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Post by Jasper Hale on Jul 13, 2009 23:35:52 GMT -5
Jasper stood in the room he had shared with Alice for decades. After she had come to Florida and saved him Jasper remembered everything. That meant everything. Jasper growled to himself as his hands curled into tight fist. He stood at the window and placed a flat palm against the glass. "How do I face you again Alice?" Jasper's hand clenched into a fist once again, and he rested his hand on the window. He became lost in memories and one in particular that Jasper wished he could go back to forgetting. Jasper growled and pounded his fist obliterating the fragile glass with a simple hit. He paced around his old room with no goal in mind and Jasper finally sat down in the middle of the carpet. He closed his eyes and settled into the memories that brought him the most joy. The memories before Jasper had made the biggest mistake of his life.
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Post by Bella Cullen on Jul 13, 2009 23:50:34 GMT -5
Bella walked into the mansion, sighing lightly and sitting on the couch. The past few weeks had been draining on Bella...emotionally that was. Seeing her daughter become a mother herself and watching her interact with her child brought back memories of when Renesmee was just a baby herself. Bella was glad to have a granddaughter, but at the same time yearned for that time to be brought back with her own child. Renesmee had grown up so fast, but Bella would never trade that precious time with her daughter for anything in the world. She knew that Renesmee would treasure the time with Alicia as well and Bella revelled in the thought that she now had a grandchild to spoil.
As she sat there, she heard the sound of shattering glass upstairs. Her senses immediately took over as she caught wind of a faintly familiar scent drafting from the same vecinity that she heard the glass shatter. It can't be... she thought, trailing off. Getting up from her perch on the couch, she cautiously walked upstairs to what used to be Jasper and Alice's room. Peering inside, she saw a sight she never thought she would see again; her brother sitting in the center of the room. From the looks of him, she could tell that he was broken up inside about something. She took one step forward into the room, slowly and cautiously. "Jasper?" she asked in a soft whisper.
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Post by Jasper Hale on Jul 14, 2009 0:58:26 GMT -5
Lexie had come bursting in the door. Jasper had not spent very much time around Bella’s cousin, but he had known well enough even without his gift something was wrong. Jasper forced the memory away and traded it in for a happier one; the first birthday party Alice had thrown for him. She had done it more in celebration that they finally had each other, and the true love that came with their meeting. Jasper smiled to himself thinking, ‘Leave it to Alice Cullen to come up with a reason to throw a party.’
Alice had done the perfect job in actually celebrating in a toned down manner the best that she knew how. Alice had always been his rock, and if what had happened in Florida was any indication, Alice would forever and always be the basis of his sanity. His thoughts were becoming tortured again as Jasper’s less than pleasant memories began to appear. Jasper distantly felt confusion flow around him as he fought the urge to suppress it. He heard someone whisper his name and with more hope Jasper would ever admit to he opened his eyes begging for it to be Alice. In the end he was not faced with his ex-wife; Jasper was faced with a shocked sister. A sister that he had abandoned. “Hello Bella.”
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Post by Bella Cullen on Jul 14, 2009 1:08:56 GMT -5
Bella remained catatonic as she stared her brother in the eyes for the first time in half a year. She remembered the anger she had felt in reading the letter that indicated that he was leaving them all and the consequences of said letter. It had almost pushed Renesmee into early labor, but thankfully Alice had been there to calm her down and avoid an early delivery of the baby. Oh Alice... she suddenly thought and wondered if she knew that he was home and in their very bedroom...or what used to be their bedroom so very long ago. She hoped that Alice didn't know for the sake of keeping the peace around the house; at least for the time being.
Yet, there was something in her brother's eyes that told her there was more than meets the eye. Something had happened to him while he was away that he could not talk about. Bella took a painstakingly slow step in her brother's direction, hoping not to startle him or scare him away again. Even though she had felt anger in the beginning when he had left, she was relieved that he was now home...or it seemed like it. "Jasper," she whispered again. "Is it really you?" The question hung hauntingly from her lips as she asked it. Many times she had dreaded this moment because she had feared it would not be this simple; that he would walk back into the doors of their home just like that. Her brother was back, but for how long?
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Post by Jasper Hale on Jul 14, 2009 12:43:57 GMT -5
Jasper found it within himself to turn to Bella. It did not last long because he felt so much emotion flowing from her. Jasper closed his eyes as he felt the faint burning of anger from Bella, however he knew that anger was not the dominant emotion. It was the hurt. Jasper knew that he would never be able to focus on what Bella was saying or asking if she was feeling this way. Normally Jasper would just ignore it or try to forget it, but he had tried that too much and he had to get rid of something. Jasper focused on Bella’s feelings of pain, lingering anger, and hurt and in his mind encased it and brought it into himself before sending it all away. Jasper felt the calm that lingered in the room. He let out a deep breath that was physically unnecessary, but necessary for his focus. Jasper had lost so much in Florida and what had come back to him he owed to Alice.
