It's time, it's time! Halloween for Bella and Jasper! So, as usual, everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer. I just like to play with the characters. This chapter is un-beta'd, so all mistakes are mine.

Visions of smashed pumpkins and Jasper sitting in a tree inspired this little "after the party" story.

After the ball is over,
After the break of morn –
After the dancers' leaving;
After the stars are gone;
Many a heart is aching,
If you could read them all;
Many the hopes that have vanished
After the ball.

-Charles K. Harris, 1891

After

"3-2-1!" The partygoers chanted out the countdown as Bella readied the jack-o-lantern for the Forks Annual Pumpkin Suicide at 10:00 p.m.

Bella got the pumpkin ready, then took a precautionary peek below. It was clear, no one was in harm's way. Several of the guys had expressed doubt about her ability to lift a pumpkin that large, but she was determined to prove them wrong. It had been a bit of a balancing act, but she had maneuvered it to the window sill by herself. Without tripping and smashing it on the way.

Now she gave the jack-o-lantern a mighty shove.

Bam-smack! A mess of stringy pumpkin guts and seeds flew in all directions on the sidewalk in front of her house. The Jack, as she called it, had been a big guy, with a scary scowl. Now he was a mess on the sidewalk, one she would have to clean up in the morning.

As she turned around in triumph, she saw Mike withdrawing his arm back from around Lauren's waist. When he saw Bella, he cut his eyes to the side, looking guilty. She felt her heart stop in her chest.

She'd been worried about this. Lauren had been dating a guy, Dale, from a bigger school in Port Angeles. That lasted until the creep made a Facebook post about "easy pickings from hick schools." Her parents found out and Lauren's weekly "shopping trips" to Port Angeles stopped.

Lauren's posse had kept her mostly protected from the fallout at school, but she had quickly launched a search for her next boyfriend, and had been watching Bella and Mike. "Low hanging fruit" was the phrase Bella heard bandied about. Guess Lauren thought breaking them up shouldn't be hard to do.

Tonight Lauren had come to Bella's party in a Red Riding Hood costume with the corset laced tightly so as to show off her…assets. In Bella's opinion she had all but put them on a platter. You could count the freckles on each boob. Yuck.

But still, this confirmation that Lauren was getting through to Mike shook Bella. She looked down, pretending to be wiping something from her hands, in order to hide the flush that she was sure was spreading across her face. Then she pasted on a smile. Party time. And tonight, show time, as this year the Halloween party was at her house. Charlie wouldn't be back until after his shift ended at 11:00 p.m.

As she looked into the assembled faces, she noticed the new kids, the GQ gang, as she and Angela called them, sitting by themselves around the TV by Charlie's chair. Emmett, Edward, and Jasper Cullen. She didn't know why they had bothered to come. Surely they had other places to be, places better than the parties for the bigger schools. Like at an exclusive private club in Seattle. Or on their exclusive private jet. She liked to imagine the Cullens had one. They were mysterious enough to have a private plane on a private runway, waiting to whisk them off to exciting places.

Some place better than Forks, Washington.

One of the guys was watching her intently. The lanky blond, Jasper, was sprawled ou in Charlie's chair, with his arm across the back. He looked natural in it, somehow. He also had an intense look on his face as he stared at her, as if he was reading her every thought and emotion.

Unexpectedly, she felt a bit of relaxation flood over her.

Maybe she had been ready to break up with Mike? It just didn't seem to matter as much anymore.

She took a deep breath and felt ready to return to her hostess duties: back to bobbing for apples and other hokey Halloween party games for those who weren't tucked into corners, necking or drinking. She hoped the drinkers knew to take their beer bottles and flasks with them. She didn't need to explain their presence to Charlie.

She took a quick sniff. Could she smell beer? Oh lord, no.

About an hour later, as she was showing everyone out of the house, the three Cullens lingered behind in the hallway as the other guests filed out.

