Chapter 36 - Cullens vs. Denalis Part One

JasperPOV

We were all sitting around the living room, watching Emmett dig one of his games out of a giant tub of 'buttery tasting spread'. Considering the rancid smell, I couldn't contemplate any human actually spreading that nasty stuff on a piece of toast and consuming it. Using it as axle grease or toilet cleaner, maybe, but calling it edible seemed quite a stretch, and I wondered if they'd ever been investigated for false advertising. Had anybody run any lab tests on poor unsuspecting mice and rats to see what eating that shit would do to them?

What's wrong with good old sweet butter fresh from the churn anyway? I had fond childhood memories of helping my mama churn the butter back in our ranch house in Texas. It was a good productive activity for overactive young boys that would have been busy making mischief otherwise.

I was interrupted out of my respectful reverie by Peter jumping wildly out of his chair proclaiming, "Holy shit!" like his ass was on fire, he'd sat on a hot poker, or a werewolf had just torn off one of his butt cheeks. Before I could tease him about how much he looked like a nervous cat who'd been startled and now needed to be pried off the ceiling, his emotions knocked me back, pinning me in my seat, making me aware beyond a shadow of a doubt that whatever the reason for his reaction, it wasn't good. It was bad. Worse than bad. It was even worse than an unexpected reunion with Maria, which meant it was downright fucking terrifying.

Major took over like a bat outta hell, before my Jasper persona could even blink. Before my Bella finished inhaling the breath she needed to speak to Peter, I had thrown off Peter's emotions and was crouched in front of her growling protectively.

"Report, Captain!" I demanded in a fierce roar. Reacting to my instinctive response, Carlisle and Emmett had grabbed hold of their mates and forced them into a corner, standing in front of them to guard them, looking all around wildly for the source of the trouble. Char had come up behind Peter to calm him with her unharmed presence, hoping it would help give him the strength to stop panicking and answer my questions.

"The shit's about to hit the fan, Major! And we're not talking a little shit either. No, we're talking a full dump truck load of manure dropped right on our front lawn. We're being hit on three sides. We've got the Denalis headed our way, to arrive shortly, spitting mad and seeking blood, for some reason. Don't ask me why, I don't know. Victoria is on the move headed north toward us, but shouldn't arrive for a few days. I'm pretty sure we could handle both of them just fine, but the Volturi have also decided to act against us and will be sending several of the guard to tear us apart. How the fuck do the unassuming Cullens have so many damn enemies?" Peter announced, his voice wavering slightly with fear and unease.

Esme's mouth was open to protest his foul language, but as her brain processed his words, she shut it with a whimper. Her family was in danger, enemies on three sides. Normally she would never believe the Denalis or the Volturi could possibly wish them harm, but the fear in Peter's voice and eyes was undeniable. Anything that could cause that much of a negative reaction in the generally unflappable Captain Whitlock wasn't anything she was prepared to encounter, though she would have to face it, whether she wanted to or not.

"Why would the Denalis be after us?" Rose demanded fiercely. "We've never done anything to them."

"Maybe they found out about Edward and Alice?" Emmett suggested, shrugging with forced nonchalance. "You know how Tanya has always felt about him."

Carlisle and Esme exchanged a speaking glance, then Carlisle nodded once. "It's possible. I can't think of any other reason."

"What about Laurent? Peter just said Victoria was moving against us. Maybe Laurent betrayed them, and they're mad at us for sending him to them?" Rose suggested.

Carlisle nodded again, uneasily. "That's possible too, that it has something to do with Laurent having been part of James's coven. Maybe Victoria is threatening them because of his desertion, which helped lead to James's demise. She has the right to demand his head for betraying his coven leader. The Volturi would not fault her for killing him. That would cause a problem for Irina, as his mate. She'd want revenge then too, against Victoria."

"Esme, call Carmen. Find out when they are arriving and what their problem is, if you can," I ordered.

Whenever I was in Major mode, even Carlisle chose to obey my orders without question, as I usurped his role as coven leader. Jasper Hale was content to submit to his authority, but Major Whitlock was not. The first time it happened, I was afraid afterward that he would kick me out for taking over. He had reassured me then that even though he was older and more experienced in coexisting with the human world, I was more experienced in matters of battle. Thus, any time our family was in danger, he was perfectly willing to allow the Major to take charge of the situation and trusted me to lead us all to safety.

