23 | THE [BLOODY] POINT OF IT ALL |

AS RORY PINNED the last piece of her wavy hair back in a half-up, half-down style, she felt familiar cold yet gentle fingers on the nape of her neck. She looked behind her in the mirror to see the golden eyes belonging to the man she loved.

It was the day of Bella's surprise birthday party and it had taken everything within Rory to not ruin the surprise and pop over next door to wish Bella happy birthday. She had taken the day and most of the night to reflect on her future. She had reached a decision, knowing she wouldn't regret it or it's consequences. It was time to stop running away from her impeding future and embrace it because she didn't have more time to change it.

Jasper grinned at their reflection softly, briefly pressing a kiss to her exposed neck, where a golden chain now dangled a tiny, dime sized pendant with the Cullen crest surrounded by rubies. The pendant matched Jasper's own black leather cuff sans the jewels.

She couldn't hold back her surprised gasp. "It's beautiful."

It was an official symbol that Rory was indeed apart of the Cullen clan, despite being human.

Jasper kept his gaze on her in the mirror. "Yes, you are."

She turned around fully to kiss him furiously. His hand automatically held her face like a piece of glass and he bent over, while she entangled her hands through his blond curls and craned her neck to kiss him, gripping him as close as possible. She was channeling all the frustrations and fears in the kiss that had emerged since her fight with her mother the previous night.

Jasper pulled away, sensing through the intensity of the kiss that Rory was upset over something. He still couldn't read her emotions as he could other people, but he knew her well enough to know that something was the matter with his girl. "What's wrong?"

She sighed, a small part of her felt warm and tingly for how she didn't have to say a word for Jasper to know she was upset, he just knew her so well. "After you left yesterday, my mom and I got into an argument." She lowered her gaze as her mind ran through the intense discussion once more.

He tilted her head up towards his. "About me?"

"No—well, kind of. It was about my future," she said the word sarcastically. "How I'm holding myself back from opportunities and I shouldn't tie myself down before I've experienced the world and all this crap..."

He mulled over her words. "She's not entirely wrong," Jasper said slowly while Rory's eyes widened in confusion. He rubbed her warm, soft cheek with his thumb soothingly. "You of all people deserve to have the full human experience, sweetheart, which means college and careers and all that. I fully support whatever you want to do in life and whatever it takes for you to get there. I'll be by your side every step of the way whether you leave tomorrow or in three months or in ten years."

"She wants me to go to Italy."

His eyes widened. "Italy? Why—the internship. You never said you got accepted...that's amazing news, sweetheart." Jasper grinned broadly.

Rory shrugged nonchalantly. "I already decided I wasn't going so that's why I didn't tell you." She turned to walk over to her bed where her purse was.

He frowned, following after her. "Isn't it an exclusive internship? Only 30 students around the world get invited—I did some research when you mentioned it—"

She sighed exasperatedly, turning to face him with her brows furrowed together in frustration. "Would you come to Italy with me?"

Jasper blinked, immediately responding with an automatic, "No," because as much as he wanted Rory to live out her dreams, he couldn't risk the amount of danger going to Italy promised.

"That's what I thought," she said, before Jasper could explain his reasoning. Rory tried to hide the disappointment she felt hearing the word because as much as she had made up her mind about Italy, a small part of her desired it. She inhaled sharply, crossing her arms as Jasper looked at her intently. "So, it doesn't really matter what opportunities come because they're nothing compared to spending one more second with you. I choose you no matter what."

"Sweetheart." Jasper was standing a hairsbreadth away from her face instantly. His ice-like hand cupped the curve of her cheek as he tilted her face upwards until their eyes met. "I could see it in your eyes you're disappointed by my opinion. I know some part of you, no matter how deep you hide it or disguise it with vehement arguments, that you do want to accept the internship. And that's amazing, baby, and I think you should know why I say no."

Rory sighed, her eyes shutting briefly, as she clutched onto his gray sweater. "How do you know me more than myself?" she mused and opened her eyes to see him smiling at her ardently. "So what's the big vampire thing against Italy? Is it the garlic bread?"

