Disclaimer. All publicly recognizable characters, settings etc., are the property of their respective owners. The original character s, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. I only do this for fun.
Unimaginable Outcomes
A/N: Okay, so I've had a lot of requests for a new chapter, so here it is! I'm sorry it took so long for me to get this story up and running again. School has just really taken a lot out of me time wise. Either way, I hope you enjoy!
REMINDER: If anyone is interested in viewing pictures from each of the chapters (of a scene with the characters and their surroundings; including Jasper romance) check out the stories on my Wattpad page! The link is located on my profile!
If you have any questions or comments, post them in my reviews and I will answer them in my next Author's Note at the bottom of the chapter! Enjoy! - Bella'Xo
Previously...
(Jasper's POV)
"What's going on?" Natalie asked as she stood next to me dumbfounded.
"You have those tests today at the hospital, remember?" I reminded her. "Carlisle said he will have the room in an hour, but wants to check you over again first."
"Oh, right," she nodded.
"I'm texting Edward for his keys," I told her, hitting the 'send' button. "We'll be back in time to pick them up at the end of the day."
"But Bella will notice if I'm not in gym last period," she remembered, clearly worried.
"Just tell her that I was having trouble in class and needed you, so you skipped last period with me," I suggested, "And, don't worry, I told Edward not to say anything about where we're going." My phone pinged with an incoming text and quickly read Edward's response. "Okay, we're all set. He said that the keys are under his seat and the car's not locked."
"Well, that's not safe," She muttered as we exited the building and made our way over to the parking lot.
I laughed, "Who in their right mind would want to steal from a vampire?"
A beautiful smile blossomed on her face as amusement swept through her. "Who, indeed?"
As we approached the silver Volvo, I opened up the passenger side for her, and helped her inside before making my way around and climbing in the driver's seat.
"All set?" I asked, and she nodded, a feeling of dread coursing through her.
I turned around to face her and took her hands in mind, making sure that she was looking at me when I spoke.
"Hey, everything's going to be okay. I promise."
She smiled up at me, though it didn't reach her eyes. "Alright, I believe you."
"Good," I released one of her hands to brush my thumb over her cheek before leaning in to press a chaste kiss to her lips. "Then let's go."
Chapter 35: Annotation
(Natalie's POV)
I watched as Carlisle took my blood pressure, not requiring the use of a stethoscope like any human doctor would need to. He deflated the cuff with a satisfied smile before disconnecting the velcro.
"It looks like all of your vitals are back to normal, just as I predicted," he informed me as Jasper stood off to the side, leaning against the white glossy walls of Carlisle's office.
"That's good to hear," I smiled, lifting my arm to help unwind the rest of the cuff.
"Any headaches yet today?"
I shook my head, "Not yet. They have a way of sneaking up on me, especially during stressful situations."
"Where exactly is the pain most prominent?"
I bit my lip as I momentarily thought my answer before responding, "I guess it's mostly in the back of my head, but it radiates around to the front like a headband."
He nodded thoughtfully, "And Jasper tells me that you take pain medication to help you cope with them?"
"Yeah," I shifted uncomfortably. "My old doctor in Arizona had them prescribed for me when nothing else would work."
"Would it be okay if I requested a copy of those records?" He asked as he began to jot down something in my chart.
"Sure," I shrugged, giving him my doctor's name and contact information that was stored in my cell phone.
"Okay," he stood, closing the folder on his desk and gestured to the door to his office next to where Jasper was standing. "Let's begin, shall we?"
Carlisle had gotten each room cleared out so that no one, aside from the three of us, were present for the scans. I had a couple of different scans done, the first being a Cat Scan, then an MRS. After that, he performed a neurological exam, which wasn't done with a machine, but rather had me perform certain tests, such as walking heel-toe in a straight line and following a pen light.
"Well, I can already tell you that your neurological exam came back fine. You performed everything perfectly," he announced with a pleased smile.
It was then that Jasper's cell phone began to buzz in his pocket, and he pulled it out to read a text message from Edward.
"We need to head back to school," he informed us, slipping the phone back into his pocket and reaching forward to take my hand. "He needs to be able to take your sister home. Not to mention, we need to be there if you don't want your sister to further question our absences."
"Oh yeah, that's right," I murmured before turning to look at Carlisle. "Will I be able to come by later and discuss what you find then?"
