(Bella)
Jake had to patrol right after school but made it a point to come by and check on me first. I guess my text to him this morning wasn't quite enough to prove to him that I was in fact alive and well. His overprotective hovering was worth it to see his expression when he came in the kitchen to find the mountain of food I had made.
"Hells Bells!" he said, his eyes wide. "Are you opening a restaurant?"
"No, just making some food for Charlie." I was just finishing portioning out Grandma Swan's famous stroganoff into containers when Jake walked in. I handed him a bowl with the last of it, knowing the easiest way to avoid his questions was to feed him.
"I don't think Charlie will eat this much Bella." Jake said around a fork full of food.
"Don't speak with your mouth full Jake." I told him. I ignored his looks as he ate, picking up containers of chicken casserole, stroganoff, shephard's pie, and enchiladas and putting them into two medium sized cardboard boxes.
I remembered the first time I had made enchiladas for Charlie. He looked wary when he smelled the green chilies, probably remembering my mother's experiments in cooking, but he bravely tried it. Surprisingly, it ended up becoming one of his favorites. I always made sure not to use too many chilies, knowing he would get heartburn.
"Hey, where you going with all the food?" Jacob asked me, looking heartbroken.
I laughed. "I told you, it's for Charlie." He still looked sad. I turned around, leaning on the small square table. "Jacob Black, have I ever left you hanging?"
I walked over to the freezer, swinging the door open wide. Inside, stacked neatly, were four large dishes containing duplicates to what I had portioned out for my Dad.
"I love you Bells." Jacob told me, faking wiping a tear from his eye.
I rolled my eyes as I shut the door. "Help me bring these boxes to your Dad's truck. I wanna get these home before Charlie gets here."
"Why?"
"Because I don't wanna have to explain to him why I went all Betty Crocker on him yet." I said, rolling my eyes.
"Okay," He said, stacking the boxes on top of each other and bringing them out together. I followed along, just incase he dropped anything, but of course, superhuman reflexes prevailed. If I had tried that I would have broken a leg and splattered everything all over the ground. "Why did you go all Betty Crocker anyhow?"
"It won't be long until I have to leave Forks. I don't want Dad to have to cook for a while." I said quietly. "And no, I haven't thought of what to tell him yet." I snapped.
He set the boxes in the back of the truck and stepped back, hands up. "Gees Bella, go easy on me."
"Sorry Jake, I just had a conversation kinda like this with Billy today. He was sweet about it, but you know how stubborn he can be about the cold ones." I imitated Billy's voice on the last words.
"Anything I can do to help?" Jake asked, pulling me into a quick hug.
"Look out for my Dad."
"Besides that. That is a given."
"I'm not sure. If I think of anything, I'll let you know." I told him. "You are helping already by being such a great friend."
"I know, I'm awesome." he winked at me. "You need help unloading this at your house? Sam needs me on patrol really soon." he looked torn.
"Let me check." I said, winking.
I dialed Jasper's number, not knowing if he'd be at my house or the Cullen house right now. Either way if I needed him at mine, I was sure he could beat me home.
"Bella? Everything okay?"
"Yeah, everything is fine. Are you at my house?"
"Yes, is that alright?"
"Perfect actually. I'll be there in a few minutes, I'm just leaving the rez now and I have some boxes I need help carrying in. Would you mind?"
"Not at all darlin', I'd be glad to help."
"Okay, see you soon then."
I hung up and grinned at Jake.
"All taken care of, go ahead and patrol."
"Oh no you don't. You can't just chat with a vampire on the phone and think I won't ask about it. I'm coming with." He said. "Consider it part of my patrol route."
"How do you know it was a vampire?" I asked, eyebrow raised. He just looked at me, as if waiting for me to admit it. I tapped my foot, jingling the keys in my hands. I figured out after a few seconds that Jake's doggy ears could hear both sides of the conversation perfectly so could tell the voice on the other end was vampire smooth.
I huffed, "Fine, but you better be nice." I tossed him the keys, knowing if he was driving I'd get there quicker and he'd have something to focus on.
