Chapter Twenty-One
Twilight is the property of Stephanie Meyer.
The characterization of Peter as an intuitive southerner is the original idea of I Dream of Eddie.
An idea in this chapter was inspired by JamesRamsey's fantastic fic Insecurities. Full credit to follow, just don't want to give anything away!
Mynxi is my beta even though I exist in massive comma fail. Thank you, you grammar goddess, you!
JPOV
The cemetery was silent except for the sounds of Bella's rapid breaths and the low rumbles of anger from the four wolves. My mind raced over various escape routes and defense positions, but I didn't like the situation we were in one bit. I could feel anger radiating off of all of the wolves and I had no faith in their ability to remain under control long enough for us to leave peacefully.
"How can you do it, Bella?" Jacob snarled, taking a step forward. Peter and Charlotte moved closer together and growled until he stopped moving. His angry eyes bored into Bella and he clenched his fists. The wolves beside him focused only on us vampires and they were visibly trembling with the desire to attack.
"How can you stand here in front of Charlie's grave with these leeches?" Jacob continued incredulously. "All these years, we've thought the bloodsucker got you too, but instead here you stand all cuddled up with them! Even worse, saying good-bye to Charlie so you can be one of them!"
I couldn't stop myself from growling quietly at his words, as I felt Bella flinch. It was all I could do not to lunge at him until Bella grasped my hand tightly. I felt her surge of anger at Jacob's words and I forced myself to focus on keeping things calm rather than teach him a lesson for judging her.
Reminding myself that getting Bella out safely was the priority, I pushed a wave of calm toward the wolves while attempting to bypass Peter and Char as much as possible. My gift wasn't something I could aim with precision, and I needed to be careful not to incapacitate my friends while I tried to improve our chances of walking away from this cemetery. The wolves made no response to my attempt to influence their emotions, and I began to feel real doubt about my ability to get us out of this.
I was almost startled when I heard Bella's clear voice call out, "These people had nothing to do with Charlie's death, Jacob. This is my family. They came to support me, while I said goodbye to Charlie."
Jacob's face darkened ominously and the four wolves beside him growled. The rage poured off of all of them. "How dare you bring them to his grave? He died because you loved those bloodsuckers! How can you bring them here?"
I felt a flash of Bella's white-hot pain and guilt at the reminder that her father had died because she had loved Edward and our family. She trembled beside me, so I wrapped my arm tightly around her and whispered into her ear, "Charlie wouldn't want you to feel guilty, Bella." My words seemed to help her center herself, and abruptly I felt her emotions close off as she regained control.
"What do you know about what he would want, leech?" Jacob snarled, before glaring at me again. "Looks like the last two years have been good to you, Bells. You been living the high life with the pretty rich boy?"
His words enraged me, as I relived Bella telling me the things she had endured. Visions of her cold, hungry, and scared rushed through my brain, eclipsed by the image of her giving her virginity to a selfish boy with dead eyes. Bella staggered beside me at the cruelty of Jacob's words, and Peter and Charlotte began growling again in anger. I reined in my rage so that I didn't accidentally project and worsen our situation.
"Enough, dog," I called out. "You don't get to stand there and hurt her because you disagree with the company she keeps. You obviously don't want us here, so back off and we'll be on our way."
The wolves bared their fangs and advanced a little more. "Who says you get to walk away, Bloodsucker?" Jacob hissed. "This town is under our protection from leeches like you two," he said, pointing at Peter and Charlotte's eyes. "We patrol constantly looking for the redheaded one who ended Charlie. She shows up every couple months, but she always runs off before we get a chance to pay her back. I can't think of a good reason to let the two of you go too."
I felt a chill in my dead heart at the confirmation that Bella still held Victoria's interest, but I kept my mind on the immediate danger we faced. "No one here has violated the treaty, Jacob Black," I said solemnly. "They haven't hunted here and no one in Forks even knows we're here. You have no right to detain us, so why don't you just tell your friends here to back the fuck up so we can leave."
