A/N: Hey guys. Sorry about this, but I'm going to do another crazy time jump here. Nothing really happens in the time that I'm skipping, though. And I promise, everything that happened between then and now will be explain as the chapter unfolds.
BELLA
"I don't understand how you can read that over and over again?" Jasper whisepered in my ear.
It had been three months since my incident and I was so much better than I was before then. I was ten times happier and hadn't once thought of hurting myself again. I had even gotten over the guilt I felt for taking Jasper away from Alice.
I think that had a lot to do with how supportive Alice was about the whole thing. She rarely ever showed signs of any hurt when she was around Jasper and I. And when she did, it was very fleeting and she never mentioned it to either of us. Jasper and I, in turn, were very careful with our PDA's around her. We rarely ever touched each other when we were in the same room with her.
Alice had also been true to her word. I was able to go to her with anything involving my relationship with Jasper. She helped me deal with the hard parts of the relationship. She told me what to say and do whenever Jasper started feeling sorry for himself and guilty over the things that happened in his past. She also listened to my continous gushing about him without complaint.
Jasper and I were currently sitting on the bed in our room. He moved in shortly after I recovered from the incident. I was sitting in his arms with the Complete Works of William Shakespeare sitting on my lap. I was currently in the middle of Romeo and Juliet for like the nth time. Jasper was sitting with his arms around my waist and chin resting on my shoulder. Occassionally, he would turn his head and kiss the side of my neck, through my hair.
I giggled slightly at his question.
"Well, it is one of the greatest literary works of all times." I said with a small smile.
"All the same, I was only able to get through it twice before it was no longer interesting. You have it memorized and it still captivates you every time. Why?" He questioned.
I shrugged.
"I guess you just don't know what good literature is." I stated.
"I guess not." he replied with a small laugh. "It's a good thing, then, that you don't like me for my literary tastes, isn't it?"
"A very good thing." I answered, blushing slightly.
He laughed again and kissed the top of my head.
"Have a told lately that I love you?" he asked.
"Only like a million times a day."
"I guess I'll just have to say it again then. I love you."
"I love you too."
I turned my head and craned my neck so that I could capture his lips in a kiss. With Jasper, every kiss was better than the last. And every one very different from the one's I shared with Edward. Almost all were better, in fact.
I was pretty sure that it had something to do with the fact that Jasper wasn't as careful as Edward had always been. Granted, he did keep himself in control at all times. However, he didn't draw the lines as thick as Edward had. He allowed me to twist my fingers into his hair and let my hormones run the show, most of the time. Like I said, we were very careful, just not to the point where I felt that I wasn't getting what I wanted or needed.
That's what I loved most about Jasper. While he was always so protective of me, just like Edward had been, he never kept anything from me. Even if he thought I'd be better off not knowing. Edward always kept the dangerous things from me, in order to protect me. He didn't want me to worry over things, even if it meant keeping me in the dark.
Jasper on the other hand, thought that I not only had a right to know these things and felt that I could handle things, no matter how dangerous they were for me. Which was exactly he felt the need to tell me about the possibility of Jacob coming back to try to hurt me and the wolves attacking at Rosalie's and Emmett's wedding. Edward would've never ever let anyone tell me any of that. Jasper, however, felt that I was strong enough to handle it. Which was one of the many reasons why I loved him.
I twined my fingers tighter into Jasper's hair - I knew I wouldn't hurt him - and pushed myself closer to his chest. He pushed himself closer to me, as gently as possible. We both gave in to the wonderfulness of our emotions, like we always did in moments like this. It probably would've gone on for longer had it not been for my ringing phone.
I could tell by the ringtone- Bob Carlisle's Butterfly Kisses- that it was Charlie. As I disentangled myself from Jasper, I wondered why Charlie was calling at this time in the afternoon.
Charlie and I had patched our relationship up about a month after my incident. He called and tole me how sorry he was for the way he acted at the house that day. He told me that while he still didn't like the idea of me bringing the Cullens back into my life, he supported it and me. He said that if I thought they could help me, then he was all for it. He even begged me to come home.
