Well my darlings this is it. I have truly been awed and amazed at the number of you who have stuck with me along this stories journey. I want to thank my wonderful beta Meikela, who has also become a friend. And I want to thank all of you for the reviews, alerts and hits and so on. I can't believe this story has received 300 plus reviews.

I don't own anything Twilight but I am and will be forever grateful that S. Meyers allows us to play with her characters.

Chapter 21

Watching Over You

"Edward! STOP! Don't come near the water," he shouted then screamed.

My heart stopped for one minute. It was Jasper and he was hurt and I couldn't see him. What do I do now?

JPOV

I must have passed out because it took me a few moments to understand where I was. Reality struck me like a punch to the gut as soon as I tried to move. A fierce pain shot up my right leg and I couldn't help the scream that escaped me. Then I made the mistake of leaning on my left hand and another flash of searing pain shot up my arm. I decided that lying still would be the best course of action.

I opened my eyes and waited until they adjusted to the darkness around me. There was a scant light coming from above. The beauty of the grotto and the coolness of the water had lured me to my fate. I had been surprised to find the cave entrance and before entering, almost reached for my phone to call Edward. But, then, knowing he would just tell me no, I decided against it.

I reached for my phone now, moving as little as I could. The knowledge that I probably had a broken wrist and a broken leg had me moving cautiously.

Panic hit when I realized my phone was gone. I must have dropped it when I slipped and fell over the edge above me. Unable to see my surroundings, I began feeling around with my good hand and leg. I froze when my foot dipped over another edge directly in front of me. My mind finally registered why there was a difference between the faint light above me and the darkness below. I was on a ledge jutting out from the cave wall. God knows what lay below me.

Eventually I maneuvered my broken body until I had my back up against the cave wall. No one could hear me. No one would ever know where I was. I was never going to see… I couldn't say his name. Emotion crashed over me in powerful waves and I couldn't hold back my sobs. Everything, every damn thing, we had been through in the last year and I end up like this. God, I hoped he could forgive me for leaving him this way. The damp chill from the cave caused my body to start shaking and the pain returned. Knowing that there wasn't anyone around to hear me, I howled from the pain.

I drifted in and out of consciousness, unaware of how much time had passed since I'd landed myself on this ledge. Edward's voice called to me and I was sure that I was hallucinating. But if this wasn't real, why did I still hurt so much? There it was again, his voice. I was losing my mind. However, if I wasn't hallucinating that meant Edward was in the cave above me and could fall like I did. My mind shouted but my body wouldn't cooperate. I pushed myself up straighter and tried again.

"Jasper?" his beautiful voice sounded so worried. "Who's there? Jasper is it you?"

"STOP! Edward! Don't come near the water," I screamed.

"Jasper! Oh my God! Where are you?" he called from above me.

"Stay away…from the water running…the wall." I was having trouble breathing. I vaguely wondered if I had broken some ribs, too.

"I can see the edge, Jasper. I'm being careful, I promise. Did you fall very far?" he asked.

"I don't know. I can see the light faintly above me," I answered between labored breaths.

"Okay. Just speak in short answers. Try not to talk too much," he replied, worry evident in his voice. "Can you stand up?"

"No," I answered, "I think my leg is broken." He gasped and silence fell between us for a moment. I heard a movement above me and a few stones fell and rattled down to the depths of the cave.

"Can you see me waving my arm?" he asked. I began to breathe heavily, fearing that he would fall as well. "Don't panic. I'm lying on my stomach with my feet wrapped around a large stone. I'm secure. Just look up and see if you can see me," he reassured me.

I tilted my head back and looked up. I could see him in shadows waving his arm.

"Yes, I see you. Get back, please," I cried.

"Shush love, everything is going to be fine. I still can't see you. Can you guess how many feet above you I am?" he questioned softly.

"Twenty feet, maybe more. I don't know," I replied.

"God, Jasper, no wonder you're so badly hurt." He grew quiet again. The silence was deafening. I wondered if he had left me.

"Edward?" I asked.

"Yes, love?" He answered but I could hear the strain in his voice.

