A/N

Thank you for all your reviews – they made me update early.

And welcome to the new readers – the statistics tell me you are reading. Thank you.

I enjoyed your questions and here's a few facts for you all:

Jasper only sleeps in his human form when his body is healing from injuries – or when Edward wears him out (still to come.) They are creatures of the night and they'll not spend the nights sleeping.

Jasper still ages, but very slowly. By now, he has the physique of a thirty-year-old. When Edward in the last chapter thought Yet, I saddened when I contemplated; we would probably never get and eternity, he was referring to immortality/vampire eternity.

Some of you have requested a JPOV chapter. I haven't written or planned one. However, I'm open for suggestions and I'll consider adding a JPOV outtake once the story is done.

Regarding venom. I consulted the Twilight companion and applied the same rules to my vamp/feline story.
When venom from a vampire bite enters the bloodstream of a human, it changes each cell and turns the person into a vampire. However, a werewolf is immune to vampire venom – both as human and wolf. Whether Jasper/Jay is immune - you'll have to wait and see.

...oOo...

Stephenie Meyer owns everything Twilight-related.

I send my love to maryhell AKA Taylin Clavelli – she rocks my world.

Let's get on with the story, shall we...

…oOo…

...oOo... Death is not the end ...oOo...

Chapter 13

Jay spent most of the day resting or grooming on his quilt. Slowly, I was getting used to the alternate rhythm of my life. One part spent with the man I desired - the other with my four-legged friend. In order to pass the time while I longed for Jasper's company, I played the piano and searched the Internet for more information regarding his past. Washington Herald's archive became my primary source, and I'd scanned the online articles covering 1954's tragic drowning episode, repeatedly. All my previous doubts was gone; surely, Jasper was the alleged 'little boy lost.'

Around noon, FedEx had delivered a copy of Jasper's latest book - the one I'd started reading in his cabin, and later ordered from Amazon. I was halfway through the fascinating story he'd written when he joined me on the couch. Honorable knights, sword fights, dragons, and dark forces were the main ingredients. I could easily see what the fuss on his fan pages was all about, and I endorsed the hype as well. The noble first knight, Laurant, was by far my favorite character.

We discussed the theme and main characters of Jasper's novel while he snacked on the vegetable plate, Esme served him a while ago. I liked the way Jasper had placed a controversial gay love story in the middle of a male-favored universe of brave ancient heroes. It probably took a gay man to realize all the back-patting between the fictitious knight and his king was a charade for actually courting and more.

Jasper reached for another carrot and acknowledged, "You're actually one of few noticing there's more than loyal friendship between James and Laurant. Most readers think Laurant secretly longs for Queen Victoria, but it's really her husband, James, he lusts for."

…oOo…

Jasper had been our patient and guest for three nights. Apart from the basement where we first brought him, he had only seen the guestroom where he spent the first night, and my room and bathroom. He was feeling better, and it was about time to take him on the grand tour of the preferred home of the Cullen clan.

The house was situated deep in the forest, away from main roads and prying people. The small clearing and surrounding forest had been in Carlisle's possession for almost ninety years. Our present home was built ten years ago when we'd returned to Forks and tore the original, shabby and desolated house down. The building materials were glass and cedar, and the style modern and open, yet warm and personal. Esme oversaw the architectural plans, and she had been in charge of the interior designs. Besides an exquisite collection of modern designer furniture - antiques, paintings from different centuries, and books made it homey. The core of the house was the huge living room overlooking a private lake; a lake Carlisle invited Charlie Swan to fish from whenever he wanted to. We had a big industrial kitchen – which we hardly used, plenty of bedrooms and bathrooms, the library, a fitness room, home cinema, garages, and the basement.

Our tour around the house began upstairs with the bedrooms next to mine. I aired the news about Emmett's forthcoming visit when we entered my brother and sister in law's love shag. I hadn't told Jasper much about my brother, but thought I'd better prepare him for the man he would soon meet. Emmett often seemed intimidating on first introductions, and I still pondered whether I should tell Jasper about the theory I had regarding his lost twin.

On our way down the stairs to the living room and kitchen area, Jasper noticed all the framed and displayed diplomas, gold records, and statuettes; all proofs of my family's contributions to design, medicine, and music.

"Edward… Um… are these Oscars, as in real Oscars?" Jasper looked amazed and pointed toward the line of golden 13½-inch sized men in a wall hung glass cabinet.

I nodded. I knew the golden statuette was supposed to mean a lot to the receiver. However, they never meant that much to me. Maybe because I'd never received the recognition that came with the actual reward, as I'd always sent my present doppelganger to the award shows.

"Who's Edmund Cole, Eddie Cutter, and Elijah Cohen?" Jasper studied the nameplates of the statuettes with a perplexed look on his face.

I smiled. "They're my alter egos. As you have yours, J.W," I teased.

"You know about my pseudonyms besides Whitman?"

