Okay, so here's chapter four. I hope you guys like it, coz it was a pain in the ass to write. I knew where I was coming from, and i knew where I wanted to go, but no bloody clue of how to get it there. Enjoy!
August the 23rd, 2007.
BPOV
Five months. Five months had passed since Jasper had reappeared in my life. And my God, I wouldn't have had it any other way.
I lay in bed, pretending to sleep. I was good at that now. It was my time to think. My time and no one else's. It was the only part of my day that I didn't have to cater to anyone else, and I made the most of it.
Jasper's arm was around my waist, holding me close to him. And I wouldn't have had that any other way either. I thought back to when he had first come; about two weeks after he had moved in.
Flashback
I was eating waffles with Anna. She put down her fork suddenly, and looked up at me with wide, solemn eyes.
"Mommy, is Jasper your boyfriend?"
I was stunned. I had no idea where the question had come from, and no idea how to answer it. Yeah, I just lived for moments like this.
"Umm… who told you about boyfriends, babybat?"
She looked down again, digging into her momentarily abandoned breakfast. "Mrs. Cheney did. She said Jasper was your boyfriend and that you were really cute. So is he your boyfriend?"
I was quiet for a while, thinking it over. Finally, I responded the only way I could.
"I don't know, sweetie. I really don't know."
End Flashback
The day after that, Jasper had taken me out. At my request, he took me to the Forks house, leaving Anna with Angela again, no doubt to discuss my status. I winced involuntarily. I didn't really like remembering that. But it couldn't be helped, right now.
Flashback
I walked up the stairs to the front door, standing there dumbstruck, leaning against the frame. I couldn't move.
"Nervous?" he asked quietly.
"N-no. Just a little apprehensive," I answered. He frowned.
"Doesn't that mean the same thing anyway?" he muttered, so soft I almost missed it. I considered whacking him over the back of the head, but then dismissed it as being more likely to hurt me than him. Stupid vampire.
I forced myself to move. I reached for the handle, shaking. Opening the door, I gasped. It was if they had never left. Everything was still here. The only difference was that it was all hidden under a good two inches of dust.
I giggled slightly. Esme would never have let dust inside the house, let alone have a chance to build up this badly. Then I winced, as the pain accompanying that thought lacerated me.
I moved forwards, into the house I hadn't set foot in since my eighteenth birthday party. Speaking of which, I could see withered rose petals by the foot of the stairs. More pain hit me, and I could feel tears prickling my eyes.
I wiped them, cursing myself mentally. "And here I was thinking I'd gotten over this. Wrong again, Bells."
I kept walking, not really paying attention to where I was going. I was in a daze, as all the memories I had of this house hit me all at once.
"Bella?" A quiet voice interrupted my reverie. I started, and then grabbed hold of myself.
"Yes, Jasper?" I called back.
"I'm going upstairs for a bit. Some things I'd like to see."
"Of course. I'll stay here."
I looked down. I was standing in front of Edward's piano. I sat, remembering the lullaby he had written for me. I laughed, without feeling any real humour. I could still hum it, pitch perfect.
I started to play the basic melody, stroking the keys gently. As it moved, I added a harmony, and another, still playing the first melody. I closed my eyes, and lost myself in the music, as I always did. And it brought me peace.
My lullaby came to an end. Then, eyes still closed, I started another random tune, playing what I felt, putting my emotions to music. It was a sad, melancholy song, but had a hint of anger in it, as well. I smiled sourly. It was perfect. I stopped for a moment, committing the notes to memory. I didn't want to forget it.
Then I started yet another song, this one even more heart-rending than the first. It had a sweet sound to it, and just listening to it made me want to cry.
I broke off suddenly; I had heard a slight sound from behind me. I spun to see what it was, and saw Jasper standing there, arms raised.
"I'm unarmed," he said jokingly, bringing a laugh to my lips. "That was beautiful," he continued. "All three songs. What are they? I feel like I've heard the first one somewhere before."
"You probably feel like you've heard the first one because you have heard the first one. It's… the song he wrote me. And I just made up the other two then."
"Ah," he said; a wealth of understanding in his tone. Then, before I could even blink, he was next to me, enveloping me in a hug. And it felt right.
End Flashback
JPOV
I smiled. It was a nice day today. Then again, in my book, any day with Bella in it was a nice day. Damn, I was in deep.
I tightened my grip around her waist. I knew she was awake now; her emotions clued me in. But I knew her well enough that leaving her alone until she 'officially' woke up would put her in a better mood. She liked to think. I had no idea what about, but if that was what she wanted, that was fine with me.
I thought back to when we first got together. Silly girl; she used music, of all things, to tell me. Other girls told friends who told you, or passed notes, or flirted excessively until you got the point. Not Bella.
Flashback
After dropping Anna off at Angela's hastily, I drove the two of us to the bar where she worked. Luckily, she didn't own the truck anymore; I recalled Edward telling me how annoyingly slow it went- no more than 60mph tops.
Now she drove a nice, sedate BMW sedan. Classy, but understated. Just like Bella.
I frowned inwardly. I could feel embarrassment radiating from her, but I had no idea why.
"Bella?" I asked.
"Yes, Jasper?"
"What the hell have you got to be embarrassed about?" At this, her cheeks stained, but not the red we were used to four years ago, but a soft pink that lightly dusted her bones, setting off her complexion.
"Umm… nothing?"
"Yeah," I said. "I really believe you. C'mon, you can tell me," I continued. I opened my eyes a little wider, trying to 'dazzle' her.
"Stop that!"
"Not until you tell me what has you so mortified."