"I'm sorry," I breathed out. "I love you and I don't want it to end this way."

His voice came back sharp and clear, "Stop it right now, Jasper. I'm going to get you out here and you are going to be just fine!" He paused, then said, "We are going to be together for a long, long time, love. I'm not letting you go, I promise."

I felt hot tears flow down my face. I loved him so much.

"Jasper, my phone won't work in here. I'm going to have to go outside of the cave and call for help. Will you be okay for a few minutes?" he asked carefully.

I didn't want him to go but I knew he wouldn't be able to extricate me himself. He also wouldn't leave me if he knew how scared I really was. "Sure, I'll just sit here and relax. Take your time," I responding jokingly.

He wasn't laughing. "Jasper, I love you. I won't be gone long. I promise."

EPOV

Once outside the cave, I nearly collapsed from the sheer weight of what was happening. I can't lose him. I won't. I just needed some help. The only person I could call was Michaels. I scrolled through my contact list and hit send when I located his entry. It started ringing. Please let him answer, please. I heard the line click and his voice.

"Edward?" he questioned. "What's wrong?"

How could he know something was wrong?

"I need help. It's Jasper…" I started, quickly filling him in on the situation.

"Okay, Edward, breathe and calm down," he said, taking charge. "Just answer these questions for me. Can he walk? How far down is the ledge that he is on? Overestimate if you have to. Is he bleeding? Is he lucid?"

"He thinks he broke his right leg and he's down at least twenty-five feet. He didn't mention any bleeding, but he's having trouble breathing. He was coherent when I left him. I have to get back to him," I said desperately.

"Alright, from where I am, it will take me at least half an hour to reach you. I need you to leave your phone where you are standing now. I'm bringing a floodlight, rope, and a blanket. I'm also going to call the coast guard. They can have men here in just over an hour with a helicopter. They can fly him to the mainland as soon as we get him out of there," he explained, his voice steady and sure.

When I didn't reply, he spoke again. "Did you hear me Edward?" he asked.

"Yes…thank you and please hurry," I said, trying to gather myself.

"It's going to be alright, son. Go back to Jasper and keep him talking. He's probably already in shock but we need to keep him talking. Can you do that, Edward?"

"Yes, I can," I assured him.

Michaels POV

As soon as my phone rang and I saw Edward Cullen's name on the display, I knew Jasper was in trouble.

He quickly explained how Jasper took off on his own this morning and how he followed after him as soon as he realized where Jasper was going. Edward was frantic and I knew exactly how he felt. I shook my head to clear those thoughts and went about quickly gathering supplies I might need. The last thing I did was grab my great grand daddy's silver flask off the bar and fill it with my old friend Jack. Jasper might not need it but I was pretty sure I would before this day ended.

I headed up the trail that would lead me to where Edward described their location. On the way, I called an old friend.

"Doc, it's me. I've got a problem and I need your help." I quickly outlined the situation and described the general vicinity for him to relay to our friend Max at the Coast Guard Station. I also gave them Edward's cell phone information. They could use it to triangulate our location.

"I'm coming too. I'll ride along with Max's crew," he noted. "It sounds like you might need a doctor on site."

I flinched at that realization and replied that I'd see him soon.

I stepped into the grotto exactly thirty minutes later. I found Edward's phone and knew the Coast Guard would have honed in on the tracking device by now. They'd come up the west side of the beach with at least four men and Doc. We'd get him out soon. We had to.

I passed through the cave entrance and saw the shaft Edward mentioned. Half way down, I could hear voices in the distance. Edward's voice was strong and he was playing twenty questions with Jasper. I came to an immediate halt when I heard Jasper's low broken voice. He was hurting. I could hear the pain in every word as he tried to speak. I felt a searing gash tear through my heart listening to his voice. Regaining my cool, I ventured into the small cave room and saw Edward lying on his stomach looking down where Jasper's voice was coming from. I dropped the rope I was holding and that caught Edward's attention. I saw the look of relief wash over the young man's face. It broke my heart.