Mike was one of the last to leave. She noticed the Cullens were watching his departure with interest.

"Great party, Bella. See you in school on Monday, 'k?" Mike said.

Bella smiled. "Good-night, Mike. Thanks for coming."

Lauren walked down the steps in front of Mike. She seemed to have chosen her position to show off her Red Riding Hood skirt, which bounced as she walked, showing off the ruffle panties she wore beneath it.

Bella and Mike had been a couple since just before prom. In a town this size, there weren't a lot of options. Mike seemed to be a pretty decent guy. His father owned the local sporting goods store Bella had worked at over the past two summers. After tonight, though, things seemed to be ending between them, thanks to Lauren.

The blond, Jasper, was the last to leave, and was still standing on the porch as Charlie appeared at the bottom step.

"Anybody need a ride home?" Charlie asked.

"No, sir, "replied Jasper.

"Just checking."

Jasper gracefully loped down the front steps and joined his brothers in the front yard. They all climbed into an enormous red Jeep parked across K Street.

"Nice young man," Charlie commented as he watched the Jeep pull away. "One of Dr. Cullen's kids, right?"

"Yes," said Bella.

"Where's Mike?" Charlie asked.

The well of pain Bella had felt at Mike's betrayal suddenly returned. "Oh, he went out with Eric. Guy stuff, you know."

Charlie raised an eyebrow but didn't push the issue. He held the door open for Bella then followed her inside, casting a last look at the street before closing the door.

"Need any help cleaning up?" he asked. She noticed he gave a slight scowl as he sniffed the air.

"We got it, Mr. Swan," Angela answered form the living room.

"Oh, Angela," Charlie said. "I didn't know you were still here. How are you this evening?"

"Just fine, sir."

A few minutes later, the girls had finished cleaning up.

"Let us give you a ride home, Angela," Charlie said.

"Thanks," Angela said. "I'd appreciate it."

They drove Angela home and started the return trip silently. On their way, Bella saw that the streets were nearly empty. There were only a few Halloween stragglers left, mostly adults in costumes, laughing and walking in small groups. Any trick-or-treaters were long since home in bed.

"I'll be going in early tomorrow, Bells," Charlie said as turned past the hospital. "Don't worry about breakfast. Sleep in, it's Saturday.'

"OK," Bella said as she looked out the window.

As Charlie pulled into the driveway, the feeling of relief she had felt evaporated and she was flooded with pain both from the betrayal and from feelings of inadequacy. She raced up the stairs so Charlie wouldn't see the tears that began before she finished undressing, and almost caused her to choke while brushing her teeth.

She got to bed and muffled her sobs in her pillows. Finally she drifted off.

Something called her back from her dreams. She woke to the sound of a tap at the window.

When she sat up, the pain was gone, just a feeling of curiosity left in its place.

She went to the window and was startled to see the blond, Jasper, sitting in the tree not far from her window. She started to raise the sill and a pebble flew past her. Jasper smiled then cut a look below.

There was a whispered "sorry" from the darkness. She looked down and could see two shadows, one big and one tall. Must be Emmett and Edward, the other two brothers.

"What are you doing here?" she whispered to Jasper.

Jasper flicked on a flashlight and shone it on the ground below. It illuminated Emmett who was carrying an enormous jack-o-lantern.

"We wanted to give you another shot at your pumpkin suicide ritual," Jasper replied. "We've got a three story house, so it'll be an even more spectacular drop."

She giggled. "My Dad…"

"Is snoring in his room on the side of the house," Jasper said.

Bella looked behind her, biting her lip. "I can't get past him. He hears me when I go down the stairs…"

"Got that covered," whispered Emmett, gesturing to the wall.

She looked directly beneath her window and saw a ladder leaning against the house.

"You can't be serious!" she whispered.

Emmett set the pumpkin down and walked to the base of the ladder.

"Do I have to come up there and get you?" he asked, turning a flashlight onto his face to show that he was wiggling his eyebrows.

