Think of me when you close your eyes
But don't look back when you break all ties
Think of me when you're coming down
But don't look back when leaving town today
There goes the fear again, let it go
There goes the fear, let it go

There Goes the Fear – Doves

Seven Years Later – July 1999

It was sweltering in the small, wood paneled diner, even with the ceiling fan on high. Bella lay stretched out in the freezer, apron strings untied and buttons undone, cigarette held as far away from her as possible as she tried to cool down before the lunch time rush.

The farmland behind the small town was totally barren, the plants all turning brown around the edges, despite it being barely July. In the school across the street all the windows were thrown open, sweaters tied around waists and shoes discarded.

Leah slammed the door of the freezer open, poking Bella in the side with her foot as she scooped a handful of ice up and held it to her forehead.

"Lunch time rush 'bout to start, Bells."

Bella nodded, stubbing her cigarette on the floor, "I hate Texas," she grumbled as she stood up, "I can't stand this heat."

Leah laughed as she balanced on her tiptoes to snatch down a carton of ice cream, "thought you'd be used to it after all these summers."

Crossing to the door Bella gathered her sweaty hair into a topknot, rubbing her hands on her blue dress.

"I'm never gonna get used to this."

While she made fruit into the shape of faces for the young children at table 12, three young men barreled through the door, the bells signifying their entrance to Bells' Diner ringing cheerily, laughing as they pushed and shoved towards their regular table by the window.

"Boys!" the sharp rebuke came from Leah.

Quieted, the three of them grabbed a menu, reading over the selections they knew by heart as they waited for one of the girls to make their way over to their table.

Leah's coffee pot appeared above their cups, Jasper gratefully wrapping his hands around the sweating glass of lemonade that Bella placed down for him instead.

"Usuals?" Bella questioned, not bothering to reach for her notepad.

She rested a hand on Jasper's shoulder as she waited for their answers, the other absently carding through his hair.

As the boys nodded she pulled away, smiling at the little girl eating her fruit face when she caught her eye.

"Mommy!" the little girl grinned, "look! My face has long hair just like yours!"

Bella smiled wider, crossing to the table and chucking the little girl gently under the chin.

"Long like yours too, angel," she said, sitting down and gathering the girl and her younger brother to her, "now, why don't you take your plate over to Daddy and ask him to wipe that mess off your face?"

The little girl took off towards Jasper, her banana smeared face lit up by her giggles, while Bella picked up the toddler left at the table.

"My little handsome man," she cooed "how on earth did you get kiwi in your hair?"

The child gurgled happily, his hands going to Bella's face to rub kiwi on her cheeks too. Bella laughed, grabbing a napkin to clean the mess off the two of them. Crossing to the counter, she strapped him into the high chair behind it, and began to make lunch for her husband and his colleagues.

Jasper wiped the sweat off his forehead with his arm, leaving another streak of grease along his already dirty face and walked over to sling his spanner on the shelf.

Bracing his arms over the sink, he turned the tap on full, sticking his head under the flow before shaking like a dog, grabbing a towel from the side and scrubbing it over his face and arms.

A blonde head appeared around the door of the garage, the delicate features screwed up in disgust as she took in the sight her brother made.

"Jasper!" Rosalie laughed, rubbing a few stray water drops from her arms, "I sure hope you're planning to take a shower before Carlisle and Esme get here."

Jasper turned from the sink, growling as he started towards Rose, who squealed and turned to run. Jasper was too fast for her though and had his arms around her seconds later, rubbing his damp, dirty hair on her face as she giggled, squealing and wriggling as she tried to escape.

Jasper slung her over his shoulder and started out of his garage, not bothering to lock the door of the small business as he crossed to their house a couple of hundred feet away.

Depositing her on her feet by the porch, Jasper swept into a low bow.

"At your service, ma'am."

Rose laughed and shoved his shoulder, shoving him towards the bathroom while she crossed to the kitchen to help Bella finish dinner.

Esme and her husband of five years, Carlisle, arrived not too long after. Esme immediately engulfed both Jasper and Rosalie in hugs, before drawing Rose off to the kitchen, leaving Carlisle and Jasper alone.

"How've you been, son?" Carlisle rested a hand on Jasper's shoulder as he asked the question.

Jasper nodded, crossing to the liquor cabinet and pulling out one glass, filling it before handing it to Carlisle, snatching up a can of soda for himself.

"Good," he said, toeing at the corner of the rug "business has picked back up again now it's summer. Thinking we might be able to afford that horse Rose's been after next year."

"And Bella?" Carlisle asked.

"She's good," Jasper smiled, "the diner's really taken off, she's making more than the garage is some months."

Jasper grinned at Carlisle, bending down to pick up his young son as he crawled into the room behind his mother, his daughter following behind, her young face screwed up in concentration as she carried the vegetables. Rose bounded into the room, setting a joint of beef on the table and moving to snatch her nephew from her brother's arms.

Slinging his arm over her shoulder and taking in his family, Jasper smiled.

if anyone fancies seeing my moodboard for this fic: -catastrophe-waitress on tumblr (include both of the hyphens)

this has been set in and around Geauga County, OH

my little unnamed town is heavily based off of Burton, OH, the falls are of course Chagrin, and the Amish cafe Jasper takes Bella to is Mary Yoder's Amish Kitchen in Middlefield, OH.