A/n: Thanks to all of you, who've continued to read, review and support the story. Here's the next installment. Enjoy!

Disclaimer:

Stephanie Meyer owns twilight and its characters, not me.

Inception on a Rainy night

Chapter 3:

BPOV:

I stared at him, wondering if he was serious or joking, though the chances of a vampire joking about drinking blood are very few. I wanted to panic, scream, run, anything but sit there like a statue. Somehow, the fear never came. I had stepped into his car last night, well aware of what he was and even with the threat to my life, I couldn't bring myself to regret that decision.

Last night had been life altering for me and it wasn't just about the sex. He made me feel complete in a way I had never known before. It was after being with him that I realized that I had been missing something essential from my life, like a part of my soul had been lost and that lost little fragment was reclaimed by his presence.

He was watching me silently and if it didn't seem so ridiculous, I would have thought he looked a bit afraid. I silently moved my hair away from my neck, exposing it, inviting him to give into his nature. In that moment, my thoughts did not stray to Charlie or Renee and what my death would do to them. I could only think of the man in front of me and the peace and contentment he brought me just moments before he devoured me.

He continued to gaze at me for what seemed like an eternity before he walked over to me grasped my waist and lowered his mouth to my neck. I waited for the pain, or pleasure as some stories described it, but nothing came. He nuzzled my neck, like he had done before, a low rumbling in his chest as he began kissing my neck. I couldn't control my hands as they involuntarily went to hold onto him. Yes, I would hold onto him for as long as I could.

He continued kissing my neck as he whispered, "My brave little darlin', my sweet Bella, my life, my mate…"

I felt as if I my being was being filled with love and affection making me almost giddy, I felt like I was drunk on love as he moved to press tiny kisses to my face. As I looked into his eyes, I found bottomless love instead of hunger and madness and I felt myself floating… wait, what? Mate? As in mating? Like animals?

"What?" I managed to get the single word out with difficulty.

"What, what?" he countered.

"You just called me… you called me something," I said, unsure of what I had heard.

He started kissing me again, "Darlin'? Sweet? Brave?" he asked as he continued to kiss me in a way that should be illegal and banned for public health concerns.

"Mate, you called me your mate," I managed to get out between his drugging kisses.

He sighed as he looked away and then pointed at my unfinished breakfast.

"Don't you want to finish that?"

"Do you think I'll let you change the subject so easily?" I countered. Being cheeky with a vampire was not something one should do, but I wasn't afraid of him or the consequences, so I figured what the hell?

He gave me a wry smile. "You don't miss anything, do you darlin'? Come, we'll talk in the living room."

I followed him out of the kitchen and into the hall where I proceeded to sit on his lavish couch. Instead of sitting down beside me, he pulled me up and situated himself underneath me, effectively placing me on his lap. I did not remember sitting in Charlie's or even Renee's lap, but with Jasper, it just felt natural. He started playing with my hair and I thought of how quickly I went from seeing him as professor Cullen to being just Jasper.

My Jasper, a voice piped up within me and I firmly squashed it down.

I twisted in his lap slightly to be able to look at him and raised an eyebrow, wanting him to start spilling the beans.

"Bella, you know quite a bit about vampires and yet there's still a lot that you don't know, especially about me," he said quietly.

I had been under the impression that I knew everything about my favorite mythical creatures. Obviously, that was not the case.

He looked at me, his expression curious as well as disapproving. "Why did you offer yourself to me like that?"

That was easy wasn't it? Because I feel complete around you, because I don't care if you kill me, I just want to be with for as long as possible and because I have gone completely insane.

"Well, you're a… you know. And you're strong and I wouldn't have been able to escape even if I wanted to," not that I wanted to escape in the first place, I added mentally.

Now he just looked skeptical. "Bella, I know you weren't afraid of me, it's just that people instinctually shy away from us, their unconscious telling them we are predators making them stay away from us". He again captured my lips in a kiss, "But you," he looked at me in awe, "you knew what I was and still came with me. I could feel your trust and I wonder how that is possible?"

Instead of answering his question, my mind registered something else.

I know you weren't afraid of me…I canfeelyour desire for me…

I remembered the feelings of lust that crashed into me while we were intimate last night and his words told there was something big missing from the picture.

"What did you mean when you said you could feel my desire for you, last night?"

He smiled. "You really are the most perceptive creature I've met, though your survival instincts seem to be completely skewed," he replied.

Again I cocked my eyebrows at him, reminding him that I would not be sidetracked so easily. He groaned again.

"You won't let this go, will you?" he asked. I just shook my head. "Bella, I am an empath. I can feel what you feel. I can feel the emotions of everyone around me to a certain distance," he told me.

I think that was the point when my brain completely shut down. How could something like this be possible, I wondered.

"For example, you are feeling completely shocked and confused, though I do feel a bit of curiosity in there as well".