There was a soft thump behind him, and she saw Jasper standing up from a crouch. He had jumped from that branch?

Jasper came to the bottom for the ladder and quickly climbed up to her window. "Perfectly safe," he said, holding out his hand.

"Just a minute, I'm not dressed," she mumbled.

She grabbed jeans and a sweater from off of the chair by her desk. She took them into her closet and shut the door. No light. Fumbling around, she pulled on the jeans, trying not to tip over in the cramped space, visions of being pierced through with wire hangers dancing in her head.

Finally she emerged, more or less dressed.

"At last," Jasper said, still leaning on his elbows on the window sill. As she sat on the bed to put on her shoes, he added, "I thought I was going to have to send in a search party."

Her heart beat faster as she rose. Leave a note for Charlie? No, he was going to leave early in the morning, before he expected her to get up.

She went to the window and Jasper helped her onto the ladder.

She made it to the base without mishaps. She took a deep breath as she reached the ground before turning to her three new friends.

As she turned, Edward gave a few quiet claps of approval and Emmett scooped up the jack-o-lantern. Jasper asked, "Ready?"

She nodded and he motioned toward the street. There was a shadow of a dark car, barely visible in the moonlight.

Jasper shone the flashlight in front and she picked her way across the yard to K Street. When they got to the road, she saw that instead of the red Jeep, they had brought a black Mercedes. When Edward opened the door, the car started pinging. Jasper winced, but Emmett just shoved his pumpkin in the back seat and said, "Let's go."

As Bella settled inside next to the pumpkin, she looked around. This was a nice car. Edward pulled out without turning on the headlights.

Within a few minutes they were outside of Forks on the 1010, and Edward finally turned on the headlights. At the rate of speed he was driving, she really didn't want to look outside. She only hoped they didn't get pulled over. How would she explain to Charlie what she was doing out in this car with three guys at 3:15 a.m. when he thought she was in bed?

Where did the Cullens live again? She had heard they had bought an old farmhouse outside of town. The rumor was that Mrs. Cullen loved to decorate, so she was planning to remodel it.

They seemed to drive a long time before turning off and pulling up in front of a large house.

The guys piled out of the car quickly. Jasper held out his hand to her in a courtly manner, while Emmett retrieved the jack-o-lantern, pulling the huge gourd out of the backseat easily.

"Here we are," said Jasper.

"What about your parents?" Bella asked, looking out across the open ground surrounding the house.

"Oh, they're probably up. We're all night owls."

"C'mon," said Emmett. "I'll show you the launch pad."

His smile was so infectious that she followed them inside the house without hesitation. They didn't turn on many lights, but tiptoed up the stairs. How Emmett managed to be so quiet carrying that massive pumpkin she didn't know.

Finally they were inside of a room on the top floor. It was lined with CD's and books.

"Is this a study?" Bella asked.

"No, this is my room," said Edward.

"No bed?"

The eyes of all three guys seemed to snap in her direction and she blushed.

"I don't sleep," he replied.

"Ever?"

"Ever," Edward said.

"OK then," she said. "Where's the pumpkin drop off point?"

Edward slid open what she had thought was a floor-to-ceiling window and they went outside onto a five foot walkway that wrapped around the top floor. She looked down below. "Where's the railing?"

"We're just careful," Jasper said.

"This will make a great launch pad. I think…right here," said Emmett, setting the jack-o-lantern on the edge of the catwalk. "This is not really stable, so you should push it soon, or it will fall of its own accord."

"Can't have that," whispered Bella. Where were their parents? She gave a shove and the pumpkin sailed over the edge, hitting something below with a crash.

"What was that?" she asked, worried.

Emmett stretched out his neck, looking down over the edge of the catwalk.

"Um, looks like Mom's gardening cart. Former gardening cart."

A door opened on the first floor and light spilled out onto the lawn below.

