Chapter Twenty Two

AN: Okay, I know that Renesmee's birthday in the books is in September, but for creative license, I'm saying her birthday is in July. Also, before anyone gripes and complains or wonders 'what the hell?' the last chapter was at the END of January. You'll understand more later in the chapter.

And, just for FYI…I didn't FALL off the face of the earth. I managed to hold on by my short, grubby nails and claw my way back to the surface. But it took time…I have NO upper body strength. I hope this was worth the wait…

July 2003

"Are your eyes closed?" he asked.

She gave her little giggle and said, "Yes."

"Are you sure?"

"Jake!"

He grinned. "Okay, open them."

She blinked in the candlelight of their suite. She'd begged off her mother and father's ideas of celebrating her birthday with them saying she had plans with one of her model/actress friends. Surprisingly, or rather, unsurprisingly, they'd bought it, and had sent her off for her eighteenth birthday celebration with only her cell phone to get in touch with her. It worked out well for her and Jake though, and he had gone all out to give her the perfect getaway.

As he came into focus, she gasped. "Jacob…"

He smiled shyly as he knelt on one knee. He took the ring from the box. "It's not an engagement ring, not yet, but I thought for your eighteenth birthday, a promise ring would be appropriate."

Her hand was shaking as she extended it out to him. He kissed her knuckles before he slid the diamond and ruby ring on her finger. "I know that you're young, Nessie, so am I, but I hope that you would do me the honor of considering marrying me…in the future." He was blushing as he said it.

She slid off the couch and onto both her knees on the floor, taking his face in her hands. "Yes, Jacob, a hundred times, yes."

"You-you mean it?"

She rolled her eyes. "No, I just wanted you for the rock and your penis."

He snorted, causing her to laugh. "I love you," she whispered as she brought her mouth to his. "Make love to me, Jakey, make love to your fiancée."

He stood, scooping her up into his arms. He took her to the bed and laid her down upon it. "I love you, Lynessa Masen. You're my whole world. You're the only thing I see. I can't wait until we're both old enough and you are the last thing I see when I lay down to sleep and the first thing I see in the morning."

He kissed her gently before moving to settle between her legs. They'd had a wonderful dinner at a five star restaurant here in New York and they had a day of sight-seeing planned for the next day. He had wanted to take her to Niagara Falls, but hadn't been sure she could sneak her passport from her mother's safe. And being in New York would be easier travel-wise anyway.

"Jakey…get me naked."

He was standing in a shot, stripping out of his shirt and pulling her to a standing position. She laughed and turned, looking demurely over her shoulder. "Will you unzip me?" She even batted her eyelashes at him.

He cleared his throat and shifted his erection in his pants. She giggled. "See something you like, Jakey?"

He let out something that sounded like a growl as he stalked toward her. His big hands went to her back even as his lips fell to her shoulder, kissing the bare skin there. "You taste like vanilla icing, nutmeg and oranges," he commented.

She laughed. "Wow. That was random."

He let out that growling sound again as her dress pooled at her feet. "You weren't wearing any underwear?" His voice sounded disbelieving.

"Did you see the dress, Jacob? Could I have fit anything under there?"

His eyes narrowed and he pounced, tackling her to the bed. She started giggling before his teeth grazed her nipple and she moaned as he moved over her, into her, as they began their dance.

Emmett woke with a start when the pounding sounded on the door. He groaned as he looked at the clock. "One in the morning? What the fuck?"

"Em? What is it?" Rosalie asked, alarmed.

"I-I don't know, Rosie. Lemme go see, okay?"

She bit her lip and nodded. "Be careful."

He grabbed the baseball bat he had stuck up against the doorjamb from his game with Edward the day before and hurried down the stairs.

He snuck up to the entryway, flipped on the light, and threw open the door, yelling, "WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU?!"

"Em?" Jasper asked softly.

"Jazz?" He looked at his friend, really noticed him. "What happened?"

Jasper swallowed hard. "I…oh, God, my mom…"

"What does that bitch want now?" Emmett said with a growl.

"Nothing. She's dead."

Emmett's mouth fell open. "What?"

"J-Jamie just called me. She…you know she's working at the Emergency Room part time now…and Mom…she had been drinking. She was dead on arrival, Jamie said."