The wolves vibrated in anger and moved forward yet again, their desire to attack obvious to everyone. I tensed beside Bella. "Your anger is out of control, Black. Let us leave before one of you loses it and hurts Bella."
Before the words left my mouth, the large black wolf sprung toward us. Peter, Charlotte, and I reacted immediately. I lifted Bella onto Charlotte's back. "Get her out of here," I instructed tersely, leaning back to dodge the massive wolf lunging toward me. He sailed over me and landed hard, shaking his massive head as he recovered his equilibrium.
Charlotte sprang toward the edge of the woods, but she was quickly cut off by two snarling wolves. She began backing up toward her original location as Peter sprang past me to attack the black giant. He struck the wolf feet first and knocked him into a nearby headstone, cracking it as the black wolf slid limply to the ground.
The remaining wolf howled in outrage at the fall of his comrade and Peter jumped up as it leaped toward him. "Try not to kill them, if possible," I said tersely. "They're really just angry teenagers. If they get close to Bella, all bets are off, though." He gave me a knowing glance as years of fighting together fell into place, and we communicated our plans wordlessly to each other.
I moved to intercept the two wolves stalking toward Charlotte. Bella had climbed down from her back and was standing close behind her, her breaths short and rapid as she fought her panic. Her eyes were locked on the snarling wolves and she seemed unaware of my approach.
"On your right," I called to Charlotte, as I faced off with the nearest of the two wolves. My field of focus narrowed to the wolf in front of me. He lunged for me and we flew past each other, his claws slashing for my face as I leaned back to escape them. We were well matched and seemed to anticipate each other's moves as the wolf attacked and I dodged.
Finally, I managed to land a hard punch as it came at me, smiling in satisfaction as I felt ribs crack under my hand. Whimpering, the wolf backed away from me, so I turned my attention to Charlotte. Her red eyes gleamed fiercely as she swung at the approaching wolf. She landed a glancing blow, but he was on her again rapidly. I leaped onto the giant wolf's back, tearing him off of Charlotte and smiling grimly as she immediately sprung forward to attack.
From the corner of my eye, I noticed Bella slowly backing away from us. Satisfied that she was moving away from the danger, I turned my focus back to Charlotte's battle. She was landing vicious blows on the wolf's flanks with one hand as she held his angry jaws away from her with the other. He was clearly failing under her assault, so I turned my attention to checking on Jacob's whereabouts.
I had lost track of him after the initial attack, but I quickly located him standing near the clearing, still in his human form. He was watching the battle intensely, his emotions a rampant mixture of anger, worry, and grim satisfaction. I started toward him, eager to end this and be on our way, when I was stopped by Bella's piercing scream.
Turning toward her, I took in the reason for her cry. "No!" she wailed, running toward Peter's falling figure. The wolf he was fighting had been joined by another, and one of them had struck home with a claw. The massive wound was diagonal across his body, reaching from his left shoulder past his right hip, rendering him off balance.
The first wolf had returned closed in again and had slashed Peter's left calf with his claws. The wounds weren't life threatening, but they had immobilized him and the wolves were still coming. My feet were already in motion toward him as I saw his eyes widen and felt the wave of fear he projected. "Bella, stay back!" he yelled, as he took in the sight of her running toward him.
I practically flew to intercept her, desperate to prevent her from encountering the enraged wolves, but she was closer to them and I knew I would fail. The new wolf was circling Peter, who had successfully thrown the original wolf off of him. Bella ran toward them and flung herself at Peter just as the wolf sprang toward them.
"No!" I yelled, as I ran, remotely noticing Charlotte close behind me. Peter attempted to roll her away from the impending impact, but his wound made him awkward and slow, and I knew his movement was futile.
The next second lasted hours as I watched in shock as Jacob jumped into action. He ran toward the fray, leaping forward gracefully. Before the attacking wolf could impact Bella's tiny body, Jacob landed between them, his back to Bella and Peter as he snarled at the wolf. The shocked wolf landed inches from Bella, as Peter finally managed to shift her behind him.
