A/N: I've got the next seven chapters already written and y'all already know I'm hella impatient. Having them sitting there finished but not posted is annoying me, so there's a good chance I'll update every day for the next little while.


Full Disclosure


Before Alice and Jasper left the Swan's house, Bella asked Jasper if he wouldn't mind driving her to and from school the next day, just in case. He immediately agreed and when he pulled in her driveway at 7:45 the next morning, Bella was already waiting for him on the front porch.

He got out to take her bag and help her into the truck and was relieved to see she was walking a little better than she had been the day before.

Once they were on their way, he glanced at her and reached over to take her hand. "Hey, can I ask you something?"

Bella looked at him and nodded. "Of course."

"You've been open and honest with me about how much pain you're in, even being willing to call and ask for my help. That's a sharp contrast to how you were with Edward. I guess I'm just curious why."

"Because you've never treated me the way he did," she smiled. "I know I snapped at you on Sunday when you asked how I was, but that was because my tired brain made the leap from 'you're my mate' to 'you're going to be overbearing'. As soon as it came out of my mouth I regretted it. You've never been overbearing or controlling and it just took me a second to remember that. I think that you asking if I wanted to come with the family to meet the wolves without any hesitation, and then letting me get in on the Jasper-pileup, even knowing it would cause me some extra pain… I guess it was just the perfect reminder that you're nothing like him. You never have been," she explained. "Edward and I didn't communicate as equals, we barely communicated at all actually. And I've always appreciated that you're open and honest with me, so I want to make sure I always treat you with that same respect."

Jasper smiled and kissed the back of her hand. "Yeah, we've had that honest communication thing pretty much nailed down from the beginning. Aside from me keeping the whole mate thing a secret," he added with a laugh.

"Nah," she waved him off. "I understand why you had to do that. And considering it kept me alive, I'm certainly not going to fault you for it."

When Jasper parked the truck in the school parking lot, Jessica Stanley was standing a few spaces away and glared as Jasper got out to give Bella a hand. When Bella noticed, she remembered the afternoon before and looked up at him with a smile.

"So you're my boyfriend, huh?"

Jasper kissed the top of her head and laughed. "Sorry to be presumptuous. The girl's emotions were annoying me and you seemed a little unsure about how to answer her."

"I was," she nodded. "We haven't really discussed what we are now."

Jasper knew Bella had never liked Edward's pompous, overly formal mannerisms, so he just gave her the most charming smile he could muster up. "Wanna be my girlfriend, Swan?"

Bella laughed as she nodded. "Since you've already publicly claimed to be my boyfriend, I suppose it's only fair," she answered and then pushed up on her toes to give him a quick kiss, smiling against his lips.

"Whew, that's a relief. Eternity would be awfully uncomfortable if you said no," he laughed as he hooked her bag over her shoulder. "I'll be here at 3:15. Call me if you need me to come early."

"I will, but I think I'll be okay. I'll see you later," she said, noticing her human best friend standing a little ways away waiting for her.

Angela and Jasper waved to each other and he gave Bella one last kiss. "See you later."

By the time he got back in his truck, Bella was at Angela's side and they both had mile-wide smiles on their faces as Angela hugged her. Jasper smiled to himself as he drove away, happy that his mate wouldn't have to lose her best human friend when it came time for her to be changed.


When Jasper got back to the Cullen's, he found Alice waiting for him on the porch steps looking unusually serious.

"What's wrong?" he asked as he climbed out and sat beside her.

"I think we need to tell the family everything. About Edward."

"Have you seen him coming back here?" he asked, worry and anger bubbling up in his chest.

"No, not really," she shook her head. "I had a quick flash of him leaving the island but that future disappeared almost immediately. Every time I've looked for him since then, he's still on Isle Esme," she explained. "But you and I both know that he could probably work around my gift if he was motivated enough."

"Are you thinking telling the family the whole truth will better prepare us if he does come back?" he clarified.

"Yes. If they understand everything I've seen, none of them will let him get anywhere near her," she answered.

Jasper thought on it a minute. "Let me check with Bella. If she's alright with it, then we can go ahead. Sound good?"

"Sounds good. And she'll say yes," Alice smiled.

"Good to know," Jasper laughed as he pulled his phone out of his pocket to send Bella a text.

Alice wants to talk to the family, full disclosure. Thoughts?

It didn't take long for her to reply.

I don't particularly want to be there for that conversation, but I have no problem with you sharing anything you think they should know.

He gave Alice a nod and the two stood up to head inside. Carlisle didn't have his first shift at the hospital until the following day, so the whole family was home.

