My eyes open and the world has changed beyond recognition. I can now make out the tiniest details with every one of my senses. All my old ones, and a new one. As I lie there, idly zooming my sharpened eyes in on dust particles, I feel an awareness of a presence near me. It can only be Jasper. I am sure he has not moved or made a sound, but my instincts tell me he is near.
Slowly but still dizzyingly I turn my head in his direction. His beauty overwhelms me, and my love for him. He inches closer and carefully extends his hand before grasping mine. He looks at me like I am a rabid animal that might attack him if he makes the wrong move. I suppose I am. A newborn. I start to freak out, but the moment Jasper's hand touches mine such contentedness washes over me that I immediately calm down.
"I am terribly sorry.", is the first thing he says. "You had all these plans for how you wanted to be changed, and then I suddenly lose control."
I am rather miffed at that. Though I wonder...
"It is not like you to lose control. And I feel this warm connection. Did we form a mating bond?"
He nods. "None of us knows how it happened. The only explanation that fits is that my creator must have died, freeing me from my sire bond. We have not heard any news about her though and are hesitant to reach out to the Volturi. However it happened, the bond formed and once the instinct hits you cannot stop. Still I wish we could have done better by you. Half your transformation took place in the back of a car for fucks sake."
I contemplate these facts for a moment. "Well, I suppose I'd rather have my plans changed and have you as a proper mate than the other way around." Now that I think of it I quite fancy disappearing for a week long sex feast with my delicious mate like Garrett and Kate had done after their bond formed.
Before I can sink too deep into my fantasies and pounce my hot man he shakes my shoulder to snap me out of it.
"Easy Bells, I'm afraid there is something we need to get out of the way before we can go enjoy ourselves."
As he looks at me sternly it is the first time I notice something.
"Jasper, your eyes are yellow again. How can that be?"
"That is exactly the thing that we need to get done. The Volturi. They will want evidence that you have turned."
Immediately I panic, but Jasper tries to calm me down.
"Hush, it will be all right. We just need to send them some paperwork and photos to convince them they don't need to come check if you kept up your end of the bargain that you made in Volterra. It wouldn't do for us to look too human in those, so I've been drinking a lot of animal blood and we will take the photo's before you have your first bloodshake.
I notice a half-written letter on the nightstand next to the bed and pick it up to read.
Dear lord Aro Volturi,
With great pleasure I write to inform you that Isabella Marie Swan has been both successfully changed into a vampire by me, and entered into a mating bond with me. Find attached the appropriate documentation to administrate the updates to our status.
"Jasper what the fuck."
He smiles. "The Volturi are our judges and police. To do so effectively they need to keep track of which vampires there are, how they can be contacted and who they are allied with. Not an easy task when we keep our footprint in the human records as small as possible. Therefore, out of necessity, they have become our administrators as well."
I nod in understanding, and he continues.
"There are all sorts of forms you need to file in different situations. Like to acknowledge a vampire you sired, when a new member joins your coven, when a mating bond forms. Ideally a new vampire should be presented in Volterra, so the guards can learn their scent and Aro can read their memories. However, I think we can get out of that at least for the foreseeable future, if we send them some convincing photos. You have already been to Volterra after all. Just to be sure I intend to tell them that you are a particularly out of control newborn who cannot possibly be moved to Italy before your first year is up."
I relax a little, knowing that we would at least have time to plan.
"We will have to visit them eventually. With the Volturi you are best able to hide your secrets by pretending you have none. That means proactively contacting them before they feel the need to come visit you."
Again I think of Rosalie's baby and what might happen if they find out. "We should then, as soon as I am out of my newborn year. Just the two of us though. Because they will find it suspicious if Aro can't read the minds of the whole family, but we can probably make up a believable story that after turning into a vampire I became able to extend my shield ability to my mate. If we go together and hunt enough animals beforehand they don't even need to find out about the processed blood yet."
Jasper nods. "The first baby of this kind will at least be born by then, so if they do find out we will be able to give evidence that it isn't a danger to our kind's secrets. And if they don't find out we should be able to buy a couple of decades
"The first...", I whisper. It had not occurred to me before that more vampire babies might follow after Rosalie's. I could have one if we aren't careful. I hadn't thought to ask Carlisle which contraceptive options work on vampires. He probably would have to test to find out. Would vampire semen melt a regular condom? Would we be stuck having to rely on the pull-out method? Abstinence was NOT an option. Calculating back to when my last cycle was, I should be frozen in the non-fertile window of my cycle though. That should at least keep me safe until I start eating human food.
Jasper looks at me funny, clearly not following along with my train of thought. I don't even want to know what my emotions must feel like to him.
"Come on.", he interjects, "Let's take some photos. I can feel you burning with thirst, but I need your eyes to be that perfect ruby red in the evidence material so we have to get this out of the way before I can give you a bloodshake."
Now that he mentions it, I can definitely feel the burn again. It is a great consolation to know that instead of forever, I will only have to endure this for an hour or so.
Thus we are now making the picture album from hell. It feels like we are in a tacky sitcom where one of us is an immigrant and we have to fake documentation of a relationship to get a green card approved.
At least Garrett's art studies come in handy, as he has found a particular aptitude for photography. He has rigged up a bunch of professional looking camera equipment, and Kate has laid out several different outfits for both me and Jasper so we can pretend the pictures were taken over several days.
"Okay darling, I'm going to need you to look as deranged as possible.", my mate instructs me. Unfortunately I have never been a good actress. I know this is necessary to convince the Volturi I cannot visit earlier, but my face just isn't cooperating.
"Bella, imagine Alice tries to put her dirty little paws on Jasper.", Charlotte says.
Immediately I drop into a defensive crouch, throw Jasper over my shoulder and snarl loudly. Though I may apparently be uncharacteristically in control for a newborn, there are limits.
"Perfect!", Garrett yells from behind the camera. "This is good stuff, keep it up!"
We quickly gather a sizeable supply of content to work with. For the outfit changes Jasper has to help me do up my buttons, as I keep tearing them off, not yet used to my super strength. Peter and Charlotte purposely appear in the background of a few shots to add proof that we are staying with them in Montana. They keep their heads turned away though, as they were not willing to hunt humans just to look more convincing.
Soon I am able to try my first bloodshake. The feeling of it quenching my thirst is glorious. I feel focus returning to me. Then I lock eyes with Jasper, and am overcome with an all-encompassing need to devour his body.
A solid week passes before we emerge from our bliss. I will never make fun of Garrett and Kate for their exhibition again.
The week was also sufficient time for international express shipping to convey our package to the Volturi, and return the kings' response. While Jasper and I were... otherwise occupied, Charlotte and Kate had done an exemplary job putting together a photo album from the material Garrett had shot. The Volturi bought our story and heartily congratulated us on my transformation and our bonding.
Aro even sent along a present, which was surprisingly tasteful. In his letter he even made a dig that he had a lovely exceedingly gaudy necklace lying around that he would have gifted me if I had ended up as Edward's bride, but in light of his approval of our union he took care to select something to complement my style. The beautiful set of emerald jewelry was obviously old and very expensive, but gorgeously complemented my features and true to his words suited my simple taste.
Jasper wrote him a very eloquent letter of thanks and promised to keep the jewelry away from my out of control newborn strength paws until I could be trusted not to break anything. We had a good laugh about that.
I had known since I first figured out what the Cullens were that I was meant to be a vampire. After I became one, my conviction was only strengthened. I am ready to live my eternity by the side of my one true mate.
