"Bella." A finger snapped incessantly before her face. "Are you listening to me?"

With a blink, Bella focused on Alice who resumed pacing in front of the television in the Cullen living room, pointing to the screen, alight with a picture of a grandiose cliffside building. "This is the Boutique estate at Canon Beach. It can host up to a hundred guests on its lawn, and there are ten spacious rooms—plenty of space for all of us."

As Alice watched her expectedly, all Bella could think about was the desolate little cabin a few hours into Oregon. All that ran through her mind was the heartlessness this woman before her possessed.

Alice Cullen had no penchant for empathy. Not when she was prancing around the Cullen home, proposing wedding venues as she was actively keeping a human prisoner.

While Bella was seated on the sectional, Esme was across from her on the loveseat. She tucked her legs beneath her and said, "I do like the Boutique estate."

"But does our bride?" Alice laced her fingers together, smiling sweetly at Bella. "A little distracted, are you?"

Bella was grateful for the sound of the front door opening. As Jasper walked in, Bella immediately noticed the tear in his shirt, and the brown dusting his hair. Clearly, there had been a fight, and his forearm was leaking translucent fluid.

Venom.

Instead of retreating upstairs, he stood near the kitchen. When he sighed, she felt it in her bones. "Again, a fall wedding isn't realistic."

"Not with that attitude," Alice chided, twisting back to the slideshow of pictures showcasing the beautiful estate hanging off the coast of Oregon. "Bella will master her control, and she will not tear out of her haute couture Dior." Pressing her hands to her thighs, she leaned down towards Bella. "Won't you, darling Bella? You'll be such an elegant bride."

"Overstimulated is what she will be. Restrict her to a gown, and not only will she destroy it, but she will be a threat to all those around her. And this is not even considering the chatter, the music. Edward."

Alice waved a hand. "Edward will calm her." And then she grinned. "If he can't, I'm sure you will."

Bella looked past Alice and out the grand windows. This conversation was not productive for her, or her mental health.

Alice snapped a finger again, attempting to draw back her attention. "I have a series of gowns coming in this weekend. You'll be here to try them on, yes?"

"No."

There was a sudden, distinct hardness to Alice's tone. "No?"

For once, relief flooded Bella's chest as she searched the trees. "No. I'll be in Seattle."

"How sweet. Some mommy-daughter time."

Bella kept her eyes on the greenery. "Jasper's taking me."

"Good."

But when she craned her neck towards the kitchen, Jasper was gone.

"We should look into invitations," Esme suggested. "The guest list, Alice."

Bella sunk back into the sectional.

It was a few days later when Bella continued to watch the trees. This time, they whirred past her in a blur of deep green and brown. Jasper drove them in one of the Cullen cars, speeding down the major highway directing them eastward to the city.

After half an hour of silence, Jasper said, "You don't seem excited for this trip."

Bella didn't answer.

"Have you considered this might be the last time you will see your mother?"

The tears that were already brewing behind her eyes finally distorted her vision. "Not now, Jasper."

"Not now, but when?" From the corner of her eye, she saw his head turn towards her. "You've hardly talked to me the last few days."

Bella swallowed. "You should keep your eyes on the road."

"Really?"

Shoulders low, stature defeated, Bella shook her head against the window, as if she could dismiss him, this conversation, and this drive.

"You told me you understood," he said gently.

"I do, but that doesn't change the fact that I want to scream."

It was a little while later when Jasper reached for her hand. His fingers felt cool against hers.

She stared at their hands on her lap. "Can I say that I hate Alice Cullen?"

"You can certainly say it."

Saying it wasn't enough. "Do vampires lose their conscience upon death?"

Jasper glanced towards her. "Do you think I've lost mine?"

"Not to Alice's level. Her moral compass is skewed enough that she's borderline psychopathic. Hadn't you told me she had been in a psych ward?"

There was a brief moment of silence before Jasper asked, "And what do you think of Carlisle?"

"I'd diagnose him very similarly."

"What you perceive as cruelty or mental illness is just the nature of the world we live in, Bella."

Bella peered over at him, eyes narrowed, and head shaking. "Don't normalize this. Don't normalize the fact that Carlisle malnourishes his family. Don't normalize that he plays a disgusting game of matchmaker to enslave the gifted. And Alice?" She held herself back before she could mention Olivia. "There is absolutely nothing normal about that woman."

Eyes ahead on the road, it was a minute later that Jasper said, "Carlisle doesn't chain humans to his basement."

"He might as well."

"He doesn't snap off their legs to ensure they can never leave."

Bella's teeth slammed together as her jaw clenched at the visual.

"Some covens drug humans out of their minds. Others paralyze them. There are varying levels of abuse and assault being committed, and as long as they stay within the laws of the Tome, the kings do not care."

Bella fell very, very quiet. "Are you telling me I got lucky with the Cullens?"

Jasper's head turned to her. "I'm only telling you that your definition of normal needs to change."

