Love Lost and Found
Disclaimer: I do not own the Twilight series. If I did, Alice would be my best friend and Jasper would be permanently tied to my bed.
A/N: This story will end up a Jasper/Bella fanfiction, so if you don't like that pairing, this is your warning. I also want to thank my best friend Bethany. She read this and encouraged me to continue and to post this (and also told me I have to send her all the chapters). Hope you enjoy and please review!!
Story in Bella's POV unless otherwise noted.
Chapter 1
"Jasper, give me those credit cards back!" Alice cried as she chased him through the house.
I awoke and snuggled deeper into Edward's cool arms, my movements signaling to him that I was awake.
"I'm sorry they woke you up, love. I've asked them several times to keep it to a low roar" Edward whispered in my ear.
Two blurs suddenly flew through the door and started wrestling on the floor. I watched from the bed with interest, wondering who would win. A couple seconds in, Alice stopped and backed away from Jasper, admitting defeat. Her ex-husband smirked as he taunted her by holding up her precious credit cards.
I was amazed at the turn that Jasper and Alice's relationship had taken. During the summer, they had taken off by themselves, and when they came back they were divorced. They still loved each other, but not like they used to when they first met. After their divorce, I had actually grown closer to both Jasper and Alice, and often hang out with them as much as I did Edward. I was especially grateful for them when Charlie died. They were the ones who helped me through everything, and eventually convinced me to move in with them instead of going to Jacksonville to live with Renee.
"Oh good, Bella's up now! Now, we can go shopping for our winter formal dresses!!" Alice exclaimed as she hopped on the bed to sit next to me.
Edward glared at Alice. "Today is Bella's last day with us until after Thanksgiving. Can't you lay off the shopping for one day?"
Alice looked like she was about to speak, but I cut her off. "Actually, Edward, Alice and I have been planning this shopping trip for a while now. Is it ok if I go?"
"Of course, that's fine. I wasn't trying to stop you, I just didn't know you wanted to go."
I smiled at him, then turned to Alice. "Ok, give me a half hour to get ready and eat, then we'll go." She quickly hopped off the bed and ran to give Rosalie the news. I gave Edward a quick kiss, then hopped in the shower and got dressed.
I came down the stairs, expecting to see Edward. Instead I only saw Rosalie and Alice waiting on me impatiently.
"There you are! C'mon let's go get our dresses," Rosalie said as she pulled me towards the door.
"Wait, where's Edward? I need to say goodbye to him."
"Emmett, Jasper, and Edward all went to get some video games. You'll see him when we get back," Alice answered.
We got back late that night. Unfortunately, I was tired and had an early flight the next morning, so I saw Edward long enough to give him a kiss and crawl into bed. The next morning, he drove me to the airport.
"I miss you already Edward," I whispered as I kissed him softly. "I love you. Promise you'll call?"
"I'll call if there's service love. We'll see each other soon. Your flight is boarding, so you better go."
I gave him one more quick kiss, then walked towards the gate. I looked back to get one last glimpse at my love, but he'd already left. I had a sinking feeling then that things wouldn't be the same once I returned.
Edward's POV
I left Bella at the airport, then started driving towards Alaska, where I was meeting my family. I still loved Bella…but something felt different. It wasn't the same kind of love I felt for her when we first got together. Maybe this break would be good for us. After all, we spent most of our time together every day. I pulled into the Denali clan's driveway behind Emmett's jeep, and stepped out. A beautiful vampire with strawberry blonde hair stepped out of the house and smiled at me. I looked at her like I had never seen her before, and realized just how beautiful she really was. I approached her and smiled.
"Hello Tanya. Long time no see."
I couldn't believe this was the same Tanya that I hadn't wanted anything to do with before. It just seemed like we had so much in common, and I just couldn't spend enough time with her. Her looks, her personality, her taste in music, the way she hunted…I hadn't noticed just how perfect she was. Why hadn't I noticed her like this before?
By the end of the week, I realized that even though I loved Bella, it wasn't like how I felt with Tanya. I was so focused on Tanya and on a future with Tanya, that the end of the week crept up very quickly, without me calling Bella once. I asked Tanya to come back to Forks with us, at least for a little bit, so that I could explore a relationship with her further. She agreed, but we waited until my family had already left. I was going to let them get Bella from the airport, and hope that maybe they hinted to her what was going on. I hated to break her heart, but I had to do it. She wasn't my life anymore.