Where I Belong

Chapter 5


Song I listened to for this chapter: I Walk The Line by Johnny Cash

Charlotte Whitlock POV

I dump the water on top of Bella's brown curls, wetting her hair as she quietly sits in the tub. Jasper just found his mate...in my daughter. My four-year old daughter. I've never heard of something like this happening before. Not even a human/vampire mated pair. This is definitely a phenomenon, and I'm scared that this will get out in the supernatural world.

Major Jasper Whitlock mates with human child.

I get a really sick feeling in my stomach, thinking of how many vampires would love to get their hands on her, just to hurt him. Killing Bella would be the greatest revenge against Jasper. especially one bitch that would love to get her Major back.

Maria.

Ugh, that fucking name drives a chill down my spine. If I was a human, I bet that bitch would be the star of my nightmares. Makes me glad I can't sleep. Shaking my head, I take some shampoo and run it through Bella's hair, looking down at the tiny girl.

"So, what do you think of the Major?" I ask and she looks up, smiling.

"I like my Jasper." My hands stop at this as I freeze. Could she possibly know that he's her mate? Does she have any idea what mates are?

"Your Jasper?" I ask and Bella tilts her head back as I wash the shampoo out of her hair.

"Mhm. Lydia said that one day, I would meet a vampire who would be mine, and I would be his. She said that when he wasn't around, my chest would hurt because the pain of being away from him. But, when I would be with him, I would feel whole. That's how I feel with my Jasper around." Bella explains and I drop the conditioner in the tub. Well, Lydia certainly informed her about a lot, didn't she? I pick up the bottle and put some in Bella's hair, quickly washing it out. I then grab the wash cloth and wash her body, silently processing what she just told me.

This little girl is more exposed to this shit than we thought.

I pull the plug and lift her out of the tub, drying her off before changing her into her pajamas. She sits down at her small desk and I grab a hairbrush to brush out her brown curls. "Okay, Sweet Thing. Story time."

Bella hops down off the chair and over to her bed, pulling the covers down as I walk over to her bookcase, taking Hansel and Gretel off the shelf. I then walk over to the bed, laying down next to Bella as I open the story book.

"Once upon a time, Hard by a great forest dwelt a poor wood-cutter with his wife and his two children. The boy was called Hansel and the girl Gretel..."


Jasper Hale POV

I listen to Charlotte tell the bedtime story to Bella, smiling when I hear her giggle when Charlotte makes a funny voice for one of the characters. Charlotte ends the story and Peter walks into the bedroom, telling Bella goodnight. I can feel the familial love radiating from Charlotte and Peter, and it pleases me to know that my mate has good people I trust raising her. Peter and Charlotte will treat her the way she deserves to be treated.

I'm pulled from his thoughts as Peter and Charlotte walk out of Bella's bedroom, looking over to me. "She wants to say goodnight to you, too."

I raise my eyebrows in surprise, but happiness is coursing through me as I stand up, walking over to the bedroom they just exited. I peek in the doorway to the purple room, seeing Bella under the covers, clutching a teddy bear to her.

"Hi, Jasper." Bella's voice says and I smile, walking over and sitting on the bed.

"Hi, Bella." I reply, earning a bright smile in return.

"You'll really play with me tomorrow?" she asks me and I smile, nodding my head. I'll do anything for her.

"Of course. We can spend the whole day together if you'd like." I tell her and she instantly nods her head.

"Goodnight, Jasper." I pull the covers up, tucking her in before brushing a curl from her face.

"Goodnight, Darlin'. Sweet dreams." I say, leaning down and placing a kiss on her head. She smiles before rolling over, closing her eyes. I shut the light off and close the door, walking into the living room where Peter and Charlotte are. I want some answers.

"Your daughter?" I start, sitting down on the sofa chair as Peter wraps an arm around Char, leaning back on the couch.

"Let's start from the beginning. Char and I were passing through Phoenix when we smelled a vampire. Idiot was eating on an open road, so we were just going to leave. We heard Little Bit crying and Charlotte booked it over to her. Found a nomad making a happy meal out of Bella's mama, while she was watching."

"Shit." I hiss, looking towards her bedroom.

