Peter and I were still lying on the bed at the inn, in Kingston when our peaceful quiet was interrupted by a very familiar scent. We were barely off the bed and going to the door to investigate when the knob rattled and the lock snapped, the door swinging open to reveal a black eyed Jasper.
"Major?" Peter snaps, not in anger but in question, he's waiting for bad news or an order not an explanation.
"Ali." Jasper calls softly and its only an instant before she's bouncing past him, into the room and I'm wrapped in a hug so tight I think she might be trying to break me.
"What?" I manage to ask, completely bewildered as Alice let's me go and hugs Peter before stepping back and glaring at us.
"You scared the crap out of me!" She hisses. "Don't ever disappear like that again!"
"Disappear?" Peter looks as bewildered as I feel.
"Ali you knew we were going to see my parents. Kingston is a bit off plan maybe but…"
Jasper is already shaking his head, "From her vision." He explains turning to push the door closed before moving inside he claps Peter on the shoulder and moves to hug me almost as tight as Ali had and he wrinkles his nose as he pulls away, looking at me with a frown, "I thought I could smell shifter from the hall, why the hell do you reek of them?" He turns to Peter then, "Was there trouble? Why the hell didn't you call? Fuck Captain, Ali starts freaking out because you two disappear and for hours she can't see anything. We get on a damn jet and she's gettin a migraine she's concentratin so hard and can't get nothin till we land in Seattle and then all she gets is some damn Welcome to Kingston Idaho sign." He's growling now but I can see he's standing closer to Peter than usual, worried affections is seeping out his pores as though we are hiding out here from an army that might show up any second to massacre us.
Peter snorts, "Well damn, don't suppose Pixie went blind right about the time we hit Forks?"
"Yes." She nods with a frown, "I was searching your immediate futures when you left to see Renee and checking in a few times but everything was going so well and then I saw your flight and arrival at the house in Forks, then when I went to check again to see how the meeting with Bella's father would go it was completely blank. I thought you hadn't decided when to go or were undecided if maybe you should go or give it some time but you never made a decision. I searched in the future and could still see the wedding but I couldn't find either of you at all, it was frustrating and scary." She shivers and takes my hand.
"Well damn." Peter sighs, "Guess that explains why the hell yeh didn't warn us we'd be runnin into some shifters."
"What happened?" Jasper demands, only slightly calmer now.
"Didn't know there were shifters under your nose in Forks?" Peter smirks at him, "Getting a bit lax there major, maybe a little slow."
Jasper growls at him but its playful as he shoves Peter. "We never crossed paths with any. Carlisle said there used to be some on the reservation, they had some old treaty and wouldn't go onto the reservation though we never came across any when we lived there so he didn't think there were any wolves there anymore but he'd given his word a long time before so we held to the treaty."
"Well they're there and we didn't know about the treaty." Peter shrugs, "Could have gone bad but it didn't." Then he frowns, "Think maybe Bells has a gift we didn't know about before though."
"How's that?" Jasper has relaxed more and is more curious than worried.
"Two young wolves charged me, right into some invisible wall." Peter chuckles.
Jasper looks thoughtful and then frowns at me, "I have no idea." I tell him with a shrug. "The wall in my head was down but the bitch wasn't taking over, she was calm whereas the rest of me was scared shitless. It was like her wall had moved outside us." I shrug again, "No clue how or why it happened or hasn't happened before."
"We trained you to fight but you've never been afraid of us, not even when you first opened your eyes and saw me." Jasper is still amazed by that, "This was the first time you've ever felt fear darlin, must be what brought it out."
"We can ask Eleazar." Alice offers like its unimportant and I suppose it is, we don't live in the world Jasper and Peter came into, every moment of every day isn't about fighting and survival, life and death. "So," she turns to me, "I can't see around shifters, that's interesting." The way she says it makes me chuckle, the wrinkling of her nose in distaste even more so. "Did it go ok? You weren't there very long, did the shifters even let you see Charlie?"