"Enough," Jacob called out to the wolf, who immediately backed down. Charlotte and I stood ten feet from Jacob, who was now blocking us from Peter and Bella. The other wolves limped forward and made a semi-circle behind us. Jacob looked briefly at Peter trying to protect Bella before returning his glare to me.
He was radiating disgust and disappointment as he began speaking. "As much as part of me wants to end her now before she's like you," he said heavily, "I just can't stomach hurting Charlie Swan's little girl while she's human."
I felt a twinge of hope as I looked back at him and waited for him to finish. "So since she's obviously not gonna leave you leeches on her own, I guess that means you get a free pass today," he said reluctantly. "Get out of here and don't come back," he ordered grimly, turning toward Bella, who was pressing one of her sweatshirts against Peter's seeping wound. "That means you too. Don't come back here with them. You have an alternative to this," he said, indicating Charlotte and myself.
Bella's breathing was rapid and shallow, but her voice was strong when she answered. "I told you, Jacob, this is my family. I'm sorry you disagree with my life and my choice, but it doesn't change anything."
"Nothing else to say then," Jacob answered coldly. "Get out of here, and don't let us catch you in town again. If we do, there'll be no walking away," he warned steadily. With that, he turned and walked silently into the forest, followed by the pack of wolves.
Charlotte and I snapped into action, rushing over to Peter and Bella. Char reached him first, planting a fierce kiss on his mouth even as her hands assessed the damage. "Still with me?" I asked my friend grimly, as I reached them.
I was relieved when his usual smile cracked his lips. "Well, your gal nearly gave me heart failure with her little 'jump in front of the wolf' stunt, but I guess I pulled through it," he quipped tightly. His words were tight and his smile didn't quite reach his eyes, so I knew he was in a lot of pain.
Bella had stepped out of the way, allowing Charlotte to hold the giant wound together. Char was always calm in urgent situations and I was relieved that she was controlling her worry about Peter so well. "Let's get you out of here, Gimpy," she ordered, while I gently helped her pull him into standing. He leaned heavily on me and I used my free hand to assist Char in keeping the wound closed.
I locked eyes with Bella, noticing her huge pupils and extreme pallor. "Sweetheart, can you come dig my keys out of my jacket?" I asked quietly, pushing a little calm toward her. She was clearly going into shock, and we would need her to get out of here. Thankfully, she pulled herself together and moved quickly to my side to retrieve the keys before leading the way back to the cars.
Charlotte and I assisted Peter into the back seat, each of us on one side to help hold his wound together. Bella climbed into the driver's seat without being asked and started the engine. "Where to?" she asked tensely, her heart beginning to race again.
"We need to take Peter to the Cullen house and see what kind of shape he's in," I said gently, as she put the car in gear and pulled away, spinning the tires in the gravel in her haste. "Easy, Sweets," I soothed her, reaching a hand up to the front to touch her shoulder. "He'll be okay, we just need to figure out how we're gonna patch him up without pissing the wolves off."
She visibly relaxed at my reassurance and her driving improved rapidly as her fear for Peter eased slightly. I focused on pushing comfort to Peter and Charlotte. Unfortunately, I couldn't block physical pain with my power, but I could at least take the emotional edge off for them.
"Not sure I can handle any more excitement, Birdy," Peter rasped. "Try not to get us into a wreck on the way."
"Shut up," she answered shakily, a tear sliding down her face. "I haven't driven in over two years, so I'm a little rusty. That, and today has been a really shitty day. Now stop tempting me to drop your ass off back there with the wolves and let me drive in peace."
We all smiled at this sign that Bella wasn't about to succumb to anxiety and let her drive in peace. I watched her closely for indications of stress as we drew closer to the Cullen house, but her tension remained level. She turned onto the driveway and pulled up to the house, staring at it for a long moment before turning the ignition off.
"You two wait here while I figure out a way into the house, other than tearing the door down," I said to Peter, opening my door.
"I ain't goin' anywhere," Peter said dryly. Not even the pain from his injury could repress his humor, and I smiled back at him.
