Chapter 15

The calm and sweet humming sound could not be ignored, the voice danced in my ears as it brought my consciousness back. I smiled the same blissful smile I had last night and slowly began to open my eyes. The blanket was cosily wrapped around me and I couldn't help but snuggle myself further into its warmth. I felt a familiar pair of arms wrapped protectively around me, over the blankets. I hadn't ever felt so safe before. The sweet humming suddenly stopped and with that my smile also stopped.

"Good morning." Jasper's gentle voice took over the humming. I realised at that moment that it was Jasper who was humming. The smile instantly came back onto my face with his voice. In reply, I moved the blanket off myself and snuggled into his arms, suddenly taken aback by the cold. The temperature difference caused my eyes to shot open, even though I tried not to show much reaction. "Sorry…" He muttered as he started slipping his arms away,

"No. I'm okay." I spoke, my voice sounding hoarse and quiet as I grabbed onto his arm. He looked down onto my face with a tiny smile as he slipped his arms around me again. I looked into his honey eyes with a grin. The hunt last night had definitely lightened his eyes. We spent a few quiet minutes before I decided it was time to ask one of my many questions; "Was Charlie there?" I asked, my voice still a quiet whisper. He looked surprised at my sudden question, but answered anyway,

"Yes." Jasper nodded with an amused smile, "He didn't seem to be too surprise that you had hit your head." Jasper continued in a quiet and calming voice. I laughed slightly, of course he wouldn't be, I was falling over and hurting myself all the time. "Although… I didn't tell him the reason behind it, I blamed it on your clumsiness," He laughed lightly, trying to suppress a heavier emotion. "I thought you would prefer it that way." Jasper finished off slowly as he looked away from me. I could see that he would have wanted it differently and I appreciated that he respected my wishes.

"Thank you." I said in a quiet whisper as I shuffled closer to him, if that was even possible. He smiled at me half-heartedly and then I spoke again, deciding to lighten up the mood. "How did he react when he saw you?" I chuckled; I was wondering what Charlie was thinking when he saw Jasper.

"He was a little shocked at first… He asked me where Edward was…" He trailed off with a sad smile which held some anger. It brought me great pain to hear his name, but I showed no obvious reactions. "I told him he was staying with you, and that Carlisle will be looking after you for the night." Jasper spoke through a clenched jaw, I could see that he was struggling to keep calm; I could see why too, the least safest thing to do was to leave me with Edward... Clearly, my attempt to lighten up the mood had failed.

"Thank you. I'll explain everything to him one day, but not just yet." I explained in the same quiet voice, except it was now a little shaky. He held me tightly as I buried my face into his chest. "Things will be alright now, right?" I asked suddenly anxious, my voice buckling beneath the heavy emotions.

"Of course, everything will be fine." He sighed as he loosened his hold on me. His voice was so comforting. It made me feel so safe that I almost believed him. I pulled myself up and allowed myself to lean against the headboard. It took me a few moments to calm myself, I kept repeating Jasper's words in my mind until I was completely calm 'everything will be fine'.

"I want to talk to Rosalie… Thank her for yesterday." I mumbled quietly as I inhaled deeply. I wasn't sure how I could face her. I thought she hated me until yesterday. Suddenly I felt very nervous.

"You shouldn't be too surprised; Rosalie is very protective over those particular subjects." He replied quietly with a nod. I knew exactly what he meant by 'those' but I wondered why, it made me even more determined to speak to her.

Although I was way too comfortable to want to get out of my position, my rumbling stomach was saying otherwise, and I was desperate to speak to Rosalie anyway, so I decided it was best if I got out of bed. With one final content sigh I pushed myself into a sitting position.

"Do you want me to leave so you can get ready?" Jasper asked as he lifted himself off the bed. I shrugged in reply, I didn't really need to change, I hadn't gotten into pj's and I didn't have any clothes with me.

"I don't have any clothes to change to…" I laughed sheepishly as he looked back at me. He suddenly looked like he had remembered something.

"I brought a pair of jeans and a shirt for you…" He trailed off, looking slightly embarrassed. I raised an eyebrow at what he could've picked out, it didn't seem like any of my clothes could interest him. I thought about Alice's sense of clothing, but quickly shook the thought away. I wasn't sure why, but the thought of Jasper ruffling through my clothes embarrassed me more than it should have.

