He snapped suddenly his frustration finally boiling over.

"The attacker- a newborn named Julian. It seems his power is the ability to manipulate the vampiric state of our immortal bodies. Apparently he was somehow able to return your humanity and alter your mind to make it more prone to suggestion, if only for a short amount of time. Does your arm hurt?" Carlisle asked stepping forward to examine the arm he remembered breaking by accident.

The horrible echo of the bone snapping still reverberated loudly in Carlisle's memory and he was sure he would not soon forget the sound.

"Should it?" Jasper replied sullenly. Carlisle was silent and Jasper watched his father roll up the long sleeve of his shirt revealing crescent on top of crescent shape, but aside from his old scars there was nothing to suggest that anything else had been wrong.

"Was my arm hurt in the fight?" He questioned again. There was no new bite wound, and Jasper knew that if he had been bitten he'd still be feeling the sting of the venom. But hadn't Carlisle said he'd been affected by the boy's powers, how did they work exactly? Even if he had been human…did that mean injures vanished once he returned to normal?

Carlisle looked up at him, guilt clear on his face.

"I…I hadn't realized what he'd done to you, I attempted to move you away from him and used to much force, your arm snapped."

"You broke his arm?" Emmett cackled inconsiderately, unable stop himself from enjoying the way Jasper growled at him, only making him laugh harder. Carlisle was about to scold Emmett for the rude laughter, but paused when he noticed Jasper's frown begin to transform into a smirk.

Slowly Jasper's mood couldn't help but take a better turn, his empathic powers allowing him to fall easily under the tide of his brother's laughter.

He growled lightly and enjoyed how it only made Emmett howl harder. His brother raised his muscled arm up, letting his forearm fall limp, from there, he began flopping it around in Jasper's face.

"It's fine now you dick! Even with a broken arm I could beat your sorry ass!" Emmett had finally stopped flinging his arm around and had returned to clutching at his sides when Jasper bowled into him.

The two fought for a bit before Emmett had Jasper pinned to the floor on his stomach, sitting proudly on his brother's back punching his arms high in a triumphant celebratory manner.

"Looks like you're still on the mend, little brother." Carlisle was glad to see the affection easily slip back into the atmosphere of the room, but Alice's stern face, which was normally so bright caught his eye from the side.

"What is it Alice?" He asked her quietly while Jasper and Emmett began another round, this time with Rosalie being pulled into the fray, shrieking when Jasper attempted to throw her at her husband and sending the two crashing to the floor before they decidedly ganged up on him and chased him from the room.

"I feel so useless." Alice told him, "I was just wondering how we can possibly fight another army, one that seems even bigger and stronger than Victoria's. I mean, Maria has been doing this since the days of the Civil War, they're going to be more organized. We know she's got at least two extremely gifted vampires under her command with offensive powers, but are there more?" Her gaze only grew darker as she continued.

"Edward and me-our gifts are more defensive. Even with our strength and speed we can't stand a chance against vampires like Jane or this newborn Julian. Could we win against an army of super powered vampires?"

Alice was completely aware of the distinct possibility, that if Jasper acted on the intention he had voiced earlier that evening. The intention of joining Maria without question in order to save them from a fight, then she would be losing her soul mate, and she would be loosing him to the woman who'd sired and used him for her own, selfish gain for the first many years of his immortal life. A woman who Jasper, when telling Bella his story-probably without even realizing it-still spoke of with a slight tone of adoration in his voice.

"…I don't…I can't loose him Carlisle…not to that life, and not to her." The last part Alice had whispered softly, but Carlisle had heard her and he pulled his daughter close in a tight hug.

"We'll come up with something." But as he said it, Carlisle had to admit the words sounded weak when competing against their fears.

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Bright light was the bane of Bella's existence, she decided when the harsh morning sunbeams hit her square in the face.

Living in Forks, Bella felt little need for blinds, seeing that the sun never managed to creep very far past the thick gray clouds. But this morning the poor struggling sun had apparently manage to finally break its way through.

It also didn't help much that her soul mate, who was laying next to her acted very much like a disco ball, refracting the light with his skin and into her eyes. Bella loved her Edward, everything about him, but at seven o'clock in the morning she wasn't very impressed by the feature.

"When we get married we're going shopping for curtains." Bella groaned, just knowing that he was finding this hilarious. "We're buying curtains so that you don't wake me up as soon as the sun rises."

"Bella, love, you'll be a vampire. You wont be sleeping much-if at all, after we're married." Bella laughed at herself, forgetting for a split second the terms of their agreement and chalked it up to still being half asleep, which was a good thing. She was still so on the cuff of sleep that thankfully her thoughts didn't stray to the disheartening knowledge that she wouldn't be doing much of anything after their wedding, except acting like a starved, wild animal.