"I'll be quick," I said quietly, pulling Bella's door open for her. "How ya doin', Sweets?" I asked when she stood and leaned into me briefly.
"I'm okay," she whispered, falling into step beside me. After we reached the front door, I quickly jimmied a window open, using care to avoid breaking the glass. Bella waited while I climbed through and opened the front door for her.
Her face was a blank mask, making me worry that the stress was catching up with her. I needed her to hang on just long enough to get Peter taken care of, so I pushed more calm toward her.
"Can you head upstairs and turn down one of the beds, so we can get a good look at him?" I asked gently, hoping that a task would help keep her focused. Her expression turned determined as she nodded and headed up the stairs. I made my way back out to the car and helped Charlotte get Peter inside.
I followed the sound of Bella's heart to Emmett and Rose's room, where she had a bed turned down with fresh sheets. Wide-eyed, she backed out of the way as we entered the room and got Peter situated on the bed.
Charlotte briskly ripped his shredded shirt away so she could assess the injury. "Alright, Sugar, let's see what sort of a mess you're in," she said matter-of-factly, leaning in to look closer. The wound was deep and jagged across his chest and abdomen, and his calf was a mess, incapable of bearing weight. His vampire body was beginning to heal the wound at the more shallow areas, but to fully recover from this, Peter would need blood.
"You need to hunt," I said unnecessarily, meeting his red eyes.
"Yeah, that's gonna be a little difficult," he responded with false levity. "Somethin' tells me those wolves won't take too kindly to me shopping for a snack in Forks."
"I'll go elsewhere and bring something back for you," Charlotte said sternly, standing up even as she spoke. I didn't like the idea of her going off on her own with a young pack of shape shifters around. Peter agreed with me, shaking his head negatively, but before either of us could speak, Bella's gasp reminded us all of her presence in the room.
She shook her head and her tears shown like crystals on my cheeks to my vampire eyes. "I'm so sorry," she choked out as she took a faltering step toward Peter. "This is all my fault. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't be here and you wouldn't be hurt." She turned to Charlotte, reaching a hand out almost desperately. "I'm so sorry he got hurt, Char."
Charlotte's red eyes softened and I felt that she had no blame toward Bella. "Honey, it's not your fault," she said gently. I scooped Bella up and seated her on the bed next to Peter. "I know it looks bad, but he'll be just fine as soon as we figure out a way to get him some blood."
I ran my hand up and down Bella's back, hating the nervous tremors I felt in her muscles. Peter reached up for her hand and regarded her seriously. "Don't put this on yourself, Darlin'," he ordered sternly. "It was my own damn fault. I was payin' too much attention to what Char was doin' and I didn't notice the second dog sneakin' up on me. I'll be fine soon as I find an appropriate snack."
Bella relaxed slightly at his words and I smiled at him thankfully. "You could always go vegetarian," I joked at Peter. I knew that would be a last resort measure for him, but the flash of indignation I felt from him let me know that he was not even considering eating animals yet. Charlotte chuckled softly at his expression, but Bella sat up suddenly, startling all of us.
"He can have my blood!" she burst out excitedly, looking in turn at all three of us. My growl was immediate and beyond my control, but Peter beat me to the refusal.
"Birdie, I appreciate the offer," he said softly. "But feelin' how I feel, there's no way I could be sure I wouldn't drain ya dry, much less worry about getting' all the venom out before ya began to change. You've still got some stuff on that bucket list, and when you change it should be because you're ready, not because I need help."
I felt her exasperation for a millisecond as she shook her head. "No, no, no," she said impatiently. "I meant we could collect my blood, like for a transfusion. Then you can do your worst while I'm nowhere near," she said enthusiastically.
I was shaking my head "no", but Charlotte was looking at Peter speculatively. "Might work," Charlotte said hesitantly. "It would probably work to put you back together well enough to get us out of town and to friendlier hunting grounds."
