Chapter Five
Meeting the Family
Bella

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Jasper asked me, opening the car door for me and offering me his hand.

"Stop trying to change my mind. I'm meeting your family today." I laughed.

Jasper and I have only been together for a week and half, and I just found out that his family is a coven of vampires yesterday. Everything is moving so fast, so why not rush to meet his family as well?

Apparently they're already excited about meeting me according to Jasper. He says they haven't been this excited since Alice joined the family. He hasn't told me a lot about his family however, just their names and what they look like and a little bit about how they act.

"Last chance to turn around and leave." Jasper told me, offering me a sly grin as his hand gripped the doorknob.

"You wish." I laughed.

"Well, I warned you." He shrugged and opened the door for me.

The entryway was incredible, but what really astounded me was Jasper's parents standing proudly on the first step of the stairs.

They were so...perfect. Doctor Cullen smiled happily at me and Mrs. Cullen was so kind seeming and just gave off an overwhelming motherly atmosphere that it left me speechless.

"Hello Bella, we're so glad you could come." Mrs. Cullen smiled at me and stepped forward to give me a careful hug.

"Thank you Mrs. Cullen. I'm happy I came too." I smiled back at her.

"Oh no, please just call me Esme." She shook her head. "Cullen still sounds so strange." She laughed with Carlisle.

"Esme and Carlisle haven't been married very long." Jasper told me.

"Really?" I asked surprised, knowing that they were both much older than they looked.

"Just nearing ten years." Carlisle smiled proudly.

"All thanks to Alice of course." Esme smiled lovingly up at her husband.

"I feel like a lot happens because of Alice." I giggled.

"I think so too." Carlisle laughed, Esme and Jasper joining him on their inside joke.

"Bella!" A small girl with small features and short black hair cheered from the top of the stairs. "It's so nice to meet you!" She giggled and, using super human speed, she suddenly had her arms wrapped around me.

"Alice." Carlisle warned and she dropped down to her feet with a guilty smirk on her face.

"Sorry." Alice apologized. "I got a little too excited again. We're going to be great friends." She giggled happily, and everyone couldn't help but laugh with her.

"Are you up to no good again Alice?" One of Jasper's brothers turned the corner and entered the room suddenly.

I gasped a little when I first saw him, he was covered in ghastly scars. He must be Edward. I saw a flicker of pain cross his face when I was afraid and instantly felt guilty.

"Edward, I'm so sorry, I didn't-"

"It's alright." He held up his hand and offered me a small smile before leaving the room again.

"Alice, I really didn't mean-"

"It's okay Bella." She promised me. "That actually happens a lot, he was surprised you weren't more afraid then you were." She smiled at me.

"Are you sure, I don't want him to hate me." I sighed, feeling awful for upsetting him like that.

"He doesn't hate you Bella." Alice laughed. "Why don't we all go sit down, we may be able to stand still forever, but Bella can't." Alice took my arm and pulled me along with her into the living room.

"Maybe you should go check on Edward?" Esme asked Alice, sounding very worried.

"He needs time to calm down." Alice told her and settled into an armchair. "Don't worry, he'll come back in two hours."

"How do you know?" I asked her.

"Oh, you haven't told her?" Alice perked up, wide golden eyes looking at Jasper.

"No, I felt that you might want to disclose it yourself." Jasper laughed.

"Disclose what?" I asked confused.

"That I see the future." Alice smiled happily at me and I froze.

"Like...things that haven't happened yet?" I asked in amazement.

"Yes." Alice giggled. "I guess you could say that."

"That's incredible!" I smiled at her. "So, did you know I was coming?" I asked.

"From a mile away." Alice winked at me with a wickedly wonderful smirk on her face.

I can definitely see us becoming best friends.

After a few hours of talking with the Cullen's, and laughing with them too, Edward came back into the room and crossed to stand behind Alice's chair.

"Well, I guess I should take you home before your dad starts to worry about you." Jasper told me.

"Oh, I actually need you to come upstairs with me Jasper. I need to talk to you about something very important." Carlisle told him.

"Can it wait until later?" Jasper asked.

"I'm afraid not. It's urgent." Alice told him.

"So you're in on this?" Jasper asked her.

"Visions." Alice giggled and I copied her.

"Don't worry, you three go ahead, I'll take Bella home." Edward suddenly spoke up.

"Are you sure?" Jasper asked, seeming a little worried.

"Yeah, I'm sure I can manage driving her home." Edward chuckled. "If you feel comfortable of course?" He asked me.

"Okay." I nodded, a little nervous about being in a car alone with the vampire I had just insulted earlier.

"Lets go then." Edward nodded and headed outside.

"I'll be okay right? He's not mad at me or anything?" I asked Alice.

"He would never do anything to hurt you, Edward is as harmless as a fly. He just wants to talk to you I'm sure." Alice laughed.

I headed outside to the garage where Edward was waiting, holding the passenger door of his Volvo open for me.

"Alice is just wonderful, and she's so pretty." I smiled at him, hoping that bringing up his girlfriend would ease the tension as he pulled out of the driveway.

"She's perfect, if you think she's pretty now you should've seen her when she was human, she had the most gorgeous long black curls and-"

"Wait." I stopped him, suddenly very confused. "You knew Alice when she was human?" I asked.

"Yes, Alice and I first met her second semester of her senior year of high school. Did you not know that?" He asked.

"No, Jasper didn't tell me." I shook my head, feeling a little more at ease knowing that Jasper and I aren't the first vampire-human couple.

"Yeah, I guess that's why I wanted to talk to you. Alice and I have always been a little...nontraditional. I understand what Jasper's going through right now, if he ever comes off as dark or troubled, just know that he's trying to process everything's that's happening. The internal debate between doing something you know you shouldn't but feels so right is very hard on a person." Edward explained.

"Thank you." I smiled appreciatively at him, taking just a moment to look a little longer at the scars covering his face and arms as I pondered over what he had told me in my head.

"Alice really cares for you Bella. Her visions allow her to become attached to people faster then others can even get to know her. You don't have to feel pressured into being her friend, I'm just asking for you to give her a chance. I promise she'll surprise you, she still surprises me everyday." He smiled gently at me as he parked in my driveway.

"I can tell Alice and I are going to best friends, just like she said, don't worry." I laughed as I opened the door and got out of his car. "Does she really still surprise you?" I asked, curiosity getting the best of me as I turned back to face him.

"Yes, yes she does." He chuckled, a devilish smirk creeping onto his face.

"Everyday?" I asked.

"Everyday." He nodded.