AN: The first part of this chapter is dedicated to Tifa Lockhart 7, who said she missed Jasper/Bella alone time. I was betting others of you felt the same way, so I was happy to oblige with a bit of bonding.

Connections

Turning in Jasper's arms, I decided I didn't want to get caught in the middle of the horseplay going on in our front yard. I'd rather spend some quality time with my Jasper while Garrett gets caught up with Peter and Char. There'd be plenty of time to meet them all later, after a little alone time with my mate.

Smiling up into his beautiful honey eyes, I softly murmured, "Want to go for a walk?"

He grinned down at me agreeably and pulled me further into the forest away from the wrestling duo. Rather than walk, we jogged at a relatively slow pace through the trees, a mere 60 mph. I was able to see the intricate details of the bark and leaves on the trees, all the way down to the myriad of insects hunting and feeding. Spider webs were utterly fascinating with my new sight, and I was nearly distracted by watching one in progress. The gentle tug on my hand returned my focus back to my mate, and I followed along beside him, cataloging all the new sights, sounds, and smells into my memory.

Jasper led me up the moutainside to an overlook with a beautiful view of the valley below. We sat side by side on a boulder as my eyes darted around, drinking in all the new information. I could see the abundant wildlife even miles away, running, hiding, and scurrying along. I could see the birds feeding their babies high up in their nests and the squirrels gathering seeds to stuff inside their cheeks. I made careful note of the bigger game, like the elk, mule deer, and black bears and the predators who hunted them, the bobcats, cougars, and wolves, for future reference.

Leaning against Jasper, breathing in his scent with nobody else around for miles, I felt utterly peaceful and content. It was a beautiful feeling, one I wanted to hold onto for as long as possible. He wrapped his arms around me, holding me snugly against him, his face tilted into my hair, breathing in my scent in much the same way as I was doing to him.

"This is the absolute best part of having a mate, these feelings," Jasper confessed. "It's even better than sex, though that's out of this world too. That temporary ecstasy, as great as it is, can't beat this peaceful euphoria - the feeling that all is right with your world and nothing else matters, you know?"

I nodded, rubbing my cheek on his bicep, my fingers squeezing his where our hands were wrapped together. I sent him the overwhelming love and happiness welling up inside of me and felt an answering tsunami of emotion flowing back into and over me. If I weren't already sitting, I'd surely have collapsed from the force of the deluge of positive feelings.

We were silent for a while longer, simply reveling in each other's company and the deep emotional intimacy swelling between us. I could feel the bond between us growing stronger by the minute and took comfort in the knowledge that no one could ever tear us asunder. My Jasper would never leave or forsake me. He'd never hurt or betray me. I would never suffer being lonely or abandoned again.

Wherever he went, I would follow. I would always be able to find him, simply following the chain leading from my heart to his. It would pull me, guide me, ground me, a balm to soothe my troubled soul. He was my world, my everything, the center of my universe, and I would do anything for him, knowing he felt exactly the same way about me.

He is my equal, my perfect match, strong where I am weak and weak where I am strong. Together we can accomplish anything, I thought, smiling to myself.

"What do you remember of your human life?" Jasper asked cautiously, finally breaking the comfortable silence between us.

I thought about it for a few seconds, making sure my memories were intact. "All the important things. As soon as I felt the burning I knew what was happening to me, so I spent the time trying to distract myself from the pain by thinking of everything I'd experienced in life up to that point, everything that made me who I was, so I wouldn't forget myself."

"Your parents?" he murmured carefully.

I nodded. "Yes, I remember my mother was neglectful and emotionally abusive. She can't hurt me anymore. I didn't want to forget though and end up mourning something that wasn't real, some romanticized version of what I thought Renee should have been. Esme was more of a mother to me in the short time I knew her than the woman who gave birth to me had ever been. I remember Charlie, and the conversations we had in the days before Vicki attacked. They changed my whole perspective of both my dad and myself, teaching me about the unconditional, self-sacrificing love of a true parent."

Jasper nodded encouragingly, admitting, "I promised Charlie you'd call him after you'd awoken and fed, as soon as you were coherent enough to carry on a conversation. He wants to stay in your life, even if it means changing into a vampire himself."