"Before you get all excited about this plan," I growled, "somebody explain how we're gonna get the blood from Bella to Peter. Are you planning on using a steak knife and a measuring cup? Because we don't exactly have a bloodmobile at our disposal here," I said angrily. "Not to mention the risk of her bleeding around all of us."
Bella glared at me before turning her gaze back to Peter. "I'll go check Carlisle's office. Maybe he has a needle and stuff in there." Looking at me again as she stood, she said more softly, "You won't hurt me, Jasper. I want to do this for Peter, but I need your help…I don't think I can get the needle in by myself."
She walked out of the room toward Carlisle's office and I could hear her rooting through his drawers in her search. I looked up at Peter and Charlotte who were both regarding me seriously. "Your call, J," Peter drawled softly. "It'll work, but if you don't want to go that way, we'll figure somethin' else out."
I closed my eyes, torn between wanting to help my friend and fear of hurting my reason for living. "I just don't know if I can," I ground out.
I opened my eyes at Charlotte's soft hand on my arm. "You can," she said firmly. At that moment, we were distracted by Bella's triumphant cry and the sound of her rushing back down the hall toward us.
"This is perfect," she said as she stumbled into the room, holding a syringe pack and length of tubing. My stomach sank as I realized I was really going to have to stick a needle into my extremely fragile lover's vein, allowing her tempting blood to flow down a tube into…
"Wait a minute, what are we going to collect it in?" I asked her. She shrugged somewhat sheepishly.
"Well, there aren't any of those bags in Carlisle's office, so I guess it will have to be the measuring cup, like you said."
"I don't know, Bella. I don't know if I can be that close to that much of your blood and stay in control."
Her brown eyes looked into mine steadily and I saw the love and faith she had for me reflected in them.
"You can," she said simply, unknowingly echoing Charlotte's earlier words. I felt the weight of the world on my shoulders as my two best friends and the woman I loved with my entire heart waited for me to answer.
"I need to go hunt first," I said reluctantly. Peter and Charlotte's relief and appreciation hit me like a freight train, but I felt only apprehension from Bella.
"Is it safe for you to go alone? What if the wolves come back?"
"I'll be fine, Sweetheart. I'll stay close to the house on Cullen land." She ran at me and wrapped her arms tightly around me, pressing her face against my neck.
"Be careful," she whispered. "I couldn't live if something happened to you. There's a limit to what one person can survive in a lifetime, and losing you is my limit."
"Not gonna happen, Bella," I answered firmly, standing to leave. "Now let me get out of here so we can put this disaster of a plan into action."
I pressed a quick kiss to her soft lips as I stepped away and rushed downstairs and out the door. Heaven smiled down on me for one minute of this cluster fuck of a day, and a large buck wandered by less than a half mile away from the house. I took it down quickly and drank my fill before disposing of the carcass.
On the way back, I debated about whether to have Charlotte in the room when I took Bella's blood or to do it on my own. I liked the idea of backup in case I lost control. However, Char was under severe stress over Peter's injuries and I wasn't sure if she would be able to contain things if I lost it. Eventually I decided that Bella and I would do this as a team. That approach usually worked well for us, so I would have faith that it would serve us well today.
When I returned to the house, Bella was waiting for me in the kitchen. I let the sensation of her relief and happiness to see me wash over me for a few seconds, before I joined her at the large table.
"I think I have everything we need," she said, motioning to the medical packages, some clean towels, a few bandages, and the controversial large measuring cup.
Guiding her into one of the chairs, I sat facing her, cradling one of her hands in both of mine. "Are you sure, Bella?"
"Absolutely, Jasper," she replied, pushing her faith toward me. "You won't hurt me. We'll be touching the whole time. Now just do it," she ordered, placing her arm facing up on the table top.
I nodded my head and got to work opening the syringe and tubing kits. Fortunately, they were universal fitting, and would connect together easily. I put the measuring cup on the floor and took the cap off the needle. Gently grasping Bella's warm arm in my hands, I ran my fingers over the vein at her elbow, enjoying the slight humming sensation of her precious blood flowing back toward her heart.