"Of course," he smiled accommodatingly. "I'll be back at the house around five-thirty, so any time after that is fine."
"Great," I smiled slightly in relief, despite myself.
"And don't worry about any of this being found out. Nobody knows you were here or will see the scans, except for me," Carlisle reassured me, having noticed the discomfort I'd been feeling regarding this whole thing. I had been hesitant as it was coming here, not really wanting to know what was wrong with me, and yet I knew that it was a necessity.
"Thanks, Carlisle. I really appreciate all this."
His smile widened at my words. "It is my pleasure, Natalie. You've become a valued member of this family, and we want to make sure you remain both happy and healthy."
I swallowed thickly and nodded, turning to Jasper as he put an arm around my shoulders and pulled me close before turning to his father figure. "We'll see you at home."
We immediately noticed a crowd of people, all boys, as we pulled into the school parking lot, relieved to see that Bella and Edward hadn't made their way out of the building yet. We quickly pulled into the same parking spot we had previously vacated, being careful not to hit anyone.
"What are -" I cut myself off when I saw that it was Rosalie's red convertable that they were surrounding with unmistakable lust in their eyes. None of them even looked up as we opened our doors and climbed out to wait for my sister and Edward.
"Ostentatious," Jasper muttered with a smirk, shaking his head as he stood next to me.
We didn't have to wait long before Bella and Edward make their way through the crowd, not acknowledging us until we all climbed in, Jasper and I once again in the back seat.
"What kind of car is that, anyway?" Bella asked.
"An M3," Edward answered as he waited for her to buckle her seatbelt.
She rolled her eyes, "I don't speak Car and Driver."
"It's a BMW, Bells," I responded as he rolled his eyes, trying to back out without running over the car enthusiasts. Bella nodded in understanding and looked away out her window. "What's your problems?" I asked, noticing both of their fowl moods.
"It's nothing," she murmured, her cheeks heating up into a deep blush.
"She's mad because I 'saw' her in gym," Edward clarified, much to my amusement.
"How did you manage that?" I smirked.
"He was listeneing to Mike's thoughts," Bella grumbled.
"Hey, she was the one who mentioned how I'd never seen her in Gym - it made me curious."
Jasper snorted, "I don't think that was meant as an open invitation, Edward."
He sighed, turning to Bella. "Will you forgive me if I apologize?"
"Maybe… if you mean it. And if you promise not to do it again," she insisted.
His eyes were suddenly shrewd. "How about if I mean it, and I agree to let you drive Saturday?" he countered her conditions.
SHe considered, and seemed to decide it was probably the best offer she would get. "Deal," she agreed.
"Then I'm very sorry to have upset you." His eyes burned with sincerity for a protracted moment and then turned playful. "And I'll be on your doorstep bright and early Saturday morning."
She shifted in her seat, "Um, it doesn't help with the Charlie situation if an unexplained Volvo is left in the driveway."
His smile was condescending now. "I wasn't intending to bring a car."
She seemed puzzled at this revelation. "How -"
He cut her off. "Don't worry about it. I'll be there, no car."
It was then that Bella turned around to look at me, and I immediately knew what this would be about.
"Where were you in gym, today?"
I swallowed, unable to lie to my sister, and yet, didn't want her to know about what I had really been doing. Luckily, Jasper, having sensed my discomfort, quickly dived in to save me, reciting the excuse we had come up with earlier.
"I was having a bit of...trouble...in class, and needed Natalie to come and sit with me for a while," he effortlessly responded.
"What..." Bella seemed somewhat comfused for a moment before realization dawned on her, "Oh." She backed up slightly in her seat and began gnawing on her bottom lip. "But how could Natty help with that? Wouldn't she only make it worse?"
Edward sighed uneasily, "Natalie's blood doesn't tempt Jasper the same way that other humans do."
Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion and she began to eye me worriedly. "What do you mean?"
"Natalie's my mate, Bella," Jasper explained.
Her eyebrows shot up. "Mate? As in soulmate?"
He nodded, "It is actually a very rare thing, for a vampire to find his or her mate, especially in a human since they are our natural food source. It's actually never been heard of, or as far as we know, it hasn't. They could've been born at a different time and have lived and died long before we were changed, or haven't even come into existence yet. And, even so, you have to be lucky enough to find them out of the billions of people in this world. But basically, Natalie is the other half of my soul."
"Wow," she blinked, looking between the two of us before subtly eyeing Edward as he drove. "But that doesn't explain why Natalie's blood doesn't bother you."
