A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed this story, or put it on alert. I'm really happy you guys are enjoying it. A massive thanks to my pre reader OCDJen, and my beta JessDS, for all their hard work in helping me with my chapter.
Warning: This story is rated M for a reason. It includes sexual situations and strong language.If you are under 18, please stop reading now.
Disclaimer: I own nothing Twilight. All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer. I just like to make them do naughty things.
Chapter 7
EPOV
Slumping back onto my pillow, I shook my head. Alice had finally left last night after ripping me a new one when I told her of my plan to go after Jasper. She couldn't get past the fact that he was a vampire, and a killer. She just kept repeating, "You almost died, Edward. You almost died." Try as I might, I couldn't get her to see him as I did. I knew that Jasper didn't mean to hurt me, that it was just an accident. After much arguing between us, she finally relented and admitted that Jasper must care for me, as he did call Emmett to help me. She was still in disagreement with my idea to go look for him, though. Her attitude was 'good riddance to bad rubbish'. She didn't seem to have any animosity towards Emmett, though, especially since he was the one who brought me to the hospital. In her eyes, he was my saviour, not Jasper. The fact that Emmett was a vampire didn't really bother her as much as it did that Jasper was one. If I was honest with myself, I had to admit that I really wasn't concerned about her feelings. The person I was most concerned about after Jasper was Emmett. I was going to need his help to find Jasper and I knew he wasn't going to give it willingly. He had already said as much. I had to hope though. There had to be a way to convince him, I just had to think of it.
After a restless night's sleep, I woke up with the biggest headache. Luckily, it wasn't enough for the doctor to keep me in the hospital another day. The doctor agreed to release me as long as I promised to take it easy for the next few days. Of course, I readily agreed. I was able to walk on my own and I only had a little limp. It was barely noticeable. Alice picked me up and dropped me back at my place. She wasn't happy that I didn't want her to come in with me, but I think she understood that I needed to face my demon on my own.
Walking into the house, I stopped just inside the front door and took a deep breath. No sign of Jasper's scent anywhere. I guess it was to be expected as I had been in the hospital for two days, and from the smell of things, Jasper had cleaned everything up. Taking a breath, I walked down the hall into the kitchen. Everything looked as it should. Not one thing was out of place. There were no reminders of my time with Jasper left anywhere. I sat down and put my head on the table and just let the tears come. Knowing I was foolish for crying was one thing. Feeling sorry for myself was another. Here I was, alone, missing Jasper desperately. What I wouldn't give to have him here right now holding me in his arms, caressing my hair, and telling me that everything was going to be okay. It was amazing how quickly he had gotten under my skin, how fast he had stolen my heart. Didn't he feel the same way? How could he not after the passion that we shared? How could he just leave me if he felt an inkling of what I feel? I know he was concerned for me, and I respected that. I also knew that he wouldn't hurt me again, not after what happened. I had faith in him that he would never hurt me again. If he only had the same faith in himself, he'd be here with me now.
Picking my head up off the table, I looked around the room remembering what had happened the last time I was here. We had such a great day together checking out the cars. Even the visit from Emmett and Rosalie couldn't put a damper on things. Our little tryst during lunch would always hold a bittersweet place in my heart as it was the beginning and the end for us all wrapped up into a neat little package. I felt a pain in my chest as I remembered what I had lost as a result - Jasper. Reminiscing wasn't going to help things; it was only going to hurt. Grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge, I made my way upstairs and plopped on my bed. Taking a nap was probably the best thing I could do right now. It would help me relax and get ready for school tomorrow, and it would help me forget about Jasper just for a little bit.
I must have passed right out because when the phone rang and woke me up, it was pitch black outside. "Hello?" I said, clearing my throat.
"Edward, are you okay? Where the hell have you been?" Alice screamed in my ear.
"Alice, calm down. I've been home all day. Actually, I was sleeping when you called. What's wrong?" I don't know if it was because I just woke up or not, but Alice's panic was confusing the shit out of me.
"Nothing is wrong, Edward. I was worried about you, that's all. I've been calling your cell all day, and you weren't answering. I'm sorry, I panicked. I thought maybe Jasper returned and finished you off." She said sheepishly.
"Alice! That's not funny!" I couldn't believe her.
"I'm only joking, Edward. Forgive me for worrying," she huffed.
"It's okay, Al. I must have left my cell downstairs. The nap I took really helped. I'm feeling much better now and ready to face the day tomorrow." I knew that would appease her.
"I can't believe you're going back to work tomorrow. Why don't you take the rest of the week off? I'm sure they would understand."
"I'm sure they would, but I'm fine and I'm ready to go back to work. Being busy will be the best thing. Otherwise, I'll just be moping around thinking of Jasper all day, and I don't want to do that."
"Guess you're right, as usual. You'll be okay to drive yourself, or do you want me to pick you up?" She asked. I smiled to myself; I could always depend on Alice.
