So here you go. Second chapter of the day and it's the largest to date. This time we get a bit of an insight into the Cullen family and the move to Alaska begins. Enjoy!
Chapter 10.
The day and night had passed quickly as they worked together to pack up the whole house. Apart from Bella they were all well practiced in this and the use of vampire speed enabled them to get it done in just a few hours. Their new house was fully furnished so a lot of things were remaining in Forks although it would obviously be a long time before they could return to this area. It would be too risky to come back sooner. The six remaining family members sat in the lounge; easily splitting into pairs as they relaxed and waited for the time to pass.
Esme and Carlisle were watching Bella and Jasper with interest. The attraction between them was undeniable and they both realized it was inevitable that they'd end up together. The four of them had discussed this after the two of them had left to hunt and all of them were now watching them subtly; or trying to, in Emmett's case.
"Do you think they'll be okay?" Emmett asked his parents as they'd begun to pack up Edward's things; a frown on his face at the thought of them hurting any more than they had to.
"They'll be fine, Em." Carlisle reassured him.
"It's going to happen." Rosalie said; her arm wrapping around his waist in a half hug.
"I know. I can see it between them but I wonder if they're going too fast." Emmett was obviously worried about both his siblings.
"This is what Alice and Edward wanted. I've been thinking about this ever since we got the letter from them and when I saw the two of them together this morning I realized something." Esme said; pausing what she was doing as the others all stared at her. "I think there's always been a connection between them; or would've been if Edward and Alice had let them near each other when Bella was still human. I always thought it was so unfair on Jazz the way they restricted him from spending time with her but now I can see why they did. I think they were scared about what would happen between them so they kept them apart; blaming Jasper's lack of control as the reason for it."
"You're right." Rosalie said. "I always thought Edward was a little too controlling; especially when it came to Bella. Even Alice was a little with Jazz; always living her life and ruling his with her visions and I know we all relied on them too but sometimes I think she was a little too reliant on them. Bella and Jasper seem much better suited to each other and it's good to see Jasper this way." Her fondness for her brother could easily be seen by all. "I'm sorry Alice and Edward had to sacrifice themselves for this to happen and I'll always be grateful to them for sparing us the pain of even further loss but I can never be sorry to see Jazz the way he was this morning."
"You're right, Rosalie. He seemed more relaxed than he's ever been around us." Esme said; a small smile on her face as she remembered how she'd seen her son this morning.
"And he was showing his scars. That sounds like such a small thing but we all know how huge that is for him. I wonder what happened between them while we were hunting last night." Emmett said; his interest more than a little obvious and the whole family knew just what he was picturing in his head.
"Pervert," Rosalie hissed and smacked the back of his head.
"We need to let this evolve naturally and should try to keep our observation and speculation about it to a minimum." Carlisle said; a pointed look being flashed in his son's direction at the last part, "Jasper will be able to feel our obvious curiosity about their developing relationship but we don't need to heap on more pressure than they're already under about this."
"You didn't tell us what was in the information from Aro." Emmett said; changing the subject entirely.
The next few minutes passed with Carlisle and Esme summarizing what they'd read to their children. Rosalie and Emmett's expressions turned to ones of worry as the minutes passed. "There was some information Jasper didn't show us." He finished with.
"He didn't?" Esme said; having not realized this was the case.
"He took one sheet with him; he didn't want us to see it. It's to do with the last task they have to face."
"What do you think it said?"
"I don't know but I can imagine it can't have been good if he didn't want us to read it."
"Do you think he's told Bella what it said?" Emmett asked; his concern for them both an emotion they all shared.
"I don't think he will hide it from her." Carlisle looked at each of them in turn before clearing his throat and turning away from their gazes. "It said we had to be present for the first task and must be there when they return with the 'gift' for the Volturi in the second task. I think it's safe to say we'll have to be there for the third one too and that's what I'm afraid of. I think our presence is part of the trial they'll face."
"What do you mean?" Rosalie asked.