"Thanks." I finally replied looking abashed.

"I left your clothes in the plastic bag over there." He gestured towards the corner of the room, his smirk widening at the redness of my cheeks. My mind was not able to form coherent sentences because of the affect he had on me, so instead I nodded, probably looking as still as a statue. He laughed at my state as he threw his head back, suddenly I realised the trance I had been in and mentally slapped myself for being such an idiot.

"Sorry." I quickly mumbled and headed towards the bag to see what he had picked out. His laughter came to a halt as I examined the clothes.

"I didn't really put any thought into it," He looked at me almost apologetically as he moved towards me. I shook my head with a smile. I wasn't a fan of clothes anyway; they didn't really matter to me. I was relieved that he hadn't criticised my sense of fashion while he was there. "There were a pair of jeans in the corner of your room too; I wasn't sure whether it was in that position because you hated it, or because you lack organisation skills." He tried to be light hearted about it, but there was a deeper meaning to his words, which worried me greatly. He had made a couple of indirect references to what Edward had done to me. It made me wonder whether Carlisle had told him anything. I looked at him with a half-smile and bent down to get the clothes out. "I'll leave you for now." He said as he made his way out of the door, his voice suddenly sounding sad and quiet. I sighed as I began changing.

After changing I quietly made my way downstairs towards Emmett's room, hoping that Rosalie would be there. I peeked through the door which had been left slightly open; Rosalie was peacefully sorting the clothes she had recently bought, placing them one by one into her wardrobe. However it seemed like her thoughts were elsewhere. I knocked lightly on the door out of politeness as I pushed the door open. Her slim and flawless figure turned towards the door with a welcoming smile, she waved her hand for me to come in. I took the signal and nervously made my way to stand in front of her.

"Hi," I whispered, my voice was not as strong as I had hoped.

"Hello, Bella." She glanced at me, her smile not quite reaching up to her eyes.

"I wanted to thank you for standing up for me yesterday." I spoke as clearly as I could manage; I wanted to get it over and done with. I felt so intimidated in her presence. She looked at me as if examining me in some way, her smile now flashing her white teeth.

"Of course, anytime Bella. No being deserves to be treated like that." Her voice was bold but sad at the same time. Her eyebrows were furrowed sympathetically as she shook her head.

"Rosalie, I thought that you… "I searched my mind for the right words, but found none. Rosalie eyes continued to look at me with an unchanging expression. "Well, I was surprised at how you cared about… me." I finished off almost silently, too embarrassed to even to look at her. It was the truth though, why would she care if she couldn't bear to see my face?

"Of course I cared. Whether he was my brother or not doesn't matter, he has hurt you a lot and Alice was just accepting it." Rosalie explained with a soft voice, but that still didn't answer my question. "And… I know how that feels. For the one you love to suddenly change and ruin your entire world." She continued as her mind drifted off into memories, "To hurt you." She finished her eyes now wet with tears which she was too brave to shed. Suddenly I felt as though I should comfort her, whatever it was, it was causing her huge emotional strain. I moved closer to her, but she turned away from me and I took that as a warning not go any closer. She didn't want to get too emotional. "I just want you to know that I'm always here, no matter how scary I seem," She chuckled at the last part of her sentence. "I will always listen and try to help you." Her voice became serious and comforting, but she was still not facing me.

"Thank you." I whispered in a tiny voice. I didn't know how to reply, how to help her. I wanted to do something.

"Bella…" She turned to face me again, her eyes filled with worry. "Get away while you still have the chance." She whispered quietly, her expression holding the same fear and worry. I looked at her uncertainly for a moment. Was she asking me to leave her family? Did she not want me here? Or did she just mean Edward? A million questions and possibilities rushed through my mind before she finally spoke again, "Edward is gone for now, but when he comes back, you will fall into the same routine of fear as before." She explained her eyes almost pleading me. I wondered how she had so much experience, so much knowledge. I nodded my head understandingly, as much as I didn't want to believe it, I knew it was the truth.

"Rosalie, how do you know so much?" I asked her, my voice just as serious. I was more concerned about her than me. She looked at me sceptically, as if debating whether or not she could trust me. I offered a small smile, and she turned away again.