"Peter disposed of the cretin and I went over to Bella. She asked me if her mama died and then said that her daddy was dead too. We couldn't exactly drop her off anywhere, so we took her home." Charlotte explains and then Peter chuckles, shaking his head.

"Get this shit - Little Bit flat out calls us out on being vampires. She's a smart little thing. Anyway, when we asked how she knew, she told us about this vampire who was her 'best friend' in Phoenix before she had to go back home. Guess where this fucking vampire is from." Peter says and I frown.

"Where?"

"Fucking Volterra!" Peter quietly hisses and I widen my eyes. Shit, that means the Volturi could catch word of mouth about Bella. What if she works for the Volturi. My mind is going into overdrive as worst case scenarios are running through my mind, the black haze falling over my vision. I start to shake in anger as a growl works its way up my throat.

"That's why we're going to have to keep this under wraps. Bella is going to be our secret, I don't even want to tell the Cullens in case Aro is still friendly with Carlisle." Peter tells me and I nod my head, agreeing with him.

"I've been thinking, though..." Charlotte pipes up, both of us turning towards her, wanting to know what she has to say. "There would be a lot of vampires who would love to get their hands on her to hurt you, not just the Volturi...especially her."

My continuous growls erupted from my chest as soon as Charlotte said something about vampires trying to take my Bella away from me. Peter recognizes that his beast is going to come out. "Come on." Peter says and I run outside, not wanting to disturb my mate with her sleep. I run towards the forest with Peter behind me, before I detonate.

"She's not going to fucking touch her! I'll kill her before she even fucking thinks about it! Bella is mine! Fuck!" I erupt, the black haze over my eyes as I massacre everything I can get my hands on. Maria will not touch my Bella.

I will kill her and anyone else who thinks about taking her away from me, with no remorse. I'm not taking chances with Bella, the girl who holds my heart! No one will take her from me and no one will hurt her. I will unleash the God of War. He's been chained up for forty years and would love to handle anyone who dares look at our mate the wrong way.

Yes, we would. We will kill them all. Protect our mate, at all costs.


I "wake up" from my haze, seeing multiple trees knocked over, holes in the ground. Peter sitting on a log, patiently waiting for me. I stand up and brush the dirt and twigs off my clothes, Peter standing up hesitantly.

"How long was I out?" I ask him and he shrugs.

"An hour and a half, give or take." he replies and I run my hands through my hair, blowing out a breath.

"That's the first time I've heard him in a while." I tell him, a little disappointed that I let him out so easily. Peter just shrugs, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"You felt that your mate was being threatened. Totally understandable, man." Peter says, goofy grin on his face that I can't help but smile at. My brother always did know how to make me feel better. "Come on, let's get back to the house."

We walk back to the house, seeing Charlotte standing on the dark porch watching us approach. Peter kisses her before we all walk back inside the quiet house, only the sound of my angel's steady heartbeat breaking the silence. Music to my ears.

After we sit down, Charlotte turns to me, "As I was saying, I think that we should take Sweet Thing and move farther up north. We just need to get as far away from Mexico as we can."

I nod my head, thinking of what we could do. "Canada would be best. We'll have to get the documents from Jenks for her, first. That should only take a week. I'll call him and tell him what we need, I'll also tell him to draw up divorce papers. I'm going to go back to being Jasper Whitlock. I have a house up in Saskatchewan we could use. I bought it about twenty years ago just in case Alice and I needed a getaway from the Cullens, but it's purchased in my name. We never even used it. It's secluded, large and has a lot of land, but it is close enough to town where we could get stuff for Bella and possibly start her in school, but we'll talk about that later." I say, letting the Major take this over since strategizing was always his strong suit. "Tell me what you know about Bella so I know what to tell Jenks."

Peter and Charlotte know that the Major is out, so they go back to their training. "Bella was born Isabella Marie Swan on September 13, 1987. She doesn't have any living family and as far as anybody who knew her is concerned, Bella Swan is dead."

"Bella Swan is dead, and will stay that way." I tell them, thinking. "Isabella Marie Hale was born on September 13, 1987, her parents tragically died and she was adopted by Peter and Charlotte Whitlock. I'll get him to draw up adoption papers. I'm going to set up a bank account in her name for her to use in the future." I tell them and Peter chuckles.