He chuckled and shook his head. "It will be easier to explain it at my house. We should get there already or else we might be late to the surprise party."

"Oh?"

Jasper kissed her forehead as he walked over to the open window. "I'll meet you outside."

Must be some long explanation if he wanted to already be at the Cullen house just in case their conversation went overtime, Rory thought as she kissed Jasper goodbye before he jumped outside the window.

She hurried down the stairs, grateful that her mother was working a shift at the hospital. She stopped to check on her dog first, refilling Orion's water and food bowl, and then giving the older dog a nice scratch behind the ear. She had missed Orion; she had left her in the company of Jacob Black while she was away with Jasper. Jake had dropped her dog to Rory's home before going to greet Bella happy birthday at Forks High school.

Rory locked the front door behind her and walked over to the blue Jaguar where Jasper sat in the passenger seat. She raised her brow as she got behind the driver's wheel. "I see what you're doing, honey. Distracting me by making me drive will only delay the inevitable."

"What are you talking about?" He asked innocently, but his eyes were filled with mischief. "I just want to watch my beautiful girlfriend drive. It turns me on. Have I told you enough how gorgeous you look tonight, love?"

Rory rolled her eyes as he crept a hand on her bare thigh where her dress rode up, "Yeah, yeah. We're going to a birthday party, bub. And it's especially not going to happen at a house full of supersonic hearing vampires."

Jasper winked. "I'll find a way."

➖

Forty five minutes later, the Jaguar pulled up to the house that was fifteen minutes away from Rory's house. Rory placed her hand on the door handle the second after she parked in the garage, only for it to be opened by a smug Jasper.

"I'll always be faster than you, sweetheart," he grinned arrogantly as Rory stepped out of the car with a roll of her eyes.

She faced him with an innocent smile. "Don't I know it, darling." Rory patted his chest as she walked past him and into the house. His jaw dropped at her completely false accusation.

Before he could defend himself, Rory rushed into the parlor room designated for the surprise party. Everything was finished of course; candles and roses on every surface, a big three-tier cake, and a table full of presents.

"Rory!" The vampires within the room crowded the human girl while Jasper was left to sulk outside the circle next to Rosalie who watched.

Esme and Carlisle hugged her firmly, Alice kissed both her cheeks with glee, and Emmett picked Rory up and twirled her around while she giggled childishly.

"She's truly part of this family, huh," Rosalie remarked in a volume no one else would notice but Jasper. He turned to his vampire sister, his brow quirking as he read her emotions—acceptance, fondness, and a little sadness.

"Are you upset?"

"No," The ethereal blonde shook her head. "It's just bittersweet because this won't be forever Jasper. She doesn't want to be immortal."

Jasper looked down, his face crumpled in pain. "I know." He sighed, meeting Rosalie's stare. "I thought you would like that she doesn't want to become a vampire. You don't like Bella because she wants to become like us."

"Yes, but how will our family heal when she's gone? How will you go on without her?" She asked him worriedly.

In truth, she could get over Bella becoming a vampire because then at least Edward wouldn't mope and brood. But Jasper losing Rory was something Rosalie couldn't fathom. They were perfect for each other. If anything, it should be Bella choosing to remain human, but Rosalie had to commend Rory's choice.

Jasper looked at her with an agonized expression as if he had never truly weighed the consequences of Rory's choice, but before he could respond, Rory appeared at his side with a raised brow, sliding her arm around his waist.

"Jasper, don't think I forgot about the explanation you owe me," she said expectantly, unknowingly disrupting the sullen mood that had fallen over the pair of 'Hale twins'. Rory looked around him to smile at Rosalie. "Hey, Rose."

"Hey." Rosalie muttered briefly before melting away to the others.

Jasper shook his head while Rory looked at them questionably. He grabbed her hand and led her up to the third floor where they could have some privacy and he could help her understand.

