Chapter Nine

Renee

He had manners as Grandpa said and handed Bella to me as I thanked him sitting more comfortably and feeding her as she woke demanding and thirsty, unashamed at him seeing my naked breast, after all he was going to be very close to my baby now and this was a natural enough thing.

"I guess I should introduce myself properly, the name is Jasper, Jasper...Whitlock."

He had hesitated and Grandpa looked at him suspiciously.

"That's my real name although I go by the name Hale in the family I live with."

"Family?"

He nodded in response to Grandpa's question,

"Yes, my history is an unhappy one but I live with a family group of vampires now and we live on animal blood not human."

"Well at least you are seemingly being honest I guess Jasper but what the hell is going on with my Great Grand daughter and you?"

I could tell he didn't really have an answer to this so I took over the story here telling Grandpa and mom, who had now joined us, although she was still looking nervously at Jasper, everything I had felt.

"It's like I could feel it rather than see it, I can't explain but I knew Jasper was coming and I knew he was going to be the most important person in my daughter's life."

"Honey B, the only way to save Bella from the same fate as you and your mom and I or from being taken away by vampires if they find out about her is by keeping her a secret and bringing another vampire or whole damn family of them is not the way to do that."

"Grandpa is right Renee. Jasper lives with other vampires, how will he keep it a secret if Bella is so important to him?"

Mom was suspicious and I understood, it was going to be hard for both Bella and Jasper but there had to be a way.

Jasper cleared his throat,

"You're right of course and to show I am being truthful I have to tell you there is another problem. I live with a mind reader and I am...involved with a girl who sees the future."

Grandpa swore, something he rarely did and to calm him now Bella had finished feeding I handed her to him although I knew Jasper had been hoping to hold her once more.

"Bella is special, I know this is the same way I know you have a gift, you feel things and I guess I feel things too although not like you. It must be a part of being a hybrid. Please don't ask me to explain how I know but Bella will hide herself inside your mind. Your mind reader won't be able to hear any thoughts about her and your "girlfriend" won't see her relationship with you unless she finds out about Bella. So long as Bella is young she can only hide herself inside your head."

"But to keep Alice from finding out means going back to her, if I don't she will certainly hunt me down. Alice can be extremely single minded when she decides to be."

I didn't have time to answer Jasper as Grandpa, despite Bella's soothing influence was still ready with an answer.

"Then I guess you'll just have to stay away until Bella is older, until she can protect herself better, or until you can protect her from others of your kind, unless that is you know of a way we can protect ourselves from your kind."

It was obvious from the tone of his voice that Renee's Grandfather wanted to know all I could tell him about vampires and as I hesitated he smiled dryly,

"If you want us to trust you then trust us, it's a two way street young man."

He was right of course so I began to tell him about my species, how we became vampires, how we lived and how it was pretty much impossible for a human to hide or run from my kind.

"So all that stuff on the internet, it's all crap?"

"Pretty much although there are some facts they get right. I think you'll find fiction came up with the idea of garlic and holy water. Vampires having no reflections, all that kind of stuff. I can tell you one thing though, if you ever suspect you are being pursued or followed by a vampire and you have a way of getting out into sunlight then do it."

"But sunlight isn't deadly to vampires, you appeared here during daylight."

"Yes I did but you didn't see me outside. Sunlight isn't dangerous to us as such but it will show us for what we are. Vampire skin reacts to sunlight and vampires do not want to be discovered, they won't show themselves to humans in sunlight. It's your best chance if there are others of your kind close by."

He looked at Jasper, eyebrows raised in vexation, and snorted his derision,

"So your best shot at defending ourselves is standing in the middle of the street on a sunny day? I don't see that working do you? Like I said, you might just have to keep your distance, for all our sakes."

Jasper shook his head, pain visible in his eyes,

"I can't do that, I can't just walk away knowing I won't see Bella again for years."

"I don't think you have any choice Jasper. Not if you want to keep her safe."

I could see his pain and something told me that he and my baby girl needed time to bond. If they had to be apart it couldn't be now, not yet, not permanently.

"There has to be a way Jasper, think."

"I get away a few times a year to visit with friends, good friends I can trust with my life. Could I visit Bella then?"

The longing and desperation in his question made it clear there was only one answer.

"Yes I think that would wise, provided you are careful and your friends are too."

"Thank you Renee, Peter and Charlotte would die rather than cause me any harm. They are the only two people in this world I would trust with my life."

Jasper

I stayed a few more hours but knew I had to leave then or risk Peter coming to look for me and I had to explain things to him first because he was not going to be happy about this, I could guarantee that much. Renee persuaded her mother and Grandfather to agree to my returning with my friends so they would know who they could call on safely if there were any problems. They would be my only connection with Bella when I was away from her and as I eventually tore myself away after a final farewell to my mate I felt the first keen edge of a pain that was to become my permanent companion whenever I was away from her.

Charlotte was there and Peter was about to come looking for me when I finally got back to the motel, my footsteps growing slower and heavier the further from the cabin I traveled.

"Where the fuck have you been? You go off like some fucking hiker and just disappear. I was about to come looking for your sorry ass, I thought you'd gotten yourself into trouble... again."

Charlotte looked at me with a frown then slapped Peter on the arm to shut him up while motioning me to sit down. She joined me, perched on the edge of the chair and took a deep breath,

"So? Are you going to tell us about her?"

"Her? Who? What are you talking about? Major, what the fuck is going on?"

I wasn't sure where to start, it all seemed so...so amazing that I began to think maybe I had imagined it all but then I smelled Bella's scent on my shirt and knew it was for real.

"Hey Major, that stupid ass grin on your face is freaking me out so tell me what's going on before I am forced to beat it out of you."

I started talking hesitantly at first but then words flooded out and when I finished Charlotte was smiling widely but Peter just shook his head,

"You know I warned you that one day all that fucking animal blood would addle your brain and now it has."

"No Peter, it's true, can't you smell her?"

Peter was forced to nod reluctantly then groaned and dropped his head to his hands which had been leaning on the table.

"What a fucking mess! Only you could come up with shit like this. I knew there was something going on, that feeling I had. Now I have another one and I can see this being a real fucking pain in the ass for you. The Poisoned Dwarf will chop Bella into itsy bitsy pieces along with the rest of her family and you if she finds out. I get that but there's more."

"More?"

"Yeah, you have to keep it from everyone. Even Carlisle, and don't start the "I can trust him he's a compassionate doctor" crap because need I remind you he and Aro were bosom pals at one time and Alice is his favorite little fairy dust pixie."

"I think Peter's right Major. Like Renee said, you are going to be living on a knife edge for the next eighteen to twenty years at least. We have no idea how quickly Bella will mature, after all she's a hybrid, it could be quicker or slower than a human, or when her gift will kick in properly. We should be thankful it's strong enough to hide any trace of her from Edward and Alice as it is."

"We? What's with the we Charlotte? I don't remember volunteering for hazardous duties with The Major's "little problem".

Charlotte glared at him and he sighed theatrically but then began to laugh although there was little humor in it,

"You know what this means don't you Major? You're stuck with the Twisted Pixie for the next decade or two at least and you have to keep her sweet, now how's that for a penance?"