I will never forget the way I felt in that moment, with Carlisle entrusting the safety of his mate and children to my 'monster' side. It was the first time I allowed myself to believe Carlisle really did love and accept me as one of his own, as he claimed. It was the first time I felt like I belonged with the family and that I brought something worthy to the table to share with them, rather than just always being the burden, the obligation, the charity case. It would have been more of a turning point for me, but Alice's reaction to the Major, followed by Edward's, had stolen the joy and relief from it. Neither of them had ever been able to accept that side of me. Now I wondered if it was because the Major was so strong and didn't accept their manipulation attempts. As Jasper, I tended to avoid confrontation, but as the Major, I relished it. I considered the possibility they were intimidated, knowing they were lying and keeping secrets from me, and terrified of what the Major might do to them if I ever discovered their treachery.

Esme had raced for her phone as soon as I issued the order and was back now, dialing the familiar number. Everyone was silent and motionless, mimicking statues, while we waited to hear whatever Carmen had to say.

"Hello, Esme, this is a surprise," Carmen answered smoothly, not sounding the least bit surprised.

"Hello, Carmen," Esme responded graciously, "I was wondering if you and your lovely family were planning a visit any time soon?"

"As a matter of fact, we're on our way now. I expect we'll be on your doorstep within ten or fifteen minutes."

"Really? So soon?" Esme choked, looking desperately around the room. Her voice only wavered ever so slightly as she continued, "How marvelous."

"Indeed," Carmen replied, sounding smug. "I was sure you wouldn't mind, seeing as we've always dropped in on one another when you've lived so close to us."

"True," Esme admitted, biting her bottom lip. "Is there a purpose to your visit, or is it just for companionship and conversation? Are all of you coming?"

"All of us except Laurent and Irina. They're off on an extended hunting trip, likely similar to the ones Emmett and Rosalie are so fond of taking," Carmen mentioned with a chuckle. Then her voice became harder and developed a slight edge. "Actually, we have three new members for our coven we wanted to introduce to you right away. Just like you'd do. I'm sure you would want to immediately share the news about an addition to your family with your extended family, wouldn't you?"

"Oh, . . . Um . . . Well," Esme hedged, eyes wide and darting to Bella, who was currently safely hidden behind me.

"Plus, I'm sure you'll be nearly as excited as we are that Tanya has found her mate after all these years. He, his son, and his best friend have all decided to join our happy family."

"Really?" Esme asked, sincerely excited now. "That's fantastic, Carmen! Oh, such good news indeed! We'll have to celebrate! I can't wait to meet them."

"Mmmm, they can't wait to see you either," Carmen remarked dryly. "We're almost there."

"Oh, okay, see you in a few," Esme murmured nervously. They both hung up and Esme looked to me, eyes wide with alarm. "What do we do now?"

"We should meet them outside," I decided. "If we're out there, nothing valuable will get damaged in the case of a fight."

The others all agreed and filed out the front door, taking strategic positions to defend one another. I held my mate back from joining them and she looked up at me with her beautiful red eyes that were finally starting to develop yellow specks in them. I knew that would please her and saved the information in case I needed to cheer her up after the meeting/fight.

For the first time ever, I was nervous heading off to do battle. For the first time I cared about someone more than myself, someone I couldn't afford to lose, someone who was worth every part of me. I had loved Alice, but she had never inspired the sheer devotion and adoration I had for Bella. I had thought I needed Alice to maintain control of my inner beast, but I needed Bella to exist, to breathe, to love, to hope, to live. With her around, my inner beast was content, and I was able to be myself without ever worrying about going on a wild and crazy rampage. With Alice, I lost myself, surrendered myself to the darkness. With Bella, I found myself and enabled myself to move into the light.

So before I risked life and limb in the upcoming confrontation, before I had to face an unknown enemy endangering my mate, I had to do one thing. I'll be damned if I was going to risk my existence and hers without at least getting one damn kiss.

"Stay alive," I commanded my mate, looking deeply into her eyes, dazzling myself as much as her in the process. She nodded slowly, her eyelids starting to droop closed, her chin starting to tilt up. In the next second, my lips were brushing hers, soft, warm, like butterfly wings, ever so lightly, giving her the freedom to pull away at any time, but to my intense pleasure, she didn't. Her little hands reached up, grabbed hold of my shirt, and clung to me with all she had.

I could hear branches breaking in the forest and knew they'd be here shortly, so I reluctantly pulled away. She whimpered when I took a step back and opened her dazed eyes, which seemed to be sparkling with stars as she stared up at me dreamily.

"Stay alive, for me," I whispered, quickly kissing her forehead and moving toward the open front door. Her eyes followed me, while her body stayed frozen in place, except for her hand, which reached up to touch her lips. I smiled and walked outside, leaving her to follow me when she was ready.

