Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters. They belong to Stephenie Meyers.
A/N: Thanks for your patience! My brother is still in the hospital in critical condition but he's making some small progress and we're hopeful that his recovery is imminent. Thank you everyone for your thoughts and prayers…I really believe they're working!
Chapter Fifteen: The Many Sides of Major Jasper Whitlock
Jasper was sitting in an armchair near the open French doors in his and Alice's bedroom, quietly reading a book to pass the time while he waited for Alice to finish getting ready for the day.
"Are you almost ready, Alice?" Jasper asked.
A muffled voice came from the huge walk-in closet at the opposite end of the room. "Not yet, Jazz. Ugh! I can't decide what to wear…" Alice was muttering to herself as she tossed clothes back and forth. Jasper chuckled to himself. His wife had the ability to see into the future but would never look ahead to see what she would be wearing on any given day. Her answer was always, "Why would I want to do that? If someone gave you a gift you wouldn't want them to tell you what was in it before you opened it, would you? When I get ready in the morning I open my "gift", the closet, and let myself be surprised by what I find."
"Why don't you go see if Bella and Edward are ready?" she called out again from the closet.
"As if you don't already know the answer to that one," Jasper said with a smile as he got up from the chair, walked to the closet and kissed Alice on the forehead before setting out to find Bella and Edward.
After a week of early morning starts, Edward had announced to the family that Bella was going to have a lie-in and he wouldn't allow anyone to disturb her sleep. Bella had slept in until 11 am, waking up looking refreshed and ready for the day.
Today Edward and Bella were going to accompany Jasper and Alice to the Imperial War Museum, a place Jasper had been looking forward to visiting since he and Alice started planning the London itinerary. Plus, he hoped it would give him the opportunity to spend a little time with Bella, just the two of them. As hard as it was at times for Jasper to be around Bella and her scent, he cherished the moments he was able to interact with her. There was a quality about Bella that drew people to her in much in the same way Jasper was able to draw people to himself. The soldier in him admired her for her strong will and endless courage when faced with danger, even if on occasion he was the danger.
Jasper could hear Bella's heartbeat coming from the sitting room and made his way to the room. As he stepped through the doorway he saw her sitting on the large sofa with her feet tucked up under legs, absorbed in the book in her hands.
"Bella, I thought I'd find you in here," said Jasper. "I hope I'm not disturbing you. Alice is getting ready and asked me to check on you."
"Not at all, Jasper. I'm just reading to pass the time," said Bella as she looked up from her book with a smile. She quickly patted the spot next to her on the couch and closed her book to give him her undivided attention. It amazed Jasper yet again to see how at ease she was around him; she always treated him as a friend and brother and he was grateful for it. Still, he had to brace himself when he sat next to her on the sofa. He was always mindful of the need to be in control of his thirst when he was around Bella.
"Well, this is nice. It seems you and I never get the chance to do this, not with the way my brother and even my wife sometimes monopolize your attention!" he said with a big grin.
Bella laughed. "I suppose you're right, Jasper. We don't get very many opportunities for one-on-one chat sessions, do we?" she teased. "Hopefully that will change in the near future?"
"Yes, I'm sure it will," he said. "I hope you don't mind spending the afternoon at a war museum, Bella. I know it's not up your alley, but you know my interest in all things military and I hear this museum is a can't-miss experience. I'm very excited about visiting this museum."
"Oh, I can tell," said Bella as she playfully bumped his arm with her fist. "I'm not an empath, but I can feel the excitement rolling off you! It's almost like you're channeling Alice!"
Jasper laughed. "Well, it shouldn't be surprising seeing how Alice and I have been together for half a century. I knew some of her endless energy and enthusiasm for life was bound to rub off on me!" They both laughed comfortably together.
"Are you sure you're okay with visiting the museum today? I can always do this some other day if museums are not your interest."
"Oh, I don't mind at all, Jasper. I'm really looking forward to this. I love museums, any kind really. It's amazing how you can lose yourself for hours as you look at events through history and see how much has changed in the world."
"I guess you do understand," Jasper said with a fond smile on his face.
Bella looked around the sofa. "And speaking of change, where is Alice? Is she still trying to figure out what she's going to wear today?"
"Of course," Jasper laughed. "You know my Alice…"
Both of them looked up as they heard footsteps approaching. Edward entered the room, followed a few seconds later by Emmett and Rosalie.
Edward walked over to the sofa and lifted Bella into his arms before sitting down and setting her on his lap. "Good morning, Jasper. And good morning to you, my love," he said to Bella as he gave her a sweet kiss. "I'm sorry I took so long. I just needed to make a few calls and now that those are out of the way I'm all yours!"
