SM owns.

Thanks Mommakat!

EPOV

I sat at my piano with Esme at my side watching me play. She was patiently waiting for me to tell her what happened on the private hunting trip she had helped me secure with Bella. I was going to tell her of course. She was my only ally in this situation, I just wanted to process it myself first. It had gone the complete opposite of how I wanted it to.

I knew that Bella would be difficult but I'd hoped that I would be able to get her to own up to her feelings. Instead we'd ended up arguing but I guess it was good to have a little more insight as to why she always was so hostile when it came to me.

I had never regretted my actions with Tanya more than I did now. Tanya's feelings for me were a problem that Esme had already made me aware of but now my feelings for Tanya were a problem too, because when you really boiled it down, I had used her. Why would any girl readily fall into the arms of the guy that had used her sister? I had to find a way to atone and show Bella I wouldn't do the same with her.

Then on top of everything, I had to admit that my ego was a little hurt. Maybe trying to seduce the truth out of Bella wasn't really the brightest thing to do but it had just happened and maybe a small part of me thought it just might have worked. I'd let my body take control and the next thing I knew I was making out with her wrist. Her moans had only encouraged me, but when she looked at me with fire in her eyes and told me she didn't feel anything, it was like a junk punch. I was starting to doubt Esme and myself. Was I really not effecting her, the way she effected me?

Before I got a chance to talk to Esme though, lewd thoughts attacked my brain. Irina came into the house thinking very hard about the time she'd spent with some Romanian prince some decades back. The images disturbed me deeply. How was it even possible to contort a body like that?

"IRINA!" I yelled trying to get her to end that line of thought but she only seemed to concentrate harder. Too hard. She was trying to block me from something. I would have just left it alone but then Bella came running full speed into the house with Jasper trailing behind her. He was focusing on some newborn he'd fought with back when he was with Maria that had been particularly out of control. Jasper hardly ever thought about his time with Maria even when he was trying to block me like now, I had to see what was going on.

I ran into the front hall with Esme following me. I heard Esme ask me what was wrong but I had to figure that out first myself. My eyes locked with Bella's as I rounded the corner and suddenly both Irina and Jasper's minds were silent.

"Irina come back outside with me," Bella said with badly feigned nonchalance as she reached her hand out for Irina to grab.

"What are you trying to hide?" I asked looking between Irina and Jasper. She kept eye contact with Bella trying to communicate something silently as Jasper tried to use his influence to calm everyone down, except for Bella of course.

"Jasper, will you cut it the fuck out?" I said sounding much less harsh than I'd wanted since I had no choice but to feel all cool and calm.

Alice suddenly appeared beside me and looked between Bella and Jasper. Bella averted her eyes and though Jasper's face remained passive, his body shifted away from Bella.

"What happened?" Alice silently asked but I had no answers to give her so I simply shrugged.

"Will someone please say something!" Esme exclaimed in frustration.

Bella laughed and shook her head in exasperation, still trying too hard to be nonchalant. "I just want to talk to my sister. I don't know why Edward came barging in here like a mad man," she said pulling Irina back toward the door but Alice's hand shot out to take Irina's other hand.

"Oh dear God," Irina muttered under her breath, clearly in distress.

"Why did you barge in here like a mad man," Alice asked.

"Because he is a mad man!" Bella exclaimed before I could say anything. She tried to pull Irina again but Alice wasn't having it.

"I believe I asked Edward," Alice snapped, her eyes blazing.

Part of me didn't want to say anything. It was obvious that whatever had happened it had involved Bella and Jasper but I didn't want to get Bella into trouble. She had enough reasons to hate me and I didn't want to add to that when I didn't really have any details to what actually happened.

I knew that Alice wasn't going to let it go since I had already put it in her head that things weren't exactly kosher between her husband and Bella. So I decided to tweak my response a little.

"Bella and Irina were hiding something. I was just curious to know what it was," I said smiling down at Alice.

"So what did you have to do with it?" Alice asked turning to Jasper.

Jasper snorted a laugh crossing his arms and leaning against the hall. "Bella's right, Edward is a mad man. He was extremely jealous for no reason. I came to calm him down. He didn't want me to," he answered easily.

He was way better at keeping cool than Bella but Alice was not easily swayed. I could see more questions floating around her head. The most pressing was, what had Jasper been doing before he got here? Alice knew that he had been with Bella because she had searched his future and just came up with another vision of vacant location. She decided to let it go for now though.

"Come," Alice demanded reaching her hand out for Jasper and he immediately took it. Bella relinquished him from her shield, but he was still thinking of Maria's newborn. Alice led him up the stairs and I glared at him as he passed but the look he gave me back was something close to... sympathy?