"Whatever it is was enough for Jazz to not want us to see it so I think it's safe to assume it's a more personal task than the first two and if it is I think the fact we have to be there will be part of what they have to overcome."
"You don't think…" Esme's words drifted off as she thought about what they would have to witness.
"Undoubtedly it's something like that." He said; his back still to them.
"Cool." Emmett said; a huge grin on his face. He received a smack on the back of his head from both of the women but his grin didn't falter.
Esme turned her attention back to her husband. "Do you think they'll talk to us about it? What if we were to ask them?"
"I'm sure they'll talk to us when they're ready to but I think it would be a mistake for us to ask them."
"Do you think they knew?" Rosalie said; not having to specify who the 'they' she referred to was.
"I don't think they did. The envelope was still sealed and it just had a label over the original address to Edward. I don't think they'd read it but I guess they might have seen it in one of Alice's visions. Anyway this is all supposition; we don't know what that sheet said and we're going to have to wait until Bella and Jasper are ready to tell us."
When Bella and Jasper had come back to the house all four of them had kept an eye on them; trying to not make it obvious and failing miserably. Even Bella was able to pick up on their interest and as the two of them made to leave the house again she was slightly relieved to not be under their scrutiny for a while. They were taking Carlisle's Mercedes and when they were in the car Jasper reached for her hand which reminded him of doing the same thing to Alice when they'd driven to Phoenix. "I'm glad to get away from them for a couple of days." She whispered as the car eased away from the house.
"You noticed then. They're a little intense aren't they?" He smiled at her.
She returned his smile until another thought occurred to her. "Can we go past my dad's house?" she said; her voice even quieter than it had just been.
He looked at her intensely. "Are you sure?"
"I just want to see it one last time. I want to say goodbye to him and my mother; even if I can't do it in person." Her bottom lip was trembling as she spoke and her eyes held so much emotion even with the crimson tinge to them.
He squeezed her hand and at the end of the road turned the car towards her former house. He slowed the speed of the car down as they neared the house and Bella stared out of the window. The dark windows of the car protecting them from being seen and for that Jasper was thankful because as they drove up the front door opened and both her parents came out onto the front lawn along with her step dad. He heard Bella gasp as they hugged each other briefly but tightly before her mother started to walk to their car. As she got nearer to the road Jasper increased the speed of the car and then they'd passed the house; Bella twisting in her seat to get one final look. He heard her whisper a farewell to them and he gripped her hand a little harder and sent a wave of calm towards her; hoping she wouldn't hate him for trying to ease her pain. "I'm sorry, Bella, that you had to go through this."
Bella turned back in her seat and silence fell upon them. "Thank you, Jasper. For everything." She eventually whispered. They were driving faster again now; a speed that would've scared her when she was still human but the blur of the scenery passing them now offered her some comfort and she could concentrate on what she was thinking and feeling. Even though he was still sending her pulses of calm which was helping them both, she knew he would also be feeling her emotions and she tried to calm down and minimize them; knowing it was unfair to him.
Darkness was falling when Jasper pulled the car over to the side of the road. He reached for her and pulled her onto his lap. "Are you okay?" he murmured.
"Yes." She whispered against his neck; her lips easing into a kiss. "Thank you." She added again.
"I'm glad you got to see them once more." He admitted. He opened the car door and climbed out of it; lifting her into his arms. "You need to feed." He breathed against her face. She knew he was right but she didn't want to leave his arms. He could feel she was torn and he smiled at her. "Let's go." He lowered her to the floor but took her hand in his and turned back to the car; shutting the door and locking it quickly.
It was only an hour later that they returned to the car and got back into it. This time Bella had killed some deer; enough for them both and they were now sated. Passion was once again ebbing at the surface of their emotions but both fought it; not wanting to make this even more difficult than it needed to be. As before Bella was pleased when Jasper took her hand in his and she spent the next hour staring at the side of his face; taking the time to appreciate his beauty and strength.
"We're nearly there," he said, sometime later.
