Don't own it.
Chapter 9
BPOV
Garrett and I were kicked back watching TV naked and Peter and Char's couch. Peter was convinced that something big was coming down and it revolved around the Cullens now. He wouldn't tell us more than that. He likes to be cryptic but I think he is just hiding the fact that he doesn't really know shit. He and Char decided to go visit the Cullens and see what they could figure out. So that left Garrett and I in an empty house that we had to hide out in during the daytime. We were Divorce Court and I was making very valid points against the concept of marriage.
"Garrett why is marriage so important to you? Really? You know I'm yours forever. Literally."
"Bella, I was raised in a different time. Marriage was a very sacred thing in my time. Not like today when it is thrown away on a whim. It was important for a man and woman to be one in front of God."
"God? What are you talking about Garrett? We aren't religious."
"I am."
"You are? Garrett we are killers."
"Yes we are Bella. So was King David. So were many of the Kings of the Old Testament. Killing does not make us evil Bella. How many lives have we saved by killing the evil we see around us?"
"Yes but is it our place to decide what happens to those men?"
"Of course it is. God wouldn't have put them in our sites if it weren't. The same way God puts a man in front of a lion in the plains of Africa. We have a choice. We can be evil and kill the innocent. Or we can work to protect the weak. We chose to protect the weak from those who would prey upon them. Why is this evil? Would it be better if we knew someone was being hurt by evil and stood by and did nothing?"
I had never thought about it that way. I had never thought about God and religion much to be honest. I suppose I always believed in God but since I became a vampire I tried to not think about my actions too much.
"But we could live off of animals."
"Yes we could. Is an animal less deserving of life than a drug dealer or a rapist Bella?"
"No I suppose not."
"I believe we all have a part to play in life. I have chosen mine to be a protector of the weak and a hunter of evil men. And you have chosen this as well. Whether you did so consciously or not."
"So you want to get married because of your religious beliefs?"
"That's part of it."
"And the rest?"
"I love you. I want to be tied to you in every way possible."
That was sweet. I could see his point.
"What is your problem with marriage?" He asked.
"I guess since my parents divorced I just never saw it as the binding institution that you do. I mean not being able to be apart for more than a few miles because of severe pain. That's binding. Marriage is just paper to me. I wasn't raised in church."
"I understand Bella. I won't ask you again."
"NO!"
Where did that come from?
"What do you mean Bella?"
I don't know what I mean.
"I like it when you ask me." I whispered. There, it was out.
"But Bella I can only take so much rejection."
I turned around and sat on his lap, straddling him with my thighs. As always my man was ready for me in an instant. I placed him inside me and began sliding up and down on his cock.
"Are you trying to change the subject here Bella? Not that I…am … complaining."
"Ask me."
"Ask you?" Oh God I am so turned on.
"Yes baby. Ask me right now."
"Bella, would you marry me?"
Oh God that made me cum. "Yessssssss."
"Yes you will marry me? Or yes you had an orgasm?"
I placed my nipple in his mouth and he bit down.
"Both baby. Both."
He began fucking me at inhuman speeds. I lost myself in him. I bit down on his shoulder and closed my eyes and let him take me to nirvana.
GPOV
We decided to wait for Peter and Charlotte to return before getting married. Bella told me it would have to be simple. She bought a simple white dress and I bought a suit. I made some arrangements and we would be married at Midnight at a small Mission 5 miles from the Alamo. It dated from the same time period. No massacres occurred there. I called Peter and he told me they would be back tomorrow. He seemed agitated.
The next night Peter and Char returned. Bella had already picked them clothes to wear. They would be our witnesses and stand with us.
"So what did you find Peter?"
"Yes Peter, tell me all about the Cullen household and please tell me you didn't let Edward read your thoughts about me." Bella told him with a serious stare.
"Edward wasn't there. He hates me. He was off on a hunting trip. Hannah wasn't there either. He told Carlisle it was too dangerous to have her around us evil red eyed human hunters."
"So what do you think is going to happen?"
"Other than Edward marrying her? Alice let it be known that he planned to fuck her on their wedding night. Her idea. She agreed to marry him if he would have sex with her."