"Huh?" was my only intelligent response.

"Also," he continued, "I can control others emotions. I can make them feel whatever I want them to," he said with a smug smile, which slowly morphed into an evil smirk. Suddenly, I was filled with longing, desire and lust so strong that my entire body heated up, wetness pooled between my legs. Oh God! I needed release!

I turned and devoured his mouth, tasting his sweet spiciness with my tongue as I straddled him, rocking against him, needing the friction against my aching core. Why were we wrapped in so many clothes? I wondered as I tried to wrestle him out of his T-shirt when suddenly the feeling vanished completely.

I collapsed onto his lap, completely bewildered, breathing loudly as he smirked cruelly. I realized what had happened as my mortification reached epic proportions.

"Oh my God! You did that?" I asked, wondering if I had lost my sanity.

Does this mean that everything that happened last night was a lie? That I had been manipulated into having sex with him? That my desire for him was not real? What was one to do when one started doubting their own emotions? When one did not know if what they felt was real or not?

Tears pooled in my eyes as I pushed myself off of him. I wanted nothing but to turn invisible and disappear into thin air.

It was all a lie, I told myself.

How could I ever move on from this? How could I ever have another relationship again? I wished he had accepted my offer and killed me. What was I to do?

The next instant, I was pulled back into his steel chest, his arms forming iron girders around me. I couldn't help it; I lost it completely. I started sobbing uncontrollably.

"Shh… darlin' please!" he begged. "I never manipulated your feelings last night. It was real, what we feel for each other is true, my sweet. I would never force you into something like that!"

I could feel the truth in his statement. I realized that he was letting me feel the truth in his words and it was a strange feeling. I looked up at him through blurry eyes and felt his concern, remorse and love? Gently he wiped the tears from my cheeks and pressed a kiss to my reddened nose.

His arms tightened around me as he pressed another kiss to my temple. "I'm so sorry, sweetheart. I shouldn't have shown my gift to you like that. It was insensitive of me. I'm so sorry. Forgive me, darlin'?" he asked as he looked at me with clouded eyes. In response, I leaned up as captured his lips in a chaste kiss. I knew I could never stay mad at him; I would forgive him anything.

He buried his face into my hair and we sat quietly for a few minutes, letting our emotions settle. I couldn't even begin to imagine how difficult it must be for him if he felt the emotions of the hundreds of people surrounding him. I stiffened slightly when I realized what he was doing.

"Are you sniffing me?"

"Mmmm… " he moaned, face still buried in my hair. "You smell delicious, sweet like vanilla and tangy like sweet limes," he told me.

"Are you hungry? Do you need to eat me?"

He froze at my words and then whipped me around to face him, his eyes darkening as I looked on.

"Isabella," he ground out, "I will never drink from you. I could never hurt you, my sweet. But that doesn't mean I can't enjoy your lush fragrance. Now, I never want you to think that I will hurt you, worse still drink from you."

"But don't you need to drink blood to stay alive? You can have a bit of mine if you want, I don't mind. Just please don't let it spill, the smell of blood makes me dizzy," I told him. I knew if I wanted to have some kind of a relationship with him, he would need to feed and since I was available, why look elsewhere? I had read a lot of novels on vampires and they all said that vampires drank blood from the person they were in a relationship with.

Jasper was now staring at me like I was a lunatic. "Bella, do you have any idea what happens when a vampire feeds?" he asked me with a grave face.

"Umm… they latch onto your throat with their fangs and drink your blood and then you wake up and don't remember anything?" I asked it like a question.

"You've been watching far too many shows on the television, darlin'," he informed me. "When a vampire feeds, a feeding frenzy begins, Bella. Once a vampire has captured a prey, it will not let go before it drinks the person dry. It is almost impossible for a person to survive if a vampire drinks from them."

I tried to process his words. Did this mean that he killed people every time he went out to lunch or dinner? I thought vampires were supposed to drink from different people and then hypnotize them so they didn't remember anything. I started feeling sick to my stomach when I thought that the man that I loved could not survive unless he killed others like me.

And still, I couldn't hate him. How could I hate him for his true nature? The idea of vampires using humans as we used cattle was unfathomable. How could I be with him knowing how many lives were being lost to keep him alive?

"Bella, I am not like the others of my kind," he gently told me.

Others? There were others like him?

He must have discovered my thoughts from my emotions because he gave a little laugh. "Surely you did not think I am one of a kind, Bella," he teased.

"How many others are there?" I wondered.

"Too many," he muttered, "our numbers go into hundreds, probably even thousands."

"How can that be possible?" I gasped. "How come no one knows, everybody thinks vampires are mythical creatures!"

"If we are mythical creatures, where do all the legends and stories come from, sugar?" he challenged.

