Jasper's Point of View

The ride back was difficult. In truth, I didn't feel up to going to a party tonight. I'd rather just go back home to Forks, crawl under my cover and sleep the rest of my night away. My thoughts were only of Emily. Her smile, the delicate curves of her body. The sounds that fell from her lips as we made love. All of it was a distant memory now. I'd never get that back. My heart was breaking. It felt like there was a hole in my chest that just couldn't be filled. We knew it was going to be a risk, to allow our relationship to bloom. We didn't imprint, but neither one of us thought finding our mate was a possibility. It wasn't a common occurrence in the pack. It probably never would have happened if our packs didn't meet up to sign the treaty. That was enough motivation to feel a little sour towards the whole situation of peace between packs. I lost the love of my life, over this stupid treaty.

At least Jared seemed like a nice enough person. I decided to ride back with him. Like me, he acted as an advisor to the Alpha, we shared the title, Gamma. It seems that how Sam is running his pack is very similar to how Edward is running ours. Only a few minor details are different. Edward has a bit more extensive rules to follow. It's not harsh or unfair, the guidelines are in place to make sure everyone is safe and given equal responsibilities. No one had more work than someone else. Sam's pack was a bit more laid back, he let his pack decide who did what. For example, when it came to running patrols, Paul offered to do it practically all day, on his own. Jared would come out to help him throughout the day, but it was a deeply flawed routine. What if Paul was attacked by a group of bloodsuckers? He wouldn't have any back up. Some members of his pack weren't used at all. Which is very wrong. Everyone should be pulling their weight. It appears that Sam feels any female member shouldn't be put through the same tasks as the men. This wasn't the case in Edward's pack.

Jared agreed with me, that's why we have been chatting for a while now. His position of advisor gave him the right to challenge some of Sam's old ways of thinking. I just needed to give him some examples of good change, to improve his pack. He wanted to show me the extent of their boundary lines, so we could figure out a better way of patrolling the area.

We pulled into La Push in just under three hours of driving. I was thankful we arrived, Leah was sulking in the back seat, I understood completely what she was going through. But it didn't make being around her any easier. She brought the mood of the car down tremendously. I at the very least was able to mask my emotions. Leah wasn't. It made for a very awkward trip back.

As Jared was driving through the little reservation of La Push, I noticed his hands clenched tightly on the wheel. His eyes were locked on a house in the distance. He pressed his foot down hard on the gas, accelerating the car to alarming speeds.

"What the hell Jared? What's the rush?" Leah grumbled from the back seat. Her eyes were still red and puffy from crying. Annoyance crossed her face.

"Newton's car is parked at Bella's." Jared said with an angry look coming to his face.

Now I was pissed. Mike Newton is another mistake Sam has made. I was there that night, when we found that poor girl. She had been so drunk; I wasn't sure if she realized what happened. I never got a really good look at her; I mostly kept my eyes on Mike. I was ready for him to try something. But I remember feeling an intense emotion in those seconds. I wanted to kill Mike myself. He deserved less than that. He should be publicly executed for his crimes. If something like this happened in my pack, he would be lucky to still be breathing. Let alone walking around freely.

"That asshole, let's kick his ass." Leah growled, appearing a bit more lively.

"We can't do that, Sam won't allow that. At the very least we should get him back home and post someone out front, until Sam gets back." Jared sighed.

No, that wouldn't be enough. If he does something wrong, he should be held accountable. Yes Sam should make the decision, but if the voices of the rest of the pack are against his wishes, he should put these matters to a vote. It was fair.

Jared pulled into the driveway, we all flung our doors open. We raced towards the house, noting the front door was ripped off the hinges. My heart dropped to the bottom of my stomach. We didn't waste any time as we made our way inside. I heard sounds of glass smashing and yells of pain. Without thinking I ran forward, heading into the kitchen. But the scene in front of me wasn't what I expected.

Mike was on the ground, blood pouring down his face and arms, he was shakily picking glass from his skin as he glared up at the girl. Alice. My eyes slid over to where she stood. She was sitting on the counter, only in a long t-shirt, her underwear was wrapped down around her ankles. She was staring off into space, breathing heavily. The top of a broken bottle still clutched in her hands.

Jared grabbed Mike, taking note of his unzipped fly, a look of disgust crossed his face, before walking Mike out of the kitchen.