"I was in your situation once." She began, her voice already sounding sad. "I thought I had all the things I ever wanted from life." She continued with a sad laugh, she seemed like she was laughing at how gullible she had been, that I could relate to. "I thought I had the perfect man, who I was going marry and stay beside until death…" She smiled at the memory of it but pain took her expressions almost immediately afterwards. I nodded as she continued. "He was such a gentleman at the beginning. But after we married, that all changed. He was never the gentle and kind person I thought he was." She gulped as she looked around the room hopelessly. I nodded at that too, it was again, something I could relate to. "One day, when I was walking back home after a long day, he saw me, he was with a bunch of his friends and he was clearly drunk, he called me over." She sighed loudly her eyes now flickering; I could see she was trying to supress her tears. "I don't want to disturb you with the detail, but, he left me on the streets, hurt, vulnerable and that experience left me very cynical towards men." She finished her story with one final draw of breath. Tears were now pooled in my eyes, Rosalie, the one I had seen to be so perfect, was (mentally anyway) so far from that.

"I'm sorry." I mouthed with a tiny voice escaping. My voice was so quiet it was inaudible to me. Her eyes were back on me again as her misery let go and a small smile took its place.

"Bella, I don't want it to get that far for you." She spoke in a serious voice which was still hurt. I sighed and nodded, it was too late for that now, I hadn't escaped when I should've and now I was in the same position as Rosalie, but she couldn't know that.

"Me and Edward are over now." I shook my head, trying to make myself believe it more than anything. She nodded, understanding that I didn't want to talk about the subject anymore. "Besides, you have Emmett now, everything is going well for you, right?" I smiled broadly at her with a light tone. My question was secretly a way of trying to predict my own future.

"Yes." She returned my smile, this time her smile radiating happiness. "I found true love in Emmett. He is my place of comfort, the one person I go to when I feel like I can no longer handle my emotions. He is the one who makes me smile, even though sometimes I just want to feed him to the bears." She laughed, her joyful tone swirling in the room. I smiled at her happiness, I was glad she had finally found her eternal happiness. "I hope you find love in Jasper." She spoke in a quieter voice with a kind smile. My smile descended, not that I hadn't found love in Jasper, I had, I had found more than just love. But I wasn't sure how long it would be before he wouldn't want me anymore.

"I have." I attempted to smile back at her, but the true meaning behind my words was too hard to contain.

"Jasper and I have a very strong friendship, so trust me when I say he has found happiness and love in you." Rosalie's smile brought comfort to me and I nodded, but I was still not completely convinced. Even though I knew about the whole mating process, and that he probably felt the emotions stronger than I did. I still had that shadow of doubt telling me that he wouldn't stay. "I know I only properly found out about you two today, but, we are so close that I know what his expressions say. He was absolutely broken after everyone in the family, except me, looked down on him. Everyone told him that he was not capable of controlling himself, and Alice was the worst." Rosalie's voice sounded disappointed and harsh, almost angry at the behaviour of the rest of her family. "She just wouldn't shut up!" Rosalie rolled her eyes angrily. "All day she would just talk about how he had put her 'best friend's' life at risk and she could never forgive him for that." Rosalie continued, clearly she had a lot on her chest about Alice. "Gosh, you would think she would at least stay by his side." She said in a lower voice which was intended directly at Alice. "She just went and locked herself in that forest, of course, because she couldn't bear to see you two happy together. How selfish of her and then she told Edward! Out of all people! Edward!" Rosalie's volume rose in anger, but she quickly cut herself off and turned soft again, "But, that's not the point. During all the abandonment and suffering he went through, you were there, you helped him come out of that phase healthily, even though you yourself were struggling. Suddenly he started to become a lot happier, I didn't know the cause of it and Emmett told me that it would all be clear in the end, that he couldn't tell me anything now." Rosalie explained, her face wrinkled in sadness for the pain Jasper went through. "Bella, Jasper pretty much lives for you, everyday he would stop his activities and pace around the house, he was probably wondering how you were feeling, what you were doing…" She smiled at me with sheer delight. "Every time I asked him why, he wouldn't talk to me, but after seeing you, it was like the entire world had been handed to him. His sudden changes in behaviour really confused me. Of course, now I can see why." She smiled one last time before giving me a pat on the shoulder. I looked at her, quite awed by what she had said. I hadn't realised that I had such an effect on him, but then after thinking, I realised that was the way I was too, so it was only natural if it was all true.

