Five Seconds To Death

by deadnow

She was suppose to be his, but he'd never be hers. When there is no where left to run, Jasper turns to the last hope he has, Peter. It can never be her, when it's always been him. Or can it? Confliction.Denial.And a curious newborn Bella.*SLASH* JxP-JxB ON HIATUS.

3. Chapter 3

Five Seconds To Death Chapter 3/?

Author : Lifeless Lyndsey

Summary :

Pairing: This was tough to pick. Mainly, it's JasperxBella through the whole fic, with a side of JasperxPeter, PeterxBella, JasperxPeterxBella (take your pick. it rotates)

Warning: M for language, lemons, slash, possible threesomes, possible gore.

Word Count: Just north of 5k

Beta: VampishVixen - the only beta for me. Really, I should put a ring on it'.

Disclaimer: I own nearly nothing , not the characters, not the Bella, not Jasper, but maybe a little bit of the Peter

Jasper

!#$%^&

Peter waited until Bella was safely tucked away in the shower, sluicing away three days worth of confusion and stress. I had anticipated his anger, I knew him well enough. I deserved the anger of course. I'd really fucked up back there. And at any rate, Peter should have hated me.

Without a word, he led me out back, to the edge of his yard. Dry, water-starved grass crunched loudly beneath our feet, nothing but moonlight and star shine illuminating our path. We leaned against the broken fence, the only thing separating his back yard from the dense forest that spread across half his property. We stood in silence, but the silence said enough. Had I wanted to speak, I wouldn't have known what to say.

"Jasper," his voice was quiet, the kind of storm before the calm you never seem to be wary of until it was far too late. "So, brother."

The word stung, tied up in anger and pain. Resentment. "I have...I...I don't know what to say, Peter. I don't know what you want me to say."

"I don't want you to say anythin'. I don't wanna' fuckin' hear it," he replied quietly. "What the hell happened back there? Get in over your head with the girl, Jasper? You always had to pick the hard ones, huh? You always were a fickle fucker. How'd you and Bella meet? Did'ja just find something better, and leave Alice too? Maybe she and I can join a fuckin' club. I...I thought I was cool with this. But...goddammit you can't do this to me! I'm not cleanin' up your mess cause' you can't handle it! I'm not doing this! You can't...you just gonna drop this baby too?"

"It wasn't like that, and you know it," I hissed, casting a cautious glance towards the house. "It wasn't like that," I repeated more quietly.

"Then what was it like? Because fuck if I know Jasper!" Peter exclaimed, fighting just as hard to keep quiet. His anger was written in every inch of his body; shoulders tense, fists balled at his side. I could feel it, bleeding into my own, but we both knew that fighting with a half-an-hour old new born around wouldn't end pretty. I had to keep my wits about me, if I planned on getting her through this in one piece.

"Goddammit Peter, you knew I wasn't...I'm not..."

Peter growled, and I was half sure he was going to hit me. It had been a while since I had any tactile practice and I wouldn't doubt his strength was superior, built on human blood as it was. "If you say you ain't gay, I'mma punch you in the face."

"M'not." God, did I sound like a petulant little bitch. "I'm not. I ...I like women, dammit. Peter...how may gay vampires do you know?"

"Two," he replied in a growl. His hand flew out faster then I could comprehend, and I was sure he was making good on his promise to punch me in the face. He didn't though; his hand slipped into my hair instead, ripping me forward, causing me to stumble and slam inelegantly against him. "If you ever call me your brother again, I'll kill you."

"No you won't," I dared, itching to push away, or pull myself closer; I couldn't be sure when it came to the bastard. "Couldn't kill me, even if you want to."

His eyes hardened, and I felt the pain rip though me like a hot knife. "To bad you can't say the same to me, huh? Why did you bring her here, Jasper? Why are you doing this to me?" He shoved me away, running his hands over his face. "How can you do his to me again?"

"I love her." He didn't want to hear it, and I didn't want to say it, to him at least.

"Yeah," he sighed, "you love her. But she ain't your mate, Jasper. And she never will be. Just like Alice wasn't."

"Peter..."

Growling louder this time, he slammed his hand into my chest, fingers balling into my shirt. "Shut the fuck up, Jasper Whitlock. I don't want to hear your goddamn fuckin' excuses. Sixty years, Jasper. Sixty fuckin' years, I been alone while you been playin' Martha fuckin' Stewart, and cheatin' on your wife."