"Already?" He smiled at her and she realized she'd lost focus on her surroundings and the sun was beginning to lighten the sky; fortunately hidden by the cloud cover. "I guess I must've zoned out." She said, slightly embarrassed.
Just minutes later he pulled the car up a long driveway and parked it outside what was to be their new home. Again he climbed from the car and whizzed round to her door; opening it for her and helping her get to her feet. He took her hand again and pulled her towards the entrance. It took him seconds to unlock the door and then they were walking into the house. She gasped as she looked around. It was similar to the house in Forks and yet at the same time markedly different. The color scheme for one thing was a big change. Whereas the last house had been a neutral white, this one was decorated in browns and creams and appeared a little warmer; which given the sparseness of the surroundings outside was very welcome. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" His reaction much the same as hers. "Esme really does have a talent for decorating."
"I'd say it was a gift." She sighed; causing him to smile at her.
"I'll make sure she knows that when they get here."
"Can we go and explore the rest of the house?" She didn't give him a chance to respond; pulling on his arm and dragging him around the rest of the house. The building was on three levels; the first level being the ground floor they'd started on which was the main living area of the house. The next floor up contained a bedroom with en-suite bathroom and a couple of other rooms that appeared to be set up as Carlisle's study and another room that led off the bedroom. Bella moved quickly up to the next floor once establishing the first floor was for their parents. This floor, which was the top floor, looked like it was split into two halves. She turned to look at Jasper and he shrugged; his own confusion apparent on his face. "If Edward and Alice had been alive, this house wouldn't have been big enough…" she whispered.
"Maybe they were keeping this for a time when Rosalie and Emmett were off travelling. They quite often leave for months at a time. Or maybe they were going to extend it before we moved here." He said. A thought occurred to him and he wondered if she'd realized.
She must've felt his hesitancy and she turned to face him. "What are you thinking?"
He looked away from her; embarrassment clear for her to see. "It's nothing."
"I can tell it's not. Please, tell me."
"Let's go back downstairs." He said; moving towards the stairs and back towards the relative safety of the lounge. He'd dropped her hand in his eagerness to get somewhere neutral but was relieved to hear her follow him down to the ground floor. He heard her sit on the couch and watch him as he paced backwards and forwards.
"You're making me dizzy, Jasper." She said; her voice breaking him from his thoughts. He stopped walking but looked out of the window at the far side of the room. "Are you going to tell me what's bothering you?"
"There are only three bedrooms, Bella." His voice was barely audible and for a minute or so she didn't realize what he was saying.
"Oh." She tried to force down the various emotions that were now swirling around her body; hoping he was so concentrated on what he was feeling as he stood at the window that he wouldn't notice. Then he was sitting beside her and she knew that hadn't been the case.
"You don't need to feel that way, Bella. We'll work this out."
"There isn't anything to work out. You don't want to share a room with me." She knew he would be feeling the rejection that was heightening with each second.
"I didn't say I didn't want to share a room with you. I just wasn't sure you'd realized we would be."
"In a couple of months we're going to be bonded to each other for the rest of eternity; it seems silly to not share a room now. If you're uncomfortable with it we can come to an arrangement where we don't encroach on each other. It's not like we need to sleep."
"Bella, please. Listen to me." He could tell she still wasn't paying attention to him and he reached for her face; turning it so she had to look at him. "I want to share the room with you, darlin'. God, there's so much sexual tension between us it may actually be dangerous for us to do so but I can't think about us not being with each other. It's inevitable, baby. And I don't think it will take the bond to enforce it. Each hour my feelings for you get stronger and I can't pretend you're just a sister to me." His thumb brushed her cheek and she looked at him intently. "I love you and I think I always have in some way." He whispered his admission before brushing his lips across hers. "I know this is confusing and I'm not helping with my constantly changing decisions but know I want this as much as you do." He kissed her again; his lips pressing firmly against hers and his tongue sweeping her bottom lip. She gave him entrance and moaned gently as his tongue brushed against hers. His hands were in her hair now; holding her head in place with a firmness that was matched by its tenderness. He pulled her towards him so she was sitting on his lap for the second time that day and she could feel his arousal pressing against her thigh. This pushed her desire even higher and she hoped she wasn't going to be disappointed in a few minutes. He lifted her in his arms and got to his feet; carrying her up the stairs as he continued to kiss her. On the floor that clearly belonged to Carlisle and Esme, he lowered her feet to the floor and then moved them both up the next flight of stairs. He could feel her confusion and he smiled against her neck before he kissed it softly. "You need to choose which one is ours." He whispered.
