Chapter Text
Bella wasn't sure what she had done wrong to get to this point, or more accurately she wasn't sure which of the many bad choices she had made had led her to this point. In retrospect there were many. Humoring the strange man in her biology class that stared at her without a word, bad idea. Ignoring the numerous red flags around his behavior, bad idea. Finding out he was an honest to god vampire and still following him around like a lost dog, bad idea. The list went on like that for a while and looking back on it she wasn't sure why she had made a single one of those choices, they seemed so easy to make at the moment but were so obviously foolish in hindsight.
Regardless of what had tipped the scales the outcome was the same, she was alone in her room and he was gone. There was a rather disastrous moment at her birthday party, a single paper cut, a single drop of blood and all hell had broken loose. She hadn't even had time to blink before Emmett was being tackled by Jasper and Edward, Carlisle was working with Esme to hold Rose back while Alice carried her away to safety. The next time she saw Edward it was for him to tell her he was leaving, that it was over and she'd never see him again. That alone had hurt more than she knew how to put into words but it was worse than that. The entire family of Cullens was leaving. Bella didn't have many friends but she was close with most of the other Cullens. Knowing they were so ready to abandon her hurt more than Edward leaving ever could.
That had been two weeks ago now and she hadn't been handling it well. To have been welcomed into their lives, become close to so many of them and then have it all ripped away? It had led to not having a single restful night since they'd left and tonight was shaping up to be no different. She was curled in her bed, pint of Ben and Jerries' ice cream in hand trying to decide what movie she would rewatch for the umteenth time when she heard something that made her heart simultaneously skip a beat and kick into overdrive. Nails tapping on her bedroom window.
Her head whipped around, Expecting to find Edward there, fully prepared to scream at him about the nerve he had showing up like that. It wasn't Edward.
“ALICE!”
Bella almost fell out of bed as she scrambled to set down her ice cream and throw open the window.
“You're here?”
The vampire laughed with a wink
“Not just me”
Bella was so stunned by Alice's smiling face in the dark that she had stopped looking, on a tree branch just slightly lower was Jasper who gave her a playful two finger salute.
“Hey there darlin”
She quickly stepped aside and in the blink of an eye the two vampires had easily swung into her room and pulled her into a group hug.
It took everything Bella had not to burst into tears at that very moment. The feeling of their cool skin against hers was like a battering ram threatening to break the damn holding back her emotions. Jasper must have noticed because a sudden outpouring of affection washed over her. It took her by surprise but it was entirely welcome.
She expected them to pull away after a few seconds but they didn't, seemingly intent on waiting for her to make the first move to pull away and she was content to hang onto them for just a while longer.
“You came back?”
She asked in disbelief.
“Like I'd ever let go of my best friend over something so petty.”
Alice replied.
Eventually Bella did let go and the three settled into a loose circle, her on her bed, Jasper in her chair and Alice ever the contrarian sat legs crossed on the floor.
“I'm confused Edward said you were all leaving, that id never see you again”
Jass kicked his feet up with a sly grin
“That was their plan but it was never ours, we were always planin on coming back for ya.”
That caught her even more off guard.
“You were?”
“Of course silly” Alice replied “We’d have been here sooner but we had to lay out our cover story, they think we're off visiting Jas’s siblings in Montana”
Bella sat for a moment, slightly in shock about how much they seemed to have done just to see her again. She had always been closest with Alice and Jasper but this amount of effort caught her off guard, especially after the rest of the Cullens had seemingly written her off so easily.
“Do I really mean that much to you?”
It was barely a whisper but she knew they would hear it, they always heard everything. Jass just chuckled which surprised Bella but before the embarrassment could take hold Alice spoke up.
“Bella my dear look at me please” She waited for the girl to make eye contact before she continued “I know you don't see yourself as important but to me and Jasper you are beyond special.”
That left Bella swimming in a sea of questions she could never hope to formulate properly so she settled for a simple.
“Why? Why me?”
It was Jasper's turn to answer this time.
“Do you remember the story of how Alice and I met?”
“Yeah she said she had a vision that led her to you right? Then after that you spent some time with Cas and Pete before a Vision led you to the Cullens.”
“Right you are.” He replied as a sly grin crept onto his face. “But I wasn't the only one in those visions Bella, you were there too.
Her breath caught in her throat.
“I what?”
“You were actually the second person I ever had a vision about Bells, I've known for a long time that no matter what happened, that you, me and Jas are in it for the long haul.”
She made it sound so simple, like it was no big deal. Then again if she had been having visions of her for that long then maybe it wasn't to her.
“I was, but that would mean that…..you were waiting to find me for….”
“Almost ninety years now, crazy how time flies innit?”
Jasper said with a grin on his face.
Bella didn't know what to say or even think really, the idea that SHE could mean that much to any one, let alone two of the most amazing people she had ever met? It was hard to believe.
“I know that's a lot for you to take in at once but you'll have all the time in the world to take it in”
Alice's smile and endless optimism was infectious and she couldn't help but smile back.
