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Char's POV
"What if they can't protect me?" Bella quietly asked me, while I started up her bath.
"Ya trust Jasper enough to change ya, but ya don't trust him enough to protect ya? Bella, that doesn't make any sense," I replied as I glanced over at her. I needed her to focus on Jasper, not the other Cullens.
"I do trust him, with my life…" she said, her voice becoming shaky.
"Then what's the problem, sweets?"
"Everyone I've ever trusted or loved has been ripped away. I don't want that for the Cullens. They deserve so much more," she whispered.
"Sweets, you deserve so much more. Don't ya understand that? If Jasper didn't think that ya deserved this, he would have told ya so. He doesn't do things out of pity; he only does what he believes in," I said, trying to put Bella's mind at ease.
"What if he rethinks his decision to…?" I cut her off with a wave of my hand.
"He won't. Period," I said sternly.
I could see that Bella was battling with herself internally, and that she needed the reassurance that Jasper wasn't going to back down from his decision to change her. I didn't know how to convince her that when Jasper makes a decision he doesn't change his mind.
I gently grabbed her to help her stand and undress.
"I'm goin' to leave ya to it, sweets. I'm goin' to speak with Jasper for a bit; ya just relax, ya've had a rough day," I said, walking out and closing the door.
I turned to find Jasper sitting on the bed quietly, looking very solemn and deep in thought.
"Jasper, what's got ya lookin' like ya swallowed a canary?" I asked, raising my eyebrow in question.
"I heard what she said…" he said, as he raised his eyes to meet mine. "She needs the reassurance that I will still change her; I just don't know how to explain it to her. And truthfully, I don't know who wants it more, me or her," he replied, sounding guilty.
"What do you mean 'who wants it more'?" I asked him.
"Look," he sighed. "I get the distinct feelin' that I'm missin' somethin' here. I feel like there is some deep dark secret that everyone is hidin'," he said, concern washing over his features. "All of a sudden, Bella wants me to change her, and I agree to do it, like it was second nature to me," he stopped, collecting his thoughts. "I've always put my trust in Alice to tell me what the right thing is to do, but she is becoming more and more secretive lately. It's like we are distancing ourselves from each other, and now…I just don't know what to think about her anymore," he said, glancing at a picture on the nightstand.
"Jasper, you're rambling like a human. Get to the point," I said, glaring at him.
He glimpsed back at me before continuing on.
"Peter just knows shit, and Alice isn't sayin' a peep. Edward wants to rip me apart," he said, rolling his eyes as he spoke. "Like that's gonna happen," he said, a dark chuckle escaping his lips.
"Anyways, there is just a part of me that feels guilty and I wanna make it up to Bella, even though she doesn't blame me for her birthday party. She deserves so much more, just as ya said. I want this for her, but moreover for me. Am I being selfish to want this for the both of us?" he asked quietly.
"I don't think it's selfish at all, Bella knows what she wants. Com'on Jasper, ya can't seem to put two and two together right now?" I said, rolling my eyes. "I'm not going to explain it to ya; you're an empath for Christ's sake. Haven't ya ever wondered why ya felt like you were just drifting along with, Alice? Ya always thought there was something or someone more out there for you," I said, my anger rising because he just couldn't seem to get it. "Alright," I sighed. "I'm goin' to lay it out on the table for ya…You and Alice are not mates," I spoke, my voice calm. Oddly enough, I felt like Rosalie at the moment, like I should be filing my nails or something.
There was a collective gasp from down stairs, and Jasper just looked at me like a deer in headlights.
"There's ya sign," I said, smacking him upside the head.
Peter and I had had this discussion many times over the decades why Alice's actions seemed so shady. She drew Jasper in with that cutesy tootsie, fun lovin' crap, taking him to a whole new level of idiocy.
Now, I just dropped a major bomb right smack dab in the middle of the Cullen's living room.
"Jasper," I said quietly. "Are ya seriously over thinkin' all this? This is what she wants and it's what ya want, too. Ya've never been one to back down from anythin' and all of a sudden you're bein' a fuckin' pansy," I stated, clearly letting my anger get the best of me. "Not once in the time Peter and I have known ya have ya ever backed down. Where's the Major I grew to know and love? He is a fighter, soldier, and protector…" I trailed off. I was trying to get a rise out of him and get him to see what we saw.
His eyes went from ocher to pitch black. The rage he was throwing off was beyond anything I had ever felt from him. In a matter of seconds, he had me pinned up against the wall, hissing at me.
"Ahhh, there he is," I sighed, as I stroked his cheek gently. In some sick and sadistic way this was a complete turn on for me. Jasper and I, would never cross that boundary, but shit that was totally hot. "Ya better go claim ya girl, Major. She needs ya right now, and I think ya need her too," I said quietly.