I'd gotten used to being a passenger while dating Edward. It used to irritate me to no end, but now it just didn't seem to matter. My priorities shifted a lot recently. I realized the driving thing was just part of the power struggle. It shouldn't have mattered who drove the car. The fact that it was such an issue was just a symptom of the larger problem.
Jacob was tense the whole way there, and I began to worry. I hoped he wouldn't go all protective on me, but I was starting to think it was inevitable. Jake usually let me do my own thing, even if he didn't agree with me. The only real exception was if he thought I was in danger, then he would attempt to boss me around. I grew up with Jacob though, and I couldn't possibly be intimidated by someone I had watched grow up alongside me, no matter how big he got.
"Jake, it's Jasper who will be helping me bring in the stuff." I said.
"Jasper Cullen?"
"That's not his name, but yes." We were almost to the house now. "No freaking out please. You said you'd be nice."
"Are they all back?" He asked, tense.
"No, he's the only one of them. And I'm glad he's here."
As soon as the truck was in the driveway, Jake hopped out of it. He stood, staring at the front door where Jasper leaned against the doorframe. Jasper looked relaxed, but I could tell it was an act. He had obviously heard the end of our conversation and realized the pack now knew he was in town.
"We patrol Forks now, to keep Bella safe." he spoke flatly.
"I have no issues with that." Jasper nodded and they resumed their staring contest.
I took the chance while they were staring at each other to send a text to Peter and tell him that he and Char should stay quiet and scentless unless they wanted to introduce themselves to the pack. A few seconds later I got a simple reply of "on it" from him.
The message received sound broke the standoff between the guys and I cursed not turning off the chime noise before then. I hopped out of the truck and walked around to the drivers side, leaning against the truck and staring at my phone.
"Hey Jasper, how do I turn off that noise when I get a text message?" I asked, waving my phone at him.
"Give it here, I'll fix it for you." He sent me his amusement. I missed playing emotional ping-pong with him. I thought of how it felt to miss him all day and sent that his way, not even knowing what to call the emotion. Longing? Absence?
"Sure," I mumbled, pretending to be absorbed in messing with the phone still. "Umm... Jasper, Jake. Two boxes in the back. Just put them on the kitchen table for now."
"Obvious much?" Jake whispered to me, giving me a look that said he'd rather not work with the vampire and knew exactly what I was up to.
"I fed you stroganoff and filled your freezer. Lasagna for dinner tonight. Where is the loyalty?" I whispered back.
He sighed theatrically. "Come on leech, I'll show you where she really wants these instead of where she wants them for now." Jake said while picking up a box and walking toward the house. He only cringed a bit while passing Jasper who quickly followed Jake with the second box. I smiled at their retreating backs as I walked, proud of Jake for making the effort. Even if it was begrudgingly so.
Jake led the way to the waist high deep-freeze that was in the basement. Before I moved here its sole purpose was storing the many pounds of excess fish that Charlie caught. He spent a lot less time cooking it than catching it so the freezer never emptied out.
I was just grateful that he took the time to label his catch when he froze it. One of the first things I did when I moved here was go through and throw out anything older than six months. Charlie insisted it was still good, but I reminded him that he would fill it up again and he relented to my cleaning. Since I took over the shopping, the freezer had more varied contents.
Jake set his box down on the folding table that found a permanent home next to the laundry machines and stepped back to leave room for Jasper to do the same. There wasn't a lot of room down here with Jacob's massive frame and the low ceilings. Jasper wasn't standing at his full height either.
The basement had a cement floor and walls, but Charlie had coated everything in a sealant that kept the ever-present wet of Forks outside. The air was still rather damp, but it wasn't worse than any other basement really. Partly that was due to my Dad's cleverness. Instead of packing holiday decorations and the assorted old memories and forgotten things into cardboard boxes, he had used plastic tubs.
"They were easier to stack", he claimed bashfully when I complimented him about his idea. I was still impressed. By packing that way, he avoided growing mold and there were no rodents down here.
I searched around in the boxes of food, pulling out one of each dish and handing half of them to Jake.
"These go upstairs in the regular freezer." I pointed at the other two boxes. "Jasper, can you put the rest in the deep-freeze for me? The cardboard goes in the recycle bin upstairs when you're done."