"Good, because I'm not going to let you out of my sight today," Bella quietly said as she kissed him back. Edward looked into her eyes and just as quietly answered back, "I should hope not. Like I said, I'm all yours, Bella, forever."
Rosalie rolled her eyes in a good-natured way while Emmett started making kissing noises in the background.
"Pay no attention to the rude children in the room, Bella," Jasper said to Bella in a show of brotherly support. "We just treat them like ghosts; eventually they leave the room if you ignore them long enough."
"Hey! I resent that implication!" cried Emmett in a mock-insulted voice. "I have feelings, you know! What do you take me for, a cold, heartless and dead human being?"
"As a matter-of-fact, I do. You are most definitely cold as ice, without a heart and you are without a doubt dead as the day is long," Jasper said with a dead-pan expression on his face. Emmett knitted his brows as he thought it over for a second before laughing.
"HAH! Good one, Jasper!" Emmett roared as he got the joke.
"My brother, the "rocket scientist" in the family…" Edward muttered, anxious for this conversation to be over. "So, are you sure you and Rosalie don't want to join us at the museum?"
"Not on your life, my brother," Emmett replied without hesitation as he went to stand near the fireplace, slapping Edward on the back as he passed the sofa and almost causing Bella to catapult off Edward's lap. Rosalie just shook her head but didn't say anything. "You know I don't like museums, Edward. Never have, never will."
Bella perked up, interested in hearing this story. "Why is that, Emmett? I thought you liked them."
"Bella, I'm game to try anything except for two things: One, I don't go for that Shakespeare dude and any of his plays, and two, I avoid museums if I can. They both give me the creeps!" Emmett shivered to emphasize the point he was trying to make.
Bella looked at Edward who merely shrugged his shoulders. "I long ago stopped trying to understand how his mind works, Bella." Bella turned back to Emmett.
"Okay, so museums give you the creeps? How so? You're a vampire; you're supposed to be fearless and you didn't seem to have a problem with the Tower of London with its ghosts."
Emmett snorted. "That's because the Tower is technically not a museum, Bella, and a lot of it was outdoors. In my opinion museums are like great big tombs. You have to be quiet, every little noise echoes off the walls and they go on and on and on… No thank you."
"Oh please, Emmett, that's not the real reason. Go on, tell her," said Alice as she walked into the room and sat herself on Jasper's lap. Emmett made like he had a zipper on his mouth and he was sealing it shut. "Okay, then I will." Alice turned to Bella, a twinkle in her eye. "It's because he can't sing inside a museum. The last time he tried was when we visited the Seattle Art Museum with Carlisle and Esme back in 1985. Emmett started to sing 'The Lonely Goatherd' from the Sound of Music and needless to say museum security was not amused when Emmett yodeled "Odl lay ee" while it echoed off the museum walls."
Bella turned her face into Edward's neck as she shook with laughter. Emmett just grinned. "Hey, what can I say? The acoustics were great!"
Alice shook her head before continuing. "If Emmett doesn't want to join us he doesn't have to, but I have a very strong feeling he might change his mind later on."
Emmett looked as if he didn't know whether or not to believe Alice until he noticed the grin on her face. Emmett slapped his knee with his hand and started laughing. "Hah! Right, Alice. You almost had me there."
Alice laughed her tinkling laugh and shook her head again as Jasper gave her a questioning look, wondering if there was more to her cryptic statement before deciding all would reveal itself in time.
"Does anyone know what Carlisle and Esme's plans are for the day?" asked Bella as she looked around the room, not hearing the voices of either one in the house.
Edward answered Bella. "Carlisle is taking Esme to see the Hampton Court Gardens. Esme loves gardens and she wants to see if she can take some ideas back with her, for the Denali house."
"Come on Emmett, if we don't want to be late for the auto show we need to leave now," said Rosalie as she looked at her watch and got up from the armchair.
"Okay, Rosie." Emmett followed Rosalie to the front door, calling out over his shoulder, "Enjoy your time at the tomb, or whatever."
Edward, Bella, Alice and Jasper grabbed their coats from the hall closet and hailed a cab for the short ride to the museum.
The two couples walked through the museum, taking in the exhibits and reading the plaques in front of each display. As it was a British museum its focus was on British military history, but there were references to the wars in America which were quite informative although unnecessary. Jasper was an avid reader of history, particularly military history and knew everything there was to know about weapons of war, battle concepts and the arts of war.
Edward was pointing towards an exhibit he thought might be of interest to Bella when he heard Jasper's voice in his head. Edward, would it be alright if I spent some time with Bella?