"Thank you Rosalie. For comforting me, for understanding me…" I looked at her gratefully and sighed. It was such a relief to have someone who understood me.

"Talk to me anytime you want." She shook her head with a smile. Her next action greatly surprised me. She held her arms out and for a second I had to debate whether she wanted to hug me or if she wanted to do something else. I hesitantly moved into her arms and hugged her briefly. We had even been on hugging terms. I couldn't hide the smile of gratitude from my face.

Talking to Rosalie had really soothed me. I think it was safe to say that we had become friends in that one day. I had almost forgot that Edward even existed, everything was running so smoothly and I was so happy that my thoughts rarely drifted towards him, and when they did, I did everything in my power to change my thoughts.

I moved down the hallway into the kitchen to grab something to eat when I saw Esme approaching me with an almost nervous face.

"Hi." I greeted her as I continued searching the fridge for something to eat.

"Good morning Dear." Her voice sounded nervous too, I became anxious by her behaviour and sat down to eat a brief breakfast. "I didn't mean to interrupt you, but I was wondering if we could go somewhere a little private to talk." Esme looked deep into my eyes; I couldn't help but notice how sad she looked, from the colour of her eyes to her expressions. It pained me to see that I had caused this much sadness to the family. I simply nodded, and after washing my dishes, nervously walked to stand by her.

"What was it you wanted to talk about, Esme?" I asked in anticipation. I was 99% positive it would have something to do with recent events involving me, and they were the last things I wanted to talk about.

"It's to do with you, Dear." Her eyes searched mine pleadingly. I couldn't say no to Esme, she had been to kind to me, for me to keep my feelings hidden from her would be wrong. She was more than trustworthy. I nodded with a half-smile.

We decided that I needed to get back anyway, and my house would probably be the safest place to talk, so after packing a small bag with my previous clothes in it, Esme drove me to my house and greeted Charlie with me. Charlie seemed so glad that I was in good hands and he wouldn't stop thanking Esme.

"It's quite alright Charlie, Bella is a strong girl, she looked after herself perfectly well." Esme said for the last time, maintaining her kind voice. I had been so embarrassed that I just wanted to barge past Charlie and hide somewhere. They were talking as if I was an eight year old girl.

"That she is. I think it's all the experience, right Bells?" He looked at me with a smirk. I laughed just to go along with it and nodded. "Alright. Well, do you want to come in for tea or something?" Charlie politely asked Esme.

"Actually Dad, I was wondering if Esme could stay for a little while, there was something we were gunna talk about." I looked at Charlie with a shrug, to make it seem like no big deal. Charlie thought it was good that I was bonding well with Esme. He said she filled the absence of my mum perfectly, I couldn't disagree; Esme had given me great support in times of need.

"Sure, come in." Charlie nodded as he moved out of the doorway. I made my way up the stairs and into my room, waiting nervously for Esme to begin speaking.

"Bella, darling, you know I love you as my own daughter and you can tell me anything…" I nodded and waited for the main part, "Even if it's something you don't feel like talking to anyone about. Maybe if you talk to me about it, then I would be able to help you in some way?" she continued with a hinting voice. I had a faint idea of what she was talking about, but I tried to ignore it. "When I told you the story of my past, I put all of my trust into you, and I hope you can do the same with me…" She prodded as she waited for an answer.

"Esme, I don't know what you want me to say. Apart from I'm going to need time to recover from-" I began with a nervous voice, until she cut me off with the shake of her head.

"Were there… no other things? Something you were perhaps not ready for?" Esme's voice had died out and it was almost impossible to hear her. I knew this brought bad memories for her and she didn't want me to break down. Suddenly I knew exactly what she wanted to know. She wanted to know if Edward had forced me into... My shoulders fell as did my face. Why had Carlisle told Esme? I thought he would have been better than that.

"Did Carlisle…" I began to ask but stopped halfway because the answer was obvious.