"Emmett?" came a female voice that could only be described as 'calm mom'. Calm before the storm.

"Yes?" Emmett asked.

"May I see you?" the female voice asked.

Emmett went to the door, pausing with his hand on the door frame. "Nice meeting you, Bella," he said as he stepped back inside.

Jasper and Bella followed him back into the room, where Jasper sat down on the sofa in the room and gestured for Bella to sit next to him. She paused for a second then thought, OK, since it's not his room, after all.

"That was my fault. I should go down there and apologize," Bella said.

"Later," Jasper replied. "We can meet my parents later. After they're done chatting with Emmett."

"I saw your father at the clinic last week," Bella said. "He looks so young."

"They're my step parents," Jasper replied. "I was adopted."

"I'm sorry," Bella said. "You lost your parents?"

"It all happened a long time ago. I don't remember much about my human family."

"Human?" she asked.

"I mean, original family," he replied. "Sorry, just the Halloween vibe, you know?"

They looked outside at the stars that appeared occasionally through breaks in the clouds and he slipped his arm around her.

"So, was what you had with Mike serious?" he asked. "Should I beat him up for you?"

"No," Bella said. "I don't know how to express it. I mean, he asked me out, and I said OK. I wanted it to be something more, but… That must sound wrong."

"No," Jasper said. "I can understand. Until you've met the one you're supposed to be with, you don't know how love is supposed to feel."

"You seem to know something about it."

"Not from experience, only observation," said Jasper. "Until recently." He reached out his hand and touched her hair. "There's a lot of love in my family. I feel surrounded by it."

She shivered. It felt good. Recently, huh? So he's just getting over somebody. Just my luck. Guess that makes two of us then.

Jasper picked up a remote control and said, "Let's see if Edward's got anything worth listening to."

Some soft jazz came on. Nothing challenging, more mood music.

Jasper lifted an eyebrow. "Interesting."

"Why?" she asked.

"He's kind of a confirmed bachelor."

"Then wouldn't he have all the, um, gadgets?" She gestured toward the remote controls.

"I more meant he's a loner, an outsider."

"That's sad," Bella said.

"It is," he agreed. "It's hard to be alone."

Jasper picked up another remote and started playing with the buttons. A large screen came down from the ceiling, covering one of the windows.

"Wow," said Bella.

"He's got all the electronic toys," Jasper commented dryly. "Let's see what's playing at the single-plex tonight."

They ended up watching an old black and white movie, "The Haunting of Hill House," with Shirley Jackson. It was sufficiently creepy that Bella found it necessary to curl up into Jasper's arms. His body under his long-sleeved t-shirt was hard with muscles.

When it was over, Jasper stood up, pulling her with him.

"Sun's going to be rising soon," he said. "See the light coming up behind the trees?"

"Not really," she said. "Your eyes must be sharp."

"So they tell me," he replied.

Jasper didn't turn on the light, and they stared out the window in silence, looking at the stars and moon that occasionally broke free of the clouds. She loved the moment, as they stood with his arm around her waist, her head leaning against his upper arm as she was too short to reach his shoulder. The trees outside were just gray forms under the night sky.

"I had a nice night," Jasper said quietly. "I don't want it to end."

"Me either," she said, lifting her hand to her shoulder. He put his hand in hers, then pulled her back against his chest. She breathed in, inhaling his musky male scent. He put his chin on her shoulder, his hair tickling her.

She giggled.

"What?" he asked.

"Your hair's tickling me."

He kissed the top of her head.

"My dad's going to miss me soon," she said.

"So he is," Jasper agreed, as he put his lips against the pulse point in her throat. "Welcome to my forever," he whispered as he sank his teeth into her neck.

THE END

Xx

"The End" for real this time. Had to do an "after the party" story this year.

Hope you guys had a wonderful October and great Halloween. The last of the trick-or-treaters around left around 9:00, so I finished up this story while I waited for them.

Thanks again for all of the support you've shown for the story this year.