Edward nodded his agreement. "Bella, love, I'm going to get you a bottled water from the kiosk we passed a few rooms down. Why don't you stay here with Jasper and Alice? I'll be back as quickly as possible."
Alice, having already seen Jasper's request, quickly piped up. "I'll go with you, Edward! I think I saw something that Jasper wants, but he doesn't know it yet." She said this with a wink, causing everyone to laugh as Jasper and Bella proceeded to the next exhibit while Alice and Edward walked towards the kiosk.
Jasper watched Bella, curious to know what she was feeling or if she were nervous at being alone with him. All he felt was calmness and serenity. Not one bit of nervousness. He smiled at Bella as they continued on into the next room.
"Jasper, look! They have a special exhibit about the wars in former British colonies, including America. There's a section about the Civil War!" Bella quickly walked over to the first display, a wax figure of a Union soldier standing over a fallen Confederate soldier. Jasper followed more slowly, staring avidly at the display, lost in his thoughts of that long ago time. They continued walking through the room, looking at old guns and ammunition, uniforms and supplies and cannons used by both Union and Confederate armies.
"Well, Major Whitlock, what do you have to say about all of this?" Bella had moved past the displays of Civil War weapons and memorabilia and was now looking at a series of portraits on the wall. Suddenly she came to a complete stop in front of one portrait.
"Oh my god, Jasper. It's you!" Bella said as she pointed to the portrait. Jasper hurried over to where Bella was standing and looked at the portrait she was pointing towards.
"I don't believe it," Jasper whispered, stunned to see a picture of himself in the exhibit. He was standing proudly at attention in his Confederate uniform, and in the background was none other than Jefferson Davis, the 1st and only President of the Confederate States of America. There was a plaque underneath the portrait and Jasper read the writing out loud. "Major Jasper Whitlock, a young and charismatic soldier who was quickly rising through the ranks of the Confederate Army, disappeared without a trace in 1863 in Texas. Major Whitlock was presumed dead by his army unit."
"Do you remember when this portrait was taken?" Bella quietly asked, seeing that Jasper was trying to remember things in his past.
"Actually I do. It was a few months before I was changed. It's one of the few memories I have of my time in the army." Jasper paused as he gazed at the portrait, trying to pull up other memories. "That was my horse…his name was… Sirocco! A sirocco is a hot cyclonic type of wind in the Sahara Desert. I can remember he was fast, like a tornado! Even in our human lives we Cullens are addicted to speed!"
Jasper continued to stare at the portrait. "I can see other images from my past but nothing concrete. I remember how it felt to lose comrades, but I can't remember their faces…"
Bella was quiet as she listened to Jasper recall bits of his human past. However, Jasper was in tune with her emotions and while he sensed sadness on his behalf he also sensed curiosity. "What is it, Bella? I can sense you're curious about something. You can ask me anything."
Bella hesitated for a few seconds. "What was the hardest thing for you to deal with after you were changed? Was it the bloodlust, or was it being able to remember your human feelings and emotions, but not the faces of people you knew or loved?"
"I guess it was a little of both. The bloodlust was very strong for me after my change. Maria, the vampire who changed me, gave me free rein to indulge my new appetite. But I did struggle. I had flashbacks of the men I had served with, my comrades, and you can't imagine how it tortured me to think that perhaps one of those persons sacrificed for my thirst might have been a comrade I could not remember."
Bella, as ever perceptive of people's thoughts or emotions, asked, "Does it still torture you to be around me? Are you still struggling with the 'what ifs' when it comes to me?"
Jasper paused as he gathered his thoughts, trying to think how best to convey what he next wanted to tell Bella without scaring or offending her.
"Go ahead Jasper, take all the time you need," said Bella, understanding that Jasper was struggling with something he wanted to tell her.
Jasper nodded gratefully. "Thank you, Bella. I…it's sometimes still a struggle for me, but it's gotten better over time. I have more self-control now… well, more since your little paper-cut incident…" He looked over at Bella and was grateful to see her smile. "But there is something that has helped me greatly with my control."
"What is it?" Bella asked. "I don't want you to suffer on my behalf, Jasper."
"It's love, Bella, love for you and not just because you're Edward's mate. Love for my sister and a desire to protect and keep her safe, even from myself."
"Love? For me?" Bella asked, slightly stunned at this admission. He'd never made her feel like an outsider, had always included her as one of them and she had suspected a fondness in him towards her, but he had never admitted to loving her like a sister.
"And what's so surprising about that, Bella?" Jasper asked with one eyebrow quirked in surprise.