"Michaels, he's cold and his responses are getting slurred. He's in trouble," Edward said as he approached me.

I handed him the flood light and I laid down the other stuff. I looked around for something solid to tie off the rope on. Jutting out from the side of the cave wall was a rock formation that would work well.

"Come on, help me tie this thing off," I called to the young man. He nodded and we went to work.

After securing the rope, we brought everything to the edge. I hit the flood light and it illuminated the cave brightly and I leaned over the edge to shine it down on Jasper. As soon as the light hit him, Edward gasped and cried out, "Oh, God."

From here we could see the ledge Jasper landed on was barely large enough for two people. It was a miracle that he landed on it and all. His back was to the wall but we could see his right leg was twisted awkwardly below the knee. Thankfully, I saw no sign of blood and the ledge looked solid.

"Jasper," my voice was strangled. "It's Michaels. I thought I told you to stay clear of the caves."

"Yeah," he mumbled. "But this one wasn't on the north side."

Beside me, Edward was falling apart now that someone else was here. I grabbed his shoulder and shook him so he would look at me.

"We'll get him up," I said firmly. He nodded, wiped his face, and squared his shoulders.

"What do we do?" he asked, resolved to take care of his husband.

"You are going to lower me over the side and then we will wait for the others to arrive," I said. He started to protest, but stopped when I held up my hand. "You are stronger than me, Edward. You can lower me steadily down to where he is. I know you want to be with him but this will work the best. I swear." He looked over my shoulder to where the light was shining over the edge, then back to me. Nodding he walked to where he knew Jasper could hear him.

"Jasper, love," he said soothingly. "I'm going to lower Michaels down to you. He's going to bring you a blanket and stay with you until the others get here. I love you, Jasper."

"Love you, too," Jasper replied, his words slurred.

"Okay, let's do this," Edward said, walking back to me.

I tied the rope around my body and threw the blanket over my shoulders. After showing Edward how to control the rope, I laid down on the edge of the cavern and threw my legs out. Scooting my body farther over the edge, I held onto the ledge from support and nodded that I was ready. Edward let me drop.

It took ten minutes for me to reach the man lying on the ledge below me. I counted off the feet as I went. When my feet finally felt purchase, I yelled up to Edward that I was down.

Squatting next to Jasper, I wrapped his shivering body in the blanket and he looked up at me with grateful eyes.

"Thanks," he said, trying to smile.

"It's going to be okay. I'm here now, son," I said as I sat down beside him, wrapping my arms around him. He shuddered once and slumped against me. He was out cold.

JPOV

Heat permeated the chill that had taken over my body. Strong arms held me and fingers stroked through my curls. It wasn't Edward, but somehow comforting. I was hallucinating again. I was home.

When I was younger, I'd fallen off my bike and my leg had been scraped by the gravel I had fallen into. It was bleeding and it hurt. I remember trying not to cry because only babies cried; at least, that's what Rosie always said. Then dad was there, picking me up in his strong arms and taking me inside; saying that's okay, son, I've got you now. I'm here for you.

I came to with a start and felt as if I was having an out of body experience. I could still feel my father's embrace and tears ran down my face. I could hear voices, lots of shouted questions, and movements above me that were echoing off the cave walls. Then a new voice rose above the others.

"Hey, Mick, it's Doc," the voice called. "How's he doing?"

"He's in and out but his breathing has finally evened out some. I think he probably has a couple broken ribs. Definitely broke the right leg and his left wrist looks bad, swollen and blue in a couple of places. Nothing on his head though and no open wounds or blood that I can see," he responded, listing my injuries while continuing to stroke my hair.

"Sounds like you examined him well," the voice responded. "Max says he needs to be awake to bring him up in a chair harness. He could fall out if he's not lucid. What do you think?"

"It's gonna hurt like hell if he's awake Doc. Can't they send down a stretcher?" Michaels asked the man above.

It was Michaels. Now I remembered him. I was amazed at the surge of disappointment I felt. I wish it could have been my dad. But why was Michaels holding me and touching me this way?

