A/N: Your reviews from last chapter are all so in line with what's coming! I can't wait for y'all to read the next few chapters!
Bella Makes a Decision
As Bella sat on her father's back porch and stared at the stars, Jacob sitting quietly beside her, she thought back to one particular moment in the throne room. It was the last piece of the puzzle that needed to snap into place for Bella to make her decision about whether or not she had it in her heart to give Edward another chance.
It was the moment that forced her to finally open her eyes. The moment that forced her to rethink every assumption she'd made about Edward, his love for her, and their relationship. Her rose-colored glasses had been ripped from her face and trampled underfoot. She couldn't hide from the truth anymore.
"But… you'd have to mean it, young Edward," Aro said.
Looking up at Edward's face, she'd completely frozen in shock. He couldn't force the words out, couldn't agree to the Volturi's stipulation, even if it meant they killed her in front of him.
Before she could even process that, Alice stepped forward. "I'll change her myself."
As Aro reached for Alice's hand, Bella had a moment of panic. If they had any hope of getting out of there alive, Aro needed to see Alice's sincerity. He needed to see a vision of the future where Bella was a vampire.
But as soon as Aro touched Alice, Edward would be reading his mind and he would see every secret Alice was keeping.
Bella had been practicing her meditation nonstop for days. Peter had encouraged her to think of her shield as something tangible. Something that had a physical shape that she could manipulate. After hours and hours and hours of clearing her mind of everything but what she was looking for, she got the vaguest notion of something surrounding her. It was thin and fragile and it reminded her of a soap bubble. She worked with that image and eventually felt she had the barest amount of control over it.
Meditating on the plane to Italy, with Jasper keeping her calm and focused, she'd been able to imagine stretching the soap bubble so it covered one of her vampires.
As soon as they walked into the throne room and Bella realized just how many vampires surrounded her and Alice, and not knowing what gifts they might possess, she'd closed her eyes and focused as hard as she could on shielding Alice.
With how afraid she was about Alice's safety, the instinct to protect her best friend made the task much easier than it had been on the plane.
When Jane had turned her gift on Edward and he started writhing in pain, she initially tried to push her shield to cover him but found she couldn't. After a few seconds of effort she gave up. She figured whatever pain he was feeling was nothing less than he deserved for the pain he was putting his family through with this whole stupid endeavor.
Bella wasn't sure what would happen if Aro took Alice's hand and saw nothing. Either he didn't get proof that Bella would be turned and he'd have his guard kill her, or he would put the pieces together that Bella could use her shield to protect others and decide he wanted to add her to his collection.
Bella wasn't too keen on either option.
But she also knew that there were things Alice didn't want Edward to know. Even if Bella didn't have any big secrets to keep, she'd still always been grateful that her weird brain had kept Edward from reading her thoughts. The fact that Alice had secrets wasn't shocking or surprising. Everyone should be granted mental privacy.
Edward felt he had every right to root around in people's thoughts. His telepathy made him arrogant, made him think he was superior to everyone, so of course he was entitled to their thoughts. He was also manipulative and wouldn't hesitate to use the information he plucked from someone's mind against that person. Bella had often seen him do that when he was arguing with family members. Usually Rosalie.
And so Bella had closed her eyes, sent up a heartfelt prayer, and focused all her energy on extending her shield out to cover Aro's mind as well.
Aro would see the truth from Alice, but Edward would be blind to it. And Aro would have no way of knowing that he had been shielded temporarily, thus keeping him from wanting to get Bella's gift under the Volturi's control.
"Fascinating," Aro breathed after a minute.
Bella peeked her eyes open as Aro let go of Alice's hand. He glanced at Bella quickly before giving Alice a genuine smile.
"To see the things you've seen, events that have yet to come to pass…"
"But that will," Alice finished confidently.
"Yes, it is quite certain," Aro said softly before looking at Bella for a moment and then turning back to Edward, who was looking between the king and his sister with a frown.
"I will assume that you have no further plans to put yourself in violation of any of our laws?" Aro asked Edward, who simply nodded. "Fine. You are all free to leave. All we ask is that you notify us upon Isabella's successful turning. The Volturi do not give second chances, young Edward. Do not make us regret this leniency."
Edward had simply nodded again, jaw clenched tightly.
"Goodbye Miss Cullen, Miss Swan. Safe travels."
"Thank you Aro, Caius, Marcus," Alice said with a respectful nod, taking Bella's hand and leading her from the room, Edward a step behind them.
In a distant corner of Bella's mind, one she had tried to ignore, she'd had doubts that Edward was her mate from almost the beginning of their relationship. As soon as she began spending time with the family, the differences between her relationship and that of Carlisle and Esme or Emmett and Rosalie were glaring.
