A/N: Thank you so much to my reviewers from last chapter! You guys are amazing as usual. I hope you guys like this one; I'm not sure if I liked the way it came out...



Chapter 28: Choices

~You wait little girl on an empty stage, for fate to turn the light on. Your life little girl, is an empty page, that men will want to write on~

Looking at the faces of my family and Jasper, I suddenly felt torn.

If I sided with my family, Jasper would no doubt accept my decision, but not by his own free will. He'd be forced to accept it and that didn't make things any better.

If I decided to go with Jasper on my own, my family wouldn't be very happy with me. Well, Edward and Carlisle wouldn't be too happy with me.

How was I supposed to choose? Each had given me so much that the mere thought of hurting them was unbearable.

It made me think of that portion of your college application that asks you where you plan on living while you attend school.

The fact that I marked 'other' or 'undecided' felt like it was coming back to bite me now.

It seemed that my living situation was now more important than which school I would pick.

Perfect.

"I've got it." Edward broke the silence in the room and I looked up at him. I had a feeling already that I wasn't going to like his idea. Especially since he looked so calm about it.

"We'll all move. Together."

"Why didn't I think of that?" Carlisle shook his hands, as if it was nothing. As if it was the solution to all our problems.

"Wait, together? As in, you'd all be coming with me?" I sighed.

"Well, not to school with you…but yes, all moving to whatever city you choose."

"But, why? Isn't part of the whole college experience supposed to be about going out on your own, living life and learning new things?"

"True, but, it's a bit different when you have an imprinting vampire at your side at all hours. One who will never say no to you." Carlisle gave me that look again.

"Stop looking at me like that." I frowned at my adoptive father.

"Natalia will you just tell him that we weren't trying to have sex." Jasper came up and stood closer to me.

I winced when I saw Edward and Carlisle's heads snap up, Esme looked a little shocked and Alice tried to suppress her laughter.

"I can't believe you just said that." I felt my face go a little red with embarrassment.

"It was the truth." He shrugged.

"Then what exactly were you two doing that you ended up with that odd bruise?"

"What bruise?" my brother stepped closer to me, inspecting my face and arms quickly.

"oh, shoot me now." I mumbled "It's nothing." I tried to stop this conversation from going any further.

"I was trying to bite her if you all really want to know the truth…things just got a little carried away for a few moments. I was trying to hold her down, which resulted in her bruise."

My mouth fell open after he finished his statement. I knew it was good for people to be honest but, that was being just a bit too honest.

"What in God's name were you thinking?!" the anger I was expecting from my brother finally emerged. I was surprised though that he didn't try to push me out of the way or something.

We know how well that ended up last time.

"I was just being honest." Jasper stated calmly, his eyes flickering quickly from me to my parents and then back to me again.

As much as I didn't appreciate Edward's yelling, I sort of had to agree with his question.

Here I was trying to convince Carlisle that things would be perfectly fine if just the two of us went off to school together…that nothing bad would happen. And he has to go and make things ten times harder.

"I think you've just backed up my reasoning." Carlisle spoke, a bit of anger slipping through. That wasn't a good sign.

"But.."

"No, Natalia...Without us there, you'd be so vulnerable. Being so far away, you'd never stand a chance against him alone. Unless, is this something you want and aren't telling us?" his eyes softened a bit. But, not in understanding. It was more like disappointment.

And knowing that Carlisle was disappointed in you was one of the worst feelings.

"I..I…don't know." I stammered.

I didn't know.

I had no idea what I wanted.

Well, of course I knew what I wanted. I wanted everyone to be happy. For everyone not to be fighting when it came to me.

"Natalia, there's no need to get so upset about this, the solution is fairly simple."

"I don't think so." I shook my head "why are you so adamant for me to still live with you guys all the sudden?"

With that one sentence, I struck the wrong chord with Carlisle.

"Because…" he stepped forward and took my hands in his "I made a promise to your mother Natalia. I promised her that I would protect you and make sure you lived a good, safe life. By letting you go off alone with Jasper, I feel as though I'd be breaking that promise to her."

That's all it took for me to start to come undone. I felt my hands shaking a bit as he spoke about my mother.

"Oh, Carlisle I'm so sorry…" I looked up at him "I wasn't even…"

"Carlisle!" I was cut off by Esme's usually sweet, gentle voice calling her husband in such a cold tone. "that's quite enough." We all looked at her strangely.

Esme never…and I mean never argued with Carlisle. It was unheard of.

"Natalia, come with us." She motioned me to follow her and turned to everyone else "you three stay right here, understand?" she looked back at Edward, Alice and Jasper who all nodded their heads quickly.