"I have a confession to make. I've actually been at your house. I followed you back to your cabin on the second night I saw you – just to make sure you arrived home safely," I calmed him, as he looked bewildered. "The night you didn't turn up for our planned date, I started to worry. I drove to your place, used the old card trick, and entered your cabin. I was afraid something terrible had happened to you, and I wanted to ensure you didn't lay wounded or helpless inside your home. While I was there, I noticed all the books and especially the shelves with all the fantasy series. Back home, I googled the authors, curious to see if there was any relation between them. Connecting the dots was a time-consuming task, but I guessed you were the author behind them all. I must say either your PR agent sucks, or you really want to go unnoticed."

"I guess you already know the answer." Jasper smiled and studied the framed diplomas, some of them faded with age. Excitedly, I elaborated the story behind one of Carlisle's certificates. I'd always admired the urge Carlisle had to make the world a better place and his need to perform medical research.

"You love your family, don't you?"

"With all my heart… or… whatever. Yes, I love them. More than anything." I managed to stop myself before I added the 'besides you'-part. I wanted to say it. I had such an ache inside me, such a yearning for Jasper to be my lover, my mate, my everything. However, it wasn't the right time and certainly not the right place to declare my love and intentions.

Jasper, standing a few steps below me, somehow sensed my hesitation and remained silent. Not once did he take his eyes off mine as he slowly, surely made his way closer to me. On the same step, only half an arm's length away the air between us was palpable. I felt almost human, with the need to breath deeper and I was sure I could feel my heart beating. Jasper inhaled sharply and moved even closer. It was as if I was caught in his heady spell, unable to move. He dragged his thumb along the left side of my cheek, and as it moved lower to my jawline, I felt a tingle in its wake. Warmth from his light touch, sent jolts down my spine, and I was anxiously excited for what I hoped beyond all hope, was about to happen. His hooded eyes searched mine while he parted his lips. It was only a matter of nanoseconds before...

"Edward? Esme has prepared some nutritious… oh, sorry guys."

Damn!

Jasper looked as dissatisfied and frustrated as I felt when Carlisle made himself known below. The man of my dreams exhaled deeply and whispered, "Later." Silently but grinning, we walked down the stairs hand in hand. I hoped the opportunity to share our first kiss would make itself possible later that night. Carlisle greeted us, and the two of them talked about Jasper's injuries before I guided us all to the kitchen. Jasper looked around and raised an approving eyebrow. He probably wondered why a family without the need for food had such a well-equipped room.

Esme was preparing a colorful fruit salad and blending something green for Jasper when we approached her. "I know you're on a special diet Jasper, but please tell me if there's anything in particular you'd like." Esme enthusiastically handed him a glass, and I wrinkled my nose when I got a sniff of the odd-looking substance she called a smoothie. Jasper seemed to like his drink, and who was I to judge? I doubted he found my kind of diet mouthwatering, even though he was a carnivore himself half the time.

I showed Jasper the rest of the house, even the basement where Carlisle had saved his life a few days back. When we entered the garage, Jasper whistled. "Wow. Nice rides!" Jasper pointed to the small car park in front of us. Besides the Volvo and BMW, the garage held three more cars. A red Ferrari, a silver Porsche, and a baby blue Aston Martin.

"I don't recall having seen any of these three babies on the roads around here," Jasper cooed as he ran his hand down the hood of the Ferrari. I wondered what a stroke similar to that would feel like on the backside of my body.

"Nah… we hardly ever ride them. Once or twice, a year we have them transported to a remote place in Canada for a private race. If my brother is here long enough, maybe we could go, and you could join us?"

"I'd like that. However, I'm not so sure Jay would fit inside these cars," Jasper reflected.

"Neither am I. How fortunate for you - we generally race at night." Emmett and I hadn't taken the cars for a spin in ages; maybe it was time to burn some rubber north of the border. Briefly, I saw glimpses of Jasper and me celebrating the victory with passionate love making on the rear seat of my vintage Aston.

…oOo…

We left the basement, and with great enthusiasm, Jasper studied shelf upon shelf in Carlisle's well-equipped library.

"Jasper, I have a lunch meeting with my agent in Seattle tomorrow. I'd rather not go, but I have important news to deliver, and I'll return as soon as I can. Esme and Carlisle will stay at home if you need anything."

Jasper beamed when he turned from his newfound literary haven toward me. He looked like a little boy in a candy store, and I wasn't sure if he'd heard me.

"Sure. I'll be fine. I think I need one more day before I'm ready to return hunting," Jasper stated and moved his fingers from a book cover to his bandaged shoulder.

Jasper was right – he was almost fit to return to his predatory element, and Carlisle had advised him to exercise his arm and shoulder. Jasper's ability to heal faster than any normal human being and appear younger than his actual age gave me hope. He wasn't as fragile as I'd come to fear, and presumably he'd live longer than the average man.