I had to admit, he had a valid point. "So you mean to say that vampires exist amongst us in large numbers without our knowledge?"

He nodded. "Some of the oldest members of our kind are thousands of years old."

My heart sank as I considered how many hundreds of thousands of human lives must have been prematurely snuffed out to support these creatures. Jasper must have felt my mood shift because he began running his fingers through my hair, and suddenly I felt boneless and relaxed.

"Are you doing that?" I asked.

"Sorry darlin', I know I should have asked you first, but I didn't want you worryin'".

I snuggled into his solid chest, marveling at how perfectly my curves fitted the planes of his body. I decided I couldn't be a coward anymore, and braced myself for the coming conversation.

"What is it, Bella?"

Damn, all-sensing vampire! Obviously he had felt my resolve before I asked my question. I felt his chest shaking with silent laughter as he felt my irritation. Though not useful, I glared at him, just make a point.

"How do you feed Jasper? And how frequently do you need to feed?" I asked him bluntly. I knew he killed humans to survive, but I needed to hear him say it. I desperately wished that his answer could be any different, though it was impossible.

He cupped my face in his hand, and looking into his eyes I could see the sincerity in them without needing his gift. "I don't hunt humans for food Bella. There is no need for you to worry about me hurting you or any other human for that matter."

Dumbfounded, I asked him how it was possible. I knew he needed blood to survive and mentioned as much.

"Yes, we need blood to survive, but we don't necessarily need to kill humans for it."

I pondered this and suddenly a light bulb flashed into my mind.

"Blood banks!" I screamed, relieved to know that at least it was donated blood.

"No darlin'. It's impossible for us to get as much blood as we need from the blood banks. If vampires started consuming blood from blood banks, there would be none left for the humans and the purpose of blood banks would be lost."

"You can empty a blood bank?"

He nodded.

"How much blood do you need?" I asked, hoping that there was something, anything that could be worked out in order to avoid the loss of life.

"I need as much as hundred to hundred fifty liters of blood every two weeks, more if it has been a particularly trying week, or if I have to be around huge crowds," he admitted with his eyes closed and head bowed.

I felt my heart dropping to my feet. No blood bank could keep up with a consumption rate like that. Still, Jasper had said killing humans was not necessary.

"If you don't kill humans, how do you get the blood you need?" After our conversation so far I was beginning to think that it was impossible for him to survive without killing humans.

"I hunt animals, sugar. That's how I have the control to have a normal life, teach in your class, have you in my arms here," he replied, nuzzling my neck.

"Like Stephan!" I gasped. I was so happy that he didn't kill humans that I pressed kisses all over his face. I looked up at him, a huge grin plastered on my face, but he looked like a thundercloud, his eyes dark and menacing.

"Who's Stephan?" he growled.

He was jealous! And he looked so good while jealous. I wanted to rile him up just a bit.

"You're not jealous, are you?" I questioned innocently.

His answering snarl had me rethinking my decision quickly. Like he had done just moments ago, I cupped his face in my hands, my thumbs caressing his cheekbones.

"Shh… relax. For a vampire, you sure know very little about the popular vampire stories out there. Stephan is a character from a book series called the 'Vampire Diaries'. Like you, it was mentioned in those books that Stephan, the lead vamp survived off animals instead of human blood."

He looked shocked and murmured something about talking to Carlisle whoever that was.

"I want you tell me everything about yourself," I demanded. I regretted the question as soon as I asked me. Why should he trust me with a secret so big? I had only just met him.

"Bella," he coaxed me to look at him, "I want to tell you everything. I never want to keep secrets from you. I'll tell you everything, let's just take this slow, ok?"

I nodded and he began explaining everything that was to know about vampires. The human drinkers and the animal drinkers. The difference in the color of their eyes and their strength. The way their color would change gradually, or due to intense emotions. Their speed, their different gifts, his gift in specific. I could only stare as he told me that they did not need to breathe and could survive indefinitely without air.

I caused him to have intermittent fits of laughter as I asked him about popular beliefs- vampires turning into bats, the stake through the heart etc. He'd laughed and informed me that I couldn't possibly force a titanium stake through him, let alone wooden one. When asked him about garlic, he explained how all-human food smelled foul to him, though garlic in specific did smell excessively obnoxious. I figured there was no point in asking him about the stories about sunlight burning them since I had seen him in day light several times, neither did the sleeping in coffins hold any truth since I had witnessed first hand the opulent bed upstairs.

I felt incredibly sad when he told me that he couldn't ever sleep. To think that he couldn't dream, or ever escape reality, made me realize how blessed my really was. When he finally stopped talking, I asked him if that was all.

"Well, I do have to tell you about my family, though let's leave that for tomorrow."

"You have a family? Why didn't you ever tell me? Where are they? Why don't you live with them? How come…" but he silenced me with a hard kiss.