I watched as he quietly made his way into the bathroom. Bella shrieked at his sudden appearance, and I chuckled. That girl was in for it now, I thought.
"Char, are ya alright in there, doll face?" Peter asked me through the door.
"Yeah, I needed to set some stupid self-loathing vampire straight, that's all," I replied, knowing that the Major could hear me. I received a growl from inside the bathroom. I chuckled at his antics and rolled my eyes.
I heard a scuffle out in the hallway and I opened the door. Straight ahead of me I saw Peter pinning a raging Edward up against the wall.
"Doll, you've put yourself in a pickle this time. Maybe its best ya go down and talk to the family while I keep, pretty boy under control," he sneered.
APOV
As I watched Char make her way down stairs, I knew I was in heaps of trouble. With our sensitive hearing, I know every one of us heard what she said. She knew that Jasper and I weren't mates, and she knew I had deceived everyone in this family, including Edward. While I could say that I just didn't know about it, I felt that would leave me looking extremely stupid. I didn't know how else better to portray myself, though. I knew everything, but again my visions are subjective.
"Alice…" Rose seethed. "Did you forget to mention one major fucking detail?"
"Well, I may have," I said, smiling sweetly.
I had to give the performance of a lifetime right now and I knew it.
"Don't pull that shit, Alice," Char seethed. "Ya knew damn good and well that Jasper wasn't ya mate when he came into that diner in Philly," she finished.
"I had visions of Jasper…" I trailed off, not knowing what to say. I wasn't giving my best performance, so I decided to stretch the truth a little. "Okay, I knew Jasper wasn't my mate," I sighed. "I also knew that I had to find the Cullens, not only for my safety but his also. I knew the lifestyle would change Jasper and bring him closer to his mate," I finished.
I was weaving one tangled web of lies, and it was getting stickier by the second. I had to cover my tracks because otherwise my last secret would be exposed. I couldn't have that happen until after Bella's change. She was the key factor to our future.
"And…" Rosalie said, glaring at me.
Shit. Shit. Shit. I wasn't thinking fast enough on my feet and my edge was slipping fast. The world around me slipped away as a vision came into focus.
"It's happening," I whispered after the vision cleared.
Edward roared from above while the family stared at me in a stunned silence.
Everyone was so focused on my indiscretions, leaving Jasper and Bella completely to their own devices.
"Jasper is running on instinct right now," I said, glaring at Char.
"Oh, honey, he's just doin' what he should have done months ago. Ya know, sweets, ya should have just let it happen," Char said, looking smug. "We wouldn't be in this situation and Victoria could have been taken care of already if ya had just kept ya nose out of it," she finished, sounding snarky.
I watched horrified that someone would make an accusation like that towards me. Everyone believed in my ability to change the possible outcomes. When Bella came to do her ranting last week, I nodded and told her that subconsciously Jasper had already made the decision, but she still didn't know why. Well, now that it was out in the open that he and I weren't mates, she would finally get what she deserved. I've always been sympathetic to her, pitied her actually because she was always the 'parent', but I do honestly believe that she is finally getting what she deserves.
I was trying my best to play the part of the innocent little girl, but it wasn't working with anyone. My deception hurt them far worse than I would have imagined or my gift could have seen. My biggest deception was yet to come.
EPOV
Peter shoved me up against the wall so hard that I hissed at the impact.
"Ya better watch ya' self pretty boy, I bite almost as hard as The Major does," Peter whispered in my ear. "Ya are gonna release a monster in Jas that ain't nobody wants to deal with right now. Let him do his business and claim his mate, just as it's supposed to be," he finished with a dead calm lacing his voice.
I listened as Alice went into an explanation how she and Jasper weren't mates, how she had deliberately deceived all of us, including myself. How was she able to manipulate her visions for all these decades?
BPOV
I watched as Char made her way out of the bathroom and sighed. It had been one hell of a day for me and I truly just wanted to relax. The warmth of the water surrounded me like a blanket, a protection of sorts. I was just starting to drift off, when I heard a loud thud, followed by a hiss. Within a few seconds, the door flew open, and then slammed shut. I shrieked when I saw Jasper standing above me, staring at me like he wanted to eat me. Oh, the irony, I thought to myself. His eyes were pitch black and his emotions were rolling off of him in waves. The most prominent one was rage; I knew then that I had to figure out a way to talk him down. I didn't know what had set him off, but I sure as hell wasn't scared of him.
"Jasper," I said quietly.
I wasn't about being modest anymore, and covering up in front of my mate was useless. I was trying to throw as much acceptance into the room as I could. I needed him to know that I already knew what this was about without saying words. We had to put on an act so everyone else wouldn't know that I had already known. This was about getting Alice to admit the truth, admit that she lied. She was just as deceptive as I was from the beginning; it just came to bite her in the ass before it did me.