"You don't have to be!" I argued, fighting the crashing waves of agony rolling over my own. "You don't have to be alone!" I cringed as his anger escalated, causing growls to slip from my own mouth, venom dripping from the corner of my lips. He looked feral, and my stomach burned and twisted. He looked like we use to.

"Unlike you Major, I won't lie to myself." Pushing me away again, Peter laughed at me. Laughed in my face, and turned away, walking towards the house. "You ever get around to tellin' that pretty family your last name isn't Whitlock? That you'd gone and taken my name, Baby?"

"Goddamit Peter!"

He laughed again, broken and hallow. "You're my mate, Jasper Whitlock, ain't nothing gonna change that."

xXxXx

Nothing more was said on the subject, and we slipped silently into the house. I found Bella curled up in a naked heap on the shower floor, hot water pouring down her pale, perfect body. She looked up at me with wide red eyes, dark lashes casting shadows across her cheeks in the dim light.

"I won't hurt you," I said gently, watching the way her eyes darted across my scars. "You remember me, don't you?"

"Jasper," she replied, short and clipped. "Whitlock."

I heard Peter snort, somewhere in the house. Bastard. "Yes, thats right. Do you remember who you are?" I crouched down to meet her at eye level, droplets of water seeping into my jeans. "Do you know who you are, darlin?"

She nodded once, snatching my hand in hers in a bone crushing grip. "Bella Swan. I'm...I'm your..." Her brow scrunched as she frowned, looking to me for aid. "I don't know."

"It's complicated, I'm afraid. But I love you very much, and I believe that you love me as well," I replied quietly, pressing her damp palm against my face. "I would not have changed you had I not believed you wanted it."

"I did!" she said adamantly. "I remember that. Wanting this...you? I think...we're not...there are other faces. We're not...close, are we?"

"Let's get you dressed, and I'll explain more, okay? You just keep focusing on it, it'll come to you," I said gently, tugging her up. "We'll have to get you some proper clothing later, but for now this will have to do." I handed her a plain tank top and some sort of stretchy-legging things. Alice, it seemed, had at least kept it simple.

She immediately snapped the strap off one tank, and growled as I handed her another. I could feel her irritation rising, as her fingers clenched around the waist of the pants, hauling them up. Catching her wrists gently, I stilled her efforts, guiding her hands up slowly ignoring the fact that'd this would always be the first time I'd seen her in any state of undress. No use in getting worked up when she's as likely to kiss me as snap my dick off on accident. "It takes some getting use to, but I promise you it will not always be so hard."

"Everything is..." she shook her head, damp curls clinging to her skin. "There is so much. Like I'm being pulled apart."

"Your senses are on overload," I informed her, tying the drawstring tighter around her waist. "It will ease as you feed."

"The...family. They hunted animals?" she asked, stumbling her way awkwardly through the question as memories came back to her in trickles. "Car...Carlsile? He showed you? Or was it..." Her eyes narrowed, and she pulled herself free from me with a snarl. "Your wife. Your wife showed you. I'm...I'm not your...you said you loved me...but you're married..."

She growled deeply, choking back a wave of venom as it rose to her throat. I stepped back slowly, hands raised in defeat. "It's complicated, but I promise you that I do love you, Bella."

"Edward," She said abruptly. "Who is Edward?"

"Your..."I cringed inwardly, knowing it more dangerous to lie. "He was your boyfriend. My brother."

"Close your eyes and hold your breath. The sensory-deprivation will cause a brief sensation of panic, but it will calm you if you focus," Peter said from the door way. "You've done enough here Jasper, you can just get the fuck out."

"I don't think that's a-" I began, but anything else I had to say was cut off by a wet, vicious growl as Bella snapped at Peter.

Peter smiled. "I won't hurt you, Baby. We just need to have a little talk. It'll help, I swear it." Peter elbowed me roughly in the stomach, shoving me out the door with one hand. "Now, I want you to close your eyes, and hold your breath. Okay, that's it. I know, I know...it's scary at first. I want you to breath out, but not in, m'kay? Once more. Keep your eyes closed, honey."

