Ben
Disclaimer; all characters and copyright belong to SM.
A/N-thank you for reviewing, following and favouriting this story. I apologise for the lack of updates because of my uncooperative muse.
Or another reason could be there are far too many sparkly vamps in this story…
Chapter Fifteen-Jasper and Edward
When Jacob woke up the next morning with the light shining in his eyes, he found that Bella and Ben had left the couch some time during the night and were now cuddled up on either side of him on the floor. Jacob settled back down, reluctant to disturb them. The two of them looked so peaceful. He turned his head so he was facing Bella. The soft morning light shone on her face, seeming to make her pale skin appear translucent. She looked ethereal, like some beautiful angel.
One of her hands was resting on his chest; she was curled up into the curve of his body, her head finding sanctuary on his broad shoulder. Jacob felt his heart thump in accordance with her slow, shallow breaths. He loved her so much it was like a constant ache in his chest. He had to fight the urge to wake her up from her peaceful slumber and declare his feelings.
Turning his head away from her he found Ben gazing at him drowsily. His thick, brown hair was standing up all over his head, and he still had the impression of the pillow showing on one cheek. Jacob smiled at the little boy, putting his finger to his lips, gesturing for him to be quiet because Bella was still sleeping. Ben understood. He yawned, his eyes already closing as he snuggled against Jacob like he was some kind of giant hot water bottle.
Jasper's face was unreadable as he watched Edward settle himself down at the piano. After his tiff with Alice, Jasper had gone hunting, taking out his frustrations with his mate on some poor animal. It did little to soothe his sour mood, even if it did slake his thirst for a while. He had come home ready to try and talk things through with her, only to find Alice and Esme gone, and Carlisle locked away in his study with Edward. He normally hated subterfuge, but was desperate to get some insight into what was bothering Alice. She had said it had nothing to do with Edward, but he knew from past experience that was a lie. He hated that he was forced to listen in at the keyhole like some pathetic spy, but he was out of options.
A lot of the conversation between Carlisle and Edward was the latter whining about Bella. That was nothing unusual. If this was the way Edward carried on, Jasper couldn't blame her for dumping him. He was surprised it had taken her so long to get around to it. But then he had always thought Bella was a bit thick. He had always struggled to understand why Edward was so obsessed with her and why his mate was so attached. Apart from her sweet-smelling blood Bella didn't have much going for her as far as he was concerned.
Jasper was just about to give up when the conversation took a turn. Carlisle, normally so patient and understanding with his favourite son, became irritable. Jasper was shocked when he heard the coven leader tell Edward about his argument with Esme. He was even more stunned when he learned that the normally serene and placid Esme had lost her cool and slapped Carlisle.
"It has caused a rift between us and I don't know how to repair it." Carlisle complained. "Esme is not answering my calls. I'm sorry, Edward. I know I promised to help but you're going to have to deal with the Ben situation on your own until I can persuade my wife to come home."
Edward had not been happy about losing Carlisle's support and had left his mentors study under a cloud. He was now sitting at his piano, flexing his long musician's fingers as he got ready to play the lullaby that he'd written especially for Bella. It always managed to soothe his melancholy mood as it reminded him of happier times. He hoped it would relax him enough to figure out his next move. His eyes closed and he pictured Bella in his mind, imagining her sitting beside him, looking up at him adoringly while he played for her.
He was just about to rest his fingers on the piano's keys when Jasper appeared and slammed the lid down. Edward's eyes shot open and he stared at Jasper, infuriated at his unwanted intrusion.
"What are you doing?" He demanded petulantly. "You could have cut off my fingers!"
Jasper's expression showed he would like to cut off more than Edward's fingers. "Who's Ben?" He asked sharply.
Edward's eyes narrowed as he studied Jasper calculatingly. He probed Jasper's mind and it didn't take him long to find out why Alice's mate was so worked up "You don't need to sneak around listening at keyholes, Jas. You could have just asked." He sneered.
Jasper scowled in annoyance at being caught out. He loomed over Edward intimidatingly, making the other draw back sharply. "Who's Ben?" He demanded again.
"He's Bella's brother." Edward huffed, rising gracefully from the piano stool and putting some much-needed distance between him and Jasper.
"Bella has a brother?" This was surprising news. Jasper calmed down and his attitude changed as he tried to draw more information out of Edward. He sent calming waves over in Edward's direction and smiled when he saw him visibly relax. It wasn't long before he was spilling his guts. It wasn't the first time Jasper had used his unique gift to get what he wanted. It was like taking candy from a baby.
"So, you want to trace the child's mother." Jasper mused after a while. "To do that you're going to need help."
"I know that!" Edward replied exasperatedly. "I was hoping to make use of Carlisle's contacts. But he's too caught up in his ridiculous spat with Esme. She'll come back when she realises that she overreacted."
"Carlisle is not the only one with contacts." Jasper pointed out smoothly. If he could get rid of Edward for a while, then maybe it would relieve the pressure on Alice, and hopefully he would be able to persuade her it was time to break free of the coven for a while and go their own way.
