Inception on a rainy night

Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Twilight and its characters belong to Stephanie Meyer.

A/N: This chapter is dedicated to StormDragonfly for all her help and guidance. It's a joy to have you as a friend and guide.

Previously:

"Mmm…hmmm," I hummed, "but I know how you can make it even better," I suggested as I pressed against his body, my hand questing below his abdomen when he stiffened, hissed and then sat up clutching me in his arms.

Downstairs, I heard the bell ring. We had a guest.

BPOV:

Jasper sat still as a statue, his arms wrapped around me in a defensive manner. He had stopped breathing and his reaction was beginning to worry me.

"Jasper?" I asked as I turned around as best as I could with him holding me in his iron grip.

He just turned me around so that I was facing him and then tucked my head under his chin, never loosening his hold on me as a low warning growl started rumbling in his chest. Even in less than forty-eight hours, I was beginning to understand that Jasper's more primal instincts often took over. This seemed like one of those times; though what had set him off, I had no idea. Surely, if he lived like a normal human being, he'd have normal people calling on him sometimes? Why had a simple doorbell agitated him so much?

I stayed as still as I could and after a few minutes, his growling subsided though he never relinquished his grip on me. When he finally quieted down, I decided that it was safe enough for me to move. I pulled my hands out from where they had been crushed between our chests and threw them around his shoulders, playing with his curls at the nape of his neck. When he didn't seem to object, I thrust my hands into his honey locks and started scratching his scalp in what I hoped was a soothing motion. Quickly, he started purring, nuzzling my ear as his grip on me loosened fractionally.

Note to self, Jasper likes my hands in his hair.

We sat like that for a while, my hands roaming in his silken locks as his purring continued and his body gradually started easing from its tense position. But the peace didn't last. Next instant, his phone started buzzing on the side table and his purr instantly turned into a growl. He gently placed me on the bed and then turned in a way that blocked me from the phone. Now I was really confused. He was protecting me from a cell phone?

He picked up the phone, talking rapidly in a low voice that made it impossible for me to hear him, let alone decipher what he was saying. Things were getting weirder by the minute and I did not like it. He put the phone in the side table drawer, as though just the sight of the tiny thing somehow offended him greatly and again pulled me into his arms, nuzzling my neck, speaking in a voice to low for me to hear, though something told me that I wasn't meant to hear what he was saying, yet. So I did the only thing I could. I continued with my soothing touches, hoping he'd soon tell me what was going on.

Almost fifteen minutes later, he sighed and looked me in the eyes. His eyes were black, but I knew they were not so due to passion.

"Bella, we have a guest," he sighed.

The doorbell, I thought.

I nodded for him to continue.

"It's Carlisle, I had asked him to come over here so that he can explain in better detail the dynamics of our relationship to you, and to me as well, to a certain extent."

"That's Carlisle out there? Carlisle as in your father, the head of the Cullen family?"

He nodded.

"Jasper!" I squeaked, "Get the door! You can't keep him waiting outside," I admonished him as I made to get out his arms.

He hissed and pulled me back.

"No!"

Was he insane?

"No? What is that supposed to mean? You don't want your father to come in and see you?"

He held me desperately, like a drowning man holding onto a life raft. His breathing grew rough and he looked like he was under a great deal of stress.

"Bella, I need you to do exactly as I ask you to. Please, don't fight me on this. It's already very difficult for me. Please darlin', will you do as I ask?"

I looked into his beseeching eyes and knew that he was very serious about what he was saying. What I couldn't understand for the life of me was why a visit from his father figure would make him so uncomfortable. He must have gauged my confusion and curiosity so he soothed my curiosity with a mysterious "Be patient, all will be revealed soon, darlin'."

Finally, he untangled our limbs and reached into his closet and was back within the blink of an eye. He dressed me in one of his shirts that covered me upto my knees and then helped me into a pair of his boxers.

This was not the attire I was hoping to wear when I met his father. I wanted to protest, tell him how completely inappropriate it was and how awkward it would make the entire situation, but I kept my mouth firmly shut. He'd asked me to do as he asked and I was going to do it, and was going to make sure I got some answers out of the entire situation as well.

I saw him pull on a pair of frayed jeans and forgo any shirt. He pulled me into his arms and then planted a firm kiss on my mouth.

