This idea came to me because I'm a sucker for historical fiction. No worries, all main characters (All the Cullens and others) will be introduced in one way or another. Throughout the series I'll put in multiple pov's depending on the situation. This time around, we got Jasper. c:
Welcome to The Tavern of Misfits and the time of whiskey, women and gold. c:
True love will triumph in the end- which may or may not be a lie, but if it is a lie, it's the most beautiful lie we have." -John Green
"Jasper." Edward's voice sounded muffled as I tried to wake up. "Jazz, we need to leave soon!"
I groaned, not liking the sound of that. My head throbbed and my body ached. I couldn't quite remember last night. I was either hung over, sore from a fight, or both.
When I tried opening my eyes, the sunlight pierced my eyes more than it should have. My body felt weighted, like trying to get up was a painful, lost cause. After a few seconds, Edward tried to get my attention by hitting me, which felt more like a gunshot than Edwards fist. "Come on Jazz! We have stuff to do today."
Both. Definitely both.
"What are you doing today?" I asked, as if I didn't already know.
Edward was more impatient than usual, having to rebutton his shirt again after doing wrong the first time.
"What do you think I'm doing? I have the afternoon shift at two and I need to go see Bella before that."
"Where's Emmett? Did he head for the bar already?" I asked, rubbing my forehead.
Edward glared at me. "Getting drunk isn't supposed to make you stupid."
I feigned a laugh. "Alright, alright. You mind if I come along? I gotta go get Emmett before he kills someone."
He nodded. "Hurry up, though. I want as much time to see Bella as possible."
I sighed, setting my feet on our creaky wooden floor. I rubbed my face and took my time despite his impatience.
"Up!" Edward snapped.
I was way too tired to argue, and I knew he was right. Edward and I were the only ones who had steady paying jobs. Emmett could do just about anything, but he was too nice to ask for money when he helped people fix their fence or help break a horse. We both tried to get him to find somewhere to work, but he could never hold down a job. One way or another, he ended up at the local Tavern.
I got up and cleaned myself up, putting on a fresh shirt while Edward finished shaving. In about ten minutes both of us were out the door. It was a rare day when the heat was bearable. The clouds gave us decent cover as we walked to the barn and with horses anxious to leave, raced to the Swan house.
The Swan's place was just big enough for the two of them. Bella and her father that is. Their one prize was the garden that Bella spent most of her time in. She didn't say much, but you could tell Edward hung on her every word. He was more than sweet on her, and all you had to do was look at Bella to know she felt the same way.
Charlie, however, had other plans: Jacob Black . Jacob was a good enough guy, and it didn't hurt that he had more money than God. It wasn't that Edward wouldn't have been able to take care of her, but Jacob and Bella had known each other since they were children and it seemed like the perfect fit. I understood where Charlie was coming from, he wanted Bella to have the best life she could. Jacob's family has the biggest piece of land I've ever seen, and he was supposed inherit it when his father died. They were a powerful family when making the decisions for the town. Besides the three of us Cullen brothers, they were respected by pretty much everyone. Bella and Jacob made a perfect fit. The one problem: she loved Edward.
Sure, Jacob and Bella were comfortable with each other, friends even, but she didn't love him.
I remember the first time Bella and Edward saw each other, it was magnetic, and one seemed to not be able to function without the other. Lucky for Edward, Charlie didn't suspect a thing.
When we got to their house, Bella must have seen us coming. She had a big smile on her face and was wearing Edwards favorite color. A deep blue that made her hair look a little brighter and her skin a little less pale and more porcelain. She carried a basket that was full of bread or books or anything she could think of that would make her dad not suspect anything about Edward dropping by.
"Edward." She said, sounding relieved to see him. She set her basket down and ignoring the fact that I was there, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.
Edward drew back quickly, looking up at her house. "Bella, what about-"
"Daddy went to visit Billy, he'll be gone for the next four or five days." She said, looking a little too happy about being alone.
"What?" Edward said, still glancing at the door as if any moment Charlie would burst through it and kill him where he stood.
"Dad left early this morning! He had to talk with Billy about some of the arrangements for..." Her voice trailed off. That didn't sound good. Things were moving along with the engagement. You could see the distress on her face, I wondered if she would ever have the guts to tell Charlie how she felt. She was his only daughter, and he was fiercely protective of her.
"He left you alone?" I asked, not believing that Charlie would ever leave her unprotected.
She shifted uncomfortably. "Jacob said he would come by tomorrow to check on me."
Edward frowned and wrapped her in his arms. I looked away, feeling unwelcome all of a sudden.
"I'll tell the guys at work you're feeling bad. I'll even check in with Carlisle so they won't suspect anything." I said. Edward's eyes lit up at the idea of spending an entire day with Bella. He nodded, trying to keep his composure as they smiled at each other. I just laughed, they sure had gotten themselves in a world of trouble. As if Edward could read my mind, he shoved me, mumbling to himself. "Get outta here."
"You two be careful. If anything goes wrong I'll have to clean up the mess." I said, but they didn't seem to hear me. They were already lost in each other. Edward took her arm and led her back into the house.
I rode fast, eager to get to the saloon. Judging by the sun, it was around one o'clock. Emmett would need major back up by now.