I told him that while I accepted his apology and was glad to hear that he had come around, I thought it would be best if I stayed with the Cullens for a little while longer. I wanted to be sure that I was definutely okay again. However, Ive been visiting him about once a week since he called. I even went as far as to make him several dinners for each week, with the help of Esme, of course. I would go over and spend four or five hours a week with him.
Of course, with Jacob still on the loose, none of the Cullens would let me go there alone. Alice, being the one that Charlie liked the best, usually accompanied me. Ocassionally, Jasper would go, but that wasn't very often. He didn't want to tempt his control too much and do something that would hurt me.
Charlie had also taken to calling me several times a week. You know, just to see how I was doing and how life was going. I told him just about everything that was going on. I, of course, left out the things that I knew would really upset him. Like my incident or my realtionship with Jasper.
I knew he wouldn't be too happy with either of those. He would think that he had been right all along. Hell, he'd probably hate the Cullens worse than he did now. Jasper understood me concerns and didn't push me to tell Charlie anything. I was grateful beyond words for that.
I quickly ran to the dresser where my phone was charging and flipped it open.
"Hey dad, what's up?" I asked.
"Hey Bells, how are you?" he replied. He voice didn't sound quite right though. He sounded nervous and extremely jumpy. I could imagine someone holding a gun to his head. I shuddered at the thought.
"I'm fine, dad." I answered. "Why what's going on?"
"Nothing. I just called to check on you." he continued in the same tone.
"Well, I'm fine. Is there any thing wrong? You sound a little on edge."
'Oh, I'm fine sweetie. It's just been a long day, that's all, honey."
"Oh." I replied not entirely believeing.
Jasper, who had no doubt heard the entire conversation and sensed my worry, was now standing beside me with his hands around my waist.
"I was actually wondering, though, if you might wanna come and see me today?"
"I just saw you two nights ago, dad."
"I know, but I really miss you. You're my little girl after all. I worry that I won't see you anymore." he replied. His tone was just as jumpy and panicky as it was when he first answered. However, I could hear an underlying plea. It felt like he wanted me to say no.
"Um, dad, can you hold on for a minute?" I asked.
"Sure thing, sweetheart."
I pulled the phone away from my ear and placed my hand over the talking piece. I then turned to Jasper.
"Who's with him, right now?" I asked.
"Alice is waiting at the boundary lines for him. He went down to La Push early this morning." Jasper answered.
The panic and fear in his eyes mirrored mine. We both knew that Jacob could very well be down there trying to trap Charlie into getting me alone. We both also knew, that if he was there, the pack would do nothing about it. Everyone knew the exile was just their way of pretending like they were upholding the treaty. They had no intention of enforcing it, unless, of course, it was for show.
None of us were even sure were the pack's loyalty laid anymore. Would they help Jacob hurt me for revenge? Even if he hurt Charlie along the way. We had no idea. And that was very frightening.
"What do I do?" I asked.
"Just keep talking to him." Jasper said. "I'll try to see if I can hear anything else."
I nodded and put the phone back up to my ear.
"Sure, dad, I'd love to come see you today." I told him.
"Great sweetie." he answered his voice still panicky. "I'm actually in La Push, right now, though. Billy invited me to spend the day here. Sam and his friends are here too. They would really like to see you again. So do you think that you could come down here for awhile?"
I looked at Jasper seeking an answer to that question. Jasper shook his head frantically.
"I don't think that's such a good idea, dad." I answered. "I mean, I am the reason Billy lost his son and the boys lost there friend. I wouldn't feel right going down there after that. I'm sorry."
"No, sweetie. It's okay." he answered. I swear I could hear relief under his panic. Then he made a kind of squeaking noise. "But I would really like to see you today. Do you think that you could come by the house for a few hours today?"
