Thanks to all of you who have continued to read this. I KNOW this is a long-ass story...believe me, I know so I truly appreciate all the alerts, favorites and reviews. It means a lot to me.

Thank you times a bazillion to the wonderful ladies who have made this story pretty and logical - AlexisDanaan, JamesRamsey and JaspersWoman. DarkNNerdy helps me during the writing process to make sure something I'm writing isn't too outrageous or nonsensical.

I am not SM nor do I play her on TV

Chapter 36

BPOV

"So y'all drivin' to Austin tonight?" Peter asked as he got up from the couch. "Have you taken her yet, Jasper?"

"Not yet, I wanted to wait until this Thanksgiving break so we could spend more than one night there," Jasper replied as the four of us walked towards the front door.

I nodded and smiled. "I can't wait, I've heard from a few people in my classes that it's a cool town. I wish you could come out too."

Char smiled fondly. "We're heading to New Orleans for a week. It's become our tradition, so to speak, to head there around that time of year. We'll do a trip, just the four of us soon. Maybe Vegas?"

"Yeah, that sounds great! Jasper, can we go while I'm still human?"

He smiled at me and wrapped his arm around my waist. "We can go anytime you want, baby girl. I think Vegas will be lots of fun for all of us."

I gave Peter and Char each a hug as they left and then I packed up my laptop before heading upstairs to change. The past few weeks since Halloween, I had been busting my ass on studying. I finally decided to quit working at the coffee shop earlier in the month because they kept giving me too many shifts. Plus, with Jasper's help, we got the Charlie Swan Foundation underway and it was something I felt was more important than being a barista; so I happily submitted my resignation and became engrossed in, not only creating a scholarship program under my dad's name, but a summer camp for younger kids as well. I knew an outdoor camp that included fishing would have been something that my dad would have fussed over but deep down, he would have loved.

I continued to keep in touch with Jake and Ashley back in Washington. When I told Jake my intentions for the scholarship, he first objected but then decided to use that towards taking some courses so he could be a certified auto mechanic. Ashley's business was booming and she brought in a partner. It seemed her husband had taken an overseas assignment so she would be shuffling back and forth from Washington and Hyderabad for the next few years so she wanted someone who could manage the day to day operations.

We had just received news last week that the house sold for slightly over the asking price. There was a small bidding war that broke out because the house and lot were in a prime location in town. I was happy for the amount sold but sad at the same time. I just hoped the family that was moving in would have a happy life in Forks.

All the work I was doing, in addition to my studies definitely kept me busy so there was no repeat of a drunken Bella incident after Halloween. A couple good things did come from that party. The guy who was serving the spiked drinks not only got his ass kicked by some of the women there, but he was also arrested and lost his full ride scholarship to the university. Mindy also left us alone after that incident. It seemed she found herself a knight in shining armor - literally that night and we became nothing but distant memories to her.

"You ready?" Jasper said from the door as I grabbed my bag for our trip. He took it from me and grabbed his own bag as we headed down the stairs. I couldn't wait to go on our little road trip out to Austin. It was probably good that there was an exam in our Intro to Criminal Justice class. I knew Jasper would finish fairly quickly and since he had taken to tutoring me, I was confident I wouldn't be too far behind him either.

My first class seemed to drag but there was quiet time which allowed me to go over my notes once more before the exam. When we got into our Criminal Justice class, we both started on our test immediately. Sure enough, within twenty minutes, Jasper was done and turned in his booklet. I looked up as he left and he signalled that he'd wait for me outside. I got a quick flash of his love for me as he stepped out the door and I went back to the test. Ten minutes later, I grabbed my bag and handed in my exam to the professor, wishing him a Happy Thanksgiving. I walked out the door and walked straight into Jasper's arms.

"Those last questions threw me a little but then I realized they were trick questions," I muttered against his chest. "Let's get the hell out of here."

"Yes ma'am," Jasper replied and we walked arm in arm out to his car. As soon as we hit the highway, I fell asleep after telling Jasper to wake me up once we got near Austin's city limits.

"Baby girl, we're almost here," Jasper said quietly as he shook my shoulder.

"Hmm," I mumbled sleepily and rubbed my eyes. "So where are we staying again?"