"I can do it," I said quietly. He turned to look at me then. I realized he wasn't wearing the hat he usually wore. I sucked in a breath when I realized I was looking back at blue eyes the same color as mine. We stared at each other until Doc called out again.

"Mick, do you have Jack with you?" He asked with a chuckle.

"Yeah. Why?" Michaels asked, looking away from me and sitting back against the cave wall.

"Get him to drink two stiff shots. That should ease the pain and make him more comfortable as they lift him. Here comes the chair," Doc said.

I looked up to see a mass of rope being lowered over the side and Edward's sweet face in the now well-lit cavern. Michaels called my name and I turned to look at him again. He was holding something in his hand. It was shiny.

"Jasper, I need you to take a good long swig on this," he said, lifting the flask to my lips. I closed my eyes and drank. The whiskey felt good as it burned my throat on the way down. I felt the warmth as it moved out from my stomach to the rest of my body. Michaels waited a moment and lifted the whiskey back to my lips. I drank again, this time opening my eyes. As he pulled the flask away, I gripped his wrist hard with my good hand.

"Who the hell are you and how did you get that flask?" I snapped.

I knew as soon as I saw the engraved "W" on the silver flask what it was. The flask had been in the Whitlock family for generations. My great-great grandfather had been given that flask during the civil war by a General he had served with. It was supposed to have been buried with my dad. The man with my eyes sighed deeply and sat down next to me.

"You already know who I am, Jasper," he said quietly.

I started shaking. I let his hand go and settled back against the wall, rubbing my face with the hand that didn't hurt. I stared at him as we both ignored the voices above us.

"How?" it came out as a whisper.

"It's a long story, Jasper; too long for right now. We need to get you to a hospital, son," he said as my anger started to flash.

"Don't call me that!" I yelled at him. "I'm not going anywhere until you tell me how you could desert your family like that."

"I didn't desert you, Jasper, any of you. I watched over all of you for years. I just couldn't stand seeing what I had become destroy all of your lives," he sighed heavily. "I arranged to fake my death and funeral. A friend helped me. By doing that, your ma would get the insurance money and your lives could be better. I was no good to any of you then."

"I didn't go far at first. I was there when you graduated from high school. Rosie's too. Years later when you went to work for that detective, I knew about that too. Not long after that I went to Europe; it was killing me standing in the shadows and watching, never being a part of your lives anymore." He rubbed a hand over his face.

"We never asked you to stay away," I said evenly. My anger was fading and hurt was taking its place. "Did you just stop loving us?"

"God, no, Jasper! That wasn't it at all. Even though I wasn't found guilty of those charges, I was never was found innocent either. Well, at least not until you proved I was. But back then it hung over our family like a cloud. People looked at you, Rosie, and your ma different because of me. I hated it," He growled. He still carried the pain of it in his voice. "I wanted better for all of you."

"So where did you go?" I asked.

"I was walking down a street in the business district of London one day and saw a familiar face," he stated, then smiled at me. I knew who he meant right away.

"Jamison?" I questioned.

Nodding his head in affirmation, he said, "I followed him. He was calling himself Jenks then. He panicked when he saw me. I realized he was the one who had taken the money but there was nothing I could really do about it. He offered me a million dollars to go away and leave him alone. At first I wasn't going to take it. I didn't go looking for him to blackmail him but since he offered I figured, what the hell. So I took it. I invested most of it and did pretty well." He could see the way I was looking at him. "I did it honest Jasper. The money was all invested in legitimate businesses. I could have paid him back but by then I realized he was still doing it. The embezzling, I mean."

"So why didn't you come home after that?" I really wanted to know.

"Jasper?" Edward's voice interrupted our conversation. "Jasper, what's going on down there? Do you guys need more help? Answer me, damn it!"

"Edward, he's fine. I'm getting him in the chair right now. I'll holler when he's ready," my father called up.

"Come on, Jasper, I've got to get you in this seat. We'll talk more, later," he said as he brought the chair rope over.

He didn't say another word as he carefully pulled my broke leg through one harness then the good leg through another. After securing all the harnesses to my body, he stood up and yelled to the men above to go ahead and lift.