"Is she fucking stupid? Garrett has excellent control and had sex before and he still beat the hell out of me when we had sex. A virgin like Edward is going to break her to pieces!" Bella shouted.
"I know darlin but she apparently is very stubborn. And horny." Charlotte said while giggling.
"So what the hell does this have to do with us Peter?" I had to know something. Sonofabitch was making me nervous with his cryptic shit.
"I'm sorry. I don't know Garrett. I just got a very bad feeling about this. Alice does too."
"Alice?" Bella asked.
Peter gave her a grave look. "Bella I have known Alice for damn near a hundred years. I have never seen her this sad. She has no life to her. Jasper feels horrible like Edward leaving you was his fault. Alice is devastated. All she would talk about was you and how much she missed you. Bella it was hard to keep this from her. I don't want to do it again."
Bella had a thoughtful look on her face.
"I'm sorry Peter. But the Bella she knew is dead."
"Really? Because the Bella she described sounded exactly like you. Except for being a foul mouthed evil bitch."
"Sorry you had to go through that Peter." Bella whispered.
"Come on darling. Show me this place ya'll are goin to get hitched. I want to see it. Especially since I am the Maid of honor. We also have a bachelorette party to plan." Char said, grabbing my hand.
"Party?" I asked. I didn't like the sound of that.
"Yep. A party of two. Me, Bella and a bed and no other horny vampires around. You guys gonna have a party too?" She asked winking at me.
"NO!" Peter and I both shouted at the same time.
Char grabbed Bella's hand and took off out the door. I turned to Peter.
"You think they are really going to…"
"Who the fuck knows with those crazy bitches?" Peter said in a huff.
"So what do you think is coming?"
"I really don't know. But I would bet anything it has to do with Edward Cullen and his girl. That boy is a fucking idiot."
I hoped Peter was wrong.
"Oh and after ya'lls wedding you may want to go somewhere else. Jasper and Alice are returning the visit for a few weeks. Alice says she has to get away from the wedding plans and Edward."
"Thanks for the warning. We are married tomorrow night and then the honeymoon."
"Do me a favor and stay in Texas just in case something happens."
"We will be here until this situation, whatever the hell it is, is over."
BPOV
We checked out the site and headed to the mall to do some shopping. I normally hate shopping but running all over the nation tends to tear up ones clothes. Garrett says I should wear leather but I'll be damned if I am dressing like a nomad. I do have some standards.
"So what made you finally give into him?"
"I love him. It's important to him. And I'm getting tired of calling him my mate all the time. Husband would be a nice change."
"True. I'm glad. You two are so nice together. I have seen Garrett so lonely for so many years. He deserves happiness. I'm sorry it had to come at such a high cost to you though."
"That's the breaks. You can't fight destiny. Whether you like it or not. We would have been together one way or another. I can't imagine now how I lived without him before."
I sighed. I missed my soldier already. And I like to pride myself on being an independent woman. I grabbed Char's hand and we walked the Mall.
"Char I want to thank you. You really are my best friend. I love you."
"Why, is Bella the bitch Swan getting emotional?"
I had to laugh. "Yeah I guess I am."
She smiled at me. "Well I love you too darling. I haven't had a close friend in a long time. Alice doesn't really get me. She tried but we were too different."
"Oh shit, I just realized something."
"What?"
"My last name is going to be Jones."
GPOV
The wedding was beautiful. Bella and I were married under a canopy covered in small lights. She was breathtaking. I guess God must like me somewhat to give me a gift like her. She looked happy as well. I even saw venom in her eyes. I held her a kiss that went on longer than any human could hold their breath. Until the Priest cleared his throat. Peter and Char stayed out and let us have the house alone. We managed not to break anything. Married sex is much more intense than mating sex. Or we are just getting better at it. I can't tell.
We left the next day. Alice and Jasper were due to be there three days from now and Bella and I would find a nice place to go until they left. Bella wanted to travel the State.