Bella had said his name again and in her shock asked if he was really there. While speaking with her would not be anywhere to being as bad as facing Alice or Rosalie, Jasper was not relishing how he could see this conversation going. Bella had gone above the call of duty when Jasper thought about it. She had not defended him as staunchly as Rosalie had Bella did deliver his beautiful children. Bella while understandably biased in favor of Alice, Bella had also tried to play the peace keeper of the whole ordeal. Jasper realized he was facing a difficult apology. He got to his feet and opened his eyes, Jasper nodded to his sister, “Yes Bella it is really me.” Jasper at that point was unsure of how to continue.
The way Jasper saw things they could continue to stare at one another or he could fold first. Folding first went against Jasper’s very nature but he swallowed it down with the thought of it warming him up to face Rosalie and Alice. “Bella…I…” Jasper thought for a second about what he needed to say, “As you probably know I am not good with apologizes Bella. I know though I made a mistake and I want to prove that I am man enough to face up for it. I am truly sorry for everything that I have caused Bella.” Jasper turned to face Bella accepting whatever she would have to say to him.
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Post by Bella Cullen on Jul 14, 2009 14:13:24 GMT -5
Standing there in the doorway of the room, Bella saw the plain emotions written across her brother's face and understood that pain it was causing him to be there. She knew that it was difficult for him to feel all of her emotions, ranging from the anger she originally felt to the relief she felt now to see her brother there. Bella knew that his power was sometimes unfair to him, especially in an emotionally distraught setting. But she also knew that he had better control over it than anyone gave him credit for. When she saw the relaxed tone on his face, she knew that he was better.
Hearing him speak solidified the fact in her mind that he was actually real and not some figment of her cruel imagination. As he got to his feet, she watched him struggle to find the words he wanted to say. In truth, Bella had no idea what to even begin to say to her brother. She knew that he would get enough of a tongue lashing from Rosalie and would have to deal with a ton of emotions when it came to Alice...but she honestly did not know what she wanted to say to her brother of thirty years. But when he spoke first, apologizing for what he had done and owning up to the fact that he had done wrong, Bella knew exactly what she would say to him. Hearing his apology dissolved a vast majority of her ill feelings toward him.
Once he was finished, she stepped forward and took her brother's hand...ice on ice. "Jasper," she said softly, looking into his eyes as a loving sister. "when you left, none of us understood why you were running away. But, even through our anger and disappointment, we still wanted our brother to come home. And now that you're back, I know that I've forgiven you for what happened...but the others are going to be a little harder to convince." Bella paushed and thought about Rosalie's reaction and then again about Alice. Her sweet sister Alice...the one most affected by this entire mess. "But I know that the man you are now and the man I knew as my brother are not the same as the man we saw during the Lexie situation and aftermath. I see that now."
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Post by Jasper Hale on Jul 14, 2009 18:06:05 GMT -5
Jasper was nothing less then floored when Bella took his hand into her own. If it were possible Jasper became more stunned as Bella spoke and with her words forgiven him. He closed his eyes for a few moments savoring that forgiveness he could feel rolling off of Bella. Jasper’s own hurt took over for a moment as he could feel it edge into Bella before she began to speak again. Jasper by this point had opened his eyes and squeezed Bella’s hand after she finished speaking. Hoping that the sisterly look would not diminish after he finished speaking Jasper looked Bella in the eye, “Bella I left for reasons that have hardly been justified. I never meant to be gone for so long quite a lot happened in Florida. That does not excuse my actions and I want to prove it to myself and the rest of the family that I deserve the last name Cullen. Do you know where Rosalie is at?” He wanted no offense towards Bella but there was a part of him that wanted to speak to his twin. Jasper knew that would be the second hardest apology and he felt that the outcome could very well be a fight. Rosalie did not handle betrayal well and Jasper knew that he had cut her to the very core when he walked away. He wanted to make things right with his twin, and Jasper knew it would be the hardest apology besides the day he would have to face Alice again.
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Post by Bella Cullen on Jul 15, 2009 21:16:44 GMT -5
Bella nodded in understanding as Jasper continued to speak. It was hard for her to not object to what he was saying because she understood his feelings of ineptness as a Cullen. He had failed them in every way possible when he left; even abandoning his children, which was a far worse crime in Bella's mind because she was a mother herself. Never in her life could she see herself abandoning her daughter, regardless of the situation. However, she had pushed beyond all of those feelings to forgiveness with her brother, knowing he was not in his right state of mind. Her heart bled for him because of all that he had lost, but she knew that things would start to get better because he was actually home. The family wanted him back, regardless of what had happened in the past.