Carlisle's office was filled with books and journals. Like most rooms in the house, parts of the the walls were made almost entirely up of glass overlooking the woods. The parts of the walls that weren't glass were covered in bookshelves and artworks the blond patriarch had collected in his course of over 300 years.

"This is why I brought you here," Jasper declared as he pulled her fully into the office.

"To show me ancient books?" Rory mused as she wandered around the room. She paused before the wall covered in paintings. "I do like this artwork..."

"Not only is this the reason why I'm not the biggest fan of Italy, it also explains why I avoided telling you my secret for as long as I did months ago. It was reckless of me, of Edward and myself really, because not only have we endangered our family, but we put you and Bella in danger," Jasper sighed deeply, walking up to a large painting. "Vampires have only one utmost rule—to keep the existence of our kind a secret. We don't make spectacles of ourselves, and we don't kill conspicuously."

Rory tried to stifle her snicker as she came up to Jasper's back and pressed her face into his marble shoulder. "So Bella and I are low key fugitives? Who's going to arrest us? The vampire police?" she asked jokingly.

"Close," Jasper gestured to three figures of the painting they stood in front of. "The Volturi are a very old, very powerful coven, headed by Marcus, Caius, and Aro and several members, most of them gifted in some way or another. They're the same closest thing to royalty my world has. Their city is called Volterra—"

Her eyes widened in realization. "—and it's in Italy. They won't exactly be happy if they found me in Italy, knowing what I know."

Vampires, she had learned, were quick to jump to assumptions. If she were to ever run into one in Italy, she'd give herself away so easily by simply looking into their eyes or accidentally smelling of Jasper.

He clenched his jaw so tightly it almost cracked. "Not even close. They wouldn't hesitate to kill you and severely punish me—though I would rather die a thousand deaths then let you get hurt."

"Is there any way they would be lenient?" Maybe the Volturi were chill and understanding.

Jasper winced. "Yes, but I'd rather not think about it. You wouldn't like it."

"Why?" She dreaded the answer.

"You'd have to become like me."

She blinked. "That's one way to commit."

He sighed turning in a blur to face her. "Rory, would you ever seriously consider...?"

"Becoming a vampire?" She raised her brow as he nodded. Rory sighed deeply. "I already decided I didn't want that for my future. I thought you understood?"

He held her face in between his palms. "I do, sweetheart, but what if the Volturi discover that you know our secret? They'd want you to turn or to...die. I can't lose you like that."

"You won't lose me to a bunch of hardass geezers. Maybe to cholesterol or some heart disease, but no red eye Italian vamp will get this girl," she tried to both lighten the mood and change the topic of conversation.

Jasper exhaled with a deep set frown. "Is immortality really such a bad thing? We'd be together forever and never have to suffer the pain of losing one another."

"I never wanted to become immortal," Rory said backing away.

"I don't want to lose you."

"You won't lose me," Rory argued, stepping closer to place her hand over where his heart should be. "I'll always be right here. And you'll still have a piece of me with you when I'm gone."

He was puzzled by her wording and the sudden quickening rate of her pulse. He wondered what she was hiding. Maybe it had to do with why Rory had decided to cut their trip short or her sudden mood swings and fear of the future.

"What would be the point of living in a world without you?"

Rory groaned, banging her head lightly into his chest. "Do we really have to do this now?"

"Yes." He pulled away from her until their eyes met again. "I want a future with you, Rory—"

"—so do I—"

"There'd be no point to living, whether you die because of the Volturi, a freak accident, or old age," he listed passionately, holding her shoulders.

She took another step back, her arms crossing. "So what? God forbid I die ten years from now or in a year or tomorrow—you'd find some way to commit suicide? What about our family, your friends, your life?"

Jasper's eyes darted every inch of her face. Something wasn't right. She was perfect as always, but something in her eyes told him to push further. "Rory, sweetheart, this isn't just about becoming a vampire, is it?"

Her eyes suddenly brimmed with tears and she bit the bottom of her lip. He was holding her in the next instant.

"What's wrong, darling?"