Her reaction to this wasn't what I'd expected; she smirked as we stopped at a light. Turning towards me, she put on an innocent expression and breathed, "How badly do you want to know?"
"Pretty badly," I answered. Then, out of nowhere, I leaned over and kissed her.
She was still for a moment, and I was afraid. Did she not like me like that? Did she only want me because I reminded her of Edward? Was she mentally comparing me to Edward right now?
Then she melted. Her arms made their way around my neck, and I felt like punching the air in triumph. I moved back a little, enough to see the red light had turned green; I started to drive. The bar's parking lot was right there, so I found a spot and shut off the engine, never once breaking the kiss.
Suddenly, Bella pushed me off her; softly, but I couldn't help feeling a little rejected. I didn't realize I was projecting it until she whispered, "I was embarrassed because Angela kept smiling at us together, and keeps telling babybat that… well, never mind."
Although she didn't finish the sentence, I could gather what Angela had been telling Anna from Bella's blush, and the way she was determinedly avoiding my gaze.
"Jasper?"
"Yeah, Bella?"
"Any man who can drive safely while kissing a pretty girl isn't giving that same kiss the attention it deserves, Jasper."
"There are a couple of things wrong with that statement, Bella."
"Oh? Do tell."
"Okay then. Number One: Vampires are different to you humans. We can multitask, remember? So there's nothing wrong with driving and kissing a pretty girl at the same time-"
"Yes there is. What if the pretty girl wants all your attention, and not just the half that isn't driving?"
"Numero Duo," I said, cutting her off. "Numero Duo: You are more than just a pretty girl. You are an exquisite woman, Bella. Don't forget it."
"Speaking of not forgetting things, I have a job I have to do. Shall we?"
We walked through the employee entrance. She drifted off into her dressing room, and I went through to the bar itself. I sat at a little table close to the stage, and relaxed.
Only to sit bolt upright as Bella walked onstage.
Wow.
Heck, double wow.
And just like Edward had complained so many times about that harlot Jessica Stanley doing, I made the one word into three syllables.
W-o-w.
She was wearing a short PVC skirt with netting underneath that reached to about three inches below her ass. Her top was much more decent in that it covered anything, but was almost as bad as the skirt in that it looked like someone had painted it on, or wrapped her in fabric and stitched around her. Her heels were five inches and would have been a death wish had she worn them four years ago.
Like I said. Wow.
And then she started to sing. I settled back in my seat, closing my eyes to listen better. The lilting sound of her voice captivated me, as it had always done. The way it changed and shifted throughout the melody. The way it made you think, made you wonder what the owner of that beautiful voice had done to be exiled from heaven like she had.
An unfamiliar song came on, and I frowned a little, trying to place it. I listened. And it became clear.
Take me now, baby, here as I am
Hold me close, try and understand
Desire is hunger; is the fire I breathe
Love is a banquet on which we feed
Come on now, try and understand
The way I feel when I'm in your hands
Take my hand, come undercover
They can't hurt you now, can't hurt you now
Can't hurt you now
And as she sang, she looked at me, and I could feel my face twist up into a smile. She was right, after all. There really was a song for every occasion.
Because the night belongs to lovers
Because the night belongs to lust
Because the night belongs to others
Because the night belongs to us.
She'd changed the lyrics. Only slightly- none of the mostly drunk clientele would notice- but I wondered why she'd done it. I pondered it as she finished the song off, exited the stage, moved back to the car, and drove to Angela's house once again.
As I was about to get out of the car, Bella's hand on my arm stopped me.
"What? No kiss this time?"
I turned back towards her, grinning. "But I was driving. Don't you want the attention you deserve?"
End Flashback
I thought over other key moments of my life with Bella. Besides moving in and our first kiss, there were a whole other stack of memories I treasured. Making breakfast for the two women in my life without burning anything. Writing a song for Bella (that I hadn't actually told her about). The first time Anna had called me daddy. That one was probably my favourite of all.
And so we were together. And now I was trying to figure out how to move to the next step. But my thoughts were interrupted by Bella waking proper.
"Good morning," she yawned. I chuckled and kissed her nose.
"How can you be yawning? You've been awake for ages now."
"Well, so sorry to disappoint, but not all of us don't need to sleep, you know."
I hesitated for a moment. But wasn't this what we both wanted? At least, I'd thought she did. Then I spoke.
"Maybe… maybe we all won't."
Her face twisted in confusion. "What the heck?"
I rolled my eyes. "Maybe we all of us won't."
"Still don't understand."
"Maybe not not all of us don't need… no, you're right, this doesn't make any sense." And I was the one presenting the idea.
"Okay, let me try this again. You need to sleep. Which, while still nice to watch, gets a little onerous after a while. But… what would you say to… not needing to sleep?"
"Still a little confused here."
"You wanted it so bad four years ago. Do you still want it now? With… me?"
Her eyes widened in recognition. "You want me to become a vampire?"
Dun dun DUUUUUN! Oh, it's sooo dramatic. But anyway, continuing on with my little rant from before. I had a whole bunch of little things I wanted to happen, but it didn't seem worth writing out a whole five months for. So I figured this was the best way to do it. But do not worry, dear reader. I actually know where the flipping heck I'm going now! Celebrate! Be happy! And if any of you have suggestions for anything you want to happen, I'll see if I can work it in, and you will be given the vredit, and a large bowl of cyber choc-chip cookies. Hey, it alliterated...
Sicerely yours,
Lady Destruction.
(I read the DArk Hunter Companion, and that's what my pen name means. So you know.)