Leah cautiously moved over to Alice, looking uncomfortable as she lightly moved her legs closed. Giving her a bit of privacy. "Alice, did he… hurt you?"

Alice sucked in a breath, tears spilling over her cheeks. "Not this time. I was able to cut him, before he got any further."

Suddenly soft blue eyes locked on me, her lip trembling. My entire world began to shift from under my feet. Everything became clear. My heart swelled painfully hard in my chest. It was no longer gravity that kept me grounded. It was her. It made sense now. How easily Emily had disregarded me. How fast she forgot about me and our love. I still knew my feelings for Emily, but how I felt for this girl outshined everything else. My life has been a long, never-ending midnight, for the longest time. Until I found her.

A flicker of a smile came to her face as she watched me. "It's you,"

Her words brought something stronger than butterflies to bounce against my stomach. I cautiously walked over to her, shifting Leah out of my way. Her hands went out to my face. I closed my eyes, enjoying the feeling of her touch. Lightly I wrapped my arms around her. She tensed for only a second, before melting completely in my arms, her head rested on my shoulder as she quietly sobbed.

"Don't worry, I'm here now." I whispered quietly.

Bella's Point of View

Pulling into Forks, I felt myself relax. I don't know if I was just relieved that we finally were almost home, but the bad gut feelings I had earlier melted away. The sun was out today in Forks. I tilted my head back, enjoying every second of the warmth it brought. Edward watched me from the corner of his eye. A faint smile danced across his lips.

The drive to Edward's house was a mixture of nerve-wracking and exciting. I wondered what his place looked like. I had my own ideas, something rural, homey, surrounded in nature. It's the kind of thing you would expect from the Alpha of the blood moon pack. Although in reality, it was much different.

I figured it was going to be big, but I didn't know it was going to be this big. It was the kind of home in which most American kids dreamed of growing up. Secluded among trees on one of the most exclusive streets in Forks. It had turrets, gables, dormers, balconies, a screened-in front porch, a free-standing garage, a gazebo, a pool, neatly planted flower gardens, the American only thing missing was a fresh baked apple pie in the open window.

Edward pulled in next to a nice looking SUV, before we all got out. Erik didn't pause, he went jogging up the stairs to the porch and straight inside.

"Mom, Bella is here." I heard Erik announce.

Edward groaned, ducking his head as he came to stand next to me. Lightly he took my hand in his, kissing my fingers. "Are you ready?" He looked just as nervous as I felt.

I took a couple deep breaths, before nodding. I tried forcing a big cheerful smile on my face. Edward and I began the slow walk up the stairs, when a horrified cry sounded through the house. My heart dropped to the pit of my stomach. Edward dashed quickly into the house, I followed closely behind. The rooms were a blur as he led me through the enormous labyrinth. We made it to a beautiful kitchen, completely tile. Erik stood completely still, his face pale. Edward moved to him, moving him to turn around.

"Erik, what the hell is wrong?" Edward muttered anxiously.

Erik looked at Edward with tears in his eyes, gestured to something lying on the floor, glaring coldly. "Someone left Franklin out of his enclosure. He is going to die, being left out like this. Someone could have stepped on him." He grumbled pushing Edward's hand away before moving to pick up a huge snake from the kitchen floor.

My eyes widened, I took a couple steps back in panic. I didn't like snakes. And this one was the biggest I've ever seen. Solid white. It was terrifying.

Edward sighed heavily, before smacking Erik on the back of the head. "You idiot, you scared both of us to death. I thought something was wrong."

Erik rubbed the back of his head, with a sour look. He lightly put the snake around his shoulders. "It is a big deal, like I said, he could have died."

That wouldn't have been the end of the world. It wouldn't have bothered me one bit. If that snake would have been dead. I knew it was wrong to think this way. There weren't many things that scared me. Snakes were pretty high on that list.

"Erik, Edward, is that you?" A soft voice called out.

My heart started to race as a beautiful woman came strolling into the kitchen. Her hair was pulled into a high ponytail, it matched Edward's in color, her eyes a deep forest green. Surprise and joy came to her face as her sights fell on me. She quickly moved to me, pulling me in for a tight hug. I was taken off guard, but I hugged her back, taking a calm breath. She was so bubbly and kind. I wasn't expecting that. But it did put me at ease.

"You must be Bella Swan, it's so nice to meet you!" She gave me an overjoyed grin. "Edward has told us so much about you, it's nice to put a name to a face now."