Rory chewed on her lip. "Remember my scary dream from yesterday? Before you dropped me home?" She described the future she had dreamed of, a part of her wishing it was real—the happy part, filled with wonderful children and marriage and a house by the sea. Jasper listened intently, carefully cradling the small part of her back comfortingly.

"Darling, you should never be afraid of me. I could never harm you, ever," he promised when she finished conveying the horror-filled ending of the dream. "You don't have to worry about that ever happening. It was nothing but a dream, sweetheart."

"What do you mean by that?" Her voice was scratchy but tough and inquisitive. "Of course you wouldn't be human, but we could still marry one day, have a big house by the sea, have children..." It sounded so perfect. She wanted it so bad.

Jasper frowned. "Rory, I don't think that could ever be an option for us."

"The marriage part or the children part?" She uttered the second part frightfully, like she was standing on the edge of a cliff.

"I would marry you in a heartbeat," he answered quickly.

She folded in on herself, her heart beating in a panic. "You don't want children?"

"...I just want you to be happy," Jasper said, his confusion at an all time high with the speed of her heartbeat. "I would never risk harming a human child."

"Even if they're ours?"

"It wouldn't be safe." Jasper explained. "You know what I am, Rory, I never pretended to be something I'm not."

She paced around Carlisle's office, her mind racing like her heart. "You don't know that. And you trust yourself with me, you could learn to control your thirst completely in the future. I believe in you. I want to have a family. I don't care if we adopt or have a surrogate or a sperm donor, they would be ours. And I know even if I die unexpectedly, I'd want my children to be with their dad, their family. You couldn't hurt them."

"You don't know that," he argued vehemently. The last thing he would ever risk next to Rory's life would be their hypothetical adopted human child's. "It's in my nature—"

"—to love? You have the biggest heart I know, Jasper. You are stronger than you think," she stated firmly.

"Rory, you're only seventeen, we don't need children now," Jasper said in puzzlement, utterly confused by the turn of their conversation.

Rory crossed her arms. "I've been through so much Jasper. My dad left us. My sister is dead. I owe it to myself and my sister to have a family of my own that isn't going to be fucked up like mine."

"Families aren't perfect, Rory," he said calmly, trying to understand where the sudden need for a family came from despite her hardly experiencing life fully. "They come in all shapes and sizes, you don't need children of your own to have a family."

"I know that! I know, Jasper, but that's the future I want! I don't care about being a doctor or and artist or whatever else pointless job everyone expects me to have—I want to be happy, with you, and our future child," she said bitterly, angrily wiping away the tears she couldn't control.

Jasper held her again, carefully helping her to wipe away her tears he didn't understand the reason for. "Rory, I cannot promise you that. I'm sorry, sweetheart. It's too dangerous."

She let out a scathing, dry laugh as she pushed him away. "Well, tough luck, because you should know—"

"—I'm sorry that I'm not enough," he said before turning around and walking out of the room. Jasper couldn't hear the rest of her heartbreaking words. He hated seeing her cry and at his fault too. He hated that he was making her unhappy, that he couldn't give her the future she wanted.

Rory's mouth froze in shock at his sudden departure. She hurried after him, her heart pounding in panic. "Jasper—Jasper wait."

She clutched onto his sleeve desperately keeping him from disappearing up the staircase to brood in his room.

He shook his head. "I need a second, Rory. I'm sorry."

She could do nothing as he walked up the stairs into the darkness. Some part of her feared it wouldn't be the last time he would walk away from her.

➖

Rory found herself watching the darkening sky from the balcony that wrapped around the third story of the Cullen house. She had been stuck in her thoughts for the last half hour since she and Jasper had argued.

Rory heard the whoosh of the sliding glass door and without turning to look, she sighed in defeat, "Jasper, I don't want to argue anym—oh. It's you." She blinked as instead of her tall, blond vampire boyfriend, the voluptuous blonde bombshell that was Rosalie Hale leaned next to her on the railing.

"Hello, Rory," her mouth curved upwards.