She giggled, "It doesn't matter, as long as you're with me."
"Let's look at them first. One of them may appeal to you more." He opened the first door they came to and they both walked through it. The room was nice but he could tell immediately she wasn't particularly drawn to it. "Maybe the other one will be better?" She nodded and they backed out of the room. At the other end of the hallway was another door leading to the other bedroom but there were a few doorways in between. One, the nearest to the first bedroom, lead to a spacious bathroom so they left it and went to investigate the next room. The next two doors opened to small box rooms that could be used as offices. Both rooms they left relatively quickly; heading towards the last doorway off the hallway. Bella was feeling some trepidation when she reached for the door handle. She held her breath as she pushed it open to reveal the best room they'd seen so far; it wasn't perfect but it definitely seemed to get her more excited than the last one.
"I think this is the one." She murmured.
"I know it's not perfect but we can make it more ours." He said.
"It will always be perfect if you're here." She whispered. She leant forward and kissed him softly. His lips lingered on hers and she stepped closer to him; her arms wrapping around his neck. Jasper lifted her and walked them across the room; putting her down on the bed and crawling up the mattress towards her. "I didn't think you wanted this, Jazz?" she murmured.
"I don't but I do. I feel conflicted." He kissed her jaw and then down her neck.
"You didn't want to rush this…" She paused as she spoke; why was she trying to make him stop? Was she mad?
"I don't." He breathed against her skin.
"Then why are we heading in a direction that's going to end with sex?" Again she had to question what she was doing. This was what she wanted him to do, wasn't it?
"We don't have to…" he whispered.
She shoved at his shoulders and pushed him away. "Stop." She sighed.
He looked confused. "I thought you wanted this, Bella?"
"I do but I want you to want it too." She scrambled further away from him and he had to admit it hurt. He pulled himself from the bed and stared down at her as she looked at him as intently.
"I'm… I'll… Crap." He turned and fled the room; needing to put some space between the two of them and he was pretty sure she felt the same way. He went down to the ground floor and walked into the kitchen. He began to open the cupboards and rifled through the food that was there; Esme had obviously arranged for some to be delivered which seemed ridiculous since none of them would eat it; in fact why was he even bothering to look in the cupboard? He shut it with a slam and stalked across the room; throwing open the back door and walking out into the garden. Esme had also spent time sorting out the garden too and despite the harsh wilderness outside it looked well cultivated and looked after. He took the time to walk around the edge of the grounds and when he did he came across a newer section of the building that was hidden from the view of the rest of the house. It was attached to the main building; although he was sure he hadn't seen the entrance to it when they'd been looking round the ground floor. He peered in a couple of the windows but even with his vampiric eyesight he couldn't work out what was in the rooms. His curiosity was now seriously piqued and he moved back into the house; determined to find the entrance to this part of the house.
"What are you doing?" Bella said quietly as he walked along the wall; his hand running along the surface; trying to find what he was searching for.
The previous tension between them had disappeared and all Jasper could think about was finding the rooms that were calling for him. "I was in the garden and I found a… wing of the house, I guess, that I didn't know was there. I'm trying to find out how to get into it." She stood behind him; watching as he continued walking along the wall; his fingers pulling along the slightly textured surface. "It's not here."
"Well it must be somewhere." Ever logical.