Bella wrapped her arms tighter around Edward's torso, which she had somehow exchanged in place of her pillow during the night, and stretched her entire body, smiling when her stiff bones realigned loudly from the movement, loving the feeling as they eased back into place

She always felt like a cat when she stretched her muscles in order to wake them up. Her toes made unattractive popping noises when she moved out from under the covers and put her feet on the floor, but she just laughed.

She had to admit that waking up with Edward, was something she would miss when she changed.

"I'm going to go get ready. Charlie didn't leave for work yet, did he?" Edward listened for a moment and heard the sounds of the coffee maker beginning to run.

"No I think he just woke up." Bella looked surprised.

"You didn't hear him get up?" Edward gave her a sheepish smirk.

"I was listening to your breathing. I think I blocked out everything else." Bella jumped back onto the bed and leaned forward to give Edward a quick kiss. She pulled back and grabbed herself a pair of clothes for the day and her bath supplies before heading off to take a shower.

"You wanna go downstairs and wait for me there? Or meet me outside?" Edward pulled himself effortlessly from the bed's tangled covers and moved to the window.

"I'll wait downstairs. Explain to Charlie about the whole planning and staying over thing. You're a terrible liar." Bella huffed and chucked her tube of toothpaste at him but he deftly caught in his hand and threw it back to her-carefully so she could catch it, and gracefully jumped from the window before she could do much else. Bella could hear him laughing softly as he dropped down to the ground below.

She quickly hopped in the shower priding herself on only slipping once as she got out. She might not have been very nimble when she saved herself, but she did manage to keep property damage to a minimum, wincing though, when her weight accidentally pulled over the towel rack she had used as leverage. Aside from that, the bathroom and she had come out completely intact.

She brushed her teeth quickly and ran her a comb through her wet hair a few times to get all the tangles, and then she was out the door, snapping the straps of her bra to move them out of sight and under her t-shirt. As Bella made her way down the stairs her hands pulled her wet hair into a messy ponytail and she attempted to take each step quickly but carefully. She hoped her father wasn't giving Edward a hard time.

The subdued conversation of the two and the sound of coffee being poured into a mug floated up the stairs as she descended. She winced when she got close enough and heard Edward politely thank her father for the drink. She would have to make sure to take some from him when Charlie wasn't looking.

"So how's the planning going?" Her father just finished asking at the same moment she entered. The two sat facing each other at the small table that was shoved into the corner of their kitchen. Edward held his hot coffee mug in his hands, and both were smiling, appearing cordial enough.

"I'm afraid I'm not privy to much, sir. Alice has taken over all maid of honor duties to the utmost extremes. I'm not even sure that I'm still to be one of the ones standing in front of the alter anymore." Charlie chuckled at Edward's little joke and nodded understanding.

"You better be if I'm getting all dressed up." Bella told him, joining in on the joke. Edward watched her as she walked over to the coffee pot.

"Oh! Sugar." Edward said as if just remembering, and holding up his full mug of coffee.

"I can-." Before Charlie could finish the offer to grab some for him, Edward was across the kitchen and at Bella's side.

"I've got it sir." Edward said then he turned to Bella. "Good morning love,"

Edward smirked sneakily at her and moved in to give her what seemed like an innocent kiss on the cheek. With them so close and blocking Charlie's view he used the opportunity to pour his untouched coffee into Bella's own empty mug. "Have a good night's sleep?" He asked her.

Bella was too busy trying not to laugh to do anything but nod.

Edward made sure Charlie saw him reaching for the pot and acted as if he was pouring coffee into Bella's mug, still using their bodies to block Charlie from seeing the rest. Then he placed it safely back onto the plate-never having spilt a drop.

Finally he opened the packet of sugar he'd gotten up for, and tipped the contents into her mug as well. He winked devilishly at her before picking up his now empty mug.

Charlie was none the wiser as he talked on about his and Rene's own wedding and how he had had little say in matters as well.

Edward turned around to face her father, leaning back against the counter pretending to take a sip from his coffee he spoke. "So are you okay with Bella coming over sir? I can't be certain when you'll get her back. Alice might take her captive all the way up until the wedding." That was purely a joke right? Reverse psychology to get Charlie to say yes? Edward didn't really think that was how long this new problem would take…did he?

Her pulse quickened. Maybe they had decided to turn her early…and maybe this time she could help, instead of relying on everyone else to protect her.

She stopped herself, thinking what a silly idea that was.

'As if I'd be in any type of mindset to help anyone.' But trying to think more optimistically she reassured herself that her vampire family would get past this, and then her and Edward would be married, and then after a time in horrible agony, she would be with her soul mate and new family until the end of her unnatural life…whenever that would be.

"I'm sure. I suppose I need to get used to living alone again." Charlie sighed, but before Bella could feel sad for her father he had glanced down at his watch and announced he needed to be heading out.