Emmett sighed. "Did she kill anyone else?" he asked.

Jasper swallowed hard and Emmett sighed again. "Come on, let's get you a drink and then let's go pack our bags."

"Em? What's wrong?" Rosalie asked as she walked down the stairs, wrapping herself in a long silk robe. "Jasper? Are you alright?"

"Rose, babe," Emmett said softly. "Jasper's mom died tonight."

She gasped and her hand went to her mouth. "How?"

Jasper's face hardened. "Her drunken ass got behind the fucking wheel of her car and she was driving down the road where she hit and killed a woman who was on her way home from her job. The woman was a single mother. Her kids have no mom because my mother was a fucking selfish bitch who wanted her next drink more than she wanted to live and let fucking live!"

"Jazzy," Rosalie said as she wrapped her arms around him. She looked at Emmett. "Em, go call the boys, okay? I'm going to get Jasper something to drink. I think he needs a glass of warm milk, don't you?"

Emmett was just looking at Jasper after his outburst, but blinked and nodded. "Uh, yeah, I-I'll do that."

Rosalie nodded. "Okay, come on Jasper, let's go."

He wrapped his arms around her and let out a sob as she led him to the kitchen.

Emmett blew out a breath and called Carlisle.

Five hours later, they were all in a caravan heading toward Jasper and Emmett's hometown. Jasper was asleep, having been slipped one of Rosalie's anti-anxiety pills, and she and Emmett were talking in low whispers. Jacob had been called from where he was on vacation back home in Washington, or so they thought, and Edward and Bella were riding with Carlisle, Foster, and a very pregnant, bordering on her due date Esme in the other vehicle.

"How do you think he is," Emmett asked softly as they turned onto the interstate.

Rosalie shrugged. "I think that he's received a blow. He has some sort of serious issues with his mother and he's not gotten them resolved, now she's dead, and from such a tragic event…"

"…that was her fault," Emmett finished.

Rosalie shot him a look. "Emmett," she admonished quietly.

"What? It's true. It was in fact her fault."

"But she was still taken away from him before he managed to either write her off completely or make amends with her."

"She didn't deserve him to make amends with her."

"But this is something that will bother him forever, Emmett. Just because you say 'fuck her' and be done with it, doesn't mean he can. On some level, he loves her, and probably always will, even if his relationship with her is somewhat strained or whatever it is."

She paused. "Why is it strained, anyway?" She had an inkling. Jasper had told her that he had suffered abuse. Naturally, she assumed it was his mother, but he had never commented. He could have been in an abusive relationship, for all she knew. He was very secretive about some things and his private life was one of them. He let her know just enough to leave her wanting to know more.

"Besides the fact she's an evil bitch?"

Rose shot him a look. "Can you not give me more than that?"

"She wasn't a mother, not like mine was," Emmett said after a moment's pause. "Probably not even like yours," he stated, remembering the stories Rosalie had told of her younger years. Her mother had been a decent one, even if she was taking her husband's side against Rosalie still and was refusing to speak to her daughter.

Emmett really hoped, for Rosalie's sake, that they could reconcile, even if Emmett didn't want to give them the time of day. "To be honest with you, I'm not sure what their issues are, besides the fact that she was a crappy mom and was never there for him." He shrugged. "I just know that he was always at our house and my parents were more parents than his mom ever was."

"What about his dad?"

Emmett snorted. "His mom screwed so many men; Jasper had no way to know who the hell his daddy was."

Rosalie smiled despite herself at the strong southern accent that came back into Emmett's voice as he said the word 'daddy'. "Well, I'm glad you and your family were there for him."

"He's like a brother to me," Emmett said with a smile. It fell, though as he said, "I just wish I knew what was wrong with him lately…I mean, before this."

Rosalie nodded. She, too, had noticed something was bothering Jasper. She had wondered if he was suffering a bout of depression, but hadn't found a way to address it to him, and felt like, though he had opened up to her about a lot of things, that perhaps that would be over-stepping her bounds.

Jasper let out a little snort from the backseat and Rosalie flipped on the radio. "Go ahead and get you some sleep, sugar," Emmett said as he fiddled with the stations, making it a point to change it when one of their songs came on.

Rose grinned at him. "Don't like listening to your own songs?"

He shook his head. "It gets old after a while. Besides, I have all of them memorized."

