Chapter Twenty

Jasper

When I come out of the barn I know that Peter is back, his truck is parked up outside the house and I can see him standing, hands on hips at the bottom of the porch steps waiting, his eyes fixed on the barn I have just exited. I walk slowly towards him, no idea what to say or do in order to put this right, only that I have to try. Stopping a few feet from him I gaze into cold pitiless eyes, the skin around them tight with anger and open my mouth,

"Peter..."

He raises a hand to stop me glaring in pain and rage,

"Shut the fuck up, I don't want to hear anything from you, I don't even want to hear your voice. What the fuck is going on in your head Major? How dare you suspect me, ME, of betraying your trust? Is that what you really think of me? I stood at your side for years, I watched your back, I thought you trusted me, I thought you understood how deep our friendship was."

"I..."

"Shut up. I'm talking and you're gonna listen. I would have died for you, Major. Everything I have ever done was for you, for the respect and friendship between us and now I find it was all a crock of shit. You think I would creep around behind your back and try something with your mate? That's a fucking insult, to me, Charlotte, and Bella herself. And do you really think I am so fucking stupid I would send you a text meant for Bella? Am I really such a fucking idiot I would do that? It certainly shows me what you really think of me."

"Peter please..."

"No, there is no excuse, no possible reason for you to think that I am a traitor to you or Charlotte or that Bella is a little whore happy to crawl into bed with me behind your back. No excuse. You hurt her, you hurt Charlotte and you hurt Renee. I don't give a fuck about me, I can stand up for myself but for you to even think we could do something like that..."

He was right, every word cut me like a knife because each was true, so very true.

"I understand how you feel..."

"No, you don't, because no one ever looked at you like a traitor. Everyone thinks you are noble and upright, the good guy who dragged himself from the sewer that was Maria's camp. Try imagining what it must be like to be suspected by your oldest and best friend then double it, even then you are nowhere near. I hope to God Bella can forgive you if she had any sense she wouldn't."

"She does, she did forgive me. I told her the truth, that I'm going slowly mad away from her and she understood."

"Well, that's just great. I hope you apologized for the things you thought about that girl. I was mad to agree to help out, Charlotte too. The whole fucking thing is crazy, but we did it for you. For our friend."

The way he spat out the word friend left me in no doubt that he didn't see me as a friend just now. I had betrayed his trust and I knew how much that meant to him and cursed myself for my own stupidity.

"For now I'm too fucking angry to stand and talk any more."

He walked past me knocking my shoulder as he did so belligerently and I let it go, I deserved no better but then suddenly I found myself flat on my back, Peters teeth grazing the skin of my throat as he hissed, eyes red and angry,

"You ever, ever, pull a stunt like this again Major and next time I'll kill you."

Then he was gone, down to the barn, disappearing out of sight into the dark interior leaving me to get up and brush myself off. It had been close, extremely close, but I hadn't lost him totally. I would have to work at regaining his trust and our former closeness, but he hadn't washed his hands of me totally and for that I would be eternally grateful.

Charlotte

I watched The Major get up and dust himself off staring after Peter who didn't look back. I was proud of my mate, I hadn't expected him to accept The Major back into his life. Very few things mattered to Peter and even fewer people, but The Major had always been different, they were brothers, relying on each other in any situation, always knowing the other would be there if needed. The fact The Major had been willing to even think Peter might do something so underhanded had shaken him deeply and the wound was still there, deep and still bleeding, but he hadn't let go. I just hoped The Major realized just how close he had come to losing his best friend with his accusations.

He came slowly up the steps and joined me in the kitchen where I was baking some cupcakes and looked at me shamefaced and curious.

"Yes you are lucky, you just remember that and these..."

I pointed to the batter I was pouring into tins for the oven,

"Are for the retirement home jamboree, I offered, it keeps them sweet, they don't bother us and we do little things for them, it works for us."

"Right."

He sat at the table idly running his finger through a trail of batter that had splashed out of the bowl.

"What am I going to do Charlotte?"

"What happened when you rang?"

"I got better than I deserved but I'm going to screw up again I know I am. I just can't bear the thought of another two years away from Bella, it's driving me crazy and Alice doesn't help. She wants more than I can give her, I'm trying, but I feel like a drowning man helplessly being drawn under for the third time. I can't think, I can't breathe, I can't function."

I put the cake tins in the stove and sat down opposite him putting my hand out to stop him spreading the spilled batter any further.

"This is natural for a vampire Major. All your instincts are screaming at you to claim your mate, you need to be with her, but we are in a dangerous situation. You know what would happen if the Volturi find out what Bella and her mother are. We have no idea who either of their fathers are, or if it's the same man but if he finds out he has two hybrid offspring what do you think he will do? It's a death sentence for him too. You have to use all your strength to fight the feelings, just like poor Bella is. It's been a long time, but you two are nearly there now, don't ruin everything, and remember Alice is a victim here, not the bad guy. She doesn't know what you do, she doesn't understand you belong to someone else. Try to be gentle with her, she deserves that much of you."

Peter came in then crossing to stand behind me and putting his arms around my shoulders, kissing my neck tenderly then straightened up,

"Have you told him?"

"No, it was your idea, you tell him."

The Major looked from Peter to me bewildered, but he didn't speak, I think he was terrified he might set Peter off again.

"OK, well since you've been such a dick head Bella and I thought of a plan to calm you down hopefully. Your biggest fear is that she'll find someone else right?"

He waited and I nodded in silence,

"And guess what, her biggest fear is that you are going to find someone else or decide to stay with the Poisoned Dwarf. You can't be together yet that's bad but unavoidable. You could, however, get married. That way you are tied to each other in a tangible way."

The Major looked at Peter confused,

"Get married? How?"

Peter swung the chair next to me around and straddled it smiling somewhat grimly,

"Now I know what you think of my limited intelligence, you think I'm one stupid fucker, but even I have flashes of brilliance..."

The Major was about to argue the point, but Peters glare brought him up short,

"You can get married over Skype, it's legal some places, not others but who gives a fuck about the legality. That way you are husband and wife."

"Over Skype?"

"Yeah, I can do it. I got a license in case you decided this crazy idea was worth thinking about."

"And Bella knows about this? She never said anything to me."

"No? Probably too upset but yeah she knows. What do you say?"

"It's more than I could have hoped for."

"Yeah, it's more than you deserve too but there ya go. What are friends for."

That last comment meant more to The major than anything, it was plain to see the relief on his face knowing Peter was still there, despite everything, watching his back as always.