(Bella)
Mine. The word seemed to echo between us when it fell from Jasper's lips. It was exactly what I was thinking as I tried to convey the exact feeling he projected at me while he was feeding. We hadn't spoken again that night, both of us content to just be with each other. Jasper eventually turned out the light and pulled me against him, wrapping us both in the covers to keep me from getting cold from his skin.
The next day we said goodbye to the others at the hotel. They were driving Emmett's new H3 to Montana while we took the rented Mercedes SUV back to the airport. Once we arrived in Seattle, we retrieved Jasper's truck and headed to Forks. We beat Charlie home and I erased the message I had left Dad on the answering machine.
I sent a quick text to Jake, letting him know I was back and Jasper and I went upstairs so I could unpack and sort out some laundry. I really needed to do some wash. It was amazing how such a short trip generated so much dirty laundry. I let Jasper carry the basket downstairs so he could feel useful.
As I was passing by the back door, there was a loud knock and Jake's face peered in the window at me.
"Jake!" I said, shocked to see him. I undid the lock and he opened the door, walking right into the house. He pulled me into a hug and laughed in relief.
"Bells, I'm so glad to see you."
"I was only gone a few days!" I laughed as he set me back on my feet.
"Bella, how much soap do you add to this thing?" Jasper called up from the basement.
"He's still here, huh?" Jake mumbled.
I ignored him and went downstairs, hoping Jasper hadn't done anything drastic with our clothes. Switching the machine's settings for a large load of colors, I measured out the liquid and started the load. Jasper watched intently as I worked.
"Thanks, I'll remember for next time. I never had to do laundry before. Alice never let us wear the same thing more than once."
I didn't comment, but that was so typical of her. You couldn't even attribute that to fashion. Clothes didn't go out of style overnight.
"Your eyes are red!" Jacob growled out. "You murdered someone!"
Jacob was trembling as he stared at Jasper. I hadn't thought about the pack finding out about this, but I should have. It was bound to come up. It's not like I was planning to hide Jasper away or something. Jasper pulled me behind him protectively and faced off with Jake.
"Yes. While we were in New York City there was a man being beaten to death in an alley. I killed the man that was attacking him." Jasper explained, leaving out a lot of the facts, but hitting the finer points well enough.
Jacob looked conflicted, unsure what to think about what he had just heard. I could see that he wanted to stay angry, but finding out it wasn't like he thought at first had thrown him.
"Did the victim survive?" He asked.
"No, he didn't make it. He lost too much blood." Jasper said. Also true, but stretching the truth even farther.
"I was there Jake. I told Jasper to do it. That monster would have killed other people if he hadn't been stopped." I said evenly.
"Damn it. This shit is fucked up." Jake had stopped shaking, but looked frazzled. "I don't even know who the bad guys are anymore. It was so much easier before."
"Before?" I asked confused.
"Before this unholy alliance you got us mixed up in Bells!" He groaned out. "Now that you're going off to Italy to become one of them, I just don't know what to do." He kicked the empty laundry basket across the floor in frustration. "I feel like everything is falling apart and I can't hold on anymore. I'm losing you!"
I pushed Jasper aside firmly and went to Jacob, stopping his pacing by grabbing him around the middle and squeezing him. He broke a bit in my arms, letting out a strangled noise as he held me back.
"I'm so sorry Jacob. I never meant to do this to you. I'm such a mess and now I've dragged you into it too."
"Don't be sorry. I love you Bells, mess and all."
I could tell Jasper was uneasy with watching us be so close, but he didn't say anything about it, looking away and giving us our moment. I held Jake and tried to soothe him as he let the mask he had been holding all week for my benefit slip, revealing the difficulty he was having dealing with the changes that were coming.
"Bells! You home?" Charlie's voice along with the front door slamming from upstairs broke us apart.
I pulled back giving Jake a smile and all three of us went upstairs.
"Yeah Dad, I was just putting in some laundry!" I called back, tromping up the stairs behind Jacob.
Charlie met me in the kitchen, his face relieved. He was holding a big red cooler, probably full of fish and smiling.
"Oh, hey Jake." He greeted. His eyes widened a bit at seeing Jasper follow me into the room, spotting his eyes right away. I really should have considered how different he looked with his newly red eyes. "Jasper." He said with a nod.
Jake looked a bit shocked that Charlie knew who Jasper was, but didn't say anything.
"We just got back." I informed my father. "How was the fishing?"
