Disclaimer: Not mine.
Chapter 4
Jasper smiled as Bella laughed, glad that she was finally relaxing and trying to let go of what had happened. She'd been out of hospital for five days now and was improving every day. She had even started regaining weight thankfully. They'd tabled any heavy talk though, she needed time to relax and heal. So the days had passed in reading, playing card and board games and movies. He found he was also really enjoying the time doing basically nothing and was truly relaxing while getting to know the real Bella. He hadn't spent much time with her after all, Edward had always kept him away just in case. The most time he had spent with her was in Phoenix and even then Alice had stayed by her side the whole time.
Sometimes spending so much time with a human felt strange but Bella never reacted when he did something not human. He made sure to hunt at night when she was sleeping and he also patrolled, making sure no nomads would pose a threat to her. So far he was the only vampire in town but he knew at some point someone would pass through.
"Jasper?"
"Yes Bella?"
"Why…why aren't you with Alice?"
Jasper took a deep breath and looked over at her. "Because we aren't married anymore."
"What?" Bela gasped in shock, not married? But they had seemed totally in love and devoted to each other. "But I thought vampires mate for life?"
"We do. Alice and I just weren't mates." He shrugged slightly, hiding the hurt. He had suspected for a few years but that didn't mean he had loved her less. "She sent me divorce papers shortly after we left Forks. With everything…well it just didn't seem worth fighting over. I haven't seen her or the others since."
"Jasper…I am so sorry, it's my fault."
"No! Bella never think that. Alice and I were never going to last for eternity, in the end we're just too different. I knew that for years before you ever came into our lives. I loved her, I still do but we were never mates. We never felt for each other what Carlisle and Esme or Emmett and Rosalie feel."
"And Edward?"
Jasper turned on the couch to fully face her. "His emotions towards you were so complicated that I couldn't decipher them most of the time. There was bloodlust obviously, especially at first. He did come to care for you, but I honestly don't know if it was really love for you."
"Or my blood." She finished with a wiry smile. "Figured as much. If he'd really loved me like he said he wouldn't have left me like he did."
Jasper nodded, glad that she had worked that out for herself. "I am sorry. You should never have been put through what you were. The family just got so caught up in the idea of Edward finally having a mate we didn't question enough."
"I should have questioned more Jasper, Edward just…dazzled me. To have such a guy interested in me was so overwhelming and new I never suspected."
"That's what we do Bella, we dazzle and confuse in order to easily eat. It isn't your fault." He put his hand over hers, still somewhat amazed she didn't yank back from his freezing hard touch. She just nodded and turned back to the television.
Jasper waited as Bella finished pulling on her coat and then her scarf and gloves. "Ready?" He asked and she nodded.
"Ready."
He could sense her nervousness and determination and smiled at her. "You'll be fine." He held his arm out and she put hers through his. They left the room and headed downstairs for the first time since she'd been released from hospital. She was fully recovered now so the cold was no threat but it would take time for her to be able to walk the streets without fear even knowing Victoria was dead. Even if another vampire showed up Jasper would not allow any harm to come to her. They walked slowly down the street, letting her take everything in. They wandered for ages before going into a café for lunch where Bella sneakily ate a good part of his to fool everyone. By the time they returned to the room she was exhausted, her cheeks flushed red from the cold but she was smiling. "Have fun?"
"I did. Thank you Jasper."
"Your welcome."
"I don't want to go back to school, not yet anyway."
Jasper looked up from his book to see she had stopped reading as well. "Alright, so what do you want to do?"
"I can't go back to Forks or Phoenix." He just nodded in agreement, Forks would cause too many questions. But this was what she didn't want to do, not what she wanted. "What are you going to do?"
Jasper put his book aside. "It depends. If you want me around I'll stay, if not I'll visit some old friends for a while. Do you want to find the Cullen's?"
"I…no. They left me, they could have found me anytime if they tried. Alice would have seen if she'd looked. If they don't want me then I don't want them."
"Understandable. So?"
"I think…I want to travel, see the world." She admitted softly and he smiled. "With you."
"Alright."
"Really?"
"Sure. Travelling with a friend is always good. There is so much to see. Let me know when you want to leave and to where and I'll make the arrangements.
TBC…