I watched slowly as he became more receptive to me. His shoulders slumped and he started to look more relaxed.
"Jasper," I said again. "It's okay, I'm fine. I'm ready for this, and I know you are too," I stated, throwing as much calm as I could muster at him.
This is not ideally how I wanted my change to happen, but I didn't want to hold it off any longer. The threats were imminent and time was of the essence. There was a storm coming and nobody knew how bad it would be.
I stood patiently in front of Jasper, moving my hair to expose my neck.
"Jasper, please…" I begged. "I need this as much as you do," I whispered, closing my eyes.
In less than a second, I felt his cold breath at my ear; my whole body shivered in anticipation.
"I'm sorry, darlin'. Please remember me…" he whispered.
I felt his gentle kiss on my neck before the pain of his bite struck. I relinquished my hold on my human life as Jasper took three deep pulls from my neck, then; I accepted my eternal life as I felt the burn.
JPOV
I listened to her as she told me that she was ready. She was ready for an eternity with my venom flowing through her veins, not Edward's. My resolve faltered as I looked in her eyes. I watched as she arose from the bathtub, naked, no hint of a blush on her skin. She was beautiful in all her glory.
"Jasper, please…" she trailed off. "I need this just as much as you do," she whispered, her eyes fluttering closed.
The last shred of humanity I had within me broke as she moved her hair and showed me the creamy white skin of her neck. I took one step forward, so close to her that she shivered in anticipation.
"I'm sorry, darlin'. Please remember me…" I whispered before I placed a gentle kiss above the pulsing vein. I gently pierced her skin with my teeth and drank three deep pulls before I pushed my venom into her. Her body went limp as the venom began to spread.
I picked her up and cradled her to my chest as I walked over to my bed and gently placed her down. Again, I whispered that I was sorry, and begged her to remember me before biting each of her ankles and wrists. Although I wanted to comfort her through the pain, I walked over to the window. I watched as night fell and the stars began to twinkle. Feeling almost human for a moment, I made a wish and silently asked the heavens to keep Bella safe during the transition from her human life to her eternal one.
I hissed at the sound of Edward's movements outside the door.
I turned to watch Bella; she looked like she was sleeping. I watched as her chest rose and fell, knowing that in just three days I would never see that from her again. As much as I wanted to, I couldn't seem to regret choosing to change her.
EPOV
I listened as Bella begged Jasper to take her humanity. It was supposed to be me who took it. She was supposed to spend forever with me. My eyes fluttered closed as the memories of Bella and me over the last year filtered through my mind. The love we felt for each other was a gift that I had so carelessly taken for granted, and now, she was lying in the bed of another man, giving her eternity to someone who I had once considered my brother. My rage began to build again as I began struggling against Peter's hold.
"Don't even think 'bout it there, pretty boy," Peter said, as he shoved me back against the wall again. "If ya wanna live past tonight, ya better steer clear of Bella and Jas. She was never yours to begin with, she was always his. Now, I can't blame ya for bein' pissed off 'bout the way it happened, but ya can't change it. Ya wanna be mad at someone, be mad at the pixie down there. She is the one who deceived ya and the rest of the family," Peter finished.
I still struggled, not really listening to what Peter had to say. Though my guilt was present, my anger still rose.
"Let me go!" I roared at Peter. "It shouldn't be him, it should be me," I screamed, struggling against his death grip on me.
"Edward, listen to yaself, there is nothing that ya can do anymore. The change has already started and they are mates. There is nothing ya can do to prevent her change; the venom has already spread too far. This was never about what ya wanted, it was about what she wanted," Peter stated calmly. "If ya wouldn't have been so wrapped up in yaself, you could have seen that."
I gave up struggling with Peter for the moment, listening to his words sink in. He was right, this was never about me; it had always been about her. I sighed and slid down the wall.
"What do I do?" I asked him quietly.
"Ya do nothin', Edward. This isn't ya battle anymore. I can't say that ya don't have a right to be pissed, but ya can't be pissed at Bella or Jas. They have only done what fate has told them too. Ya can't blame them for that. If ya wanna question anyone's motives here, it should be Alice's," he said, loosening his grip on me. "I want ya to think about what has been said over the last few hours. I believe ya owe a few people an apology, beginning with Bella," he finished, backing away from me. "I could care less what ya do with Alice, but an apology to Bella is a good way to start," he finished.
I rose slowly and began to pace back and forth in front of Jasper's door. I could make it into that room quicker than Peter could catch me. I paused and sighed again, thinking Peter was right. I had denied Bella everything that she had ever asked for. More importantly, I had attempted denying her a family. Below me, was my family, the one that loved Bella just as much as I. They were willing to risk their lives battling Victoria, but all I could see was my own loss. I had pushed them and Bella away for my own selfish reasons.