I moved the needle forward to touch her soft skin and looked up at her face. I was surprised to see her looking intently away from me. "Bella?" I said softly, concerned that she was having second thoughts.
She shifted her eyes briefly toward me before giving me a tight smile. "Oh, I can't watch, Jasper. That's one thing that hasn't changed about me. I still hate the sight of blood."
Shaking my head at my brave and stubborn girl, I decided to get it over with. I took a final unnecessary breath and pushed the needle quickly into her vein, profoundly relieved as I realized I would be able to stay in control of my bloodlust, even while her potent blood filled the syringe. I connected the tubing, and blood immediately began to fill the measuring cup.
Watching the level steadily rise, I kept both of my hands on her arm, petrified that if I lost contact I might lose control. I was feeling really good about how things were proceeding when I suddenly thought of a problem.
"Umm, Bella," I said, trying to keep my voice free of the anxiety I was now feeling.
"Hmm?" She looked up at me briefly before turning away again.
"Any idea when I should stop?"
Her face whipped around to mine, and she smiled apologetically as she noticed how worried I was. "I'm sorry, Jasper. I forgot to tell you. Six-hundred and fifty milliliters is the limit for blood donors."
"Okay," I said in relief. "We're about half way there then."
"Sounds good," she answered calmly, looking out the window.
"How do you know that, anyway?" I asked, watching the level continue to rise.
She laughed and I enjoyed the flash of amusement that I felt from her. "Well, Jasper, after my infamous reaction to blood typing, Mr. Banner had me write an essay on the donation process to make up for my lack of participation in the Forks High blood drive," she answered smugly.
"I'm sure he'd be proud that you're putting the information to good use," I teased her as I ripped open the package containing the gauze bandage. "Almost done. Are you feeling okay?"
"Surprisingly, I feel fine," she replied. "Maybe if you had been in biology with me, I could have done the lab," she joked.
"Oh sure," I teased back, quickly removing the needle from her arm and placing the bandage over the tiny wound. "I would have been a great addition to that lab. All sorts of biology to be learned when a room full of children gets slaughtered by a blood-maddened vampire."
"And just look at you now," she said proudly. "Able to stick a needle in me without even drooling any venom. I'm fine," she reiterated as I looked closely at her. "Get that up to Peter and away from me and I'll be even better," she continued, pointing at the measuring cup.
Her color was pale, but her heart rate was strong and regular. Deciding it was safe to leave her, I gave her a quick kiss as I stood up. "Yes, Ma'am," I replied. "I'll be back as soon as I drop this off."
"Give him a kiss for me," she teased as she bent her elbow and put more pressure on the bandage. I rolled my eyes and carried the measuring cup upstairs, taking care not to breathe around Bella's blood.
"Room service," I called out, walking into the bedroom and handing the blood to Char. She rushed over to Peter and held the measuring cup out to him. I began backing out of the room, uncomfortable with the thought of watching Peter drink Bella's blood. He sat up awkwardly, wincing in pain. I sighed to myself and walked back over to help him up, while Charlotte held the blood.
"Need a straw, fucker?" I asked exasperatedly as I got him situated. Peter chuckled but Charlotte glared at me.
"I'll feed it to him mouth to mouth if I have to," she snapped. "Now get on out of here if you don't want to see him drink up."
Before I could respond, I heard Bella softly mutter, "Oh shit," followed by a thump. I was down the steps in a flash, taking in the site of her sitting on the floor, clinging to the chair legs for dear life. Her face was pale and clammy and her heart was pounding loudly over the sound of her shallow breaths.
"What happened?" I asked, scooping her up and laying her gently on the dusty couch.
"We forgot the cookies and juice," she mumbled weakly, while I elevated her legs.
It took me a few seconds to catch up with her, but when I did, I felt ill with guilt. "Shit," I muttered. "Your blood sugar's low, and I bet we don't have a single thing to eat or drink here." I ran quickly to the kitchen and tore through the cabinets, confirming my suspicions that there was nothing edible for Bella here.