"Bella, don't lose trust in him." Her eyebrows formed a sad frown. How could I not though? "He only hinted at it, because he was so worried about you. I thought you would be more comfortable talking to me about it." Esme explained, I felt a little better, but still felt slightly bitter towards Carlisle. I nodded. That was true, it was easier to talk to someone who had experienced it and was a motherly figure, than anyone else.

"Yes." I finally replied to her question, in the quietest voice imaginable. I let my head drop in shame. I felt responsible for it, I felt shameful for letting such a thing happen to me.

"Oh My." Her voice broke into a whisper. She didn't want to believe it either. "Bella, I want you to know that it wasn't your fault." She spoke in a kind voice as she lifted my chin up. I felt a tear rush down my cheek as I flung my arms around her, desperate for comfort. "I don't want to believe something that horrific happened to you, my darling daughter." She held me tightly in her arms as she rubbed my back, trying to comfort me. I shook my head, I didn't want to believe it either. I could no longer hold back the tears and they were flowing at their own free will.

"Esme I tried. I tried so hard to stop him, but…" I whispered as I trembled in her arms. Memories of the night flooded my memory and now my quiet sobs were impossible to control. I was stuttering and crying and having difficulty breathing. I was a mess. I had opened my heart and an ocean of misery had poured out of it.

"Shh," She comforted as she rocked me side to side. "Bella, you are safe in our hands now. Edward is not part of our family any longer. I'm sure Carlisle will think the same." She spoke with what seemed like an angry voice, but the sense of comfort and safety it gave me, made it hard to believe she was angry.

"He said that it was my fault. That if… I" I gulped as tears built up again, "hadn't made him angry…" I trailed off, unable to speak. I felt Esme's arms cradle me tightly as she laid a kiss on my cheek.

"Don't believe that for even a moment, Bella. It was in no way your fault." She continued to whisper comforting words into my hair and rocked me until I was finally calm and able to breathe properly.

"Thank you." I wiped away the last tear. I suddenly felt a lot better. I had opened up a wound but at the same time got part of that wound stitched up.

"Are you feeling any better?" She asked. The concern in her eyes were burning me, making me feel guiltier than I had ever felt before. I shouldn't have made her worry so much.

"I'm much better." I gave a small smile and watched her relax a little as she took in a deep breath.

"Bella. I know this is a lot to suddenly ask from you. But, would you mind moving in with us for a while?" Esme had the same pleading eyes as before, the ones I could not say 'no' to. I didn't want to say no. I wanted to move in with them, it would have been a Dream Come True. However, it didn't seem very logical.

"Esme, I can't, Charlie…" I shrugged and slumped further into my bed.

"Leave that with me." She smiled hopefully, "Will you be willing?" She asked again.

"Sure." I nodded in agreement as a smile spread across my lips.

Esme had finally convinced my dad that I was having an 'emotionally unstable time' which wasn't too far from the truth, and I needed someone who is the same gender to me to look after me during this difficult time. Charlie was reluctant at first but then after a bit of persuading he agreed. I mean, who could reject a vampire's offer anyway? I laughed inwardly at my comment. I had packed about two small travel bags full of necessities, clothes and about three pairs of shoes, which I was sure Rosalie would be disappointed at.

Suddenly I felt excited about the whole plan, staying at the Cullens' house, I was sure it would be a lot of fun at the least. I always loved spending time with them, and it felt like everything was perfect. Despite my breakdowns and the miserable theme of the conversations I had had today, I still felt happy. In a way, all of them made me closer to the Cullens. One thing I was not looking forward to was facing Alice; I was almost one hundred percent she hated me, completely hated me. She hated me for stealing her love. She hated me for causing her brother to be kicked out of his own house. She had too many reasons to hate me for. I sighed as my face twitched. I suppose I wasn't too happy about trying to talk to her about anything. She didn't seem like she was in a state to be talked to, she couldn't be reasoned with.