"It does quite the opposite, actually," Jasper explained. "Her scent...calms me," he looked down at me affectionately, "It is the most wonder smell in the world to me."
I smiled up at him adoringly and pressed a chaste kiss to his lips. "Yours is to me, too."
He turned back to face Bella, "Natalie and I share a bond unlike anything Carlisle has seen before. So there is a lot we don't know yet, and Carlisle is looking into it, trying to find answers."
"How...how did you know she was your...mate?" Bella asked.
Jasper seemed to ponder this for a moment before answering, "When I first saw her, it was like everything in my world shifted and she became the center of it. I immediately felt this physical pull to her, and, when I'm not near her, I get this pain in my chest from it, like it's trying to pull me back to her."
"Do normal mated pairs get that pull?" she wondered, once again eyeing Edward, who remained silent as he drove.
He nodded, "Yes, though, from what I understand, it isn't so painfully strong when they aren't together. I don't know if it is because Natalie's a human or if it's because of how very different our bond is that it has such strength."
She nodded, seemingly satisfied, before turning to look at me. "Do you feel it too?"
I nodded, rubbing absently at my chest. "Yeah."
"Does it happen right away, the second he leaves you?"
"No," I replied. "It sort of...grows over time the longer we're apart. However, Carlisle thinks we shouldn't push our luck since I'm human and all. He's worried it might affect me in a negative way and that my body might not be able to handle it."
"Hm," she hummed, turning around in her seat as a light bulb seemed to go off in her head and she turned to Edward. "Is it later yet?" she asked significantly.
He frowned. "I suppose it is later."
She kept her expression polite as she waited, though I could tell she was about bursting at the seems waiting for him to answer.
He stopped the car, and I looked up, surprised to see that we were already at Charlie's house, parked behind the truck. When I looked back, I found that Edward was watching my sister, measuring her with his eyes.
"And you still want to know why you cannot see me hunt?" He seemed solemn, but I thought I saw a trace of humor deep in his eyes.
"Well," she clarified, "I was mostly wondering about your reaction."
"Did I frighten you?" Yes, there was definitely some humor there.
"No," she lied. He didn't buy it either.
"I apologize for scaring you," he persisted with a slight smile, but then all evidence of teasing disappeared. "It was just the very thought of you being there… while we hunted." His jaw tightened.
"That would be bad?"
He spoke from between clenched teeth. "Extremely."
"Because…?"
He took a deep breath and stared through the windshield at the thick, rolling clouds that seemed to press down, almost within reach.
I felt Jasper nudge my shoulder and nod towards the door, silently suggesting we give them a moment alone. I nodded and following him out of the car, and the arctic draft that burst into the car caused me to shiver. He closed the door and leaned against it, pulling me into him, allowing me to wrap my arms around him from underneath his jacket, which he pulled around me to keep me warm.
I could still hear Edward as he spoke to Bella, but just the semblance of privacy was probably helpful.
"When we hunt," he spoke slowly, unwillingly, "we give ourselves over to our senses… govern less with our minds. Especially our sense of smell. If you were anywhere near me when I lost control that way…" I could picture him as he shook his head, still gazing morosely at the heavy clouds that had gathered above our small town.
It was silent for several moments after that, and I remained tucked under Jasper's jacket, keeping me warm regardless of his cool skin. I was content. His scent was soothing me into a place I never wanted to leave.
That is, until Edward spoke, once again, "Bella, I think you should go inside now." His low voice was rough, but when I shifted my eyes to peek inside, his eyes were still focused on the clouds.
Bella opened the door and I stepped back to look up at Jasper as he got my attention. "I'm going to run home with Edward to talk to the family about Bella's knowledge of what we are, then I'll be back to pick you up before Carlisle arrives."
I nodded, "Okay," and rose up on the tips of my toes to press a kiss to his lips.
"See you in an hour or so," he smiled before releasing me to climb in the front seat that Bella had just vacated from, shutting the door behind him.
We hadn't had made more than two steps in the direction of the house when the whir of the automatic window unrolling made us turn.
"Oh, Bella?" Edward called, leaning forward to look around Jasper, a faint smile on his lips.
"Yes?"
"Tomorrow it's my turn."
"Your turn to what?"
He smiled wider, flashing his gleaming teeth. "Ask the questions."