I gripped the top rope with my good hand and looked down at him as the chair was lifting me to the surface. He was right, it hurt like hell, but the team moved fast and I was on the ground with Edward holding me gently in his arms in no time at all. I forgot about everything else in that moment. All I needed was Edward.

Edward was crying and kissing every exposed piece of my skin he could reach. I finally convinced him I was okay and a man I guessed to be Doc came over and started to examine me. He gently moved my leg and then looked at my wrist. He and another man went to work on wrapping and securing the bones that were broken. They laid me out on a stretcher and Doc gave me a shot that he said would make me more comfortable while they moved me to the helicopter. Whatever the hell was in that shot, I started to feel it immediately. For the first time in hours, I felt no pain. In fact, I felt damn fine and I proceeded to tell everyone so. I just couldn't figure out why they were all laughing at me, even Edward.

"What the hell is so funny?" I asked, confused.

"Love, you are riding a little high right now," Edward replied, smiling down at me as the rescue workers carried the stretcher out into the grotto. "In fact, just relax and let the medicine do its job. Go to sleep, Jasper." He kissed me on the forehead and whispered, "I love you. Don't you ever scare me like that again."

"Okay, but could you get my dad for me? I need to talk to him." I couldn't help smiling up at him. He frowned down at me and then everything went dark.

When I woke next, I was in a stark white hospital room. There was pressure on my chest, but it didn't hurt. Looking down I saw Edward's mop of bronze hair. He was holding tightly to my good hand and snoring lightly against my chest. I needed to move. I'd been in one position too long and felt stiff and achy. Twisting gently, Edward jumped as soon as he felt me start to move.

"Hi," I said smiling at him. I watched that sexy half smile crease his face as he moved to kiss me gently.

"Hi," he breathed back after releasing my lips.

"How do you feel?" he asked, adjusting his chair so he faced me, refusing to let go of my hand.

"Stiff and a little achy but the pain is much better. My ribs don't hurt much so breathing is easier. How long have I been out?" I asked, looking down the bed at where I'm sure my leg was in a cast. "Is this the hospital in Rio?" I said looking around the room.

"You've been out for three days." His face showed concern and I met his eyes quickly, unable to believe what he was telling me.

"Three days?"

"Sweetheart, you were in so much pain. The doctors thought it best to keep you out while we moved you back to Seattle. The hospital in Rio wasn't up to Doc's standards. He insisted we get you back to the states as soon as possible. So we flew back by private jet." He was trying to explain it but none of it was making much sense right now.

I struggled to sit up and he reached out to help me when he realized what I was trying to do. They kept me sedated, moved me back to the states. Who the hell was Doc? My mind was going wild. And then his face flashed through my mind. Michaels! Michaels was my dad! I didn't recognize my own father. My mind was clearer now and I took the time to go over his features again.

The eyes were his. His hair was cut very close to his scalp, no curls, and gray instead of blond. He'd done something to change the shape of his face; plastic surgery, maybe. And he was old, of course. It had been years. He'd used a fake accent when we first arrived and hid his face with that awful hat.

I'd been quiet for awhile. Edward just sat there watching me. Did he know? What if he didn't? Was I supposed to keep it a secret? I had to ask one question.

"Where's Michaels?" I asked, lowering my eyes, "I want to thank him," I said nonchalantly.

"He was here. He flew the plane that brought us back. But he couldn't stay." He looked at me and tipped my chin up so I had to look him in the eye. "He said Doc would explain. What's going on, Jasper?"

"I think I can explain that," a voice said from the doorway.

A short jovial man in his late sixties walked across the room towards Edward and me. He was smiling hugely and there was laughter in his grey eyes. He held his hand out to me for a shake.

"Jasper, you probably don't remember but we've already met," he said, shaking my hand vigorously. "My name is Dr. Stephenson, but you can call me Doc."

He released my hand and gave Edward a fierce hug. Edward gladly returned the hug and then 'Doc' went to look at the chart at the foot of my bed.

"How long has he been awake?" he asked Edward.

