Ch. 18

B POV

When I came to again, we were at a block house somewhere, which belonged to Charlotte and Peter. I woke up in a bed, Jasper was lying next to me, still unconscious. I tried to rouse him. No luck.

However, as soon as I was up walking, the door opened and Peter and Charlotte came in with sad faces.

"What is going on?" I asked.

They shook their heads in unison. "We have no idea", Peter said. "By rights he should be up and ravenous – a fight will do that, but", he shrugged. "Nothing. Garreth is on the phone with Carlisle Cullen, maybe he has an idea…"

"Who is Garreth?"

"A friend. We called some people in as reinforcements."

"Bella, you look like hell. Will you at least have something to eat?" Charlotte coaxed.

I did not feel like food or like leaving Jasper just lying there like a medieval statue, but my insides disagreed and I compromised by coming along to get something to eat and take back with me.

I blinked when I came to the living room/dining area: Rosalie and Emmett were just coming back obviously from hunting. There were other vampires too: the teenage boy whom I had already met was lounging on the sofa reading a comic and one other who must be Garreth on the phone. Peter and Charlotte introduced them to me.

"Hi Bella", the teen piped up and went back to his reading.

Garreth informed us that Carlisle had had no idea what was going on with Jasper and had suggested waiting for a sign of change. Great.

I gulped when I saw there was also another human in the room. Kerry beamed at me and left Garreth's side long enough to hug me. "Bella, girl, why didn't you say there were nice vamps too?"

"So, you do think I'm nice after all?" Garreth quipped, coming closer.

She batted his arm away playfully. "I was talking about Peter and Charlotte. You, I might like after some … reformin'."

I shook my head. She was not fooling anyone with her off-hand words. The way she was looking at Garreth spoke volumes, and Garreth knew it. "Deny it all you want, Missy, you are completely smitten, my dear!" He kissed her nose and Alec sighed.

"Change her already!"

"As soon as she asks me to. I am a gentleman", Garreth answered, enveloping Kerry in a hug that had Emmett and Peter scream: "Get a room already, you two!"

At that moment the door opened and another huge vampire came in.

"Felix", Peter addressed him. "Any news?"

The giant shook his head with a sad face. "No. She must be changing, I hope she is, but she's not making any sound. I…" He collapsed onto the sofa where Alec comforted him at once.

"Might be the morphine", Rosalie said. "I called Carlisle about that again half an hour ago; that's what he thinks."

I was completely lost, so Kerry filled me in. "That huge Italian took one look at Anna, went to his knees in the middle of the fight and vowed to protect her with his life. He must be some leftover from those chivalric times or something." She tried to sound unimpressed, but I could see that she was routing for a happy ending for Anna.

As soon as politely possible, I excused myself and went back to Jasper's room.

Still no change.

For two days.

Peter and Charlotte were fit to be tied.

Then, suddenly, in the middle of the night, a gasp. "Bella?"

Before I had time to properly wake up, Jasper must have gotten up.

Rumbling sounds, then: "Damnit! What's with this infernal darkness? What's wrong with my eyes?" Another crash. "Ouch, that hurt!"

By now the room was becoming crowded with Peter, Charlotte, Emmett, Rosalie and Alec rushing in.

I switched on the light. "Jasper, are you ok?"

Jasper was holding on to his left foot and hopping around on one leg, bumping into walls and furniture.

"Jasper?" Peter and Charlotte asked worriedly.

With a sigh, Jasper sat down on the bed. "I stubbed my toe on the blasted bedpost."

Nervous chuckles erupted everywhere, which did nothing for Jasper's mood.

"Ha-bloody-ha! That really hurt." Then he blinked, surprised. "Oh – and there is something wrong with my eyes. I couldn't see anything in this cursed darkness!" He turned to me and breathed out. "Bella, thank god! I thought… what is it?" He frowned at my amazed expression.

"Your eyes…"

"Yes?" Panicked.

"They… they're blue!" The prettiest forget-me-not blue eyes were looking at me from Jasper's face, and now I also noticed a slight dusting of freckles on the bridge of his nose. A five o'clock shadow was forming on his cheeks.

Peter and Charlotte looked as if they had been hit on the head. The others were flabbergasted as well and we must have looked like an exhibition of waxworks for a full two minutes.

Then a noise could be heard. A growl.

"What…?" Alec started, but I giggled and Jasper moaned. "My god, I'm starving!"