"Sure." he said.
I grabbed Jake's free hand and the other two containers and pulled him upstairs. I was sure Jasper could have the boxes unloaded in seconds flat and watching him work would only give me a complex. I sent him my gratitude as I dragged Jake up the stairs. It wasn't an easy task considering Jake didn't want to turn his back on Jasper.
"Move it Jake, I gotta get back to Billy's if you want dinner tonight." I finally said.
This seemed to do the trick, causing him to rush up the stairs, nearly carrying me with him. I laughed at him as I was propelled the rest of the way up, landing on my feet almost gracefully at the top. I was impressed, normally I face-plant after such a maneuver.
I grinned and walked to the kitchen, plopping down in one of the chairs. Jake put the four containers in the freezer and sat down across from me, trying to look relaxed and failing.
"I should be insulted that you use food against me Bella. I'm not just a stomach you know."
"Of course you aren't." I placated him. "So do you want me to take your shoes and stuff back to Billy's with me when you go on patrol?" I asked him, changing the subject before he could get offended.
"I'm not leaving until you do." He told me, his nose twitching.
I rolled my eyes and opened the window next to the table. He shot me a relieved grimace. "I am heading out in a minute. So is that a yes?"
"Sure, sure."
When Jasper came upstairs a moment later I held out my phone to him. "Fix please."
"Do you want a different sound, a vibration, or nothing at all?"
"Just turn it all off. I don't need to see texts right away." I said, knowing that all the superhumans around me would pick up on the noise vibrate made and half the time I didn't notice it anyhow. When I was away from here I would change it to something else.
He took it, tapping away quickly and handed it back seconds later. "No more chime when you get text messages."
"Thanks!" I smiled at him. "And thanks again for helping with the food. I've gotta go again, just wanted to drop all that off now instead of explaining it to Charlie later. I'll be back tonight."
I headed for the back door, Jake following me closely. When I got to the tree-line, he grabbed my hand stopping me.
"Where are you going Bells?"
"You need to go patrol. I am taking your stuff back." I said slowly, as if he was a small child. "I assumed you were going behind a tree to phase, but by all means if you wanna get naked in front of Jasper, go for it." I told him.
His face pinked up a little at that. "Fine, stay here." He stomped off just out of sight and about thirty seconds later barked. I walked forward and found a pile of clothes waiting for me with the truck keys on top.
"Thanks Jake." I told the giant wolf. "Go patrol, I'll be at the rez."
He licked my face like a dog and chuffed a doggy laugh. I stumbled backwards, disgusted.
"That was nasty!" I used his own shirt to wipe off the drool. "Gross."
I stumbled out of the woods, still scrubbing my face. Jasper looked horrified.
"Not one word!" I told him sternly. I marched straight to the truck and started it up, feeling Jasper's projected amusement hitting me as I pulled out, the drive back to Billy's uneventful.
After prepping two pans of lasagna, I spent the rest of the afternoon reading. By the time Charlie got off work I had a salad ready and Jake was back from patrol. Billy kept his word and didn't act any different around him which I was glad for. I dished out of the larger pan, taking the smaller one home to put in our freezer, adding to the stockpile I had made earlier.
Charlie was in a good mood, already planning another fishing trip with the guys for the upcoming weekend. This time they were going salt water fishing. Harry had won four tickets from a raffle that included free equipment rental and two days passage on a fishing boat. Dad and the guys would be driving up early on Saturday and spending the night in Seattle. I smiled and chatted with him about it as we drove home. I was glad he had such good friends. It made it easier to leave knowing that the guys would look out for him.
When we got home, I got Charlie a beer and settled him in front of the TV before making excuses about being tired and going to bed early. He seemed a little suspicious until I told him I did some extra cooking and cleaning today as well as taking a walk on the beach.
"I noticed the double lasagnas Bells. Not a bad idea with the way that boy can eat." He laughed. "Goodnight honey, see you in the morning." I kissed his cheek and went upstairs.
I opened my door slowly, peeking in. As expected, three pairs of eyes, two sets of red and one set of gold were looking at me from on my bed.
"Hi." I said.