The disparity between how Edward treated her and the way her other loved ones treated her was blinding enough that she couldn't close her eyes to it any longer.
And the fact that Edward wasn't willing to agree to her turning, even if it meant saving her life, well...
Bella finally accepted that the little bit of love for Edward that she'd kept tucked away in her heart had been shattered completely in the Volturi's throne room.
With a sigh, she leaned a little harder against Jake's side and spoke quietly into the silent night.
"I've decided."
Sitting beside Alice in a tree a few miles from Forks, Jasper thought about the 'conversation' he'd just heard between Bella and Edward.
He'd tried to give the two of them as much privacy as he could, tuning out their words and focusing solely on Edward's bloodlust.
After seven months away from his singer, Edward's thirst was nearly as strong as it had been when Alice and Jasper rejoined the family in Forks, when Edward and Bella's relationship was relatively new. Back then, Edward had slowly built up a tolerance to Bella's scent - using methods that made Jasper want to take the telepath's arms off so he couldn't sneak in her window at night - but it was really only his decision to love the girl rather than eat her that had given Edward the strength to not give in to his thirst.
Now, having gone so long without exposure to her scent, Edward was nearly back to square one.
As much as it pained him, though, Jasper had to give the boy credit. Singers didn't tend to survive longer than a few seconds after their particular vampire crossed paths with them.
Emmett had come across two singers since he'd been turned and both had been completely drained before Emmett even knew what was happening.
Jasper had a feeling that some of Edward's control came from his desire to prove he was better than everyone else, but the majority of his determination to not succumb to the call of his singer was because he believed he loved the girl. He may have even truly believed Bella was his mate during the course of their relationship.
After the events in Italy, however, Edward knew that wasn't the case. Alice had described her initial vision of Edward in front of the kings to Jasper in more detail after their return, and the way Edward flinched when Marcus touched Aro's hand led them both to conclude that Edward had heard confirmation that they were not mated.
Which is why Jasper was angrier than usual at the telepath by the three words that kept echoing in his mind. The three words that had broken through his attempts to give Edward and Bella privacy as they talked.
"Marry me, Bella."
Edward knew that they weren't mates, which meant either or both of them might have the other half of their soul out there in the world somewhere - which Bella of course did - but he was still determined to make Bella his regardless.
Even taking away the knowledge that Jasper and Bella were mates for a moment, Jasper had spent enough time with Leah Clearwater to know that Edward was willing to put Bella at risk of terrible pain later down the road if Edward did eventually find his soulmate. Jasper didn't doubt for a single second that Edward would drop Bella in half a heartbeat if that happened. His own happiness was what mattered most to Edward.
That was one of the reasons Bella and Jacob had become the best friends they are, rather than a boy half in love with a girl whose heart would never be his.
As soon as Jacob phased for the first time and learned the true reason that Sam had betrayed Leah with Emily, Jacob accepted he and Bella had no future as a couple. Once his wolf was an active part of him, and he didn't imprint on Bella, he knew she wasn't his soulmate.
So the fact that Edward was proposing marriage to Bella, making her believe he would tie himself to her at least as long as her human lifespan - assuming he never changed his mind about turning her - while knowing he could stumble upon his other half at any time…
Well, Jasper couldn't understand that level of selfishness.
Alice's sudden sigh pulled him from his thoughts. Her emotions were a riot of relief and happiness, concern and fear. Jasper couldn't get a firm enough grasp on them to interpret what they meant, so he simply waited quietly for her to share what she'd seen.
"She's decided," Alice whispered softly.
Jasper looked at her expectantly. "And?"
"She's—" Alice was cut off by her cell phone ringing. When she glanced at the display, she couldn't hide her smile.
"Now what?" Jasper sighed, knowing exactly who was calling.
"Hey Peter," Alice greeted him cheerfully.
"Hey Ali, Major. So, uh, Alice…"
"Just spit it out, Peter. You have five seconds before I start running to Texas and you better hope I don't find you," Jasper snapped.
"Don't threaten me with a good time, Major," Peter laughed. "But this isn't actually bad news. It's pretty fuckin' great news in my opinion."
Alice and Jasper both waited for him to elaborate, although based on Alice's emotions, Jasper thought she might have some idea what Peter's call was about.
"If either of you have any doubts about keeping your blocking tactics firmly in place around the telepath in the immediate future - and by immediate, I mean the next twelve to eighteen hours - don't share that latest vision, Ali. If you both feel confident, have at it, but go visit your human tomorrow."
"I'm assuming you already knew what Bella's decision was going to be?" Jasper asked.
"Of course," Peter scoffed. "And if you know your girl like you think you do, it won't surprise you either."
