First and foremost this is the original story before I started to rewrite it... and got stuck in the writing of the rewrite. If you are following the rewrite you will notice quite glaring differences between this and the one you have already started following. I do not intend on giving up with the rewritten version, however, I think you guys waiting for me to get over my blank slate of a muse isn't going to happen any time soon. So I am re-posting the original. This was my first completed story and it is very different from how my last stories flow.
Secondly, this is not beta'ed. NOT AT ALL. There will be mistakes in spelling (I'm Australian and some words we spell differently). The layout will honestly have you wondering what the hell I was thinking. I wasn't; well that's not true. What I was thinking was that I knew what I was doing and screw anyone else... yes I was a conceited little shit even at the age of 31.
Thirdly, there are 68 chapters to this story, including the epilogue and two outtakes. All of which have been uploaded to my profile I will try to upload as often as I can. Please understand that I have a busy life in the real world. This includes two children, one grown and the other with disabilities. So while I should be able to update wherever I am, if something happens please understand that I will miss updating.
Last but not least. I am not SM. Not even close. I do not own the franchise, work in any capacity with the publishing houses or studios. I merely escaped from reality to play with some characters that I fell in love with while reading four books in a matter of days.
"Isabella Marie Swan, what were you thinking?" Char screeched from the backyard as I slowly made my way towards the girls and Jane.
"Um, that Junior needed to go to sleep since it's been a somewhat hectic week?" I didn't mean to have it come out as a question, that is exactly how my response came as. I saw the amused look on both Jane's and Rose's face, while Alice was sitting there in a silent fit of giggles.
"That is not what I mean and you know it. I meant what were you thinking about hiring a clown for your son's first birthday celebration? Do you want him to be petrified by them when he's older?" her voice was slowly reaching higher notes than I had ever heard.
I couldn't help it; I cracked up at her face. Char had a very unnatural phobia of clowns, and she was never able to express exactly why it was so. That was something I found out in our first year in college together, Halloween was spent watching horror movies with her and Peter in our dorm room, and the final one that was left in the pile was It. Needless to say, she pitched a fit and practically ran from the room just from seeing the cover.
"Char sweetie, I'm not hiring a clown. He's one for heaven's sake. It's mostly going to be adults and a BBQ. The only other child that will be in attendance is little Bella. Besides just because the invitations had clowns on them doesn't mean anything. Junior picked them out; they're the most colorful ones that were in the shop." I wheezed out after I had regained control over my breathing.
"You better not, I don' think you and Jasper would survive the damage Peter would inflict on you." She mumbled, but this brought the rest of us in fits of giggles once more.
No-one more than Jane; she knew that he played on that phobia to get more action in bed and that he had secretly planned her Halloween costume to be a big ass clown.
It had been nearly two weeks since the trial ended and while he was found guilty, I still hadn't heard the sentence he had received. I had heard from Riley, he wanted to know if I was able to set up a meeting with Brea's parents; he wanted to apologize for his role in her death, and he was ready to sign over any and all guardianship of his daughter if that was what it took.
This also meant we had just over a week before Junior's first birthday. I had already found Jasper planning on buying him his first horse, much to my fear. It's not that I was afraid of horses or that I didn't want Junior to have one. Far from it; I just didn't think that at one year old it was suitable for him to have such an animal that he couldn't enjoy or care for. We argued for a little while until we came up with a suitable substitute for the problem, he would receive his own "semi-life size" rocking horse to see how he took to being on a moving thing before we went all out on the horse thing.
"So since you have established that you are NOT hiring a clown for Junior's birthday, what are you going to do?" Jane asked as she sat there knitting some woolen thing that was apparently necessary for her to give me and Jasper as a present for moving into our home together.
We had copped a little flack about not telling anyone, but we had agreed that once it was ready, and was suitable for visitors that we would hold a huge Whitlock cookout. Only Pa knew that it was ready and he kept that to himself not wanting to be chewed out by momma for not telling her beforehand.
I shrugged my shoulders because what can you really do for a child who has no other association with children his own age except when his cousin of sorts visits? It had been agreed that it would be held at the Whitlock ranch, though this was partially due to momma insisting it here and not at our home –something to do with the size of the property. Secretly I think she wanted to have some celebration since she was not happy with Jasper and me not being married as yet.
"Momma, you took control of this, all I have to do, and I quote you "make sure my tiny ass is there with the boys." So whatever you want to do is fine by me, just promise it's not going to be something monumental." I had turned the doe-eyes on her since I knew I had no chance with the puppies. I think it's something to do with the whole motherhood thing. I knew I should be worried when she smiled but wouldn't vocalize her plans but I also knew that she was easier to handle than Alice.
We were sitting out back watching Jane make this big monstrosity of a blanket of sorts while talking about what I was going to do about everything now that it had calmed down somewhat in our lives when we heard the noise from the front of the house as the guys came into the house going on about some sport that really didn't interest me.
"I swear dude you didn't see it right." Emmett was passionately arguing with Edward while Peter and Jasper just stood back and watched the show.
"Yeah, and you didn't see the whole thing either so it really doesn't help anyway. Besides, the score wasn't affected by that anyway. Your team still lost." Edwards was his smug self within seconds as Emmett's face fell at that little reminder of whatever game it was.
