Chapter Five
Resolving
When they returned Emmett was there in the doorway awaiting impatiently for his new sister's return. The second she stepped in the living room however, he burst out into laughter shaking the foundation.
"What happened to you?!"
If she could have blushed she would've then. "I hunted."
"Don't tease her, Em, you weren't smooth on your first trip either," Edward reminded him.
"Calm down, boys," Esme chided them from her post by Carlisle in the corner overlooking their family.
Emmet let out a snort but sat beside Edward on the couch picking up his remote to the video game. It looked as though he was winning again, flying faster down the dark roads of London, England, Edward a hair from his rear fender.
Two people were missing. "Where's Alice and Rosalie?"
"Shorty's upstairs finding clothes for Miss Messy there."
Bella groaned. "Oh no, I better stop her." She hurried off making feather light steps up the stairs. Jasper chuckled.
"Rose is sulking," Emmett continued but his voice was at the perfect pitch for no one else to hear outside of the room.
He expected as much from the vampire that would give anything to be human. If she couldn't she'd give up Emmett if it mean she could bear children, though he saw little purpose in that.
Jasper didn't give much thought to children. He never felt like he missed out, not until he fell in love with Bella. He could too easily envision them human, her with their child. The baby would have had her deep brown eyes, his unruly blond hair. The child would be the best of both of them. Perfection.
There was a vision of her in a rocking chair, a small boy in her arms. He would stand there with them singing the lullaby's he knew until their baby was asleep.
They would watch that boy grow up...
"What are you planning to do," Edward said in a strained voice purposefully breaking Jasper from his imaginings. "What are you two going to do about Charlie and her school?"
Jasper directed his thoughts away from the son he could never have. He had a good answer for Edward as he already thought it out long ago, before he came to fetch Bella.
"There was an accident. She was trapped in Alice's basement during a heater combustion. We'll give him some ashes, our apologies and enroll Bella into a new school. She's doing very well but I'll take her out in a month to see how she does around humans."
"It sounds like you thought it all out. Did Alice die as well?" There was an edge to his tone, it was icy.
"She survived. Naturally she was out shopping when it happened. I think it would be best if she went to deliver the news. She was the closest of us to Charlie."
Alice skipped in the room but there was a sense of frustration around her, no doubt due to Bella's incorporation. "I don't think we should tell Charlie that she's dead."
Bella appeared behind her, a sadness trailing her. She fidgeted with the new green top. "There's another way?"
Edward pitched the controller on the armrest and moved to his feet. "We'll tell him she's sick. We'll wait out her newborn stage until she's ready to face him."
"Edward," Esme cautioned, "she won't look the same. Charlie will see that she's different."
"She won't tell him anything, only that the illness changed her." He smiled sardonically. "That's the truth."
Alice perked up. "Oh! That gives a much better outlook! Good thinking!"
He grinned proudly and happiness radiated off of Bella at the thought of seeing her father again. Jasper focused singularly on her letting the new feeling wash over her him.
"I can go back to Forks," she exclaimed.
"After a year," Jasper told her.
"Why," Emmett asked, almost rudely. "You said she was doing good, didn't you?"
"We won't know for sure until she's with humans and it's in her best interest to not try that out yet."
"Not yet," Bella agreed. "A month," she offered, but there was uncertainty in it as if she thought it would take a year like other newborns.
Jasper kissed the top her head giving her his hope. "I won't let you do anything you'll regret."
"I trust you."
Edward glowered at them unleashing fury at him, but as Jasper raked her perfect features it was little to nothing of an annoyance. He held onto Bella's rays and as long as she was with him he was immune to everyone else. She was his best medicine.
It was very characteristic of Edward to ruin that moment between them.
"Have you told her? Next week we'll be leaving."
Her horror stabbed him. "No! Ple-"
Thanks a lot Edward, you had to put it that way, didn't you?
Alice seized her hand. "Bella, it's okay. I'll be going to Forks to give your dad some forged documents. Charlie is under the impression you're temporarily attending school here with me. I won't be gone two days."
"Edward?"
He beamed at being considered ignoring Jasper's jibe. "I'll be in Alaska with the Denali clan. I need time to adjust. I'll be back soon."
Jasper nudged her stealing her attention. "It won't be long." He lowered his voice for her, "no need to feel guilty, darling."
"Why don't you two just go with her," Emmett spoke up.
"What're they going to do Em," Rosalie snarled coming in the door. "Plug her nose while they're in the airport?"
"He said she's doing good!"
Bella ached and Jasper considered it... She would be near Charlie. She could go to him straight away when her eyes turned to normal. She would be home, more at ease. Perhaps she wouldn't even look into the mirror every morning like he knew she would to check if her iris' were gold yet. It could be good for her... She would get closure...
Then again, it could be the worst thing in the world for her. She could lose control, could get out of his and Alice's grasp (she had before when she was human), she could kill everyone on the plane.
He weighed the prons and cons. He looked into her face. She could be happy or devastated…
"Do you want to go," he asked.
She was hopeful. "Can we? I don't know if I'll..."
"We'll have Alice there, she'll keep a look-out for you. I won't leave your side. If worst comes to worst we can plug your nose."
Her eyes shimmered again. "Really? That's great! Thank you, Jasper!" she hugged him, his steal bones creaking but in her arms pain was a minor thing.
"Anything for you, Bella dear." He looked to Alice speaking with his eyes, pleading.
She nodded. She would test her that night.
Jasper wanted to go in case things went terrible. But he had something he had to do that night… He wouldn't get much time otherwise and it was ideal while she was out of the house… Alice was as good as anyone.