Emmett, as expected, was the first to greet me and explain all of his plans for while I was there. His excitement was so intense it made me feel special, like I was actually worth him feeling so happy. I didn't know what it was about me that Emmett liked. Over all of Emmett's excited mumbled I heard others greet me too, Rosalie being the second and Carlisle being the third and last. He had also waved me Goodbye as he had to start his evening shift I smiled at the family around me, but the fact that Jasper hadn't come to greet me, made me feel not only scared but as though my predictions were true. I tried to ignore such thoughts and enjoyed my time chatting to Emmett in the living room as he turned his X-Box on and attempted to teach me how to play. I couldn't concentrate on what Emmett was saying at all, my mind was completely occupied by Jasper's absence.

I was starting to become very fidgety until I saw a figure blur past the corridor. It must have been Jasper; the figure was too tall and blonde to have been Alice. I stood up and followed after the blur without even realising until I was out of the front door. I hadn't even thought back to Emmett, he was probably freaked out, or maybe he knew.

"Jasper?" I called out into the open air, hoping that he would hold me against his body at my call, like always. But nothing happened, not a sound, not even a blow of wind. I wondered what I had done wrong, but nothing would come to my mind. I couldn't bear it anymore and just started following my instincts, which led me out into the woods. My legs were working to their own accord as they pulled my body over hills and muddy patches of earth. I finally came to a stop in the middle of nowhere and stared into the empty space all around me, wondering why my instincts had brought me here. I looked around once more but still didn't recognise anything. I closed my eyes and tried to get a clue from my other senses and I could hear the trickling water in the distance, but closer than what it normally sounded like. The waterfall. That's where Jasper had gone. I found myself looking more intently, more like an animal on a hunt rather than an eighteen year old human girl. I spotted part of it and started running towards it. I ran until I had literally no breaths left and I came to a sudden stop right at the bottom of the waterfall. Where Jasper had helped me climb from, and then eventually took me in a cradle. I realised that it was impossible for me to get there; for any human to get up there. I almost growled in frustration. It surprised even me, that I could even make a growling noise. I looked up in frustration. "Jasper?" I called out his name again but no one appeared. I decided that I was going to go up there anyway. It was the only place which would ease my mind and provide me with the peace I desperately needed. And that's exactly what I did. I used my non-existent climbing skills to climb up the rocks which formed a steep wall. My recently recovered breath started becoming rapid and short again. There was a flatter rock, which was safe enough for me to rest on, I sat down for a moment and observed the scenery around me. The greenery beneath my feet startled me, it made me realise how small those humungous trees looked from a height. I also realised that the rock wall was starting to become more like a pathway and it wasn't so upright anymore. I gathered my strength again and continued my challenging walk. As I was about to skip over a gap (which was overly stupid, since I had no coordination or balance skills what so ever) I stumbled and scraped my upper arm across a part of the rough crag. I sighed as I drew my arm back to examine it and saw tiny amounts of blood seeping through the scratches. I was about to give up and make my way back down, when I felt a harsh blow of air around me. I looked around to see what had caused it, and I was greeted by the exact person I wanted to see in the first place.

"Bella? How come you're here?" He asked softly. His expression was a mixture between worry and astonishment. I wondered if he really hadn't heard my calls, after all, he did have super hearing so he should have heard.

"I… well, I…" I began, feeling a little stupid. "I followed you at first, that led me to there." I pointed down to several meters below me, which made me realise I hadn't even travelled a tenth of the waterfall itself. "And then I climbed to here…" I finished off with a shrug, hoping that he wouldn't scold me for doing something so illogical.

"You followed me?" He raised an eyebrow with genuine confusion. "How did you do that?" He asked as he took a step towards me.

"I…" I swallowed a lump of anxiety. I didn't want to tell him that I had turned into an animal and just followed my senses. His expression remained the same as he tried to figure it out himself. "Okay, well this is going to sound really… weird and probably strange." I chuckled with nervousness. I couldn't think of a better way to phrase it, although animalistic would have been right too. "But I, I wanted to find you so badly that I just started following my… senses." I finished off, not daring to look at him; my eyes were awkwardly searching the surroundings.

"Your senses?" I heard the tone of amusement in his voice, and turned my head to look at him in surprise, he hadn't freaked out. He had a wide smirk which he was trying to control, his smirk suddenly broke out into a small laugh. I continued to stare at him in confusion. "Like your instincts?" He asked in-between his quite chuckles. I nodded as my body became stiff. I was over thinking and worrying.

"I don't get it. Shouldn't you be freaked out right now?" I questioned with a quiet voice. He still looked amused, but I was only getting more surprised.