"I'd like you to stay here, but I fully understand if you want to return to your own cabin now that you're healing." Please stay. Please stay. Please stay. I hadn't been that expectant since the day Emmett was turned. Carlisle and Esme had saved Em from a grizzly bear's deathly attack in British Columbia an autumn day in 1965. At first, he'd looked like he wasn't going to make it through the transformation, but Carlisle had faith, and on the third day, Emmett awoke. Esme and Carlisle had hoped our new family member would become the mate I'd longed for, but there was no mutual attraction between us whatsoever. Instead, I gained the brother I'd never had in my human life.

Jasper placed his right hand on my shoulder, and his reply calmed me. "Thank you, Edward. I'd love to stay. I need to get a few of my personal belongings from the cabin, though."

…oOo…

Dressed in one of my spare jackets, Jasper followed me to the parked Volvo. I was almost giddy as we drove toward Jasper's cabin to collect items for his stay. Deep down, I hoped it was more than a prolonged visit - I hoped it was permanent! Jasper unlocked his front door, and immediately the stench of wet dog hit my nostrils. No doubt about it - Sam and his pack had been here recently.

Jasper chuckled at my comments about the awful smell lingering to his home. Undoubtedly, the odor clung to the tatty piece of paper lying next to his charging mobile phone - a handwritten note from Sam, urging Jasper to call him back. When Jasper pressed the button to listen to his voicemails, an endless stream of nervous sounding voices bombarded us. Sam's first recorded message was from the morning following Jasper's no-show for our planned date, but prior my investigative visit to the bar. One or two of Jasper's other friends insinuated I probably had something to do with Jasper's sudden absence.

Jasper shrank and cursed himself for worrying his friends, and apologized for their accusations. "I'd better swing by Sam's place on our way back. He and my other Native friends need to see I'm alright. You're welcome to join me, but I can't vouch for them. Being around you might not be their cup of tea right now."

In his bedroom, Jasper found a duffel bag and stuffed it with a variety of clothes, toiletries, a wallet, and other personal looking items. He placed a book, his laptop, and a notebook in a worn messenger bag.

I followed him to the living room, where he picked the book from the chair – the one he was currently reading. "So! I guess your next novel's about vampires?"

"Maybe. I haven't decided yet. Would that be a problem for you?" He placed the book in his messenger bag and dropped it next to the front door.

"No, not if it's fictitious."

In the kitchen, he dumped moldy fruit and sour milk into the trash can, and I took the garbage bag he handed me. Jasper sent me a crooked smile. "I'm a fiction writer, Edward. And who'd even believe me if I said the story was based on real facts. I doubt anyone, but the Quileutes and a few other people around the world even know your kind actually exist." He turned off the lights in his cabin and grabbed his bags.

"Oh, there are quite a few. However, they are sworn to secrecy. They don't mention our existence in order to stay wealthy, powerful, and alive," I replied, with a solemn voice.

"You make your kind sound like the mafia." Jasper laughed as he locked the door, and I got rid of his garbage in the trashcan.

"You're not far from the truth. Not all vampires are like my family and me. We have some friends around the world: a coven in Alaska and some old friends of Carlisle's in Ireland and Brazil. The main contingent of my kind isn't that different from what you imagine vampires to be."

We entered the car and on our way to Sam's bar, Jasper questioned me about my family and the way we chose to live.

"So, you and your family and another vampire coven live on animal blood alone, instead of human blood?"

"Yes. Occasionally, I drank human blood, but I haven't in decades."

"And you can survive on blood from mammals?"

"Yes, we can survive. It satisfies our hunger, but it's not fulfilling if you know what I mean. It wouldn't be like drinking your blood, for instance."

Jasper sighed and stayed quiet for a while. I concentrated on my driving and wondered about the obvious question he probably had; how big a part of me would always crave his blood?

"When you say my blood… do you mean my human blood or my feline blood?" Jasper asked as we reached the parking lot next to Sam's bar.

"Both!" My voice was somber as I parked the car.

"Okay. So the little encounter we had in the woods with the deer… that was you sneaking up on me - Jay - your next meal?" Jasper turned in his seat, facing me. Even though it was dark inside the car and the parking lot scarcely lit, I could see his puzzled expression.

"No, I was actually going for the deer. However, a more appealing prey turned up." I sent him a wry smile and hoped he'd be able to forgive me. "We all have our favorite prey. Carlisle prefers moose, Esme loves lynx, and Emmett digs grizzly. I favor felines, but often settle with deer."

"No wolves?"

"No. No wolves. Besides their awful stench, Carlisle and the Quileutes made a pact many years ago. We don't kill wolves and they don't interfere with our ways or question the blood-sucked animals in our wake."

"Stench or not, we have to get inside. Before there's no longer a truce between your kinds to withhold, I need Sam to see that I'm alright."

…oOo…

A/N

Damn it, Carlisle! The boys needed a moment.

Next time they'll make the car windows steamy.

Hit the button below, and let's make it 100 reviews.