"Really?" I asked, surprised. "Oh, well, I guess that would be cool, not to have to worry about him getting old and dying. It was pretty scary contemplating his mortality when one of his best friends just had a heart attack and died, leaving behind children my age and younger. Still, I wouldn't want him living with us, if he did change, or even anywhere close enough to be able to hear us in the bedroom. That would be way too embarrassing. I don't think either of us would be able to look each other in the eye after something like that."

Jasper smirked in agreement. "Considering your reaction to your dad's shower activities, I'd agree that you wouldn't want to live within hearing distance."

"Oh, gross! Why'd you have to bring that up?" I whined. "Where's the brain bleach when you need it?"

Jasper's laughter rang out over the valley, causing a flurry of birds to take flight in fright and small critters to flee to their burrows. I enjoyed the carefree sound and the feel of his chest shaking against me. I couldn't help but smile at the joy and amusement my mate was emitting.

Once he'd recovered, he leaned over and grabbed a small, dry twig off the ground, nearly unseating me in the process. "Here," he said, handing it to me gently. "I want you to bend this twig without breaking it."

With my first attempt, I felt like I'd barely used any pressure at all, yet the twig instantly snapped in two. "Try again," Jasper calmly responded, taking one of the two pieces away.

It took quite a few tries, but I was finally able to put just the slightest, feather-light touch on each end, enough to make the twig flex without breaking. I felt his pride, as well as my own once I accomplished it.

"That's the amount of force you need to use when interacting with humans," he informed me. "They're nearly as fragile to us as that twig. Never forget it."

I felt my eyes widening in shock. No wonder Edward was always so afraid of touching me, I realized. It's doable, but it would be so easy to lose focus and use just a little too much force, causing bruises at the very least. It's not surprising he was never truly comfortable or relaxed around me in the months we were together, even if we were supposed to be mates.

Jasper grinned. "It's also the amount of force to use on electronics. I wasn't about to let you touch my cell phone until you could manage the twig. There's plenty more branches where that one came from, but getting a new phone is much more of a pain."

He pulled his phone out of his pocket and entered Charlie's number, handing it over to me once it started ringing. I gingerly held it up near my face, not needing it up next to my ear to hear clearly, but wanting it close enough to my mouth for Charlie to hear me.

"Hello?" Charlie's gruff voice sounded tinny through the phone.

"Hey, Dad! I'm back and better than ever!" I cheerfully replied. "I'm awake and fed, and I remember everything. I'm still me, just stronger and more durable. And I still love you, even though I rarely ever said it before."

"Bells?" he asked, amazed. "You sound so beautiful and happy."

"I am happy, Dad. Wondrously so, in fact. I'm with my soul mate. I finally feel content and safe and complete in a way I never have before. I'll never be lonely again, Dad. Words can't begin to express how much that means to me."

"I think I understand, Bells. I'm sorry you were so hurt for so long. I'm sorry I didn't realize it sooner," he apologized, his voice choked.

"I'm sorry I didn't trust you enough to confide in you," I answered, knowing he was hurting. I didn't want him feeling like he'd failed me. "You were an awesome father, always there for me, even though I didn't always recognize it. I'm glad I didn't have to lose you in order to gain this new life and my new happiness. I'm glad you're still there for me, still my dad, loving me despite what I've become."

"Of course, Bells. I'll always love you, no matter what," he quickly replied. "Stay safe. Make sure you keep drinking from animals. There's been a lot of former vampires showing up here in town, seeking out the Cullens in hopes of being changed back. The wolves are handling it. I'm glad you're not here right now. I don't know how their blood would affect you with you still so full of your own human blood, and I don't want you to risk losing the bond you've gained with Jasper. He's a good man, and I trust him to take care of you."

I looked at Jasper with alarm at the news of other humanoids showing up in Forks. The curse is spreading! How had it spread so quickly? I wondered. Then I felt the pride of knowing Jasper had earned Charlie's approval, something Edward had never accomplished.

"Okay, Dad, will do. I'm going to go now, but I'll call you again later. Take care of yourself."

I handed the phone back to Jasper, not trusting myself to press the button to end the call myself for fear of breaking it.