"Yeah, I know," Jasper sighed. "I mean, I was pretty sure, but I know she really did love Edward and… well, I couldn't help but worry, that's all."
Alice squeezed his hand gently. "She won't let him break her heart twice. I know I haven't shared everything that happened while we were in with the kings - some of that is Bella's to share, not mine - but Edward killed whatever chance he may have had with her all on his own. She didn't make a firm decision because she wanted to think it all through with a clear head, but even before the throne room, I honestly don't think she would've given him another shot. You were right when you told Carlisle that she wasn't the same girl they left last fall. She's not. She's grown up some and has a more solid sense of self-worth now. She knows she deserves better than the narrow, constrictive mold Edward was trying to shoehorn her into. And the way you treat her, the way you've always treated her, was one of the yardsticks she used to measure his actions against."
Jasper gave her a soft smile and pulled her into a hug, letting her feel all his love and gratitude. "Thanks, Ali."
"Aw, y'all are too fuckin' cute," Peter sighed.
Jasper rolled his eyes as he whipped out his phone and made a call. "Hey Jasper!" a bright and happy voice greeted him.
"Hey Charlotte, can you—"
"Goddamn it, Major, why you gotta get me in trouble with my one and only?" Peter huffed.
"Oh boy. I made the mistake of leaving him home unsupervised. I'm on it," Charlotte laughed.
Before Jasper could even laugh at him, Peter muttered a quick "fuck" and abruptly hung up.
"Perfect, he's already started runnin'. Means it'll be more fun when I catch him," Charlotte said between giggles. "Talk to ya later."
Jasper put his phone back in his pocket with a laugh. "Alright, Ali. Wanna hunt before we go see Bella tomorrow? I don't have much of a desire to be near Edward at the moment."
"Sounds perfect," Alice laughed as her phone vibrated with a new text. "Hmm. Rosalie and Emmett want to know where we are. Apparently Peter texted Rose earlier that she should stay away from the house tonight."
"Alright," Jasper nodded with a smile.
Peter had always been there for Jasper, always looked out for him the way Jasper had looked out for him back when they were still with Maria. Jasper may grumble about his delivery sometimes but he would never ignore Peter's 'guidance'. He had absolute faith in the man he considered his true brother.
"Let's meet them at the baseball clearing and we can all hang out a while," Jasper suggested. "But no word about any of this for now. Rosalie has always been good about both keeping her thoughts hidden from Edward and keeping secrets, but while Emmett always has the best of intentions and his heart is in the right place, his mouth is way too impulsive for me to take a chance with."
Alice's laughter bubbled out of her as she stood up. "True. Now come on, I'll race you!"
And with that she jumped to the ground and took off running. Jasper followed quickly, his own laughter floating bright and crisp in the night air behind him.
Bella woke up the morning after her epiphany on the back porch to a bizarre text from Peter.
Think about baking cookies ;)
After some hard pondering about it while taking a shower and making a cup of coffee, Bella was still baffled by what he meant, so she gave up and called him.
Her surprise was almost as strong as it was during the first phone call from him when he told her about her shield. She thanked him with a huge smile on her face and immediately took a blanket out to the backyard to work on her meditation.
Manipulating her shield wasn't as easy as it had been when she was in Volterra and worried about her best friend's safety, but she pulled from that same desire and instinct to protect her loved ones and eventually got a handle on it. Thinking about the way Edward used his telepathy as a weapon against others was the final push of motivation she needed.
An hour or so later she was pulled out of her meditation by a car door closing. She was blinking her way back to the real word when she heard her dad call her name.
"Back here!" she called back as she stood up and started folding her blanket.
Charlie Swan came around the corner of the house with a smile on his face. "Hey kiddo, this was on the front porch for you."
He handed her a small package with just her name written on it. Curious, she opened it up and started laughing.
Inside was the framed photo of the gelato shop in Pisa and a folded t-shirt. While the shirt was, in fact, the one her dad wanted, Bella's favorite pixie had changed it slightly.
While the original said 'My daughter went to Italy and all I got was this stupid t-shirt' Alice had added a little caret after 'My daughter' and written 'and her besties' in script, and crossed out 'stupid' and written 'damn' so it was a perfect match of her dad's request.
Bella handed it to him with a smile.
"My daughter and her besties went to Italy and all I got was this damn t-shirt," Charlie laughed as he read it out loud. "This is perfect, Bella, thank you."
"Don't thank me, thank Alice. And here, this won't melt," she said and handed him the gelato photo.
Charlie pulled his daughter in for a hug and dropped a kiss on the top of her head. "Thanks," he smiled. "I love it. Now I can wear my shirt and drink beer out of the glass you got me while looking at the gelato. It'll almost be like I was in Italy with the rest of you."