"We're staying at the Driskill in downtown, it is a historic hotel. It isn't too far from running and from the capitol building so we can do a lot of walking if you want."

"It isn't a super fancy place, is it?"

"I got a room with a small balcony and it offered views of downtown; but no, baby girl, it isn't super fancy. It won't be as over the top as the other hotel we stayed at."

"Okay. I trust your judgement," I said and laced my fingers with his.

I sat up in the car as the lights from the downtown skyline appeared in front of us. It took some crazy maneuvering since traffic seemed busy even late at night.

"Is there an accident?" I asked as I tried to look at the cars ahead of us to figure out the traffic.

"No, from what Peter had told me, there are bars and clubs nearby and that is where everybody seems to be going now. I'll get us there."

When we finally got to the hotel, Jasper pulled into the valet area and helped me out of the car before grabbing his bags. He tossed the keys to the Mustang at the hotel employee before we headed inside. He checked us into a small suite and was given directions to the elevator. Once the doors closed, he pulled me into his arms and we kissed passionately, basking in the love that I was sending him and he was returning. Once the doors opened, Jasper laughed and tossed me over his shoulder as he used his vampire speed to get us to our room causing me to shriek in laughter.

"So Ms. Swan, what would you like to do?" Jasper asked as he set me down and kissed me thoroughly as he opened the door to our room.

"Mmm, I..." I began and sighed when his teeth gently grazed along my jaw. "I... can we check out some clubs since tomorrow will be a holiday?" I looked into his eyes before kissing his neck. "We can continue this later," I whispered against his skin.

"Alright, baby girl. Let's get changed and we can check out some of the clubs. You got your ID on you? Leave your real one here."

I took my fake ID and some lip gloss out of my purse so I could carry in my jeans pocket and then changed to a dressier top. I went into my bag and grabbed my high heeled boots I got for Halloween and pulled them on just as Jasper finished buttoning up a shirt, leaving his forearms exposed like I liked. We put on our jackets and headed out the hotel.

Together we walked down to Sixth Street where people were all flocking from different directions. We wandered around until we found a club that sounded like they had a really good band playing inside. The bouncer checked our IDs and then let us in without any problem. Once we got to the bar, Jasper ordered a couple bourbons for us and we people watched while enjoying the band.

I took a sip of the bourbon and then placed an order for some chicken wings since I was getting hungry. Jasper and I found a table that gave us a good view of the crowd and still enjoy the music.

"Do you know you sort of smell like this?" I said quietly when the waitress left after bringing me my food.

"Like wings?" Jasper asked and chuckled.

"No, like this," I replied and tapped my glass.

"Yeah, you mentioned it a couple months ago."

"I did?" I thought back quickly to that night where I got completely trashed. "I don't remember much of that night." I winced at the memories I did remember.

"Yeah," Jasper replied and pulled my chair closer to him. "I would have been flattered that night had you been more sober. When I was a soldier, that was one of my favorite drinks. Like coffee, it is one of the few scents I find comfort in now. I remember trying it as a young vampire and the aroma of it was much more pleasant than the taste." He shuddered slightly. "Are you alright drinking it? You don't have to if you want something not as strong. I tend to order it automatically." He gave me a sheepish smile.

"No, it's alright. I'm sipping and not downing it like water," I said and smiled before licking my fingers coated with hot sauce.

Jasper looked at my food and took a sniff. "That smells like it is hot. We didn't have stuff like that when I was human. I think our food must have been bland compared to these days."

"Does the smell bother you?" I asked quietly in between bites. "I don't think I've ever had these with you. And you're right, they are a bit spicy but it is really tasty." I grabbed the glass of water in front of me and took a couple big gulps. "I don't eat a lot of spicy foods but every once in a while, I need to eat something that just burns."

"The smell doesn't bother me any more than other foods." He looked at me and furrowed his brow. "I can hear your heart beating slightly faster and your skin is a little more flushed from it. You sure you're alright?"

I nodded and cleared my throat. "Yeah, it is hot and makes my eyes water but it is good." I took another gulp of water and used the wet wipes on my hands since I was done eating. "Can we dance?"