"It's nice to meet you too Mrs. Mason." I smiled shyly.

"Please, call me Esme," She said, lightly pinching my cheek, before fluttering over to the refrigerator. "Are you guys hungry, I can make something quick." Her eyes danced to Edward and Erik.

"Nothing for me, we are just dropping by to grab Erik's phone charger. There is a party we were invited to, down at La Push." Edward commented, moving to capture me in an embrace.

Esme's eyes twinkled with enthusiasm as she watched between the two of us. She reminded me a lot of Alice. She had the same high strong energy. Although she had such a mother-vibe, it brought a slight twinge of envy. I'd wished countless times that Rene had been more of a mother like this. So caring and quick to spoil her kids. Rene was kind, but she was very self-centered. It was hard to get a hold on her, she was always out traveling the world. On her own. She was a thrill chaser. I didn't see her very often, even growing up. She drugged me along wherever she went, but I was never the center of her attention. I didn't realize how much that bothered me. Until I realized that not all mothers are like that. Esme was proof of that.

"Aww, alright but please bring your imprint back more often, she's a good one, I can tell." Esme grinned, moving over to ruffle the top of Edward's head.

Edward's cheeks warmed as he gently swatted her hand away. "Mom," He grumbled in chagrin. "I'll be back later." He said quickly, leading me out of the kitchen.

"I want your brother home by nine please, it's a school night." She called after us.

I could hear Erik whining in the distance. Their family was charming. The kind I've always envisioned for myself. But there was still mystery surrounding Edward's father. I haven't had the pleasure of meeting him yet. So as Edward and I made it back to the car, I paused.

"Your mom is wonderful, I was just curious about what your dad was like."

Edward gave me a thoughtful look as he opened the passenger side door for me to take a seat in his car. "He is a bit more laid back, calm, serious, he has a pretty stressful job, so he can be short at times."

"You said he works at the hospital?"

Reluctance colored his face. "Yeah, he is chief of surgery at Forks General Hospital." There was some hesitation in his response. He watched me closely.

I tried not to make a face. That was an impressive title. But it was clear Edward was unwilling to talk about it for some reason. I wasn't sure if I should pry any further than that/ But I wanted to understand him. I want to become part of Edward's life. I can't tiptoe around him, in fear of upsetting him.

"That means he must not spend much time at home. That must be… challenging."

Surprise clouded his face for a second, nodding slightly. "I didn't expect that response, usually when I talk about my father being chief of surgery, everyone starts treating me differently. Or telling me how lucky and proud I must be."

"It's easy to make assumptions when you are looking in, from the outside." I muttered, running my hand through my hair.

"And what does that mean?" He said, raising a brow.

"Let's say you are standing in a palace, from the outside it's beautiful and pristine. But inside it's filthy, broken floorboards, stained walls, a disaster to live in. For those only standing outside of the palace, everything looks great, they tell you that you should be proud to live in such a wonderful place. But you know the truth. You are standing right in the middle of the filth, it isn't wonderful."

Edward listened intently, a smile creeping across his face as he leaned in, planting a tender kiss on my lips. "I didn't think anyone would ever… understand." The emotion on his face was unreadable.

"Others might start to understand, if you open up a little bit. All it takes is for you to open the doors of the palace and let people see what it is really like inside."

He stroked my cheek. "I don't think so, I don't think I'm ready for something like that. There may just be one person that I trust enough to let inside." Again I felt his kisses against my skin. I let my eyes close, tilted my head back as his lips flew down the side of my neck.

"Who might that be?" I asked breathlessly.

Edward chuckled, smirking at me for a moment as he pulled away. "You of course,"

My heart squeezed in my chest. "Well, whenever you're ready, I'll be here waiting."

Edward and I continued to kiss, until Erik made an appearance, making gagging noises as he passed us by. He crawled into the backseat and put a pair of headphones on. Obviously he didn't want to chat with either one of us at the moment. He seemed annoyed. Probably because of the curfew that his mother enforced.

But this only seemed to brighten Edward's spirits as we made a peaceful drive into La Push. Our hands clasped together. The sun was just starting to set in the sky. Creating a beautiful red glow. The air had a refreshing chill, it felt great against my burning skin. The rain and clouds were staying at bay. It should be a good night. I couldn't wait to meet up with Alice to give her the good news. Both her and her parents may be reunited.

A/N: Thanks for reading! Hope you will all consider leaving a review. Thanks again!