"Family meeting!" Alice called as she and Jasper sat down at the dining room table. Everyone joined them within a minute, all of them curious. "Before we start… Carlisle, am I right that you haven't told the family about the conversation the three of us had after Edward left?"

"Correct," he nodded. "That was your information to share. Yours and Jasper's."

"Thank you," Jasper smiled at him before looking at the others. "I want to start by telling you that Bella knows most of this information. She didn't want to be here while we talked about it, but we have her blessing to be fully honest with you."

Everyone nodded, though Emmett, Rosalie, and Esme were now feeling more confused than curious.

Alice started talking before anyone could ask questions. "You've all figured out that Bella is Jasper's mate. We want to tell you why no one knew until now, not even Bella."

As the two of them explained everything that had happened from the very first vision where Alice saw that Bella was Edward's singer, the emotions in the room were extreme and constantly in flux. Jasper had his hands clenched in tight fists, having to work harder than usual to keep their anger from affecting him.

"Can I jump in for a moment?" Esme asked. At answering nods from both Alice and Jasper, she looked at Emmett and Rose. "I know that this is difficult to hear and I know you're furious on behalf of all three of them - Alice, Jasper, and Bella. I am, too. But please keep in mind that your brother is an empath and do your best to keep your emotions at a gentle simmer, rather than a rolling boil. Can you see how tense he is right now?" she asked gently.

Emmett and Rose turned to Jasper, and seeing that his eyes were darker than usual and his hands were clenched, both took a few deep breaths to calm down. Jasper smiled in thanks to Esme who simply nodded with a small smile of her own.

"Sorry, Jas," Rose apologized after she'd wrangled her anger to a more manageable level. "This is just… The idea that Edward killed Bella even with the knowledge she was your mate? That he would be so willing to kill the other half of your soul?" she said, shaking her head. "I don't think I would've been as restrained as the two of you have been."

"I'd noticed you'd both distanced yourself from him since you came back from Texas," Emmett added. "But I never saw you show any real anger towards him. It seemed more like… indifference, I guess. I never would've guessed you'd seen him do something so…" he shook his head. "Rose is right. I wouldn't have been nearly as restrained."

"As much as it pains me, I have to point out that he didn't kill her," Jasper said. "I'll also admit that if killing him was the only way to keep Bella safe, I would've done it in a heartbeat. But Alice and I love all of you sitting at this table. We were trying to keep from causing you that kind of pain."

Alice nodded. "It wasn't easy. None of this was. Usually if I see a negative future that doesn't come to pass, it's simple to not let it affect me. But every single one of you knows how much I love Jasper. And watching the boy I considered a brother murder his mate in cold blood? Not as an accident or a slip in his control, but as a deliberate choice?" she shook her head and reached for Jasper's hand. "That was unforgivable. And if you add in what he did by going to Italy? The fact that he was willing to risk our entire family and bring Bella to the attention of the Volturi? I'll tell you all right now that I don't consider Edward Cullen my brother anymore," she said honestly.

Jasper nodded his agreement. "Neither do I. You know he's always been arrogant, always judged each of us as inferior to himself, with the exception of Carlisle. That's no secret. With my gift, I probably have the best understanding of his true nature. And what Alice's visions showed… that just revealed who he really is. Who I've always known him to be."

Everyone sat in silence for a few minutes, each having to agree with Jasper's assessment. Edward never failed to point out everyone else's flaws, never hesitated to judge and chastise them for any tiny thing. He never really tried to hide that he thought them all beneath him - he saw Rosalie as shallow and vain and self-absorbed, he thought Emmett was childish and stupid. He was less obvious about it with Esme. She and Carlisle were the only two he was nearly always respectful towards. Outwardly, at least. Jasper knew that some of that was merely on the surface, that inwardly he was sneering. He seemed to believe that because Esme's default emotion was love that it made her simple somehow, less complex.

They'd caught a glimpse of his true lack of respect at the family meeting when he snarled and stepped towards Esme when she told him they'd all written letters to Bella before leaving Forks.

"Are you sharing this with us now because you've seen something that gives you reason for concern?" Carlisle eventually asked.

Alice shook her head but then shrugged. "I had a brief flicker of him leaving Isle Esme but it was there and gone within a second. I just know that he probably has the ability to exploit my blind spots if he wants to. And I want everyone to understand who Edward truly is should he decide to come back. What he's capable of."

The family all nodded and Jasper felt a steely resolve build in each and every one of them. He knew all of them would protect Bella with their life if it ever came to that.