And then they were gone, the car speeding down the street and disappearing around the corner before we could turn back towards the house. I noticed a small smile on Bella's lips as we walked to the house, and I grinned down at her cheekily, causing her to blush.
(Jasper's POV)
When we pulled up in front of the house, I could already sense the brewing anger flowing through Rosalie. Edward had mentioned that he already spoke with Emmett and that he was not upset about it, claiming that Rose just needed some time to cool down, but apparently, she needed more time.
Edward winced, probably having heard something particularly upsetting to him from her thoughts, and turned off the ignition, looking over at me. "Well, here goes nothing."
I nodded and sent him a cocktail of courage and optimism as my silent way of supporting him. He smiled appreciatively, though it didn't quite meet his eyes - not that I blamed him.
We made our way inside to the sound of Rose's mumbling coming from in the other room. "Ungrateful, egotistical bastard. How dare he? He's going to ruin everything!"
Alice appeared with a sympathetic smile in Edward's direction, "She's really not taking this well."
"Gee, I hadn't noticed," he grumbled.
"Like I said, it would have been worse if you had waited until we'd got home to tell her. Believe it or not, she has cooled down some."
Edward threw his hands up in the air in exasperation, "I don't understand what the big deal is! Natalie knows and Rose didn't throw a fit when we decided to tell her!"
"That's because Natalie isn't a danger to us!" She hissed as she rounded the corner with Emmett hesitantly following close behind her. "Natalie isn't Jasper's fuckin' singer, Edward! Her blood doesn't even tempt him in the slightest!" She reminded him.
Esme appeared, always the mother hen trying to keep her children from fighting at times like this. She really didn't like us not getting along, and I could feel the concern flowing steadily through her emotional climate.
"Calm down, Rose, honey. I'm sure Edward has his reasons for choosing to tell her."
She scoffed, "Yeah, because he's a selfish son-of-a-bitch who's only thinking about himself! What happens if it becomes too much for you and you snap and kill her? Huh? What then? Not only will Natalie lose her twin, but we will have to move pending a possible human investigation! That could bring the Volturi down on us all!"
"What did you expect me to do, Rose? She figured it out!" Edward finally snapped.
Her eyes narrowed, and Emmett spoke what they all seemed to be thinking, "What do you mean she 'figured it out', man?"
He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose and made his way over to the sofa, collapsing down onto the cushions. "Natalie warned us that when they went to the reservation, that they ran into the pack of mutts, along with some of their friends. Billy Black's son, Jacob, was there and told her and Bella about us, not knowing that the legends actually held truth to them. She did some research after that, and voila! The pieces of what she's seen all fit together. She admitted to the knowledge last night and," he looked up at her as she stood there cross-armed, staring down at him, "I couldn't lie to her, Rose."
She didn't say anything after that, just continued to watch him deliberately. Her emotions continued swirling around before finally settling on reluctant acceptance, and dropped her arms to her side as she turned to walk away towards the french doors that led outside.
"Thank you," Edward murmured, causing Rose to stop in her tracks and nodded over her shoulder before continuing on her way.
Emmett gave him a relieved grin before turning to follow after his mate, the rest of us watching them as the went.
(Natalie's POV)
Jasper and I pulled up in front of the Cullen's mansion, and Jasper immediately began to frown.
"What?" I asked uneasily.
He shook his head, "Somethin' isn't right."
"What do you mean?"
He tilted his head as if he were listening to something. "I don't know...the emotions inside...they are off. Rose and Emmett aren't home, but everyone else is, even Edward."
"What are they feeling?" I wondered.
"Well, Esme is feeling confused and concern, like she doesn't know what's going on, but worried all the same. Carlisle is conflicted and is feeling a lot of sadness. Alice is sad, as well, but is feeling a lot more optimistic. But Edward...he's normally brooding, but this is more than normally so. He's upset and almost angry."
"This couldn't be about my sister knowing the truth about you guys, could it?" I asked, a feeling of dread taking over me for reasons I couldn't quite explain.
His frown deepened, "No, this can't have anythin' to do with Bella. Everything was settled earlier before I left. Plus, they got quiet the second we were in hearing distance, and -" He paused, further tilting his head. "Emmett and Rosalie just got back. Let's go see what's goin' on."
I nodded and gave him my best reassuring smile and climbed out of the Viper, making my way around the car. I felt Jasper reach for my hand and took it in mine, holding onto his hand tightly to keep me grounded. I somehow knew that whatever was going to happen inside of that house tonight was going to be bad and I needed to try my best to be prepared.
