Hey you guys! Welcome to the massive Aftermath rewrite as it has been eleven years since I started this fic.

Content Warning: This story contains sensitive subject matter, including references to familial sexual assault, violence, language, and mature themes. Reader discretion is advised.

Jasper – POV

I watched the new girl from across the cafeteria. She was just sitting there with a tray of untouched food—but something about her pulled at me like gravity.

Edward's irritation crackled next to me, feeling like lightning along my skin.

"What?" I muttered, barely glancing his way.

"Stop staring at her. You're drawing attention," he hissed. Sure enough, a few heads had turned, eyes flicking between her and our table.

Emmett leaned forward with a grin, the pressure drop from his nullification dome pressing against my eardrums. "Relax, Ed. She's obviously one of us."

Edward's jaw tightened. "She's…blank. Jasper?"

With a sigh, I expanded my sense, gently brushing against her emotional landscape. And immediately flipped it to test her reaction.

In an almost too quick motion, she stood and turned, her eyes locking on mine with sharp precision.

"Not very gentlemanly," she said coolly, "messing with a girl's emotions." She kept her tone too low for the students around us to register, walking over with mortal speed. She pulled out a chair, and dropped into it like she belonged there.

"Name's Bella," she said, fixing me with a look. "Since you didn't ask before poking around in my head."

Her phone buzzed. She glanced at the screen and rolled her eyes. "Cryptic bastard. What the hell does 'you found him' mean? Found who?"

Another buzz. This time she smirked. "I'll call you whatever I want, dumbass," she muttered as she typed out a reply.

Edward let out a strangled gasp. Bella didn't even look at him.

"Don't even try your prissy Victorian-era bullshit on me, Eddie," she said, rising just as the bell rang. She sauntered off, leaving me staring after her in stunned silence.

Emmett elbowed me. "Come on, man. Smith's waiting."

I followed him on autopilot, brain still stuck on the firestorm that was Bella.

Rose nudged me as we walked. "She's your mate, you dumbo."

And just like that, everything changed.

Bella – POV

Peter called just as I walked into my second-to-last class.

"Sorry," I told the teacher. "My mom's in surgery and my dad said he'd call when she gets out." I didn't wait for her approval before stepping into the hallway and answering the phone.

"What the hell, Petey-Wheat?" I snapped.

Peter groaned. "Bellsabell, I thought high school would knock the sailor out of your tongue."

I smirked. He hated that nickname.

"I'm not staying here," I said. "Pixie-Bitch looked ready to claw my eyes out just for looking at your Major. Though, let's be real—he looks more like a prep school prince than a Confederate officer."

"Just a few more days," Peter said gently. "You need to keep Jasper there. If she follows through with her plans…"

He didn't finish. He didn't have to. My stomach twisted.

"I'm sorry, Bella. I'll be there with Char next week, okay?"

He called me Bella. Not Bellsabell. Not Bellsy.

"Why this town, Peter?"

"The Cullens thought Forks was weird enough to blend in. Seemed like a good place to hide."

My hand clenched around the phone. Someone had them. I was right. Bella 1. Her 0.

"I'll call you later," I said tightly.

"Don't, Bellsy—just stay safe—"

Click. I ended the call and headed straight for the history room.

I knocked lightly on the door, flashing a polite smile at the teacher.

"Mr. Smith? Dr. and Mrs. Cullen just called with an urgent message. Jasper's brother and sister-in-law need him in Texas immediately."

Jasper stood before the teacher even responded. His eyes had darkened at the word Texas.

"Mr. Hale," the teacher called, "shouldn't your sister go too?"

Jasper glanced at Rosalie. She shook her head slightly.

"She and our brother had a falling out years ago," he said. "They don't talk."

We left without another word.

In the parking lot, as soon as we reached my truck, Jasper turned to me.

"Who has them? And how the hell am I supposed to explain this to Carlisle and Esme?"

"Don't be stupid. You already know," I said. "Also Peter would've said otherwise if they weren't still in Texas. And you're not explaining anything. Tell Carlisle you decided to go home. He's not your father. This little game you have been playing has finally fucking ended."

Jasper stared at me, jaw clenched, the muscle ticking in his cheek. "How d'you know they've been taken?"

"Peter said 'Bella' and 'funky town' in the same sentence," I said, cool and flat. "That's code. He doesn't call me Bella unless it's bad. And that phrase? It means someone's been captured."