"Yes, I saw Charlie, he knows about the wolves and about me." My smile falters and Peter moves to take my hand. "We said goodbye." I whisper.
Alice and Jasper both look sad as they move a little closer so we're all sharing a bubble and its as much their presence near me as Jasper's gift that fills me with peace, calm and love.
After a moment we move away from each other again.
"So, yeh ran here from Seattle?" Peter breaks the silence.
Jasper shrugged, "It was faster and we thought there could be trouble. Night anyways so safe enough."
"Good to know yeh'd come runnin."
I grin at their version of telling each other they love each other and Alice chuckles and shakes her head before meeting my eyes, "Don't disappear again ok?"
"I won't." I give her a sad smile because its another reminder I won't see my father again. She takes my hand and squeezes it.
"I saw you decide against any humans you used to be friends with to so that saves on having to worry about catering or plates and cutlery, drinks and cake." She grins, "Plus you know, we don't have to be so careful and pretend to be human."
I laugh and shake my head, "Nope, just us vampire folk."
"Well then, we should get to work on the guest list. I saw the changes you made with your mom and I love them, it's going to be so perfect. Now it's just the guest list. Peter's nomad friends will be a bit iffy to track down but once he decides who he wants to invite I can take care of that. The only other is Eleazar and his coven, like I said they are our cousins and if you do invite them I suppose we can deal with your new gift repell shifter thingy at the same time. You and Kate are going to be good friends eventually but maybe the others can wait for an introduction."
"So now you don't want them to come?" I frown at her in question and look to Peter, "I thought you got on pretty well with them."
"He does, even better than the Cullen's, except Rosalie, he's friendly with her." Alice pipes up.
I make a face at her because Rosalie is the only one who never cared for me at all, then I sigh, "Ok, so why take them off the invite list?"
"You want Emmett and he will want Rosalie, you both want us, obviously and he'll want to invite Garrett and maybe a couple other nomads but you don't really have anyone and neither of you is all that close with the Denali's or the other Cullen's for that matter so you can have a smaller wedding, won't you like that better?" She asks innocently.
"Alice?"
"I'd reckon the Major told her I screwed one of the sisters a while back and she's worried you'll take it bad." Peter offers sitting back on the bed, leaning against the headboard and crossing his ankles.
He looks sexy as hell and it's been a while but the distraction doesn't work as I push the thought away and frown at him, "Who?"
Peter shrugs, "Does it matter?"
"Maybe."
"Tanya, a decade before that Irena but I'm not sure the Major knows about that as he weren't with me."
"Are you inviting Charlotte?"
"She's a Whitlock." He shrugs. "She'll come with her coven so Chloe will be there too so what's it matter if I slept with Tanya and Irena or anyone else, besides it's not them on the alter with me."
I don't know what to say to him so I just gape at him a moment, "Fine. Fine." I raise my hands at him, "Any other skankpire whore you want to invite to our wedding? Maria maybe?"
Damn frustrating man just stares at me frowning. While I spin on my heal and storm from the room. Alice follows me and I can hear Jasper chuckle darkly and tell Peter, "You ain't seein her sweet parts for a while now Captain."
"Bella, wait, I'm sorry."
"Why?" I ask her as we run into the woods, "You didn't screw every slutty vampire you came across and now want to extend them an invitation to our damn wedding! You don't see me inviting Keith." I snort, "I should, that's exactly what I should do, see how he likes it and Edward, he's definitely invited, if Charlotte is coming so is Edward! See how he feels about that!"
Alice sighs, shaking her head, "Maybe you should just elope. The four of us can go buy a nice plot of land and hold a beautiful little ceremony. Just think about it Bella, it will be elegant and simple, no fuss, just you and Peter, pledging your love forever with Jazz and I as witnesses.
"No. I love my dress and the flowers and to dance."
"You can still have the dress and flowers and of course we'll dance."