I took my position and felt her presence resonating in my soul when she joined me a moment later, safely behind me. I would do everything in my power to keep her safe.

The sound of pounding feet got louder and louder, and the first to break through the forest edge into the clearing was a giant russet wolf, followed by an equally large white wolf. The intelligence in their eyes gave away their secret just as clearly as their scent did, the odor of moldy wet dog alerting us to the fact they were our natural enemy, not our food, even if I hadn't already encountered their kind when I changed Bella.

The two wolves paused their forward momentum at the sight of us in formation, prepared for attack. They didn't growl or show their teeth, just hesitated, poised to either run or defend themselves if need be, and waited, watching us with their dark, curious eyes. They kept scanning our line, as if looking for someone in particular, and I could feel their curiosity and concern.

"I guess we know where the sense of hostility was coming from," Rose grumbled, wrinkling her nose.

Peter was staring at the wolves with wide eyes, having never seen a werewolf or shape shifter before. Char was equally impressed, peering around him.

"Oh, man! What is that awful stench?" Bella complained, getting a nose full of their unique aroma. She pinched her nose closed with her fingers in an adorably human gesture, which altered the pitch of her voice. "Uncle Pete, I think that load of manure you ordered has arrived, but can someone please turn off the fan, or at least face it in a different direction? I really would prefer to be upwind."

Peter snickered. "I'd love for the manure to hit the fan in someone else's direction, princess, really I would."

"Hush, Bella, you're being rude to our guests," Esme fussed, feeling embarrassed. She was always the quintessential hostess, even to a pack of dogs that would gladly bite the hand that offers them tea and cookies.

At the sound of Bella's name, both wolves tilted their heads and focused on me, staring intensely as if they'd be able to see through my body if they tried hard enough. It was futile of course, since last time I'd checked, werewolves didn't have x-ray vision.

Were they here to check on Bella? I frowned when I realized I had actually been wishing Edward was here to interpret for them. With only two of them and eight of us, I doubted they'd be comfortable phasing to talk to us.

"If you're here to check on Bella, she's fine," I told them.

The russet one barked in response, leaving me to wonder what the hell he was trying to say. I never took dog, I thought rolling my eyes. Or cat either. Though they'd be awfully handy for a veterinarian. One portion of my brain promptly shot off on a tangent wondering if any vampire had ever gotten the gift of communicating with animals and if the story of Dr. Doolittle was based upon him. Would it be easier to be a veterinarian than a physician? Probably not for veggie vamps, but a human drinker would likely have an easier time of resisting the animal blood if he were fully satisfied from his natural diet.

While my brain was slightly distracted with silly nonsense, Bella had peeked around me and seen the two giant wolves.

She darted out from behind me and started bouncing and pointing eagerly toward them, shouting, "Look! Look! Do you see them? They're not growling or running away! Can we keep them?"

I reached out to grab her just as she darted a few steps closer and missed my target. Huffing, I followed her and grabbed her around her waist. She had come within easy striking distance of them, if they decided to attack. I shot waves of calm toward the wolves despite the fact I wasn't sensing any hostility from them. I couldn't afford to take a chance with my mate.

Sensing emotions from the woods, I looked up and met Eleazar's curious eyes. Relieved the Denalis were here now as back up, not that we really needed it, I tried to get my mate to stand behind me. Not understanding the danger for some strange reason, she struggled against me.

"Stop, darlin', these wolves are dangerous. They can hurt us," I explained carefully. "They're not like the other wolves you've seen in the forest."

Bella nodded happily. "I know, they're not running away. Aren't they cute?"

Both wolves now stared at her as if she were crazy, a lot like the way the rest of the vampires were staring at her. Werewolves 'cute'? Had she been drinking fermented blood or something?

Bella made the mistake of letting go of her nose to wave at the werewolves and got another whiff of their special scent. "Jasper," she whispered into my neck, not realizing the wolves could still hear her just fine. "The reddish doggie really needs a bath. He must've rolled in something awful, because he is terribly stinky. The white one smells fine though. Can we keep that one?"

Everybody was smirking at her now, including the wolves, if that was even possible.

I sighed. My poor, naïve, innocent mate. So loving, so trusting. She's going to get eaten alive. "They're dangerous creatures, Bella, not house pets. You can't just keep them. They have homes and families of their own they'd miss and who are awaiting their return."

Bella frowned up at me and pouted.