The two of them started talking like I wasn't even in the room; discussing how I was doing and making decisions about what should happen next. They were pissing me off. The longer they talked like two old college buddies the madder I got, until finally I blew.

"Where is he?" I yelled, causing both men to jump and face me. Edward looked stunned. Doc put the chart away and sat down in the chair Edward had vacated.

"He had to go back Jasper. He stayed as long as he could," he replied, his face sad as he spoke. "He loves you very much but he had to go."

"Why?" The word came out soft and low.

Doc looked up at Edward then back to me. Edward had a very confused look on his face, not understanding what was going on between Doc and me. I could see Doc was looking for permission to speak in front of Edward.

"Anything you tell me can be said in front of Edward," I said, reaching out for Edward's hand. "We don't have any secrets." Edward kissed my forehead and squeezed my hand in affirmation of my statement.

"Alright, I'll tell you what I can," he said. He took a deep breath and continued, "I met Mick about ten years ago in Europe. Both of us had gone through a rough time and had much in common. It wasn't long until we were best friends. I'd never had a best friend before. This was after his run in with Jamison and he was doing well for himself. We decided that since there was nothing really holding us there, we'd travel. And we did… for almost two years. We moved from place to place and took in everything. We eventually ended up in Rio. Made a circle of friends that we enjoyed and decided to stay; of course, he took the occasional side trip back to the states, to check on his family. He always came back with some tale about you and Rosie and whatever you were up to at the time." He sighed and paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts.

"About a year ago, Arthur or Aro, showed up telling him about what was going on at his bank. They wondered if it was Jamison. The style was similar, but he had no way of proving anything. Your dad told him to contact you. And well you know the rest of the story from there," he noted, then added, "Except you should know he was at the wedding. He was so proud of you, he couldn't stay away. He also wanted to make sure that you had accepted the gift he sent you and were going to come to Paradise Island."

"But he's clear now. Why not come home?" Edward asked.

"I'd like to know the answer to that myself," I said to Doc.

"Jasper…" He paused and swiped at a tear that slid down his face. "If he knew I was telling you this, he would kick my ass." He gulped in a breath then said, "He's dying, Jasper."

"What? Wait, no, that can't be true," I yelled as Edward tried to steady my movements in the bed.

"We found the tumor right after he saw Aro. It's rare and on his lower back, resting against his spine," Doc stated.

"What about chemo or radiation?" I asked, as tears began to stream freely from my eyes.

"He refused both. I've tried, Jasper. I thought when he heard about your wedding plans, he might change his mind. We did another biopsy and the results were not good. He decided then that he'd rather have six good months over twelve months of suffering and hospitals when it wouldn't make any difference in the end." His head dropped and he sighed deeply. "In the end I gave in and let him be."

"You know the only thing he said when I saw him in the cave after the crew brought him up?" Doc turned his teary eyes to me and smiled. "He said, 'If I'd been on the chemo, Doc, I couldn't have been here for him. It was worth it.'"

Edward wrapped his arms around my shoulders and we held each other through the tears. I couldn't pull away until I heard Doc get up from the chair.

"He asked me to give you this, Jasper." Doc reached into his pocket and pulled out the silver whiskey flask.

I took it in my hand, felt the weight of it. I remembered his hands gently offering me a drink on the cold cave ledge. I thought of his words and how he watched over me, over all of us when we didn't know. I handed the flask back to Doc. His eyes widened in surprise.

"Give it back to him, Doc. Tell him you'll send it to me at the right time. You know when I mean." I smiled just a little, then said, "And tell him I love him."

Doc took the flask, placing it back in his pocket. He shook my hand and hugged Edward again. At the door, he turned back and nodded before he disappeared.

EPOV

Jasper was in his office studying and I stood in the doorway watching. The envelope had come today but he said he wanted to wait until I got home to open it. It had been six months since he had come home from the hospital. He absolutely would not stay another day and made the doctors put a walking cast on his leg so he could come home.