"No." I shake my head again, "I'm not, not having my wedding because the groom was a man whore."
She shook her head and chuckled, "A dozen or so women in a century and a half is not a man whore Bella, there are human men that have slept with that many women in a quarter of a deade."
"Do you know who they all are?"
"Maria, obviously and Charlotte of course. Irena, Tanya, Chloe and a nomad I don't know named Rebecca, then there were a few one night stands with humans, even if he cared to get their names he never saw them again. I know of seven in the decades since we've met but even if his number is say two dozen, it's less than some human men who've lived a third of his lifetime and it's not like other women don't have the same issue. Jasper wasn't a monk before he met me. Emmett had a wife when he was human and Carlisle, well he lived more than one century before Esme came along and I guarantee it wasn't celibate."
"I know." I groan. "I was hard on him, it's just…" I groan again instead of finding words to finish the sentence.
"It's just the crazy possessive vampire part of you can't stand the idea."
"Exactly."
"How does she feel about rubbing it in all their slutty still single faces, except for Charlotte but Peter, way sexier than Zach and before you were a human curiousity, really losing Peter to you, she wont like that either."
I laugh because she's right, the vindictive bitch in me does like that idea. "Ok, OK, I was hard on him. I'm sorry. I couldn't help it."
"I know and I mean it Bella, we can go, just the four of us and it will be just as special. I want you to have a real wedding but there doesn't need to be anyone there for it to be real."
"I do want to share it with people we love and the party will be fun, getting to meet my new extended family, all the people you and Jasper love, all the people who were part of his life before I came along, you know, all of them except the raving phsychotic bitch."
"Charlotte or Maria?" She teases making me laugh.
"Charlotte's ok, I guess, for a heartbreaking skakpire I mean."
She laughs with me and nods. "Let's get something to eat and then head back before Jasper gets anxious. I kind of freaked him out when I couldn't see you or Peter and the possessive bitch in him is just a tiny bit over protective of you and I."
I laugh with her, "Such a drama queen." We giggle as we follow the scent of a herd.
Back in the hotel the boys are waiting, like they haven't moved. Jasper perched on the edge of the dresser, arms and ankles crossed, Peter sitting on the bed in a similar position, leaning up against the head board with arms and ankles crossed.
Jasper just quirks an eyebrow at us and Ali and I giggle at him because its exactly the expression we expected.
"You two seem to be in a better mood." He offers with a crooked smile.
"I'm a bit moody and over emotional, must be vampire pms." I shrug.
He shakes his head fighting back a chuckle, "Weddin jitters maybe."
"Only because the groom has slept with half the guest list." I'm exaggerating but they can tell by the tone of my voice that I'm also teasing.
"So we are having a guest list?" Alice confirms with me.
"Yes." I nod, "I think Peterpire will want his little friends there and you and Jasper are our family so your family is our extended family and these things are supposed to be celebrated with friends and family."
"Just Garrett." Peter shrugs.
"Bill?" Jasper asks, "Issac? Mary?"
Peter rolls his eyes and grumbles, "Them too."
Alice laughs and claps, "I just saw something interesting."
"What?" I ask, though we are all looking at her expectantly.
"Nothing." She sings.
"Alice!" I protest.
Jasper just chuckles and shrugs, "You know she ain't going to tell us, darlin."
"Fine." I grumble.
"Come on let's all just get out of here." Peter jumps up and lifts me, "If I ain't getting to ravish her now there ain't no point stayin longer."
I laugh and wrap my arms around his neck, "Later cowboy."
"Forgiven for screwin the cousins then?" He asks, giving me a devilishly charming smile, one that would melt the knickers off a nun.
"Maybe." I tease him a little as he sets me down beside the truck. "Depends how pretty they are."
"Next to you? Utter hags." He offers.
"Really?"
"No, but that's my story and I'm stickin to it." He laughs moving to the other side of the truck.