"Don't leave my side," he warned. I nodded in acceptance and before I could resist, he hauled me into his arms and carried me downstairs. He sat on the couch, pulling me into his lap and took a deep breath.

"You can come in now," he spoke in a harsh tone that did nothing to hide his discomfort. The door opened slowly and in stepped one of the most beautiful creatures I had ever seen. He was tall, lean yet muscular with blonde hair and the wisest ochre eyes I had ever seen.

"Hello Jasper," he said softly as he stood just inside the door, not taking a single step further into the room.

I was once again hyper aware of what we looked like, Jasper was bare chest with me dressed in his clothes, perched upon his lap with his arms firmly around me. I squirmed in embarrassment as his eyes took us in, but Jasper's arms tightened even more around me and a terse "Carlisle," was all he could respond with.

"Hello Isabella," he said gently and I blushed as a growl built up in Jasper's chest.

"Hi," I squeaked out.

He just stood there, not moving, not blinking, just observing us.

CPOV:

I enjoyed feeling the wind in my hair as I swiftly drove towards Seattle. I loved my Mercedes, but while it was on loan to Jasper, Rosalie's convertible was a great joy to drive, especially after the adjustments she had made to the engine. She had insisted I give it a test run after her latest session of tinkering around with it and while I may never admit it out loud, I loved that she would trust me with her beloved car. Not even Emmet was allowed to have the privilege of driving it.

While most humans found driving tedious, it was something that came very easily to us given our quick reflexes. Usaually, driving served to calm me down, but today I found my thoughts occupied by the drastic changes my family had been going through for the past several months. Alice and Jasper's break up had been a jarring experience for all of us and for a while I had thought our family would fall apart. I abhorred having to take sides when two or more of my family members were involved and yet, I couldn't help but empathize with Jasper. He had been deceived in the worst way possible and there was no way any of us could have condoned what Alice had done. But most disconcerting had been the fact that Alice could keep her intentions obscured from both Edward as well as Jasper's gift for well over half a century. Letting Jasper move to Seattle and take up this job on his own was one of the most difficult decisions our family had ever taken.

As a truck zoomed past on the opposite lane, I sighed. Maybe it was for the best that Alice and Jasper had never married. The last thing any of us wanted under the circumstances was to get entangled in the legal paper involved, had they ever married. We often wondered why they had never seen the need to get married; God knows Rosalie always enjoys throwing a huge bash in the name of a wedding every few years. However, now, their decision made sense. Rather, Alice's decision made sense. I was glad she had shown the decency leave the wedding vows for Jasper's true mate.

My phone buzzed and before looking at it, I knew who it would be. I pulled over the side of the road, simply out of habit of following rules.

"Edward," I said in greeting.

"Are you sure you don't want me to come along? I can be there in a while and I don't even need to be present, I'll be outside, just close enough to monitor his thoughts."

"No son, I know you worry, but your presence will place an added stress on Jasper and I don't want that. The last thing I want to happen is for Jasper to loose control and hurt Isabella," I explained. He made a frustrated noise in the back of his throat and I couldn't help but smile.

Edward had been my first companion in this life and our bond was that of a sire and his first-born. Even without his gift, Edward was an exceptional child. I often wondered whether his intensity and passion regarding each and every aspect of his life was a boon or a bane. Never during all my existence have I come across someone with such powerful feelings towards whatever he did; but what had me worried was that while he loved passionately, he loathed with equal ardor.

His self-loathing was something I had been unable to rid him of despite over a century worth of discussions in religion, spirituality and theology. He has been alone for over a century now, and Esme often worried if he was destined to be alone for all eternity. I feared that I had made a mistake in bringing him into this life. I did not need to be a mind reader or an empath to feel the loneliness pouring out of him, even in a houseful of seven vampires. He had struggled the most with what we were, more so in some ways compared to even Rosalie. And his gift put a terrible strain on him, emotionally as well as ethically.

Guilt consumed me, every time I saw Esme staring sadly as Edward played some morose, haunting tune on the piano.

Elizabeth Masens' face flashed in my mind, tired, frayed and ravaged by the disease that consumed her and yet, her emerald eyes had glowed with fervor.

"Save him," she had commanded.

I often wondered what superior power had given her that moment of lucidity, perception and strength just before she breathed her last. I had never thought to relegate her last words to the delusional ramblings of a dying woman. The clarity of her words, the strength of her hold on my cold arm and the fierce determination in her eyes told me she knew exactly what she was asking for.