Bella laughed and gave him a light shove and the two walked into the house to make lunch.
They were just clearing the table when there was a knock at the door. Charlie put his plate in the sink and went to answer it, smiling when he saw it was Alice and Jasper.
"Hey kids, come on in," Charlie greeted them and led them into the kitchen. "I'll finish up the dishes, Bella. Go hang out with your besties."
Alice's bright laugh filled the kitchen. "You liked it?"
"I loved it. Thank you, Alice," Charlie smiled.
Bella gave her dad a quick kiss on the cheek and ushered her favorite vamps to her room. Bella and Alice hopped on her bed while Jasper sat on the floor, his back resting against the wall below the window, long legs stretched out in front of him.
"You seem… lighter somehow," Jasper said after looking at Bella carefully.
Bella thought on it a minute before answering. "Yeah, I guess that's a good way to put it. I'm assuming you know Edward wanted us to get back together?" she asked. When both of them nodded, she continued. "I can't do it. Not only do I not love him anymore, but I don't want to go back to being Edward's Bella. I just want to be me. Just Bella," she said before rolling her eyes. "God, that probably doesn't make any sense."
"No, it does," Alice assured her. "You've changed since he left. You seem more… alive now. You seemed to fade a bit around Edward… like you weren't quite sure how to stand on your own, so you let him lead you. We've loved watching you find your feet over the last seven months. To become your own version of you, not what someone else wants you to be."
Bella smiled and squeezed her hand. "Thanks, Ali. But now I have to tell him. You know with his ego he won't take the news well. Who knows how it'll work with you guys moving back here. And when did you all decide that by the way? Edward told me everyone was back for good but he didn't elaborate."
"The family all voted before we left for Italy. There was so much going on that I forgot to tell you," Jasper answered. "Everyone's missed you, Bella. No one wanted to leave you in the first place. You're part of the family. And not as 'Edward's Bella' either, but all on your own. As just Bella," he smiled and shot her a wink.
Bella laughed and threw a pillow at his head. "No making fun of the human."
"And honestly, Bella? Most of the family likes you a whole lot more than they're liking Edward right now," Alice added.
"Right. Italy," Bella sighed. "We need to talk about that but maybe we should do it as a family. Have you told them everything, Alice?"
"No," Alice shook her head. "Some of that is yours to tell. And we haven't been at the house much. It would be too tempting to rearrange Edward's face."
Jasper and Bella laughed and nodded their agreement, both still angry about the telepath's recent actions. "Think we should call a family meeting?" Jasper asked.
Bella thought on it for a minute, head tipped to the side. "Yeah, that'll work. We can get everything out in the open at one time."
"I agree," Alice smiled, her eyes twinkling.
"What have you seen, Ali?" Jasper asked suspiciously.
Alice just shrugged. "Nope. You'll just have to wait and see."
"If you say so," Bella laughed. "But hey, before we do that, could you maybe call Emmett and Rose and have them come over?"
Jasper looked at Bella while Alice pulled out her phone to text Rosalie. He felt her determination and nervousness, but also her hope.
"Wanna share?" he asked her curiously.
Bella shrugged and told the two about her phone call with Peter and her earlier meditation. "I don't know if I can actually do it, but I figure it can't hurt to try. And if Peter thinks it'll work… well, that's encouraging, right?"
"It is," Jasper agreed with a smile, Alice nodding also. "Peter won't ever steer you wrong."
Bella nodded a little uncertainly just as the doorbell rang.
"I've got it!" her dad called up the stairs and a few moments later Emmett threw open the door to Bella's room with one of his dimpled smiles.
"We're here, the party can officially start!"
Rosalie gave him a light shove into the room and rolled her eyes with a smile. "What's up guys?"
Bella beckoned them in and got up to close the door behind them, then took a seat on the floor beside Jasper. "Alright, everybody come sit. For now, don't ask questions. I promise I'll explain later," she said as all the vampires came to sit so they made a circle.
Jasper felt Bella's nervousness shoot up when she closed her eyes, so he sent her a little bit of calm and let her feel his confidence in her.
Bella took a deep breath and focused all her attention inward. Cookies. Think cookies, she reminded herself. And with that, she sent up a prayer and went to work.
A/N: I'm not a huge fan of fics where Bella is extra hella powerful - human or vampire - but the girl loves hard and just wants to keep her loved ones safe and happy, and giving them privacy from the nosy, manipulative dick will definitely make them happy. So I figured, why not. Let her have some control of her shield.
And family meeting fun is next!
Thank you all for reading and reviewing, and the follows and favorites. It means so much that y'all are taking time out of your day to read this. You're making my first time posting a story a wonderful experience. So thank you!
Take care, M. x