In Seattle, Jasper held back in the hotel lobby as Bella scanned the crowd, searching for her mother. She approached the reception area, and immediately saw a petite figure spring up from a nearby armchair.

There were hardly any words as Renee Dwyer crushed her daughter between her arms, holding her close to her chest. When Bella pulled back, her mother held her at arm's length, searching her eyes.

There was something unusually sober about Renee's gaze. "Your father called last night." Bella felt the weight of her backpack dragging her down as Renee grabbed her left hand and held it up to the light. The diamond sparkled mockingly beneath the warm lighting.

Renee sighed. "Bella, what have you done?"

Bella's eyes flew to the crowd around them, then to every corner of the lobby. Jasper wasn't anywhere she could see.

"Have you had lunch?" her mother asked her, leading them to the elevators. "Let's have lunch."

Wordlessly, Bella followed Renee up to a room that was designated as hers, where she deposited her belongings. The Ritz Carlton in downtown Seattle was extravagant and classic, and certainly above Bella's budget. As she always did on these trips, Bella distantly wondered if Renee got with Phil for the money. This sort of lifestyle wasn't attainable on Charlie's paycheck.

As they made their way back down to the hotel's restaurant, Bella leaned against the wall of the elevator and attempted small talk. How was Renee's flight? Where was Phil? When had she been in Seattle last?

Renee answered her questions, brushing over them with minimal detail all the while Bella avoided her gaze, her fingers playing with the stupid ring on her finger, secretly resenting her father for breaking the news to her mother before she could.

In actuality, Bella didn't have any plans to tell her mother about the engagement. It was better for her to not know. This tense exchange was proof of that.

When they finally sat down for a meal, Renee ordered them cocktails. Given the lack of a smile on her mother's face, and the tension bracketing her mouth, Bella didn't protest, especially when the waiter failed to check her ID.

Was Bella's own crutch of alcoholism derived from her mother?

She had never thought about that before.

Once the food was ordered, Renee took a long sip from her mojito before lacing her hands before her on the table. Her eyes snapped to Bella's left ring finger. "I hope you know that you're making a mistake."

Bella kept her mouth on the straw of her drink to prevent herself from outright agreeing with her.

"When were you planning on telling me?" her mother asked, incredulous.

"Soon," she lied. "I'm sorry."

"If you're truly sorry, you should call this off. Bella, you're twenty. You're a child."

Nails biting into her palms, Bella stared at Renee. There were many things she wanted to throw back at her. If she was a child, then what did that say about her as a mother? If Renee believed Bella was too young for such a decision, where had she been the last decade? Why hadn't she been a guiding beacon? Why had she left her and her father to fend for themselves while she pranced away with a man almost half her age?

But Bella kept her mouth shut and gazed emptily down at her drink. There was no point to this, was there? Making her mother even more upset wouldn't change anything.

"Don't make the same mistakes I did," Renee continued gravely. "I was young, and inexperienced. I hadn't traveled the world. I hadn't lived, and suddenly, I was tied to a husband, barefoot and pregnant." She shook her head. "You may love that man now, but you are going to resent him."

If only she knew how much Bella resented him already.

And then suddenly, Renee put a hand over her mouth. "Wait. You're not…"

"No." Bella's eyes lowered just as her stomach churned at the mere idea of carrying Edward Cullen's child. "No, mom."

Sighing, perhaps in relief, Renee asked, "When is this wedding supposed to be?"

This fall, allegedly. But in any case, Rene would not be invited. "I don't know yet."

"Are you doing it for the money?"

Bella's eyes snapped up to hers, and she only found judgement there staring back at her. Slowly, Bella repeated, "Am I doing it for the money? Did you really just ask me that?"

Renee sunk back into her chair and placed her palms over her face. When she lowered her hands, her eyes were glossy, and wet. "Are you struggling financially? Why didn't you reach out to me?"

She couldn't control it. A hand slammed down on the table, rattling the cutlery. "I'm not marrying Edward Cullen for the money."

It was like Renee didn't even hear her. "You were supposed to go to college. Charlie said you hadn't even applied to transfer to the University of Washington."

Their waiter hesitantly stopped before the table and set down their two entrees. He left without a word.

Bella didn't touch her fork or her plate. "I didn't come here for you to change my mind. I came here to spend time with you."

"And I didn't come here to watch you throw your life away." Renee leaned forward, eyes wide and wild. "Bella, tell me you understand."

God, she was so sick and tired of understanding.

But she only said, "Yes, mom."

It was all she could say. And then she raised her glass in a mock cheer, and finished the rest of the rum.

Bella hardly felt the impact of that single drink as she tapped her room card against the door, waiting for it to unlock. After their tense meal, Renee had instructed her to relax and shower, and told her that they would meet up for dinner with Phil and his entourage around six. She gave Bella a distracted rundown of the spa offerings and the poolside amenities, and left her by the elevators before Bella could get a single word in.

Now, pushing the door open to her room, Bella took a few aching steps before she finally collapsed onto the bed. Digging into her jeans, she pulled out her phone and saw that she had a few texts from her father, and another one from Jasper, who was inquiring about her room.