First stop. Dallas Texas. Bella wanted to see where Kennedy was shot. I told her of my memories of that day. It was one of the saddest days in the nation's history that I could remember. One was the day Lincoln was shot. The other two were Pearl Harbor and 9/11. I lived through them all. World wars. Civil wars. Conflicts as they liked to call Vietnam and Korea. All death. We visited the stock yards. Bella also insisted on seeing a baseball game at the Ball Park in Arlington. The Rangers were playing the Mariners. We had great seats in the outfield. Home run alley.
Bella kept asking me questions about the game. She told me once her father loved sports and now she wanted to see what the big deal is. The girl was obviously raised by her mother.
"So the guy on the mound is the quarterback?"
"Pitcher. How can your vampire mind not get this?"
"Oh my God, he hit the ball Garrett! It's coming at us!"
"Catch it!"
"I can't catch a boulder! You want me to catch a speeding ball?!"
"Yes!"
Bella scrunched up her face in a look of fierce concentration. She jumped, not high thankfully and at human speed and snapped up the ball out of the air.
"Garrett I caught a touchdown!"
"Home run sweetie."
"Whatever!" She was so excited. She held up the ball and everyone around her was cheering. We heard sniffles behind us. We turned and saw a boy, maybe around 10 with tears in his eyes. His father patted him on the back and whispered to him. "You'll get the next one buddy."
Before I knew it Bella had turned around and was looking at the boy.
"Hey buddy. You enjoying the game?"
"Yes ma'am, "he said trying to hide his sniffles.
"Would you do me a favor? I really don't have a place to keep this baseball at my house. Would you take it off my hands?"
The kids eyes lit up. "Yes ma'am!"
She handed the ball to him. His father looked at Bella, looked at her cleavage and looked back at her.
"Thank you." He whispered. "Oh and I like the red contacts."
"Thanks and no problem." She whispered back to him and threw him a wink. We sat back and I wrapped my arms around her shoulders.
"You having fun darling?"
"Yes. I just wish they sold bags of blood. That would make this perfect."
Jacob POV (Say what?)
I was sitting at Charlie's again watching baseball with him and my dad. We tried to spend as much time with Charlie as possible. He has not been the same man since Bella died. He was soldiering on though. But he still hardly ever smiled anymore.
I was barely paying attention to the game. I was thinking about the leech we had killed yesterday. Dread locks. Looked Jamaican. Blood red eyes. Said he was looking for the Cullens before he begged us not to kill him. I wondered if more were coming. I thought things would be quiet after the Cullens left. A few wanderers here and there but no steady stream of vampires. But if this guy was attached to the Cullens it could mean more trouble coming. I heard the announcer shout Home Run and then "What a catch in the stands by that young lady! And she is giving the ball to the kid behind her. There is a woman who gets baseball!"
I heard Charlie gasp and say something I did not expect. "Bella."
I turned toward the TV and saw her. The camera was showing her giving the ball to the boy behind her. It was Bella but she was not a human. Oh shit. Bella is a vampire! And Charlie saw her. Dad looked at me with panic in his eyes.
"What do you mean Bella, Charlie?"
Charlie looked like he had seen a ghost. I guess in a way he had. "That is Bella."
"She was not Bella Charlie. Did she look exactly like Bella?"
"No…but…"
"Charlie, I know where you are coming from," Dad told him taking his hand. "After Sarah died I saw her everywhere too."
"I guess so. It just looked so much like her. The hair wasn't right. A darker reddish brown. But her cheekbones, her nose, her build."
"Charlie you saw her for ten seconds. I know you miss her but don't torture yourself."
He looked at me with resignation in his eyes. "You're right Jacob. My imagination is running away with me."
I hated doing this to him. Especially since he didn't know how right he was. Now I had to figure out how and why Bella Swan is a vampire. And I am betting the Cullens have something to do with this. This means the treaty is over. And the Cullens are fair game.
Charlie POV
I don't give a damn what Jacob or Billy say. I'm a cop. I notice things. And I know that girl was my daughter. How is she is alive and what the hell is she doing in Texas? I swear I wouldn't stop until I found her and got the answers I needed. At least I had something I haven't had in a long time. Hope.
