Disclaimer: not mine!

Thank you all for your wonderful reviews! I hope I clarified something a few of you wondered about in this chapter, about Jasper and his bloodlust.

CHALLENGE! So I want to start another story, and I want to know what kind of things you guys want to see. Shoot some ideas at me, and I just might use them! Play up your fantasies, have fun with it. I'll write sad, I'll write happy, whatever it takes, but I'm itching here!

I watched Bella wake up. She rolled to the side, reaching for me, a small smirk playing on her face. She yawned, and then opened her eyes.

"Mornin' Sunshine," I said to her, tracing my fingers down her cheek. I watched the familiar blush creep up her cheeks while she smiled again. "Did you sleep well?"

She snorted. "Oh yes. In fact, I don't think I've slept like that, well, ever actually. I could definitely get used to it." She sat up, raking her fingers through her hair and stretching. "And how about you?" she joked.

"Not a wink. I fear I may have never-ending insomnia." She turned on the bed and crossed her legs to face me.

"So what's the plan for today? Apparently I'm required to play a round of Halo with Emmett, but other than that, I'm free." She rolled her eyes at my brother's immaturity. I was going to ask her today, Emmett be damned.

"I was thinking…maybe we could just hang out up here for a little while? I could bring you breakfast. I think Esme made pancakes, bless her. And we could just…talk." Smooth, Jasper, real smooth. She eyed me speculatively, and then shrugged.

"That's fine with me. The longer I'm in my pajamas the better! Bring on the pancakes, and send Esme my love. You know, I'd like to spend some time with them today as well."

"Absolutely. Perhaps we can all get together and watch some movies this evening, and you can order pizza. I know it's a favorite pastime of ours, and I think they'd like it as well. And you know Emmett's movie rule-nothing lovey-dovey and nothing with Mel Gibson in it. He thinks he's a lunatic."

"Deal. I was thinking more along the lines of Interview with the Vampire anyway. Irony is always good, right?" I laughed at her reasoning, walking out the door and downstairs to retrieve her breakfast. She really was a unique individual. While she slept last night, I thought about our first time. For one, I couldn't believe the restraint I showed. It's like I'm not the same person anymore. I was so completely focused on her that nothing else entered my mind-not even the thought of her blood. And that's saying something, considering she did lose a bit last night. It just…doesn't matter to me anymore. I shy away from anything that could ever bring her harm. She's just Bella to me, not Bella the Deliciously Smelling Human. Wow, I really was starting to sound like her. Esme was in the kitchen, finishing up the pancakes. She grinned at me as soon as I walked through the door.

"Did Bella sleep well? I hope she likes what I made her…it's been so long since I've cooked for her!" Esme was fretting, just like the mother she was. All I could do was smile at her. She noticed. "I don't think I've ever seen you smile this much, Jasper," she said, winking.

"Yeah…she just brings that out in me. And to answer your question, she slept very well." I couldn't help but sound a bit smug. A part of me-a very, very small part-wished that Alice had seen that happening and told Edward. I am still a man, after all. "She sounded very excited about the pancakes. I believe her exact wording was 'bring on the pancakes, and she loves you.'" Esme beamed at this, thrusting a plate at me and turning to clean up.

"I'm glad. I love her too, Jasper. Tell her that." I nodded as I walked away.

"Food's on!" I shouted as I entered the room. She didn't move from where she was when I left her. "Esme said she loves you too." I handed her the plate and sat on the corner of the bed as she ate. I would wait until she was finished. I'm not sure why I'm so nervous about this-isn't this what she always wanted? What she always wanted with Edward, my brain exclaimed. Would she want this with me as well? I know she told Edward that, but was she truthful? Was she just saying it to prove a point to him? I didn't notice she was done and staring at me.

"What are you thinking?" she asked, pushing the plate out of the way and crawling up to me. Here goes nothing…

"Bella, I wanted to talk to you about something. About…becoming one of us. I know you used to want that, with Edward, and I wanted to know if you still did." I looked away. I didn't want to bring up the fact that I heard her while she was talking to Edward. She looked at me curiously, tracing the pattern of one of the scars on my arm.