"What are you suggesting?" Edward said dubiously.
"The question is not what but who."
Edward rolled his eyes impatiently. "Who are you suggesting?"
"Jenks."
"That shady lawyer!" Edward scoffed.
"That shady lawyer you're referring to has done us countless favours. He's one of the best document forgers available. I've worked with him since the late eighties. I trust him."
"You scare him into keeping his mouth shut you mean." Edward muttered.
Jasper decided to ignore Edward's jibe. "Jenks knows people. If anyone can find the child's mother, it will be him."
Edward mulled over Jasper's suggestion. It wasn't such a terrible idea. He was willing to do anything that would help him reunite with Bella. He looked at Jasper and nodded. "Make the introductions." He said.
"Done." Jasper agreed as he pulled out his cell and placed a call to Max, his point of contact to Jenks.
"How about some hot chocolate, Ben?" Bella suggested. Ben nodded eagerly. He loved chocolate. Her eyes slid to Jacob and she watched a grin spread across his face. "Let me guess you want some, too."
"And maybe some of those snickerdoodle cookies you made earlier?" Jacob gave her a pleading look.
Bella couldn't help but laugh. "I think there might be a few of them left. You ate all the sugar cookies and the chocolate chips. So, did you. Didn't you, Ben?" She ruffled her little brother's hair as he copied Jacob's wide grin.
"Jake, I don't know how you do it?" Charlie shook his head in disbelief as he watched Jacob and Ben devour the last of the biscuits. "You wolfed down half of that pot roast Bella made for dinner. I'd say you were a growing boy but I can't see how you can grow any more than you already have." He teased.
Bella smiled nervously while Jacob frowned. Billy just shook his head. "He's been eating me out of house and home for a few years now, Charlie. Young Ben is just like him. You wait until he's a teenager!" He laughed.
Charlie's gaze settled on his son. The little boy was slurping at his hot chocolate happily. "Maybe you should slow down there, kid." He suggested.
Ben froze. His big brown eyes widened as he looked up at Charlie anxiously. Charlie immediately felt guilty. He was constantly putting his foot in it. He noticed Bella glaring at him and he sighed. "I was joking, Ben." He said gently.
Ben's little shoulders relaxed, but some of the happiness had gone from his face as he resumed drinking his hot chocolate. Charlie sighed, feeling even more ashamed of himself. Bella was about to step in but he saw Jacob stop her. This was down to him.
"Can I borrow your hot chocolate?" He asked Jacob.
"Sure." Jacob passed him the half empty mug.
"Thanks." Charlie sat down clumsily next to his son. Ben stopped drinking again and tensed as he watched Charlie warily. Charlie raised his own mug and smiled at the little boy warmly. "I've got one, too." He said, injecting some cheer into his tone. He raised the mug to his lips and began to drink the hot chocolate noisily. "Ah, lovely." He said after a while, wiping his hand across his mouth. "Shall we drink the rest of it together, Ben?" He suggested.
The tension left Ben's face as he nodded. Copying Charlie, he used two hands to raise the mug to his lips and began to slurp the hot chocolate again. Charlie winked at him playfully as he did the same.
"Thanks for stopping me." Bella brushed the crumbs off Jacob's shirt and kissed his cheek. "I have to take a step back and let Dad handle things himself sometimes."
Jacob enfolded her in his arms and kissed the top of her head. "He'll get there. It's just gonna take time." He said huskily.
"I'm just so worried about Ben, Jake." Bella whispered. "And I'm worried about Luka. I tried calling Alice, but she's not answering."
"I know its easy for me to say, but you need to give her time." Jacob reminded her.
Bella raised her head and smiled up at him. "Did you just defend Alice?" She teased.
"Don't get used to it." Jacob returned her smile as he brushed his warm fingers across her cheek.
Bella's smile faded and she sighed. Despite Jacob's best attempts to reassure her, she was still pent up with worry. The thought of poor Luka, all alone, out there in the cold, wandering the streets by himself. Oh, how she wished she had been home the day Luka had brought Ben to the house! She wished she could think of some way to find him. She hated having to rely on Alice's visions.
And then there was Edward…
Bella had been secretly fretting about him since she had broken things off. She knew how impulsive he could be. She just had to hope he wasn't doing anything stupid. Esme and Alice had assured her that they had been careful to keep him out of the loop. She just had to trust that they would be able to carry on doing so.
"I feel I need to be more pro-active." She confided to Jacob.
Jacob's hands were warm as he held her face. He hated seeing her fretting so much. She wasn't the only one who was worried. "Maybe we can."
"How?" Bella questioned in despair.
"By looking for Luka ourselves." Jacob explained. "We can start local and then spread out. Maybe he hasn't gone that far. The pack will help."
"Thanks, Jake." Bella felt tears well in her eyes as she flung her arms around his waist and hugged him.
A/N-thanks for reading!