She laughed and leaned over to kiss him on the cheek. "Emmett, I love you."

His smile caused his dimple to wink at her and she let out a little sigh of contentment as she leaned against him and shut her eyes.

Emmett let out a yawn as they pulled into town. "Rosie," he said as he pulled into the funeral home's driveway.

She blinked and yawned as she stretched her arms, her shirt riding up. She caught Emmett looking at the sliver of stomach she showed and said, "Down boy."

He grinned. "You know I can't help myself, darlin'."

"It's true," a female voice said from his open door.

Emmett looked up and his grin grew. "Damn straight," he said as he stood and stretched as well.

"Fame looks pretty good on you, Em," Jamie said.

"And married life looks good on you," he commented.

She smiled. "Yeah, well, that's not all," she said as she rubbed her stomach lightly.

"No!"

She nodded.

He grabbed her and swung her around. "A baby? Does the daddy know?"

She rolled her eyes as she accepted a kiss to her cheek. "Yes, he was there when I took the test, smart ass."

He shrugged. "Takes one to know one."

She put a finger to her chin. "Hmm…good point." She glanced into the backseat of the jeep where Jasper was still sleeping off the effects of the drug Rose had given him. "How is he?"

Emmett shrugged. "I don't know…"

Jamie shot him a look. "I wasn't asking you, Em." She turned to Rosalie. "How is Jasper?"

Rosalie sighed. "He's angry."

Jamie nodded. "I can imagine."

"Do you know what all went on between Jasper and his mother?"

Jamie shook her head. "No, I don't. Miya might…"

"Oh, God. Is she going to be here?" Emmett asked quickly.

Jamie shook her head again. "No, she's not. I spoke to her this morning. She said she had written a note to Jasper or something, and that she wasn't going to see him again because it only hurt them both too much, knowing they aren't meant to be. She says she wants to stick to that. Besides, she's in Dubai and couldn't get a flight anyway. She sent flowers. The big spray of daisies and roses…"

Emmett made a snorting sound and Jamie shot him a look. "Just because you and I can be friends, Emmett, doesn't mean everyone and their ex's can be."

Rosalie poked him in the stomach. "Jamie has a point."

He shot them both a look. "My fiancée and my ex-girlfriend are talking." He paused, "And agreeing. God help me…"

Both the women giggled. Jamie looked in the car where Jasper was still sleeping. "What the hell did you give him, anyway?"

Rosalie shrugged. "Just a Xanax, he'll be fine. He just needed a little something to help him relax."

Jamie looked at her warily. "You know, from a nursing standpoint, you aren't supposed to share prescription drugs with other people."

Rosalie started to object when Jamie held up a hand. "But," she continued, "I would have done the same thing. Thank you for keeping up with these blockheads. You've got your hands full."

Rosalie laughed. "Well, you did it for their first twenty-something years, I guess I can take my turn."

Jamie grinned. "But just don't send them back to me for their mid-life crisis. I don't think I could handle that."

Rosalie snorted delicately. "No, I don't think anyone can. We may have to tag-team them or something when that happens."

"I'm standing right here, ladies," Emmett said sourly.

The two women just laughed again.

Emmett let out a 'humph' and walked around to open the door and tap Jasper on the shoulder. "Jazz-man, we're here."

Jasper startled awake and stretched. It was when he looked around and realized where they were, that his eyes grew wide and he began looking panicked. "Do...do I have to see her or..."

"Jazz, you don't have to do anything you don't want to," Jamie said, kneeling next to the car and patting his knee.

"That's right," Rosalie said, moving to his other side. "Let's just go in and see about the arrangements. If you want, Jamie and I can handle them, can't we, Jay?"

Jamie looked shocked at the nickname Rosalie had given her, but nodded. "Of course. Why don't you grab a smoke...I'm sure you're still smoking those awful things, and leave the planning to us, alright? Em? Want to keep him company?"

Emmett nodded. "Yeah, no problem."

"Thank you," Jasper whispered.

The women both nodded and stood, heading into the funeral home. It took them only an hour, in which Emmett and Jasper walked down the street to the convenience store and bought a couple of high-boys to drink while they waited. They were both feeling a bit slurred when the women emerged. They shot each other looks before giving one another brief hugs and Jamie slid into her Ford Mustang. "See you at the house," she murmured to Rosalie.