Bella moved over to him after he'd tugged on his jacket and hugged him, just in case it would be the last time she'd be seeing her father. She hoped not, she wasn't quiet ready to let her old life go. There was still that hesitance to say goodbye for good.

"I'll see you in a few days dad." Charlie returned the hug before pulling away. He smiled down at her, then he turned to Edward where a sterner look replaced his smile.

"You take care of my daughter, you hear son." Edward nodded, just as serious-even more serious than Charlie.

"I will sir." The police chief couldn't help but break back into a grin.

"Hell son, call me Charlie. No more of that sir crap. You're gonna be family soon." Edward returned the smile.

"Thank you Charlie."

"I'll see you when you're done Bella. Tell Alice and everyone I said hello."

"I will." Bella promised. Edward came to stand by her as the front door slammed shut. Looking at her Edward noticed the faraway look in her eyes.

"What are you thinking about?" He asked. Bella smiled fondly still watching her father get into his police car and pull out of their driveway. Edward leaned down and kissed the side of her temple.

"I was just thinking about old memories, memories that I'll be sad to forget. But it's worth it." She answered. Her face turned sad a second later and she started to head towards the door. Edward grabbed her hand softly and pulled her back.

"Hey," He whispered, "You know, Jasper, Esme, and Rosalie-they all still remember some of their human life."

"Really?" She asked, a small smile had appeared…hesitant, but hopeful from the new information.

"Really. Jasper remembers having a little sister. He remembers his father and older brother teaching him to hunt and to use a gun. Rosalie remembers her first dance with a boy, and the night her mother passed down a pearl necklace that had belonged to her grandmother, even remembering what her mother was wearing when she gave it to her. Esme doesn't remember much but an accident when she was little-that she wont tell us anything about, and also what her son looked like."

With each word Bella's smile began to brighten more and more, and Edward could see the hope return to her eyes.

"So I might remember certain memories?" Edward nodded.

"Although we don't really know how they remember. Maybe it depends on what you're feeling when your turned, maybe their transformation was slightly less painful-therefore less damaging, but don't give up on those memories just yet Bella. Promise me you won't give up on them easily."

"I promise."

_________________________________=T=W=I=L=G=H=T=_______________________________

Bella couldn't believe the sight in front of her when she and Edward walked into the Cullen house. Here she had been, worrying throughout most of the morning and previous night about how much danger they were in, and there right in front of her sitting at the island, were Jasper and Rosalie-neck and neck in an arm wrestling match.

He had challenged Rosalie almost an hour ago, and neither had gained any footing in the past forty-five minutes, and he'd grown very bored very quickly, and seeing them enter into the kitchen had apparently finalized the excuse to surrender that he had been looking for. So with a sad sigh, Jasper began to put less power in his arm. Rosalie, upon seeing the copout for what it was, slammed his hand down with probably more force than was necessary. She hated being given a win, even worse than losing and the sound Jasper's hand made when it cracked into the granite helped her feel a little less cheated.

"Hey you two. We were starting to wonder if the flea brigade would show up before you did." Emmett's head peaked into the kitchen, his dark, short curls sticking to his head. Water dripped from his shoulders and arms from a quick dip in the lake, and when he came all the way into the doorway Bella was sure her face would never return to its normal color.

"Aww! God almighty, Emmett! Put some damn clothes on!" Jasper growled, shielding his eyes.

"I swear, if you've traumatized Bella…!" Edward yelled as well letting the threat hang, his hand already up to cover Bella's eyes for her, seeing that he had reacted much faster than her human reflexes could.

"What, jealous?" Emmett snidely asked. His tone then turned sympathetic, "Poor little Bella, doomed to a eternity of skinny shoulders and bony hips. You're just upset cause you don't want her knowing what a real man looks like." In a split second Bella was left standing alone in the kitchen with Jasper. Crashing sounds and a creaking ceiling above telling her where Emmett and Edward had run off to, and an angry voice yelling at Edward to put down a bookcase let her know where Rosalie had also disappeared.

Jasper was silent for a second. He watched as Bella made her way over to the counter, taking the seat that had just been occupying Rosalie, across from him. She smiled softly at him from her spot and he felt his own face splitting into a grin. He was glad to see that their encounter yesterday hadn't shaken her too much.

"He doesn't do that often does he?" She asked him. They both winced as an exceptionally loud crash resounded from the second floor.

"Not really, though I think that was some sort of small initiation for you." Bella blinked.

"Initiation?"

"Yeah." He laughed as if he shouldn't have to explain this, "You know, into the family. I think everyone has a little something planned." Bella felt her cheeks reddening and she groaned.

"I don't know if I can handle anything else like that."

"Oh no. Not like that." He reassured her, laughing outright at the face she made.