The cast stayed on for six weeks and then he had physical therapy for another six weeks. He walked with a cane for about two of those weeks. He went back to OWF as Carlisle's assistant but only until a replacement could be found. I was proud of him for deciding that working in finance wasn't really where his heart was. He went back to school to update his degree; he wants to teach math to elementary kids. Life had been wonderful.

True to my word, we remodeled my house into our home. I even got to have the sunken tub I loved so much on the island and I surprised Jasper with a shower very similar to the one there too. Everything was complete now and it truly was our home. We didn't talk much about the island when we first came home. But eventually the painful memories faded and we were able to share with our friends and family the best parts of our honeymoon. Well the PG rated version anyway.

Jasper must have heard my chuckle. He turned to smile sadly at me in the doorway. I opened my arms to him and he rose and ran into them. I knew he hadn't allowed himself to think about it while I was away and it would be all too real to him now. Arms wrapped tightly around each other we went into the family room and sat on the sofa. The package was sitting on the low table in front of us.

"You ready?" I asked him. He nodded.

I picked up the package and tore it open. The first thing to come out was the silver flask. I handed it to him and he gently rolled it over in his hands. Next were several legal documents and finally a sealed envelope. I looked at him and he nodded for me to go ahead. Tearing open the envelope, I pulled out the letter inside and began to read out loud.

My dear Jasper and Edward,

Mick went to sleep today and didn't wake up. It was the way he wanted to go. I was the only one with him and we talked of old times and you. You probably already have the flask in your hand. I never told him you gave it back to me knowing I'd send it back to you just as you said I would. The other items in this package are from him also.

You'll find the deed to Paradise Island. It yours now to do with as you wish. He wanted it that way. He did will me the cabin where he lived and I will use it on occasion if that is alright with you? You may, of course, decide to sell it. The private jet is also yours but he suggested that you might want to sell it and set up a college fund for any future Whitlocks that come along; Rosie's or yours. There are also sizeable Swiss bank accounts set up in your name and Rosie's. A lawyer will be contacting you in a few weeks to explain your options there.

I'm going to miss him, Jasper. I want you to know that I've never had a better friend in my life. He didn't suffer, I wouldn't let him. He went peacefully knowing that you had forgiven him and that you loved him.

I will spread his ashes on the island so that he will always be a part of it.

Bless you both,

Doc

Jasper cried himself to sleep that night holding the silver flask. I held him all night long. When the morning came, he woke me with a smile, thanking me for being there with him.

Several months later when everything was settled he told his mom and Rosalie about what really happened on the island and Mick. He helped them grieve because he had already gotten past it. It was the right thing to do.

JPOV

Edward was spooned against my back and snoring lightly into my neck. It felt perfect. We were both still completely naked, not having the strength or the desire to put clothes on after making love tonight. Our encounters always contained just the right amount of tenderness and lust mixed together to complete a perfect sexual experience. I was damn lucky and I knew it. My life had taken many dips and turns since I came to Seattle but of all those things, meeting Edward Cullen, now Edward Cullen-Whitlock, was the absolute most important one. He had changed everything and for the better.

I looked at the silver flask sitting on my bedside table where it always stayed. A little piece of the man who helped bring me into this world. I was so glad that we had had that short time to reconnect. But now I was ready for my future. Our future, as I thought of the man lying beside me. There was so much more to enjoy in life and we would do it together.

It was nearly dawn and I felt his member stiffen against my ass. Felt his lips lick the back of my neck and bite gently. His hands were running over my stomach teasing gently with his fingertips. My own cock started to harden again. His whispered breath, warm against my skin, sent tiny shock waves through my body.

"Jasper, love," he moaned. "I need you."

My response was to turn to face him and wrap my arms around his waist to pull him closer to me. My lips attacked his with passion and desire. A passion and desire I would always return to him. He was my life.

"Love me, Edward. Love me now and forever," I whispered between kisses.

"I do and I will, Jasper. Forever."

I hope you enjoyed it. I had a hard time seeing the screen while I wrote some of this. I'm working on an epilogue but I've already started over twice so don't look for it this week. I need to let the story rest for a bit. Thank you again and please let me know what you think.