"You never let me have a pet. And these guys aren't running away like all the others," she protested stubbornly. She turned back toward the wolves, bent over and began patting her knees. "Here, boy. Here, Whitey! C'mon, boy! Whose a good puppy? You are, yes, you are. C'mon, Whitey, be a good puppy!" She made kissing noises with her mouth, trying to convince the shape shifter to come to her like a pet dog would.

It was like a train wreck. A disaster happening in real time right in front of me, but I couldn't look away or move to stop it. It was just too surreal. It was also too much for Emmett. He hit the ground, laughing hysterically.

"Quileute . . . Whitey . . . Werewolf . . . Puppy!" he gasped out in between fits of giggles and guffaws. It was terribly ironic, but oh, so politically incorrect.

"His name is Chief," Eleazar announced, stepping out into the clearing with Carmen, his face amused, but cautious.

"Chief?" Bella asked. At Eleazar's nod, she asked, "Oh, is he your dog?"

Eleazar chuckled and smirked. "No, he belongs to a friend of mine. The red one's name is Jacob, Jacob Black, and he belongs to himself."

"Well, sir, Jacob really needs a bath. He stinks to high heaven," she informed him seriously.

Eleazar and Carmen struggled to hold in their laughter, and Jacob gave them a dirty look.

"His natural aroma is indeed unpleasant to our sensitive noses, but I've definitely smelled worse," Eleazar remarked dryly.

Jacob shook his massive head and growled a bit.

"You should go wash in the lake at the bottom of the mountain," Bella told him, as if it was perfectly normal to carry on a conversation with a wolf the size of a horse. "It's fun to jump in from the cliff and create a big splash, and the waterfall is like a giant shower. I bet you'd like it if you tried it."

"Bella!" Esme gasped. "I can't believe you just told one of our guests to go jump in the lake! Where are your manners? I know I've raised you better than that!"

"Oh, Mommy, I didn't mean it like that," Bella retorted, rolling her eyes. "It's a natural hot spring with a waterfall fed from snow melting. The mix of hot and cold is really pleasant and it's a really cool experience. I was trying to make our guest feel more comfortable, Mom."

Esme looked at her suspiciously, unsure if she was lying or not. Emmett often tried to play the innocent card when he really wasn't, so I let Esme know Bella was being sincere. She just sighed, hoping the wolves had a good sense of humor.

Kate chose that moment to step out of the woods and join Carmen and Eleazar where they stood behind the wolves. Tanya stepped out right after, pulling Billy out with her. "This is my mate, Billy Black," she declared. "Jake is his son and Chief is part of him, his spirit wolf. The manifestation of Chief is Billy's gift."

"What's wrong with her?" Billy asked looking around at each of the Cullens.

Carlisle took a few steps forward. "How much do you know?"

"I know how she died. I know who saved her and who didn't. I know why she was changed and by whom."

Bella had been staring at him curiously. "You look familiar for some reason," she murmured, furrowing her brows and thinking hard.

"So you know about her injuries - all of them?" Carlisle asked, wording it carefully, his eyes darting from Billy to Jake to Bella and back again.

Billy nodded once sternly, indicating for Carlisle to continue.

Carlisle sighed deeply. "There was a lot of damage to the brain that had to be repaired and replaced by the venom."

Billy's eyes flared in alarm. "Brain damage?" he asked. At Carlisle's reluctant nod, he continued, horrified, "So, what, she's a perpetual child now? Forever?"

Carlisle hesitated, clearly struggling with how to respond.

"The truth," Billy growled.

"We don't think so, but we don't know for sure what her capacity for growth is. Nobody knows for certain, as those with head injuries are rarely ever turned for precisely this reason. Since none have ever been allowed to continue their existence for this long, there is no prior data to reference on her behalf," Carlisle reluctantly admitted.

Before anybody could ask any more awkward questions, Bella interrupted. "Hey, were you my human father's best friend? Did you go fishing with him?"

Billy grinned, looking relieved. "Yep, that's me! I take it you finally remembered why I looked so familiar?"

Bella nodded. "Yeah, I saw a picture of you in the album Rose saved for me of all my human friends and family. You and Dad were on a fishing boat holding up a string of fish. You look different now though. Your skin used to be a lot darker. How come you're so pale now? Have you been sick?"

Billy gave her a confused look then stuttered, "Uh, y-yeah, I was b-burning up for three days straight and woke up much paler than I was before."

Bella nodded 'wisely,' shrugged and offered, "Yeah, that happens sometimes."

The Denalis stared at her as if unsure if she was serious or making a joke, then started darting looks at each other, not knowing how to respond.