"The house?" Jasper said as Jamie's car pulled out of the drive. His voice had raised an octave. "You-you mean we have to go to her house!?"

"Jazz, man, you know that's where everyone'll be coming to. Rosie told me the viewin'll be tomorrow right before the graveside service..."

"No. No, no, no! I do not want to stay there!"

"Whoa, Jazz, you ain't got to stay there. I promise," Emmett said, lifting his hands in surrender.

"I-I need a break. Lemme walk by myself, okay? I guess..." Jasper blew out a breath. "I guess I'll see you over there."

Emmett raised an eyebrow. "You sure, man?"

Jasper nodded. "I need some air, Em."

"Come on," Rosalie said, tugging on Emmett's arm. "Let him have his space, okay?"

Emmett looked after his friend, who had started walking down the sidewalk, his head down, shoulders slumped, hands in his pockets. "I'm worried about him."

"He'll be fine, Emmett," Rosalie said. She put on a smile. "Come on, I want to see Mama McCarty. I'm sure she'll be glad to see us again."

That worked on distracting Emmett and they hurried along toward his mother's house. Jasper showed up a few hours later. He somehow managed to make it through all the people from the neighborhood as well as his mother's church coming to visit, with hugs and cheek pinches and condolences, but when evening wore on and it was time for bed, he went and slept on Emmett's old bed in the McCarty house.

"What the fuck is a 'viewing'?" Edward asked as he adjusted his tie in his and Bella's hotel room.

Bella shot him a look. "A viewing is when the town comes and views the body in the casket. It's a traditional southern custom. I've been to a few."

Edward gave a shiver. "You mean I have to look at the corpse?"

Bella rolled her eyes as she moved to check her lipstick in the mirror over the dresser. "Yes. Well, you have to at least pay your respects. I think Jasper's the only family, so you'll get into the line and shake his hand, that sort of thing. I think Emmett's going to stand up with him since he actually knew Evelyn."

Edward sighed. "It still sounds creepy."

She let out a snort. "It is what it is, Edward."

"It's creepy," he said again under his breath, causing Bella to giggle.

"Think I'm funny?" he said sourly as he stalked toward her.

Her eyes grew wider. "Edward...Edward, now, you know we have to leave..."

"You're making fun of me," he said softly, still heading toward her.

"B-but...my hair...your suit..."

He let out a snarl and tossed her to the bed, tickling her with one hand even as his mouth descended to her neck.

"Edward!" she screamed before she let out a moan.

He licked her neck and said, "That's what I thought...we can be late..."

She moaned again and started tugging at his belt buckle. "You'd damn well better fuck me fast."

He grinned and flipped her to her stomach. She looked at him over her shoulder. "So you don't muss your hair too much," he said with his trademark smirk.

She laughed as he lifted her skirt and pulled her panties to the side. "Always thinking, aren't you?"

He thrust into her and she cried out in pleasure. "Thinking of getting my cock into you, yes."

"Fuck...Edward! More! Harder!"

He grinned again and did just that.

They arrived at the funeral home just as Emmett and Jasper did, having ridden in the limousine from the funeral home, along with Rosalie. Everyone else had opted to let them have their privacy and had gone in their own vehicles. Jacob had 'agreed' to pick up Lynessa while he was at the airport, seeing as their flights 'got in at the same time' and he had rented his own car. He had held her hand the whole ride as she sniffled.

She had not been around a lot of death, and even though her mother and father weren't very close with her, she would still have hated for something to have happened to them. Besides that, it was all too easy for her to put herself in what she thought was Jasper's shoes.

"Hey, how you doing, Jasper?" Bella asked gently as she gave him a hug. It looked odd, seeing him in a suit, his tattoos covered. He didn't have in any of his facial piercings in and only wore one set of earrings. "Wow, Jasper. You look hot."

He broke a smile and kissed Bella's cheek. "Ed, I might steal your woman. She's high-class, that's for sure." He hugged her and said in a whisper, "And smells like sex. You got somethin' you want to tell me, sugar?"

Her cheeks turned red and he laughed, the first one they'd heard since the news had come about his mother's passing. "Now, that made me feel better, darlin'. Thank you for that blush."