Jasper got up and held his hand out to me and then led me to the dance floor. We got lost in each other's arms as we danced to the music. We were probably on the third song when someone came up and broke us from our little bubble.

"Excuse me, may I cut in?" A fairly tall guy asked. I guess, if I had been interested, he was handsome but I couldn't even tell you how exactly he looked if I was asked. Hell, even as a police chief's daughter, I wouldn't have been able to identify this guy from a lineup.

I put my hand on Jasper's chest and sent him my love. I looked at the man and took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry but all my dances are with my husband," I said and looked at Jasper with a big smile.

"Oh..." the man replied and I could see he was disappointed. "I understand. Sorry to interrupt."

I heard him walk away but I really wasn't paying attention. Just calling Jasper my husband had my mind going and I started to wonder if that could actually be our future. Jasper continued to look at me with so much love in his eyes that I got completely lost once again in our bubble.

"Are you okay, baby girl?" Jasper whispered and gently ran the back of his fingers down my cheek.

I nodded and realized I was probably sending emotions he didn't understand right away. "Yes, I was just thinking," I admitted and mentally added, "and hoping" to the end of the sentence. "I love you so much, Jasper," I whispered as I brought my lips to his.

We kissed as we danced before he started to nuzzle my neck, allowing me to breathe. "And I absolutely adore you, baby girl," he responded as he led us back to our table. "You ready to go?"

I nodded as we shrugged on our jackets and walked back to the hotel. We had our arms wrapped around each other and it brought me back to when we had our first date and how I was so engrossed with the idea of kissing him that I got lost in a daze.

I snickered slightly at the memory and felt Jasper's curiosity. I looked up at him and smiled. "I was just remembering our first date and our first kiss."

"Mmm, that was a really nice night," he replied and stopped suddenly to twirl me and then dipped me into a passionate kiss in the middle of the sidewalk. When he lifted me back upright, I grinned and slyly ran my hand down his jeans, smacking his ass before running ahead of him. I laughed because I knew he could easily catch me and given I was in high heel boots, I purposely ran slower than usual.

In a couple human speed strides he caught up to me and spun me around as we laughed as he carried me, piggy-back style, across the street. By the time we got to the hotel, I felt flushed from laughing and goofing off with Jasper. It was fun to see him so carefree. It made me love him even more as he asked the front desk to place an order for a bottle of bourbon to be delivered to our room and then he grabbed me and carried me over his shoulder towards the elevator.

When we got to the room, I knew that it wouldn't be long before room service would come knocking so I decided to check out the balcony. The bars were still open and I could see people walking and some staggering from one building to another. I leaned back as I heard his footsteps and saw he was behind me.

"Did you have fun tonight?" he asked as he kissed the back of my neck.

"Very much. Did you?"

"Mmm," he responded just as the door knocked.

He sped back inside and took care of room service as I continued to people watch from the balcony.

The clinking of glasses had me turning around and I saw Jasper open the bottle and poured out a couple glasses for us.

I sat down on the lounge furniture and took the glass, raising it up before taking a sip. "What's the occasion?"

"No occasion, just enjoying the time with you," he said and swirled the amber liquid around before sniffing. "Isabella?"

I looked up and smiled. "Jasper?"

"Earlier when that man wanted to dance with you. You turned him down and I felt a lot of emotions goin' through you. It got me thinking if..." he took a breath and ran his hands through his hair. "Would you ever consider marriage? I know you said you'd want forever with me and all but ever since you got your fake ID, it had me thinking."

I could tell he was a little nervous and I set my drink down on the glass table. "I once hated the idea of marriage given what I saw with my parents and some of the kids at school. In my mind, marriage was nothing permanent, but I sort of have a different perspective now." I stared at my glass as I tried to put my thoughts and feelings into words. "My dad and I got to be really close after you all left and I could see that even though I was in his life, it wasn't enough. As much as I loved my dad and he will always be in my heart, I didn't want to feel like I should lock my own heart away so I wouldn't hurt. If there was someone out there, I thought to myself, maybe it was worth pursuing, no matter how long it lasted." I took a sip and turned to face him. "Then I got to know you and we grew close, much closer than I ever was with anybody before and while I didn't think about it often, it was something that popped into my head. It wasn't until I first talked to Char, I asked her about marriage and she explained that she married her best friend. Seeing how they are together, even though I'm not a vampire... well... I would want something like that. I would want to marry someone I consider my best friend."