"No, Bella, that's completely natural." Jasper's chuckles filled the quiet atmosphere as he shook his head. Clearly this was entertaining for him. After seeing my confused face, he decided it was time to give a brief explanation. "Bella, you were just using your 'Mate Instincts'. You just used it without noticing you were. You wanted to find me, so your connection with me allowed you to find me, using something which can be a little alien to humans. It's a bit like a sixth sense." His smile broadened at my apparent use of 'Mate Finder' as I like to call it. I nodded, I was a little freaked out by the stalking element of it, but Jasper seemed to see it as something which was perfectly normal.

"Wow. That's just freaky." I commented as I tried to absorb the newly given information. "Can you use it too?" I asked with a chuckle. It would be interesting to know if Jasper did that too.

"Yes." He nodded with a smile. "I don't need to right now, since you're human and I could just follow your heartbeat or your scent. But when… if" he quickly corrected before continuing, "you become a vampire, I'll need to use it if needed." He explained as he held his arm out. I gave him my hand and he tossed me onto his back before taking off.

"So I can never run away from you then…" I added humorously as he ran towards the top. My thoughts wondered off to whether I wanted to be changed or not, there wasn't much to think about. I knew it was quick to decide, but I knew it was my final decision, I had decided to spend all eternity with Jasper.

"No, I'm afraid you can't" Jasper replied to my previous comment as he lowered me onto the grass.

"So why did you disappear like that?" I asked once he had sat down.

"I needed some time to think about things." His smirk was no longer visible; there was a small frown instead. I wanted to know what was occupying his mind so much.

"Things…?" I asked, staring into the river.

"You." Jasper's voice disappeared into the wind, it had been that quiet. He turned his face to look at me knowingly, and I didn't dare question him further so I dropped my gaze and picked at the green grass. "Anyway." He sighed happily after a moment, "What made you decide to climb to here?" He asked with a much lighter tone. A small smile came onto my lips at the memory of earlier today.

"Well, I was annoyed because you didn't come to greet me." I laughed sheepishly at my childish behaviour. "So, after not finding you I started overthinking, thinking that you were just ignoring me." I continued, with a sad smile.

"Bella. I could never ignore you." Jasper shook his head with a soft smile. I looked up at him with a half-smile. "I was too preoccupied to hear you at all." He looked at me apologetically as he rubbed my arm. His gesture managed to comfort me and happiness filled me with his touch.

"I thought vampires don't get distracted." I teased with a light tone.

"It depends on what they are thinking about." He looked at me with the same amused smile as before. Jasper continued looking at me and then gestured for me to continue.

"Then I decided to come here to ease my mind." I finished with a satisfied sigh.

"So your instincts didn't completely work." Jasper sounded disappointed; I guess it hadn't worked properly, since I didn't find Jasper, he found me.

"It's probably because I'm still human." I shrugged as I leaned onto Jasper's chest. He stayed silent but nodded his head. I knew what he was thinking about. I wondered how I would even bring the conversation up, I couldn't just ask him to turn me. "Jasper…" I whispered after a few minutes of comfortable silence.

"Hmm?" He sighed into my hair.

"I love you." I spoke quietly, but certainly. Although it only reflected my own feelings, and there were still doubts in my mind about Jasper's feelings.

"And I love you." He replied in a sincere voice. I examined his expression, but all I could see truly was love and contentment. "You're feeling doubtful…" Jasper stated in a disappointed voice, his eyebrows pushing towards one another. I instantly shook my head and brought a smile on my lips,

"No, I'm just thinking." I smiled at him. I was refusing to tell him I really was doubting him, it was wrong of me to think such things, Jasper had showed me that he loved me in more than one way. I wished I could have gotten over my paranoia, which was linked in with Edward.

"Bella, don't hide your feelings from me." Jasper spoke again, this time sounding a little sad, but encouraging. He held my hand in his and gave me a small smile.