I watched as Peter tugged Bella to the floor, kneeling before her. She did as she was told, her mouth still curled up into a snarl. Peter took her hand in his, guiding her thumb and forefinger together. "Focus on the point where your fingers touch. That's one," he instructed in a whisper. He lifted her forefinger gently, pressing her middle finger against her thumb this time. "Again, that's two. Just focus, breath out, eyes closed." The step was continued with each finger, and each hand, till Bella was breathing again, resting against the bathroom door. Peter pressed her thumb and pinky together, "That's ten. Now open your eyes, but look at me; don't look at him, look at me."

Her eyes snapped open obediently, trained on Peter as he spoke. "You're mad at Jasper. Your anger is important, but you can't be focusin' on it. You want answers, you ask questions. Now, what is it that you want to know? Eyes on me; don't look at Jasper yet, you're still too angry."

Bella's eyes flickered slightly. "How did...how? When?" She shook her head and closed her eyes again.

"Last year," I replied quietly. "You were attacked by a nomad, do you remember? Alice and I took you away, to keep you safe. You and I...we were left alone. We kissed. That's...that's when it started." I sighed. "Please understand that we fought it, Bella. We tried to do right by Edward and Alice. We never cheated on them. But ...you were bleeding, and you were begging me, pleading for me to do it. I could feel it. I could feel how much you loved me, and how much you wanted this. How much you wanted to be with me. You were so relieved...like this was what you were waiting for, our chance to be together. I love you; I'd never do anything to hurt you."

Bella nodded once, her head hanging between her shoulders. She didn't speak, and when I made to, Peter silenced me. "You've said enough, Jasper. You know as well as I that she's too young for this kind of emotional upheaval," he said darkly. "You're askin' too much of her. I don't care how much you love her, or how this is your chance to be together. She ain't ready for that, and quite fuckin' frankly, you're a dick to even expect she'd be ready to just jump into bed with you and play your new Suzy fucking homemaker after dying," he growled, tugging Bella to a stand. "You can't just throw shit like that at her. You're gonna tear her apart."

"I'm okay," Bella replied quietly, her eyes shut tight. "It's my fault, I got upset, but I'm okay now. I remember a little. He's right...I did want this...I was...I didn't know how to leave Edward...we didn't want to hurt the family, I think?"

"It doesn't matter if he's right, Baby'" Peter said, his entire tone shifting to soothe her. "Your emotions are not your fault. Jasper knows you're gonna git' a little temperamental. Your body will react to your emotions faster then your mind can. It ain't your fault, you can't control it. I want you to open your eyes, and look at Jasper."

I eyed Peter warily, keeping my ground. Bella's pale lids flittered open, red eyes shining. An inadvertent curl slipped past her lips as her gaze fell upon me, but she squashed it, turning to press her face into Peter's shoulder. He looked at me with all the smugness I had long since forgotten.

"See?" he asked, watching me with a smirk as he hooked his arm around her waist. "You're not really mad at him, but your instinct is to still be upset. Open your eyes again, but this time, don't look away. Just give it a moment, and let your anger go."

Again, she did as she was told, looking up at me through dark lashes. I watched her shoulders sag with relief as she managed to harness some measure of control. I glared at Peter, torn between relief and a strange possessive rage welling up inside me.

"Thank you," Bella replied quietly. "I ...I don't know who you are? How do you know Jasper? You're not really brothers, right?"

Peter chuckled, low and throaty, ignoring my pleading gaze entirely. "Oh, Jasper and I go way back, baby. Ain't another soul who knows Jasper like I do. Know him inside and out, I do. Every square inch of h-"

"That's enough Peter," I snapped. "Peter and I fought together in Maria's army. I changed him, and we bonded." I explained, frowning. "You two may be bonded as well, through me."

!#$%^&

He didn't need to be told why I was standing in his laundry room watching him fold his whites at the slowest fuckin' pace possible. That was Peter for you; all that power, that speed, but he just loved to take his time. 'Why rush? S'not like were runnin' out of time' he use to say, sprawled out across the grassy fields. We were so damn young then. Seemed like a different world.

He hadn't changed, and...and I had.

"Go on now, get to askin'," he said, tossing a sock into the basket.

I leaned against the stainless steel dryer, warmth soaking into my hip. "Why bother if you know what I want to ask."

He smirked, that dirty smirk that had been haunting me for years. "Maybe I jus' wanna hear it."