"I think the girls are planning a shopping trip to France, and Carlisle's already working on your crest." He stretched his long arm across the table to show her a crest sewn onto a black leather band which he wore around his wrist. She admired it for a moment. The colors of the crest where rich green and pretty silver which shone brightly against the sunlight that sneaked in through the kitchen windows making the lion on it look even more proud.

Bella thought it a beautiful design, but she wondered why he had it on such a shoddy piece of fabric. She noticed a flat hook hanging from the side of the band-it was rusted and seemed very old.

"What's that clip for?" She asked him, pointing to it. Jasper pulled his arm back slowly and took the rough hook between his fingers.

"It's a snap. The carbine sling I used in the army had belonged to my father. He gave it to me when I learned to hunt. After I was turned I kept it as long as I could. By the time Alice and I arrived here, there wasn't much more than this left, so Esme offered to fix it up with the crest Carlisle had given me." Jasper smiled fondly thinking about the memory.

"Edward says you remember a bit about your life before you became a vampire." She was curious from the small snippets of what Edward had told her earlier, but she wondered if Jasper would feel like telling her. Her worry however was unfounded because Jasper did not miss a beat.

"I remember a lot more than the others. I think it's because I wasn't near death like everyone else was, and for Alice…we don't know what kind of condition she was in before she turned-aside from the fact that she'd been in an asylum-to even guess why she can't remember." Bella fidgeted with her hands before she worked up the nerve to ask her other question.

"Do you remember your parents?" Jasper was silent for a moment the faraway look had returned to his eyes. This question was more personal and she didn't expect him to want to tell her, but it was one of the things she feared forgetting most, and if Jasper could have told her he did…it would be like a weight off her shoulders, and one less thing for her to fear. The words floated to her ears and Bella could see him playing out the memories in his mind.

"My mom made the best cornbread. It was the thing I missed most when I went to war. We had it every now and then, but it was thinner and wasn't salty enough….It's odd when I think about her."

"Why?" Bella asked, prompting him to continue on the edge of her seat.

Jasper turned around, looking back at the door his three siblings had gone through.

"To be honest, Rosalie reminds me of her a sometimes. My mother-she was a right violent woman when she wanted to be. She'd smack my brother and I over the head more times than I can remember-any time we said something she didn't like." Jasper made a popping noise with his mouth and hit the air. "You can about imagine how hard she hit me when I said I was going off to fight." Jasper chuckled and leaned back in his seat again.

"I don't remember much about my father, he died I think when I was twelve…umm…" He paused thinking. The memory seemed to be very foggy for him, "Suicide. I think."

Bella was shocked at how easily the words had been delivered.

"I'm sorry." Bella mumbled, now she felt bad bringing it up, no matter how casual Jasper been while he told her.

"Bella. It's alright. You know…it was a long time ago." He was trying to reassure her that he wasn't upset. She nodded not really knowing what else to do and agreed to drop the conversation to start a new one.

"What time is it?" She asked lamely when she couldn't come up with anything interesting to say. Jasper glanced over to the clock on their useless stove and read out twelve-thirty five to her. "The pack should be here soon." She explained.

Jasper dropped down from the island stool, helping her get back on her feet as well so she didn't trip. "Why don't we go see if Edward's ripped Emmett apart yet?" Bella giggled and allowed Jasper to lead her into the living room, trusting he knew exactly where everyone else was due to his vampire senses.

The crashing and slamming sounds from upstairs had ceased sometime during their conversation, and Bella hadn't even noticed. The house was so quiet now as they walked.

They found the rest of the family in the living room, offhandedly Bella noticed one of Esme's pretty vases was missing and wondered if she had moved it. Emmett was thankfully fully dressed and Edward looked much calmer. Rosalie was sending a constant glare at her love to where he sat across from them.

There was a new voice among the group of vampires one that Bella knew with such startling clarity that she was sure Jasper could feel just how happy she was.

"Jacob!" Seth and Carlisle paused in their conversation when she shouted, but Bella ignored them for now running up to hug her best friend. She was even more at ease now that Jacob was there. The wolves would help her vampire family with this new problem.

"Bella…" Hearing his tone and realizing that Jacob wasn't hugging her back she pulled away slowly, hoping that she was imagining the solemn look he was giving her. She looked back and saw Seth giving her a similar expression.

"What's going on…?" She asked. Looking around she noticed that none of the other pack members were present, "Where's the rest of the pack?"

"I'm sorry Bella but…" Seth tried and failed to explain. Jacob decided to take over and say what his friend couldn't, sparing no kind words as he did.

"We can't help."

Well there's chapter 2. Don't worry I'm not cutting out the wolves just yet.

I've got three days off for Mardi Gras so that gives me nothing to do but write, cause it's not like I go to any parades. So lucky you! Expect the next chapter at the end of the week!