"Good luck with that, Major. That girl does not like people spending money on her that's not necessary. I doubt she'll want to spend money on herself." Peter tells me and I snort.

"Well, she better get used to it. I plan on taking care of and spoiling her for the rest of eternity." Oh, I am looking forward to spoiling my Bella. Anything she wants, I will lay the world down for her if she wanted it.

The rest of the night, we talked about the future with Bella and the Cullens. I will go back to Missouri to tell them that I am leaving, and that I want a divorce from Alice. I'll tell her that Jenks is sending the papers in the mail, and I will come back to my mate. I don't want to be away from her and I don't want anybody finding out about her that shouldn't, so we are not going to tell the Cullens about her. I will tell them that I am leaving to live with my brother and sister since I miss them so much. If they don't approve, tough shit.

I'm on top of the fucking world, stupid happy right now.

Seven o'clock rolls around and I walk into the kitchen and over to the telephone. I dial Jenks' number and he answers on the fourth ring.

"Jason Jenks." he greets in a montone and I adopt the voice that scares the absolute shit out of him.

"Jenks." I all but growl out and smirk when I hear his frantic voice.

"M-Mr. Whitlock, what can I do for you?" he sputters out, my smirk growing.

"I need important documents and I'm going to need them in the next week. First, I need a birth certificate for a Isabella Marie Hale. Born on September 13, 1987 in Houston, Texas. Social security card, the works. Next, I need adoption papers for Isabella to Peter and Charlotte Whitlock, her last name will be changed to Whitlock. Lastly, I need all of my Whitlock documents. Driver's license, bank information, all of it. Make sure you update my age -"

"Sir, you need all of this in the next week?" he interrupts, shocked and I growl into the phone.

"Will that be a problem? Will I have to make a visit to Seattle?" I ask, my voice menacing.

"N-N-No, sir. No problem. I will have this all done for you and sent this week." he tells me, his voice fearful.

"Very well. Make sure you update my age to twenty. Oh, and I also need divorce papers for Alice and I. Make sure you send them to the Missouri home and send the other information to Peter and Charlotte's home in Tahoka. Put a priority on it, I want it by no later than Friday. Do not let Alice or anyone else know about Isabella, Jenks. No one." I stress the last part in a growl, hearing a gulp come from the other end.

"You can trust me, Mr. Whitlock." Jenks says and I smirk, knowing that I just put the fear of God in him.

"Let's hope that we can...for your sake." I then hang up the phone, seeing Charlotte walk in with raised eyebrows.

"You're going to give that poor man a heart attack." Charlotte comments as I smile, shaking my head.

"Being scared keeps him loyal and silent." Jasper reminds her as she walks to the fridge, pulling out milk and eggs. She then pulls out some flour and sugar from the cabinets as I sit down at the table, watching her cook.

"Bella likes pancakes." she explains, starting to make my angel's breakfast. I smile and watch as Peter saunters into the room, grin on his face.

"You really scared the shit out of Jenks, Major." Peter comments, wrapping his arm around his mate's waist from behind.

"Like I said - loyal and silent." I tell them with a shrug, all of us turning towards the direction of Bella's room, hearing the floor creak followed by a tiny yawn.

"I'll go help her." Peter says, kissing Charlotte's mating mark before walking out of the kitchen. "Good morning, Little Bit." I hear from the room.

"Morning." Bella's sleepy voice replies, a smile gracing my face. Charlotte places some pancakes on Bella's plate as we hear the sink turn on in her bathroom.

"She called you 'my Jasper' last night." Charlotte says and I raise both of my eyebrows in surprise, and little delight.

"Does she -" I start, but Char cuts me off.

"She said that Lydia told her that she would meet her mate one day, but she doesn't exactly know what a mate is. She basically just told her about the mating pull. The ache in your chest when they're not there." Charlotte says and I nod my head. Good, we can leave it at that for right now, and explain later. Much, much later. I have to say that I'm pleased that I'm her Jasper, just like she's my Bella.