She replied to Jasper, I can open my window, but that might be difficult. I'm on the nineteenth floor.

A text flew in. So you doubt my capabilities.

Bella couldn't find the energy to smile. You'd make national news if someone saw an unmasked Spiderman scaling the Ritz Carlton.

She could imagine Jasper's deep sigh as she read his response. What is your room number, Bella?

It was just a few minutes later when there was a knock on her door, and Bella let Jasper into the spacious room that could easily sleep three others.

Letting herself fall back on the bed, Bella asked, "How did you even get up here? You need a key for the elevators."

"Yes. There are these things called stairs."

Bella pressed a forearm over her eyes, feeling utterly idiotic. "Yeah. Nineteen flights of them."

Sitting at the corner of the bed, Jasper tugged at her ankle. "Why are you hiding in here?"

"Charlie told Renee about the engagement."

"That's unfortunate."

"She's disappointed. Angry. She can hardly look at me." She twisted her ankle out of his grip and dug herself deeper into the covers. "I just—I don't have time for this. I don't want to spend all weekend convincing Renee that I'm making the right decision, because I'm not. I'm not making any decisions, because I can't." She sighed, burying her face into the pillows. "These human conflicts are so inconsequential."

"What would you have been doing with your mother had your father not intervened?"

Bella snorted. "We'd be three drinks in by now, planning a night out."

The bed shifted as Jasper got up. She heard the sound of glass clinking as the minibar opened. In the next minute, small bottles of liquor proceeded to land beside her on the bed.

She picked up a shot of vodka from the sheets. "I thought you hated my drinking."

A tequila bottle knocked over some gin as Jasper continued to empty the fridge. "I also dislike your mother's habits, but if this is the only way you can coax her into a truce, I suggest you do it." Straightening, Jasper watched her. "You'll regret it if you waste this weekend."

Bella sat up, gathering the liquor. "So I'll just barge into her room and start taking shots? This is your plan?"

Jasper grinned. "What else do mothers and daughters do to pass time in this century?"

"Well, if this is the norm, I'd say we have a huge problem." Scooting to the edge of the bed, Bella began to unbutton her shirt. "Fine. I'll shower, and then maybe instead of getting entirely wasted at 2 PM, she'll want to get a massage or something. Is that a little more normal?"

Jasper watched her face intently as she shrugged off her shirt. "Perhaps."

In only jeans and a bra, Bella felt the nagging need to be shy, but there wasn't anything more she could hide from him that he hadn't seen already. "Can you look up some spots for tonight? Clubbing is unfortunately a must for my mother."

His lips twitched. "I can do that."

"You can come too, if you want."

"And what would you tell your mother?"

After days of blankness on her face, it felt odd to feel a smile on her lips. "Oh, she'll love you. I'll just introduce you as the guy who's going to ruin my wedding by blindsiding the groom and stealing away the bride."

"There will be no wedding."

Bella twisted her ring off and tossed it on the bed. "Are you sure? Alice is getting creepier with all of this planning."

"Let her plan. It keeps her busy."

And away from Olivia Levi? "Then again, maybe you shouldn't come tonight. My mom will probably try to push me onto random guys to convince me to embrace my youth and denounce the sanctity of marriage."

Jasper followed her into the bathroom. "Maybe that's okay."

Bella turned on the shower. "What is?"

"Denouncing the sanctity of marriage."

She scoffed. "You don't understand. My mother has no shame. She will try to get me to dance with strangers if only to make me forget about Edward."

"You can." Jasper shrugged. "And maybe you should."

Bella absolutely would not. "You're telling me that you wouldn't be the slightest bit bothered?"

He watched her, amused. "Would you like me to be bothered, Bella?"

"Maybe a little bit."

He laughed, and it was beautiful. "A stranger gets you for a few minutes, while I'll have you for eternity. I can't really say that's something to be jealous about." His eyes darted from the shower behind her, to her face. "And besides… you'll come back to me at the end of the night, won't you?"

Face warm, Bella's mind whirred, counting the days and weeks that had gone by. When had Jasper laid her down on his desk? How long had it been since he had his teeth buried in her thigh?

In a blink, Jasper was before her, a hand curling around her wrist, and another pushing her hair back from her neck. His head bent low towards her shoulder, and Bella didn't miss that deep inhale that broadened his chest.

Yes, she concluded. Jasper needed to feed.

"Get in the shower, Bella."

She grinned. "With you?"

There was noticeable physical effort when he pulled himself away. "If I get in there with you, you will not be strong enough to have an evening at all."

"I'm okay with that."

"What did I just say?" He shook his head. "We have lifetimes of this. But you may only have hours with your mother. And you're wasting water."

He was right. As usual. "For someone who keeps telling me to not think like a human, you sure do a lot of it yourself."

Jasper held her gaze. "Just a few more months. And then I won't have to."

A/N: Your kind words and warm welcomes... I'm so grateful for it all. You all make this story so much better.

~blu