Peter's nose wrinkled up. "Wow, I wish my gift did work on you. Do all the wolves smell like that?"
I laughed at the face he was making. "Sorry, was just about to shower."
"God, it's like a wet dog went dumpster diving, then got ran over by a truck and baked in the sun for a couple of hours."
"And got sprayed by a skunk." Charlotte added helpfully.
"Lovely description." I rolled my eyes. "If it's any consolation, they don't like how you guys smell either. It's like stink wars between you." I grabbed my clothes and headed to the bathroom.
Nothing like being told I smelled like dumpster diving road-kill to make me feel good about myself. I showered and ran through my routine, not concentrating on much of anything. I really was tired. I liked cooking, but it was a lot of work, especially with all the cleanup involved from making so many different dishes. Add to that not getting quite enough sleep last night and the emotional week and I could do with some real rest.
I stumbled my way back to my room, shutting the door and putting on some music again.
"You're exhausted." Jasper said.
"Yeah, it's been a long week." I told him. "I wish I wasn't so tired. I really wanted to get to know you guys more, but I need to sleep soon." I looked at Peter and Charlotte regretfully.
"Don't worry about it Bella, we have forever to get acquainted." Charlotte said giving me a smile.
I returned it. "I suppose we do."
I shooed them out of the way and climbed into bed.
"Jasper, are you coming with me tomorrow to the Cullen place to meet with Eleazer and Laurent?" I didn't want to assume he would, but I really hoped so.
"I would prefer to accompany you actually. Laurent already left town. I was there today, so Eleazer knows I'm here. Besides, it might be helpful to have an active gift like mine around when testing out yours."
"Oh, I hadn't thought of that. Good idea." I yawned, fighting sleep for a bit longer.
"Char and I were thinking of tagging along with you, I know you wanted to get some things out of the house as well as your truck. I figure as long as I avoid Eleazer and don't actively use my gift, I should be able to pull it off." Peter said. "I figured you would want to stay by your girl anyhow and this way we won't need to go running back to the house again."
"Sounds fine to me." Jasper agreed.
"Yeah, I'm really not interested in spending any extra time at the Cullen house either." I told them. I was never comfortable there to begin with and now it's just full of memories I'd rather not think about. "The wolves will probably be listening and patrolling close tonight, now that they know the mystery vampire is Jasper. Sorry about that, but there wasn't much way to put him off."
"He's your friend, I don't expect you to lie to him for me." Jasper said.
"Well it's pretty much trapped the three of you inside tonight." I sighed. "Feel free to read my books, or entertain yourself with whatever you find in here." I told them.
"We'll manage, don't worry about us." Peter said. "You just get some sleep now, so we can deal with Denali tomorrow."
"We need to come up with an exit strategy for Forks. I've been thinking about it, but you three have had to disappear more than I have so I figured I should get your input. I want to stay in contact with Charlie by email if possible, phone calls would be nice but that's just unrealistic. I'm sure it would be hard to pull off after my change with the newborn thing and voice differences."
Jasper looked thoughtful. "I never pictured your Dad as an email type of guy."
"Exactly. He'll do it if he has to. If it's the only way, but he won't make a habit of it and it will naturally slow down on its own. I won't have to fake a lot of news or photoshop loads of pictures to make me look human or older than I am. After the first year I estimate it will be down to 2-3 messages per year."
Jasper and Peter exchanged a smirk with each other.
"What?" I said.
"Oh nothin'. We were just talking about you today darlin'." Jasper said, turning out the light and settling into his spot on the floor next to my bed. "About how you were a natural strategist."
Jasper was facing Peter and Charlotte, who had decided to curl up together in the rocking chair, each with a book. I followed his gaze, watching them as well. They looked very comfortable, almost wrapped around each other. Peter was stoking her hair lightly while holding his book one handed. Just looking at them, you could see that they were mates.
I tried to hold in my own feelings, knowing the reaction I had whenever I looked at Sam and Emily and not wanting to expose that much of myself to Jasper when I felt so tired and defenseless. He didn't turn his head, only reaching up his hand, palm up on the bed for mine.
"Don't hide." he whispered.