"It was great!" Charlie said, looking grateful for a comfortable subject. He lifted up the cooler a bit. "I gotta go put away my catch. Got a swordfish! It was a real fighter, nearly pulled me off the ship. Good thing they make you hook into a harness or I'd have had to swim back to shore." He laughed.
"That's great Dad." I smiled, glad he had a good time. "If it won't all fit down there we can fit more in the freezer up here." I told him as he passed us on his way downstairs.
Once Charlie had gone, whistling as he descended, Jacob turned to me with a raised eyebrow.
"Charlie knows about Jasper?"
"He remembers him as one of Carlisle's sons. He thinks he's in town visiting me." I told him, sticking to the public story. I could see the relief spread on his face.
I had a sudden idea. What I really needed to do was have a going away party. I wondered if the pack would make an exception and let Jasper come to First Beach just this once. We could have a bonfire, invite Charlie and everyone I knew from the rez. Really do it up right with food and some music.
"I've gotta call Emily." I said suddenly, grinning huge. "You two play nice, I'll be right back."
I raced upstairs to get my phone where I left it in my room. I knew if I asked Sam if I could bring a vampire along, he'd flip out over everyone's safety. But Emily on the other hand, she could be persuaded. If Emily wanted really wanted something, Sam would give in. It was just a matter of making sure things were presented right to him.
She answered on the first ring, sounded excited to hear from me.
"Vampire-girl! I have been dying to hear from you! How was New York?"
"Hey there wolf-girl! I have so much to tell you. Think you can ditch the boys for a bit? I'll come by and we can go out to lunch just the two of us."
"Sounds great. You coming by now?"
"Yep, just gotta ditch Jake and Jasper, I'm on the way! See you soon."
"Okay, bye!" She said and I hung up, grabbing my purse.
I bounced down the stairs excited. I hadn't had a chance to see Emily much this last week. We usually spent a lot of time hanging out together while the guys were out during the day. Jacob still had school and Sam spent his time split between pack duties and work.
"Hey Jay, can I borrow your truck? Emily and I are going to lunch."
Dad had come back up and was sitting awkwardly with my boys. It seemed conversation was flowing slowly and I smirked at them.
"Sure darlin'." He said, pulling the keys from his pocket. I gave him a quick peck on the lips before taking them from him.
"Perfect!" Jacob said ignoring the display. "I was just getting hungry."
"Sorry Jake, girls only." I rolled my eyes. He was not invited and if he thought he was going to listen in, he'd have another thing coming. "I'll drop you at the rez on the way if you want."
"Oh. Okay." He said, a bit too eagerly.
"I'll be back in a bit." I said, turning around. "I want to hear all about your trip when I get back." I told Charlie. "Emily and I have some serious girl-talk to catch up on though."
"Have fun Bells. I'll just have a nice chat with your friend." Charlie looked at Jasper appraisingly. Jasper didn't even flinch.
Jacob and I left the two men to get to know each other and I got into the driver's seat. Jacob elected to sit in the bed of the truck and opened the window that separated the back of the cab from the bed to talk to me as we drove.
"So, what's so secret that I can't come along to lunch?" He pouted.
"No secrets Jake. I just miss spending time with Emily and I have stuff to talk about that I just can't tell you."
"I thought we were best friends." He said offended.
"We are Jake." I sighed. "But there are some things that you don't want to hear about."
"You didn't!" He said horrified.
"Didn't what?" I said. "Oh, no we didn't go that far. Do you really want to talk about my relationship with Jasper?" I asked.
"I guess not." He said. "Just be careful, okay. Don't do anything stupid. And if he ever hurts you, tell me." He growled out.
I studied his expression as I drove toward's Emily's place. He looked concerned but resigned.
"I'll fill everyone in soon. Trust me, you won't believe what went down at the Cullens."
Jake perked up at my teasing description. I knew that would get his interest away from thoughts of my love life. I still knew Jacob would try to follow us though, so I hoped Sam was home. I saw his car parked in front of the house when I pulled in and smiled. I was in luck!
Jake and I walked into the kitchen just as Emily was getting ready to go outside to meet me. Sam held her back, sniffing the air.
"New truck Bells?" He asked. I wondered if he could smell vampire on it from here.
"I borrowed it from a friend." I told him. "Sam, I was wondering if you could make sure Jake didn't follow Emily and I to lunch. I have a feeling he wants to eavesdrop on our private conversation." I shot him a knowing look. "And I was really hoping it could just be us girls." I winked at Emily, hoping for her support.
"Your vampire friends won't be coming, right? It will be just the two of you?" He checked.