"Of couse, I can." I replied after waiting for Jasper to nod. "I'll meet you there in a couple hours. Would you mind if I brought Jasper with me?"
"Actually, I was kind of hoping you'd come alone. I mean we haven't had any father/daughter time since this whole thing started. I just want it to the two of us."
"Okay, dad." I said slowly unsure of how I felt about him wanting me to come alone.
"Okay, sweetie." he replied. "I'll see you in a couple hours, then. I love you."
The words sounded like a goodbye.
"I love you too, dad." I replied then flipped the phone shut.
I felt my knees shake beneath me. What the hell was going on? Was Charlie in danger? I would've collapsed if it hadn't been for Jasper's strong arms wrapped around my waist. He set me gently on the bed as I tried hard not to hyperventilate.
"Jasper, we can't let anything happen to Charlie. I don't think that I could live with myself, if I let him be hurt." I said.
"Breathe love, just breathe." he responded. "We don't know that there's anything wrong yet. Just relax and hang tight for a minute. And let me go and get everyone. Well, figure this out, Bella, okay?"
I nodded and focused really hard and keeping myself calm. He was right. We had no idea if there was anything wrong. For all we knew, Charlie could be fine and he just had a long day, like he said.
Jasper left the room and was back with the rest of the family before the door could even hit the frame. Esme, who saw my expression, was by my side in an instant. She had her arms around me and was rubbing my shoulder gently.
"What's going on?" Carlise asked taking in mine and Jasper's expressions.
Jasper began explaining things so quickly that I couldn't follow his words. The family, however, caught every word of it.
"And we don't know if it's something that we should worry about or not." Jasper stated when he finished explaining.
"It does seem a little odd, especially with him wanting her to go to La Push." Carlisle stated. "And from what you told me, he was doing it under the eyes of someone else. I'm just not sure who. I don't wanna take any chances, though, so Esme can you call Alice." Esme nodded. "Tell her to watch for Charlie to leave and tail him as closely as she can without giving herself away. And have her call us if he doesn't come out of La Push alone." Esme squeezed my shoulder then headed out to do what Carlisle asked. "Rosalie, I want you to go to the house and scout out the house. Make sure nothing happens if Charlie's not alone. Also, make sure they'll be no surprises if he's alone." Rosalie nodded and headed out the door. "Now, as for you Bella, I don't want to overreact if this is nothing, so I'm going to have Emmett and Jasper accompany you to Charlie's. You will, however, go in alone. I want the to of you to stay close enough to get inside, if something goes wrong."
"Of course." Jasper stated.
"Now, Bella when did you say that you were going to meet him?" Carlisle asked me.
"A couple of hours, why?" I questioned.
"Because, I want you to take a nice hot shower and relax a little." he answered. "We don't know if there's anything wrong yet. So until we hear back from everyone else, we're going to assume there isn't. Just get ready like you normally would and we'll play it by ear."
"Right." I nodded.
"Emmett, come with me." Carlisle stated.
He and Emmett left the room. I stumbled around grabbing my shower stuff and trying to do what Carlisle said. Relaxing would be a lot easier if I knew for sure what was happening. Jasper helped me the best he could sending me all sorts of calming waves as well as helping my gather my things.
The shower took longer than normal, with my shaking hands and wobbling knees. When I finally finished, I pulled on a pair of tight fit jeans and a white cami with a black jacket and a pair of black flip flops. I pulled my wet hair into a low ponytail because that was the best my shaking fingers would allow.
When I stepped out of the bathroom, Jasper was still sitting on the bed, where he was when I first got in. His facial expression, however, had changed. Before I went in, he just looked mildly afraid but now, he looked truly terrified and panicked.
"What happened?" I asked.
"Esme couldn't get a hold of Alice." Jasper replied. "She tried for a half hour but got nothing, so Carlisle sent her out to see what was wrong. Alice, wasn't at the border line, we have no idea where she is."
"What?" I gasped as my knees gave way. Jasper was, of course, there before I hit the ground. He wrapped his strong arms around me and pulled me over to the bed, sitting me in his lap.