"I can drive, but thanks for asking. Talk to you tomorrow." Getting myself up out of bed, I made my way downstairs to the kitchen. There sat my cell phone forgotten on the table. Checking it, I found three texts from Alice in addition to four missed calls and voice mails. The texts were the basic 'where are you, call me', while the voice mails increased in intensity and panic until she finally decided to try the house phone. Chuckling, I shook my head. There was never a dull moment where Alice was concerned, that's for sure.
My stomach growled reminding me that I hadn't eaten anything since oatmeal that morning in the hospital. Deciding scrambled eggs would be the easiest, I got all the ingredients out and put them on the counter. Cooking was normally something I enjoyed and took my time with, but tonight I just wanted to get it done quickly. This depression over everything that happened was seriously dampening my mood and I needed to snap out of it quick. As I sat down to eat, my phone chirped signalling that I had a text. Figuring it was probably Alice checking up on me again, I decided to ignore it until after I was done with my so called 'dinner'. After cleaning up, I grabbed my phone and sat down on the couch to watch TV. Checking my messages, I saw the text was not from Alice at all, it was from Jasper. Jasper! Jasper had texted me, and I had ignored it! I was so fucking stupid. Why didn't I just check the phone before? He probably thought I was ignoring him now. With shaking hands, I opened up the text. It was short and sweet,
'E, got ur msg. Em told me he brought u up to speed. Sorry for everything, but this is for the best. xo, J'. That was it? That was fucking it? I couldn't believe him! How could he just leave things like that? Texting him back, I decided to ask him just that,
'J, nothing to be sorry for, but how could you just leave? and when are you coming back? I miss you. xo E'. There, I did it. I put it out there. Now, it was time to wait and see if he would respond.
The next day dawned bright and sunny and with no word from Jasper. I wasn't surprised, though. Emmett had warned me that Jasper was gone and wasn't looking back. The day flew by and all the students were full of questions about my 'accident'. Emmett found himself the center of attention as the hero who found and rescued me. Rosalie wasn't too thrilled with all the attention he was receiving, especially from all the girls. She kept her arm around his waist making it very clear to all concerned that he was taken. I could tell he was embarrassed by the attention, but he handled it well. When the final bell rang, I looked up to find him waiting in my doorway.
"Hey Emmett. Did you need something?" I looked at him questioningly.
"Yes, Mr. Cullen. I wanted to speak to you. Do you have a minute?" He shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other.
"Sure Emmett, and it's Edward, remember? Come in and sit down." Waving him over to a seat in the front row, I said, "You were quite the celebrity today, huh?
"Yeah, I was. Rose wasn't too happy about it though." He sat down putting his messenger bag on the floor. "Not to change the subject, but Jasper told me he got in touch with you last night."
I looked up, surprised. "Yeah, he texted me. You spoke with him?"
"He called me after he got your message. He wanted me to let you know that he couldn't give you the answers you are looking for and just to forget about it and him." Emmett shifted in his seat.
I knew this whole situation was making him feel uncomfortable. It wasn't really fair of me to put him in between Jasper and I like this, but I really didn't care. "When did wanting to know why something has to be a certain way turn into a bad thing?" The frustration I was feeling was coming through loud and clear. "All I want are some answers, that's all. I don't think that's too much to ask given the situation."
"Look Edward, I know that you are upset, but there is really nothing I can do. Jasper feels that this is the way things have to be for your own safety. That's all he is concerned about right now. I've known Jasper for a long time, and I can tell you now that he is not going to change his mind."
Shaking my head, I replied, "I'm sorry Emmett. That may be the way Jasper feels and I respect that, but I can't just sit back and act like nothing happened between us. Don't worry though, I won't be putting you in the middle anymore."
"I'm sorry, Edward. If I can help you in any way, please don't hesitate to let me know. Jasper asked me to keep you safe, and I will." With that, he got up and left.
I leaned forward in my chair and put my head on the desk. This was going to be harder than I thought, this thing with Jasper. I was going to have to rethink my options and figure out which tactics would bring me closer to my goal.
That night, while I was working on my lesson plans, there was a knock on my door. To say I was shocked by who I found there was an understatement. "James? What on earth are you doing here?" James and I had been together for five years.
Our relationship had broken up when I realized he was cheating on me. James wasn't aware of the "gift" I possessed as I had never shared it with him. Out of respect for him I had never used my gift on him so I found out about the cheating the old fashioned way, I caught them together. Since I moved to Forks, he had been calling, texting and emailing me constantly asking me to take him back even though I knew from our friends that he was still running around with the waitress he cheated on me with. I never bothered to respond to any of his attempts at communication, so the last thing I expected was to find him on my doorstep.
"Edward, is that a nice way to greet your boyfriend that you haven't seen in months?" He said, smirking at me.
"Boyfriend? Are you crazy? We broke up months ago if you remember; when I caught you fucking the waitress!" I couldn't believe the anger I was feeling. It was as if the betrayal had just taken place instead of happening months ago.
"Come on, Edward. You know that wasn't serious. I was just experimenting, wanting to see what it would be like with a woman, that's all. It didn't change my feelings for you. I still love you." He looked at me beseechingly.