I looked at Peter, begging him to see the torment that was battling inside me. I needed someone to understand that I didn't mean to hurt her, and that I didn't mean to drive her into my brother's waiting arms.
"Ya have to be patient, Edward. It's not something I expect ya to accept right away, but it's the truth," he said, placing a hand on my shoulder. "I would watch out for Bella when she wakes, she's gonna be hell," he said smirking. He walked past me, heading downstairs to meet with my family.
I silently walked at a human pace back to the only place where I thought I could find some solitude, my room. I quietly opened up my window and jumped to the ground without making a sound. I didn't want to be there when Bella woke. I didn't know if that was something I could handle just yet.
Char's POV
Everyone in the room stood there listening to Peter talk some sense into Edward. If anyone could do it at this point, it was him. It's not that Peter didn't care about what he said, he just said the truth regardless if you're feelings got hurt or not.
"I'd watch out, Pixie. You're next…" I chuckled, as I watched Alice's face contort. "What? Ya didn't think we knew how to get around ya visions did ya?" I laughed.
"Char, that's not nice," Peter scolded me. "Why don't ya go check on The Major for me? I have to go and check in with the rug rats from hell to make sure everything is set up for the battle," he said, kissing me lightly on the cheek.
I sighed; I wanted to see Peter lay into Alice.
"Not now, doll face, but ya can bet it will happen. Now, go on," he said, lightly patting my ass.
I quickly kissed Peter on the cheek and walked away, glancing behind me to get a brief view of the family. In just three days' time, our lives were going to change forever. Bella would be one of us, and she would be a Whitlock rather than a Cullen.
I knocked on Jasper's door, letting him know I was coming in. If anyone could tame The Major, it would be Peter or me. I knew the drill, when I walked in, I looked at the floor while raising my palms in a submissive position. Once The Major didn't see me as a threat, I knew I would be able to talk to Jasper to make sure everything was okay.
I slowly opened the door and saw Jasper watching Bella so intently that I didn't even know if he had heard me. I felt like I was intruding on a private moment, that I turned my head away.
"She will never breathe again," he whispered.
I was shocked that Jasper's protective instincts didn't take over, feeling me as a threat to his mate. For whatever reason, he seemed as calm as he watched closely over Bella.
"I know, Jasper. It will take years for her to ever seem human again and you know what it's going to be like with a newborn around. You will have to start teaching her early on how to control her instincts and strength. It's going to take a lot of time and patience," I finished, walking over to the corner of the room.
I wanted to give him the space that he seemed to need. I felt like he was trying to take the adjustment a little at a time. I could tell that he was grieving for Bella's humanity, but he also accepted that she was going to spend an eternity being a Whitlock.
"I could have walked away from her, Char. I could have told her no, but I can't seem to regret the decision to do this to her. Here she lays silently, enduring the pain without as much as a flinch. I don't know what is goin' on." He paused, collecting his thoughts. He looked at me as he began again. "I want to comfort her, to be able to take the pain away, but I just don't know how," he finished, sadness showing in his eyes.
I nodded at him because I didn't know exactly what was happening either.
"Don't be like, pretty boy out there," I said, motioning over my shoulder. "She doesn't want to be treated like a child, Jas. She wants to be treated equally. She's not going to be this fragile little human anymore; she is going to be one of us. And by us, I mean a Whitlock, not a Cullen," I finished, watching for his reaction.
His eyes widened as if everything was finally falling into place for him. I nodded my head at him, silently answering his question.
"Ya mean…" he asked, his face showing more question.
"Yes, Jas, that is what I tried to tell ya earlier. Ya were so wrapped up in y'all's emotions that ya couldn't think straight. I had to push ya earlier to get ya to see what Peter and I saw, and I don't regret it either. It's not as though Alice was goin' to tell ya," I sneered.
"How long have ya known? I mean…that she was my mate and not Edward's?" he asked, completely ignoring my last comment.
"A while," was all I said back.
I watched as he slowly bent down to kiss her forehead. It was such a sweet gesture, and it showed that he truly did care on some level.
"Char, would you mind?" he asked, gesturing towards Bella. "I have somethin' I have to take care of…" he growled.
"Nah, sweets, I don't mind at all," I said, a smile forming on my lips.
I watched as Jasper stalked out of the room, clearly on a mission. At this point and time, I wouldn't bet on Alice.
A/N: Well, here it is! It took me a while with this chapter…total writers block! Thanks to everyone who put me on their favs and alerts! I'm so excited about that-just as much as I am about this chapter. Again, so many thanks to Heavyinfinity…I so love the encouragement you give me! Keep the reviews comin' after all they keep me motivated to continue this story.