Now that Alice was no longer keeping Irina, Bella started towing her toward the door again. Bella glanced over her shoulder at me just before stepping out on the porch and her expression was...grateful?

What the fuck was really going on?

BPOV

"Bella you're playing a very dangerous game! Jasper is mated already!" Irina exclaimed.

"It wasn't like that Irina, I promise! I just wanted to feel him!" I replied earnestly but I realized that, that didn't really sound right by the look on Irina's face.

"Okay, Jasper is gorgeous. I completely understand you having some kind feelings for him, but there is no way in hell that he's going to want you!" She said.

I flinched, feeling a little stung by her words. What the hell was that supposed to mean? No, I really didn't have feelings for Jasper besides those one would have for a friend, but was she trying to insinuate something about me?

"Yea, because I'm so repulsive, right?" I scoffed crossing my arms and she rolled her eyes in response.

"Stop fishing for compliments, you hag! He would be insane not to find you attractive too. I only said that because Jasper is mated! He'll only have eyes for Alice for as long as he exists," she replied.

"Mated? What the hell does that mean?" I asked thoroughly confused.

Irina sighed and pulled me to her side wrapping her arm around my waist. "That means that Alice is his soulmate, his other half, the yin to his yang," she explained. "When vampires find their mate, the deal is sealed. Your mate owns you mind, body, and soul, B. He'll never be attracted to anyone else again. It's powerful stuff, ya know. Actual love at first sight, you had me at hello, type of stuff. It doesn't matter if you don't know that person from Eve. As soon as you see them, you know that they are the bees knees and they're all you'll ever want or need. I can't really explain it right because it never had happened to me before. It's never happened to Tanya or Kate either and I guess that's why we never thought to tell you about it before now," Irina said.

"The point is, Bella, Jasper will never return your feelings and if you keep going on like you are, Alice will go ape shit on you. Mates get really territorial. It's like when you hunt and somebody tries to steal your prey but worse! She could kill you, B!" Irina exclaimed hugging me tightly.

I stood limply in Irina's arms. I hadn't heard anything behind her mating description. It sounded really intense even with Irina's silly explanation of it. My mind was racing with all kinds of questions. Love at first sight? All you'll ever want? Owns you mind, body, and soul? Most importantly why did Edward keep coming to mind?

TPOV

Now I regretted not letting the Cullen's leave when Carlisle had offered to after my argument with Edward. After Irina had informed me and Kate of Bella's feelings for Jasper, I realized it would have been better if she was no longer around him. Irina had told us about how upset Bella looked after Irina told her about mating. I knew how I felt after Edward told me he didn't want me and I knew Bella must be feeling the same. I suffered everyday being around Edward knowing that I couldn't have him and I didn't want Bella to suffer like that too. But now there was no way to make the Cullens leave without seeming rude.

When I got back to the house, Bella was sitting in the living room playing some football video game with Emmett. He was having fun but Bella looked every uncomfortable. It was probably because Edward was damned near sitting on her lap! She couldn't be comfortable squished in between the brick wall that was Emmett and the constant annoyance that was Edward. The second the thought went through my mind, Edward gave Bella some space but not much.

"It's a big couch, Edward! Stop being weird! She's not your biggest fan. You're probably really annoying her!" I thought angrily.

Edward rolled his eyes but stayed put. I scoffed and went to sit on the loveseat. Bella lost the game to Emmett, because she had no room to move her arms, no doubt.

"Take that!" Emmett yelled victoriously.

"You cheated Emmett! When Bella's team started winning, you started using every cheat code in the book," Edward shot back.

"Shut up, Edward! A win is a win! It's not my fault that she doesn't know the codes!" Emmett retorted.

"It is your fault! You taught her everything but the codes! You were planning to cheat from the very beginning!"

I looked between Edward and Emmett in bewilderment. Why was Edward making such a big deal about this? I mean Emmett, I could understand. He was a perpetual child. Edward however was not and only played video games to humor his brother. Why was he so interested now? What was different?

Different.

Then it dawned on me. When Edward "broke up" with me, he said things were different now. That was the question I should have been asking myself all along.

He had been so worried when Bella ran out the first day the Cullens arrived because she wasn't comfortable with all the gifts pressing against her shield. He seemed genuinely hurt when Bella had belittled his piano skills. Irina had said he was jealous when Bella came back with Jasper. He was sitting so close to her and the little space he had given her was now gone. His arm had also found it's way to the back of the couch where Bella was sitting. He was way too upset that Emmett had cheated her.

Things were different now.

A prettier vampire lived in Denali!

Edward's eyes slowly traveled over to mine and I gathered all my rage to bestow upon him my fiercest glare.

"Outside. NOW!"