"Please don't be offended, Jasper. I don't even know why I should be surprised. You've always treated me as if I were a member of the family." Bella looked down at her hands, her fingers twisting and folding nervously as she tried to formulate the words she wanted to say. Sensing her tension, Jasper used his ability to calm Bella.
"How could I not love you, Bella? In the years since I was changed I have always had a hard time being around humans. You were no exception. But my wife loved and adored you from the first time she had a vision of you and how important you were going to be to Edward and to this family. Even if I hadn't gotten to know you as well as I do now, I would have loved you simply for the happiness you've brought to Edward's life." He paused and saw Bella was listening intently. "In all the years I've known Edward the dominant emotions I've felt coming from him were self-loathing, loneliness, sadness. It's hard enough having to deal with the emotions of everyone else, while trying to contain my own bloodlust, but throw in dark and brooding Edward and it can be pretty depressing. Then you came into his life and he was throwing out feelings of joy, happiness, hope, contentment, love…the same emotions I feel coming off of you. Now there is always laughter in our house. There is always joy. I literally soak it up and send it out to everyone else. Edward laughs effortlessly, every day and all day long. As do the rest of us and it's because of you!"
Jasper looked up to see Bella still looking at him, but with tears streaming down her face. He smiled at her fondly before walking over to her and doing what any big brother would do for his crying sister. He took a handkerchief from his pocket and gently wiped the tears from her face, before giving her a quick and gentle hug.
"Thank you, Jasper," Bella whispered.
"You belong with us, Bella. Like I've told you before you are most definitely a Cullen, through and through. And always know this…I will always be there to help you, support you and protect you, okay? Never doubt that." Bella nodded her head as Jasper wiped the rest of her tears from her face and patted her arm. "Alright, sister of mine, no more tears, not even the happy kind…" teased Jasper. "It's time to laugh and I have a feeling it's going to happen very soon…"
"What do you mean?" Bella asked as she looked around.
"Well, Alice had a vision of Emmett changing his mind and coming to the museum to stir up a little mischief. Why don't we turn the tables on him?" Jasper looked up, his vampire hearing picking up the sounds of Emmett's and Rosalie's voices at the entrance of the museum.
He and Bella quickly walked to the balcony overlooking the entrance, keeping out of view. They spotted Emmett and Rosalie now standing at the foot of the stairs leading to the second level.
"Hey Rosie," said Emmett, his voice echoing off the walls. "I know I saw them go this way. Aw, man, I hate museums!"
Rosalie quickly hissed at Emmett, "Be quiet! They're going to toss us out if you don't keep your voice down!"
Jasper looked at Bella, a mischievous glint in his eyes and an evil grin on his face. "Bella, were you aware that I'm a master ventriloquist and can throw my voice anywhere I want to send it?"
Bella returned the grin. "Are you thinking of doing what I think you're planning on doing?"
"Yup… What do you say to a little fun at the expense of our dear beloved brother and his lovely wife?" was Jasper's reply.
"Jasper, this is a side of you I've never seen. How evil, how devious, how did you know that was exactly what I had in mind?"
"Hah! Great minds think alike, little sister. Stick with me and watch how it's done," Jasper replied as he and Bella made their way back to the Civil War exhibit room, ready to put their plan into action.
Alice and Edward were taking their time going through the small kiosk, wanting to give Jasper plenty of time to talk with Bella.
"Uh-oh…" Alice said, causing Edward to quickly turn towards her. He could see in Alice's mind that Emmett and Rosalie had shown up at the museum and Emmett was up to no good. Then he heard Jasper's thoughts including his plan to thwart Emmett. Jasper's thoughts also showed Bella was on board for this little bit of mischief. Edward opened his eyes and looked Alice, each starting at the other for about two seconds before they both started laughing. They scrambled out of the kiosk as quickly as they could without drawing attention from the humans in the room, running back to where Bella and Jasper were to watch the prank play out.
Emmett and Rosalie had finally found the Civil War exhibit room and were slowly walking through the exhibit, looking at the memorabilia and figurines on display.
"Dead man. Another dead man. Old gun. Rusty old cannon. Old faded picture. Another dead man. What did I tell you, Rosie, it's like a tomb in here!" Emmett said as he walked beside Rosalie. They still hadn't seen any of the others and had concluded there were in another part of the museum.
Rosalie started rubbing her arms. "This place is giving me the creeps, Emmett. It's almost like the figures and portraits are really staring at us…"
Emmett nodded, looking back towards the exits. "Yeah, I know what you mean. All of a sudden I'm feeling a little anxious."
"I'm feeling a little "anxious", Emmett? We don't have time for that! I swear, that's the last time I'm ever going to let you watch Beetlejuice!" Rosalie whispered furiously.