I had done what she had asked for and till date, I have been unable to determine if what I had done was the right thing. Elizabeth's dying wish had once again flamed within my heart the desire to end my solitary existence. I had been contemplating taking on a companion for several years then, and took her words as some sort of divine sign guiding me towards the end of my lonely life. While I had never regretted changing Edward for companion, I often debated if changing him had been the best decision for him or not. That I had taken away something as precious as his humanity from him without giving him a choice was something I would always repent for.

Now that Jasper had found his mate, unique as their situation was, I held hope that sooner rather than later Edward would find his other half as well. It was Edward's voice that brought me out of my musing.

"I don't like it Carlisle, I know I shouldn't say this, but the truth is Jasper is emotionally unstable, especially since Alice…" he argued.

"You should learn to give Jasper more credit son," I gently reprimanded him. "You know much of his difficulties stem from the fact that he can feel everyone's emotions around him and unlike blocking your thoughts, blocking one's emotions is impossible."

"I'm sorry, Carlisle. I didn't want to imply that Jasper's weak, but… but it's this whole situation. I don't like it! I don't like it one bit. I've seen Emmet with Rose, I've seen how newly mated vampires behave and I sure as hell haven't forgotten how Emmet had ripped off my hand when I'd gotten too close to Rosalie."

I could hear Emmet's booming laughter in the background along with Rosalie's tinkling laughter.

"You deserved it Eddie boy, you should've kept your distance from my woman," he teased.

"Just because you'd decided to turn into a Neanderthal in heat, did not mean I had to get my hand ripped off. She'd only asked me to hand her the screw driver, Em." Edward complained.

"Edward, calm down. Everything will be fine and Alice has assured me that this little meeting will be successful with little to no bloodshed," I joked.

"Fine," came his defeated voice, "but just for the record, I know for certain that you have no idea what is waiting for you there. Despite all your efforts, you have little to no idea about how the mating dynamics shift when one of the pair is human. I just hope for Esme's sake that you manage to come back in one piece because there's no doubt about who'll win if there's a confrontation between the two of you."

"Edward Anthony Masen Cullen!" came Esme's sharp voice. "Don't you dare take that tone with your father, young man," she chastised.

"Yes mom," he sang like a child as we both dissolved into laughter. I cherished the sound of his laughter, it was a very rare sound.

"Don't worry, son. I'll give you a call later on to let you know how it goes."

I continued my journey towards Seattle and on to the outskirts of the UW campus towards out mansion secluded in the forest. I could feel anticipation and excitement bubble up inside me as I approached the house. I was about to witness an incredibly rare phenomenon and was curious to meet the human girl who had captured the heart of my hardened martial son.

I could hear the steady beat of Isabella's heart coming from Jasper's room as well as the sound of their breathing. But, soon I could hear Jasper's growls as well and was glad I had taken the whole day off from the hospital, this was bound to take a while. I parked the car and then swiftly ran back till I was out of hearing range. I waited for a few minutes and then called Jasper on his cell phone. I needed to make sure that he was up for the ordeal; I would not bode well for Isabella if Jasper made to attack me in her presence. He picked up on the third ring.

"I'm sorry, but I can't help it," he apologized immediately.

"That's ok son, I understand what you're going through. I've been through it myself. How are you feeling?"

"Over protective and incredibly jealous, despite my mind telling me that it's not required. I can't ever imagine you behaving in such a way," he added.

I laughed.

"While I may not have been as aggressive as you, I had my own moments of insecurities and jealousy. I know it's not a pleasant feeling and it can be very disconcerting in the beginning," I tried to assure him.

"You're damn right about that," he muttered. "What are we going to do? I can barely keep my head straight while talking to you on the phone, I can't imagine what I'll do when I actually see you."

In thinking of Jasper's discomfort, I realized that I had no idea of Isabella's reaction to the situation. If she was not prepared for such a confrontation, she could be extremely discomfited by our actions and may even go into shock.

"How did Isabella doing? Is she alright with your reactions?"

I could immediately discern the slight change in the tenor of his voice. There was a hint of pride, indulgence and utter adoration in his voice as he spoke of her.

"She's doing much better than can be expected, in fact, she was the one who helped me calm down in the first place. She's a bit confused, but that is to be expected. What do you suggest we do?" he asked a hint of desperation mixing in his voice.