"I'm not surprised," I replied, fiddling with the box of Downy scented dryer sheets. I hated the smell, but Peter...well. Enough has been said about Peter. "You always did like to knock people down."

"I didn't knock you anywhere," Peter replied, his casual tone gone. "Not that you don't deserve it."

"I can't take her hunting on my own." No sense in beating around the bush, especially if it meant he was going to remind me of what a fuckin' dick I was. I didn't need him to remind me, his emotions said enough.

"What'd I say?" he said, dropping a neatly folded undershirt onto the pile. "I ain't in no place to be cleanin' up your mess. You gone and made it, you can lay in your bed all by yourself."

Unbidden images of Peter in my bed seeped through the careful walls in my mind. "I can't do this on my own."

"Didn't think you could," he replied, elbowing me out of the way to pull his darks from the dryer. "Ain't my problem you're a dick. Don't you got a family somewhere? Pretty sure Alice was a package deal."

"Why you gotta break my balls?"I growled. "You know I can't go back there, you know I ain't gonna. Quit being a lil' shit, Peter and help me out. I'm askin'."

Peter chuckled. "Look'it that. You still gotta little Texas in them city-boy jeans. Boy, we both know you's only askin' cause' you ain't got many options. That and clearly, I'm fuckin' awesome. Don't be thinkin' you're the first to stop by with a baby in hand, Jazzy. Y'alls family might think your some sort of War prodigy, and maybe you are, but we both know I'mma helluva lot better with the youngin's. What can I say? Kids love me."

"You say it like I suck at it," I replied. "You know I don't. Bella...she's different. Something's different. I'm thinking she's gonna be gifted."

"Trouble," Peter said, pulling on a t-shirt. "She's gonna be trouble."

Peter

!#$%^&

Animals. He wants me to hunt animals. He might as well kick me in the fuckin' dick, add some injury to that insult. Bastard. Fuckin' bastard. "Ain't sure what good I am here."

Bella walked at Jasper's side, clearly still irritated with him, but dealing well enough, as far as these things go. "I just need your help to make sure if she takes off we catch her." We'd only just broken through the forest line, and I was ready to lay em' all out on their asses.

"She's standing right here," Bella snapped, before visably calming herself. "Sorry. I just...I don't want to drink from...humans. I can't kill people."

"Thas' real nice," I replied. "I don't want to drink from animals but I ain't knockin' your lifestyle choices."

"She didn't mean it like that," Jasper replied, coiling his hand into Bella's. "Give her a fuckin' break."

"I...," she paused, closing her eyes for a moment, her mouth curling back from a slipped snarl. "No, I didn't mean it like that. I don't judge you Peter...it's just not what I want."

"Fine," I sighed. It was gonna be mighty hard to hate her if she was gonna be like that. "Whatever. I'll take point, you take rear. There's a stream that cuts through here about a mile in. We get a-lotta elk in these parts, and the occasional bear. Try not to kill the mommas, if you can manage that," I added, watching as the girl as she nodded, her face serious. "Just...have a little fun with it. I'mma run ahead, and you follow, but don't you dare pass me."

"It's going to be disorienting, at first. None of the scents will be exactly good, but follow whatever one you find most so. There is no real rhyme to this; your body will lead you where it must go. Follow your instinct, and you should be fine. If you come across something that smells... overly appealing, hold your breath and run home. Peter or I will come to you," Jasper picked up where I'd left off, his diction careful, all the angry country drawl from early gone from his calm voice. I couldn't help but think it was a fuckin' waste on him. I'm an honest man, if I'm nothin' else, and I've never been ashamed to say that Jasper was a good lookin' guy, but that city-boy shit didn't do much for me.

"Right," she said shortly, giving Jaspers hand a squeeze. "Thank you. Both, I mean. Thank you both."

I shrugged, sprinting forward. "Whatever."

I could hear the girls' quiet murmur of, "He doesn't like me much, does he?" carried by the wind. I didn't care, couldn't feel guilty. Truth be told, she was right. No, I didn't really like her much.

She picked it up easy enough, catching a young buck down by the river. She'd overestimated her pounce, breaking the elk's front leg on impact. They tumbled head long into the shallow river, and I watched from my perch in a high tree as she pinned it down awkwardly, breaking off one antler, before she managed to get her knee against its ribs. They broke too, and the elk cried out in agony.

