AN: Alright now, another update! Woo! Hopefully some questions will be answered...but you'll have to read and see.
Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.
When Bella had gotten to the car, which of course ended up being a flashy black Maserati, Jasper was wiping his hands on the back of his jeans and glaring at Peter.
"Fucker." He muttered in Peter's direction before taking Bella back into his arms. He ran the tip of his nose up the column of her neck, taking a deep breath, causing her to shudder. She could swear she felt his amusement, and contentment, at her reaction; but one could never be too sure.
"Ya make sure not to listen to these two too much, now Kitt'n. They'll get ya into trouble." Jasper whispered against her hair. If his Captain thought he was safe from him getting revenge, well, he had another thing comin'.
Bella nodded just as Peter made a move to take her out of Jasper's arms.
"Kitten! Why I like the sound of that! I think I might just start callin' ya that myself, little-" He was cut off by Jasper smacking him hard against the back of his head. With a slight growl Jasper resituated Bella back against him, his eyes glaring at his Captain.
"Back seat. Now!" He barked out as Peter rubbed the back of his head with a pout and Charlotte stifled a giggle behind her hand.
"What! But we drove here, we should drive back!" Was Peter's indignant response. Meanwhile Charlotte just grabbed the back of her mate's shirt and dragged him toward the back, with a small salute towards the Major. With a nod Jasper looked down at Bella, a smirk growing across his lips.
"Ready to head on out, Kitt'n?"
Looking around her surroundings one last time, resigning to a small part of herself that this was it, all or nothing; Bella nodded.
"Yeah." She said with a smile. "I think I am."
The drive itself was only about 30 minutes, especially with Jasper pushing the car as fast as it could go. The car was filled with very little talking, as everyone seemed to know that the real discussions would take place once they got to the house.
And what a house it was...
Bella let out a low whistle as they pulled up in front of a classic style adobe house. It seemed to be built into the cliff side, and looked to be about two stories. But it was uncertain how much of the house exactly was built into the cliff. Bella tried to take in as much as she could of it before they pulled into what seemed to be an underground garage.
"What kind of fucking vampires live in the middle of the desert?" She wondered out loud as she took in the other cars in the garage. There had to be at least 10 others, and she thought she caught a glimpse of a couple motorcycles before Jasper was suddenly opening her door for her.
"We do." He answered simply before grabbing her things out of her lap, tossing them to Charlotte who quickly ran inside, and gesturing for Bella to get out of the car.
Honestly, he had forgotten how slow humans were...
Bella got out of the car with a huff, though she found Jasper's brusqueness quite refreshing if she was honest.
Jasper flanked her left side, arm wrapped around her waist, while Peter flanked her right, being careful not to touch her.
"Besides," Peter said as he opened the door for them, "We tend to like a little bit of the unexpected 'round here."
Bella was once again taken back by the beauty and size of the house. The space was designed in a similar open floor plan like the Cullen's house, but unlike the Cullen's it seemed to be more of a ranch style. The furniture screamed comfort and function rather than wealth, and in place of the huge overdone windows were the smaller more towards the ceiling windows that were typical in adobe designs.
As she wandered around the ground floor, she stopped to sit at an overly stuffed, large chair that was catty cornered next to a wall full of bookcases. She let out a happy sigh before sinking herself into the chair, situating herself in what she now deemed paradise.
"I'm glad ya like it." Jasper said from next to her, and she was suddenly reminded that this is where she would be living now. With her vampire mate. Her life was so weird...
Jasper picked her up and sat down in her chair, placing her in his lap. Despite how weird of a turn her life had taken, Bella couldn't deny that she felt calmer when she was in contact with him. It was a feeling similar to traveling for an extended period of time, and then finally getting home and laying down in the bed she knew and loved. Instant calm.
She watched as Peter sat in the chair across from them, Charlotte suddenly appearing at his side to sit on the arm of his chair. She shot Bella a quick smile, before giving a nod to the Major.
"Well now. Let's get started." Peter spoke up, his expression rather serious for him. He was watching Bella with that curious gaze again, as if staring at her long enough would answer all his questions. "How do you know me?"
Bella sighed, leaning back onto Jasper. She was suddenly tired as the weight of the day hit her. She could feel Jasper's fingers stroking her hair as she felt a mix of determination and energy hit her. She gave the arm resting on the arm of the chair a slight squeeze out of gratitude. Taking a deep breath she started.
"My grandmother, on my mother's side, was named Marie Christine Higginbotham. I was very close to her until she passed away in 1999, when I was 12. She was considered a bitter woman by many people who knew her, but she was never that person to me. We used to spend hours together, from cooking in the kitchen, to looking at old photo albums." Bella met Peter's eyes and could see awareness blossoming in them. "That's why I felt like I knew you, I had seen your face before. In those photo albums."
Peter nodded at her while Charlotte looked back and forth from them confused.
"I'm sorry, but what the hell are ya'll talkin' 'bout?" She asked, frustration coloring her tone. Peter grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze, but didn't break eye contact with Bella. He gave her a nod to continue.
"My grandmother had an older brother, who was her senior by about seven years. But he was in the military, the Marines, and he had signed up for a deployment in Mexico. My grandmother said he wasn't supposed to go. But earlier that year, his wife and daughter died in a really horrible car accident. He had applied for the employment the next day. My grandmother said that she begged her brother to stay home, but she was only 16, and he was 23, and just wouldn't listen. Kept saying they were orders." Bella took another deep breath and looked at Charlotte. "She said...she said she felt like he was going there to die."
Charlotte tightened her grip on Peter's hand and looked down at him. Her gaze said she demanded answers.
With a sigh Peter nodded.
"She was right. I was devastated. The deployment to Mexico was just a ploy. Everyone knew there was something dangerous going on down there. I planned on heading down there, breaking off from my troop, getting wasted, and killing myself."
His eyes met Jasper's, and Bella watched as they filled with a mixture of gratitude and shame.
"Nearly succeeded too."
She felt Jasper scoff behind her, his fingers still running through her hair like a serious conversation wasn't even happening.
"Yeah. Ya sure was a sorry little fuck when I found ya. Ya uniform is what sealed the deal though."
Peter nodded, chuckling with a sort of sarcastic mirth. The grin her shot at Jasper was almost bitter.
"Oh yeah. Couldn't pass up the chance to pick up another soldier."
Bella looked at the faces of Peter and Charlotte, both displaying grim smiles, then looked up at Jasper's face. He held a certain tightness in his eyes, and Bella could tell she was missing out on something. Her hand gave his arm another squeeze, and she noticed his fingers stopped running through her hair as he looked down at her.
"Soldier's for what?"
AN: Oh uh. I wonder if the Major is willing to talk about his past...or how Bella is going to deal with it if he does. I hope you enjoyed this update though, my lovely readers! :)