A weird silence prevailed as it was no secret the blonde hardly liked Rory and Rory didn't know much about Rosalie.

This was awkward.

Rory's mind flickered to the first thing it could think of in conversation subject matters with Rosalie. "How was Botswana?"

Rosalie smiled softly. "Beautiful. We stayed in Gaborone during the day. Hunting at night. Lots of lions."

"Bet Emmett enjoyed that," Rory remarked.

There was another long pause.

"I heard your argument with my brother," Rosalie finally addressed the elephant in the room.

Rory took a deep inhalation. "Sorry everyone had to hear that."

"Don't apologize. I'm glad you took a stand," Rosalie said firmly. "Unlike Bella, you actually value your humanity."

Rory shrugged. "Bella is Bella. Her body, her choice."

"Regardless—I wanted to check on you. Most vampires don't share those feelings about families and children as much as Esme or I do," Rosalie explained with a sad, understanding smile.

Rory rubbed her face tiredly and a little bashfully. "I must've sounded crazy, arguing with a vampire over having children, but is it so foolish for a girl to desire a family with the love of her life?"

Rosalie clamped her manicured hand on Rory's shoulder. "I share those sentiments, Rory, but I also understand where Jasper is coming from. If Emmett and I could adopt human children, we would, but it's just not possible. There's the difficulty of constantly moving place to place, the risk of accidentally harming the child is too great—it's probably hard enough for Jasper to resist you, but living with multiple humans is a risk no vampire has ever taken before."

"I know, I know it would be dangerous and impossible, but I guess I see my future working out a different way," Rory looked down at her feet to distract herself.

Rosalie shook her head. "We're vampires, Rory, there's not much of a future you could fully have remaining human, no offense."

"Trust me, I'm starting to see that now," Rory said bitterly. "I just have to learn to accept it." Her hands folded over her abdomen as she looked out to the thick expanse of the emerald forests that surrounded them.

The sliding door opened again and this time Emmett popped his head out with a wide grin. "Rose, Rory—Bella and Edward are coming down the driveway," he announced, gesturing to the private road that was barely visible through the thick trees.

"Oh joy," Rosalie muttered as she looked at Emmett. She glanced at Rory questioningly. "Are you going to wait to surprise her?"

"Yeah, I just need a second." Rory smiled as Emmett and Rosalie disappeared into the house.

Edward and Bella entered the huge decorated living room to see each and every Cullen waiting for her to ambush her with a loud, boisterous "Happy Birthday, Bella!" Candles were placed on every available surface, with crystal bowls full of rose petals accompanying them, a pile of silver presents were laid on the coffee table, and a huge cake on another table with a stack of two glass plates besides it.

As the Cullens greeted the birthday girl similarly to how they had greeted Rory just an hour before, Bella realized something. She looked at the tall blond vampire who leaned against the post of the staircase.

"Jasper?—wait, if you're here then—"

Bella spun around eagerly searching the room for her dark haired best friend. "Rory?"

"Surprise!" Rory emerged from the top staircase and ran down the steps, almost tripping over her feet in her hurry to hug her best friend.

"Careful, Rory, you almost slipped," Alice said warily as she watched the two human girls hug each other.

The pair of best friends hugged each other tightly, unburdened of the fear of breaking each other as the other vampires were. "Happy birthday, old lady!" Rory smiled, acting completely normal despite majority of the room knowing she and Jasper had been arguing.

Jasper watched her intently, waiting for the chance to pull Rory aside, apologize, and make up fully.

Bella grinned. "I thought you and Jasper were coming next Friday?"

"Eh, Los Angeles will be there next month, but my best friend only turn 18 once in her lifetime!" Rory ruffled Bella's hair.

"Please tell me you didn't get me a present," Bella said almost fearful. Next to Edward, Rory knew the most about her which meant Rory would either get her a really nice unnecessary sentimental gift or a crazy embarrassing gag gift.

"My presence is a present, darling," Rory winked. "but—" She was interrupted by a cold arm brushing against hers. She looked to her side to see her boyfriend staring at her apologetically as he spoke to Bella.