"I have not seen Rosalie in a few days," she quietly answered his question, letting go of his hand and pulling out her phone. "But I can send her a text message to come home if you would like for me to." Bella had no idea how Jasper wanted to approach the rest of the family being as she just happened to stumble into the same room he was occupying in the house. After being gone for nearly six months, she knew that there were bound to be some hard feelings on the sides of Esme and Rosalie especially. But she knew they would be glad to know he's alive and well...even if they did want to punch him through several walls...at least Rosalie would.
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Post by Jasper Hale on Jul 16, 2009 15:44:23 GMT -5
Jasper felt Bella’s emotions from before coming back and before he was able to force them out again, Bella’s wonderful emotion of forgiveness took over. He knew that when he faced Rosalie the pain he would go through could cripple him, but Jasper would have to face the music and right now would be as good as time as any. That was why when Bella offered to text Rosalie to come home that Jasper felt some resignation towards facing his twin once again. Jasper like a professional encased that emotion and did his best to send it away as he nodded to Bella. “I would greatly appreciate that Bella; I need to speak with her as soon as possible.” He sighed in his head knowing the situation that was going to happen and part of Jasper considered whether or not Bella should leave the room. After a moment Jasper spoke again, “Bella after you text her could you wait for her downstairs, and send her up here? I need to speak with her alone.” ‘And I need you out of the way if a fight begins.’ Jasper mentally added.
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Post by Bella Cullen on Jul 16, 2009 20:43:29 GMT -5
Bella nodded silently as she looked down at her phone in her hand, sliding it open to send a text message to Rosalie. She knew the inevitable storm of rage and emotion was going to come flying out, so getting it over with as the easiest thing for Jasper to do. Rosalie had all but destroyed the trees outside of the mansion when Jasper left, so Bella could only begin to imagine what her reaction was going to be when she saw him standing there in the middle of the house. As her fingers slid idly over the keys, she thought about what exactly to text her sister. She would have to choose her words very carefully so it wouldn't send Rose into a flying fit of rage before she even got home. Finally deciding what to say, she tapped out the message.
Rose, I need you to come back to the mansion as soon as you can manage. There is something important we need to discuss.
-Bella
As she sent the text, she looked back at her brother and nodded again. "I'll wait for her downstairs," she agreed gently. "Just know that whatever happens, I am here for you. We are family and families are there for each other through thick and thin." With those words, she reached out and squeezed Jasper's hand once before walking out of the room. Decending the stairs into the living room, Bella sent a silent prayer to whoever was listening that Rosalie not try to kill Jasper. She wanted her family back together. Getting to the bottom of the stairs, she went and sat on the couch in the living room to wait for Rosalie. I hope she's in a receptive mood today... she thought.
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Post by Rosalie Hale on Jul 16, 2009 22:09:29 GMT -5
Rosalie had not been staying at the mansion much. She could not stand to walk by the closed door of the room that used to be her twins and Alice's. She was still hurting over him leaving and knew that she would always miss him. When vampire's changed it was forever. Rosalie was shopping to try and take her mind off of Jasper. She had been thinking about him a lot lately, about how he had promised to always stay in contact with her. It had been six months and not even a letter. She hated him for betraying her like that. She was his twin and he turned his back on her. She was the one the stood by his side, against the rest of the family. How could he do that to her. She thought back over the letter that he had left, not even one for her but to the whole family. Rose was in a department store in Port Angeles and was getting to the point that she wanted to destroy something when she got Bella's text.
After she read the text she left all the new clothes that she had picked out and went straight home. She knew by now that if Bella or Edward said to come home that something major had happened. Rose drove her convertible at the speed of light home and parked it in the drive way. Rose jumped out and all but ran to the front door. As she opened the door, she took a deep breath and caught the scent that she had not smelled in the mansion in almost half a year. Rose froze at the front door and would not go in the house. She just stood there staring at the stairs.
When she finally moved it was to turn to Bella in disbelief. "Is that why you called me home?" She said to Bella. She knew that he was home but that did not mean that she wanted to see him. She really wanted to destroy something now. She knew that Esme would not forgive her for ripping the house apart. Rose wheeled on her heels and stormed into the woods. She would find the largest, biggest tree in the forest to destroy.
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Post by Bella Cullen on Jul 16, 2009 22:20:25 GMT -5
Bella waited patiently for Rosalie to arrive home, but knew that the storm that would come through the front door would not be easy to deal with. Rosalie's anger was the worst when it came to Jasper; not even Alice could compete with how angry Rose was with him. And that was saying something. But Bella completely understood and could empathize with Rose on some level because her twin brother had abandoned her when she had stood up for him against everyone in the entire family. It wasn't easy for her to just watch him walk away the way he had. But Bella also knew that they had to forgive him at some point. That is what families were supposed to do.