The drain was messy; she'd bled half the elk right out into the water, but like a babe with a tit, once she latched on she was good as gold. Her fingers flexed against the rough pelt as the animal finally gave up, falling limp. Jasper was downwind, crouched in his own tree, eyes trained on the baby. It was kind of hard to not to look at the train-wreck before us. Not that it came as a surprise; it'd take her a coupl'a tries before she got it down to a science.

xXxXx

I'd busied myself in the front yard with a pile of plywood and a circular-saw as soon as we got back to the house. Jasper'd gone upstairs with Baby, beyond that I didn't want to think. I'd gotten the impression they hadn't fucked yet, and I'd be damned if I was gonna sit on my ass waitin' for them to get to it. I'd half a notion to slam a cock-block on the bastard and straight up put my foot down on the notion all together.

Jasper was leaning against his truck, watching me silently as I cut down the wood to even planks for the new steps on the porch. When it was apparent he wasn't movin', I flicked the saw off, setting it down before speakin'. "Whats up, hoss?"

"Bella thinks you hate her," Jasper said. Boy didn't beat around the bush. "I told her you might."

"An' you call me a peach," I said, brushin' sawdust of my shimmering chest. "I ain't got a problem with the girl, Jazz. Just the bitch that brought her in."

"I don't know what to do here," he said at length, sinking down onto the porch step. "I'm afraid to try leavin'. We've already seen how well I can handle her if she works herself up. But...I can't keep her here if you're going to be a dick."

"I didn't ask you to come," I said, gathering up the cut-wood. "I didn't ask you to show up with a bomb like that. You may not like it, but I sure as fuck ain't gonna do anything I don't want to. I wanna be a dick, I'mma be a dick. Ain't nothing you don't deserve."

"I'm not asking you to forgive me," Jasper gritted out. "I'm asking you to not take it out on her, okay? She doesn't know and I don't-"

"Looks like you got a right little problem then, huh?" I cut in. "Who's to say I won't tell your Baby. I'd be doing her a service, boy. You ain't her mate, and she should know that. You're all kinds of asshole right now, sitting back and lettin' her think otherwise."

"You can't tell her."

It hurt to hear it, hurt to know that I wouldn't, because damned if I could hurt him, even after all this shit. Damned if I could do anything to hurt him like that. "Yeah, I reckon I can't. But that girl, she oughta know."

He closed his eyes, resting his head against the porch rail. "I know I gotta tell her. I know...I know I run the risk that one day she's gonna...find someone who..."

"Someone who fits like no one else can?" I supplied. "Someone she'll put above you, above all others like a vampire should when it comes to their mate?"

"Peter..."

I chuckled, grabbing the saw back up, and if that wasn't a sign that this shit was over, Jasper'd figured it out anyways. He rose up off the steps, disappearing into the house, and I got to listen to him hunt his baby down, all soft words and softer kisses.

xXxXxXx

"What now?" The baby asked, fresh from a second shower, dressed in another pair of strange, skin tight stretch-pants that I wasn't exactly knockin'. Looked like somethin' one of them new age hippy-yoga chicks would wear. Strange, but not...awful.

"Well, I reckon you gotta wind down a bit after your hunt. I'mma get back to tearing up the kitchen, and Jasper? Well he can just go an fuck off," I finished with a smile.

The Baby frowned, head falling to the side half-cocked. "I thought you two were friends? Are you mad at him? I...It's my fault, isn't it?"

I took her by the elbow, gently leading her up the stairs to the third floor landing. Jasper lingered behind us, caught up in his own damn thoughts apparently. "Now don't y'all go getting that into your pretty head. Ain't none of this your fault, Baby. Jasper and I we..."Jaspers spike of panic stabbed me square between the shoulder blades, like a threat. "Jasper and I go way back. With that kinda history, there's bound to be problems. Don't you go upsettin' yourself over it, we're big boys, we'll work it out."

"I don't want to be a burden," she replied, hands skating delicately across the top of the freshly stained, French-molded wainscoting. "From what I can recall, Jasper always spoke so nice about you, I don't know what to make of you fighting. It's...kind of confusing I guess."

"We're not fighting Baby B," I assured her, wishing I didn't have to. I'd really have liked to just hate her, but she was kind of a doll, and I'd been honest when I said it wasn't her fault.