I reached over and held Jasper's hand. "What are your views on it?"

"As a man who was born and raised in the 19th century, I was brought up to believe that marriage was very important, which was why I married her in the first place. I really thought the whole idea of opposites attract had some merit but it wasn't something that I could honestly say was an equal give and take. For decades it was like that, we'd drift further and further apart for one reason or another and it wasn't until I realized the bond you and I have that I needed to finally sever that tie. It never occurred to me while I was back in Texas that I'd be having such a conversation. I wasn't sure we'd ever get this far. To say it was 'wishful thinking' was not an exaggeration but after I came back to Forks, things changed. You and I... we have something that is real and strong. I could feel it before we even left and at first it scared me because I wasn't sure how much closer we'd become. I was hopeful but the reality of it all surpassed what I could ever imagine. I am not asking now, but I think my sister has a good point. I'd want to one day marry my best friend too."

I was overcome with emotion even though I knew it wasn't a proposal. I felt the prickle of tears from behind my eyes and immediately, I was on Jasper's lap as he held me. We didn't need words at that moment as we embraced each other. I was certain that my love for him was swirling around just as his for me was. He got up and grabbed the bottle along with the glasses with one hand and held onto me with the other as he walked us to the bath. He set me onto the vanity counter as he got the large tub ready, placing our drinks on the side of the tub.

As the hot water poured out, steaming up the room, he walked over took me into his arms. I reached over and unbuttoned his shirt as he slowly removed my top. We didn't say a thing, still locked in our silent conversation. I could see the need in his eyes as they turned darker until they were the smoldering onyx that I was familiar with. By the time the tub was filled with hot water, our clothes were strewn on the floor as he picked me up and stepped into the tub. The cooler body of his helped tamp down the heat for me as my flesh touched the water.

Once I was in the tub, it was as though our passion was unleashed. Our lips locked and our limbs became entangled. There were no words just gasps and moans as I lowered myself onto him. I tossed my head and I felt his lips on the column of my throat just as his hands grasped onto my hips and set a slow, almost leisurely pace. It didn't matter that with each thrust, I could faintly hear the water splashing onto the tile floor - all that mattered was the man in front of me with the sexy black eyes that I loved, and the growls of pleasure escaped his lips in between kisses.

"Jasper," I whispered breathlessly, finally breaking the silence.

I could feel him moving a little faster as I held onto him and rocked my hips.

"You feel so fuckin' good," he growled out through his clenched teeth. "Hold on tight, baby girl."

In an instant he had me up against the bathroom wall as he set slightly faster pace.

"Oh yes, Jasper!" I cried out just as he shot his hand behind my head so I wouldn't hit the tiles behind me.

I knew what was building up between us as he slowed down the pace but kept the intensity up. His forehead rested on mine and his grip on my hips tightened slightly. I ran my nails down his chest causing him to hiss out in pleasure. My arms wrapped themselves around his neck and my eyes closed as my world exploded with a scream of pleasure just as he roared out my name.

Before my breathing slowed, we were back in the tub again and I reached over and took a sip of the bourbon straight from the bottle. We kissed and held each other for a little while until my skin became wrinkly once again.

"Let's get you out of the tub," Jasper said as he got up and walked me over to the vanity. "Here, baby girl, put the robe on, I think I'm gonna have to use the towels to mop up the mess we made. We got water everywhere," he grinned.

I looked at the bathroom floor and laughed at the puddles, thankful that it wasn't our bathroom. He carried me to our bed. We snuggled under the blankets for a while as he brushed his fingers through my hair.

"I'm going to need to grab a meal," he said quietly and I looked up at him, seeing the faint purple bruises under his eyes. I reached up and touched them.

"Do you know where to go? Will you be gone for long?"

He shook his head. "Peter said there are vagrants nearby, just down the street from where we were and some of them are just strung out on shit. He's never found it hard to find a meal here. I should be gone for maybe an hour. Do you want me to get housekeeping in here?"