The three of us walked down the hall until we reached Carlisle's study. I just stood there, waiting to see what was going to happen now. I could feel a dull ache in my head starting up again. Stupid concussion.

"What you just did Carlisle was very uncalled for and you know it." Esme started.

"I did make a promise to her mother Esme, you know that."

"Yes, I'm very much aware of what you promised Carlisle. That isn't the issue at hand. What I'm talking about is you taking advantage of that promise."

"I'm doing no such thing." He tried to defend himself.

"You told her mother that you would give her a good life, take care of her until she was old enough to do it on her own. You can't possible think that she was going to need us forever did you? If it is her wish to move on, then who are we to stop her?"

At that moment, my heart sank. I had a feeling that this was going way beyond just me moving away alone with Jasper. Well, it was a big part of it but there was something lying underneath it.

Suddenly, the two of them started talking in a different language to one another. Esme was waving her hand about and Carlisle was shaking his head.

And then, Esme reached up and touched her husband's face gently and smiled that warm smile she was known for.

"Oh, Carlisle. You're such a silly old man." She seemed amused at whatever had just happened.

"Come here sweetheart." She motioned for me to come closer to them.

"Honey, you know that Carlisle changed Edward correct? At about your age too, a year younger than you are now?"

"Um, yes?" I had heard the story when I first moved in with them. Edward had been dying in the hospital, his mother, on her deathbed, begged Carlisle to save her son. Whatever it took.

Oh! I had never even thought about that.

"He did whatever he could to make sure that he was safe." I whispered. "and you haven't broken that promise to his mother, so why would you break the one you made to my mother."

"Well, yes that's partially the reason Natalia but there's something else. See, when I saved Edward, I changed him into one of us…and after a few months, Edward was able to take care of himself. He didn't really need me. But, he stayed with us, and we became a family. But then, you came along into our lives and all your mother asked of me was to take care of you…and that's all I wanted to do. In a way, I feel like you are much more like my own child. Not only that, you are my only daughter."

"He's afraid to let you go sweetie." Esme explained a bit more "to him, even though we haven't known you your entire life, you are still like our little girl. You're our human daughter." She shrugged slightly, having no other way to put it. But, coming from Esme, it sounded so sweet.

"you guys have been nothing but kind and welcoming to me. You took me in, no questions asked and made me a part of your family…and I hate the fact that if I leave…it'll be like I'm turning my back on you…and it's the last thing I want to do. But, at the same time, there's no possible way I can turn my back on Jasper either. I love him beyond words…so, if the only way for everyone to be happy is for all of us to move, then I guess that's what I'll do."

The two of them stood there and stared at me, Esme frowned when she saw the smile on Carlisle's face. She nudged him and his smile dropped.

"No, no Natalia. We want nothing for you to be happy. You've given us so much too. More than we could've ever asked for."

"I just don't want you guys to think that I'm abandoning you." I felt a lump rising in my throat but I held it together.

"Sweetie…" Esme came up to me, placing her hand gently on my face "as sad as I'd be if you left us, I know that you are smart and capable of making your own choices. You will do whatever it is that's best for you. You cannot succeed unless you first try." She smiled but I could see the sadness in her eyes.

"Oh, mom…" I wrapped my arms around her petite frame, letting enough tears fall for the both of us. "I love you so much." I hugged her tighter, and things all finally clicked in my mind. I knew what I had to do now.

"So, what you're saying is that we can go? Just the two of us?"

"Yes, even though I'm still not very happy that he tried to attack you." My dad frowned a bit. "though, I don't know which is worse. Knowing now that he tried to bite you, or me thinking that you two were out somewhere…"

"Ah, I get what you're saying!" I cut him off.

"Promise me Natalia that if we let you do this, you aren't going to go out and be careless? You have to realistic, you have to be…safe."

Oh, god. We weren't having this conversation were we?

"Um, don't worry Carlisle, I don't have any immediate plans for any of that." I blushed. At least, I don't think I did. But, I wasn't about to tell him that.

"Carlisle Cullen, you are embarrassing her!" Esme shook her head "if the two of them plan on being intimate then you just need to keep your nose out of their business. Natalia is an adult now…she can make her own choices."

"I see." He nodded his head but he didn't look to pleased with his wife putting him in his place.

In his defense, he was just trying to protect me. He was being that father figure. And, regardless of how humiliating this all was, I still loved them the same.

And then I remember what I was going to tell them before all this crazy talk.

"Carlisle, how do you feel about compromises?" I smiled.