Everyone was gathered in the livingroom when we entered, and I could feel Jasper immediately going on the defensive, pulling me slightly behind him.
"What's goin' on?" He demanded to know.
Carlisle stood from the chair he had been occupying with Esme standing slightly beside him. "Natalie, can we go up to my office and talk for a minute?" He asked, gesturing to the stairs behind us. "Alone, if you don't mind."
Jasper immediately began shaking his head in protest. "Uh-uh, no way," he pulled me, rather tightly, into his side with a growl. "I'm not leavin' my mate!"
I was about to agree in an attempt to appease Jasper, but something in Carlisle's eyes stopped me.
Placing a hand on Jasper's upper-arm, I brought his attention down to me and saw that his eyes were a dark black. "It's okay, baby. I'm just going to be right upstairs with Carlisle. I won't be far and Carlisle is not going to hurt me, right?"
"Of course not," he agreed with as much sincerity as he could. "I would never harm your mate, Jasper."
I watched as his jaw ticked as he studied his father figure, gauging his honesty before finally nodding once, allowing me to step away from him and turned to follow Carlisle up to his office on the second floor.
He waited until we had entered the sanctuary of his office, closing the door behind him, before he turned to speak. "I'm sorry about that. I just thought it would be better if we spoke alone up here while everyone else waited downstairs with Jasper."
I felt my eyebrows furrow in confusion as I took a seat in one of the chairs facing his desk. "I'm not sure I understand."
He forced a smile on his face as he sat down in the free seat next to me. "I'm sure it will all become very clear to you in just a moment."
(Jasper's POV)
The second they rounded the corner at the top of the stairs, I immediately began to pace, unable to take all of the suffocating emotions in the room and uncomfortable not knowing what was happening and why Carlisle wanted to talk to Natalie alone.
"What the hell is goin' on here?" I finally exploded, unable to handle the tense atmosphere for another second.
"Easy, Major," A voice I recognized spoke from behind me, and I spun around to see Peter and Char entering the living room from where Natalie and I had entered only moments earlier. "Everything is gonna be fine."
"Where the fuck did you come from?" I fumed, my unease at the situation growing.
"I'll explain later," he replied placatingly. "For now, you need to take a breather and calm down."
I gritted my teeth, "Why?"
"They don't know anything, Jasper," Alice spoke up from near the fireplace.
"She's right," Peter agreed. "I only knew that we had to be here tonight."
I narrowed my eyes on Edward and Alice, who were doing their best to avoid my stare. "But you two do." I could feel it in their emotions, as I reminded them that they couldn't lie to me. Neither of them responded, though, only serving to fuel my agitation, and I sighed, running a hand through my hair, and immediately switched my focus onto the conversation happening in the room above us, knowing that it was the only way that I would get some straight answers while being able to better monitor directly what was happening with my mate.
(Natalie's POV)
Carlisle had his hands pressed together thoughtfully, as if he were trying to find the right words to say before he finally spoke. "I'll try to put this in the simplest terms I can so that you can understand, okay?" I nodded, and he continued, "After you left the hospital earlier, I began to look over your brain scans." He paused. "Natalie, you have a tumor, and it's terminal."
I barely had time to digest the mind-numbing words that he had just spoken before I learned the main reason why he'd wanted to talk to me up here alone and away from everyone else - namely Jasper. A loud BANG echoed throughout the house, followed by an agonizing earth-shattering roar that shook the very foundation of the house.
A/N: I'm sorry to leave you guys with another cliff-hanger, but I wanted to end here for a reason. I promise that the next chapter will have a lot more answers, and will describe exactly what's wrong with Natalie and why it's affecting her the way that it is. Also, we will get to see the rest of Jasper's reaction and the real reason why Peter and Char showed up exactly when they did. Any takers? I'd love to hear what everyone thought and why they think things are happening the way that they are! And what do you think Bella will say when she finds out? What will the plan be to try to save Natalie?
Again, I'm sorry to have been absent for so long, but I had a really rough semester in school, but I'm in between semesters on winter vacation for the next several weeks, so I will have plenty of time to keep up on my stories! :-)
If you have any questions or comments, post them in my reviews and I will answer them in my next Author's Note!
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Bella'Xo
XoBellaItalianaoX