"What did I say?" he asked before realizing Rosalie misunderstood what he was talking about. "Not that type of "anxious", Rosalie. I feel like I'm on edge, nervous, like something is going to happen."
Lub-dub, lub-dub, lub-dub
Emmett whispered, "That's a heartbeat. Rosalie, are you making that sound?"
"Don't be funny, Emmett, you know I don't have a heartbeat." Rosalie said as she rolled her eyes.
Emmett listened carefully for the sound again. Lub-dub, lub-dub, lub-dub.
"There it is again!" Emmett said, before looking down at his chest. "You don't think it's me, do you?"
Rosalie again rolled her eyes. "Yes, Emmett, your heart has restarted and now you're mortal again."
"It could happen. After all, we are mythical creatures, aren't we? If someone were to write our story they could make it a possibility…"
Rosalie was no longer listening to Emmett. Something had caught her attention and she quickly strode to the wall with a series of portraits.
"Emmett!" she hissed. "Come here! Look! It's Jasper's portrait!"
Emmett hurried over to the portrait. "Well, I'll be… it IS Jasper. How in the heck did someone get hold of this? I wonder if Jasper's seen it."
Both Emmett and Rosalie shivered as if a cold, creepy prickly feeling were running up and down their spines. They didn't see Jasper in his hiding spot with Bella as he concentrated on sending out feelings of tension while trying to keep from laughing or setting off Bella who was barely holding on.
Suddenly Rosalie and Emmett heard a voice come from the direction of Jasper's portrait.
"It's time to separate the men from the boys, General. You have no place here, little Appalachian man!"
Emmett's eyes were wide as he stood staring at Jasper's portrait. He whispered to Rosalie, "That picture is talking to me…"
"Speak louder, soldier! Whispering is for the womenfolk, not men of action!"
"No women allowed in the ranks. Move yourself off to the nursing tents by the kitchens, woman!"
Rosalie glared up at the portrait. "I'll tell you where you can go, you…."
Emmett put his arm around Rosalie, pulling her away from the portrait. "Don't, Rosalie. Don't make it angry. We don't know what other ghosts or spirits are in the room…"
Bella and Jasper were behind a huge column near the exit, trying not to laugh, while Edward and Alice were at the opposite end doing the same.
Emmett and Rosalie moved away from the Jasper portrait and as they were passing by the display of a Union soldier figure they both jumped when they heard a faint heartbeat coming from the soldier's direction. Lub-dub, lub-dub, lub-dub…
"Rosie, there are ghosts in this room. What did I tell you; didn't I tell you these places are like tombs and the dead live in them?" Emmett started scrambling towards the exit.
"Emmett, wait!" Rosalie screeched as she too quickly made for the exit.
Just as they reached the exit they heard people snickering in the background and spotted Jasper, Bella, Alice and Edward hiding behind columns. All four came out of their hiding spaces and walked over to Rosalie and Emmett who were glaring at them.
"Okay, that was just plain cruel," said Rosalie. "You almost gave poor Emmett a heart attack!"
"Hah! The chances of that happening are about the same as Emmett wetting his pants and I think he came closer to that scenario when the portrait called him a little Appalachian man!" laughed Edward.
"Jasper, that was hilarious! I've never seen this mischievous side of you, but I'm glad I finally had the chance. That was so much fun!" Bella said as her eyes sparkled.
Alice proudly watched Jasper as he let himself feel the joyful feelings coming from Bella, as well as her admiration for him. Was that okay, Edward? She seemed to enjoy it.
Edward smiled and nodded at his brother as he hugged Bella to his side while giving his brother a thumbs-up with his free hand.
"Alright, alright, the two of you got us good. I expect something like that from you, Jazz, but Bella, how could you, after the way we bonded at Disneyland Paris? You do realize this makes you fair game after your change, don't you?" said Emmett with an evil grin on his face.
"Of course, Emmett, I wouldn't have it any other way." Bella laughed, feeling safe and secure in Edward's arms. "But, don't forget that I've also bonded with my other brother and he's a master strategist. And he's told me he will always be there to help me and support me, right brother?"
Jasper and Alice walked over to where Edward and Bella were standing. Jasper took Bella's hand in his and with his best Southern manners he bent over Bella's hand and gently kissed it. "Always, little sister, for eternity."
A/N: I hope you enjoyed this one. There's so much we don't know about Jasper so while it was difficult to write about him, it was also fun because I got to write how I imagine him to be. Just two more chapters to go and I'll try to get them out as fast as possible. Thanks for reading and leave me a quick review if you can. :-)