"Depends on what we're negotiating." He was suddenly intrigued.

"I know it's killing you two by allowing me to go off to college on my own with Jasper. And quite frankly, I would miss you all terribly. Even Edward and his insane overprotective behavior. So, I was thinking that after our first year away, that maybe we could move to wherever you guys decide to go next?"

"Oh, honey…we would love that very much. But, you don't need to do it for our benefit."

"Well, I'm pretty sure that Edward will start attending some school in the fall, and Bella will obviously go with him along with probably Alice. I don't know about Emmett and Rosalie, they will be still in that newlywed stage but…" that lump in my throat showed up again "how can I stay away from your guys? You all are my family…who I love more than anything."

"Well in that case, then yes we would love nothing more for you to join us my dear."

I practically jumped for joy and hugged Carlisle tightly as I could.

"You know, when it comes down to it, you two are pretty cool parents." I beamed.

"Hear that Esme, we're cool." He laughed.

"Yes, we're very hip." She laughed along with us.

"I need to go tell Jasper." I suddenly remembered. I quickly left the room and went back into mine and frowned when I saw the room was empty.

"Where'd they go?" I looked around. And then, as if on cue, my phone rang.

"Where did you go?" I asked when I flipped open the phone.

"Sorry darlin', but some of us still had to come to school today…" I heard Jasper laugh lightly into the receiver.

"But I have such good news to tell you. And I'm not telling it to you over the phone." I teased him.

"I'd turn back around if I could but your brother is the one driving so I'm afraid that isn't a possibility. Besides, I still have to take that Chemistry test. But, I want to hear the news as soon as I get back."

"Alright, and tell Alice she better not say anything." I heard Alice giggling in the background, yelling 'I promise!'

"Get some rest Natalia, I will see you at exactly three fifteen."

"Ok, I love you."

"I love you too." I went to click the end button and I could hear an 'aww..' coming from the other side.

As soon as I hung up, I fell back against my pillows and was out in a matter of minutes. And I didn't wake up until three.

By the time they all showed up from school, I was practically jumping around with excitement. Not a good thing for someone who still had a concussion.

"Natalia honey what is it?" Jasper grabbed my hands as we all sat around in the living room.

"Well, Carlisle and Esme have pretty much given me their blessing to go off to school in the fall…just the two of us."

"Really? I for sure thought they were going to put you on lockdown after what I tried to do to you."

"Don't be so pessimistic Jasper....this is good news. Right?"

"No, no I agree. I'm still a little confused at the sudden change of heart."

Oh, this boy. Things were never simple were they?

"Maybe they appreciated your honesty. But, um, apparently they trust me enough to make my own choices and they just want me to be happy. It wasn't so much about you and I together…it was more so about the fact they wouldn't be able to be there. Carlisle was having a hard time. He doesn't want to let me go…into the real world." I laughed. I didn't even know what the 'real world' was anymore.

"Yea, because he knows the boys will be on you like bees on a flower…" I heard Emmett say, and it made me blush.

"I doubt it Emmett." I shook my head, hoping he'd stop.

"Yea right Natalia, you're gorgeous…they won't be able to keep their eyes off of you." Rosalie added. She was just adding fuel to the fire.

About three seconds later, I felt an arm wrap around my waist and pulled me closer.

Jasper was obviously trying to get across that I was his and no one else's.

"Jesus Jasper, you guys aren't even gone yet and you're already getting jealous." Bella laughed at her brother.

"Are you going to be able to handle that on your own Natalia?" Emmett was still laughing about his bee comment.

"Probably. It'll just be something we have to work on right?" I glanced over at Jasper "besides, I don't think it'll be much of a problem."

"And why's that?"

"Have you seen the way Jasper looks at other people when it's the two of us?"

"She's right you know, he looks at other guys as if he'd going to rip them to shreds if they stare for longer than two seconds." Alice agreed with me.

"It's one of those freaky imprinter things I think." I could hear Emmett whisper to someone.

"Anyways, there's more to my announcement…" I went back to the original conversation.

"oh?" Jasper turned towards me, his iron grip loosening a bit.

"I sort of promised Carlisle and Esme that after our year off together, that we would move to where they decide to move…I hope you don't mind?" I hadn't even been thinking about Jasper when I promised them that.

"Darlin', I'd share a room with your brother if it meant the two of us could still be together."

"So, does that mean you don't mind?" I joked. And I could hear Edward smirk.

"Of course I wouldn't mind. Besides, I figured you'd get bored with it being just you and I together practically twenty four seven."