The minute she heard Rosalie's car arrive, she braced herself as she heard footsteps approaching the front door. When she saw Rose's face, she knew it was not going to be pretty. She knew immediately that Jasper was in the house just by his scent. Before she could even answer Rosalie's question, Rose was out the door to destroy something. Shaking her head, Bella took off out the door after her into the woods. She knew that if she didn't do something, Rosalie would push herself off the deep end and never come back. Catching up to her sister, she grabbed her wrist and halted her. "Rose, listen to me," she said firmly, but gently. "Yes, Jasper is home and that is why I called you back. He wants to talk to you. He knows he screwed up and admits that. And I will be damned if we push him away when he wants to come home and make things right." Bella knew that she had to be this harsh with Rosalie. Her personality demanded it.
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Post by Rosalie Hale on Jul 16, 2009 22:30:28 GMT -5
Rose felt Bella grab her and as shocked into stopping. She had no choice but to listen to her as Bella was not letting her go. Of course Rose could have forced the issue, but it was not her sister that she was mad at. "Bella, you can not understand how I feel. It is more than just family with me. Jasper was my twin for almost a century. He promised to never leave me and that is exactly what he did. Next to Emmett, Jasper was always the one that I was closest to. He ripped my heart out when he left. I am not going to just walk up to his room like nothing happened and forgive him." She all but yelled at her sister. Rose wanted to punch something but she did not want it to be Bella. "If he want to talk to me then he can find me." She said firmly as she pulled away from Bella and jumped into the closest tree, before running through the tops of them. Rose finally landed back on the ground just before crossing the border to the wolves land. She stopped and wished that she could cry just to get the frustration out.
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Post by Bella Cullen on Jul 16, 2009 22:39:28 GMT -5
Bella listened as her sister took out her frustration on her, telling her that she would never understand how she felt. What Rosalie never realized was that Bella did understand exactly how she felt. When Alice left, it broke her heart because Alice was not only her sister, but her very best friend. Alice had been the first Cullen to accept Bella into the family as Edward's true love. It was almost unfair of Rose to accuse Bella of not understanding when she, above all in the family, would understand how she felt. Bella sighed deeply and just let Rosalie go, intending not to cause another fight in the family.
Frustrated and dejected, Bella returned to the mansion and walked upstairs to where Jasper was still waiting. Giving him the most pitied look, she shook her head. "Rosalie wouldn't even come into the house," she said, shaking her head. "She took off into the woods and said that if you wanted to talk to her, you should go find her." Feeling the weight of the stress she was bearing, Bella plopped into Alice's computer chair and put her hands on her temples. "I don't know what you were wanting to do Jasper, but she headed down toward La Push. She probably passed it up and went further toward the coast or something."
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Post by Jasper Hale on Jul 16, 2009 23:09:10 GMT -5
Jasper listened in antagonizing anticipation after Bella left the room so that he would be able to face Rosalie alone. After what felt a century to Jasper he could hear Rosalie drive up to the house and stop at the front door. As she approached the house he could feel her anticipation, but that changed the moment Rose realized he was back. The pain that Jasper felt from Rosalie when she knew he was upstairs nearly crippled him and he grabbed onto his old dresser for support. Sort of as self punishment Jasper refused to try and control her emotions as he tried to focus on the words that he could hear his sisters snapping at each other. Jasper also knew that it would have been wrong of him to control Rose’s pain like that when it was directed at him. After several extremely intense and painful moments the pain and anger that was controlling Rosalie ebbed and before Bella came back he knew Rose was gone. Jasper gripped the dresser under his hand and he could hear the wood begin to groan in protest of the sudden pressure.
Bella came in and Jasper could feel her frustration and pain at what had just happened downstairs. She confirmed what Jasper could already feel, that Rosalie had left. Jasper then waited long enough for Bella to tell him which way Rosalie had been going with a short, “Thank you.” Jasper ran out of the Cullen mansion to find his twin. It only took him a few moments to locate Rosalie; she had in fact crossed into the wolves’ territory and against his comfort without a second thought Jasper crossed the invisible line. Jasper knew that he was getting close to Rosalie because the hurt and betrayal that she was feeling was consuming him. Jasper swallowed against his deserved punishment and walked towards Rosalie not liking the fact he was coming to this particular fight unarmed. As Jasper approached Rosalie’s back that she had to him he argued with himself, ‘The worst she could do is rip your arms out of their sockets not as if there is a fire for her to put it in. Hell man you deserve it take the punishment that is deserved of your crime. Just as he reached her Jasper had made up his mind, Jasper did something that was an extreme rarity, as he could probably count on his hands how many times he had done this to Esme, or Rosalie. Jasper put his arms up and hugged Rosalie. “Rose I am so sorry for what I have done to you. I know I do not deserve it but I am begging you for the chance to prove I deserve the honor of being your brother.”
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