"Jasper, if you're not comfortable doing this, we can postpone it. There is no point in forcing a discussion that is bound to end in you loosing control. Isabella's safety is paramount here," I said but his low growl informed me that that was the wrong thing to say.

"I would never hurt her," he whispered harshly.

"I was not suggesting that you will," I said calmly, "but do you wish for her to see you getting into a physical confrontation with me? Do you want her to witness something like that so soon? And what kind of effect will that have on her?"

"We need to do this today," he urged. "I feel like I am loosing control and Bella's getting more and more worried and confused. It's Monday tomorrow, both of us have classes and she won't agree to skip school, she's stubborn that way and I feel like I'll kill anyone who gets within a two-mile radius of her. We can't function like this," he complained, his agitation with the situation showing in his voice.

"Jasper, you need to understand that every vampire's mating instincts are different, there are no fixed rules about how you're going to behave. Yes, usually all newly mated vampires tend to become territorial and protective of their mates, but the intensity of their behavior and its duration varies. It may take from a few weeks to several decades before their defensive instincts die down and they start functioning normally."

The only response I got was his ragged breathing on the other end of the phone. So I continued.

"Given your reaction right now, I can understand it's very difficult for you but I have full faith in you, son. Alice told me how difficult it was for you to control yourself yesterday night when Isabella was working and I am very proud of the restraint you have." I ignored another one of his growls at the mention of the previous nights incident as I ploughed on.

"You waited for over three months before you claimed her as your mate, that speaks volumes about your self-control. I am sure that you'll be able to get through this conversation with Isabella. Be strong son, and keep Isabella close. She's the one who'll be able to anchor you if you start to loose control. She seems like an amazing young woman and I can't wait to meet her. Take your time and let me know when you're ready. I'll try to make this as easy as possible on the both of you."

"I call for you when we're ready," he said as he switched off the phone.

I moved towards the mansion so that I could hear when they were ready, glad that Jasper was controlling himself so well. When under extreme duress, Jasper could unconsciously project his feelings and since I couldn't discern any anxiety coming from the house, I was hopeful that things would go smoothly. My blackberry buzzed with a new message.

It'll all be fine and you'll love her!

Alice always knew when any of us needed reassurance. I smiled. It would take time, but the bitterness caused by her cheating would eventually melt away. She was just too sweet to resist.

"You can come in now," I heard Jasper call, the strain of the situation evident in his voice.

I stepped in and stood by the door, making my posture as unthreatening as I could and took in the scene in front of me.

Jasper sat with his chest bare with Isabella in his lap. I knew it was his clothes she was wearing and could tell she was uncomfortable with her attire as well as position on Jasper's lap. She was squirming in discomfort. Jasper had most certainly done his best to stake his claim on his mate. Her wearing his clothes on which his scent lingered was a very possessive move on his part and his bare chest was a warning to anyone who came close to him. While Bella couldn't see them, his scarred chest was a red flag to us vampires. It was a testimonial to his violent past and a proof of his prowess in combat.

"Hello Jasper," I said, acknowledging him first, showing deference to him on his territory.

He managed to respond, though a bit shortly. I was just glad he was keeping his control and was still seated. The chances of having a civil discussion were increasing by the minute. I decided it was time to test his control.

"Hello Isabella," I addressed the woman sitting in his lap.

Jasper's reaction was immediate, his growl reverberated through the high walls of the mansion and that Isabella did not jump, or show any outward sign of distress was amazing. Her cheeks did heat up in a beautiful blush though, probably at the impropriety of her position, but she managed a timid "hi" in my direction. The first interaction between Isabella and a new vampire had taken place and I waited to see Jasper's reaction. Even as I studied them, something told me that the delicate creature enfolded in my son's arms would be the one to hold together my crumbling family.

A/N: Ok, so I know most of you are about to kill me for delaying 'the conversation' but this chapter turned out to be unlike anything I had imagined it to be. I know this is a J/B fic, but being team Edward, I couldn't help but ramble a bit about him in Carlisle's perspective. I promise more of Jasper and Bella in the next chapter.

For those of you who don't know, I've started sending a teaser of the upcoming chapter to those of you who review, so let me know what you think. Feedback is much appreciated.

Hugs,

-KT.