When we finally pulled apart, he had a huge smile on his face and my breath caught in my throat at his sheer beauty.

"Only you, sweet heart, would get so excited at the prospect of meeting a family of vampires. Doesn't it make you nervous, or more appropriately, terrified?"

"Of course it doesn't terrify me. They're your family and an important part of your life. I am just curious to know about them. I thought you were the only one changed. I had no idea your entire family was turned into vampires."

He gave me a sad smile as he told me, "Bella, they're not the family I was born with, they're kind of like my adopted vampire family. They're the ones who taught me how to survive off of animal instead of humans."

"Well, they're obviously not here, so where are they?" I asked as my stomach gave a rather loud growl.

Imagine my surprise when the clock indicated that it was four in the afternoon. We had been talking for six hours without me even realizing it!

"That's what happens when you don't finish your breakfast sugar," he teased lightly.

"I completely forgot," I screamed as I jumped off of him. "I have to get to work by six and I haven't showered, or have clothes to change into, and this place is in the middle of nowhere! I have to get back!"

"Bella, you don't really need to go to work," he said. I looked at him incredulously. Did I just hear correctly?

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"I can take care of you," he said. "I hate the thought of you working in that bar is. I don't want you working in a place like that, late at night. Besides, you're nineteen, you can't drink alcohol, let alone serve it."

"Jasper Cullen," I ground out, irritated that he would presume so much about me. "I don't drink alcohol, never have. I am a cop's daughter and I was taught to follow the rules. Besides, I've been working at that bar since before you joined the college. I know the people there and it's perfectly safe. And before you ask me, no, I am not going to let you support me. I'm a big girl now and I can take care of myself."

His face hardened. "Bella, I know you thin you're safe there, but I can feel their emotions, how they feel about you, how they… lust after you. I don't want you to go there. You're mine!"

And possessive Jasper makes a comeback. I needed to end this conversation quickly before it turns worse and there was only one way to do it. I asked him a question that I knew he was uncomfortable with answering.

"I'm yours, am I? You still haven't answered the question that originally started this whole conversation. What did you mean when you called me your mate?"

As I had guessed, he looked slightly uncomfortable before he quickly recovered.

"I told you we'd talk about that tomorrow, Isabella. I just don't want to overload you with information," he defended.

"Great, you can tell me everything tomorrow, when I get back from work. And, please, don't argue about this. You can come in and watch me work if you want. That'll convince you that it's all good!"

He sighed. "I'd love to be able to keep an eye on all those hormonal men, but unfortunately I have an evening class to teach."

"You have a class on a Saturday night?' I asked skeptically.

"It's a one time thing, a kind of extra credit class for some of the weak ones."

"Ok. Well, I better get that shower. Would you care to join me, professor?" I suggested in what I hoped was a sultry voice. Apparently it had the desired effect because the next instant his eyes were black as a moonless midnight.

He pushed up his shirt I was wearing and cupped me through my panties.

"Miss Swan, I do believe you're guilty of indecent behavior. I think I need to punish you for your misbehavior," he growled as I pressed myself into his hand.

"Darlin', if you continue this, I don't think I'm gonna be able to let you go till Monday morning. If that's what you want, tell me and we'll take this upstairs," he whispered as he thrust his tongue into my mouth.

I moaned in pleasure as well as regret. I knew we couldn't let this escalate into more at the moment. I reluctantly went upstairs for my bath as he prepared a sandwich for me. I knew we had covered a lot of things about him and his kind, but I knew there was more to come, and something told me that whatever we discussed tomorrow, was going to be explosive.

I wolfed down my sandwich and asked Jasper to drive me to my apartment before I went to work so I could change into my own clothes.

We walked into his garage and saw the car he was planning on taking.

"A Hummer, Jasper? Really?"

He gave me a smirk as he helped me into my seat.

"I have nothing against the Mercedes, but it was only to make a quick get away from home. I wanted to return it, but Carlisle suggested it would go better with the professor persona than the humvee here."

As the drove the long distance from his mansion to my tiny apartment, I once again wondered who the enigma called Jasper Cullen was and if I would ever know him completely.

A/N:

Ok, so I know it has been a long, dry (ahem!) chapter. It's not really exciting since all the information is already known to everyone, though it was essential to get this and the coming conversations out of the way for the story to move forward.

I've tried my best to put my own spin on how the 'I'm a vampire' talk would go between Bella and Jasper, jumping from topic to topic as I would expect anyone to when faced with such information. I hope you're not disappointed with this chapter.

Oh and I simply couldn't pass up the chance to mention 'Vampire diaries' considering how there's been a lot of debate on how Twilight is a poor rip off from that series.

Next up: Make out session in the bar!

Thank you to all those who've reviewed! It's wonderful to read your thoughts and comments. Keep the love coming people!

Hugs,

KT.