Have no fear, I am here! Apologies for the unexpected absence. Y'all know how it goes, life gets busy! Huge thank you to TeamEdward3 for reaching out to make sure I was okay! That was very sweet and I so appreciate it. Also, another quick note, this is a Twilight series retelling with my own version of Jasper, Bella, and Jacob. So... yep. Cheers!

Chapter 15: Nothing

"I saw you- a vision of you- you jumped off a cliff. I knew I'd be too late, but... Why the hell would you try to kill yourself?"

Bella closed the door behind them and locked it as they entered the house. "I didn't," she said, meekly scooting past the little ball of fury into the kitchen to turn on the light and find something to eat. More quietly, she added, "I was cliff diving."

Alice, of course, heard her. "Why?" she shrieked.

"Um... fun?"

"Fun?" Alice cried, gesturing wildly with her hands. "That was fun for you?"

"Well it would've been, probably," she shrugged, getting her favorite mug and heating up some milk for hot chocolate. "Jacob stopped me before I could actually, y'know..." she made the motion with her hand, "dive."

"Thank God he did! I swear, I have never met anyone as prone to life threatening idiocy..." she trailed off and wrapped her arms around Bella. Bella closed her eyes. Alice had been her closest friend next to Jacob. She felt a few of her broken pieces start to mend now that she was back. "What is that awful stench?" Alice frowned as she pulled away, wrinkling her nose.

Bella tried to remember if she had put on deodorant that morning before remembering Jacob's similar reaction. "Oh! Probably Jacob. He's kind of a, um... a werewolf now."

Alice's eyes widened. "A werewolf?" she shrieked. "Bella! Please tell me you aren't seriously friends with a werewolf, they are vicious!"

Bella frowned and nearly rolled her eyes. "They're not vicious."

"Until they lose their tempers."

Bella tried not to lose her own temper. "They saved me from Laurent, they're protecting me from Victoria..."

"Wait, Victoria?" Alice stopped her pacing and whirled back to face Bella, whose hot chocolate had been all but forgotten at this point. "I didn't see her. I didn't see you decide not to jump either..."

"Jacob was the one who made the decision for me, really. He's saved me more than once. I don't... I don't know what I would've done without him while you were all gone," she stared down at the counter and picked at her nails. "You have no idea what it was like."

There was a beat of silence before Alice covered Bella's hand with her own. "Yes, I do. I've been keeping an eye on you. And Jasper. I knew this wouldn't be easy for either of you and I tried to tell him that, but you know how stubborn he is."

Bella nodded. That was something they had in common. "Does he... does he know you're here?"

"No. He said he needed some time alone. We haven't seen him since."

Bella looked at her friend, her pixie-like face drawn and dull where it was usually so bright. She and Jasper had been friends for so long, as close as she and Jacob were. She couldn't imagine how hard his absence must be for her too. Bella stepped forward and pulled Alice into a hug, which was immediately returned. "I'm glad you're here," she said.

The smile returned to Alice's face. "Me too."

Jasper sighed and lifted the phone to his ear. "No."

"I haven't said anything yet!" Rosalie huffed on the other end of the line.

"Just thought I'd save myself some time," he said, twisting his pocket knife in the sand by his boot. He'd managed to carry it ever since his days as a human, and though he didn't have much use for it now, the familiarity of it in his hand was comforting. It had been Aaron's, after all.

"You need to come home," she said, exactly like he thought she would.

"Yeah, I'm hanging up now."

"Jasper, Esme's a wreck!" That caught his attention, just like she knew it would. He was struck silent and she seized the opportunity. "Carlisle never smiles. Even Emmett's depressed. Alice is a nervous wreck trying to keep tabs on you to make sure you don't do something stupid. You've really done a number on them, you know."

Jasper closed his eyes. The breeze off the ocean on the North Carolina coast tousled his hair. The beach had been a place of solace and peace in his human life. He'd been hoping to find a piece of it now, but there was none left to be found. His transformation in Galveston had ruined it indefinitely and this conversation certainly didn't help matters. "Trust me. They wouldn't wanna be around me right now. My powers are..." he sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Just trust me."

"I miss... I miss our family."

"I know. I do too. But the further away I am, the safer Bella'll be. It'll be easier for her to move on."

"But you don't have to worry about that anymore, she's-" Rosalie said quickly, then abruptly stopped herself from saying anymore.

Jasper felt his unbeating heart jump into his throat. "What'd you mean, Rose? Did something happen to Bella?"

"Nothing. It's fine, I shouldn't have..."

"Rosalie!" he shouted into the phone, getting to his feet as panic washed over him. "Tell me!"

"Alice had a vision," she blurted in a rush. "Bella threw herself off a cliff. She's... she's dead."

He stumbled, but miraculously managed to stay on his feet. "No. No, she... I don't believe it."

"Alice is there now," Rosalie said. "She thought she could help with the funeral or something."

Alice. He had been so happy that she and Bella had become friends. Of course she'd go to help Charlie with the funeral. Oh God, Charlie! How would he survive this? And Jacob, that stupid young kid that she was friends with. He was a good kid, all things considered. He didn't deserve this. And all her friends at school... And Renée. Bella's mother had been so kind... did she know yet?

Oh God. Oh God!

What had he done?

"Come home, Jasper. It's time."

"I..." he began, but trailed off. What was there to say? What could he possibly say? He was truly a monster. He'd killed the one woman he'd loved. Snuffed out the only light in his life.

He lowered the phone away from his ear and snapped it shut. "I have no home."