"We need to get back to the others and get a status report," Jasper declared urgently, after ending the call and putting away his phone. He grabbed my hand, and we raced back at full speed.

This time I didn't hesitate as we approached the house, seeing our three friends sprawled out comfortably on the porch waiting for us. Peter got off the porch swing and strolled down the steps to meet us.

"Well, if it isn't the prodigal returned," Peter sardonically greeted. "Hey, pretty girl. What's a classy broad like yourself doing with a loser like this one?"

I felt a small spark of anger at hearing Peter describe Jasper as a loser. He's Jay's best friend and brother, I reminded myself. Men often like to engage in trash talk with their friends and siblings. I dredged up memories of Emmett and Jasper trading insults with each other while playing one of their video games, trying to calm myself.

"Jasper is the best mate ever," I defended, wrapping my arms around one of his and hugging it to my chest to ground myself.

Peter shook his head. "You can't kid a kidder, sweetheart. He can't be much of a mate or lover, or his last mate wouldn't have left him for a dog. How bad does a guy have to be in bed for his wife to choose to screw an animal instead? I'm afraid you're setting yourself up for disappointment, doll."

I narrowed my eyes, feeling the flames of my anger growing. How dare he insult my mate? "Jasper is an incredible lover! Better than you could ever be! I bet you can't make your mate orgasm without even touching her!"

He's deliberately pushing my buttons to get a rise out of me, I reminded myself. It's his favorite game. If I lose my temper, he wins.

Peter's eyebrows raised, surprised by my challenge, then smirked. "He has to be able to make his mate orgasm without touching her. Nobody wants to see that ugly, scarred freak naked, not even his mate, so it's his only hope of getting any. I ought to do you a favor and take you away from him. He doesn't deserve you. Maybe introduce you to a few other friends you'd like better, like my buddy Garrett here."

White hot rage filled me when Peter referred to my mate as an ugly, scarred freak, knowing that Jasper worried about his appearance and felt insecure about the condition of his body due to his numerous scars. It was hitting below the belt and wasn't even remotely acceptable to me as a form of 'joking around'.

However, the moment I heard the words 'take you away from him', something snapped inside. All other words were nothing but white noise.

There was no more rational thought, no more attempts to calm myself. My complex brain with the ability to multitask was entirely focused on a single goal - eradicating the threat to my mate. The enemy had declared his intention to separate me from my beloved, and it would happen over my dead pile of smoldering ashes.

I pounced with such ferocity, the enemy's body dug a furrow in the ground. Oh, goody, he's already digging his own grave, I thought whimsically, pulling his head back with one hand and holding down his shoulders with the other, as my sharp teeth ripped into his neck like a hot knife through butter.

xxxxxxx

AN: Whew! Hope I did it justice. What do you think? As most of you suspected, Pete's gift is useless against her shield, something none of them had considered. Lol.

A special thank you to mamawolf1976 who suggested Peter humiliating Jasper, triggering Bella's protective instincts. cathy29jes made a similar suggestion of Peter talking badly about Jasper to make Bella angry. I agreed with both of them that would be the most likely way to cause her to attack, though I felt it needed a little something more to push her over the edge, since she was expecting trouble from Peter at the outset. Also, a special thanks to .X who suggested comments of a sexual nature. I included that aspect as well. And to Cullen Cousin who also had a good idea, with having Peter hit on Jasper, suggesting Bella wouldn't want to share him. So I used the idea of not sharing, but reversed it, with Peter suggesting he 'share' Bella out with his friends, taking her away from Jasper. Mrs. Jim was right that attacking Jasper would be the fastest way of provoking Bella into an attack. I'm not sure if she meant verbally or physically. Physically would definitely do the job, but I felt Peter's personality would take a more subtle approach. He delights in riling up people verbally until they move to respond physically. Still, your input helped with the final product, so thank you.

Thank all of you for your lovely reviews! I always enjoy your feedback and try to incorporate things when I can, without changing the direction of the story itself. It's hard when you're all so strongly divided about what you want though, such as with Charlie's change. I can't please everyone, of course, so in the end, I just do my best and make sure I'm happy with the results, hoping you will be too. :)