Bella smiled and kissed his cheek. "You know you're the only one I'd fool around on Edward with."

"Hey! What am I? Chopped liver?" Jake teased as he and Lynessa walked up.

"Hey, Jake. Thanks for bringing her," Edward said. "It was a real load off my mind that you were coming in around the same time she was."

"Like I'm not capable of working my way around an airport by myself?" Lyn asked scornfully at her big brother as she wrapped him in a hug.

He grinned. "Well, you are just a child, Lyn."

"I'm eighteen years old, Edward. I'm old enough to smoke a cigarette, old enough to vote and I'm old enough to be out from under Mom and Dad's thumbs for two fucking seconds!"

He held up his hands. "Whoa, whoa, why so defensive?"

Bella shot him a look. "She's an adult now, Edward. She has been for forever. You're just too ignorant to see it."

He let out a 'humph' and walked away. Lyn blew out a breath and Jake said, "Wow, Ness. I thought that everything was gonna come out just then."

She smiled at him and Bella. "Well, I did want to tell him about what a good fuck you are, but I figured that might be in poor taste, given why we're here."

Jake grinned at that. "I don't know...I think Jasper would like that, wouldn't you, Jasper?"

Jasper looked up from the cigarette he was lighting. "Absolutely. Though, you guys need to fucking tell him already. He's the only one that doesn't know. And if Emmett knows, you know it's only a matter of time."

"If I know what?" Emmett asked as he, too, walked up.

Jasper just rolled his eyes. "So, Lyn," he said as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "You're old enough to smoke now..."

She wrinkled her nose. "No thank you, Jasper. That is a rather nasty habit."

"I thought all models smoked."

She shook her head. "Us smart ones don't."

He nodded. "Good girl. I knew you had it in you." He took a few more puffs off of it and tossed it to the ground, stomping on it. "Let's get this the hell over with."

"We're here for you, Jasper," Rosalie said softly as she put a hand on his back.

"Thanks," he murmured. He passed by a group of the ladies from the church and heard them whispering about him. He didn't care either way, though, what they thought about him. His last link to his mother, to his horrible past was now dead, soon to be buried. He felt an immense relief, even as his anxiety spiked. He knew he should have gotten something from his old dealer last night, but he felt like he could make it. Now he wasn't so sure...

He was in the lead of their little group as he walked in. The funeral home director had asked him if he had wanted some time alone to see his mother before the viewing and he had adamantly refused. He didn't want to see her, not even now, but he knew he would have to. He couldn't avoid it any longer.

The casket was a pink color, and he held in a laugh at that. His mother's favorite color was pink, which was odd, given the fact that she was not what one could call a 'girlie-girl'. Everything she owned had some sort of pink on it. Even her car was pink, the older model Ford Taurus that came in that grey/pink color. Jasper hated pink, just on principle now. He stepped forward and saw her, made up, looking better than she had in the twenty three years since his birth and he zoned out. Completely.

Alice watched him as he looked at his mother with a heavy heart. She could only imagine what it would be like to face your abuser in this manner. She hadn't gone back to her father's funeral when he'd died a few years before. She just couldn't. Now that she and her sisters were free, she felt no connection to the man. "Jazzy," she said under her breath.

James, who was seated beside her, grabbed her hand. "It's hard to see our friends hurting, isn't it?" he commented.

She didn't even try to explain anything to him. It wasn't her story to tell. James knew of her own abuse, she had shared many things with him, including her love for Jasper. That, however, James ignored. She sometimes wondered if he hoped that her love for Jasper would one day just evaporate into thin air. Sometimes she hoped it would.

She watched Jasper, though as his fists clenched. "You can do it, Jasper. Just get through these next few hours and then it will all be over. You can do this," she whispered under her breath.

But the combination of nerves, anger, hurt, despair, not to mention the drugs he did take floating around in his system, caused him to ask softly, "Why, Mama, why?"

"I'm sorry, son. What did you say?" the pastor asked him.

But Jasper ignored him as he moved closer to the casket, his fingernails digging into his palms. "Damn you," he whispered as hot tears began to pour down his face. "Damn you to fucking hell." His voice was getting louder and Alice knew he was close to losing it.

"James," she said. "Get up."

"Why? You need to pee or something?"