"We're not sure where Alice is." he repeated. "But I'm sure it's nothing to worry about. She probably saw something and realized that she was needed elsewhere. And just didn't have a chance to call."
"Well, what about Rosalie?" I asked trying not think about Alice.
"She
called and said there was nothing out of the ordinary at the house
yet."
Jasper answered. "She said it reeked of wolf,
however, it was an older scent. Nothing to worry about. She said
Charlie wasn't there, yet." I nodded. At least Rosalie was still
in contact. "But then Carlisle told her that he wanted an update
every fifteen minutes and when a half hour passed without an update,
he sent Emmett out to look for her. He can't find her either."
My breath hitched and my heart began beating rapidly in my chest. What happened to my sisters? What was going to happen to my father? What was going to happen to me? The questions spun around in my head as I fought not to hyperventilate.
"Bella, relax, please." Jasper whispered. "I promise everything will be fine. The girls can handle themselves, whereever they are. And you and I will take care of Charlie. We're going to head over there early, due to the recent developments."
"How early?" I asked.
"Now." he replied. "And Carlisle no longer wants you to go in alone. I'll be with you, the whole time. We want to make sure that Jacob wouldn't dream of attacking either of you."
I nodded and went to stand, but my legs didn't want to support me. I collapsed back into Jasper arms. I felt waves of calm and reassurance trying to break into and I allowed them full access as I tried to stand again. I was successful this time. Jasper kept his arm around my waist, just in case. He helped me walk down the stairs. It was a slow process because I had to keep reminding myself to relax even as I felt Jasper's power working their way over my body.
Carlisle was just hanging up his phone when we made it down the stairs. He looked up at our entrance.
"That was Esme, she found Alice." he told us. I let out a sigh of relief. "She was about a few miles from the border line, fighting one of the wolves. Embry, they think it was. He retreated once Esme came on the scene. They're on their way back to see if the can catch Charlie's scent."
I nodded grateful that at least one of my sisters was alright.
"Thank god." Jasper stated. "We're heading to Charlie's now. Call and let us know about Rose."
"Of course. And you call once you figured out what's going on."
"I will."
Jasper then towed me over to the door and out to the garage. He placed me gently into the passenger seat of Carlisle's Mercedes and jumped into the driver seat. He drove more the twice the legal speed limit all the way to Charlie's. We arrived in less then ten minutes. He spent much of the ride sending me waves of calm. I accepted them but couldn't help but feel we were too late.
When we arrived, Jasper jumped out of the car and I made to follow. Before I could get two steps away from the car, Jasper was in front of me.
"Wait." Was all he said before he pulled out his phone. He dialed rapidly and spoke to Carlisle, I assumed, just as rapidly. I started toward the door while he was having his conversation, however, he grabbed my wirst, stopping me. He finished the conversation and stuck his phone back in his pocket. "I have to warn you before you go in there. It doesn't smell so good."
"What do you mean?" I asked suddenly shaking all over.
"Jacob's scent is everywhere, along with blood and lots of it. I can't be sure if it's Charlie's or not, but it's strong."
I gasped and pulled my wrist from his grasp. I ran to the door with him on my heels. I reached the door and found out that it was unlocked. The smell of rust and salt hit me the minute I stepped inside. It was strong and horrible.
From the dim afternoon light, I could see that the walls were covered in blood and there was a blood paw trail as well. Jasper placed his arm around my waist to keep me standing. I wrestled the urge to vomit, pass out, and scream as we followed the bloody trail to the kitchen.
I gulped as I spotted a large pool of blood in the corner with Charlie's pale, mangled and lifeless body beside it.
I only got a small glimpse of the gruesome scene before my world faded to black.
A/N: What do you guys think? I know I killed Charlie and I'm sorry. There wasn't anything else for me to do with him. Please no pitchforks and torches. I promise it does have a purpose. Anyway, please review, I hope you all liked it.