"Yep, just to the diner in Forks. Unless you wanted to go to Port Angeles?" I asked Emily.
"No, that's fine." She agreed. "I really want a chance to talk alone with my friend Sam."
He nodded, giving in right away. Jake huffed in frustration.
"Okay, we'll see you later then!" I said quickly, not wanting anything to happen to change Sam's mind. Emily and I got into Jasper's truck and headed to the diner, giggling as we escaped our protectors.
"So, are we really alone?" She asked. "Or are there vampires listening in?"
"Charlie is probably giving Jasper the third degree right now, so I doubt he'll be free to follow us. He's the only one in Forks right now. Sorry for rushing us out of there. I thought for sure Jake was going to mention that Jay's eyes are red now and Sam would blow his lid before we could get on the road."
"He killed someone?" Emily said in shock. "What happened?"
I explained how it all went down, giving her slightly more detail than Jake, but swearing her to secrecy on the differences. Emily didn't need to worry about her head being picked clean by doggy mind sharing.
She wasn't completely sold on the "death penalty" for the criminal, but admitted she didn't disagree entirely either. When I told her I was standing right there for the whole thing she was surprised.
"Weren't you scared? I mean, what if he decided he wanted dessert or something? Didn't Jasper try to go after you before when the Cullens were here?"
"I wasn't scared. Are you scared of Sam?" I asked.
"Of course not." She made a face at me. "I love Sam, he'd never attack me."
"Sam hurt you before." I said and she glared.
"That was different. It was an accident."
"Exactly." I said, hating that I had upset my friend. "I'm sorry for bringing that up Emily. I didn't mean to make you mad."
"No, it's fine. I think I get what you are saying." She sighed. "So, do you like Jasper then?"
"I do." I admitted with a blush. "It's happening really fast, but I really like him. We haven't used the 'L-word' yet, but we did kiss a couple of times."
"Good for you vampire-girl." She smiled. "Please tell me this one is better than the last one."
"He is." I said confidently as I parked. "I'll tell you more about him while we eat and we can make plans for my going-away party."
"I'm really going to miss you."
We decided to place our orders to go and took our food to the park across the street to sit at the picnic tables. It hadn't rained yet today and everything was mostly dry. It was too crowded inside to talk without the town busybodies listening in on everything we had to say.
I only told her that Edward and Esme had been killed while we were there, but didn't go into the whole story, promising I'd explain in detail when the pack was around to hear it. The rest of our conversation was about Jasper and I. Emily was a little worried when I told her he had just broken up with his wife of sixty years, but relaxed a bit when I went on about the circumstances.
I admitted that I initiated our first kiss and how amazing it was, how he kissed me the next time. I told her how we had decided to try being a couple, even if we weren't officially mates after my change.
"What if you aren't mates and someday he finds his?" She asked. "Like what happened with Leah?"
I shrugged. "I don't think it's quite the same thing. I'm going into this with my eyes open anyhow. I don't want to put my life on hold, just incase. He's worth the risk."
"I really want to meet him." She said. "He sounds perfect for you."
"That's what I wanted to talk to you about." I said, taking a deep breath. "I want to have my going away party on First Beach, but I want Jay there too. As my date."
"Oh." Her eyes widened. "Sam won't like that idea."
"I know. I was hoping you'd help me convince him to make an exception." I pleaded. "Just for the party and only on the beach, not anywhere else on the rez."
"This is going to be tough." She said. "I'm not sure he'll agree, even if I ask him."
"What if I don't ask permission and just bring Jasper with me. You think Sam would flip out in front of Charlie?" I said, amused.
"You wouldn't!" Emily laughed. "Please don't do that, who knows what would happen. I'll convince him, somehow."
"I knew I could count on you wolf-girl." I winked. "We'll provide all the stuff, so don't worry about that. It's the least I can do after giving you such a hard job."
"Thanks. So when are we doing this?"
"Tomorrow night. We spoke to the Volturi and they only gave me one year before I have to be in Italy. I can't wait much longer to change."
"That soon?" Emily said sadly.
"Yeah. Don't worry though, we can still talk on the phone at least. How's it going with Leah?"
"Better." She smiled. "She came over yesterday and we talked while Sam was working."
"That's great. We need to invite her to the party too. Everyone we know at the rez actually. The more the merrier."
"You, Charlie, and Jasper will be the only pale-faces there?"
"Yep." I said with a laugh. There was no point inviting anyone I used to go to school with. I hadn't talked to any of them since Edward left.
