Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight!

Summary: Jasper would know that beautiful brunette anywhere; she saved his life when he was little. That was why he was so surprised to see her in Forks…that, and the fact that she hadn't aged since the day they met. JasperBella, vamp AU

Okay, my first attempt at a JasperBella fan fiction. These two together have always been one of my guilty pleasures and I hope I do them justice. Please review! It would mean a lot.

I'm just gonna put the prologue here for starters and if people like it, I will add another chapter, haha.

Enjoy!

Long Road to Ruin
Prologue: Topaz

"Jasper! Jasper, darlin', where are you?"

The young boy ignored the worried calls from his mother and trudged forward. His blonde hair was matted with sweat and clung to his forehead. Dry leaves and debris from the woods stuck to it like a magnet. Only eight years old, Jasper Whitlock was the personification of childish energy as he pushed through the bushes with small hands.

"Jasper!"

He laughed to himself, showcasing a row of pearly white teeth, with only a few missing. The child walked forward, pushing himself to explore more.

The sun shone down, lighting everything up with its rays. The early morning dew glistened off the leaves and blades of grass like small jewels, and Jasper's eyes took it all in as if he were seeing it for the first time.

After turning a corner, his sneaker-covered foot got hung beneath a tree root, and he tripped. Clumsy feet got tangled around one another and he was flung to the ground. He braced himself with the palms of his hands as well as his knees, but that was no good.

"Ouch!" He yelped, switching to position himself to get a better look at his injuries. His eyes scanned over the scrapes that now adorned the palms of his hands and the tops of his knees. He pursed his lips before inhaling through his teeth, chocolate colored eyes surveying the extent of the damage. He sighed exasperatedly as he saw crimson fluid trickle down his leg.

"Darn…I hope Mom has a band-aid…"

Shakily, he rose from his seated position, only to be met with the hungry, golden-brown eyes of a predator.

The cougar shifted on its haunches, his large cat-eyes staring intently at the small boy. The powerful cat's pink tongue darted out, licking its chops, as it continued to stare Jasper down.

Jasper's eyes widened, tears threatening to form in fright. Clearly, he had gone too far into the woods. Ignoring his mother's calls was now going to cost him - more than he ever intended to pay.

"M-Mama…" His voice was shaky as he tried to move backward, away from the dangerous predator. As he stepped back, the cat came closer, closing in on the vulnerable prey.

Run, run, run! Jasper's mind chanted at him.

The instinct to flee was too great. Jasper turned and bolted as fast as his legs could carry him. He got a few feet, looking behind himself every so often, to see that the cat was on his tail, taking longs strides that covered at least four of his footsteps.

After running for a bit, his feet betrayed him, giving out beneath him, flinging him down onto the wet, moist forest floor.

He did nothing but close his eyes, anticipating the long, yellowed fangs of the cougar sinking into his neck.

But…nothing happened.

Jasper thought the cougar would've finished him off by now, so he cautiously turned over to see what was the hold up already.

The cougar lay in a mangled heap, as if it were crushed, but somehow, blood wasn't flowing from its wounds. Jasper cocked his head to the side, eyebrows knitting together in bewilderment. The sun beamed down on the carcass, and Jasper rubbed his eyes with his fists to make sure he wasn't hallucinating any of it.

He wasn't.

But he had yet to lay eyes on the most spectacular thing in the forest.

Jasper caught sight of a brilliant array of shattered rainbows being cast on the ground beside the animal. His eyes widened at the beauty of it, and he reached out to touch it, as if he could grab one of the reflections and keep it with him. He looked at them with a sense of childlike wonder and confusion.

What? He thought with curiosity, fingers clenching and unclenching around the sparkles.

He looked up to see what the source of the beautiful light was and gasped.

A woman, the most beautiful, perfect woman he had ever seen, was standing in front of him, looking at him with strange colored eyes. Golden colored eyes. Like the metallic wrapper of his favorite candy, but prettier. Definitely prettier. She had long, thick, dark brown hair that reached her mid-back, and it floated around her in the morning breeze. She wasn't as tall as his mother, but something about her reminded him of a statue he and his mother visited at the park. Her skin was pale, like snow. Maybe even whiter than snow, he realized as she walked slowly to him.

