I don't own these characters. I only play with them.
Jasper's Point of View
"Now, why don't you tell me more about you?"
"Mine is a boring story Jasper, nothing like yours," Bella said.
"I'd like to hear it."
"I was born in Forks but before I was a year old Charlie and Renee divorced. We lived all over the country at one time or another but eventually settled down for a while in Phoenix. There, she met her husband Phil. She wanted to travel with him. He's a minor league baseball player. I felt like I was keeping her away from him so I decided it was time to come live with Charlie.
I wasn't excited about the move but still, I didn't want to be a burden to my mother. Getting used to Forks was difficult. It rained too much and there was too much green squishy stuff everywhere. It's completely different than Phoenix. The rain kept me awake too. I hate the wet.
I found when I got here that Charlie really needed someone taking care of him, so I pitched in. I took over the cooking and cleaning. I kept the laundry done. That part was better than at my Mom's. She's scatterbrained and I had to balance her checkbook for her to make sure we had money for everything we needed.
Soon I met Edward and you know most everything from there on."
It was no wonder Bella seemed older than her years. She'd taken care of adult responsibilities for both of her parents. I wondered if they'd realized they weren't giving her a chance to be a child. I decided I'd make mine and Bella's time together as fun as possible; give her a chance to act like a child if she wanted to.
It wasn't right the way she'd been treated, but it did mature her. It made her into someone who could understand centuries-old vampires without fail. She had a giving heart.
It didn't sound like Bella was much like either of her parents. Charlie was responsible for the town, but Bella took responsibility for him. I wondered how she came to be the individual standing before me.
Bella's Point of View
Thinking of my life before I thought of Charlie. How was he going to manage without me? I hoped his friends from the reservation would step up and take care of him. He needed someone and that someone couldn't be me anymore. I'd never see Charlie or Renee again. The thought saddened me. They weren't perfect parents but that didn't mean I didn't love him.
"Jasper, we have to set it up so Charlie thinks I'm dead. I don't want him looking for a missing daughter for the rest of his life. What do we do?"
"Alright, I should have thought of that but we've been a little distracted. I'll work on some ideas and have it taken care of." Jasper agreed.
I dreaded my dad thinking I was dead but it was better than him looking for me for years. As a cop, I knew he'd do everything he could to find me. He did care for me. I didn't want him mourning, but it was better than endless searching. At least then he could move on.
My emotions were still in a whirl after hearing Jasper's story. He was so incredibly strong. It was hard to believe how strong he was. He could accomplish anything he wanted with that sort of strength. He could guide me through the newborn phase, change his entire life for me and still manage to laugh.
I was glad to see him laugh more. He hadn't done that a lot with the Cullens that I had seen. I found I not only liked, but I trusted Jasper. He was already becoming a close friend.
The next day was the time for the change and I was nervous. I wasn't afraid. I knew what was going to be involved and what to expect after. The unknown had always scared me most and I was prepared. I was informed. I knew I'd wake up in Colorado
The amount of pain involved scared me a little. I tried not to think about it and I succeeded most of the time. But even though it was only in the back of my mind who wanted to burn alive.
I found that not changing for love made a difference in how I felt about changing. I didn't know my place in this new world. Was I really welcome with Jasper, or the mysterious Peter and Charlotte? I would have been excited if Edward had been changing me for love.
Now I didn't want Edward at all. I didn't want to see him. I didn't want to hear him. I didn't want to ever be near him again.
At first, I hadn't blamed them but I found that I didn't want to be near the rest of the Cullens either. They would have let me die without a word. I couldn't respect that. Carlisle had actually been here and not tried to see me. That
Jasper was different. He'd given up everything to rescue me. Such a sacrifice shouldn't have been needed but he had made it anyway. Jasper was special. He had honor. He understood duty. He had been a soldier and had even trained newborns. He took charge when it was necessary but didn't feel the need to micromanage people. People listened when he spoke. Even Felix listened to Jasper and seemed to respect him.
"What has you thinking so hard Bella," Jasper asked.
"You're so strong. It must have been a real sacrifice to drink human blood so you can change me... Do you want to go for a walk Jasper?"
"Sure Bella, not being able to leave the castle has to be hard, but there are many beautiful things to see here," Jasper said.
"What are Peter and Charlotte like?"
I explored the portraits, landscapes, and antiques as we walked around the castle. The priceless antiques distracted me from the conversation but Jasper's voice pulled me back in.
"Peter is sort of earthy. He has a big mouth but a heart of gold. He tells it like it is and doesn't pull his punches though. Charlotte is quick as a whip and more than capable of keeping Peter in line when she wants to. Together they're quite the pair and watching them can be humorous." Jasper said.
"Do Peter and Charlotte drink human blood?"
"Yes, that's their choice but the focus on criminals."
"It doesn't bother you does it?"
"No, it never really has. Peter is more bothered by my 'rabbit diet' as he calls it than I am bothered by theirs." Jasper explained.
"Will they be surprised when they see your eyes?"
Jasper laughed, "Peter will probably throw a party until he realizes I'm not going to stick with feeding on humans after your change."
"You sound like family."
"We are family Bella, I think you'll really like them." Jasper encouraged.
"It sounds like I will."
"It'll be harder since you won't meet them till after you wake up."
"I'll cope, like with everything else."
"You'll have a lot to cope with Bella, but I'll be there every step of the way," Jasper assured.
"You'll all help me, it sounds like. Is there anything besides the new senses and strength that will be new?"
"The anger, you'll react in anger a lot of the time when everything that is new gets frustrating for you."
"I don't usually get angry,"
"Then managing your emotions will just be a challenge we'll face together Bella."
We came to the end of the hallway and I turned around. I didn't feel like walking anymore. It was all becoming too real.
Carlisle's Point of View
I had barely managed to free Edward. In order to get him free the entire family had to agree to remove ourselves from human society for fifty years as soon as it wouldn't cause blame to fall on us about Bella's disappearance. I had wrecked her truck and made it look like she'd been taken by a bear but it wasn't as convincing not having the clothes she'd been wearing at the time.
Rose and Emmett were furious. They thought I should have left Edward in the Volturi's hands for the hundred years instead of agreeing to Aro's stipulations. Esme wasn't pleased with me either, but she appeared supportive in front of the others. Only Alice didn't seem to mind disappearing from the world for fifty years. I was grateful for her understanding but surprised. Of all of us she seemed to like interacting with the humans and befriending them the most.
We would initially go to Denali where we had family and then decide as a family where we would live in our seclusion. As Jacob had told Charlie that Bella left with Alice we were currently suspected of foul play and I thought we might have to leave earlier even if it left questions behind us.
We all played our parts at Bella's funeral, Edward giving a short speech talking about what a special girl and treasured girlfriend she had been. I didn't think Charlie believed a word he said.
The wolves were the other problem. They knew what had happened with Bella and seeing Edward back and Bella gone infuriated them. I feared we might be attacked if we stayed much longer. They wanted to know what happened to Bella and though I thought Jasper might save her, I couldn't give them a firm answer. We planned on waiting two months after Bella's funeral but I doubted we would make it that long.
No matter what had happened to Bella, she was dead to our family. I had no illusions that either she or Jasper would forgive us for abandoning her. I only hoped it didn't cause the family trouble in the future.