She shoved at him to move past him. "James, move!" She glanced over at her shoulder at Jasper. His shoulders were shaking.

"You can say something to him after the service. It's just getting ready to start..."

"No. James, NOW!" she shouted in his face just as Jasper started shouting, "WHY, MAMA? WHY?!"

"Oh, God," Alice whispered as she all but pushed James to the floor. But it was too late. Jasper had lost it and was now beyond control.

He was sobbing and screaming and cursing and every one of his mother's secrets were spilling from his mouth. "Why'd you have to take that from me, the one thing that made me whole? Why'd you have to do that to your OWN SON? Why? Why? Why?"

"Jazz," Emmett started as he walked over to his friend.

"No, Em," Jasper snarled, "It's time you knew the truth about your friend. It's time you knew exactly how bad of a mother she was."

Alice's hands went to her mouth as Jasper let it all out, shouting it to the rooftop of that small chapel connected to the funeral home. At the end of his tirade, he said, "So, now you know what a two-faced, lying, cheating, son-fucking whore she was!" and he stormed out of the church.

The whole room sat in silence for a moment before the buzzing of everyone's voices grew. Emmett was still standing in the same spot, looking like he could be knocked over with a feather. Alice took one look at James, who was still sitting on his seat, and ran after Jasper.

Edward glanced over to check on Esme and Foster. Foster looked just confused, and Esme was tucked into Carlisle's side as she softly sobbed at the horror that had spewed forth from Jasper's mouth.

Bella looked like a fish, her mouth opening and closing in shock as she tried to process what she'd heard. And Lynessa was sobbing on Jacob's shoulder as he rubbed up and down her back, whispering to her.

"Get your hands off of her," Edward said softly.

Jacob looked up at him in surprise. "She's upset, Edward. Did you think that Jasper had that fucked-up of a childhood? I sure as hell didn't. Ness likes Jasper. This is hard for her."

"Ness?" Edward asked, confused. "What are you talking about? Lyn, come on, let's get you back to the hotel..."

Lyn didn't move, save for shaking her head and burrowing further into Jacob. Jacob, in return, tightened his grip on her, murmuring to her again, completely ignoring Edward.

"Lyn! Move!" Edward said, grabbing her arm.

"Leave her the fuck alone, Edward," Jacob warned.

Edward's eyes narrowed. "And what fucking concern of yours is it?"

Jacob let out a sound akin to a growl. "She is mine, Edward. Lynessa and I are in love."

Edward let out a snort. "You don't even know each other! What do you mean, you are in 'love'?"

"What part is hard for you, Edward?" Jacob snarled. "We do know each other and we are in love, and have been for some time."

"Just how long have you been in love with my only just turned eighteen years old sister, Jacob? After all, she only became an adult yesterday."

"Shut up!" Lyn shouted. "Shut up, Edward, Jacob! Both of you! Yes, I love Jacob. I've loved him since I first met him! We've been in love since I was fifteen years old and everyone knew except for you, Edward, because we knew you couldn't handle it!"

Edward stood stock-still for just a moment more before his hands balled into fists. "Have you touched her, dog?" he asked Jacob. "Have you fucking touched by baby sister?!"

Jacob disentangled himself from Lynessa to stand. "Edward, man," he started.

"I asked you a question, Jacob. Did you, in fact, being, what? FOUR years older than her? Did you touch one hair on her? Did you touch her anywhere inappropriately?"

"E-Edward..." Jacob started again.

But Edward knew the truth by the guilty look on his face. "I'll kill you," he said menacingly. "I'll fucking KILL you!" He lunged onto Jacob, knocking him into Lynessa and onto the floor, where he started punching Jacob as hard as he could.

Lynessa screamed and picked herself up from where she had fallen after having knocked into Carlisle. "No! Don't you dare hurt him, Edward!"

"He used you, Lyn! He's a pedophile! He's a fucking..."

"EDWARD!" Carlisle screamed, and his voice was so full of anguish, that Edward stopped his fists from flying and ceased his screaming to look at his brother in law.

Carlisle was holding Esme in his arms. Lynessa had knocked into him, causing him and Esme both to go tumbling onto the ground, but Esme had hit the large wooden pillar at the end of the pew. Edward blinked and that was when he noticed a large pool of blood beginning to bloom around his oldest sister. "Oh my God..."