Those two simple words were like a sledgehammer to my chest. I slipped my hand into his, taking a deep shuddering breath as I let the hole in my chest have it's due. It burned from being repressed. I didn't make a sound, just squeezed his hand and let it out. It felt like being ripped open all over again, but I had an anchor to keep me from getting lost this time. I had Jasper holding me to the Earth. I let the pain run its course, time losing all meaning. I don't even remember when sleep took me.
(Jasper)
I could tell Bella was dead on her feet when she got home. I had been impressed with the volume of food her and the wolf had brought over earlier in the day to freeze for her father. It would probably last him for a month.
I was amazed at how well she was dealing with everything. In a few short months she had to deal with Edward and our family leaving, her mother, all while taking care of everyone around her. A pack of shape shifters couldn't have been easy to handle, even if she counted them as friends. I could feel how volatile their emotions were, it must be a delicate balance for them between man and beast. Then Bella had to deal with an insane vampire hunting her, Victoria. With Laurent, Eleazer, and myself showing up it had to be wearing on her.
She didn't take long to make her way up and head to bed. After a small amount of conversation, I turned out the lights and settled down next to her bed. As I watched Peter and Charlotte in the dark, I couldn't help but feel like I had sixty years ago. Slightly envious and longing for a mate of my own. I guess that is why I believed Alice so easily, I wanted to believe her when she told me we were mates. Any doubts I had at the time, I had ignored.
Watching them now, it seemed so obvious. Alice and I never had what they had. I could feel Bella watching them with me, her emotions almost a mirror to mine. I hoped I hadn't accidentally projected on her. I checked my control carefully and found that I hadn't been.
I concentrated more on Bella and let my eyes go out of focus. Her emotions started to become more erratic, and then shut down. I reached out to her out of reflex, hoping she'd allow me to comfort her.
"Don't hide." I whispered.
I felt her warm hand move into mine and had a second of bliss. Her smooth skin was so warm, so soft. Her hand small and delicate compared to my own, even without my unnatural strength. It made me feel more alive than I had a right to be. It felt like a sin as her fingers weaved in between mine. The feeling of completeness ran through my entire body at her light touch. I only had a second to enjoy it.
My words had another effect entirely. She opened the floodgates on her emotions, letting me see what she kept hidden inside. The reason for the dark circles under her eyes and the pain that hid below their chocolate brown depths. The emotions slammed directly into me, made even more strong by our contact. I wouldn't let go, even if it would ease the pain.
It felt like my dead heart was dying all over again. I swore vengeance on whoever caused her to hurt like this and made promises in my mind and to any God that was listening that I would do anything to keep her from ever feeling like this again. The intensity of her internal battle could only be compared to the intensity of the change itself, but instead of physical pain, this was pure anguish.
I rode it out along with her, unable to do anything else. I felt her grip on my hand become tighter. The most amazing thing was except for one shaky breath at the start, somehow Bella was able to keep her breathing and heart rate normal through the torment. It was like she was welcoming the pain, allowing it to come, not struggling through it but letting it pass over her.
I wasn't as strong as this little lady lying beside me, I had to stop breathing just to keep from acting out in some way. I wanted to squeeze her hand back, to let her know I was there. I didn't dare even try, fearing I would hurt her. When I finally was able to deal with the pain coming from her, I did the only thing I could do that I knew was safe. I used my gift to send her lethargy and relaxation, hoping to ease her into sleep. Finally, she succumbed and the torture ceased.
I monitored her carefully, finding that her sleep was peaceful, undisturbed by the emotional onslaught that she had just unleashed. I started breathing again and came back to my senses.
"Major?" Peter whispered. "Are you alright?"
I hadn't noticed Peter and Charlotte had moved closer, both of them kneeling in front of me, concerned. Char put her hand over my left hand which had been rubbing my chest unconsciously, stopping the movement. I looked down in shock.
"I think so." I answered, pulling myself together. I looked over my shoulder to Bella's sleeping form, seeing her hand still in mine. "She hurts more than you can imagine."
Peter and Char joined me sitting by the bed and we sat in silence with our thoughts until the sun came up, standing guard together against anything that would dare think to come for my sleeping angel in the night.