"I'm sorry that both of you have had to go through such an ordeal," Carlisle said quietly. "And that it hasn't been safe to share it with us until now, meaning you had to shoulder it on your own. I don't want to speak for anyone else in this family, but I can tell you that I'll do whatever I can to help you carry this load. You can always come to me for anything, even if you just need a safe place to unload your anger or fear. As coven leader, the safety and security of each and every one of you is ultimately my responsibility. Bella is a full member of this family, no less one of us just because she is still human. And as long as I'm living, I give you my word that I will do whatever I need to in order to keep her safe. If that means eliminating the threat myself, I won't hesitate."

The shock that slammed into Jasper from all sides was swiftly followed by relief.

"Nor will I," Esme said firmly.

Rosalie and Emmett both nodded and spoke at the same time. "Agreed."

"Thank you," Jasper said softly. "Alice and I both love each of you, and we've been worried that you might not understand why we feel the way we do. And I'm also aware of how much Bella loves you all. The fact that y'all are willing to help us protect her from someone you've considered family for such a long time, I…" he trailed off and swallowed hard, his own emotion making his throat tight. "Just thank you."

He stood up and walked to every member of his family, pulling them up to give each of them a hug, and letting them feel all of his respect, love, and gratitude.

Alice watched the scene with a smile. "Have any of you noticed the change in the house since Saturday?" she asked when everyone was seated again. She laid her head on Jasper's shoulder after he pulled her chair closer so it was right up against his and wrapped his arm around her.

"I assume you're referring to something other than the fact that we're down a dining room chair and there's a hole in the wall?" Esme asked with a smile.

"Yes, something other than that," Alice laughed. "Though we do have some sheets of drywall and leftover paint in the basement, so I'll help you fix up the wall if you'd like. I've already ordered a replacement chair. It should be delivered in the next few weeks."

"Thank you, Alice," Esme smiled.

"You mean that the house is a nicer place to be since Saturday night?" Emmett asked.

"Yeah," Alice nodded.

"I was thinking the same thing after we met with the wolves," Rosalie admitted. "If Edward had been there it would've been a hundred times more tense, not to mention that he never would have allowed Bella to come with us. He certainly never would have allowed Jasper to take point on that meeting."

"He definitely would have frowned on our fun in the clearing before the pack got there, too," Emmett agreed.

"Y'all have felt… lighter since the family meeting," Jasper added. "I guess I attributed it to you being happy to have Bella back in our lives."

"There is that," Alice nodded. "But it's also because we don't have a nosy, judgmental telepath in our midst who believes he has every right to snoop around in our thoughts," she smiled. "We're all free to think or do what we want, knowing that every single person in this house loves us and just wants us each to be happy. And you, Jasper, aren't constantly being bombarded with his toxic emotions."

Jasper nodded his agreement. While most of his recent high spirits were due to the freedom he now had to be with his mate, he couldn't deny that with none of Edward's darker emotions around, the emotional climate in the house was much more enjoyable.

"Jasper, has Peter shared anything with you about Edward?" Carlisle asked.

"No," Jasper shook his head. "But that doesn't mean there isn't a threat to worry about. Sometimes that just means there isn't a threat to worry about yet. Peter is protective of me, that's no secret, so if he has knowledge that something will happen further down the road and there's nothing we can do about it until then, he won't tell me until he has to because he doesn't want me to spend all that time worrying."

Alice nodded her agreement. "Peter knows better than anyone that fate can only unfold the way it wants to. If he can protect Jasper for any amount of time, he will."

"Alright," Carlisle nodded with a sigh. "Just please keep us informed of anything you find out."

"We will," Alice smiled. "And thank you. All of you."

Jasper glanced at his watch and saw he still had some time before he needed to pick Bella up from school. "Esme, what do you say we do some DIY together?" he asked as he stood up.

"You want to help me patch up the wall?" she smiled. Seeing him nod, her smile grew. "Sure. You do decent work, so I accept," she nodded.

The rest of the family watched them go with smiles on their faces.

"Even with this mess hanging over his head, Jasper still looks so radiantly happy," Rosalie said. "Happier than I've ever seen him."

"He is," Alice smiled. "And the visions I've had of his future, his and Bella's future… it's only going to get better from here. It's everything I've always wanted for him."

Rosalie, Emmett, and Carlisle all smiled at hearing that, their thoughts in that moment echoing each other's. After the long, hard road he'd walked for so long, Jasper Whitlock deserved every bit of happiness in this world. And they would do anything they had to in order to ensure he got it.


A/N: Thanks to everyone who's taking the time to read, and an extra thank you for those taking the time to leave feedback. I still haven't figured out how to respond to reviews - search results keep telling me to click the link in my email but I've never gotten any emails about reviews so I'm officially more confused than I already was - but I'm grateful for every single one and I really do love to hear what y'all think:)

Take care, M. x