She places the plate on the spot next to me as Bella walks into the room, her face brightening when she sees me. "Good morning, Darlin'."

"Good morning, Jasper." she says with a big smile, walking over to me. I pick her up and place her on my lap as Charlotte slides the pancakes over to her. "Thank you, Char."

"No problem, Sweet Thing." she replies with a wink. Bella grabs her fork and starts eating her breakfast. Peter grimaces at Bella's breakfast, and I'll admit, it doesn't smell that appetizing to me, but it's not disgusting.

"I don't know how you can eat that stuff, Little Bit." Peter says, shaking his head while Char walks over, smacking him on the head. Bella giggles as she chews, bringing a smile to my face.

"Blood doesn't taste as good as Char's cooking." Bella says, causing me to chuckle as she turns around to see me, smile on her face.

"I disagree, Cupcake." Peter says and Charlotte rounds on him.

"What? You saying my cooking isn't good?" Charlotte asks, raised eyebrow, Peter cowering back in fear.

"Uh-oh." Bella says, looking at me with a grin as I smile, watching what is about to unfold.

"Baby, you know I didn't mean it like that." Peter tries to explain as Charlotte stalks him, Peter backing up into a wall. She gets a mean looking smirk on her face as Bella turns towards me.

"He's in trouble." Bella tells me, finishing up her breakfast.

"Big trouble." I reply, setting her on my hip as I stand up, letting Peter and Charlotte settle their little dispute as I take Bella outside. Bella wiggles, signaling for me to put her down and I comply, but she immediately grabs my hand, pulling me along.

"Come on." she says and I smile, following Bella around the property while hearing Peter and Charlotte. "Jasper, how old are you?"

I look down at my mate, "I'm twenty."

"Vampire years?" she asks, tilting her head and I smile. Amazing how this little thing takes this vampire shit all in stride.

"One hundred and forty-seven." I tell her and laugh when she just shrugs.

"You're old, but not as old as Lydia. She's four hundred and forty-one!"

"Well, thank you, Darlin'. I'm glad you don't think that I'm that old." I reply, chuckling at my mate as she smiles up at me.

"Well, you're still old." she says and I look down at her, her mischievous smile beaming on her face as I playfully narrow my eyes.

"Oh, yeah?" I ask and she giggles, nodding her head. I then scoop her up, reveling in the sound of her laughing which is spreading warmth throughout my chest. I throw her into the air, earning a squeal before I catch her, laughing. I then tickle her stomach, Bella's laughter growing. "You think I'm old, do ya? Do ya?"

"No! Jasper...stop!" She laughs in between words, trying to catch her breath. "No, you're not old." she says, so I set her down on the ground. "You're really old!" she yells before running away, laughing. I shake my head before chasing after her, loving the joy and happiness coming off the both of us.

The rest of the day is spent with Bella, her asking me some questions about myself which I answer the best I can. Peter then yells. from the house that it's dinner time for Bella. I know he also wants to tell her about us moving, which I agree with. I'm going to go home tomorrow, pack my things and come back with my truck.

It's going to be hard to leave my Bella tomorrow, though. I don't think I've ever had this much fun. I'm just playing with my four-year old mate, and I'm having the time of my life. I don't even remember a time where I smiled and laughed so much. This little angel is changing me, and I like it. I like not feeling the ache in my chest anymore, I like this feeling of wholeness, I like this feeling of love coming from Bella, even if she doesn't realize it.

Bella walks into the bathroom with Char to wash her hands while I walk into the kitchen to sit with her while she eats. She runs over to me and I smile, lifting her up to my lap as she grabs her fork and digs in. "Did you have fun today with Jasper, Little Bit?" Peter asks Bella, who nods her head frantically with her mouth full of food.

"Did you have fun today with Bella, Major?" Peter asks with a shit eating grin on his face.

