Chapter Thirty

Jasper

Esme was interested in hearing more about Bella, her family, her likes and dislikes, she was already planning how to welcome my mate into the Cullen family and she'd had words with Alice for keeping her visions secret from the family.

"As soon as we get back Jasper you must bring Bella along to meet us, the house is large enough and she should see how much we love you and are so happy you finally found your special person. You know I think we knew her grandfather didn't we Carlisle?"

Now this was something I hadn't taken into account, of course they had lived in Forks years ago and Charlie was Forks born and bred.

"Yes, I didn't like to say anything but we did. He was Police Chief too so Charlie is following in his footsteps. I'm sure William would be proud of him. He was a good man William Swan, an honest man who tried to do the best for the town. When we first moved in he threw a party so everyone in town could meet the new doctor and his family. It was quite a grand affair from what I remember. Of course there was only Edward then. If Emmett had been with us maybe William wouldn't have been quite so eager. All the young women made eyes at Edward, and of course the young men hated him for it."

I discovered that during the shopping trip a few enquiries had been made about wedding arrangements, dresses and the like.

"Well Bella has agreed to marry you Jasper so we had to start thinking of the wedding. I decided we needed a new house, something large enough that you two can stay, or even live with us like Rose and Emmett if you like."

There was nothing Esme would have liked more than to have another daughter living at home but I wasn't making any decisions until after I had told Bella the truth about us.

Deciding I needed to talk about that to someone I waited until the others were on the beach and I was alone with Carlisle and Esme before approaching the subject.

"I'm concerned at Bella's reaction to finding out what I am, what we are. It's making me a bit jumpy, do you have any experience of that happening?"

Esme shook her head,

"I'm afraid I can't help you Jasper. I was dying when Carlisle changed me, I had no idea what he was but I'm glad he did. Bella loves you Jasper and I'm sure she will feel the same way after you tell her. She fell in love with the real you even if she didn't know what that was."

Carlisle moved a little uneasily in his chair,

"I don't think telling Bella is your greatest problem Jasper, its when she understands that she too must become one with all the sacrifices that entails. After all she is very close to her family, that's quite apparent. Of course once she becomes a vampire she will still have us but she will lose her mother and father. The trouble is that she will have no choice in the matter, the Volturi will never allow her to remain alive as a human with knowledge of our world."

"I know and I'm dreading that too but have you ever told anyone what you were while they were still human Carlisle?"

He paused then nodded,

"Yes once many years ago before I joined the Volturi. There was a girl in Hungary, a very pretty girl that I thought I loved. Her father was the village priest and because my own father was a minister he trusted me with his family. I courted her for many months and we decided we wanted to marry. Her father had already given us his blessing but I couldn't marry her without telling her the truth. I thought it would make no difference because we were in love but I was young and naïve and I'm afraid I just blurted it out."

"What happened next?"

"She was quiet for a long while. I think she was waiting for me to tell her I was jesting but once she understood I was serious she asked me a lot about my life, how I had become a vampire, what I lived on, how old I was. I answered her as truthfully as I could, vampires were known of in Hungary of course but not the kind I told her of. She told me that she still loved me but that she was scared for herself, she wasn't sure she wanted to become one of the living dead as she put it. Foolishly I told her that she didn't have to become a vampire, that I would love her for as long as she lived, human or vampire. I left her at her fathers house that night and when I returned the next day they were gone, the whole family, and I was branded a vampire and hunted down. That's how I came to live with the Volturi, I was saved from a mob by Marcus and Felix. They had heard rumours of a young vampire being hunted and came looking for me. I only discovered later that my talent for learning had preceded me or I think Aro would simply have sent the guard to kill me as a lose cannon. Instead he welcomed me into their brotherhood and I stayed for many years. My story is of course different, the girl was a poor ignorant peasant girl who knew only the bad of our kind. Bella is an educated woman who loves you and has already made up her mind to marry you. She knows you are different, you two have been intimate, of course such a thing never happened in the days of my story. A kiss was about as much as you expect and only then on the cheek and we were rarely alone."

"So how do you think I should approach the subject?"

"I think the best thing to do is to be honest and explain as you go along rather than I did and terrify the poor girl. She already knows she can trust you or she wouldn't be living with you. Let her know that you would never hurt her, tell her about your diet but never lie and say you could never be a threat to her. Lies will only bring you heart ache Jasper. Of course she is always welcome here and she will be safe. Do you think the thought of losing her parents might make a difference?"

"I hope not Carlisle but for the first time in my life I am truly afraid and all this waiting is driving me mad. If not for the trip to the Amazon and the family I'm not sure I could have coped with it."

"I'm sure she's missing you too."

I told them about the message Bella had left me and Esme smiled cheerfully,

"It sounds like you found just the right girl for yourself. Now I wonder if Alice and Garrett will have something to tell us soon. I got the feeling she was particularly interested in the wedding gowns."

"You think Garrett and Alice will get married?"

"I wouldn't be surprised, they are very close and it will be nice to have a new son as well as a daughter."

I sometimes thought Esme was a witch, she seemed to see things that the rest of us missed and sure enough just before I was leaving she announced there was to be a party. I thought it was a farewell and good luck party for me but I was wrong, Instead it was to officially welcome Garrett into the family. He and Alice were engaged and planned on getting married once they knew what Bella had said in reply to my disclosures."

"Maybe even a double wedding Jazz."

Alice smiled mischievously as she said it

I didn't think so, Alice was much more flamboyant than Bella and besides I wanted our wedding to be intimate and special not a tag along to my sister's.