"—we got you a rare first edition copy of Wuthering Heights," Jasper announced.

Rory and Jasper exchanged one single look, both their eyes filled with silent "I'm sorry" and "I love you" and then their hands intertwined.

Bella was too busy freaking out to notice the other vampires smile at Jasper and Rory's unspoken make-up. The birthday girl hated presents but she loved her books. "Oh my god! No way!"

Rory smiled, leaning her head on Jasper's shoulder, before pausing. "Damn it, I left it upstairs. I'll just be a moment," she gestured for Jasper to stay in the living room while she jogged up the stairs.

Alice clapped her hands together. "That means time to open the rest of your presents!"

Rory jogged up the stairs to Carlisle's office, the last place her and Jasper had spoken. She bit her lip as the echoes of the conversation replayed in her head. She wished she wasn't so stubborn. Yet she knew she had good reason to bring the topic up, what with her recent discovery.

She pursed her lips tightly as her heart and mind battled with each other. Her logic fighting what she already knew to be impossibly true. It was only a matter of time before the truth, the real reason behind her recent actions and feelings and arguments, came out to everyone she knew.

Rory raised her hand to the necklace, rubbing the gold and ruby pendant thoughtfully. "Forever, huh." She picked up the book, unwrapped because she forgot, and headed downstairs where she heard the joyous laughter and opening of presents.

With one arm holding the hardbound book to her chest and the other pressed against her lower waist, she began to ascend down the multiple staircases of the Cullen home.

Rory arrived at the top of the staircase to see everyone gathered around Bella as she began opening another silver wrapped gift.

"Shoot," Bella muttered as she jerked her finger from underneath the pristine wrapping. She hissed in pain as she pulled her finger away, a visceral sound of skin slicing was heard by every vampire in the room. "Paper cut."

Rory's heart was in her throat as she watched with wide eyes at the top of the last staircase between her and the Cullens.

She didn't need vampire vision to know the paper cut was not bloodless.

The world stopped moving.

Rory's gaze immediately went to her boyfriend who had stiffened at the scent of blood coming from Bella's paper cut.

Then it all imploded into chaos.

"No!" Edward roared, immediately pushing Bella away, but accidentally shoving her into the table, where she crashed with the clinking of glass.

Rory ran down the stairs, desperate to get to her boyfriend, her mind immediately knowing she could calm him down. Then, in the cruelest, most unfortunate twist in fate, Rory's foot twisted over a step, sending her tumbling down the stairs uncontrollably.

Jasper slammed into Edward, and the sound was like the crash of boulders in a rock slide, as Edward threw him across the room into the piano. Jasper snarled and in a blur, turned towards Rory. Carlisle attempted to grab him, but Jasper ducked expertly. Emmett grabbed him from behind in the next second, locking him into his massive steel grip.

"Jazz...Jazz!" Alice went up to her best friend, trying to calm him down. "It's okay. It's just a little..." Her eyes went black as the powerful scent hit her, now coming from two different directions. Jasper was deaf as his wild, empty eyes were now trained on Rory. "...blood," Alice whispered in shock as she turned to see where Jasper was desperately trying to get to.

The Cullens followed their gaze.

In the chaos, no one besides Jasper had realized Rory had fallen down the stairs.

Rory gasped as she pulled herself up in a sitting position at the base of the stairs, the book lying facedown halfway up the stairway where it had been flung in her untimely tumble down the flight. Yet it wasn't the pounding of her head where she had banged it several times or her aching ankle or the overall stinging pain and cramps that racked through her body that worried her.

It was the sight of warm, crimson blood dripping down her thighs that stopped her heart.

No! She had no breath left in her lungs to scream.

She looked up in disorienting confusion and agony to face six blood-thirsty, black-eyed vampires sandwiched between a glass embedded eighteen year old girl and a seventeen year old girl having a miscarriage.

➖

uhhhhh......i am sorry to anyone who was as hurt by this chapter as i am

what do yall think is gonna happen next? leave some comments below!!