Emmett loved to fight, and the saloon was the perfect place to do that. I'm not sure if it was the adrenaline rush, or if he felt like it was a competition. Either way, Emmett never backed down. He had many admirers, but he never took any of them seriously. Because there was one other reason he spent all of his time at the bar, and her name was Rose. Edward and I never understood why he took such a liking to her, but it probably had something to do with the fact that she was the prettiest women in town.
I walked in and immediately saw Emmett. It was amazing we were all brothers, because none of us looked anything like each other. Emmett was the biggest out of us, looking more like a bear than a man. Edward was the oldest and the scrawniest, and I was somewhere in the middle. The thing that set me apart was my scars. They were from plenty of things, mostly from mistakes at work and fights. Being a black smith and Emmett's brother wasn't easy, and my body showed it.
I explained to the owner that Edward was real sick, and he told me to check with Carlisle. Since Edward had a good record, he didn't question it. By that time, Emmett saw me and waved.
"Jasper! Over here!" Emmett yelled from the middle of the bar. He set his cards on from the poker table, telling them to deal him out. He gripped my shoulder and grinned at me like he hadn't seen me in ages.
"What are you doing here?" He asked, as he found another table for us to sit at. I couldn't help but notice it seated three instead of two.
"Thought you would need some help. And since Ed ain't coming to work today I thought I'd come to keep an eye on you."
"Why isn't Eddie boy coming? Everything alright?" Emmett asked, sounding a little worried. It wasn't often Edward missed work.
"Yeah, Bella's Dad is gone for awhile, so he wanted to spend the day with her. What about you? I was sure I was gonna have to pay off some damages already."
"I'm on my best behavior today." He said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. I looked around and realized Rose wasn't here, which would explain how he was acting. All it took was someone looking at Rose the wrong way for him to go haywire.
"Good. One more fight and they'll kick you out for sure."
He laughed as if that wasn't an actual possibility. I was about to say something about it, but his eyes looked passed me and were focused on something-or rather someone else.
"I'll be damned." Emmett breathed. His smile was a little too big for it to be anyone but...
"Rose! Take the guys over there for me, will you?"
Sure enough, there she was, coming down the stairs. One of the saloon girls had noticed us from across the bar and nodded in our direction. She poured another round for her and a man who was clearly too drunk for one.
Rose seemed to have just started her shift. She nodded and turned around to see Emmett, who was as happy as he could be.
Her look was one that could kill. She was famous for being the biggest tease and the one who didn't take anything from any man who was lucky enough to get her attention. She wasn't taking any prisoners this afternoon either. Her curls lingered around her shoulders and her dress was as red as her lips. Her blue eyes were stunning as she fought to hide that satisfied smile while walking toward us.
Still, Emmett was too honest to be too much trouble for her. She made her way over, counting some money in her hand I assumed she got from one of many eager dance partners. It reminded me that she wasn't here to mess around, this was what she did for a living. I couldn't imagine waking up every morning and forcing myself to entertain some of the pigs in this room day after day. I think there was a deeper reason Rose wore a smile every time Emmett wondered in here. He was easy to please and never made her uncomfortable. A break in the never ending chaos that happened in this saloon every night.
She smiled a little more as she added up the last bit of change in her hand. "You don't look lonely enough to need my company, Mr. Mcartey."
Emmett stopped smiling immediately, but didn't take his eyes off her.
He still seemed to be dazed, even after I nudged him. She huffed, looking a little offended. "I can find someone else for you If I'm not what you had in mind."
That brought Emmett back to life, but he didn't move. His eyes said everything though, they were a little too panicked. "No! It ain't that! It's just that-"
"Just what?" She said, crossing her arms. You could tell she didn't take lightly to getting rejected, assuming she ever had been before. I couldn't tell whether she was playing him or if she was just having a bad day and took his gawking to be an insult.
"You're the most beautiful women I've ever seen." Emmett breathed. Honestly, I was surprised he hadn't said anything before this, it was a miracle he had held out this long. I buried my face in my hands, not wanting to see Rose slap him or do God knows what else. Honesty didn't get you very far in a bar. Emmett's words were sober and true, but he might as well been any other drunk saying something like that. But Emmett was in love, which was worse than any kind of drunk.
I'm sure she had gotten that line from every poor soul who wandered in just to catch a glimpse of her. But Emmett's eyes must have meant more to her than I thought, because she seemed to be caught of guard by the sincerity of his words.
She still looked angry. Emmett was about to say something else, another explanation which was probably worse than the first one. She interrupted him, still on guard, but something was different. Rosalie Hale was impressed, and that was something I had never seen before. Her smile was smug, but her eyes were bashful.
"I'll go get us some drinks."
Emmett waited for her to turn around before he started grinning like an idiot. I shook my head and started chuckling to myself. He was head over heals for a women who barely gave him the time of day. But none of it mattered to him. It didn't matter what she did every day in this bar, it didn't matter that she didn't seem to like him. All he cared about was Rose, and he was sure things would work out in his favor.
We heard the doors open with a little too loud of a bang, and everyone, including me, turned to see who entered our hallowed saloon.
For those of you having trouble visualizing this, I might post up some pictures on my profile? R&R. I'm really excited about this story, and hope you all take to it as well as I have. Next chapter should be up by next week, also introducing new characters. I know...shocking! With my track record, I wouldn't believe me either lol.
I hope you all had wonderful holidays with your families! c: