Your little hand's wrapped around my finger
And it's so quiet in the world tonight
Your little eyelids flutter cause you're dreaming
So I tuck you in, turn on your favorite night light
To you everything's funny, you got nothing to regret
I'd give all I have, honey
If you could stay like that ;;
Jasper could have spent hours tracing the soft dip between the curves on Bella's torso when she lay on her side. Her skin was warmer than usual, flushed from recent activity and being swallowed up in the thick duvet that covered their bed in the house by the lake. He was always aware of her body temperature, always so in tune with her well-being. That had been the case since they grew close to one another well over a year before, but it was emphasized all the more after she went through such damaging physical trauma. He spent hours watching her while she slept, counting each and every beat of her heart. It was a melody to him, one that harmonized with the stillness of his own.
That song had been the center of a beauty symphony that played out while they made love a few hours before. As he traced the gentle swell of her hip, Jasper grinned to himself as he recalled the way her back arched perfectly beneath his fingertips, how her eyes squeezed shut and her lips parted as she moaned his name to accompany the sweet conclusion to their tune.
Jasper…
Remembering the way the syllables of his name left her mouth, her lifted his fingertip to ghost across her lower lip, the touch softer than that of a feather's kiss as not to wake her. While he often wished he could join her in slumber, moments like this one allowed Jasper to be grateful for his perpetual state of awareness. Time, endless for him, passed quietly as he reveled in his memory and moved his hands across her body.
It wasn't until the sound of her heartbeat was interrupted by a soft pitter-pattering that Jasper was drawn out of his sensual recollections. Immediately, a smile broke on his face as he waited for the source. Pulling up the bedcovers around his wife's shoulders, he turned toward the door expectantly just as it was pushed open from the other side.
"Well hello there, little sir," Jasper said softly, amused at the sight of the small boy.
His hair was a mess of blonde curls, sleep having left them in quite a state of disarray. One hand was holding a small stuffed moose by the arm, dragging it slightly on the floor, while the other was rubbing at sleepy chocolate brown eyes. There was a frown on his lips that looked very out of place on the child's beautiful porcelain face. In answer to Jasper's greeting, the small boy simply made a little sound of unhappiness.
Biting back another smile, Jasper sat up a little more to regard his son. "What's wrong?" he asked, able to sense that the little one was not at all happy.
He knew nothing was seriously wrong; Jasper was used to Bennett making that face when he was feeling a little grumpy. Most likely, it was just that he was tired and was having trouble falling back asleep. His grandparents, or rather his Uncle Emmett, had worn him out earlier on when they gifted Jasper and Bella some time to themselves to take a drive and get a bite to eat. By the time they returned, Bennett was fast asleep, not even stirring when they took him back to their house across town. That sleep what was afforded them those blissful hours of lovemaking Jasper had been happily reminiscing about before he was interrupted.
"Hmph!" Bennett mumbled, looking at Jasper expectedly.
"Use your words," Jasper encouraged rather than giving in right away.
Bennett was already starting to talk. He was only a few weeks old and already, he was developing his speech. His growth rate was accelerated and in spite of having been born less than a month before, he was already walking and at the height, weight, and mental capacity of a toddler. His birth was nothing short of a miracle, especially in terms of Bella surviving it. It was so touch and go for a moment that Jasper thought he was going to have to go to their last option – changing her at the last second before it was too late and she didn't survive.
When Bella learned that she was pregnant, their world was turned upside down. The unexpected news was terrifying and looked like a death sentence from every angle. But she had been determined to carry their child and bring him to life. More than that, she refused to be introduced to him as a newborn vampire. While it seemed like death was a very real possibility if she wished to remain human, Bella wanted it more than anything. She didn't want to spend the first year of their baby's life as a bloodthirsty monster that would be a danger to him more than a mother. Though she was met with opposition, she stood her ground. Jasper respected her wishes, but only on the condition that if she was too weak, if she couldn't be saved after the birth, her would turn her. Bella accepted, knowing there were no guarantees either way.
But she was still very much a human when everything was said and done, and again, it was such a wonder that no one dared question for how grateful they were for not only her survival, but the baby's as well. Now, she was nearly recovered and he was a healthy, fast-growing little boy. Albeit, not a very happy one at the moment.
Quickly realizing he wouldn't get the attention he was seeking from his father without talking, something that he was currently protesting for the moment, Bennett immediately refocused his attention on his mother. Propelling himself toward the bed, he leapt up onto it and crawled up to her side.
"Mama!" he cried softly.
As fast as Bennett was, his dad was just a little bit quicker. Before the little one could wake her, Jasper pulled Bennett away, scooping him up in his arms and quieting him gently. Bella mumbled something in her sleep and turned to lie on her stomach, but otherwise didn't move.
"Shh," he whispered. "We have to let Mommy sleep."
He pressed a kiss to Bennett's forehead before carrying him out of the room and silently closing the door behind them as not to wake Bella. Sleep was still such a vital part of her recovery, even though she'd made remarkable progress in the weeks since their son was born. Besides, she had good reason to be worn out, he thought to himself with satisfaction, a flicker of their heated romp coming to mind.
He toted Bennett and his stuffed moose back to the little guy's bedroom, setting him down gently on the foot of the bed.
"Now," he started, pressing another kiss to Bennett's head. "Are you going to tell me what's the matter?"
"No sleep! Want Mama!" Bennett cried out, squirming in Jasper's arms.
He was a strong little boy, far more than that of any human child, especially one of his age, but Jasper continued to hold him safely, trying to get him to settle down. He knew that Bennett most likely had a nightmare. Unfortunately, along with his warm chestnut colored eyes, that was one thing he inherited from his mother.
"We have to let Mommy sleep though, little sir. We talked about this. Remember?" Jasper reminded him.
Bennett sighed, again uttering a sound of frustration. But it was also a sign of defeat. Being as cognitively advanced as he was, Bennett knew that his mother was weak and that it was important for her to get a lot of rest in order to restore her strength. He knew that he was made up half of Bella and half of his father, Jasper and that Mommy was fragile. He loved her when he still was nestled safely inside of her belly, just as he loved his Daddy from the moment he could register Jasper's voice and understood who he was. As much as he wanted to be cuddled by both of his parents when he was having trouble going back to sleep, Bennett was smart enough to know he needed to listen to his dad.
But he still was grumpy about it.
Jasper could sense that and knew his son well enough to know how to soothe him, especially after a bad dream. "C'mon. Daddy will lay with you," he said softly.
He picked Bennett up and tucked him into the small toddler bed before Jasper arranged himself and his long, lanky limbs carefully beside him. Wrapping an arm around the boy's small shoulders, he kept Bennett close and issued a small wave of calm over him to help him relax. While there were times when Jasper wished he didn't have an extrasensory gift, there were certainly times when it was useful. Right now, was one of them. He couldn't take away his son's nightmares, but he could soothe them and keep Bennett comfortable and close by while he relaxed. Within moments, it was working.
The little frown that tainted Bennett's beautiful cherub face disappeared in favor of a sleepy yawn. His eyelids fluttered closed and he mumbled something unintelligible as he started to drift off again. He still held onto the small stuffed moose that had been Bella's when she was a baby, but his other tiny arm was wrapped around Jasper's middle.
That was the sight Bella wandered in upon an hour or so later. At first, it didn't even seem like Jasper noticed her; he was too entranced by their son, staring down at his curly blonde head in wonder. It allowed her a moment to lean against the doorframe, watching the two of them. Her boys. The two people who meant everything to her, that made her heart swell with such love and adoration. It was easy to see how Jasper could get lost in watching their baby; she could too. She could get lost watching iboth/i of them for hours.
She'd awoken a few minutes earlier. When she reached over and found nothing but the cold sheets instead of Jasper, her eyes opened and she realized she was alone in bed. Sitting up, her first instinct was to worry. But upon investigation, she found he husband resting peacefully with their son in the next room. Her heart fluttered at the sight and she smiled as she watched them.
"Bad dream," Jasper whispered in explanation when he looked up and saw Bella in the doorway.
It still took his breath away – figuratively speaking of course – whenever he looked at her. She was so beautiful, even when groggy from sleep. That beauty was only emphasized by her wearing nothing but the button-down shirt she'd peeled off of him earlier on that evening. Another fleeting image of their passionate night came to mind as she crossed the room.
"Is he okay?" she asked softly, leaning down to press her lips to Bennett's forehead, brushing back a stray curl. Inhaling deeply, she breathed in his sweet baby scent. It was her favorite smell, second only to that of Jasper's.
"Out like a light now," Jasper said with a grin. "He wanted his mom, though."
The thought warmed her heart and Bella pressed a row of kisses to their son's forehead again, ending with one that landed on the tip of his little nose. When she finished, Jasper carefully removed himself from the bed, making sure to tuck Bennett in soundly afterwards. Wrapping an arm around Bella's waist, he was quiet for a few moments at they watched their tiny miracle sleeping soundly.
"I completely get the fascination with sleep-watching now," Bella teased, giving Jasper's side a little squeeze. She looked up at him and was met with a kiss before Jasper scooped her up in his arms, cradling her against his chest.
"Speaking of sleep," he said, smiling at the little squeal that left her lips when he picked her up. "It's time for you to get back to bed, Mrs. Whitlock."
Carrying her back to them bedroom, he gently laid her down on the bed, following by crawling over her and covering her lips with his. It didn't matter how much time passed; Jasper was in love with her even more than the day before. The way he kissed her after they returned to bed made sure that Bella never forgot that. The feeling was obviously mutual in the way she reached for him, winding her limbs around his and pulling him flush against her and she returned that kiss.
From there, happy and content in knowing that their son was resting peacefully in the next room, their night continued in the same way it began – together.
Lyrics: Never Grow Up - Taylor Swift
Author's Note: Our first one shot story! We wrote this one because so, so many of you had written to us asking about whether or not Bella was having a baby in our other stories. Since that doesn't happen in Take Me Back to the Start and Make This Go On Forever, we decided it would be sweet to give you a little insight on to what things would be like if Jasper and Bella did have a baby together. It's different from how things happen in Breaking Dawn, but we prefer our spin on things. Hopefully, you do too.
So let us know! Did you like it? Please remember to favorite and review our story. Feedback let's us know it's something you'd like to see more of in the future, especially as far as one-shots go. Happy New Year everyone!