"You know what this means," Alice trilled.
Bella froze, the horror returning and Jasper laughed. It had to be the cutest thing.
She released him and spun on Alice, not angrily but pitying. "I'm sorry, but I'm happy with the clothes I have."
Alice wrinkled her nose in distaste. "How can you be," she asked as if it was a question she shouldn't have to ask. "You dress way too plainly for someone who is gorgeous!"
She faced him helplessly. "Jasper," she whimpered.
He gleamed at Alice her jumping up and down in place fervently. "How do you plan to go shopping? She's only hours old!" Play the part… Don't let Bella know…
"I've been planning for this," she explained obviously. "Esme's cottage is redone! It's a little to the south, there's no humans there so it's completely safe! I bought out the nearest store for Bella to shop!"
"I tried," he told Bella.
"Barely," she growled throwing him an empty threatening glare as Alice pushed her outside.
It never ceased to amaze him how in control she was. He could feel every bit of it. The tiniest bit of frustration and she would instantly reign it in. It wasn't normal, and if he was to be honest with himself, he would admit that it was frustrating him. He was 146 years old and he still wasn't able to control himself that well. It was inequitable.
Alice returned standing at his side, her mouth to his ear for him to hear. "I saw what she'll wear that night. I know the perfect blue dress."
He didn't look down or move an inch, a smiling curling at the edge of his lips. "May I forewarn you, dear sister, that she will not like that."
She rolled her eyes. "I know!"
"Take care of her. Call me if something happens -"
"Jazz," she groaned, "she'll be fine, I'll be there. She's doing so well, she'll listen to me. If neither of us trusted her we wouldn't put her in this situation." And in flawless lilt she pranced out of the room.
He would have tried harder to keep Bella there with him despite how in restrained she felt to him, but she was safe (and everyone else) with Alice. Bella trusted him with his blood-thirst and it was time to trust her. After all, she acted century's older than she should.
There was one issue that had to be solved. It was for all of their sanities. He had to resolve things with Edward. Bella deserved as much from them. For her sake he had to keep the family together. As forgiving as she was towards others the same couldn't be said when it came to forgiving herself.
"Carlisle, Esme, Emmett, could I have some time with Edward here?"
Carlisle and Esme nodded understandingly and a bit proud that their sons were working out their problems. Esme shouldn't jump to too many conclusions because it wasn't for certain if either one of them were going to throw each other through the house a second time.
Emmett clicked the television off with a noise of impatience. "Hunt with Rose, I guess," he sighed and ducked outside.
Carlisle and Esme went up the stairs. There was a bit of an edge to Carlisle as if he was preparing himself to stop any more destruction to the house or worse to either of his sons.
Jasper and Edward stood alone, adjacent in the room. Edward folded his arms over his chest, his face a mask, but his feelings gave him away. He was angry, sad, and irritated.
"I won't say I'm sorry," Jasper warned. "I'm not."
"You should be," he spat. "You should've called me when Bella had to be changed. And now you have the gall to let her go out! She may be in control Jasper, but you of all people know what happens when you get a whiff. You become an animal! If she does something she regrets it'll be on your head!"
"First of all, she's safe with Alice. You know that. She's better than all of us at managing her emotions and if she has that kind of strength we need to know what else she has. Second of all, she was your singer. You was as much danger to her then as I was." That last part was a lie and he had know idea why he did. It was something he wanted to believe, but deluding himself would do no good, Edward knew better.
"Whatever gave you that idea? Not once in my relationship with her have I attempted to kill her. I've never even snapped at her. Don't lie to me or through your thoughts, Jasper, I saved her, and that's why you didn't call me. You feared that she would come back to me when she found out. The only honest thing you've thought about me is that you hate me."
"I don't hate you. You know that thought was because of my anger at you. It had no real basis."
"Other than I'm still in love with her."
"Yes," he hissed. He didn't anticipate his resolve with Edward being so difficult. He should have known. Edward loved Bella fiercely and Jasper took her effortlessly.
Effortlessly was the wrong word... He came close to killing her more than he would like to admit, but there was no challenge where Edward was concerned. Because Edward wasn't there.
Jasper shoved his hands into his pockets, one of the many acts of fitting in with humans. "You see how happy she is. You can't deny that you left her broken."
"And you were the one to put her together?"
"No," he opposed, "When she's with me it's like she was never broken in the first place."
"I see that." He meant it in the literal sense. He was watching his memories, saved clips in his head he held precious, like one of her on the bed twirling a strand of her hair, her biting her lip, her smiling, her kissing him.
"Stop it," Edward begged in pain.
"You see all those things -"
"I accept she's happy with you, but I don't like it. I can't fully pardon your feelings for her."
"You see what I do for her but do you see what she does for me? She's more than my world, she's my universe. These feelings aren't new and I grew tired of ignoring them. I need and want her. You knew this was coming. Don't just accept her part in this. Accept us. I'll take care of her."
"Answer me this... If I didn't leave..."
"It would've still happened. Somehow, we would find our way to each other."
Edward set his jaw tightly.
I don't hate you, brother. But I love her.
He relaxed but only marginally. "I love you both."
Edward wasn't happy. There was no question about that, but it was a start. They could move on as friends, Bella wouldn't be torn. The family would remain intact. They would all get what they wished for eventually.
He strolled the distance between them and grasped his hand. Friends. Brothers.
"When will you give her the ring?"
Jasper chuckled. "While Alice is torturing her I'm going to pick it up." He thought of the silver solitaire circled by sapphires.
"It's lovely."
"Not compared to her."
"I agree."