"Yes, I did." I say, looking at my mate, who smiles wide at me. Bella eats the rest of her dinner while I talk to Peter and Charlotte, playing with a strand of Bella's curls. I find myself smiling, excited at the prospect of living with Peter, Charlotte, and my Bella. My real family. I'm not too sure if I am going to continue this diet, or if I will follow Peter and Charlotte's diet. They might have to change their diet to animal if we're going to be secluded. I don't want them dragging a trail back to the house. I'm not sure if I want to risk Bella with them, though. Her blood smells sweet, but I have intention or inclination to drink it. That's because I'm her mate. I don't know about Peter and Charlotte, though. They could unintentionally hurt her if they were thirsty.

That thought upsets me, thinking about one of them killing Bella. They would feel terrible after, and I would probably kill them to avenge my mate, before killing myself.

I'm pulled from my thoughts by a tiny hand on my cheek. Turning my head, my eyes are locked with a pair of worried brown ones. I smile and place my hand over the top of Bella's relishing the warmth of her tiny hand on my cheek. She smiles back at me and I lift her up, carrying her into the living room, settling her onto my lap as Peter and Charlotte walk in and sit down on the couch across from us.

"We have some news, Bella." Charlotte starts, Bella looking over at her, cocking her head to the side. "We're going to be moving to Canada and Jasper is going to be living with us."

Bella whips her head towards me so fast, I think it's going to twist off her neck. The brightest smile lights up her face as I feel the happiness from her. "Really?"

I nod my head yes and she throws her arms around my neck, hugging me as Peter and Charlotte smile. "I'm happy that you're gonna live with us."

I smile and hug Bella back, taking in my mate's scent of strawberries. The scent makes me content, a purr rumbling from my chest and I feel Bella's happiness rise. We stay like this, her head laying on my chest as Peter puts on the television. At ten o'clock, Charlotte stands up and looks over to Bella.

"Come on, Baby Girl. Let's go put you in those pajamas and I'll get you a story."

"Could Jasper read me a story?" Bella asks, looking over to me.

"Of course." I reply, earing a bright smile in return before she walks over to Charlotte, following her into her bedroom. Peter is grinning his irritating grin like he normally does, making me want to smack it right off his face.

"That girl has you wrapped around her finger, Major. A little four-year old girl has turned Major Jasper Whitlock into a softie. Oh, if this ever got out." Peter says while Charlotte flits over, smacking him upside the head.

"Don't even act like she doesn't have you wrapped around her finger." Charlotte says and Peter shrugs, smile still on his face. Charlotte hands me a book and I stand up, walking into Bella's room. I see Bella under her covers, cuddling that same teddy bear to her. She brightens up when she sees me and I smile right back, walking over to the bed and sliding in next to her, opening up the book. She sits up and climbs into my lap as I open the book, looking down to my mate.

"What story do you want me to read?" I ask and she bites her lip thinking.

"Snow White."

I smile and flip the page to Little Snow-White. Bella sits on my lap while I read, completely enthralled in the book as I read. She lays her head against my chest and I smile, mimicking voices for different characters. Peter was right, many vampires would be laughing at me if they saw me right now, reading a bed time story to a four-year old girl.

The thing is, this four-year old girl is my mate, and I will do anything for her.

"Snow-White's godless stepmother was also invited to the feast. After putting on her beautiful clothes she stepped before her mirror and said:

Mirror, mirror, on the wall,
Who in this land is fairest of all?

The mirror answered:

You, my queen, are fair; it is true.
But the young queen is a thousand times fairer than you.

The wicked woman uttered a curse, and she became so frightened, so frightened, that she did not know what to do. At first she did not want to go to the wedding, but she found no peace. She had to go and see the young queen. When she arrived she recognized Snow-White, and terrorized, she could only stand there without moving.

Then they put a pair of iron shoes into burning coals. They were brought forth with tongs and placed before her. She was forced to step into the red-hot shoes and dance until she fell down dead. The End."

I close the book, my sleepy mate letting out a yawn. I put the book on the table near her bed and pick her up, tucking her under the covers as she cuddles the teddy bear. "Goodnight, Jasper."

"Goodnight, Angel. Sweet Dreams." I reply, leaning down and kissing her forehead before turning the light off and walking out of the room, smiling to myself that this tiny thing has brought me such joy in such a short time.


Anybody else love Grimms' Fairy Tales?

What do you think of this chapter and do you like the Whitlock's plans?

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-Jalen-