Summary:

After years of abuse, Bella finally gets a chance at freedom. After years of searching, Jasper finally finds what he's been looking for. Will they get their happy endings or will Bella's past and present make their future together become nonexistent? AU. J&B, Cannon couples and Non-cannon couples.

Disclaimer:

owns it all, but there's nothing wrong with playing with them, right?

Chapter 1 – Forks

Bella POV

The darkness that the cloud covered sky seemed to have caused made her feel as if it was late afternoon when it was barely even noon. She rubbed her eyes and glanced around her darkened room again. It looked untouched since she was last here 6 years ago. The walls were still painted in a lilac color, although it was paler now from the passing of time. Her dresser that stood tall and strong in the far corner of her room, next to her door, was still covered in old toys; barbies, stuffed animals, and one random hot wheels car that she had taken from her best friend when they were younger. She sighed and frowned as she shoved the purple comforter off her bed. This is not the room she wanted to spend her last 2 years of high school in. Changes will have to be made. She had changed a lot since she was last here, and her room should reflect her new self.

She walked over to her unpacked suitcase and pulled out her small toiletries bag. First a hot shower, some coffee, and then she'd talk to her dad about the changes she wanted to make to her room. As she left her room and entered the only bathroom in the house, her mind began to wash over all she wanted to do to her room. First…the paint job. Maybe a nice light blue color. Blue was after all her favorite color. Then she needed to clean out the old toys and replace them with the stuff she had bought with her. She also needed to get new sheets and comforter, maybe even some new decorations for her room. Lastly, before she started in a week, she would need some clothes that were compatible with the Forks cold weather. All she had was shorts and tanks from her warm Arizona days. Yes…new clothes was a must.

She shut off the water once her hair was fully washed with her strawberry shampoo and conditioner. She made her way back to her room and hand dried her hair before pulling on the only pair of blue skinny jeans she owned and a blue tank top. She flinched slightly as she pulled her tank top over her stomach. She still refused to look at her body in the mirror. She didn't want to see the scars of her past. She was in Forks now. A new start. A new life.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, pushing the horrible memories back to its secret place in her mind. She refused to think about them. She refused to think about…them. She grabbed her cell phone after brushing out her long wavy mahogany colored hair and made her way down the stairs to the kitchen.

She could hear her father already in the living room, watching some sport on TV. She turned on the coffee machine and glanced into the living room.

"Hey dad, want some coffee?" she decided to offer.

"No thanks Bells." Charlie glanced up at her and smiled. "You look nice."

"Yeah, I'm going to head out to Home Depot." She shrugged. "I thought I could repaint my room before school starts. You know, make it a little fresher, if that's alright."

"Of course, hun." Charlie stood up and stretched as the game went into halftime. "Want me to come with?"

"No." she shook her head. "I'll be fine. I'm used to doing things on my own."

Charlie frowned but didn't say anything. Ever since he picked up his daughter from the airport yesterday, he saw how independent she was. A little too independent for a 16 year old. But he kept his mouth shut because he didn't want to cause any problems. Having her finally come to live with him was enough for him. If his observations later on were worse, then he would talk to her about herself. He could tell that something had happened during the past 6 years of her life to make her into the hard shell she was today, but for now, maybe a new environment will help her to soften her edges. If it didn't, then he would talk to her.

"Well, here's my debit card then." He quickly pulled the card out of his wallet. "Use it for whatever you're planning to get. Maybe you should get some clothes too during the week before school starts."

"I was just going to use the money I saved up before I came here for the clothes and stuff, so it's ok dad." Bella shook her head at the debit card.

"Bella, you're living with me now." He said in what he hoped was a stern voice. "I'm taking care of you now. Use my card. This isn't going to be debate."

Bella grabbed the card and turned her head away quickly before he could see a tear fall from her eyes. She had no recollection of anyone ever taking care of her. For her entire life, she had taken care of herself and her mother. At the age of 5, she was making sure that the bills were paid on time, food was always in the house and clothes were always clean. She learned to cook at 7, and since then she was the one making all their meals. At 13, she had begun working in a small grocery shop, not far from their current home, because her mother had given up on finding a real job, and unemployment checks, along with Charlie's child support, was barely enough for their rent and food. At 14, Phil entered their life and things took a much different turn. A path that she should have run from, but didn't have the strength or energy to try.

When Charlie called them a week ago, he had demanded that Renee send Bella to him for the last two years of high school, threatening to take her to court if she didn't. He hadn't seen his daughter in over 2 years since Renee had demanded that he not come visit them because Phil didn't want to deal with any exes. But it seemed Charlie had had enough and so, Bella was sent to Forks. What Charlie didn't know was that he had practically saved her life by ordering Bella's departure.

Bella had decided then and there that she would do everything to make her father's life happy and as comfortable as possible. She knew that he couldn't cook, and that was her first step towards him. She wanted to cook as much as possible for him. She hoped that Forks would become her new path. A path to happiness…joy…and safety.

She quickly wiped her tear away and poured herself some coffee. She sat down next to her dad and watched the game with him as she sipped her coffee. She understood nothing about football, but just being near her father was pure contentment. Once the coffee was done, she pulled on her pair of blue converse sneakers, kissed her father's cheek tentatively and left the house. Her face broke into a smile as she stared at the old red pickup that Charlie had surprised her with yesterday. It was the perfect vehicle for her. It represented her…used…broken…but still managing to function and run. She slipped on her mp3 player, hopped into the driver's seat, started it the way Jacob, her best friend, had showed her yesterday and shot off down the road towards Home Depot.

Jasper's POV

The stench of blood engulfed his senses as the store worker sliced his hand open on the new dryer he was trying to load into a box. Jasper quickly turned away before the man could notice that his eyes had gone from yellow gold to black. He inhaled deeply and stepped away. He needed to focus on another scent. Any other scent. Just not the scent of blood.

"Would ya mind if I just go fix this quickly sir, or are ya in a hurry?" the worker wondered.

"Please, take care of your hand." Jasper said in a strained voice. "I'll wait."

The man quickly shuffled off to what Jasper could only assume was the employee room. He groaned, still smelling the scent of the man's blood. He stepped away from the loading area and reentered the store. He inhaled deeply, trying to concentrate on another scent. Anything … sawdust … rust… paint… paint… paint! But it wasn't paint…it was something in the paint section. The most amazing and tantalizing thing he'd ever smelt before. It was calling to him. It was a mixture of strawberries and coffee. The scent was so strong that it immediately brought back vivid memories of him eating strawberries. Strong to the point that he began to remember what the fruit actually tasted like. Before his mind could focus on reality, his body, most specifically, his feet, were moving him towards this enticing scent. The closer her got, the more engulfing it became. He made his way towards the paint aisle and found it practically empty with the exception of the perfectly curved body standing in front of the paint swatches. Tiny fingers gently grazed over different shades of blue. He couldn't see her face, but it didn't matter. Long, wavy brown hair cascaded down her back, stopping right at beginning of her hip bone, allowing her perfectly shaped ass to be exposed from her skin tight jeans. Jealousy instantly seeped into his mind at the thought of anyone else staring at this Aphrodite beauty.

As if sensing his presence, the girl turned around with a frown on her face. Once he locked onto her eyes, there was no turning back. Her soul flowed out of her eyes into his own. His whole world stopped in that moment. It was her. The girl he'd been looking for for over 100 years. The girl he'd been searching every end of the earth for. The girl he'd almost given up on looking for. As a bright smile instantly replaced the frown on her face, Jasper's dead heart felt like it had awakened. This was her. This was his mate.

"Excuse me, sir." The goddess called out to him. "Can I ask your opinion on something?"

"Of course, ma'am." His Texas southern accent instantly appeared. He grinned to himself as he heard his own voice. He had kept his accent hidden, but with this girl, he knew there wasn't any reason to hide it.

He approached her quickly and stared down at her tiny frame. He was at least a foot taller than her, but he could see that she was created to fit perfectly against him.

She looked away and pointed at two light blue swatches. She pulled them off the wall and turned to face him.

"Which one looks…calmer?" she wondered.

As his eyes locked onto hers again, he saw something that he had hoped to never see. Pain … anguish … sadness … anger. As he saw it in her eyes, he felt it protruding from her very being.

"Um…that one." He croaked out as he pointed to the one in her left hand.

"I thought so." She smiled up at him again and replaced the one in her right hand. "Thanks…um…"

"Jasper." He finished for her after gaining control of his own emotions. "And you?"

"Bella." She turned on her heel and walked away from him. "See you around."

Every part of him wanted to run after her. Grab her. Kiss her senseless. But he knew he may have lost himself if he did that. He needed to hunt. He understood now why Alice had sent him here instead of Edward. Alice had been acting a lot happier around him lately and now he knew why.

He had found his mate. His life was now complete. All he had to do now was meet her again and hoped that she would give him a chance to get to know her. He wanted to know everything about her. Especially what or who had caused the internal demons that were running around in her.

"There you are!" the store worker breathed out. "You're all set sir."

He nodded to the man and followed him back to the loading dock. They got the dryer loaded into Emmett's jeep. He started the car and drove around the building to the parking lot. His senses alerted him to her scent once more. She was loading cans of paint into her old truck. A truck that looked like it could break down from just standing still. The need to follow her almost took over, but once again, as if sensing him, she looked into his direction and smiled at him. She gave him a wave before getting into her truck and heading out of the parking lot.

As he put the car into gear to follow her, his phone began beeping. He pulled it out of his pocket and looked down at the screen. One new message, from Alice.

'Don't follow her. You'll see her in a week. She's starting school with us.'

Jasper smiled to himself and put the car into the direction of their home. He would see her again. He had a week to work on his thirst and then he would be able to see his future again. The start of school couldn't come fast enough.

A/N

I hope it's good. It's my first time here. I plan to update every week. Rate and Review. Let me know what you would like to see happen! J