To our surprise, Charlie Swan came striding in to the clearing then and came to a stop beside the wolves, his hands on his hips, and his face in cop mode. One look at his red eyes proved he'd been changed, and it slowly dawned on the Cullen family that he was the third addition to the Denali clan.

The Chief of Police father of my mate is a vampire. Fuck. Me. I am SO fucking screwed. For the first time in my life as a vampire, I felt myself trembling in fear of someone. If vampires could sweat, I'd be sweating buckets. Why me? Nobody else has to worry about his mate's biological father interfering in their relationship. Why am I so fucking special? I don't have enough pressure? I don't already have enough people prepared to tear me into tiny little pieces and burn me to ash if I screw up somehow?

Thankfully, the Major had a poker face, as good as Chief Swan's, so nobody knew how nervous I was on the inside.

Charlie's eyes met mine, then swept over Bella, carefully noting the location of my restraining hands on his daughter's waist. His crimson eyes landed back on my face. He raised an eyebrow and somehow I truly felt like a teenager called to the principal's office. I suddenly wanted to confess every misdeed I'd ever done in my entire life and beg for mercy. Only my decades of military training and torture by Maria's hand kept my mouth shut, waiting for him to ask a question.

I was surprised to notice respect beginning to emanate from him toward me.

"Are you Jasper?" he barked, clearly in his interrogation mode.

I nodded, keeping my lips carefully glued shut, fearing that if I opened them I would spill my guts right here, right now, in front of everyone.

He nodded slightly in acknowledgment. "Are you the one who saved my girl? Who found her dying and changed her?"

I nodded again and saw the corners of his lips twitch. The respect he was directing my way increased significantly and was accompanied by gratitude, acceptance, and appreciation. He glanced around at all those gathered in front of the house and frowned.

"Where's that rat bastard, Edward?" he sneered. "Too cowardly to face me?"

Bella looked up from where she'd been contemplating the wolves and replied, "Oh, Edward and that awful Alice don't live here anymore. Daddy told them to go away, because they were naughty. They live with some guy named Arrow, who's helping them learn their lessons."

"Daddy?" Charlie choked, looking upset.

She tilted her head and looked at him curiously. "Are you okay? Did the blood go down the wrong pathway? That happened to Emmybear once when my Jasper made him laugh while he was drinking. Hey! You know who you look like? You look like my human father!"

Charlie smiled cautiously and nodded. "That's because I am, sweetheart. I'm your real father."

I noticed Carlisle frown and look away, shoulders drooping. His emotions now mirrored Charlie's when he heard Bella refer to another man as 'Daddy'. Esme was comforting him the best she could. Peter was looking back and forth between Charlie and Carlisle, and Charlotte was nodding understandingly as she watched Peter.

"You're Charlie Swan?" Bella asked excitedly.

He nodded, smiling wider, pleased with her enthusiastic response.

"Wow, cool! Mommy and Daddy said I wouldn't ever be able to see you again, yet here you are," she cheered happily. Then she turned to Esme and Carlisle, her brow furrowed in confusion. "I thought you said I'd want to eat him, but he doesn't smell yummy."

Carlisle gave her a halfhearted smile. "That's because he's a vampire now, just like you. If he were still human, he would smell yummy."

"Oh, okay, cool," Bella mumbled, nodding to herself. She turned back toward the Denalis and looked at Billy. "So can I play with Chief now?"

Charlie started to say something, but Billy grabbed onto his arm, stopping him. Charlie looked to him startled, and Billy shook his head very slightly, causing Charlie to back down, though he was frowning.

Billy smiled at Bella, "Sure, Bella, why don't you and Chief go for a run, maybe play fetch? I'm sure he'd like that."

"Really?" she squealed, bouncing in place and clapping. She turned to Carlisle and Esme and begged, "Can I? Can I? Please, please, please?"

Carlisle and Esme smiled indulgently. "Of course, sweetie, just stay close by, okay?"

"Yippee!" she shouted, running over to Chief.

He barked once and promptly licked her cheek. She started giggling happily and threw her arms around his neck, causing all the adults to smile at her joyful sound. They watched as she and the huge white wolf bounded off into the woods together, then turned and began eyeing each other.

"Why?" Charlie demanded, looking at Billy.

Billy gave him a knowing look. "We have a lot of things to discuss, and given her current mindset, I felt it best if she wasn't listening to everything that might be said between all of us."

Understanding and agreement swirled around the entire group. They did have much to speak about and some of it would not be fit for juvenile ears.

xxxxxxx

AN: *wipes forehead* Whew. That was harder than I thought it would be. Hope it lives up to your expectations. Don't worry, the fateful meeting isn't anywhere near done yet.