I sat up and nodded. "Sure, can I wear your shirt?"

He smiled and kissed me. "You never have to ask, I love seein' you in my clothes." He ran back into the bathroom and retrieved his shirt. "It didn't get wet like your stuff did. I'll have them send our things to the laundry if you'd like. I'll be back soon, baby girl."

I smiled and sent him my love. "I know. Hurry back to me."

"Always," he replied and sent me his love and changed into, what I now knew were his hunting clothes. Once more kiss and then he headed out the door.

I threw on his shirt and then pulled the robe back on. I laughed as I saw that he left the bottle where I was safely able to reach it without having to go into the bathroom and run the risk of slipping on the floor. I poured out a small glass and grabbed a bottle of water from the minibar as I turned on the TV. I saw the pay-per-view menu and decided to order the Pirates of the Caribbean just as the door knocked followed by a lady calling out "housekeeping."

I let her in and started the movie. It didn't take her long to clean the mess up and as I was getting ready to tip her, she explained that my husband had already given her a tip to clean the mess. She congratulated me on my honeymoon and said we were a lovely couple. I grinned and thanked her before closing the door and hopping onto the bed to watch my movie.

It was the scene where the undead pirates were about ready to attack the British ship when Jasper walked in. He took a quick look at the TV and chuckled as he walked over and kissed me on the cheek.

"Let me run a quick shower and then I'll join you in bed," he said quietly and I nodded. I heard him running the shower and in less than a minute later, he came in with a towel wrapped around his torso as he towel dried his hair with another towel.

"I see they came to clean and left a bunch of towels for us," he murmured as he sat behind me and tossed my shirt off and onto a nearby chair. He unbuttoned his shirt and slid it off of me as I grabbed the blanket and covered us both up. We watched the rest of the movie together and when the credits started to roll, he quickly shut the TV and we held onto each other.

"Did your hunt go well?"

"Yeah, it didn't take long at all; luckily there was a rainstorm a couple days ago so there was a flooded area in a nearby abandoned house. I just tossed him there. From the various scents, I gathered it was a place where druggies frequented so they will most likely see him as a junkie. He had some needle marks on his skin."

"Do the drugs or diseases affect you in any way?" I asked.

"It adds a different dimension to the blood but it doesn't affect me. Like I wouldn't get addicted to cocaine just because I was hunting crack addicts. Same goes with diseases. I'm immune to it all but I still prefer to wash off after my meal."

"Hmm, I understand about wanting to feel clean after that. So feeding on druggies or someone who was sick, it doesn't make it less appetizing than animal blood?"

"No, even bagged blood is better than animal," he explained. "Take your coffee for example. You must have had some before that was just awful but looked similar to a good cup of coffee, right?" I nodded. "Well, you can tell once you taste it that it isn't good but if you're in a situation where you really need that caffeine, it'll do in a pinch."

"So their diet was so you could just get by all this time? That makes sense - you were just surviving instead of living, so to speak." I looked up at him as I reached for his hand. "Does it make you uncomfortable that I ask you these questions? I am just curious about things."

"No, you can always ask and I'm more than happy to talk about it with you. You should know that by now," he said and nipped my nose playfully.

"It's just... I'm trying to get a better perspective of things," I explained and yawned. "Oh sorry," I said.

"No sorries, you're tired." He reached over and switched off the light. "Toast and coffee for breakfast right?"

"Yeah and wake up at 8," I said and closed my eyes. "Can we walk around in the morning?"

"Of course, now get some sleep baby girl. I love you."

"I love you, Jasper," I whispered as he wrapped me up in his arms and his love.

NOTES:

So yeah I couldn't NOT do a story and not mention Austin, can I? We'll see them spending a whole day in Austin in the next chapter. Hope you're enjoying the barrage of chapters I've been posting. Once I've caught up, I'll continue with the once per week update like the rest of the other sites. :)

All I can say is thank goodness for all the Pirates hoopla back in 2006. I know technically, Dead Man's Chest was the movie and Bella's watching the Curse of the Black Pearl...let's just pretend the Pay Per View was for both movies. Besides, Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom...yummy. :)