He ran a hand through his hair, pacing a few steps away before swinging back toward me. "How do you know Peter and Char? They the ones who turned ya?"

I nodded once. "Yeah. And they helped me track down the reason I needed to be changed."

He paused, eyes narrowing just a little. "You don't gotta tell me… but it might help."

I let out a dry, humorless laugh. "I doubt my daddy knockin' me up's got anything to do with your family being taken."

Jasper went dead still.

My voice didn't waver. "He beat me. Seven months in. Left me bleeding in the street. Peter and Char found me barely hanging on. My daughter was already gone. They buried her while I turned."

I didn't look at him. Just stared past the trees, jaw tight. "When I woke up, they thought I'd break. But I didn't. I was cold. Clear. I had a purpose. Char helped me find him."

He didn't ask who. He didn't have to.

"He begged," I added. "Didn't get what he wanted."

Jasper's voice was low, like gravel. "What year?"

"1890."

He blinked. "I was born in '72."

"You've got 47 years on me," I said, almost smiling. "Not countin' vampire years."

He groaned, rubbing his face. "Lord, I already feel like a damn relic."

"You're stuck at twenty. I'm stuck at eighteen. Hardly scandalous."

He turned to look at me, something electric sparking between us again.

"You really gonna tell me you didn't feel that just now?"

I didn't answer—just got out of the truck. He was behind me in a second.

"I've spent 141 years buildin' walls, Major," I said, voice low and shaking. "You don't get to stroll in and tear 'em down like they don't mean nothin'."

Jasper didn't move for a moment. The fire that had sparked in his eyes earlier dimmed into something quieter—deeper. His voice, when it came, was softer than I expected.

"I ain't gonna push, darlin'," he said gently. "Not after what you've been through. You got every right to hold the world at arm's length."

He took a small step forward, like he didn't want to spook me.

"But I gotta ask… do you feel it too? That pull?" His eyes searched mine, cautious but aching. "'Cause I sure as hell do."

My breath caught in my throat. I did feel it—that slow burn in my chest, the hum beneath my skin when he got close. It wasn't like anything I'd felt before. And that scared the shit out of me.

"Jasper…"

He shook his head, voice low and steady. "You ain't gotta explain. I ain't askin' for your heart, or anything you ain't ready to give. But I can't lie to you either." His gaze held mine, unwavering. "You're my mate. I know it. Deep down in my bones. And I reckon you do too."

The world seemed quieter around us. No breeze. No birds. Just the weight of what he'd said settling between us.

"I've spent decades waitin'—wonderin' if I'd ever find somethin' real. And now here you are. Stronger than anyone I've ever met. And I…" His voice cracked just a little. "I don't wanna mess this up."

I looked away, the burn of tears rising before I blinked them back. His words weren't slick or rehearsed. They were raw. Honest. And they cracked something open inside me.

"I don't know if I can do this," I whispered.

He nodded, voice quiet. "Then I'll wait. As long as it takes."

Author's Note:
Look, I know it took me six years to post 17 chapters…but. Some people age wine. I age fanfic. J.K. I have the majority of these rewritten already and I'm just finetuning. Will hopefully post on a twice weekly update schedule...but now that I've put it into the world...who even knows.

OH! I also gave Rose and Emmett powers in this. Why? Cause I can and it furthered my story along lol. #creativelicenseforthewin Explanations as follows:

Emmett has the ability to create a silencing dome that blocks all outside sound but still lets people inside hear each other normally. Vampires can feel when the dome touches them—it's like a drop in pressure, similar to altitude change. It's a power that fits Emmett perfectly: quiet strength used to protect. When Rosalie found him, Emmett was in agony—not just from the bear attack, but from the overwhelming onslaught of vampiric senses awakening. Sound was the worst of it—every whisper a scream, every heartbeat like thunder. His mind sought refuge. Silence. Control. Calm. And that became the foundation of his power.

Rosalie can sense soulmate bonds—deep, romantic connections between people. She sees them like golden threads, and she can tell whether a bond is true, broken, or one-sided. It's a quiet, powerful gift that reflects how deeply she values love, loyalty, and choice. As Rosalie turned, her mind clung to a single truth: I will never mistake cruelty for love again. That defiance, that clarity, that fierce need to protect others from the illusion she once lived in—it bloomed into her gift.

Thanks for reading. You guys are amazing.

– Kaybee