"I know that, Bella," his frustration was increasing again and he took a deep breath to try and calm down. He also sent a wave of calm in her direction and he felt her relax behind him too; which only increased the way he was feeling. He still couldn't find what he was looking for though and leant against the wall by the front door; taking his time to look around the room and really study it. He just couldn't see it anywhere and when he looked at Bella he was distracted by the way she was looking at him. "I wish I knew where it was; it's completely frustrating to know its somewhere and not be able to find it."
"I thought you were a soldier; surely you'd have a strategy for finding it?"
He couldn't work out if she was teasing him or if she was being serious. "I usually had troops working to my every command as well. You can't have everything, Bella. I thought you'd have realized that by now." He knew he was being a bastard and whatever she said in response was more than deserved but he was in a pissy mood and he felt like sharing it.
"Then I guess we're going to have to wait until Carlisle and Esme come here. Do you think it was here when they bought it or did they add it themselves?"
"I don't know. Whichever it was, it could answer the room issue. There's enough for everyone now." He was staring at her and he saw the way she reacted when he spoke. He felt the immense sense of rejection flood her system and he was sorry for making her feel that way. "I guess we should talk about it."
"Talking is overrated, Jasper. That's what I used to get with Edward and you felt the frustration that caused me, didn't you?" He stared at her in silence. "Maybe it's time you man up and make a decision, Jazz and stop making excuses."
She was pacing backwards and forwards in front of him and he could feel the anger building within her. He was surprised it had taken her this long to react this way. He felt like he'd been waiting for her to finally lose it since they'd got back from Phoenix and there was something about her that pulled him in when she was like this. For the first time since she'd become a vampire she was behaving the way she was expected to; she was acting like a newborn. She was a spectacular sight and while he considered all this he thought about what she'd just said and he knew she was right. He needed to work out what he was going to do; it was silly really because the decision had really already been made. It wasn't so much the decision he needed to make as get his head in the right place for him to be able to follow through on it. She was right he needed to man up and get with the program.
He turned his attention back to her and saw that she'd taken to pacing around the whole lounge area, "You should calm down, Bella… or at least think of the carpet you're ruining with all the pacing you're doing. Esme will be distraught if you spoil it." She didn't react to him at all and he wished she would; he wanted to feel something other than anger from her; that and the ever present frustration that he seemed to bring out of her more than any other emotion. He really was as bad as Edward. He shook his head as he thought about his brother; he didn't even want to go to that place.
"What are you thinking?" she murmured; so quietly he barely heard her as his thoughts were pulling him back to reminisce on what they'd lost. She zipped over to him and stood toe to toe with him, "What are you thinking?" she repeated. He looked at her as soon as she moved towards him but now he was staring past her and she frowned at him once again. 'He really can be a frustrating fucker at times,' she thought fondly.
"I think I've found it," he whispered; the excitement barely contained in his voice and he grabbed her hand and walked towards the far side of the room. He pulled her into the kitchen and through the dining room; she looked back over her shoulder and saw the wall he'd been leaning against in the distance; she really never would get used to the super-vision that came with what she now was. She was so focused on where he'd been standing she didn't realize he'd stopped and slammed into his back. His hands reached behind him and steadied her as he still looked in front of him. She turned her head and peered over his shoulder; trying to see what it was he was looking at. Then she saw it; the faint outline of a doorway and hidden on the wall was a door handle. It was the same color as the paint on the wall and she knew that was the reason they hadn't been able to see it.
"Are you going to open it?" she whispered. He didn't say anything for such a long time and she wondered how she would get through to him. "You've just spent nearly an hour looking for it and now you're just going to stand here? At this rate they'll be here before you move and you just know Emmett and Rosalie will bag the room before we get a chance to."