"I know it's wrong for me to feel so, but I find it hard to believe you could… love me." I looked down onto the grass beneath me and sighed feeling foolish. I dared to glance at Jasper and in that moment I saw the mixture of emotions on his face, he seemed shocked at my words and sad, but not angry. His face remained hurt, and I regretted what I had said. I didn't want Jasper to feel like he hadn't done enough. I had hurt him because of my own low self-esteem. "I'm sorry." I spoke loudly as I lifted my head up. I saw him close his eyes and I wondered what he was doing for a moment, until I felt a tide of strong emotion hit me. It was pure, containing one element only. Something I had never experiences before, or if I had, then it was a miniscule version of the bliss I was feeling. The affection in the emotions was one I could not describe with words. It had to felt to be truly understood. It wasn't a nervous, 'butterflies in stomach' sort of feeling, but a feeling which warmed up my heart, making it swell with kindness and love. It was pure, reaching out, embracing me in its extremity. My eyes involuntary closed, just so that I could focus my entire attention on the powerful emotion I was feeling. I felt blessed to be able to feel the utmost feeling of love. The definition of the word love suddenly seemed insufficient. My mind could no longer comprehend anything, it was taking over my entire mind replacing all else in my emotions. I shot my eyes open as I tried to reject the feeling for my own mental health. Jasper seemed to have noticed the affect it had on me and I suddenly felt empty as the emotion left. I looked at Jasper wide-eyed, I couldn't speak, no words would leave my mouth. I still felt dazed by the memory of it. Although the memory no longer seemed to make sense, as if my human mind could not understand such feelings.

"That is how I feel about you." Jasper's eyes locked with mine and honesty shone in them. I gulped; I had never felt more foolish. How he could bear the intensity of it didn't make sense to me. His voice was clear but gentle, I felt his delicate fingers stroking my jawline as I relaxed. I flung my arms around him tightly as he embraced me. I was on my knees, I lowered my head onto his shoulder and took a deep breath of the fresh air. I didn't believe that I was worthy of such emotions.

"It's incredibly beautiful." I mumbled. Those were the only words I could think of which began to touch on the beauty of it. I felt sad for a moment that I couldn't feel like that, but I came to the conclusion that because I was human I couldn't feel the intensity of it.

"Mhm." He agreed with a soft hum, as he rubbed my back gently.

"I'm sorry I ever doubted you. It was so foolish of me." I spoke after a few moments once I had gathered myself together.

"It's not your fault." Jasper replied in a quick but delicate voice. I knew he was indirectly saying that it was Edward's fault for making me lose trust in love. That was the truth. It was his fault. And it would take me a long time to believe in love again, but I knew Jasper loved me no matter how long it took me to fully accept it. I felt understood, he understood me, he knew that internally, I was fighting with myself, trying to separate my thoughts and beliefs from those which Edward caused me to believe. After a few more minutes I was fully composed, I was grateful that Jasper hadn't just manipulated my emotions to make me calm, he gave me time to calm down myself. "Are you better?" He asked as he separated himself from me.

"Yeah. Thank you." I nodded with a small but happy smile. By thank you I meant many different things. I meant all the times he had helped me, I meant all the times he had made me feel loved, I meant all the times he had calmed me, gave me confidence, and finally for every time he was there for me. He smiled at me, his gold iris' glistening with happiness. It was starting to get dark and the moon was beginning to greet us, we both looked up at the beautiful dark blue above us and stared into the silver crescent shape in the middle. "Nature is so beautiful." I commented before looking back to Jasper. He seemed surprised by my comment. I chuckled at his slightly wide eyes.

"Yes… It is, the most beautiful scenes are always found in nature." He replied as his smile widened. I looked back at the waterfall which remained peaceful and recognised the same beauty the sky had. They both shared the same sense of calm. My body moved closer to his and I leaned into his lips as his arms embraced me. I wished it could have always been me and Jasper on our own. I would leave everything, everyone, every opportunity just to be with Jasper. I snuggled into his arms, facing the waterfall, and let myself cherish this moment. The calm, the peace, the beauty, the love. The perfection.

A/N: Dear readers, I hope I did not disappoint anyone, I'm also sorry that it took me longer than expected to update. I particularly like this chapter because I think at this point Bella realises that true love really does exist and she has found it. As always, thank you for your time and I hope you enjoyed it. I wish a very merry new year for all, best wishes,

Armineh

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters. I own the plot and that's about it, oh and the waterfall which is merely a creation of my imagination xD