“I'm so happy you two came back, when Edward told me the whole family was leaving I….i don't even know how to put into words how much it hurt me. How much it felt like I had never meant anything to them.”
Jasper sighed while running a hand through his hair, it was a little longer than Bella remembered and significantly more unkempt
“The Cullens are good people they really are but,” He paused as if searching for the right words. “Their priorities aren't always in the right place, they care a little too much about the old laws and Carlisle’s personal moral code if you ask me”
Alice picked up where he left off.
“They view Edward as family and as much as they care for you, an eternity of him outweighs the ninety or so years you'll live in their eyes.”
“In their eyes?” Bella asked, confused by her wording.
“You still plan on becoming a vampire dont you?”
Bella had to blink a few times.
“I..Yes I mean Obviously but I just…..Edward denied me any time I even brought up the idea and….I assumed you all felt the same way.”
Jasper laughed, not his normal sarcastic chuckle but a real deep laugh. It occurred to Bella that she had never heard it before, it was beautiful in its own way, jovial and resonant.
“Bella, Edward is wrong about a lot of things and at the top of that list are his feelings about you.”
“Plus he kinda thinks vampires are unredeemable monsters or whatever”
Alice added.
“Yeah that too.”
Bella sat for a few minutes just beside herself, less than half an hour ago she felt like her whole world had been ripped away and that she'd never recover and now these two had swooped in and not only lifted her out of the pit she was in but given her a whole new future to look forward to. She didn't know what to say.
“So…what now?”
Alice and Jas both smiled at her as they stood up.
“We need to go get settled in the place we’re staying and you, little miss human. Need to get some sleep”
Alice could see the drop in Bella's mood the instant they mentioned leaving so she pulled the girl into a tight hug which Jasper soon joined in on.
“Don't worry darlin we’ll be back when you wake up, just some things we gotta take care of.
He accompanied his statement with another wave of emotions, a gentle calming Affection that felt like home. It washed over Bella and wrapped over her like a blanket, calming her nerves. She'd never seen this side of him with the Cullens, he was always friendly to her but had been reserved like the rest of them. Now here in her room he was laughing, outspoken and affectionate, it was a change she liked.
Like the first hug they had shared, this one too had to come to an end eventually but Bella savored every moment of it. The feeling of safety and comfort they brought with them and the cool calm of their skin. What really stood out to her though was the scent, she knew every vampire had one of course, part of that charm to lure in mortals and what not but she had never been close enough to anyone but Edward to smell theirs before. Alice smelt like Honey and wildflowers with just a hint of incense, while Jasper smelt of Wood smoke, musk and rich soil, and together they smelt…..irresistible.
That last thought caught Bella off guard, she did her best to quickly shake it from her mind and chalked it up to the vampire allure they had and nothing more. She released her hold on Alice and Jasper with a sigh.
“I….could you maybe….stay until I fell asleep…I…..I just don't want to feel alone again”
She was already regretting saying it as soon as it left her mouth. She was supposed to be an adult and she couldn't even handle a night on her own after they had come all this way back for her. Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted however as she swept off her feet and was carried into bed by Jasper who laid her down gently, Alice quickly joining them on Bella's other side.
“Just close your eyes little one. We’ll be here when you wake up, it'll be like we never left.”
It was awkward for Bella to be sandwiched between the two immortals on her bed, not to mention the way getting called little one by Jasper had scrambled her brain but she couldn't deny the comfort they brought her. Before long, exhaustion was taking over and she could hold her eyes open no longer. She fell asleep surrounded by the scent of smoke and honey and for the first time in weeks, she was truly happy.
Bella couldn't remember the last time she had gotten a truly restful night of sleep, even before the Cullens left she was having problems, but she slept like a rock that night. She opened her eyes and for a brief moment she panicked. She had fallen asleep staring at Alice but when she opened her eyes all she saw was her pillow. Before her thoughts could go any farther however she heard a voice that sounded like heaven in that moment.
“Morning darlin. Alice is down stairs cooking you breakfast”
She sat up and found him sitting in the chair at her desk, smiling at her, her copy of Moby-Dick open in his lap. The sight of him instantly put her at ease and she smiled back.
“You didn't think we'd leave ya did you?”
“Well, no but part of me was afraid last night was all just some hopeful dream and id be alone again”
He let out another rich laugh.
“Bella you really are something else, I don't know any other human on this planet that finds comfort in the company of vampires.”
She rolled her eyes.
“Yeah yeah you're both very scary monsters who could kill me with a single finger or whatever” She quipped back her voice dripping with sarcasm. “You came across the entire country to see me again, why shouldn't I be happy about that.
His grin widened.
“Don't get me wrong I'm very glad you like us so much, I'm just saying its weird”
She stuck her tongue out at him as she grabbed a hair tie from the nightstand and put her hair up into a loose pony tale. She was trying to come up with a witty come back when Alice came in holding a plate of food.