He smiled at her words and reached for the handle; turning it easily and pushing it open. He grabbed her hand again; finding it oddly comforting and then walked through the doorway into the new area of the house. His eyes swept around what was essentially a long narrow corridor; there were doorways off it, several of them and his overriding impulse was one of calmness as he reached for the first door. He opened it and they both walked into it. It was dark in the room but both of them could see what it held; massive bookcases lined the walls with several sticking out into the room as well. One wall was taken up with a fireplace that had a rug in front of it and a couch sitting opposite. They both knew this room was the perfect room for both of them and Bella could see Jasper already looking at the bookcases and imagining his books piled on them. She could feel the excitement pulsing from him and it was only increasing her own as she too thought about sitting in this very room on the couch as she read one of her favorite books; curled up in front of a fire which wasn't necessary but added to ambience of the room. "Wow." He whispered and she couldn't help but echo the sentiment. "This room is amazing; I've longed for ages to have a room just like this and now we've got one." Another vision appeared in her mind of her sitting again on the couch but this time her feet were resting on his lap and he was caressing her feet as they both read. This quickly morphed into one of them making love in front of the fireplace and she wondered if he'd picked up the lust she was sure she just sent around the room.
She looked up at his face and he was staring at her; his eyes intense and pitch-black as she looked into them. She swallowed and hoped more than anything she could hide what she was feeling at that particular moment; of course it was a vain hope so she did the only thing she could do and spun round; walking quickly out of the room; turning to walk further down the corridor. He followed close behind her and she tried to ignore his presence; not needing to embarrass herself any further; not for at least the next couple of hours anyway. She almost ran from the room and headed toward the next doorway; knowing he was close behind her. She pushed open the door and saw an empty room which gave her some disappointment. "Oh."
"We'll have to find a use for this room," he whispered and a shiver ran down her back. His voice reminded her of just what he was and she knew if she looked at him he would dazzle her; even though she was no longer human. She held her ground though; that wasn't what she needed at the moment. Not yet anyway.
She pulled the door shut again without really looking at the room and turned to the next doorway which opened to the largest bathroom she'd ever seen and as she walked into it she saw him in the reflection of the mirror on the wall in front of her. She was sure he would know what she was feeling but there was no expression on his face so she couldn't tell. Instead of worrying about her… whatever he was, she turned her attention back to the room and she surveyed the expanse before her. There was a shower area that was huge; her thoughts instinctively measuring it up for size and establishing there was plenty of room for two; a thought she quickly tried to push to the recesses of her mind. She turned a little more and her breath was pushed from her body when she saw the bathtub that was dying to be tried; again she imagined herself lying in there; a companion appearing behind her for a fraction of a second before she closed her eyes and removed the image from her brain.
"You know, I wish I had Edward's gift right about now because whatever you're thinking feels great." His voice was much nearer than he'd been when she'd last seen him in the reflection and it made her jump.
"What is it with your family always sneaking up on me?" she said.
"I didn't sneak up on you; you just didn't notice me walk over. Your thoughts were elsewhere. Like I said, I wish I could read your thoughts because they were making you have some pretty intense feelings a few minutes ago."
"It was a pointless wish anyway; Edward's gift didn't work on me." She reminded him then looked at his face and she knew she couldn't hide it from him. Maybe if she opened up to him he would finally make a decision. Maybe she needed to stop pushing him away as much as he was pushing her away. "I was imagining the two of us living in these rooms and I could see we were happy."
"What were you imagining?" he whispered; his eyebrow quirked and his head tilted to one side.
"Let's go and see the rest." She said; chickening out of taking that final step.
That just left one more doorway. She knew this room was going to be the bedroom and this was the only reason she hesitated before opening the door. His arm moved around her waist and turned the handle; pushing the door open for her. His hands moved to her waist and he nudged her forward; both of them walking hesitantly into the room that could hold the beginning or the end of their future.
TBC
A/N: Now that is a cliffhanger! :-) I wonder what will happen next time... I'm sure you won't have to wait too long to find out. Speaking of finding out things - I will tell you this, the third task won't be revealed until they do it... you can keep trying to guess what it is but you won't know until they start it but there's plenty to think about before we get that far and hopefully when we do get there you won't be disappointed. Please review and let me know what you think so far.