"Actually, I wouldn't mind that at all…" I stopped when Carlisle cleared his throat and looked over at me. "but um, yea…so, a year together just you and I…" I rambled.

"Perfect." He kissed my forehead gently and I just about melted in contentment.

"Well, now that everything's been decided, I think it's time we move on to something much more important." Alice changed the topic, her face bright and happy yet again.

She quickly waved something in front of us, too fast for me to see obviously.

"Really Alice?" Rosalie jumped up and joined her, talking quickly. The two girls busted into a fit of laughter and looked back over at me.

"What are those?" I looked over at Jasper, his expression a little off. I could never keep up with him sometimes.

"Tickets…" he mumbled, sounding a little perturbed.

"Tickets?" I tilted my head, a bit confused "tickets for what?"

"The prom silly!" Alice beamed.

"Prom?"

"Yes, prom. Don't you want to go Natalia?? Every girl dreams about going to prom right? I've always wanted to go but I've never had anyone to go with. And now, I have a big group to go with!"

"Um, well…I hadn't really ever thought about prom before." I admitted. I hadn't. "why are you so irritated about prom tickets Jasper?"

"not irritated, just…just disappointed."

"Disappointed?"

"I'm not a very good dancer." He admitted. "how can I escort you to one of the biggest nights of your high school life when I can't even properly dance?"

I quickly covered my mouth but it didn't stop the flow of giggles that escaped my lips.

"What?"

"That…was too funny. I'm sorry Jasper. It was really cute though."

"Excuse me?"

"No one's really a perfect dancer. At least, not at a school dance. It's about having fun, being with the people who matter most to you…wearing a really cute dress so your date can't keep his eyes off of you…" I trailed off, hoping he'd get the hint.

"So, are you saying you'd like to go?"

"Well, if that's your idea of an invite…" I teased him again.

"Natalia Cullen.." he stood up and looked at me "would you grant me the honor of escorting you to the prom?" he outstretched his hand for me to take.

"Why of course sir…" I laughed. He was so proper sometimes. Such a gentleman.

"And I shall have the prettiest date there." He wrapped his arms around me.

"Just wait until we go shopping! Come on Natalia, we should get a dress now before all the good ones are gone." Alice clapped her hands together, coming over to abduct me for an afternoon of shopping.

"Alice, she has to take a test tomorrow. Your shopping trip will just have to wait until this weekend." Edward reminded her. I just glared at him. What a spoilsport.

"Sorry Alice, I got to study." I rolled my eyes "but this weekend we'll go."

"Fantastic! Oh, I can see it now…yes, yes.." she went off into her own little world, conjuring up ideas for shoes and hairstyles.

"You know this is going to be complete torture for me right?"

"Jasper, it's just the prom, and I'm sure you are a fine dancer." I mean, vampires can do anything right?

"No, no that's not what I meant…" he pulled me tighter against him "I have a hard enough time already keeping my eyes off of you when you're dressed simply. What am I going to do now, knowing you'll be in some amazing dress, with not only me being the only one staring at you?"

"Just keep your eyes on me…no one else will matter. Not to you and not to me."

"Oh, keeping my eyes solely on you won't be a problem…my thoughts on the other hand just might be."

"Well, just try and keep them tame…" I joked.

"A lot has happened in the past two days hasn't it?" he changed the topic and took my hand so we could walk outside.

"Yea, they sure have. I mean, yesterday morning, the only thing I was worried about was that English paper. From then to now I've learned about secret treaties, had my boyfriend get a bit carried away, had my brother and Alice attack me outside, gotten a concussion, had to made one of the biggest decisions I've had to make…it's been pretty exhausting." I yawned, leaning against his shoulder.

"As long as we're together in the end, that's all that matters right?"

"You're right."

We sat out back for awhile, just talking.

In the back of my mind, I was trying to figure out what he meant when he said we'd be 'together in the end.'

Like, at the end of the day? Or, was he talking about literally forever?

Whatever it was, I didn't really want to think about it right now.

I had just made some pretty big choices…and those were the only things that I wanted to focus on right now.

Oh, and of course finding the perfect dress for prom. The one that was going to drive Jasper crazy.

Oh, just another day with my wonderful vampire family and my wonderfully obsessed imprinter boyfriend.

I may be young but I'm not naïve. I knew what I was dealing with here.

At least, I think I do.


So, I hope you guys enjoyed it. I wasn't too sure about the song lyric at the beginning but I hope in some weird way, it fit. lol

And, you got to love Esme right? She needed a moment to shine in this chapter (:

It's going to be Prom next chapter!

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