We tossed our containers in the trash cans and walked back to Jasper's truck, heading back to the rez both happy and making plans. I was thinking of how much cooking I had ahead of me to get enough food ready and she was thinking of ways to convince her fiance to ignore the fact that my date was a member of the undead for one evening.
(Jasper)
I watched Bella leave, the wolf following her out the door. Her father was sending me suspicion as he examined me carefully. I tried smiling disarmingly at him, but he didn't buy it for a moment.
"So, Jasper. How long are you in town for?" He asked.
"Not long." I answered. Bella and I would be leaving soon.
"I was afraid of that." He said sitting back in his chair. "I see you two are more comfortable around each other."
Charlie didn't seem thrilled to have witnessed Bella's quick kiss as she took my keys. I had quickly become used to such displays from her that I hadn't even thought about our company. Her father was suspicious, but not hostile. The kiss was very brief after all. It only hinted that we had been more intimate at other times. We had been away for the weekend, after all.
"When you asked me my intentions toward Bella, I told you that I liked her and that I would allow her to make any advances. I've come to realize that I'm falling for her. I believe she feels the same. While we were in New York, she kissed me. We've decided to pursue a relationship."
"I see." He said, his face still hard. "A relationship."
"Yes sir."
"So your divorce is final?" He huffed disapprovingly.
"It was final before I even came back to Forks." I changed the subject quickly, not wanting to go into my relationship with his daughter or with my ex-wife. "I delivered your message to Edward."
"Did you now?" The man smirked. "How'd he take it."
"Flat on his back."
This made Charlie laugh.
"Good. I just wish I could have done it myself."
"Edward Cullen was killed while we were in New York." I said seriously. Charlie's expression was torn between shock and grim satisfaction. "Not by me. Esme, Carlisle's wife committed suicide and took him with her in the process."
"Wow, that's terrible." He said. "How'd it happen?"
"There was a fire. They didn't suffer." I told him, leaving out the battle before the end.
"That can't have been easy on Carlisle. Losing his wife and son like that. Should I send my condolences?"
"Definitely not. The Cullens aren't feeling very friendly toward your daughter right now. I'm afraid they blame her for the situation, especially Carlisle."
"Bella? How could she be responsible for that?" He said angrily. "They're the ones that wronged her."
"I know." I agreed. "Just keep in mind that as much as he seemed like a nice man and caring doctor, he isn't a man at all. Don't involve yourself."
I could feel a small amount of fear and Charlie blanched as my warning hit home. He stared into my red eyes.
"Much like you aren't some boy that my daughter is dating." He said calculating. "Your eyes... was it an accident?"
"No. In the city we came upon a man being beaten to death by some thugs. They murdered him, three against one."
"I don't approve of vigilantism." He said sternly. "I'm a police officer, I believe in the law. I don't suppose people like you exactly play by the rules. Did Bella see it?" He radiated concern.
"She did." I admitted. "It was at her urging that I intervened."
Charlie scratched his head. His emotions were fluctuating a bit. Outrage, whether at my actions or that a crime had taken place in front of his daughter I couldn't say. A small amount of pride, concern, and confusion.
"Well, I suppose you did what was necessary." He finally said. "Bella's okay?"
"She's fine."
"That's all that matters to me."
He got up and retreated to the television. I joined him and he turned on a basketball game. Soon we got into it, both of us cheering. I caught him grinning as he looked over at me, a small amount of approval coming from him.
During one of the commercial breaks, he got serious and turned to me, muting the sound. I heard my truck pull into the drive and he waited until Bella opened the door and walked in before speaking.
"This year will be twenty years on the force. I've decided to retire." He announced.
"What?" Bella said closing the door a little too hard behind her. She sat next to me on the couch, taking my hand for support.
"Twenty years means I'll get my full pension. I was thinking of selling this old place. It won't be the same without you here anyhow Bells." He smiled softly. "I was thinking of getting a fishing cabin somewhere, just enjoying myself."
"That sounds nice Dad." Bella smiled, still looking unsure.
"Yep, just four more months until I'm eligible." He looked up, meeting my eyes. I could feel his calculation before the words left his mouth. "I found a nice place in Montana, I wanted to talk to you before I put down a deposit."
"Montana?" Bella said, her voice high. I narrowed my eyes at the older man. It couldn't be a coincidence.
"Yep. Some nice lakes up there."
"A lot of good fishing cabins in Washington too." I said firmly, staring back at his brown eyes. I felt his determination skyrocket.
"I'm pretty set on Montana. Have you ever been there Whitlock?" I never gave him my last name, but he had it. I'd underestimated the man.