"Jasper, do you love me?" she asked, continuing to touch my scars.

"Of course I love you. More than anything." I was sure of that every day. She knew that-where was she headed with this? I could feel nothing but calm coming from her.

"And you know I love you. I don't want to grow old with you, while you stay so young. It wouldn't feel right. And I don't want to die-I mean, I know it's what human's do, but I don't want that. Not while I'm with you. I can't stand the thought of being without you, even if I'm none the wiser. Nothing appeals to me more than spending the rest of forever with you. If it means that I have to endure a bit of pain, then so be it." She had clearly had plenty of time to think about it.

"A bit of pain? I need you to realize that it's much worse than that. It's quite a lot of pain, in fact. Can you deal with that? It's the worst thing you'll ever feel." She was still watching me, feeling calm.

"If it means forever with you? I'd burn a hundred days if at the end you were my eternity." I could feel her love now-she was trying to play a cool front, but I could feel the intensity.

"Well, you won't burn a hundred days, it will be more like 3, but it's excruciating. We'll do what we can to help you through it, of course, but…" she raised her hand to stop me.

"We? What do you mean?" She couldn't think I'd do it alone…

"I mean myself and my family. If that's alright, that is. I thought…it would be best with Carlisle here to help me. And I know the rest of the family will want to be there when you wake up." I raised my eyebrows at her speculatively.

"Okay then. I'd like that. The more, the merrier!" she chuckled, making light of the situation. Her emotions let out a bit of nervousness. "When?" she asked, quieter.

"That will be up to you. Whenever you're ready, we'll lay the groundwork and get things started. You just say the word."

"Groundwork?" she asked. I forgot she didn't know the details.

"Well, we'd have to…fabricate your death, to put it bluntly. You can't merely disappear, because then people will be looking for you. But if we were to make it look like you died, then…that wouldn't be an issue. And your family would have some closure as well." She nodded solemnly, tearing up.

"I hate that. I'll miss them so much…but it's what I want. When we go home, I'll make my amends. Subtly, I promise…but I want to give Charlie something to remember me by-and Renee too. And then we can do it. We leave tomorrow, right?" I watched a few tears trickle down her face-I reached out to brush them off.

"Yes, we go home tomorrow. You can have tomorrow night with Charlie if you like, and do what you need to do. When you leave the next morning, we can…take care of things." She furrowed her brow at my choice of words.

"How? Are you going to do it, I mean?"

"A car accident seems best. A fire would destroy any chance of recovering a body. It's simple. No need for an investigation." She nodded, and moved closer to me. I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her tight. "Are you sure this is what you want? Can you say goodbye to them forever?"

She sniffed. "Yes. I can watch them from a distance, right? Just every now and then when I'm less…newborn?"

"Possibly. You have to be careful not to get too close-nobody can see you afterwards." She frowned, but nodded again. "So it's settled then? Next week?"

"I think so. I don't want to put it off longer than I have to, it will only make it harder. Next week." I kissed the top of her head. My brave little girl, walking headfirst into the fire for me.

"Let's go tell the others then, shall we? I'm sure Esme hasn't met her hug quota for the morning yet, and Emmett is itching to play Halo. Let's have the rest of today to just hang out with everyone, okay? No more sad thoughts." She smiled as she leaned up to kiss me.

"I agree," she replied, sighing. "Emmett always beats me; I don't know why he bothers. You'd think he'd want a challenge or something. Instead he gets joy out of watching me fail."

"That's Emmett for you. But don't be too hard on him-you're his only youngest sister. Everyone else is older than him, so he looks forward to this." She laughed, jumping off the bed and heading to the door.

I hope this doesn't seem like too soon. If I were Bella, I'd want it done sooner rather than later, because I'd be afraid I'd hurt more for my lost family. I'd want a 'clean break.' And she's sure about Jasper.