“Morning there sleeping beauty.” She said with an exaggerated bow as she placed the plate on the brunette's lap. It was mostly eggs with a few pieces of bacon on the side. “Sorry it's nothing special but your kitchen was pretty empty all things considered.”
Bella let out a little awkward laugh.
“Yeah Charlie has never been big on cooking, it was even worse when I first got here, nothing but tv dinners and instant ramen”
“Men, am I right?” Alice joked, earning a preformative gasp from jasper.
“So Bells, what would you like to do today?”
Bella took a moment to swallow the bite of food she had shoved into her mouth before responding.
“I didn't really have plans, I sort of assumed you had plans of what you wanted to do with me.”
“Today is all about you bells, no more sitting in your room all sad, Starting from today on the world is your oyster.”
Alice always had a flair for the dramatic but somehow Bella really did believe she meant it. It was a refreshing attitude really, Edward had always dictated what they did and how they did it, he was always so afraid of anything going even slightly wrong that he streamlined everything to fit his perfect narrative.
“I uh…Well I've sort of always wanted to get a tattoo”
She was afraid it was a silly thing to ask for but Alice's smile quickly wiped that fear away.
“I was wondering when you'd get your tattoo”
Bella tilted her head to the side in confusion.
“In all of my visions you have this Beautiful Tattoo”
In hindsight Bella probably should have guessed as much.
“That makes sense now that you say it.
Alice had already pulled out her phone and was looking at local parlors while Jasper just smiled shaking his head. Bella finished eating and quickly picked out some clothes to change into, before she knew it they were sailing down the road In Alice’s Porsche. To her surprise Jasper had insisted she take the passenger seat while Alice drove. She sat with her head against the cool of the glass, watching the foggy morning scenery zip past.
“You ok darling you're being awfully quiet?”
Jasper's voice cut through her thoughts and she shook herself back to attention.
“Hm? Oh I'm fine I'm just thinking about things before, and how maybe they weren't as good as I thought at the time.”
Both Alice and Jasper nodded as she said that, making her think that they had talked about that topic before.
“There was a lot of talk in the family about how Ed was treating you and how he was doing it but well, at the end of the day he was his own person and there wasn't much we could do without overstepping our bounds”
Alice said while merging onto the highway.
“Oh?” She questioned, now very interested in their thoughts on the matter.
Jasper spoke up first.
“Bringing a human so deep into our world without turning them its….it's not just unheard of it was stupidly dangerous, He was so insistent that he loved you and knew what was best for you but from where I'm sitting it didn't seem like he even knew you all that well. You were a curiosity, someone whose mind he couldn't read, and a singer to boot. A perfect candidate for him to project his wants on to.”
He sounded like he was going to go on but he stopped himself.
“Sorry I just….don't like the way he treated you.”
“No, don't apologize. I think it's good for me to hear that, '' she said with a sad smile. “I've been coming to the same conclusion really. Looking back I don't know why I let him do what he did.”
“Try not to be hard on yourself Bells” Alice cut in “It was your first relationship, and to boot we’re sort of built to persuade humans to do whatever we want, it comes with the territory.”
Bella chewed her lip as she gave it some thought.
“Yeah I guess you're right.”
“If there's anything I've learned in my time with her, it's that Alice is almost always right.”
Bella couldn't help but laugh. Someone who could see the future being right, who would have guessed. Though that did give her a thought.
“I am kinda curious…..If you knew someday it would be the three of us, why did you wait so long to say anything? Why let me spend any time with Edward?”
Alice let out a sigh.
“Well part of it is just that Edward got to you first so to speak but it's more complicated than that.” She paused to pick her words carefully. “You have to be careful with a gift like mine, Bella. It would be so easy for me to try and steer the lives of the people around me based on my Visions but it wouldn't be right of me to do that, to override their agency like that. People deserve to live their lives the way they see fit without my interference and trying to tell them how to live.”
“Huh, when you put it like that it makes a lot of sense.
“Besides,” Alice said with a smile. “I had already seen the future. I knew where you ended up, and we had already waited almost ninety years, what was a little more time.”
She pulled the car off the highway and on to a road Bella didn't recognize. And before long they were pulling into the parking lot of a Tattoo and Piercing parlor. She smiled just looking at it. She had wanted one for so long but she knew Charlie would never approve and Edward was….well Edward. Come to think of it, this was the first time she had made a decision solely for her enjoyment in longer than she could remember, and it felt good.
She spent nearly an hour sitting around a table with Alice and the artist drafting ideas before she had settled on what she wanted. It felt a little silly as Alice already knew what she would pick in the end but she clearly wanted it to be Bella's choice and Bella would never complain about that. She had finally decided on a simply yet elegant Ivy pattern that would sprout from her collarbone and wind its way down both her arms. The artist warned them how long a piece like that would take and how much it would cost but Jasper easily assured her that neither were of any concern, and so Bella Laid in the chair and the artist got to work.