"Do we want to know?" I whispered in Jasper's ear as he bent over me to softly kiss me.
"It's a long story and honestly do you want to know?" I could hear the smile in his voice, knowing he knew what my answer would be.
Soon enough the two had given up trying to convince the other on whatever argument they were on about and had started on something that every man that was here wanted to talk about. Sports in general; I could have sworn that I heard every one of the girls sigh at the same time I did.
"Hey Emmett, can you help me with something?" I called over the talk of sports, he raised his head clearly not knowing if he was going to be told off any time soon or if he had been busted in something that he didn't know about yet. I had to wonder if there was something that I needed to know about, but it could wait for another time.
"Yeah sure, but I promise I didn't mean to do it," he replied, and honestly I don't know what he was going on about but I was definitely going to do some questioning about what is weighing on his mind as of late. He followed me into the kitchen and through to the living room where we sat down.
"Emm, you're not gonna be facing the firing squad here. Relax. I actually need your help with something." I had to hide my smile and laugh as he visibly relaxed in the chair; who'd a thought that big bad Emmett would be afraid of me?
"What's up Bella?" he asked.
Now, this is where I had to tread carefully. I needed his help, but at the same time I couldn't give too much away.
"Um, I was thinking about inviting some of the guys you and Jasper were with during your time in the army, you know to catch up and everything, but I really don't know how to get in contact with them, and I wanted to keep it a secret from Jasper." I rushed out trying to get this over with without taking too long.
I knew without a doubt that someone would be coming in soon to see what we were up to. I smiled as I saw the way he was thinking about the friends he and Jasper had during that time, if you had a video camera inside his head I'm sure you would have been able to playback the memories he was going through.
"Sure Bella what do you need." His smile was infectious.
"When are you able to talk, it's gonna need to be somewhere where we can talk without anyone being there. Well other than Junior but since he's still too young to be blabbing this out I think he's okay." He quickly told me when his next day off and we made plans for him to meet me at the little bar near Emily's restaurant.
I knew there were some that he probably didn't want to see again, but now I knew I would be able to weed out the idiots that would probably turn out to be assholes or something. We quickly made our way outside where we were met with curious glances.
"What was that all about?" Rose asked as Emmett quickly kissed her head and made his way towards the guys again.
"Just ask him if to help me out with something. I need a spy and who better than your muscle man over there." I answered as we all started to giggle at the faces that Peter, Jasper, and Edward were pulling.
"Now woman you better be taking that back, or I might be a little worried," Jasper called as he started to walk over to me, I saw that little glint in his eye, he knew that what I was saying had nothing to do with what I had told Rose but he was going to find out what it was.
I squealed and shot off towards the darkening backyard, before realizing that this was Jasper that I had run from and that I was in a fenced backyard so I had nowhere to run to.
"Bella, you know I'll find you right." He called and I heard the laughter from our friends, they knew too I had just backed my way into a corner and I had no way of getting out of it. I didn't hear anything and I couldn't see more than 5 feet away from me, but I thought I had found a decent hiding spot behind one of the big trees that lined the back wall of the yard.
"Bella, if it was just us I'd take this to be more than just hide and seek." He cooed as I heard reaching noises from the guys who were thoroughly enjoying the little game they were watching, and the little comment about sex games not being appropriate for the current company thrown out by none other than Peter.
I heard the rustling of the leaves from one of the trees around me, and I knew that this meant I was about 3 seconds from being found. I had nowhere to run and really I didn't want to be found if it was Jasper doing the seeking.
I felt his hands wrap around my waist scaring me with just exactly how quiet he could be, but biting back the little yelp that was fighting damn hard to escape.
"Bella, Bella, Bella. You should know by now that I win this game. Now you going to tell me what that little chat was about?" he whispered in my ear, as he started to trail his nose up and down the column of my neck. The man knew how to torture me better than anything. I groaned at his little ministrations.
"I just needed to ask how things were going with him and Rose, you know with me having to go off at him last year I wanted to make sure that he was still treating her right with everything that had been going on in our little world," I mumbled out, not sure what I was saying but hoping that he bought it anyway. He murmured something about not really believing but I was way too interested in keeping him on the little task he had started.
"Hey you two, when Jasper's finished groping Bella can you come back to the rest of us," Peter called causing me to groan and Jasper to chuckle. I felt like turning the tables on him but I knew it had to wait.
"Not fair Jasper. That was mean and cruel." I whimpered as he pulled me back to the rest of the group.
We found ourselves still sitting outside once everyone had left and Peter and Char had left to head to bed, with very specific undercurrents to their sudden disappearance. I reached over to the little trunk that sat down the side of the fire pit that had died out some time ago and grabbed one of the larger blankets it held; pulling it over the two of us.
"So how is everything going for you now?" he asked as he gently kissed the side of my head.
"It's quiet. I like it." I answered as I began to run my fingers gently up and down his forearms.
As I stared up to the sky watching the stars twinkle and making patterns in the sky I heard the soft snores of Jasper. He had fallen asleep with me lying over his chest. How he was able to be comfortable on the wooden chair with the soft pillow behind him, and me lying on top of him I don't know, but what I did know was that we had better have gone inside to sleep if we didn't want to wake up sore as hell and cranky to boot.