She laughed, all bells and sunshine, lighting up her whole goddamn face. Jesus Kentucky Fried Christ, he'd picked a beautiful girl. "Baby B?"

"Jasper didn't tell you?" I asked, but I'd known he hadn't. Hadn't said much to her, to be honest. "All the newborns get nicknames."

"Peter's newborn nick name was Dickhead," Jasper said, appearing at the top of the stairs. "He was kind of an asshole to start."

"Jasper," Bella sighed. "Maybe you should be nice to Peter, he's helping us."

Jasper winced, but I smiled. To be honest, Jasper'd sounded a hell of a lot more like the man I'd known way-back-when in that last sentence than he had since he'd arrived. "S'fine Baby B, Jazz's right. Boy ain't got much to say though, Emo."

"Wow, I had no idea hipster-lingo could sound even more stupid 'til I heard it from a Texan," Jasper replied, smiling. Things weren't okay, but we could pretend, I guess.

I shrugged, pushing open the fourth door on the right. "This'll be a good place for you to wind down. It was the first room I bothered to finish," I explained, stepping into the modest little library I'd hunkered down. "You know, when you don't shit, sleep or eat, your priorities tend to getta little skewed."

"Wow," Baby breathed, rushing past me, running her hands along the rows of books, eyes alight. "Wow."

"She likes to read," Jasper explained at my obvious confusion. He had a little smile on his face that I wanted to smack off. I didn't mind seeing the girl happy, but he was still a dick.

"Holy shit, you have like...first edition leather-bound Jane Austin," she said, as she plucked a copy of Pride and Prejudice from the shelf. I cringed, ghosting forward and tugging it from her hands gently.

"Yeah...I'mma have to ask you stick to the paper backs 'til you get your ass in order," I informed her, sliding the book back in place. "I'm sure y'all understand."

She had enough sense to look a little chagrined through her pretty smile. "Sorry," she said, snorting. "You know, all this Jane Austin. It's kind of gay."

The off-hand comment was made worth it by Jaspers sudden shift to mortified panic, which made even Baby cock her head confused. I laughed, handing her a paperback copy of Emma off the shelf. "Well, you may have noticed I got myself a bit of a penchant for interior decorating," I said, raising a brow.

She looked appropriately mortified, hands rushin' to her mouth like an embarrassed southern-belle. It kinda took me back. That is, until she started talkin'. "Oh fuck, I am so sorry. That was, like, really fucking rude of me. I didn't know...Jasper didn't say anything and dammit. Wow. Yeah. You don't look gay at all!" she blurted, her eyes goin' wide.

Puttin' on a hurt smile, I sighed dramatically. "It's hateful thinkin' like that Baby B, that's giving Vampires like me a bad rap. Y'all think 'cause I'm pitchin' for the home team, I still can't be a good ol' spur-and-Stetson Texan?"

"That isn't what I meant!" she cried, fingers clenching at her sides.

I snorted, watching her work herself into a little tizzy. "It ain't a problem, Baby. I know you didn't mean it, I'm just fuckin' around. You had no way'a knowin', so don't upset yourself. Jasper, he ain't real comfortable with it, reckon he never has been. Though, I'd like to think we're all a little bit gaypire, what with the sparklin' and all. Anyway, I'm a dicks-or-chicks kinda guy. Equal opportunist, and all that, Baby."

My banter fell a little flat as Baby's eyes flickered back to Jasper, a little scowl on her face. "Peter's preferences shouldn't matter, Jasper."

"They don't!" His mouth dropped open, but not before castin' me a mean glare. "That's not what Peter means, Bella. Right, Peter?"

"Right, right," I said, rolling my eyes. "He don't give a damn who I like." Unless it was him, and then all bets were off. "Why don't you hunker down up here for a while, get your bearings. I'mma be in the kitchen, if'n y'all need me."

"Do you need any help?" Jasper asked, standing in my way at the door.

I snorted, giving him a long up-and-down stare before shakin' my head. "Not from you, city boy."

A/N So Peter can't bring himself to hate on Bella, but he sure can take it out on Jasper. Jasper was an ass, and has no right saying shit about how Peter's treating him. Oh, and there is a banner. http:/twitpic (dot) com/2xy6ib