More amazing than all of that, she literally sparkled where the sun came into contact with her pale skin.

As she walked, he was reminded of those dancers on television. The ones who wore pointy shoes and strange dresses. It was so graceful - her grace seemed even more effortless than that of the dancers.

She touched his cheek, and he shivered, despite the warm degree of temperature the morning had. Her fingers were icy cold - unnaturally cold, and he was puzzled. What kind of person was this woman?

He couldn't look away from her, her looks were so captivating to his child's mind. Blinking several times, he touched her hand with his short fingers and felt the coldness on his fingertips.

A smile crossed her full lips and Jasper's mouth hung open slightly, though as she did so she seemed to be holding her breath. She giggled at his expression, though; Jasper realized the sound was like the tinkling of bells.

"Are you alright, little boy?"

Her voice matched her appearance.

Jasper gulped and nodded, not knowing what else to do.

"Ah, good."

And her lips brushed the crown of his head, right on his waves of blonde hair.

Then she was gone.

Just like that.

Gone.

Jasper felt the wind of her departure, spinning around, looking for any trace that the beautiful apparition of a woman was real. The only thing he could come up with to prove to himself that the breathtaking woman was actually there was the crumpled body of the mountain lion, laying pathetically in the shadow of a large tree.

He shook his head, realizing his mother would be worried about him - Yeah, what a time to think about that. He thought.- and he raced off to find the opening in the brush that led back to his house.

The blonde haired little boy found it soon enough, and his mother was waiting for him in the backyard with open arms and a worried expression.

"Jasper! Breakfast is ready! I've tried calling for you but - oh, what happened to you, sweetie?" The equally blonde haired Mrs. Whitlock looked at her son with concern as she saw the scrapes on his hands and knees, with bruises beginning to form around them. She walked briskly over to Jasper and scooped him into her arms, "C'mon, Jasper, let's get you inside and clean you up."

"Mom!" Jasper suddenly jolted out of his reserved state, "I was chased by a cougar, Mom!"

"Wh-What?"

Jasper laughed at his mother's incredulous expression, "But I'm okay! This pretty lady saved me! She had rainbows comin' off her!"

Mrs. Whitlock looked at her son with an amused expression. "You have some imagination, Jazz." She said lightly, taking all of her energetic son's story with a grain of salt. "Time to cut off on those super hero cartoons."

"No! No, Mama! She was real!"

"Yes, sweetie, I'm sure she was." She replied, ruffling the halo of golden hair that circled Jasper's face.

His eyes knitted together in concentration as he reached up and touched where the gorgeous woman had pressed her cold lips to him. It still tingled, which was odd. He huffed a sigh and surrendered, too tired to fight with his mother any more than he already had.

But, his eyes darted down at the exact moment he decided to throw in the towel, down to the topaz pendant his mother always wore. A memory flashed through his mind:

Jasper's tiny fingers tugged on the pendant a little too tightly, wanting to rip it off and keep it for himself.

"Your father gave me this, Jasper, because he loves Mommy very much. Now you wouldn't want to break it, would you?"

Chocolate eyes widened and Jasper nodded, "No…I want Mommy to be happy. So I won't break it…"

She then kissed his forehead.

His father died when he was very young - too young to remember. Jasper, despite his age, knew that it still made his mother very sad when someone mentioned his name or anything of that sort.

Jasper shook his head, trying to rid himself of that memory, as he gingerly touched the necklace. Luckily, his mother didn't notice. Or, at least, she pretended not to.

He touched it curiously, wistfully, with a longing too mature for his years.

As he gazed at the necklace, he was reminded of the woman with the beautiful golden eyes.

He was also reminded of how she saved his life.

The memories were so fresh, so vivid…

He was sure he would never forget this, not even if he lived forever.

End Prologue.

Well, there ya go! This prologue is basically showing what happened with Jasper's past and how Bella saved him. I hope I get some positive feedback! It would be very much appreciated! And another thing, which really has nothing to do with this, but I'm just so happy about it - I'M WRITING THIS OFF OF MY NEW LAPTOP! Not meaning to brag, but it's just so cool! Lol.

Thank you for clicking on this humble little fic of mine and reading! I'm so glad you did!

See ya!