I returned to her side, taking her hand in mine, mentally cursing at how cold and clammy it felt. "I'm gonna have to go get you somethin' to eat, Sweetheart," I said gently. Her eyes shot open and she tried to sit up.
"No, not by yourself," she protested. "The wolves."
"The wolves won't have a chance to know I'm in town," I interrupted her. "I'm just going to drive to the gas station and pick you up some soda and junk food to get that blood sugar back up where it's supposed to be. We can worry about a square meal once Peter's patched up well enough to move easier."
She began to shake her head, but I ignored her and lifted her up in my arms to carry her upstairs. "Ya'll decent?" I called as I carried her into the bedroom. Peter and Charlotte both chuckled and I smiled at the contentment they were both projecting. I settled Bella on the bed next to Peter and looked over at his wound.
"Looking better already," I said, noticing the edges of the wound were already binding together at a rapid rate. "Feeling better?"
"You bet," Peter drawled with a smile. "You were yummy, Darlin'," he said to Bella with an exaggerated leer.
"Glad you're feeling better, 'cause I feel like shit," Bella mumbled, with her eyes closed.
"She's weak from blood loss, so I need you two to keep an eye on her while I go get her something to eat," I said, directing my gaze at Charlotte.
"What exactly am I supposed to do?" Char asked hesitantly, projecting anxiety. "I don't exactly know how to keep a human alive, Jasper!"
"I'm not dying Char," Bella said in an irritated tone. "Just let him get the hell out of here and back so we can get out here."
"Come snuggle up here, Little Bird," Peter said kindly. "You smell just 'bout as good as you tasted," he teased as she rolled over toward him.
The stress of the day finally got to me, and I snapped at his comment even though I knew it was a joke. "Not funny!" I barked out. "She's laying there half unconscious because she wanted to help you, the least you could do is not joke about eating her!"
I felt the unusual sensation of Peter's remorse. "I'm sorry, Bella. It wasn't funny, and I really appreciate what you did for me."
"I know that," Bella grumbled.
Peter looked at me apologetically. "I'm sorry, Jasper. You know I won't hurt your girl," he said sincerely. "But I still shouldn't have joked about it. You've had a long day."
"Damn straight," I muttered. I pressed a kiss to Bella's forehead. "I love you, Sweets. I'll be right back."
"Love you too," she whispered. "Be careful."
I rushed out to the car and pushed the low quality sedan to its limits on the way to the nearest gas station. I grabbed a variety of soda and sugary snacks and checked out, vastly relieved that no one at the gas station was familiar to me from my Forks high experience.
I rushed the "goodies" back to the Cullen house and up to Bella. Fortunately, she perked up quickly once she was hydrated and fed, cracking her own jokes about Peter drinking her blood. His abdominal wound looked much better and he was able to move around in bed without it gaping open now. His calf was still messy looking, but it held his weight when Charlotte and I helped him into standing.
"I think you're good enough to get a real meal," Charlotte said proudly. Bella was sitting up and looking a much healthier color.
"Everyone ready to blow this joint?" I asked unnecessarily.
Everyone nodded affirmatively, but Bella held my gaze for a long minute. "I don't ever want to come back here again," she said resolutely.
I nodded back at her and reached for her hand. "You never have to come back here again," I repeated, agreeing with the sentiment whole heartedly. Peter and Charlotte joined us as we walked out of the bedroom, down the stairs, and out the door.
AN- Okay, I'm going to start splitting the POV's into different chapters. This will mean the chapters are shorter, but you'll get them a lot faster No worries, no material will be cut, just spread out a little more!
Charlotte's comment about giving Peter the blood mouth to mouth was 100% inspired by JamesRamsey's story Insecurities. Her fic is one of the most creative and original canon stories I have ever read. If you haven't read it already, go now!
My precious MM- Thank you for loving me even when I am one of those freaky bald rat-looking cat things ;P Thank you for all that you are and all that you do.
Luv4Jake- if you're still reading, PM me, I really want to know what you thought *chews fingernail nervously!*
Thank you for reading!
Heavy