Chapter Twenty Six
Bella
Charlie wasn't home when I got there so I was able to clean up. He turned up late but had news for me, Jake had been spotted in Canada but he'd run before the police could apprehend him. I wasn't sorry because I felt he was suffering enough by being away from his family and the tribe. I spent an anxious evening thinking about Jasper which Dad put down as excitement for my upcoming holiday. I went up to bed early to finish packing and send an e mail to Renee who was still sulking because I didn't want to go and spend the summer with her. After that I got ready for bed, showered and threw a few last minute things into the large bag Charlie had brought me for the trip. It was midnight before I heard Peter's voice in my room. "Bella you awake?" "Yes" I whispered "Thanks for coming Peter. I couldn't sleep anyway". He sighed, "I wasn't sure I should come really. You being the Major's...well I don't think he'd like it, me being alone in here with you". I was going to ask 'the Major's what?' when he continued, "I can't tell you much more about him anyway. I've flapped my lips too much as it is. He's a very private person, but I thought what the hell you'll hear it all in the end". I lay back in bed, "OK, well just talk to me. Tell me about yourself and your wife". I listened as he told me about their escape from Maria and their wandering life style, then about the home they'd built. His voice soothed me and eventually I drifted off to sleep.
When I woke, the cloud cover had lifted slightly to let a few beams of sunlight through and I wondered if the Cullens would turn up. They seemed to avoid the sunlight, and I'd never thought to ask why. Before I left the phone rang, and when I picked it up I heard Alice's voice. "Bella, you really shouldn't waste your time hunting him down with Peter the half wit. You won't be in time and Jasper won't take you anyway. He'll be too afraid of what he might do. If I were you I'd stay away from the Whitlocks they are bad news and almost as dangerous as falling in love with the Major. I should know, I've been there, got the tee-shirt and the DVD. Stay in forks and be happy. If you don't you'll live to regret it".
When she finished it was my turn, "Thanks Alice but as I'm sure you'll agree you aren't exactly unbiased. You have your own agenda and you'd do anything to keep me away from Jasper". She laughed, "Not quite anything, or you'd be laying in a ditch somewhere with your throat ripped out, but its your choice. Just say goodbye to Charlie before you leave. In case you don't see him again" then she rang off. Charlie came down the stairs ruffling his hair "Who was that Bells?" I had to think fast, "Just Angela wishing me a good holiday" I said, it was the first thing that occurred to me. "Oh I thought she'd already left for Hawaii". Damn, he never normally remembered anything I told him. "Did I say Angela, sorry I meant Jess". "Oh, nice of her. What time are they picking you up?" he asked belting on his gun. I looked at the clock thinking not soon enough.
"Were you having a nightmare by the way? Only I thought I heard you talking in the night". Now he decides to have ears like radar? "Yeah just a bit excited I guess" I said hurriedly. "Well have fun kiddo and I'll see you when you get back. Try to behave for Dr and Mrs Cullen and ring if you get a chance" he said hand on the door. "I will Dad and thanks for everything". I walked over to give him a hug and kiss his cheek. He looked slightly taken aback by the show of affection, it wasn't usual for either of us but he returned the hug and kissed the top of my head. Then we heard the truck pull up and I looked out the window to see Rose walking up the path. "Well looks like there ready to go, take care and have fun". I looked back as I opened the door. "Love you Dad". He nodded and put his hand up, "Love you too Bells".
As soon as we got round the corner Emmett pulled up to pick Peter up from the side-walk. He stretched out in the back smiling, "I love a chauffeur" he chuckled. Rose turned to me, sitting beside him. "If he starts getting too lippy Bella there's a tire iron under the seat and you have my permission to use it". I laughed. "OK, fist no good I take it?" She shook her head, "Not unless you want to break it". Peter smiled, "We're pretty hard Bella feel" and he put his arm out. I touched it a little self-consciously. It was like touching stone and as the sun came out I saw what looked like scars show up. But it was his skin that fascinated me, it was sparkling like shards of broken glass.
Noticing my gaze Rose nodded "Yeah, now you know why we stay out of the sunlight. Pretty noticeable isn't it?" I couldn't tear my eyes away, "It's beautiful". Peter pulled his sleeve back down, "Nah that's just me" and I had to laugh. "Peter what were those marks on your arm?" He rubbed it self-consciously. "Oh battle scars". I looked at him "Battle scars? From the southern wars?" He nodded, "Yeah, only thing that marks vampire skin, the bite of another vampire". I grimaced, "Yeah and it hurts like fuck at the time". He looked away and I didn't like to pursue the subject, he obviously didn't want me to.
"So, where are we going?" I asked looking forward. Emmett shrugged "I'm just the driver. Peter's our Sat Nav".I turned back to Peter who had sat back looking into nothing, "We need to head south towards the Mexican border. I don't think he's there yet but he's behaving so erratically that its difficult to tell. I just know I'm gonna be needed to bail his sorry ass out sometime soon down there". I sat back listening to their banter and realized that although they looked my age and often acted that way in front of humans they were actually much older and wiser in many ways. And although Emmett and Rose had appeared to dislike Peter they actually got on with him well. "Just let me know when you need to stop Bella" Rose said looking back at me. "We aren't very good at gauging human needs so you'll have to shout". "We need to hunt too" said Peter, if he gets to Maria it will be a fight and a fucking nasty one".
I looked at him, "You'll have to fight to get Jasper back?"He looked at me with a grin, "If Maria the super bitch gets her hands on him yeah". I hated the thought of them fighting, getting hurt, but it was good to see he had such friends. One who came to find me an unknown human, and all three seeing it their duty to go get him back. That was real love. I told them about Alice's call and Peter laughed scornfully, "There are no depths that Poisoned Pixie won't go to control the Major". Rose sighed, "She really went off when she saw Bella coming. We knew things weren't right between them but I never imagined it would come to this. No offence Bella, but he's the last person I would have thought of as chasing a human romance".
"Hey" said Peter a little harshly, "The Major has a heart, a soft one, it's just been battered so often he keeps it guarded. Don't keep trashing or underestimating him Rose". She looked a little sheepish. "You're right Peter, it's just hard not to see him as the man Alice has painted all these years". "I'll bet" he snapped then sat back and closed his eyes, shutting us all out. I tapped Rose on the shoulder and she turned to me again. "Rose, how has Alice painted Jasper? You don't have to tell me, I guess I'm just being nosy". She grinned at me then. "No. You have a right to know, then maybe you can put us right when we don't see the reality".
"I love Alice as a sister but she is extremely manipulative and she likes things her way. That's what bugged her about you. She had no control over you. When she and Jasper first joined us we were very wary. Jasper was a human blood drinker with a violent and bloody past. His reputation was know throughout the Vampire World and others steered well clear of him. He was what you would call, your worst nightmare in the flesh. But Carlisle saw something in him and took them both in. Alice slotted in straight away and became one of us pretty quickly but Jasper was another matter entirely. He seldom spoke and he never got involved in anything unless Alice dragged him along. When he saw our way of life I think he saw it as a way of escaping his demons. He tried very hard with animal blood but it was very hard to break away from his early life and we had quite a few incidents at first. They got fewer as the years went on and he relaxed a bit, but he was never really one of us. Alice liked that he relied on her and I think sometimes she made matters worse by winding up his fears. He lived for her, worshiped her, and she slowly took Maria's place as his puppet master. I watched and so did Emmett, but to our eternal regret we never tried to intervene. I guess we always thought one day he'd see it and maybe take control of his own life again but we never realized how dependent she had made him on her to survive in a world he could never really understand".