'Are you for real? Experimenting? How dumb do you think I am? Look, James, I'm not sure why you are here, and I don't really care. All I know is that you need to leave, and now!" I moved to close the door.
"I'm afraid I can't let that happen, Edward." He put his foot in the door to prevent me from closing it. "You need to give me an opportunity to explain, to defend myself. I won't leave until you do."
"James, if you don't get your foot out of the door, I'm going to break it. I have nothing to say to you, so please leave before I call the police." I couldn't believe the nerve he had.
"Fine, Edward, I'll go now but I will be back tomorrow and the next day and the next. I'll keep coming around until you agree to talk to me. You won't get rid of me that easily, Edward." With that, he turned around and left.
Slamming the door, I made sure to lock both locks. For some reason James' visit really shook me up. He was acting totally out of character, and it scared me. I had a really bad feeling about this situation and I wished that Jasper were here with me.
The next morning I made sure the coast was clear of James before running to my car. On the drive to school I kept looking in my rear view mirror to make sure I wasn't being followed. When I arrived at the school I parked as close as I could to the entrance and merged with a group of students to walk the rest of the way. I wasn't able to relax until I got to my classroom and closed the door. Leaning against the door, I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.
"What's wrong, Edward? You look like you've seen a ghost." I heard Emmett ask, scaring me half to death.
My eyes jolted open to see Emmett looking at me questioningly. "Fuck, Emmett! You scared the shit out of me! What are you doing here?" I was shaking like a leaf and my heart was racing a mile a minute. Making my way over to my desk, I dropped my briefcase on it and sank into my chair.
"Sorry man. I didn't mean to scare you. What has you so jumpy?" Confusion laced his features.
"Never mind that. What are you doing here? I thought we said all we had to say yesterday." My heartbeat was finally slowing down and my breaths were a little less ragged.
"I came by to tell you that I hoped we could still be friends despite the situation with Jasper." Emmett was still looking at me strangely.
"Sure, Emmett, that's fine. I don't see why not. After all, this situation is between Jasper and me and has nothing to do with you. Now, if there is nothing else, you need to go." My body was finally calming down.
"Thanks, Edward, I'm happy to hear that we can still be friends. I'll go, but not until you tell me what's going on." Emmett was not budging.
"Nothing is going on, Emmett. Please, just go." Geez, who knew the kid could be so stubborn.
"Edward, I can smell the fear on you. Please, tell me. I promised Jasper I'd keep you safe and I can't do that if you hide things from me." He moved and sat on the edge of my desk. "Tell me what has you so freaked out."
"You're going to think it's stupid. It is stupid. I don't even know why I'm letting it bother me." In my nervousness, I was babbling like an idiot.
"It's not stupid, that I'm sure of. Just start at the beginning and tell me what happened."
"My ex boyfriend from Seattle showed up on my doorstep last night."
"And...."
"And, he acted as if we had never broken up. He thought I should have been happy to see quote "my boyfriend that I haven't seen in months" unquote. When I reminded him that we broke up because he was cheating, he played it off as if it were nothing and that we were still together. He tried to force his way into the house and I had to threaten to call the police before he would leave. He then told me he would come around every day until I gave him another chance. It was so out of character for him that I guess it freaked me out." It sounded even more stupid when I said it out loud.
"Wow, Edward. He sounds like a head case. Was he violent or aggressive like this when you were together?"
"No. James was always very sweet and sensitive. If it wasn't that I caught him cheating, we'd probably still be together."
"What do you mean you caught him? Didn't you just hear it in his thoughts?" I could tell I was totally confusing Emmett.
"No. I never told James about my gift, so I didn't feel comfortable using it on him. I found out the old fashioned way - by catching them in bed together." I could see it as if it were yesterday, James sitting on the bed with the blond waitress riding him like a horse. Ugh, the thought made me sick to my stomach.
"That sucks. Who was the guy?" Poor clueless Emmett.
"It wasn't a guy, Emmett. It was a woman, a waitress that we knew from a bar we went to." I hung my head down in shame. "It was bad enough that my boyfriend cheated on me, but he cheated on me with a woman to boot. It doesn't get worse than that."
"Low blow, Edward. Sorry man. That had to hurt." Emmett looked pained at the thought of what happened to me.
"Well, it wasn't fun, that's for sure. Anyway, that was the last I've seen of James until last night. He's been trying to contact me but I just kept ignoring him. I can't believe he just showed up here like this. It's creepy."
"No worries, Edward. While your ex is in town, I will have your back." The bell rang signalling the start of the school day.
I started to protest, but Emmett nipped it in the bud.
"A promise is a promise, and I always keep my promises. I know you eat lunch here so that's good. Meet me here after school, and I'll ride home with you to make sure he's not following you. Okay?" He looked at me pointedly.
"Yes, yes. I will meet you here."
Emmett grabbed his backpack off the floor and made his way to the door. "If anything happens, text me and I will come."
"Okay Emmett, and thanks. I appreciate it." And I really did. I felt better already.
